Chapter 8: Raising Angora Rabbits

The old village secretary stood outside the mottled garden wall of Lin Junsheng's house. The moment he saw Lin Junsheng step out, he raised his hand impatiently, his voice tinged with urgency.

"Junsheng! Come over here quickly, I have something important to discuss with you!"

Lin Junsheng was just biting into a piping-hot sweet potato; hearing the old secretary's voice, he gave a start, nearly choking on the morsel in his mouth. He hurriedly swallowed, still sporting a few crumbs of sweet potato at the corner of his mouth, and asked vaguely, "What is it, Secretary? Is something the matter? Just give the word—if I can help, I certainly won't hesitate!"

The old secretary looked at him and sighed, "You child, you're always so earnest. It’s like this: the felt factory in the county needs a large amount of Angora rabbit fur. I was thinking that if we could raise some Angora rabbits, we could shear the fur and sell it for a good price. I wanted to ask you to accompany me to town to see which breed of Angora has the best quality so I can bring some back to raise myself."

Upon hearing this, Lin Junsheng furrowed his brows. While the sweetness of the potato still lingered on his palate, his mind had already shifted to the rabbits.

"Secretary, I’m not really an expert on Angora rabbits." He spoke truthfully; after all, the skills his father had passed down to him were for treating livestock diseases. When it came to the delicate task of selecting breeds, he was indeed a layman.

The old secretary patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Even if you don't know much, you’re still far better than an old man like me. Just tell me, will you come or not?"

Lin Junsheng thought it over, calculating that he could also use the trip to town to cash his two postal money orders. He nodded, "Fine, then let’s go and have a look."

He asked the secretary to wait a moment and turned back into the house. He entered the kitchen, but finding no one there, he called out, "Mom, where are you?"

"I'm in the room, Xiaosheng."

Lin Junsheng pushed open the door to see his mother sitting in front of the mirror, carefully grooming her hair with a comb.

"Mom, are you heading out?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, just going to visit some relatives to get some fresh air," she answered with a smile. It had been a heavy time for the family recently.

"That's good, go out and clear your head. I'm going to town with the old secretary, so don't bother making noodles for me," Lin Junsheng said considerately.

"I heard you two earlier. Go on, and be careful on the road," his mother replied, her eyes filled with maternal affection.

Lin Junsheng gently closed the door and returned to his room, carefully taking the two postal money orders from his drawer. These were his earnings from writing, and his ticket to a better future.

He then climbed onto the old secretary's Phoenix-brand bicycle, and the two set off toward town, bumping along the way.

Once on the road, the old secretary’s chatter flowed like a burst dam, pouring out stories of the village's past. The ride to town took over three hours, which explained their early start. The roads were all mud, making for a difficult ride. If they had been paved with cement or asphalt, the journey would have been much easier. Especially on rainy days, the muddy paths were nearly impassable. Without conversation, the three-hour trip would have been unbearable.

"You know, the Widow Wu from our village was one of the greatest beauties in the area when she was young! Her skin was as white as snow, and her eyes were so big they seemed to speak. It’s a pity, though—she took a fancy to an educated youth with a poor class background. Back then, that caused quite an uproar in the village."

Lin Junsheng listened with interest and couldn't help but ask, "And then? Did they get married?"

The old secretary sighed and shook his head, "It wasn't that easy! Because of that youth's background, her parents wouldn't allow it. But Widow Wu was a romantic fool; she insisted on being with him, no matter how the villagers tried to talk her out of it."

"What happened to the man?" Lin Junsheng pressed.

"Ah, the irony of fate!" the old secretary lamented. "A few years back, when the country resumed the college entrance exams, that man grabbed at it like a life raft and went to the capital at all costs. Once he went, he never came back. I heard he made connections in the capital, married into a well-connected family, cleared his old record, and stayed there to teach!"

Lin Junsheng's eyes widened, "What? He didn't divorce Widow Wu, he just left like that?"

"Divorce? They never even got married in the first place! Because of his background back then, they couldn't even get a marriage certificate." The old secretary smiled helplessly. "It really makes one reflect. Widow Wu lives all alone in the village now, and every time I see her, I feel a pang in my heart."

Listening to the old secretary, Lin Junsheng suspected he had been hoping to set her up with his own son. The secretary had two daughters and one son, and he doted on the boy. There hadn't been family planning back then, and many families had five or six children. But now, with the policy strictly enforced, those who were caught faced harsh beatings and heavy fines. Having an extra child cost two hundred yuan—equivalent to an entire year’s wages for a rural worker. If they kept having children, the fines doubled, and if they couldn't pay or tried to hide, the authorities would go after their relatives to settle the debt. Most families were lucky to save eighty yuan a year.

Lin Junsheng’s family was currently drowning in debt; if not for his rebirth, it would have taken him five years and his sister’s help to pay it off. Now, he wouldn't need his sister to sacrifice herself or help with the money. He could manage, though it would take time—certainly not five years.

Listening to the old secretary's sighs, Lin Junsheng thought of the legendary heartless Chen Shimei from ancient folklore. This man was the modern equivalent.

"He's a beast!" Lin Junsheng cursed. "The first thing he did upon reaching success was to abandon the one who loved him! He’s not worthy of being called a man!"

"What do you mean by 'reaching success'?"

"Oh, nothing. Just saying that the youth was a heartless wretch."

The old secretary sighed again, "Ah! Such is the world. It’s the same for men and women alike. When you go to marry a wife, you have to keep your eyes peeled. Look at Old Shi in our village—didn't his wife run off with someone else?"

Lin Junsheng’s ears were nearly calloused by the end of the trip, but the old secretary’s supply of stories was inexhaustible—it felt like enough material for a soap opera. Human curiosity for gossip truly transcends gender. He found himself patiently listening to these strange tales, perhaps because the road was so monotonous.

Willows swayed gracefully, their green branches dancing in the breeze, as they finally reached the town. The buildings in town, rows of blue bricks and dark tiles, huddled closely together along both sides of the road. Though small, the town had everything one might need, including a tiny cinema.

In his memories, back when he was in middle school, whenever the school organized a movie outing, he would always enter those doors with full of anticipation, ready to watch the lights and shadows flicker on the screen. Each scene was not just a story, but a piece of his youthful memories.

The old secretary rode the bike to a large, empty square. Market-goers poured in from all directions, carrying goods on their shoulders or in their hands, their laughter and chatter turning the square into a bustling, vibrant scene. The cries of peddlers, the laughter of children, and the occasional strain of traditional opera filled the air.

Lin Junsheng and the old secretary wove through the crowd. The old secretary looked at the market scene with a smile. "Let’s keep moving forward and see if there’s anyone selling Angora rabbits."