C1 Return

June 13, 1992, Lower Bay Village, Baoyang County.

The June sun blazed fiercely, wilting the crops in the fields; even the fish in the river at the village entrance surfaced for air, stifled by the heat. The occasional breeze seemed to carry waves of scorching heat.

At this moment, a worn-out white passenger van, trailing clouds of dust, pulled up at the bridge at the village entrance. Yang Chenxuan, wearing his county high school uniform, jumped off the bus carrying a bucket, bedding, and a large backpack. Unable to bear the swirling dust, he held his breath and jogged across the bridge.

He paused, taking deep breaths of the hot air. Looking at the wilted crops and the clear river, a smile crept onto Yang Chenxuan's face as he quietly said, "I'm back!"

Without lingering, Yang Chenxuan hurried home with his belongings. He longed to see his parents, whose faces had grown blurry in his memory.

Half a month ago, in 2019, Yang Chenxuan had been in a car accident and found himself transported back to 1992. After two weeks of "adjustment," he was certain this wasn't a dream; it was a blessing, a chance to amend countless regrets in his life.

As Yang Chenxuan walked through the familiar yet unfamiliar village, he was greeted by people who had passed away by 2019. It filled him with warmth and nostalgia.

As Yang Chenxuan made his way into the village, he greeted everyone he recognized. In the village stood an old, mud-brick house. The house was noticeably leaning, supported by several wooden stakes as thick as an adult's arm to prevent it from collapsing immediately. It was uncertain how many more storms it could withstand.

Seeing the small house brought a warmth to Yang Chenxuan's eyes, as if tears were welling up. This little house held countless memories and pain for him. Yet, in this lifetime, it would be the starting point of his success.

Walking into the yard, he found the front door open. His mother was sitting on a stone stool by the door, a basket of rice on her lap, picking out the pebbles. This scene had appeared in Yang Chenxuan's mind countless times, and seeing it again filled him with mixed emotions.

In the past, his mother had sold blood six times in secret to support his and his sister's education. In the summer of '93, she fainted from exhaustion while weeding in the cornfield. By the time his father realized something was wrong and got her to the hospital, it was too late. Her passing was a heavy blow to his father, who, despite his grief, persevered for the sake of his children. Eventually, he succumbed to illness and passed away in 2015.

"Mom..." Yang Chenxuan's voice trembled slightly, the word "Mom" carrying over twenty years of longing for her.

Zhang Yuehua looked up to see her son returning home. She quickly set down the basket, brushed the rice dust off her clothes, and walked over to help him with his bedding.

Yang Chenxuan dropped his bedding and bucket, striding over to his mother and wrapping her in a big hug. "Mom, I've missed you!"

Indeed, he had missed her for over twenty years. Fate had given him this chance to see her again, and he was eager to express all the guilt and longing he had felt.

Zhang Yuehua was surprised to hear her son say he missed her, but she couldn't help feeling overjoyed. Her face lit up with a smile, though she was a bit embarrassed. Gently pushing Yang Chenxuan away, she said, "You're all grown up now, aren't you embarrassed? Are you hungry? Let me make you something to eat."

"I'd love some of your pickled radishes and fried eggs, and Dad's grilled fish," Yang Chenxuan replied, releasing his mother and picking up his things to head inside.

"I thought you hated pickles?" Zhang Yuehua followed him into the house.

"Well, after being at school for so long, I've started craving them!" Yang Chenxuan casually explained.

In the countryside, when radishes, beans, peppers, and greens are in season, people often prepare pickles, sauerkraut, salted vegetables, and dried vegetables to have on hand. When fresh produce is scarce, these become staples at every meal.

Even if you really like someone, eventually, you'll get tired of eating the same thing. As life got better, I found myself missing that familiar taste. Whether at a fancy restaurant or a local diner, Yang Chenxuan always liked to order this dish. Sometimes, he'd even make a batch at home, but it never quite matched his mom's cooking.

"Alright! I'll make it for you right away!" Zhang Yuehua noticed something different about her son today, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Whatever it was, it made her happy.

Yang Chenxuan helped his mom prepare the meal. His sister was still at school and wouldn't be back until the day after tomorrow. His dad worked construction and wouldn't be home until the evening. In the afternoon, Yang Chenxuan also helped clean the house. Despite telling him to take a break, Zhang Yuehua couldn't stop smiling. Her son was growing up.

