Doctor Chen from the neurosurgery department noticed that Doctor Qu's cigarettes had been downgraded, shifting directly from Zhonghua to Daqianmen. Ever since Doctor Qu got married, Chen had anticipated this, yet the speed of the decline still surprised him. If things were like this just a few months into the marriage, he feared Doctor Qu might have no cigarettes to smoke at all in a year. When Qu Hua offered him a cigarette again, Chen felt too embarrassed to accept—not because he looked down on the cheaper brand, as his own cigarettes were far worse, but because he genuinely believed Qu Hua's good days were numbered and he ought to save some cigarettes and money for himself.
However, Qu Hua seemed unaware of this. He still kept money and grain coupons in his drawer, readily available for anyone to take. Back when he was single, everyone spent his money without hurry to repay him. His monthly salary plus various subsidies were much higher than others', and he spent all day in the operating room, eating mostly in the cafeteria, leaving him with little need to spend money. But now that his cigarettes had been downgraded, those who had used his money quickly repaid him, worried he might need it for emergencies.
Sometime later, Qu Hua went to see Mu Jing again. The small computer developed with participation from the Branch Campus was undergoing trial production at the machinery factory. Mu Jing had been working with her project team colleagues on compiler system design. When Qu Hua arrived, she was attending the final pre-production seminar. The meeting had already lasted five hours without conclusion. Since Qu Hua had surgery scheduled the next morning, he couldn't wait any longer. He left what he brought with the receptionist. While inquiring about Mu Jing, he happened to meet students from the Branch Campus who were doing factory training. One of them shared a dorm with Mu Jing. Having previously shared items Qu Hua sent Mu Jing, she recognized him as Mu Jing's husband upon learning his identity and offered to take the package to their dorm. She noticed the cream cake Qu Hua carried—its origin was obvious at a glance, clearly purchased before boarding the train and carried throughout the journey. She asked if he had any message for Mu Jing. Qu Hua thanked her, then wrote a note, folded it, and asked her to pass it to Mu Jing. Given how quickly he wrote, it was likely just a simple "Happy Birthday" or similar wishes.The girl who shared the dormitory with her, having already received Qu Hua's gratitude in advance, had been waiting for Mu Jing to return so she could pass along the items and the note. However, it wasn't until noon the next day that Mu Jing finally appeared. She had spent the entire previous night in the laboratory, and by the time she reached the dormitory, her eyes were bloodshot yet unusually bright, her entire face radiating excitement. But the moment she saw the cake and the note, her expression suddenly shifted. Mu Jing stared at the note and realized that the previous day had been her birthday. She gazed blankly at the cake, then cut it and began devouring her slice in large mouthfuls. Her roommate had never seen Mu Jing eat like this—even when chewing dried sweet potatoes, she was far more refined. Crumbs clung to the corners of Mu Jing's mouth as large tears rolled down her cheeks. Over the years, she had stopped celebrating her birthday, always feeling she had failed to live up to her mother's expectations. Her mother had never blamed her for cutting ties with the family; instead, she constantly felt she was a burden. Through occasional letters from her younger brother, her mother encouraged her to persevere. Many times, Mu Jing had nearly given up, watching her ideals drift further away, thinking it would be better to be with her parents, at least then she wouldn't be alone. On every birthday, she despised herself even more. This year, she could finally celebrate properly, yet she had been too busy to remember. Her roommate, who usually found Mu Jing's emotions unreadable, was at a loss for words to comfort her in such an agitated state.
After a long while, Mu Jing finally noticed someone standing beside her. She hurriedly shared the cake with them. She recognized the bakery and remembered how he had carried the cake all the way to deliver it to her.
Along with the cake were two bulging travel bags. She opened them and saw the food and daily necessities inside, thinking of Qu Hua. During the days they had lived together, she hadn't noticed him being particularly refined in his lifestyle, yet he had thought of her with such meticulous care.
