The small house of Gu Yanshen’s was another world.
The pork belly in the clay pot simmered with a "gurgle," and the rich smell of meat mingled with the overpowering scent of star anise and cinnamon, stubbornly occupying every corner of the room.
Lin Wan Yi’s face still had a few smudges of ash, like a little cat caught sneaking food. She knocked out the last piece of damp black coal cake from the mold, neatly lining them up by the stove to dry.
Gu Yanshen stood right behind her, his tall figure almost enveloping her. He watched her busy back, watched those coal cakes she shaped into odd forms, without saying a word.
The murderous anger he had seemed to have dissipated at some point. Replacing it was a focus so subtle, even he didn’t realize it.
"What are you staring at? Never seen a beauty with coal mud?" Lin Wan Yi didn’t turn back as she wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.
Gu Yanshen’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he didn’t respond.
Lin Wan Yi picked a piece of tender and flavorful braised pork from the pot, blew on it, and offered it directly to his mouth. "Try it, our construction team leader. A little reward for you."
The scalding piece of meat made his lips tingle; he instinctively opened his mouth to accept it. It was rich but not greasy, melting in his mouth.
His face turned crimson again, starting from the root of his neck.
The next morning.
The honeycomb briquettes by the stove had dried completely overnight, turning coal black and hard.
Sister in law Zhang and Li Xiujuan, with dark circles under their eyes, came over with worried expressions.
"Sister, are you okay? That Mr. Li..."
"What could possibly happen to me?" Lin Wan Yi smiled, pulling a small cloth bag from the corner, filled with seven or eight honeycomb briquettes, "Sisters, this is something I’ve been tinkering with. Take these back and try them. If they’re useful, just do me a favor."
Sister in law Zhang opened it and saw several black coal cakes full of holes. She looked puzzled, "Can these... burn?"
"If they don’t work, just toss them," Lin Wan Yi stuffed the bag into her arms, "If they do, tell everyone in the courtyard these coals are something I traded for with good stuff from my own home, really precious."
The two left, doubtful but intrigued.
By midday, the entire compound heard Sister in law Zhang’s exuberant voice.
"It’s a miracle! Truly a miracle! Oh, heavens!" She shouted from the courtyard, one arm holding her little boy, the other waving in the air, "The coal Lin gave us doesn’t make any smoke at all! Burns brightly! My boy coughed all night yesterday, but today with this coal, he hasn’t coughed a single time and his cheeks are rosy from sleep!"
She ran to Li Xiujuan’s doorway. Li Xiujuan also came out excited, "It’s true! My home too! The house is warm, without any smell! This isn’t just coal, it’s a precious gift from the gods!"
The courtyard erupted.
All the military wives who’d been tormented by low-quality coal gathered around, eagerly asking questions.
"Is it true? No smoke?"
"Sister Zhang, show us!"
Sister in law Zhang puffed out her chest, mimicking Lin Wan Yi, "What are you looking at? These are the coal Lin traded for with her good fabric from a city relative, they’re rare! You think they’re common like cabbages?"
Hearing this, the gazes toward Gu Yanshen’s small house changed.
Envy, jealousy, and a burning desire.
Hiding behind the curtains and overhearing Sister in law Wang, upon hearing "no smoke," scratched the lacquer off the windowsill in anger. She looked at her son, teary-eyed from the smoke, and listened to the faint aroma of braised meat next door, making her temper flare uncontrollably.
She rushed into the room, yelling at Mr. Li, who was reading the newspaper, "Li Shengli! Look at this mess you’ve made! They’re using precious coal from the gods and eating braised meat, while our family coughs and chokes, are you retaliating against them or against us!"
Mr. Li was so embarrassed he threw the newspaper, "You know nothing! Woman’s folly!"
The two immediately erupted into a loud argument inside the house.
Night deepened.
The cold wind made the windows whistle "wooo, wooo."
The small door to Lin Wan Yi’s house was lightly knocked on.
Opening the door, it was Sister in law Liu from the corner of the courtyard, holding a coughing infant, carrying a basket with a dozen eggs and a small piece of brand new blue cloth.
"Mr. Lin..." Sister in law Liu, her lips purple with cold, spoke with a sob in her voice, "My... my child is too small to handle the smoke... Could I trade these for a few pieces of coal? Just a few!"
Lin Wan Yi took a glance at the baby with a red face from coughing in the swaddle.
She stepped aside and let Sister in law Liu in, her voice calm and measured, "Sister, this coal was really traded with my dowry, even I don’t have enough. For the sake of the child, I’ll spare you five pieces. Take your things back, I won’t take advantage of you."
Sister in law Liu cried tears of gratitude, insisting on leaving the basket in her hands, and left with profuse thanks.
Once this door was opened, it couldn’t be closed again.
For the next two days, people came knocking at all hours of the night.
Some offered cherished fabric tickets, others home-pickled vegetables, and some even a half-dried chicken.
Lin Wan Yi "reluctantly" accepted all, then "painfully" parted with a few pieces of coal.
The news that "Mr. Gu’s family has coal from the gods" spread completely throughout the entire military compound.
On the third night, the cold wave hit its peak.
A rush of footsteps and cries shattered the quiet night.
"Quick! Get Doctor Wang from the medical team! Commissar’s son Baoqiang is having an attack!"
"Oh heavens, the child’s face is purpling! He can’t breathe!"
The entire compound lit up, everyone was alarmed.
Gu Yanshen also dressed and went out.
Soon after, they saw Political Commissar Wang Jian Country, face ashen, carrying his six-year-old son back from the medical team, his wife Sister He following behind, nearly fainting from crying.
Doctor Wang walked beside them, looking troubled, "Commissar, asthma fears smoke and dust the most, and with every household using this poor-quality coal, the air in the compound is bad. For this illness, the child must be in a clean, warm, smoke-free environment, or... it could be dangerous anytime!"
Wang Jian Country stood at his door, looking at the chimney spewing black smoke, and punched the door frame, his eyes turning red.
Just as everyone was helpless and the silence was palpable.
The sobbing Sister He suddenly seemed to remember something and looked up sharply. Her gaze pierced through the crowd and locked onto the one house from which there was no smoke but emanated warm light not far away.
In the next second, she broke through the crowd frantically, stumbling toward it.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
The pounding at the door with all her might had everyone’s hearts in their throats.
Lin Wan Yi opened the door.
It was the Political Commissar’s wife, Sister He, normally so composed and pleasant, now with her hair loose and face streaked with tears, not an ounce of hesitation as she reached out, her voice hoarse, filled with a plea bordering on despair.
"Mr. Lin! I’m begging you! Save my child’s life!"