RYEY – Chapter 188 Miao Qing Is Getting Married

Suddenly, Miao Qing flung the hard, dry cornbread in her hand toward the desert. “To hell with you, Li Bing. To hell with marriage. I’m leaving this place.”

She returned to her diwozi. The so-called diwozi was essentially a pit dug about two meters deep into the desert, with walls lined with adobe bricks and the top covered with layers of straw, leaves, and mud.

This type of dwelling stayed warm in winter and cool in summer, but it was poorly ventilated. If someone farted inside, without using a newspaper or a fan to waft the air out, the stench could linger the whole night.

Miao Qing had endured in such harsh conditions for almost a year. She had originally thought of visiting Li Bing on her day off to complain about her hardships, but she had no idea which military district he was stationed at.

She asked the guard at the gate to pass along a message to Li Bing, hoping he might come to see her—better yet, bring some food. Life here was too harsh; she hadn’t seen meat in months.

But Li Bing never once appeared before her. It was as if she were just a stranger he had met along the way—he dropped her off here and considered his duty done.

“Miao Qing, what are you doing? Why did you throw away your cornbread?”

A man stood at the edge of her diwozi and called down. He had seen with his own eyes her tossing the bread and felt a pang in his heart. This was food, after all.

“I’m in a bad mood.”

“Even so, you can’t take it out on food. When I’m upset, I stomp on sand—after a while the anger’s gone. This cornbread was made by my mother, softer than the ones you get in the canteen. Here, eat it.”

Miao Qing looked up. In the man’s rough hands was a yellowed enamel bowl, most of its enamel already chipped away, mottled and shabby.

“Thanks, I’m not hungry. Take it back.”

She knew this man. He was a local from the Hexi Corridor. His family wasn’t well-off, so he came daily to help plant trees in the shelterbelt, earning at least ten yuan a month.

“Even if you’re not hungry, keep it. If you wake up starving at night, it’ll be rough.”

He set the enamel bowl by the doorway and turned to leave—just as a gust of wind blew up, carrying sand that stung his eyes.

“Miao Qing, shut the door! A sandstorm is coming.”

Sandstorms hit here every few days. When they came, most people would hide in their diwozi. Even if someone couldn’t make it back to their own, they’d dash into the nearest one for shelter.

“Get inside, quick, close the door.”

Miao Qing panicked too. If he died at her doorstep, the neighbors would spit her to death with gossip—why hadn’t she let him inside when she could have?

The man happily picked up the enamel bowl, stepped in, shut the door, and braced it with a wooden stick.

Dust swirled outside, leaking through cracks around the door. Soon, the floor and bed alike were coated with a thick layer of sand.

Looking at her home, which she had to sweep out and shake blankets clean every few days, Miao Qing suddenly squatted down and began to sob. Why was her life so bitter?

“Marry me. My family lives in a cave dwelling. Conditions aren’t great, but it’s still better than here.”

The man reached out several times, wanting to pat her shoulder in comfort, but always pulled back. He liked this girl, but he didn’t know her past.

“You’d be willing to marry me?”

“I’m twenty-eight. Because my family is poor, I’ve never been able to afford a bride price, so no local girl wanted to marry me. But if you agree, I’ll even borrow money if I have to—I’ll make up a bride price.”

“How much is the bride price here?”

“It depends. Well-off families give a hundred, or fifty to eighty. Poorer ones might only give twenty or thirty.”

“But you earn ten yuan a month. Why haven’t you saved anything?”

“I’ve got too many younger siblings to feed.”

“Ah…”

“But things are better now. They’ve all grown up and found work. So I save eight yuan a month. I’ve already saved over a hundred yuan. I can give it all to you as bride price.”

“I don’t have a dowry. I don’t have any money.”

“Moneyless? How can you be working here and not get paid?”

Miao Qing fell silent. The deal had been: three meals a day, basic supplies, and a diwozi. Not a single penny. Otherwise, how could it be called a test?

“I made a bet with someone. I bet I would win. But now I know I never will.”

“That’s fine. A husband’s job is to provide food and clothing. You don’t have money? Then I’ll just work harder. I’ll support you.”

“What’s your name?”

“My name’s Han Cheng—Bai Han Cheng. I’m twenty-eight. I have parents, four brothers, and five sisters. The youngest is already fourteen, so my mother says I don’t need to support the family anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that once I get married, I can separate and live on my own. I can apply for a smaller cave dwelling, and we can build our own household. You won’t have to keep working here.”

A spark lit up in Miao Qing’s eyes—hope for a new life. Li Bing, to hell with you. You don’t want me? There’s still someone who does.

“Can you give me three days?”

“Of course. Here, eat quickly—before it gets too hard to chew.”

She picked up the cornbread. To her surprise, it was made of cornmeal. She quickly poured a cup of water from her canteen and ate it slowly—one bite of cornbread, one sip of water.

The next day, Miao Qing took leave and went to the base. She asked the guard to inform Li Bing that she was getting married and had come to talk about returning the bride price.

Li Bing finally appeared. Looking at his tall, imposing figure, Miao Qing suddenly realized how foolish she had been before. How could someone like her ever match someone like him?

“I’m going to marry a local man. But the three hundred yuan bride price you gave my father—I can’t return it. I have no money.”

“No need. My younger brother blew up your kitchen and ruined your grain. Let’s say that cost a hundred. You actually do have wages, eight yuan a month. You should’ve saved nearly a hundred by now. As for the rest, let’s just call it my gift to you.”

“Brother Li Bing, I was desperate back then. My father wanted to sell me, so…”

“No need to explain. I know. But your biggest mistake was harboring ill intentions toward my younger siblings—that’s what set off everything that followed. These eleven months have been a kind of punishment for you.”

Miao Qing nodded. She had stumbled badly on the path of life. From here on, she hoped things would go smoothly. But first—she had to learn to be kind.

Miao Qing left. Mei Li stepped out from behind the gate and watched her departing back with a sigh. People are shaped by their environment. With parents as callous as hers, it was no wonder Miao Qing had gone astray.