The night passed without a single dream.
In the north, the summer sun rises early. Qiu Yun woke to the sound of a dog, Big Yellow, barking twice at the gate. The village was quiet, save for the occasional, distant sound of a human voice. Wang Chen was still deep in sleep, a sliver of light peeking through the gap in the curtains to rest on her chin, highlighting her soft, gentle features. Qiu Yun lay there for a moment, eyes open, but feeling sleep had truly left her, she rose and dressed before heading outside.
She wasn't sure of the exact time. The sky was pale, though the sun had yet to show itself. The morning air carried a slight chill, so Qiu Yun draped a jacket over her shoulders. With nothing better to do, she pushed open the courtyard gate and wandered into the village. She encountered a few early-rising villagers carrying out their night pots; they seemed surprised to see her, commenting on how early she was up. Qiu Yun greeted them with a smile. Along the path, she spotted a flock of free-roaming speckled hens pecking for food with an air of calm composure. On a sudden whim, seeing no one around, Qiu Yun gave a mischievous grin and suddenly dashed toward them. Sure enough, the hens erupted into a chaotic chorus of squawks, wings flapping wildly as feathers flew everywhere. One particularly panicked bird even managed to scramble onto a rooftop.
Qiu Yun clapped and laughed, thoroughly enjoying herself, when a voice suddenly drifted from behind her. "What’s this? Craving chicken so early in the morning?"
She spun around to find Liang He standing in the dawn light, having caught her childish antics red-handed.
Flushing with embarrassment, she stammered, "I... I was just playing with them."
Liang He had been driven from his bed by Lin Zhongren’s snoring. He had been feeling rather frustrated, but seeing Qiu Yun around the corner—and witnessing her chasing chickens—instantly brightened his mood for reasons he couldn't quite name. He smiled and walked slowly toward her. "Why are you up so early?"
"I just woke up," Qiu Yun said. "The sun rises early in the north. You too?"
"Yes..." Liang He offered a casual excuse. "I didn't close the curtains properly last night."
"What time is it?" Qiu Yun asked.
Liang He checked his watch. "Not even six yet."
"We're quite alike," Qiu Yun said with a laugh. "Couldn't sleep on the train, and now that we're at Yungang, we're up before the sun."
"We are," Liang He repeated, the corners of his mouth twitching upward at her phrase *'we're quite alike.'* He seemed to remember something, glanced at his watch again, then looked toward the east. Suddenly, he reached out and caught her sleeve, his eyes dancing with light. "Come with me."
"Where to?"
"You'll see when we get there."
Liang He pulled Qiu Yun along as they ran toward the edge of the village. There stood a small hill topped by an ancient scholar tree, said to be five hundred years old. They stopped beneath its branches. Out of breath, Qiu Yun asked, "What are we doing?"
Panting slightly, Liang He gestured with his chin toward the horizon. "Look."
Qiu Yun followed his gaze. The sky there was brilliantly bright, with a mysterious crimson hidden behind the clouds.
He had brought her to see the sunrise.
She stood there, momentarily dazed.
"Be patient. It'll be out any second," Liang He said, his voice thick with anticipation.
Qiu Yun stood frozen. Her breathing had leveled out, but her heartbeat grew louder and louder, thumping like the morning sun about to burst forth.
A gentle breeze brushed past, and the surroundings were silent. Above them was the towering, lush canopy of the scholar tree; behind them, their long, pale shadows stretched across the morning ground.
They stood in silence for a while, but the sun did not leap out as vividly as they had imagined.
"A bit of a pity," Liang He said, his smile fading slightly into regret. "The clouds are too thick over there. We won't see the full sun."
Indeed, at the far edge of the east, the sun revealed a sliver of red before ducking behind a heavy bank of clouds. The horizon remained stained with crimson, the brightest point of the sky, but the sight of a round, yolk-like sun leaping upward was not to be today.
"But does it matter?" Qiu Yun didn't feel the slightest bit of regret. She looked into the distance and said, "The sun has already risen. Just because the eyes can't see it," she turned her head, looking at Liang He with a satisfied smile, "does that mean the heart can't?"
Liang He was stunned by her answer. He froze for a second, his mind suddenly clearing, and a smile spread across his face like melting spring ice. Suddenly, he no longer cared for the grand beauty of the landscape; he only wanted to look at her.
Her eyes were as clear as an unnamed spring deep in the mountains. The shadows of her long lashes fell into her pupils, resting upon his own reflection.
Liang He couldn't help but take a step forward.
The leaves rustled above, but neither of them spoke.
Liang He gazed at her and slowly leaned down. Qiu Yun knew what he was about to do, yet she didn't dare be certain. In this blurred state of consciousness, her mind felt hazy, and she could hear nothing but her own heart pounding like a heavy drum against her ears. His silhouette blocked out most of the light, yet she felt as though everything before her was as dazzling as the sun, a dizzying sensation that forced her to half-close her eyes. And as she did, the rhythmic drumming in her world became even more urgent and pronounced.
