Love Story in the 1970s

The man before her could be considered handsome, but Fei Ni didn’t particularly appreciate Western men. She politely returned a smile.

Years of education had instilled in Fei Ni a strong sense of caution when dealing with foreigners. This caution, however, only manifested in her reluctance to disclose personal information. On the surface, she remained smiling, answering only the questions she was willing to respond to.

When the man complimented Fei Ni’s spoken English, she said thank you. During her middle school years, her English teachers had changed frequently. Among them, a female teacher surnamed Chen had a profound influence on her. Teacher Chen had graduated from a missionary girls’ school and later studied in the United Kingdom, speaking with a standard British accent. Fei Ni’s pronunciation was learned from her. Teacher Chen had only taught her for half a year before being assigned to clean the school. On mornings when Teacher Chen was cleaning, Fei Ni would often secretly give her a piece of milk candy or a slice of orange candy, then walk straight to the classroom without saying a word, pretending not to have seen her. She carried out these acts very discreetly, not wanting anyone to discover her connection with Teacher Chen. But one day, she was caught—by Fang Muyang. Fei Ni felt both anxious and relieved. Relieved because, given Fang Muyang’s background, even if he spoke out, no one would believe him. Moreover, Fei Ni felt that Fang Muyang wouldn’t say anything. Logically, someone of his background should have taken a clear stance, cutting ties with his parents and others like him. Instead, he seemed to embrace his downfall. On occasions when troublesome children threw stones at Teacher Chen, Fang Muyang would even kick them and tell them to scram and stop bothering him.

Back then, Fang Muyang was as thin as a monkey from hunger, yet he carried himself with an air of arrogance even when riding a shabby bicycle, as if eight generations of his ancestors had been poor peasants and no one else could claim a purer proletarian lineage.

Given his attitude, others could do nothing about him. Although his family background was problematic, it was well-known that his father, who determined that background, frequently beat him for various reasons—sometimes because he stole his father’s money to treat poor kids he’d met in the alley to a meal, other times because he pilfered his father’s Zhonghua cigarettes to share with the gatekeeper. At first, some had tried to win him over, but when he refused to denounce his family, they gave up. The consequence of his self-abandonment was that he was excluded from factory recruitment and even from being sent to a farm—he could only go to the countryside as an educated youth.

Not long after Fang Muyang left for the countryside, Teacher Chen was also sent to the rural areas. Fei Ni never saw her again.

Fei Ni used the pronunciation she had adopted from Teacher Chen to communicate with the man before her.

She graciously accepted his compliments and, out of politeness, sincerely praised him in return.

While smiling and conversing with him, Fei Ni glanced around, searching for Fang Muyang.

She wondered inwardly: Where did he go?

Before long, Fei Ni had gained a rough understanding of the man through their conversation. Huck lived in New York and had traveled to many countries alone, but this was his first time in China. He wanted to break away from the travel agency and explore on his own, so he asked Fei Ni if she would be willing to act as his guide.

Huck initially thought of offering payment but feared offending the young woman before him. Judging by her demeanor and speech, he guessed she would not, and did not need to, serve as his guide for money.

Fei Ni politely but firmly declined. They had just met, and he was a foreigner. Traveling together would only invite unnecessary trouble.Hack showed a hint of disappointment but quickly changed the subject, wanting to prolong their conversation. He mentioned wanting to buy some items with Eastern characteristics from the store to take back home and asked Fei Ni for recommendations.

As Fei Ni was explaining, Fang Muyang approached. He wrapped his arm around Fei Ni’s shoulder and spoke to her affectionately.

Fei Ni asked Fang Muyang, “Where did you go just now?”

“You’ll find out tonight.”

Fang Muyang seemed to notice the foreigner opposite them only then and greeted him with a smile.

Hack asked Fei Ni, “Is this your boyfriend?”

Their intimacy was unmistakable at a glance.

Hack was considered tall even among his own countrymen, but Fang Muyang was slightly taller. His demeanor was quite different from what Hack had imagined a Chinese person to be.

Before Fei Ni could respond, Fang Muyang answered in English, “I’m her husband.”

