Chapter Twelve: Rumors

The next day.
Xiaowei Hutong, Beijing, Wutong Courtyard.

Early that morning, the sky was overcast with mist, heavy clouds hanging low as if they might collapse at any moment. It had rained all night, leaving the ground damp and leaves plastered to the earth. Cheng Kaiyan rose early as usual, washed up, and stepped outside.

"Up so early?"

At the doorway of a makeshift kitchen built of plastic tarps and red bricks, Zhao Ruixue was crouching by the gutter, brushing her teeth with a plastic cup. Hearing footsteps, she tilted her head and asked.

"Yeah, we had training in the military, so waking up at five or six every day became a habit," Cheng Kaiyan replied. With the air damp and chilly, he walked over with his hands tucked into his sleeves and took a closer look.

*Well, well...* She was using Zhonghua toothpaste—not cheap, costing over a yuan for a couple of tubes. Toothpaste was a luxury; in many large households, people couldn't bear to use it, often sharing one tube until it was gone. Let alone brushing morning and night—most people didn't even have the habit of brushing twice a day yet.

In earlier years, Beijingers used Hongji Huoyan (lake salt) to brush their teeth. The apothecary was located at No. 3, West Corridor, Huguosi, and sold its products at various temple fairs. The Hongji Huoyan flyers touted, "Excellent for treating rising stomach fire and descending toxic fire; removes bad breath and treats tongue sores and swollen gums..."

"Oh, I'm meeting my classmates at the Xinhua Bookstore today. Want to come?" Zhao Ruixue asked, her voice muffled by toothpaste foam, though Cheng Kaiyan understood her clearly.

"Xinhua Bookstore? Sure, I was thinking of buying a few books anyway." Cheng Kaiyan had originally planned to wait at home for the postman to see if his submission had been accepted, but in this day and age, with so many submissions, a month-long wait from acceptance to publication was standard.

...

At the flagship Xinhua Bookstore on Wangfujing Street, a queue had already formed. Many young people were waiting for the doors to open. In those days, intellectuals wore two pens in their breast pockets, and students were no exception. A quick glance revealed many with pens pinned to their chests—though if you wore three, people would mistake you for a pen repairman.

Back then, the Xinhua Bookstore was like an ivory tower without walls. Channels for accessing knowledge were limited, and the public’s thirst for it was intense. What did it mean to rub shoulders or scramble to get ahead? You only had to visit the Wangfujing Xinhua Bookstore to find out. Especially on Sundays and holidays, the crowd was so dense—people packed against people, books amidst people—that the cashier counters were practically buried.

"Over here! Over here!"
"Ruixue, hurry up!"

On the street, three young women with delicate features and long braids were waving. Cheng Kaiyan walked over without hesitation. These were clearly Zhao Ruixue’s classmates—likely her roommates from the Chinese Department at Beijing Normal University. He needed to get to know them, as he would be enrolling there soon himself. Zhao Ruixue pursed her lips and followed behind, gritting her teeth.

As they drew closer.

"Zhao Ruixue, who is this? Why did you bring a boy along?" Ji Qinglan, with her round face, patted Zhao Ruixue on the shoulder and giggled.

"Exactly. Why did you go home this weekend? Hello, comrade, who are you?" Yang Mengshan eyed Cheng Kaiyan, asking without reserve.

"Hello everyone. I’m Ruixue’s childhood friend, Cheng Kaiyan. I just returned a short while ago." Cheng Kaiyan introduced himself with an easy, natural manner, while simultaneously sizing up the girls.

Seeing his polite and composed demeanor, the group stopped teasing and began introducing themselves. Ji Qinglan was lively and from Henan. Zhang Chun, who wore glasses, was quiet and reserved. Yang Mengshan was the most outspoken and bold.

...

Before long, they entered the bookstore. The Xinhua Bookstore was massive; by 1970, after its second expansion, it had become a grand book building with a total area of 6,300 square meters—reportedly the largest bookstore in Asia. It was less a shop and more of a book city or a library; one could even see staff members finishing their shifts there.