But amidst that thunderous drumming, Qiu Yun’s stomach let out an ill-timed growl.
Then, before she could move away, she let out an incredibly loud burp right in front of Liang He.
And then, silently, she followed it up with a foul, muffled fart.
The series of actions came without warning, yet they were executed with the seamless fluidity of a master performance.
Only when it was over did she realize what she had done!
She snapped her eyes open in horror, only to find Liang He staring at her with an identical expression.
Beneath the verdant ancient tree, both stood motionless.
What did it feel like to want to die on the spot?
At that moment, Qiu Yun wanted to collapse and wail, to beat the ground and scream at the heavens: *Can't you just let me be a proper female lead for one minute?*
*Are you trying to kill me?*
*Would it kill you to let me be a quiet, graceful heroine in a romance novel? Would it? Would it?*
Beneath the old scholar tree, the silent screams of Qiu Yun’s soul echoed for a long, long time.
***
Qiu Yun avoided Liang He for two whole days. During those two days, she dodged him whenever possible and created opportunities to hide when it wasn't. Fortunately, only the first day involved a group tour; the second day began their self-directed sketching sessions. Through her relentless efforts, she managed to avoid even a face-to-face greeting with Liang He. Whenever she thought back to that moment in the dead of night, a stampede of "grass mud horses" galloped through her mind. In her entire life—no, in both her lives, her own and Qiu Xiaoyun’s—she had never made such a fool of herself. A stomach growl, a burp, and a fart, all occurring within a single second. Worse, it was in front of Liang He. And worst of all, it was right when he was about to kiss her!
Oh God, she couldn't imagine what he must think of her...
What left Qiu Yun even more speechless was that she didn't actually have any gastrointestinal issues. She had been eating and drinking normally these past two days with no physical discomfort whatsoever. Her performance that morning felt as though the heavens had played a deliberate prank on her.
She was in an exceptionally foul mood.
Wang Chen noticed the change in her temperament and asked what was wrong. Qiu Yun just shook her head; she didn't say, and she couldn't say.
The result of her distracted state was that by noon, when her stomach began to rumble with hunger, she realized she had forgotten to bring her rations. To avoid bumping into Liang He, she had been staying out all day, bringing her own food and hiding in remote corners to sketch like a thief. Other students would wander around to look at each other's work and exchange tips, but not Qiu Yun. She went nowhere. Aside from Wang Chen, Liu Yujin, and Chang Huan occasionally dropping by to check on her, no one else came near. Liu Yujin found it so strange that she went back and asked the others if Qiu Yun was working as a secret agent.
Qiu Yun spaced out for a while. Her stomach was truly hungry, and with the heat rising, most students had headed back for lunch, leaving her alone at the sketching site. Feeling wilted, she set down her brush and walked into the nearest grotto. It was much cooler inside than out. She leaned against the cave wall and sat down haphazardly.
Just then, she heard someone calling her from outside. "Qiu Xiaoyun... Qiu Xiaoyun..."
The voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it. She poked her head out and answered, "Who is it? I'm in here..."
A head popped up from the stairs. It was He Ying.
"I brought you lunch," she said, coming toward the sound. "I saw the steamed buns and dishes left on the table. You must have forgotten them this morning."
"It's you!" Qiu Yun was overjoyed; this was truly a godsend. "That’s wonderful, thank you! Come in, it's so hot outside."
He Ying was carrying a cloth bag. Since there was no stone table in the cave, she had to set it on the ground. Qiu Yun spread out a sheet of drawing paper, and He Ying took out several bowls and plates. "Two steamed buns, three side dishes, and I brought you a bottle of water."
"Thank you, thank you so much!" Qiu Yun hurried to express her gratitude. "How did you know I was here?"
He Ying grinned. "I've been running around here since I was a kid. Wang Chen gave me a general direction, and I figured it out."
"You're so smart." Qiu Yun eagerly grabbed a bun, dipped it in some meat and vegetables, and was about to take a bite when she paused. "Is it bad to eat meat right in front of the Buddha?"
He Ying laughed again. "It's fine. Go ahead and eat. The Buddha is compassionate; he won't mind."
"True." Qiu Yun winked at He Ying. "You're on good terms with the Buddha here. Help me explain it to him later."
"I will," He Ying replied with a smile.
Qiu Yun chatted with her while munching on the bun. He Ying was actually only seventeen, two years younger than Qiu Xiaoyun, but her tanned skin and short, practical haircut made her look older—like a tomboy in her early twenties. Her father had died in a mine when she was five, and her mother, Zhu Lanhua, had raised her alone as a widow. He Ying was bright; she always ranked at the top of her class without much effort. But during her second year of high school, Zhu Lanhua was diagnosed with heart disease. During a sudden episode, she collapsed on a field ridge and broke her right leg, leaving her disabled and unable to perform heavy labor. He Ying had to drop out of school to work the farm and teach at the village primary school, hoping to save enough money to take her mother to the provincial capital for treatment.