Fang Muyang’s accent felt more familiar to Hack than Fei Ni’s British English. Fei Ni’s English even made him feel a little intimidated—her vocabulary was exceptionally rich, and some of the words she effortlessly used were rarely heard in everyday conversation. Even many Americans might not recognize them. Her speech was far from colloquial; no one usually talked like that, yet when she spoke, it sounded completely natural, without any affectation. Hack struggled to describe Fei Ni until he finally settled on the word: elegant. It suited both her language and her demeanor perfectly.

When introducing himself, Fang Muyang elevated his status without permission. Though he had no formal occupation, he claimed to be a worker. Hack was also surprised—an ordinary Chinese worker speaking a foreign language so naturally. It wasn’t fluent, but it was natural, much like a native speaker using their mother tongue.

Fei Ni and Fang Muyang chatted with Hack a while longer. Although they couldn’t act as his guides, they recommended several must-see places. Fang Muyang suggested he bring embroidery back home and even gave a brief history of the craft. The words Fang Muyang used were simple, without any complex vocabulary, yet they effortlessly conveyed his meaning.

This couple piqued Hack’s curiosity. Their language and demeanor were so different, yet they were married.

Hack enjoyed their conversation and said if they ever came to New York, they should look him up.

Fei Ni thought it was just a polite gesture, but to her surprise, Hack even offered to write down his contact information for them.

Instinctively, Fei Ni wanted to refuse. Past experiences had taught her that interacting with foreigners was risky. Exchanging a few words in such a setting was one thing, but actually exchanging contact details—even if the other party had no ulterior motives—could lead to malicious accusations.

Before Fei Ni could speak, Fang Muyang politely declined first: “There’s an old saying in our country: ‘Fate will bring people together even from a thousand miles away.’ If we’re fated, we’ll surely meet again someday.”

With that, the two bid Hack farewell and headed to the third floor.

Fei Ni still wanted to browse the second floor, but she was afraid Hack might continue talking to them. Hack had passed various screenings to travel domestically, so his personal history was likely clean, but two Chinese people conversing at length with a foreigner in English was suspicious. The atmosphere had eased considerably this winter, but if it were last year, she wouldn’t have dared speak to him at all. They had already said more than enough.Fei Ni asked Fang Muyang, "Aren't you a semi-literate who doesn't understand English?" Though the sentences Fang Muyang spoke were simple, Fei Ni was still quite surprised. This man was fooling her again—he had claimed that in middle school he only remembered half of the twenty-six letters, and after so many years in the countryside, he had forgotten even that half.

"Compared to you, I'm practically a semi-literate, aren't I?"

"I don't know which of your words are true."

"My heart for you is true."

Fei Ni found him overly sentimental and ignored him.

The third floor had many electrical appliances. They couldn't afford a single item there, but that didn't stop Fei Ni from looking with great interest.

While Fei Ni was carefully observing the television set, she heard someone greet Fang Muyang: "Muyang, you're here too."

She looked up and saw Ling Yi. Beside her was a middle-aged woman, who appeared to be her mother.

Fei Ni didn't know yet that Ling Yi's father had just had his treatment restored and back pay issued. But what she did know was that the expression on Ling Yi's face was no longer the one she had seen in the hospital back then—that face had been clouded with unshakeable sorrow—nor was it the one she had seen at the Fu family's home, where Ling Yi had seemed somewhat awkward and embarrassed upon seeing her.

Fei Ni didn't know how to describe Ling Yi now. The only thing she was sure of was that Ling Yi was very satisfied with her current life.

Ling Yi and her mother were very warm toward Fang Muyang, inviting him to their home for a meal. Ling Yi really wanted to talk to Fang Muyang about his parents' situation, but this was a public place, not suitable for such questions.

Fei Ni was overlooked, allowing her to continue observing the television set in front of her.

But Fang Muyang wouldn't let her be, insisting on introducing his lover to Ling Yi and her mother.

Fei Ni had no choice but to smile and nod at them.

"Muyang, what are you here to buy?"

Fang Muyang said frankly that they were just looking.