Because it was so crowded, the group split up, agreeing to meet later to search for their favorite books. Cheng Kaiyan intended to look for current bestsellers like *Scar* or *The Form Master*; given their high circulation, he found them quickly. Afterward, he browsed the foreign literature section, but found only older issues of magazines like *World Literature*, *Yilin*, and *Foreign Literature*. There were no recent dates; they had likely all been snatched up. He found a spot to sit and was soon completely absorbed in his reading.

...

Meanwhile, a storm was brewing back in the hutong. Under the crooked tree, the neighborhood information hub, a group of elderly residents sat cracking sunflower seeds.

"Have you heard? Last night, that Zhao girl snuck into Cheng Kaiyan’s room all by herself." Auntie Wang looked left and right, then dropped the bombshell that would surely stir up a tempest.

*Whoa!* A major headline! The old folks' eyes widened, glowing with laser-like intensity. The hutong buzzed with excitement, louder than the days of outdoor movies.

"What’s this about?"
"Cuihua, tell us more. You mean Zhao Ruixue, the one who got into college? What a pity. I watched her grow up; she’s a beauty with a big, round backside—certainly the type to bear sons."

"Such a fresh, pretty girl, and she got ruined by Cheng Kaiyan. A college student with a jobless drifter—what a waste."

"Is it true? Wang Cuihua, don't spread lies, or Yuxiu and Mother Zhao won't let you hear the end of it."

"How could it be fake? I saw it with my own eyes! It was dark, and that girl snuck into Cheng’s room. I suspected something was wrong, so I crouched right under the window! I heard that boy tell her to get into bed! If they did it, how can it be fake? If I’m lying, may I never have grandchildren." Auntie Wang’s face turned red with indignation as she swore. She could tolerate anything, but not the suggestion that her intelligence was false.

"That explosive?" Everyone was shocked, their excitement overflowing. In an age with little entertainment, the secrets of the night and neighborhood gossip were the greatest joys. This incident threatened to surpass the local scandal of Yi Zhonghai and his daughter-in-law, potentially hitting the top of the Xiaowei Hutong trending list.

By noon, the rumor was rampant. In the courtyard, the atmosphere was heavy. Mother Zhao, upon hearing the gossip, was so furious her face flushed red; she stood at her doorway, cursing at the top of her lungs with a sharp, piercing voice. Zhao Ruixue, who had returned for lunch, tried to soothe her.

"Which bastard is spreading these lies?! How could our Ruixue ever fancy him? Him? No degree, no job—how is he worthy of her? Ruixue was just being kind by bringing him college review materials! Who is so malicious? Xu Yuxiu, this is your fault too! Your son wanting to go to college—what does that have to do with my daughter?"

Xu Yuxiu, hearing this, looked grim. She felt wronged, though she knew Mother Zhao was just lashing out. If her own daughter were slandered like this, she would lose her composure too. But she was deeply offended. Does getting into college make one so superior?

Suppressing her rage, Xu Yuxiu glared at the innocent Cheng Kaiyan and said helplessly, "Ruixue was indeed just bringing him review materials. She came to drop them off; I couldn't make her stand the whole time, so Kaiyan just told her to sit on the bed."

"So that's how it was."
"I told you, it was just review materials. How could there be so much to it?"
"Exactly, is Kaiyan trying for college too?"

The truth finally dawned on everyone. Xu Yuxiu, seeing the matter settled, glanced coldly at Mother Zhao and the closed door of Auntie Wang’s house. "Cheng Kaiyan, give the materials back."

Mother Zhao grunted, having calmed down, though she knew they had nearly burned bridges. After all, her daughter’s reputation was at stake. She was sharp-tongued because she truly looked down on Cheng Kaiyan as a potential son-in-law; she wanted her daughter to marry a city-level official.

"Hmph, let Cheng Kaiyan keep them and study hard. Learn to be sensible and stop loafing around at home. Don't look for Ruixue again... Ruixue, let's go inside."

Just as Mother Zhao turned to leave, a young man in a postal cap walked in, holding a mail bag. "Is Cheng Kaiyan here? I have a letter for you."