In the evening, his father, Yang Xiuyuan, came home exhausted and covered in dirt. Seeing Yang Chenxuan made him proud, as his son was the only one in the village to get into the county's top high school. "Xuan, how did your exams go?" he asked, expressing his care in the only way he knew how.

Yang Chenxuan casually mentioned his scores and brought his dad a basin of water. "Dad, wash up. Dinner will be ready soon."

Yang Xiuyuan smiled and nodded, crouching down to wash up. From outside, a voice called, "Hey, is Yang back yet?"

A middle-aged man covered in mud walked in. This was Yang Zhiming, the village's "livestock magnate," who owned over a dozen pigs, making him solidly middle class in the area.

In these times, rural areas had few economic opportunities. Having even a few dollars in cash meant you were well-off. Most people had to borrow five dollars here, ten dollars there, to get by. Sending kids to school often meant selling rice or pigs, scraping together funds, and if that didn’t work, dropping out was the only option.

When Yang Xiuyuan saw Yang Zhiming, a hint of discomfort flashed in his eyes, but he forced a smile. "Zhiming, you're here? Have a seat!"

Zhang Yuehua quickly went to pour some tea.

Yang Zhiming waved his hand. "No, thanks! I just came by to ask if you could spare a little cash. I'm planning to buy two more piglets, but I'm short on funds."

Yang Chenxuan knew their family owed Yang Zhiming a hundred dollars. In the past, their family had struggled and didn’t manage to pay it back until 1995, after a national pay raise in 1994 allowed them to scrape together enough to settle the debt.

Xiuyuan's smile turned awkward, his calloused hands fidgeting. "Zhiming, didn't we agree on paying you back by the end of the year? You know our situation—two kids in school, and my father's health isn't great. I just can't manage it right now."

Yang Zhiming wore a troubled expression, his brow furrowed deeply, clearly in a bind. "Yang, I don't need you to pay it all back at once! Just give me fifty bucks first. I need it to buy some piglets. We don't have any other income, and we're counting on selling the pigs to pay for the kids' school. Without the piglets, how am I supposed to cover tuition next year?"

"You borrowed the money to pay for Xuan and Xi's school fees. I can't let your kids go to school while mine can't!"

With the conversation reaching this point, not repaying the money felt like it would ruin their children's future.

Pride is important to a man, and Yang Xiuyuan wished he could sell his own flesh and blood to repay the debt, but they didn't even have fifty dollars at home.

Yang Xiuyuan pulled out a pack of "Wild Mountain Tea" cigarettes, offering one to Yang Zhiming with a forced smile. "Zhiming, I'll scrape the money together as soon as I can. Just give me a couple more days."

Yang Zhiming didn't take the cigarette, his tone slightly impatient. "Yang, earning a hundred bucks wasn't easy for me either! I lent it to you out of friendship, and you can't just forget that."

Yang Xiuyuan stood there awkwardly, holding the cigarette in mid-air, unsure of what to do.

At this moment, Zhang Yuehua came over with some tea. She had overheard the conversation and her smile was strained. "Zhiming, have some tea first. Here's the thing, we really can't come up with that much right now. We'll give you twenty, and we'll pay back the rest as soon as we can."

Yang Zhiming seemed to realize that today, this was the best he could get. He sighed and took the tea. "Twenty is twenty. It's better than nothing!"

Zhang Yuehua tried hard to hide the awkwardness in her smile and quickly turned to get the money.

Yang Zhiming's words felt like a sharp knife stabbing into Yang Xiuyuan's heart, but he had no choice but to offer a cigarette. "Zhiming, I'm really sorry about this. Please, have a smoke."

This time, Yang Zhiming accepted the cigarette and said, "Old Yang, if you really feel sorry, just pay me back as soon as you can."

Yang Xiuyuan's smile was almost frozen as he fumbled for a match, struck it, and held it up to light Yang Zhiming's cigarette. "I promise, as soon as I have the money, I'll pay you back."

Yang Zhiming took the money and left, leaving the room in silence.

Yang Chenxuan had witnessed everything. He could feel the bitterness and helplessness of being chased for a debt.

But he was determined to change the fate of everyone in his family.

Even though they were currently dirt poor, he already had a preliminary plan in mind.