"Muyang, if you need any help, just let me know. Given our friendship, if I can help, I definitely will." If the current Ling Yi had encountered Fang Muyang during his hospitalization, she would have visited him in the hospital every day. Because no matter how many times she saw him, her life wouldn't change. Life had been too cruel to her, always testing her in different ways, forcing her to reveal her less admirable side. She was rediscovering Fang Muyang's virtues—qualities that had been utterly useless when she was struggling to survive. But now, usefulness was no longer her standard for evaluating a person. She no longer needed to consider a man's job, salary, whether he had housing, or if his background was politically pure.

"Muyang, come to my house for dinner tonight."

"Tonight, Fei Ni and I are going to her parents' house."

"Uncle Fang is back?" Ling Yi couldn't help but be surprised. Had Fang Muyang's parents returned to the city? How could such big news not have reached her family at all?

"No, the old man is still stuck in the same place. I'm married now, so I'm going to my in-laws' house."

"I see..." Ling Yi's smile froze for a moment. "Whenever you have time, you're always welcome at my home."

The repeated "Muyang" made Fei Ni irritated.

Fei Ni said, "Fang Muyang, let's go take a look on the second floor." She emphasized the "Fang" particularly heavily.

Fang Muyang didn't give Ling Yi another chance to speak, directly bidding her farewell and cooperatively going to the second floor with Fei Ni.

"I'll work hard to save money and buy you a television set."Fei Ni said, "Television sets are so boring. There are only a few programs all year, the screen is tiny, and it hurts your eyes to watch."

"Then what do you want?"

"Give me the coupons, I'll buy it myself."

Fei Ni spent a long time looking at lacquerware and embroidery but couldn't decide on any item. Fang Muyang picked one she had been staring at and asked the price. As expected, they couldn't afford it for now. However, Fang Muyang told Fei Ni not to be sad—they could come back when he received his next manuscript fee and exchanged for more coupons.

Fei Ni said with a laugh, "You're so clueless. Do you think just because I stare at something, I want to buy it? Wrong. Precisely because I'm not buying it, I want to look at it more."

She wasn't lying to Fang Muyang. In the end, what she bought were things she had liked at first sight: a pair of leather gloves and a pair of boots, both for Fang Muyang.

After leaving the store, Fei Ni handed the gloves to Fang Muyang. "Put them on quickly. Your hands were red from the cold when you rode the bicycle here." After all, woolen gloves weren't as warm as these leather ones. She planned to use the yarn she had originally intended for knitting his gloves to make him a scarf instead.

"Didn't you say you were going to knit me a pair of gloves?"

"Knitting gloves is too much trouble. I'm too lazy to do it. Honestly, if you could exchange coupons to buy a cotton-padded jacket here, I wouldn't even want to make you one." Fei Ni looked up at Fang Muyang. "Can you exchange for more coupons? Get as many as you can. I have more money now than you think, so don't worry about the cost."

Making a cotton-padded jacket would take at least several days, but Fei Ni felt Fang Muyang needed one right away.

Fang Muyang asked with a smile, "How much money do you have now? Care to share?"

He looked just like a gigolo relying on a wealthy woman, eager to know the extent of her fortune.

Fei Ni shook her head. "No comment."

Fei Ni hopped onto the bicycle, pressing her face against Fang Muyang's back. "Aren't you cold wearing just this?"

"I am cold. Could you press closer and warm me up a bit?"

Fei Ni scoffed but held him a little tighter.

Fang Muyang rode to a grocery store and bought three luncheon meat cans to mail to his parents.

The three cans didn't take up much space when wrapped, making it seem hardly worth the effort to mail them.

Fei Ni asked, "Do you want to buy some pastries too? I still have grain coupons."

"That's enough. My parents are receiving salaries now, and they earn no less than the two of us combined. The fact that I have extra money to buy them canned food is already an unexpected delight for them. If the surprise is too big, I'm afraid they won't be able to handle it." Last time, his father wrote to say they were now receiving salaries and no longer had to live on a monthly allowance of just over ten yuan. Although their current salaries were far less than what they had earned a decade ago, they were still higher than what he and Fei Ni made.

