After reading the internal reference materials, Fang Muyang realized the devastation in Tangshan was far more severe than he had imagined.
President Fu informed him that the agency would dispatch personnel to the disaster area, and the training program would also send people to the front lines. The primary criteria for selection were ideological firmness and physical fitness, with professional skills being secondary. No matter how high one's creative abilities, if they lacked physical stamina, they would only become a burden to the earthquake victims rather than producing works to aid the relief efforts.
Fang Muyang asked, "Do you think I'm suitable?"
"The conditions are likely harsher than you imagine."
Fang Muyang directly inquired, "What time do we leave tomorrow?"
As Fang Muyang rode his bicycle back to the earthquake shelter, a miner's helmet lamp sat in his bike basket. He glanced several times at a small pile of wooden planks in the open space - these were materials he had gathered to build a new shelter. The neighborhood committee had distributed a batch of planks for residents to construct earthquake shelters. While most shelters had been completed yesterday, there were still some leftover planks this morning, which he had brought back after notifying the authorities.
Fei Ni stood outside the earthquake shelter and spotted Fang Muyang from afar. She waited until he rode closer before asking, "Why did you bring a miner's helmet back?"
"I'll be building the shelter tonight. I won't be able to see clearly without the helmet lamp."
"You worked on it all day yesterday. Don't bother with it today - we can do it when you have time. Come and eat quickly."
Fei Ni took out a lunch box and handed it to him, containing two steamed buns and scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The buns were from the cafeteria, and there were still some tomatoes left from what Fang Muyang had bought yesterday. Fei Ma had made the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, using five tomatoes with just one egg. Today, Old Fei had gone to buy eggs, but by the time his turn came, only half a kilogram remained. Eggs were scarce and had to be used sparingly. However, looking at Fang Muyang's lunch box, one might think two eggs had been used in the cooking.
"We've all eaten already. You should eat." Originally, the elderly Fei couple had wanted to wait for Fang Muyang to return before eating, but Fei Ni had said not to wait. She had portioned some of the prepared dishes into the lunch box and eaten with her parents.
"Why are you back so late?"
Fei Ni had never seen Fang Muyang look so solemn before. Yesterday, while building the earthquake shelter, he had developed many blisters on his hands, and the blood on his forearms had attracted numerous mosquitoes. Yet this morning he had still been in the mood to tease her. But tonight when he returned, his expression had completely changed.
"I'm going to Tangshan tomorrow."
When Fei Ni heard the words "Tangshan," she couldn't control the agitation in her voice. "Why are you going there? That's the epicenter - the damage is much worse than here." Her colleague had relatives in Tangshan, and currently, it was impossible to get through by long-distance phone calls or telegrams.
"I know." He understood the situation better than Fei Ni did. After reading the reports, he found the food before him difficult to swallow, though the steamed buns were exactly the same as yesterday's.
Fei Ni asked, "Did your unit assign you to go?" His life had been turbulent enough in his mere twenty-plus years - she selfishly didn't want him to take this risk.
"I'm willing to go too." After saying these words, Fang Muyang buried himself in his meal without speaking another word.
"Do you really have to go?"
Instead of answering directly, Fang Muyang said, "I'll finish building your shelter tonight so you can move in tomorrow. As for the furniture, I'll make it after I return. While I'm away, you can think about what kind of furniture you want. If you want to change the design, I can modify it according to your preferences."
It was as if she was trying to keep him here just to build her shelter now and make her furniture in the future. She wasn't some ruthless landlord.
"You don't need to build the shelter for me. The current one is fine."
"I want to build it for you. Is that not allowed?""What time are you leaving tomorrow?"
"Around five in the morning."
"You're leaving that early, yet you're still putting up this shed tonight? Don't you need to sleep?"
"This won't take long."
Ignoring Fei Ni, Fang Muyang put on his mining helmet and began constructing the wooden shed according to the blueprint in his mind. When someone offered to help, he declined.
It wasn't that he didn't want to trouble others—he simply didn't trust them.
Fei Ni told him to stop building, but Fang Muyang paid no attention.
As he worked on the shed, he explained that he disliked leaving things unfinished. His tone left no room for discussion.
Normally when Fei Ni got upset, he would coax her, but today he didn't even look directly at her, keeping his back turned instead.
She would have preferred his usual cheerful self, smiling and saying he'd do whatever she wanted. Having grown accustomed to making decisions for him, his disobedience felt unfamiliar.
Though angry with him, knowing he was leaving tomorrow compelled her to pack his belongings. She knew his possessions better than anyone. There was much to prepare, starting with food. Fortunately, her father had bought five jin of biscuits from the pastry shop today, and there were plenty left from yesterday's purchase—she could pack it all for him. After all, obtaining food was relatively easier at home. But these biscuits wouldn't last more than a few days, and she regretted not buying more steamed buns today. At this hour, nothing was available for purchase.
Fang Muyang continued building his shed while Fei Ni inwardly cursed him for a fool. Without even a watch, why had he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows? Was he afraid the mosquitoes would starve from lack of blood?
