Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Poetic Realm of Love

Liu Weidong was completely unaware of everything that had happened at home. At that moment, he was at the Agricultural Research Institute, strolling through the nursery with Technician Wang.

"Weidong, your idea of developing traditional Chinese medicine cultivation is excellent. I've been stationed at your production team for half a month and have also been up to Daqingshan, so I have a good grasp of your team's situation. Although the Second Team has plenty of land, with the popularization of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, there is a large amount of idle labor. Relying solely on those few plots makes it hard to support so many people, let alone achieve prosperity."

Liu Weidong sighed and said, "Of course I know the shortcomings of our production team. Take this recent flood, for instance—the Second Team was the worst affected. There’s no help for it; the location is poor, and the irrigation facilities are inadequate. That’s why I’ve set my sights on Daqingshan, though, with the current policies..."

When Technician Wang heard the mention of policy, he fell silent. "Don’t discuss state affairs" had become a deep-rooted obsession for this generation.

On the bus back to the city, Liu Weidong was still reviewing the materials he had brought back from the research institute. There were documents on herbal cultivation, new early-maturing, disease-resistant corn varieties, and improved rice seeds. He had to find an opportunity to pass these on to Wang Jianguo. How to reasonably utilize the Second Team's arable land and private plots next year would ultimately be a decision for the village leaders.

Passing by the grocery store, Liu Weidong bought two large blocks of tofu. Once home, he washed the rice, set it to steam, and sat down at his desk to write furiously. Since Secretary Zhao had specifically requested a serialized piece for the newspaper, he had to hurry to finish this novella.

It was Saturday, and the two sisters returned from school just after seven. Lou Yanru didn't mention Li Hong to Liu Weidong when she got home, simply saying that the comrades from the newspaper and publishing house hadn't come to see her, before heading to the kitchen to serve dinner. Lou Yanhua, meanwhile, stood behind Liu Weidong, watching him write.

Liu Weidong didn't even look up as he said, "Why are you watching me instead of helping your sister with the food? Are you confident in your review? Don't think that just because I wrote a song for you, you're guaranteed success in the art exams. Your academic grades are just as important."

Lou Yanhua huffed and went to wash her hands. After eating, the sisters went to review their lessons while Liu Weidong continued his work, and for once, the house was quiet.

Even a novella requires two or three hundred thousand characters, and since he couldn't type, he had to rely on his pen. Before long, his shoulders ached, and his finger had developed a callous from the fountain pen. Liu Weidong stretched and stood up. "Writing with a pen is truly manual labor. Sitting here has left me with a sore back and aching legs."

Lou Yanhua looked surprised. "Brother-in-law, what else could you use to write if not a pen? By speaking?"

Liu Weidong almost said he could use AI, or at the very least, a keyboard. "Surely there will be more convenient methods in the future. We have typewriters now, don't we? It’s just that we aren't professional writers, so it's not worth the expense. Yanru, why are you so quiet today? Still worried about the reporter's interview?"

Lou Yanru shook her head. "Maybe I'm just tired. We can't compare to the fresh graduates; after a few years away, our brains have stiffened, and our comprehension is poorer, especially in science—I feel like I can't keep up with the pace."

Liu Weidong coughed twice. "If you're tired, let's take a break. I'll sing a song for you."

Lou Yanru was still a bit distracted, but Lou Yanhua immediately pulled out her notebook, looking excited. Liu Weidong strapped on his accordion, and the soothing music flowed like water.

*There are so many people in this world...*
*A door left open in the crowd...*
*In my hazy eyes, it lingers on...*
*That blue morning when I first met you...*

Karen Mok’s "There Are So Many People in This World" was originally piano-accompanied. Although the accordion lacked that specific atmosphere, Liu Weidong's slightly raspy voice and the affectionate look he cast at Lou Yanru perfectly interpreted the meaning of a fated encounter.

By the time the final note faded, the Lou sisters were still immersed in the poetic mood, especially Lou Yanru, who was already in tears. To her, the imagery in the song was too similar to her own love story with Liu Weidong.

"So beautiful... such a beautiful encounter... such beautiful love... I want to fall in love, too," Lou Yanhua murmured to herself, only to be flicked on the forehead by Liu Weidong.

"What are you rambling about? I sang this song for your sister. Even now, I remember the first time I saw her. She stepped off the Liberation truck, wearing a military uniform, two little braids, a military satchel on her back, and her luggage in hand, looking around with such excitement. At that very moment, my heart was like a leaf in the song, spinning around her, unable to ever pull away."

"Brother-in-law, you're practically a poet. Even when you speak casually, it's so cinematic. I think this song is better than 'Seeing the Cooking Smoke Again.' I want to sing this for my art exam." Lou Yanhua rubbed her head and muttered.

"This song isn't suitable for you to sing right now. Save it for after you become famous. You've also been a 'sent-down' youth; singing 'Seeing the Cooking Smoke Again' is closer to your life experience and will earn you extra points."

Suddenly, Lou Yanru lunged into Liu Weidong’s arms and began to sob, startling him. "Wife, even if you're moved, you don't have to react so strongly, do you? It's just a song."

Lou Yanhua scoffed, picked up the accordion, and went to the west room.

"Weidong, why are you so good to me?"

"Isn't that a silly question? You're my wife. A poor country boy like me managing to marry a beautiful, educated city girl like you—that's like the ancestral grave emitting auspicious smoke. Why wouldn't I be good to you?"

Lou Yanru sniffled and buried her face back into Liu Weidong's chest, weeping softly. After a while, she calmed down and sat on the edge of the *kang*. Liu Weidong didn't pay it much mind; he had only meant to ease the tension with a song, never expecting to make his wife cry.

He flipped through the sisters' practice books, grimacing as he read. Lou Yanru’s science grades weren't ideal, but her humanities marks were improving quickly. Lou Yanhua, however, was struggling in every subject. Even with the lower academic requirements for art students, her current grades wouldn't cut it. Fortunately, he had taught her to sing; the creative bonus and the possibility of special recruitment might be her only way in.

"Weidong, Yanru was always playful in school, otherwise my mother wouldn't have made her learn the accordion and singing. Are her grades really that bad?"

"It's not just bad; it's failing. If she doesn't get in through special recruitment, she doesn't stand a chance. I just don't know if that song will be an instant hit."

"I feel like it definitely will be. Even though your two songs have completely different styles, they both have a strong sense of imagery. The underlying emotion is like a trickling stream—nourishing things in silence, making people feel as if they are in a lake of the heart."

"And you say you have no literary talent? You're full of 'literary bacteria'! Those are some heavy-hitting lyrics!"

"Oh, you're so annoying! Every time we talk about something serious, you start with that heavy rural accent, throwing me off my rhythm."

Liu Weidong pulled his wife into his arms and kissed her. "This is the authentic way of a country man. We’re just 'earth pigs'—not meant for fine flour. Isn't it tiring to keep speaking so formally?"

"Oh, stop it! Yanhua hasn't fallen asleep yet. Don't let her hear you."

Before Liu Weidong could get off the *kang* to bolt the door, a wailing, ghostly voice drifted from the west room:

*There are so many people in this world...*
*Why, am I the only one alone...*