Fang Muyang didn't tell Fei Ni that his parents' greatest expectation of him since childhood was to avoid causing trouble and disgracing the family. Beyond that, they asked for nothing more. In his third year working in the countryside, he finally managed to get in touch with his parents. He mailed them some dried tofu, salted duck eggs—which he had originally planned to enjoy himself—along with millet and red dates borrowed from the locals. His father immediately wrote back, very tactfully advising him not to steal from the villagers. Enclosed with the letter was a money order, likely intended to cover what he had "stolen."Because his father's letters were all subject to censorship, every word was carefully weighed and considered. To the average reader, the letter would only convey an encouragement to pursue self-improvement. However, having been educated by his father for many years, Fang Muyang immediately grasped the deeper meaning. He thought that even in such circumstances, the old man still had the mood to refine his phrasing and advise him to be a good person, indicating he hadn't been defeated by life. Moreover, his father still had the mental capacity to wonder whether the millet and red dates were stolen, suggesting he wasn't starving—when one is truly starving, such concerns become irrelevant. So Fang Muyang took the money with a clear conscience, repaid the debt for the millet and red dates, and went to the commune to eat at a restaurant. After the meal, he wrote a letter to his father, saying that the items he had sent were gifts from villagers in gratitude for his New Year paintings. He thanked his father for squeezing money out of his tight budget to improve his living conditions and mentioned that the braised noodle with minced meat and deep-fried meatballs at the commune restaurant were quite good—he had eaten two plates of meatballs by himself. His father probably thought his unfilial son was living much better than he was and never sent him money again.

"You, not a single serious word," Fei Ni said, taking money and food stamps from her coat pocket to buy some more bread. "Send a bit more this time, so you won't have to make another trip."

"How is it that you, as a daughter-in-law, are more filial than I, the son?" Fang Muyang said with a laugh. "I won't be making fewer trips. If you send them so many things, they'll feel obliged to send us something in return. Then I'll have to come back to the post office to pick up the package."

Fei Ni ignored him.

After leaving the post office, it was mealtime. Fei Ni followed Fang Muyang into a small eatery. In winter, this shop sold sesame tangyuan, and it was always crowded, with almost every seat taken. Fang Muyang finally found one seat and let Fei Ni sit while he went to the counter to buy tangyuan. He brought a large bowl of tangyuan and placed it in front of her, urging her to eat while it was hot.

"What about you?"

"I'll have a screw twist," he said, taking a bite while standing.

Fei Ni, ignoring how scalding the tangyuan were, ate them one by one. After having a few and drinking some of the soup, she said to Fang Muyang, "You eat. I'm full." Just then, the person next to her left, freeing up another seat. Fei Ni moved over and let Fang Muyang sit in her original spot.

Fang Muyang went to get another spoon, and they shared the bowl of tangyuan.

"If you don't eat, the people waiting for a seat will ask you to leave."

Only then did Fei Ni begin to savor the flavor of the tangyuan; earlier, she had only remembered them as sweet and scalding.

Both of them broke out in a sweat inside the small eatery.

"Let's go ice skating."

Fei Ni said, "I don't know how, and we don't even have ice skates."

"We can rent them. I'd be glad if you didn't know how. If you were good at everything, wouldn't it make me seem even more useless? Give me a chance to show off."

Before being sent to the countryside, Fang Muyang often came here to skate. The skating rink seemed to attract more troublemakers than other places, with many boys considering it the perfect spot to chase girls, trying every trick to get attention and afraid of being outshone by others. Fang Muyang could perform many difficult moves, but back then, he was too young, and the girls there were all older than him. The other boys saw him as just a skilled kid, not a rival, and let him show off his techniques on the ice.

Fang Muyang realized that Fei Ni wasn't being modest—she genuinely didn't know how to skate.He set aside his desire to show off and focused entirely on teaching her. Perhaps due to nervousness, Fei Ni made little progress. To help her relax, Fang Muyang held her hand as they skated together.

To an uninformed observer, Fang Muyang appeared very much like a novice skater, and the way he held hands with a girl while skating seemed unbearably effeminate.

A young man skillfully circled around Fei Ni, then glided up to her and said, "Let me teach you. I guarantee you'll learn in no time."