She brought medicated oil to Fang Muyang, saying in a cold tone, "Here, rub this on."
"Later. Just set it down for now."
Fei Ni scoffed inwardly—was building a shed really such a grand affair? Yet she couldn't stand watching, so she opened the bottle, poured some on his forearm, and spread it evenly with the bottle's base. She could feel the skin twitching beneath his muscles.
Finally, Fang Muyang thanked her.
"Stop working on the shed for now. Take me to my sister's house on your bicycle."
"What for?"
"You'll know when we get back. Hurry up, or they'll be asleep soon."
Clutching the empty biscuit tin, Fei Ni hopped onto the bicycle's rear rack. Having applied too much medicated oil earlier, the pungent scent filled her nostrils. To avoid the smell, she gripped the seat tightly, maintaining distance from Fang Muyang.
Since he didn't initiate conversation, she saw no reason to speak either.
As they approached her second sister's earthquake shelter, Fei Ni jumped off and told Fang Muyang to wait outside, preferably at a distance.
After hearing Fang Muyang's warning, her brother-in-law had immediately gathered materials to build the shelter. Though cramped, the family of three lived there in an orderly manner.
Fei Ni had arrived with clear intentions, but upon seeing her sister, she grew hesitant. After greeting the elderly lady, she suppressed her embarrassment and asked how many biscuits her sister had at home. Fang Muyang was leaving on a long journey at short notice, and she wanted to borrow some biscuits for him. She promised to buy replacements at the pastry shop tomorrow and return them.
"Where is Xiao Fang going?"
Everyone now knew the earthquake's epicenter. Worried that mentioning Tangshan would alarm her family, Fei Ni named another city instead.Seeing her so anxious, her second sister said the family had just stocked up on five pounds of biscuits and some canned bread. They would keep a little for themselves and give her the rest.
Fei Ni said she didn’t need the canned goods and would only take half of the biscuits and bread, promising to return them the next day. Things weren’t as easy as before, so the family should keep some supplies on hand.
Fei Ni had come prepared. She opened her biscuit tin—a large one—and found it just the right size to hold the biscuits and bread her sister gave her.
After saying goodbye to her sister, brother-in-law, and the elderly lady, she stepped out the door, carrying the biscuit tin, and hopped onto the back of Fang Muyang’s bicycle.
On the way back to her own home, Fei Ni only said one thing to Fang Muyang: “Don’t tell them you’re going to Tangshan. My parents would worry.”
Fang Muyang agreed and fell silent.
“Did you prepare any food?”
“I bought some steamed buns.” On the way back, a bag of buns had been tucked inside his miner’s lamp helmet, so Fei Ni hadn’t noticed.
“How many?”
“Enough for a few meals.”
“You’re not going to be there for just a day or two.”
“They should have compressed rations available.”
Each of his replies felt like a conversation ender, but Fei Ni couldn’t help continuing, “When you go back, don’t set up the shed. It disturbs everyone’s rest.”
“If it disturbs them, so be it. It’ll only take a moment.”
“How can you be like this?”
Fei Ni got off the bicycle. Fang Muyang went on to work on the shed, while Fei Ni carried the biscuit tin back to the earthquake shelter. She told her parents that Fang Muyang was going on a business trip and she was preparing things for him. Besides food, she had also gathered medicines like Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui and iodine, as well as two military kettles, planning to fill them with water for him to take in the morning. She had read in the newspaper that clean water was crucial. If he had been more agreeable, she might have even sewn him a face mask. But now, she completely abandoned that idea.
She stepped out of the earthquake shelter and went to ask Fang Muyang for his travel bag. He was still wearing his miner’s lamp helmet and working on the shed—or rather, a small triangular hut. However, due to a shortage of wood, the frame was somewhat sparse.
This time, it was Fang Muyang who initiated the conversation: “What do you think? Does it meet your approval?”
The light from Fang Muyang’s miner’s lamp shone on Fei Ni’s face, softening her features in the night.
Remembering that he had to leave early the next morning, Fei Ni let go of her earlier annoyance at his aloofness and said, “It’s quite good. You should get some rest soon.”
“It’s only half-finished. I still need to work on it a bit more.”
“Is this for you to live in or for me? If it’s not for you, why do you have so many opinions?”
Yet Fang Muyang believed Fei Ni had no right to comment until she actually moved in.
“Where’s your travel bag?”
“What do you need it for?”
“I’ll pack some food for you.”
“No need. Keep it for yourself.”
Fei Ni insisted, “Food is bound to be scarce there. Even if you have enough, you can share with others. It never hurts to bring extra.”
With too many people in the earthquake shelter, Fei Ni simply moved the packed travel bag to the small wooden hut Fang Muyang was building, saving him the trouble of fetching it the next day.
Fang Muyang reached out to pinch Fei Ni’s cheek but missed, then shoved his hand back into his pocket. He had many things he wanted to say, but in the end, it came out as: “You should go get some rest early.”
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