Qiu Yun felt a pang of regret for her. She had an inexplicably good impression of He Ying; perhaps it was just fate. She wanted to help, but for the moment, she didn't know how.
He Ying, however, was quite optimistic. She ended up comforting Qiu Yun instead, sharing her plans for the future. "I've already saved half the money. In another year or so, I'll be able to take my mom to the capital. The doctor said as long as she doesn't work, her condition won't worsen for a while."
"What about your relatives? Can't they lend you some?"
"Hah... don't even mention them," He Ying’s expression darkened. "They didn't even support my mom letting me go to school. They said, 'What's the point of a girl getting an education? She'll just get married off anyway.' They said the money spent on school would have been enough for the medical bills now. My mom had a huge fight with them and won't let me borrow from them. I did sneak off to borrow a little, but it wasn't much—just a drop in the bucket."
"Those relatives are just looking down on people," Qiu Yun said, indignant on her behalf. "What era is this? How can people still have such feudal ideas?"
"You're from the big city; this is just how it is in the countryside," He Ying said with a bitter smile, as if she were used to it.
"Sigh..." Qiu Yun let out a long breath. She could only offer words. Even in 2019, the preference for sons over daughters remained strong in some remote rural areas of China, let alone now in 1989.
"At first, I thought about marrying myself off just to get the dowry money. But I've never kept my hair long or worn a skirt; I'm the village's famous 'tomboy.' Plus, with my mom's health, no matchmakers even come around. Later, I realized it's better to rely on myself. My old math teacher came from a university; he encouraged me to go out into the world, saying the world outside is wonderful." At this, He Ying’s eyes shone with a hopeful light as she looked intently at Qiu Yun. "Is it true? Is it wonderful out there?"
"It is," Qiu Yun nodded emphatically. "The world outside... is wonderful. And in the future, it will be even more so."
"Thank you," He Ying laughed happily, revealing a row of straight teeth. "I actually... have a small plan."
"What plan?"
"I... I still want to go to university," He Ying said shyly. She looked down for a moment, then looked up, gathering her courage to ask, "Is university... very hard to get into?"
Hearing this, Qiu Yun burst into laughter and gave her a hearty pat on the shoulder. "Why are you being so shy? Making it sound like some big secret. This is a great thing! I support you with both hands and both feet! University..." In truth, Qiu Yun didn't know how hard it was to get in during this era since she had arrived after Qiu Xiaoyun had already enrolled, but she encouraged her anyway. "University is super easy to get into! You..." Qiu Yun looked He Ying up and down with mock seriousness. "You'll definitely have no problem! I believe in you!"
He Ying was so flattered she didn't dare look at Qiu Yun. "You're teasing me, aren't you?"
"No, no, no..." Qiu Yun wagged a finger, then gestured toward the Buddha statue in the center of the grotto. "I wouldn't dare lie in front of the Buddha."
He Ying half-believed her and asked, "But, look, I don't have any background in art..."
"That doesn't matter. Why study art?" Qiu Yun interrupted. "There are so many other industries..."
"Like what else?"
"What do you like?"
"I..." He Ying answered honestly, "I like... making more money. Is that too vulgar? After my mom got sick, I realized how important money is."
"Your feeling is absolutely correct," Qiu Yun said. "There's a saying: 'Money isn't everything, but without money, you have nothing.' You could consider the computer industry. The internet is going to be very profitable in the future."
"What's a computer?" He Ying’s eyes widened. "And what's the internet? Do I have to go to a factory to weave nets?"
Qiu Yun burst out laughing. "You're too funny. Well, how about finance? That's also very good."
"What does someone in finance do?"
"Basically, they count money," Qiu Yun said succinctly.
"I like the sound of that!" He Ying clapped her hands.
"Then keep at it! Young man! Oh, wait..." Qiu Yun corrected herself. "Young lady... a brilliant future is waiting for you!"
"Yes!" He Ying laughed again, showing her white, even teeth.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
大黄 | Big Yellow | A common, generic name for a dog in China.
老槐树 | Old scholar tree | Specifically the *Styphnolobium japonicum* (Chinese scholar tree/locust tree).
邱晓云 | Qiu Xiaoyun | The original identity of the protagonist before/after transmigration.
何英 | He Ying | A local girl from Yunma Village who teaches at the primary school.
朱兰花 | Zhu Lanhua | He Ying's mother.
草泥马 | Grass mud horse | A modern Chinese internet slang term used here to describe extreme internal frustration or shock.
重男轻女 | Preference for sons over daughters | A traditional patriarchal mindset.
杯水车薪 | A drop in the bucket | Idiom: literally "a cup of water to put out a load of burning firewood."
