Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Wedding Night “Are you actually capable of this or not?” Liu Qiao'er looked at Li Gang, who was sprawled on top of her. Her voice carried a sobbing note and a spark of anger. It was their wedding night. The red candles still crackled on the table, while the paper cutout of the character for “double happiness” on the window rustled in the breeze. The people who had come to tease the newlyweds had already dispersed. The courtyard was quiet, save for an occasional cough from Li Laonian’s room next door. Liu Qiao'er lay naked beneath the quilt, but after waiting for ages, all the man on top of her had done was press down so heavily that she could hardly breathe. Otherwise, there had been no movement at all. Li Gang’s face was buried in the hollow of Liu Qiao'er's neck. He did not dare look at her. There was a softness beneath him, but he simply could not get aroused. “Are you going to move or not?” Liu Qiao'er pushed him once. Her anticipation from a moment ago had turned to impatience. Li Gang’s body shuddered. He rolled off her and lay flat on his back on the kang, staring at the old newspapers pasted across the ceiling without saying a word. Liu Qiao'er sat up. The quilt slid down, exposing her full, firm breasts. She did not cover herself. She simply looked at Li Gang, disappointment and grievance in her eyes, along with an even stronger sense of defiance. “Li Gang, I’m talking to you. Do you find me undesirable?” “No.” “Then what’s the meaning of this?” Liu Qiao'er flung the quilt aside. “You took off your clothes, you held me in your arms, and then you lay on top of me like a block of wood. Just what in the world are you—” She paused, bit her lip, and forced herself to ask the question she found hardest to voice. “Are you really… incapable, just like people outside have been saying?” Li Gang’s face went white. His lips trembled, and cold sweat broke out across his forehead. When Liu Qiao'er saw his reaction, her heart gave a sudden lurch. She had only asked casually. She had not expected such a strong reaction from him. “What’s wrong?” Liu Qiao'er reached out to touch his face. As if scalded, Li Gang jerked upright. He recoiled, his back slamming into the wall with a muffled thud. “Don’t touch me.” His voice trembled. Liu Qiao'er's hand froze. The expression on her face changed from surprise to embarrassment, then from embarrassment to fury. “Li Gang, what do you mean by that? I’m not allowed to touch you now? I’m your wife! We went through the wedding ceremony! If you won’t even touch me, then why did you marry me?” She fell silent, yanked the quilt over herself, and turned away from him, presenting him with her back. The room fell quiet. Only their heavy breathing could be heard. A spark burst from the red candle with a soft pop, and the candlelight flickered. … Ten years earlier, summer in the Northeast was hot enough to make your skin peel. The golden wheat-straw stack at the east end of Qianjin Brigade village was paradise for the children. The wheat had just been threshed, and the straw had been piled as high as a small mountain. Ten-year-old Li Gang lay atop the straw stack with his legs crossed, a foxtail grass stem between his teeth, squinting up at the clouds. He had a lively, appealing look, a round face, and bright black eyes. The only problem was that he was half a head shorter than the other children his age and painfully thin. “Brother Gangzi! Brother Gangzi!” A crisp voice rose from the bottom of the stack. Li Gang leaned over to look. It was Yang Xiaoya. Eight-year-old Yang Xiaoya wore her hair in two braids, each tied at the end with a red ribbon. Whenever she ran, they swung back and forth against her shoulders. She wore a floral cloth jacket, blue trousers, and a pair of black cloth shoes embroidered with two little red flowers. Her small face was flushed, and her large eyes fluttered. She looked just like a doll. Yang Xiaoya’s family came from Shandong. The year before, she had moved with her parents to the Northeast as part of the migration known as “Chuang Guandong.” Her father, Yang Dehou, drove a horse-drawn cart for the brigade, while her mother, Wang Guilan, fed pigs for the production team. When they had first moved to Qianjin Brigade, Yang Xiaoya had not known anyone. She spent every day squatting outside the house and crying. Later, Li Gang gave her two pieces of fruit-flavored candy. From then on, she had taken a liking to him, following him everywhere and