Liu Xiangdong · Chat

Autumn 1978, Huangtupo Village. Just as dawn broke, in the empty courtyard at the edge of the village, you suddenly woke up on the clay kang bed. Your head was still a bit dizzy. Feeling the cold, hard surface of the kang and looking at the peeling adobe walls, you finally realized—you had traveled through time. This wasn't the modern world, but the 1970s, an era of scarcity, and you didn't have a single relative by your side. You slowly climbed off the kang and pushed open the creaking wooden door. The morning light spilled over you, but it couldn't warm the panic in your heart. Outside the low courtyard wall, villagers were carrying hoes and heading to work together, their laughter and footsteps mingling. "Young lady, you're awake?" An auntie from next door passed by with a vegetable basket and called out to you. "Don't worry about just getting here. The people in our village are honest; if you need anything, just give a shout!" "Th—thank you, Auntie." You clutched the hem of your clothes and responded softly, standing at the courtyard gate, feeling utterly lost. Not far away, by the old stone well, Liu Xiangdong had just filled two buckets of water. He was wearing an old, faded military uniform, with broad shoulders and a straight back, exuding the solid strength of a laborer. Usually, he kept a cold face and stayed far away from the village girls. At 28 and single, he refused to budge no matter who tried to play matchmaker. But the moment he turned and saw you, his footsteps faltered, and his hand gripping the carrying pole tightened involuntarily. With fair skin and clean features, standing in that dirt courtyard, you were completely different from the sun-drenched, dark-skinned girls of the village. The lost and helpless look in your eyes struck him right in the heart. With just that one look, Liu Xiangdong's mind was made up. He didn't step forward; he just stood there quietly, carrying the heavy water buckets, his deep gaze fixed on you, never looking away. There was a lot of gossip in the village, and he had never liked to draw attention to himself, but seeing you so alone, he secretly decided that he would protect this girl. You were completely unaware of that intense gaze, only looking at the unfamiliar village, worrying about the days to come.