Having gone over thirty hours without sleep, she forced her heavy eyelids open and ran to call Qu Hua. The person on the other end of the line told her that Doctor Qu was in the operating room and asked if she had any message to relay. She said, "Thank you." She repeated it twice—one for Qu Hua and the other for the person helping to convey the message. After hanging up, Mu Jing felt foolish, realizing the person who answered the phone probably thought both thank-yous were for him.
But Mu Jing had no time to dwell on whether the message had been properly delivered. After a brief rest, she threw herself back into her work.
On the day the machine was successfully trial-produced, they borrowed a few instruments from the propaganda team to hold a small celebration. Old Wu knew Mu Jing could play the guitar and asked her to sing while playing for everyone. It had been years since Mu Jing last touched a guitar, and at first, she was a bit rusty. But everyone was swept up in the joy of the moment, hardly caring whether she played well or not. Gradually, she found her rhythm and sang along with the others.
She looked up and saw the moon, full and round. She wondered when her family would be reunited again.
Another day passed before she learned from the gatekeeper that Qu Hua had called her several times. She immediately called back, and the person who answered asked her to wait. After a moment, she heard Qu Hua's voice. She wanted to thank him again and also ask him to stop sending her things. She knew he would never spend his family's money; like her, he lived on his monthly salary, with little to spare.Yet when Qu Hua listened to her on the other end of the receiver, the first thing Mu Jing mentioned was the successful trial production of the computer they had participated in developing. Immediately after, she heard someone urgently calling for Doctor Qu, so she quickly said, "You should go attend to that."
After hanging up, she realized she hadn't said what she actually intended to. Calling back was unnecessary—it would either be to his home or the hospital, and even if he answered, it would be difficult to express herself clearly. Words of gratitude conveyed over the phone always felt inadequate. She wrote a letter to her younger brother, telling him about the successful trial production of the small computer they had worked on and how it was soon going into mass production. This letter was addressed to her brother but was really meant for her parents as well. Along with the letter, she enclosed some money, knowing her brother would pass it on to their parents.
After sealing the envelope, she somehow thought of Qu Hua and felt she should finish what she hadn't said over the phone. She wrote him a short letter, saying she had received the cake he sent and that it tasted wonderful. The rest was just about how she was doing fine, that she could buy anything she needed here, and that he shouldn't go to any more expense. She didn't mention the successful trial production again, since she had already brought it up, and repeating it might come across as boastful, even though there was nothing wrong with that. After mailing the letter, she didn't expect a reply. It was her habit to include a stamp if she wanted the other person to write back.
Still, she received a reply. Regarding the matter she mentioned in her letter, Qu Hua only briefly stated that he had savings and moved on. The focus of his letter was on the language compilation system Mu Jing had helped design. He said he had told his parents about it, and they were very happy for her. At the end of the letter, he included a statistics-related question for her to answer and even enclosed a stamp, asking her to write back.
Along with the letter came two packages. Qu Hua said his parents had insisted on sending them and that it had nothing to do with him.
The question wasn't particularly difficult, and Mu Jing figured out the answer during her lunch break. She wrote back to him during her evening rest. After providing the answer, she asked about the health of his parents and grandmother. In the last sentence, she mentioned Qu Hua, telling him to take care of himself, but said nothing more.
They began corresponding frequently, mostly with him asking questions and her answering—questions that weren't too simple but which she could ponder briefly before replying. There was also some casual chatter; Qu Hua would mention a thing or two about his surgeries, while Mu Jing would talk a little about her work, though neither went into much detail.
Every time Qu Hua wrote to her, he enclosed a stamp in the envelope.
By winter, Mu Jing was writing to Qu Hua by lamplight, wrapped in a cotton-padded coat, with wood shavings burning in the stove. The coal ration they received was limited and had to be used sparingly. Wearing the cotton-padded coat Qu Hua had sent her, she felt no cold at all as she wrote. In the letter, she told him that the computer, which had been successfully trial-produced earlier, was now in mass production. She had also returned to school and was starting to think about the language structure of computers.
On the day she went to the post office to mail the letter, she received one from Qu Hua saying he was coming to see her.
She thought for a moment and decided not to put a stamp on the letter, resolving to tell him in person what she had to say.
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