To the north of Chaoyang Village ran a wide, winding river.
Whenever folks had nothing better to do, the village lads and grown men would head over for a swim. They'd argue over who's the fastest swimmer, who's got the best breath-holding skills, or who can float the farthest.
If luck was on their side, they might even bring home a few fish or shrimp for a decent meal.
After chewing on greens for nearly two weeks until she felt like she might turn into a grasshopper herself, Alice Reeves finally grabbed the chance to wade in.
“Splash!”
Off in a quieter spot, the still river surface was broken by a sudden wave. Clear water sprayed upward like glass shattering in the sun.
Alice popped her head out of the water, wiped her face with one hand, and climbed out onto the stone steps, leaving a trail of damp footprints as her clothes stuck to her skin.
She tossed the still-thrashing black fish into her basket, shook her clothes dry as best she could, and plopped herself down on a rock to catch her breath.
The sky above was bright blue, not even a wisp of cloud in sight—so clear it looked freshly scrubbed.
This was S Province, right in the grain-producing belt between North and South China. Even though it was already late October, the midday sun still packed a punch.
The heat and the wind worked like a charm—within twenty minutes, most of her clothes were dry.
Alice lifted the big leaf she’d been using for shade off her head and quickly braided her damp hair into two neat plaits resting on her chest.
After checking herself over and making sure nothing was out of place, she picked up the basket, made her way onto the dusty, winding dirt road, and headed toward the village.
About ten minutes later, she spotted her house in the distance—both familiar and strangely foreign at the same time.
The Reeves family had a decent place by village standards; their tiled-brick house was one of the better ones around. Out front, a thin little girl was pacing back and forth, peeking this way and that.
From the distance, Alice could tell it was her third sister, Isabella Reeves, though she couldn't make out the look on her face.
Not that it mattered. The girl had already spotted her and came running over.
Seeing that, Alice figured something was up, stopped walking, and waited.
Funny how one plane crash had dropped her straight from the modern world into the worn shoes of a rural girl in 1971—same name, different life.
It had only been two weeks since she arrived, but she'd gone from flustered and lost to calmly rolling with the punches.
Just goes to show—humans are pretty good at adapting after all.
“Second Sis! Aunt Julia’s at our place again!” Isabella, sixteen in years but barely looking thirteen with her sun-weathered face and thin arms and legs, came rushing over, speaking low but urgent.
According to memory, the girl had been born premature, and given how hard life was back then, getting full meals had been a blessing, let alone any kind of nourishment.
“When’d she show up?” Alice handed over the basket, brushing aside the heap of shepherd's purse to reveal the hefty black fish at the bottom—looked to be at least six pounds.
“A fish?” Isabella’s eyes lit up like fireworks. That made it three days in a row Alice had come back with one.
“Shh—keep your voice down. Go hide it quick.” Alice gave her a look.
“Yeah, yeah, I got it! Hey, Sis, you think I could trade for a block of tofu from Auntie Lian later? Then we can make fish soup tonight!” The girl re-covered the fish with greens, swallowed hard, and beamed hopefully at the family’s top cook.
“Sure thing.” Fish soup sounded like a solid plan—plenty to go around for the whole family, filling and delicious with some real nutrition too.
“Wait a bit though,” Alice added after a glance at the sun. “Auntie Lian’s probably napping.”
Folks had just wrapped up their chores, and after days of working flat out, a midday break was hard-earned.
The girl nodded quickly, made a face, and pointed her chin toward the main room like something smelled bad, then darted toward the kitchen with the basket cradled in her arms.
Alice chuckled, lips quirking upward as she shook her half-dry hair loose from the braids, then turned and strolled toward the main room."...John, I think you’re just too soft on Alice. A girl her age deciding her own marriage? That’s just not right. James Donovan’s a great catch—looks decent, his family’s well-off in town, his dad runs the grain bureau, and he’s already a buyer at the supply coop at his age. If he wasn’t into Alice for her face, I would've pushed Cheryl into that spot myself." Julia Reeves clucked her tongue, clearly envious and not hiding it at all.
Alice stood under the eaves, not rushing inside. She calmly ran a comb through her long hair, her lips curling with a faint, cold smile.
"He's not a bad pick, that’s true. Don’t worry, when Bella gets back, I’ll sit down with her and have a good talk."
"What’s the talk for? Alice has just read too many books, that’s all. Thinks too highly of herself. So what if she graduated high school? Still ended up farming like the rest. Getting a proposal from James’s family is more luck than she’d ever get again. If you just give the nod, I’ll send someone over tomorrow to propose." Julia’s voice got quicker, thinking about that ten-yuan bill James promised. Her fingers were itching.
Of course, it wasn’t just about the money. What mattered was getting close to the Donovan family—then maybe her precious son could land a cushy state job. She wasn’t as shortsighted as other women in the village.
"You think I don’t care about decency? You may not mind throwing shame around, but I do! You better watch your mouth, or someone’s gonna slap a big poster on your back and march you around. What's wrong with farm work? Honest labor’s nothing to be ashamed of!" John Reeves slapped the table hard, glaring at his younger sister.
He’d been a public security officer for nearly two decades. Sure, it wasn’t as trendy as working at the supply coop, but he still drew a government paycheck. That gave his words weight.