calling, “Brother Gangzi, Brother Gangzi,” all day long. “Come up!” Li Gang waved to her. Yang Xiaoya climbed up the straw stack on all fours. The straw was slippery; for every step she climbed, she slid back half a step. Her face grew red with frustration. Li Gang jumped down, grabbed her by the arm, and hauled her up. The two of them found a comfortable spot and lay down. The sun shone warmly over them, and Yang Xiaoya nearly fell asleep. “Xiaoya, let’s play house,” Li Gang suddenly said. Yang Xiaoya opened her eyes. “How do we play?” “Like grown-ups do.” Li Gang rolled over and sat up. He pulled a length of red string from his pocket and clumsily tied it around Yang Xiaoya’s wrist. “You’ll be my wife, and I’ll be your husband.” Yang Xiaoya tilted her head and thought about it. “Will you buy me new clothes?” “I will! When I grow up and marry you, I’ll earn money to buy you brightly colored clothes—red, green, blue, or white. Whatever kind you want, I’ll buy.” “Will you hit me? My dad sometimes hits my mom, and she cries afterward.” Li Gang thumped his chest. “I won’t hit you! If I ever hit you, I’ll be a puppy. And if anyone bullies you, I’ll beat him up!” Yang Xiaoya smiled, revealing two missing front teeth. “All right, then. I’ll be your wife.” Li Gang carefully finished tying the red string and nodded in satisfaction. “You look really pretty. Even prettier than my mom.” Embarrassed by the praise, Yang Xiaoya’s face reddened. She lowered her head and began plucking at the straw. Imitating the adults, Li Gang took Yang Xiaoya’s hand and said, “First, bow to Heaven and Earth. Second, bow to our parents… No, wait. My parents aren’t here, so we’ll skip that… Husband and wife bow to each other!” The two faced one another and made a solemn-looking bow. “The ceremony is complete!” Li Gang loudly announced. “You’re my wife now!” Yang Xiaoya giggled. Then, all of a sudden, she said something that startled even herself. “Brother Gangzi, then let’s enter the bridal chamber.” Li Gang’s face instantly turned red. Seeing him blush made Yang Xiaoya even more curious. “What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?” “N-no… nothing.” Li Gang scratched his head. He felt a flutter of excitement and, without knowing what had gotten into him, blurted out, “Xiaoya, do you know how to enter the bridal chamber?” Yang Xiaoya shook her head. “I’ll teach you.” Li Gang’s heart gave a little leap. Yang Xiaoya blinked her large eyes, her expression utterly innocent. “All right. Teach me.” “You lie down?” After Yang Xiaoya lay down, Li Gang climbed on top of her. But the moment he got on top, he was dumbfounded. What came next? What was he supposed to do now? He had no idea. Yang Xiaoya pushed him away. “Brother Gangzi, get up. You’re crushing me.” Before Li Gang could climb off, however, a shout suddenly came from the distance: “Xiaoya! Xiaoya! You little dead girl, where did you run off to?” Yang Xiaoya jolted and shoved Li Gang away. “Oh no, my mom found me!” The person who arrived was indeed Yang Xiaoya’s mother, Wang Guilan. She was a big, sturdy woman with a broad waist and wide shoulders. Her large breasts swayed as she strode along with powerful steps. When she reached the straw stack, she saw the two children playing on top of it. “You little dead girl, you don’t come home to eat, and instead you run off here… Huh?” She stopped dead. She had seen Li Gang hurriedly climbing off Yang Xiaoya. “What are you two doing?” Wang Guilan’s face darkened. Yang Xiaoya did not dare lie. “Brother Gangzi and I were playing house.” “Playing house!” Wang Guilan’s head began to buzz, and blood rushed to her head. Wang Guilan suddenly looked up and saw Li Gang scrambling toward the top of the straw stack, panic written all over his face. She bent down, snatched up a fire poker from the ground, and waved it at the top of the stack. “You little beast! Get down here!” How could Li Gang dare come down? He climbed two steps higher instead. Wang Guilan flew into a rage and started climbing up the straw. She was heavy, and the straw could not support her. With a loud rustle, part of the stack collapsed beneath her, and she landed hard on her backside, her arms and legs splayed out. That sent Wang Guilan completely over the edge. She threw back her head and began howling at the top of her lungs, her voice loud enough for the entire village to hear. “Someone come! Something terrible has happened! Li Laonian! That little beast your family raised! My daughter’s been ruined! Someone come!”