A Telegram as Thick as a Letter

1,361 words · 7 min read
She really was beautiful. The postman didn't dare stare. Out of professional courtesy, he offered some sincere advice:“ If it’s not an emergency, you can write a letter. The post office delivers mail to the villages too. ”Xia Xiaolan accepted the unusually thick telegram-letter. To the postman, the sender was clearly a spendthrift fool. Who else could it be but Zhou Cheng? Sending a telegram this long cost a fortune. Before she had time to read it… She first brought up the matter of getting a letter of introduction.When Chen Wangda heard she was planning to go to Guangzhou, his expression grew serious.“ A young woman traveling alone will run into all sorts of situations. Stay alert. ”“ Don't worry, Grandpa Chen. I'll take care of myself. ”Xia Xiaolan answered obediently.Although Chen Wangda didn't approve, she wasn't his granddaughter. He could advise her, but he couldn't make decisions for her. Given the close relationship between their families, obtaining a letter of introduction wasn't difficult.In fact, her trip to Guangzhou caused less discussion than the telegram she had received.At least now the Chen family knew about it.Later, Mrs. Chen worriedly asked her husband. “ The world outside is complicated. Our son is honest and straightforward. Can he even handle a girl like her? ”Like mothers everywhere, she was conflicted. An ordinary daughter-in-law seemed unworthy of her son; a capable one seemed difficult to control.Mr. Chen didn't share her concerns.“ Didn't Liu Yong's family already say they'll wait until Xiaolan gets into college before discussing relationships? ”Mrs. Chen shot him a look.Originally, she had thought that if Xia Xiaolan got into college, she would be a suitable match for Chen Qing.But now? Now it seemed Xia Xiaolan had other connections.When people competed over someone, that person naturally became more valuable.“ Who do you think sent that telegram? What kind of family throws money around like that? ”Though she remained at home, her thoughts had already flown to the Liu household. She wished she could snatch the telegram and read it herself.— — —Xia Xiaolan,Hello. It's me.Ever since we parted, I've wanted to return to Anqing and see you again, but various matters in Beijing kept me occupied. I've missed you very much. I wonder if you've felt the same.By the time you read this letter, I will already be on my way from Beijing to Anqing County. I expect to arrive in three days and will be staying at the guesthouse again.I hope I can see you. Missing you always,Zhou Cheng. 

— — —

That was only the beginning.Zhou Cheng had somehow managed to stuff over a thousand words into a telegram.Besides arranging a meeting, the rest was filled with declarations of how much he missed her and optimistic visions of their future together.Reading it made Xia Xiaolan's teeth ache.But strangely enough, she didn't dislike it.She had assumed Zhou Cheng was merely a passing acquaintance. After leaving Anqing, he had been silent for weeks. Yet now he returned with maximum fanfare.And Zhou Cheng was far too clever not to know what he was doing.If he only wanted to arrange a meeting, a single sentence would have sufficed. Instead, he sent a telegram thick enough to rival a letter.How could the people of Qijing Village not gossip?Only four words came to Xia Xiaolan's mind:Claiming territory.What happened to let's just be friends?That man really didn't practice what he preached.The whole thing was amusing— and oddly refreshing.There was another reason she didn't mind.The more people gossiped, the better. No one in the village knew Zhou Cheng. Rumors would inevitably reach the Chen family, making it clear that she had no romantic interest in Chen Qing.The Chen family had helped her and her mother a great deal. She didn't want misunderstandings to damage that relationship.Her aunt had been right.She needed a half-fictional boyfriend to keep unwanted admirers away.After putting the telegram away, Xia Xiaolan headed home with her letter of introduction. The telegram wasn't actually the important thing.Without the letter of introduction, buying a train ticket alone would be difficult, not to mention traveling, lodging, and eating in another city.People didn't carry ID cards in those days. The letter of introduction served as the primary proof of identity. It listed the holder's basic information and intended destination.Xia Xiaolan's hukou was registered in Qijing Village, Anqing County, Fengxian City, Henan Province.The purpose of travel?“ Visiting relatives. ”Qijing Village didn't even have a township enterprise. She certainly couldn't write about going to Guangzhou to wholesale clothing. “ Auntie, the letter's ready. ”Li Fengmei could read. After carefully examining it, she stuffed it back into Xia Xiaolan's hands.“ You're such a stubborn girl. ”When Li Fengmei asked when she planned to buy her train ticket, Xia Xiaolan hesitated.“ In a couple of days. ”Only she and Liu Yong knew exactly how Zhou Cheng and Kang Wei had rescued her. A meal of pork-and-pickled-radish dumplings could repay the favor of carrying her home after she sprained her ankle.But saving her from hooligans? That wasn't the kind of debt a plate of dumplings could settle.Xia Xiaolan had no intention of inviting Zhou Cheng into her family's inner circle just yet, so she didn't explain further.

— — —

On the day Zhou Cheng was expected to arrive, Xia Xiaolan packed the food her family had prepared and headed for the county seat. She planned to meet Zhou Cheng first and then go to Shangdu Station to buy her train ticket.Travelers in this era always carried their own food.She brought a military-green water flask, boiled eggs, baked flatbread stuffed with pickled vegetables, and soy-braised pork ribs. Train meals were expensive and unappetizing. Food sold on station platforms was cheap, but cleanliness was another matter entirely.Bringing her own provisions felt safer.Since she wasn't sure how many days she'd be gone, she first stopped by County No. 1 High School.Li Fengmei and Liu Fen had both wanted to escort her to the train station, but she had refused.This was already her second visit to the school since passing the transfer exam and receiving permission to study from home.Meanwhile, the Xia family remained completely unaware.Recently, Xia Changzheng and his wife, along with Xia Hongxia, had been helping at Zhang's Snack Shop. The owners, Zhang Fuman and Jiang Lianxiang, were so busy making money that they paid little attention to Xia Xiaolan's whereabouts.As a result, no one knew she had been coming and going from the school.Until now.This time, Xia Hongxia spotted her.Standing outside the snack shop, Xia Hongxia spent most of her time staring at the entrance of County No. 1 High School. Any boy with a chance of getting into college was a potential target in her eyes.The moment Xia Xiaolan appeared, she noticed.“ What is she doing here? ”Confusion and jealousy flashed across her face.The Xia family had assumed that after Liu Fen's divorce, mother and daughter must be living in poverty.In Xia Hongxia's imagination, Xia Xiaolan should have been struggling miserably— working endless farm jobs, burdened by her ruined reputation, living a life worse than before.So why was the woman before her neatly dressed, healthy-looking, confident, and walking openly into County No. 1 High School?What was a disgraced girl like Xia Xiaolan doing in a place like this?Judging others by herself, Xia Hongxia immediately concluded that Xia Xiaolan must have set her sights on another future college student.Failed to steal Cousin Ziyu's boyfriend?Found a new target already?County No. 1 High School maintained strict security.Xia Hongxia herself had tried sneaking inside several times and been stopped by the guards. They knew she worked at the snack shop and never let her enter.Yet Xia Xiaolan walked straight through.No one stopped her at all.Why?Why could Xia Xiaolan enter freely while she couldn't?A fire of jealousy burned inside her.“ Auntie, I'm going out for a bit! ”And with that, Xia Hongxia hurried after her.