Their folks had eight kids, but Julia was the only one with a big brother. The other sisters were all scared of him, and as soon as he gave her that stern look, she clammed right up.
Satisfied to see her quiet down, John lit half a cigarette and took a few content puffs.
"I’m just lookin’ out for you, big bro. If this match goes through, wouldn’t it help Michael get a leg up with work down the line?" Julia stayed quiet for a few seconds, but her eyes lit up again with another idea.
Sure, Michael was only ten and still years away from needing a job—but she was his aunt, wasn't she?
Her daughter, Nancy, had just turned eighteen. Perfect timing. Since they were family, she could help hold the place for a decade or so—no big deal.
Smoke filled the air, making John squint. He couldn’t make out exactly what scheme Julia was stirring up this time, but… her words weren’t entirely off.
He only had two boys, barely more than his dad had, and he couldn’t bear the thought of either of them digging in the dirt like girls.
Only... it was tough finding jobs these days.
Even when he retired, there would only be one slot open to pass down.
He favored his younger son most, and always figured by the time he turned sixty, Michael could take over his post.
His wife though, always favored the older boy, nagged him constantly, hoping he’d step down early and let him take it now.
But John wasn’t about to do that. He still had ten good years left in him.
It made more sense to earn his own money than to beg his kids for it.
If Alice really did marry James, it’d open a lot of doors.
Even if it just meant a temp post someday, that’d still be respectable work for his older boy.
Having made the mental calculations, John kept a poker face.
He had to talk it through with his girl. He wasn’t the kind of man to trade his daughter for gain, even if he did lean toward sons.
Catching Julia’s hopeful eyes on him, he gave a cold snort. "Told you, no rush. If this pans out, you won’t be left out. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. Go on, get out of here."Julia Reeves looked a bit awkward, clearly didn’t want to lose face, but still held back from snapping at her older brother. She let out a huff and stormed off.
Right as she stepped out the door, she nearly bumped into her niece, Alice Reeves.
Now this girl—who knew how she ended up looking like that? Out of six kids in John’s house, she was hands down the prettiest one.
Back in the day, her big brother was quite the heartthrob around the village. Even now, at his age, there were still some shameless widows trying to cozy up to him.
But even he hadn’t looked this striking—Alice was so pretty it almost hurt to look at her.
You hear folks in movies going on about delicate features and fair skin like a jade carving—well, that was exactly what Alice looked like. Especially with that sweet smile of hers, soft enough to melt anyone’s heart. You’d never guess she was a country girl.
Julia herself didn’t have the words to describe all that, but she’d been to every corner of the county and she’d never seen a girl better-looking than her niece.
And lately, this brat seemed like she'd taken some kind of miracle pill—none of her old plainness was left. She could’ve passed for some young lady from a wealthy family. No wonder someone like James Donovan ran into her once and couldn't stop thinking about her.
“Alice, went down to the river, huh? Not saying this to nag, but you’re twenty already, almost time to settle down. A girl’s name is something to be careful with, you know...” Julia’s voice didn’t carry a trace of guilt for getting caught gossiping. She gave Alice a once-over, salted with jealousy as she thought of her own not-so-lovely daughter. Raising her chin like a proper elder, she put on a show of giving advice.
Alice just smiled politely, not giving anything away, and said, “Aunt Julia, I think I saw Cheryl earlier. She was carrying a veggie basket, heading toward the volunteers’ compound.”
Cheryl was Julia’s oldest—same age as Alice—and technically her cousin, but they never really got along. That girl had her sights set on Cecil Foster, one of those educated types from Suzhou.
“What?! That brat! Let’s see if I don’t break her legs!” Julia shot up like someone lit a fire under her, forgetting everything else. She charged off toward the volunteers’ spot in a rage. Still, when she passed the crossroads, she leaned down and yanked up a few radishes.
Land was precious in the countryside, and every bit had its purpose. That little patch there at the corner belonged to the Reeves family.
Even though Alice knew her aunt had sticky fingers, seeing that happen right in front of her still made her twitch at the corner of her mouth.
—
“Alice, you back?” came John Reeves’ voice from inside the house.
Alice snapped out of it and stepped in, pulling a box of Grand Canal cigarettes out of her pocket and handing them to the old man.
John stared at the unopened box like it was made of gold. “…Where’d this come from?”
That stuff cost thirty-three cents a pack. No way she had that kind of cash on her.
“Caught two big catfish. Swapped one with Uncle Cameron for the smokes,” Alice said, taking a seat at the table. She grabbed the old teapot and poured herself a big mug, gulping it down with relief.
“Now that’s a thoughtful girl,” John said once he understood. He’d raised six kids, and other than his eldest who had a family of his own now, this was the first time one of them had brought something home just for him.
“Didn’t dote on you all for nothing. But still… best not to go after fish too much. The river’s too deep—it’s dangerous.”
Alice flashed a light smile. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
He shook his head slightly. “You… never mind. You’re a grown-up now, I won’t lecture you. But about getting married—what’s on your mind? Your aunt’s been coming by every day this past fortnight. That James lad seems into it, and his situation ain't bad either. What do you think? How about saying yes?”
As he spoke, John pulled out a whole cigarette from the pack.
