My Yellow River， My City

Mai Su

Petrel Publishing House

December 2023

68.00 (CNY)

The novel focuses on the Shao family， an ordinary yet representative family from the Central Plains. Through vivid depictions of the many people of this era， it narrates a story of transformation from rural to urban life， from poverty to prosperity. The book thoroughly showcases the historical trajectory of the development of the Yellow River and cities in the Central Plains over recent decades， serving as a true portrayal of the Yellow River’s stories and its people.

Mai Su

Mai Su， whose real name is Gan Haijing， is a member of the China Writers Association and a writer nurtured by the fourth Bacon Project at the Lu Xun Literature Institute. She serves as the deputy secretary-general and vice president of the Henan Provincial Network Literature Association and is recognized as an outstanding young talent in the Central Plains Talent Plan for Central Plains Culture.

In the winter of 1968， the Central Plains were extremely cold. It had been eight years since Shao Zhongcheng moved to Zhengzhou from his hometown in the Northeast， yet he still wasn’t used to the winters here. Seeing his son’s little face turning ruddy from the cold， Shao Zhongcheng couldn’t help but bring up the idea of building a kang， a traditional heated brick bed from the Northeast， to his wife again.

“Even though no one local here does it， there’s no rule against it. Once the kang is built， cooking two meals a day at noon and in the evening will keep the room warm and toasty. Although the smoke will increase， the comfort in the room would be worth it!”

Shao Zhongcheng had mentioned building a kang numerous times before. His wife， Li Xiuzhen， rubbed her icy hands together， hesitated for a long time， and finally sighed， “Our house is rented. Building a kang would cost over twenty yuan， and if we move， we’d have to leave the kang behind for the landlord. Dear， we don’t know how long we’ll stay here， so let’s not waste the money.”

“The hands of our two kids are covered in chilblains. Living by the Yellow River， the humidity is high and the wind is harsh， cutting like a knife at night. I’m really afraid it’ll harm you and the children.” Shao Zhongcheng said with a look of deep concern.

Li Xiuzhen shook her head again. “After the New Year， when the weather gets warmer， we need to find a plot of land to build our own house. Then we can build the kang without any worries.” As non-locals， getting land required talking to the authorities， which wasn’t an easy or quick process. Even if they managed to get approval， building a house would be a significant expense. Shao Zhongcheng silently calculated the costs in his head and ultimately didn’t dare to continue the conversation， not wanting to give his family 1 hope.

Back then， just after marrying him， his wife resolutely accompanied him in leaving their hometown to seek a living in Henan. He had no acquaintances or relatives here， and he himself was not well-educated， so he couldn’t find a good job. Relying solely on his physical strength， he stayed with a team under the Water Conservancy Bureau that maintained the Yellow River and became a sand dredger. The work was straightforward: at regular intervals， they would row a boat out to the river to clear debris blocking the waterway and remove accumulated silt. The job was physically demanding and dangerous.

The Yellow River carried a lot of sediment， making the water murky and the conditions under the surface unpredictable. Although the surface appeared calm， hidden whirlpools and uneven riverbeds posed significant risks. If someone fell in， they could disappear without a trace in an instant， with no time for rescue.

Working on the river was a dangerous way to earn a living. Although the pay wasn’t bad， Shao Zhongcheng had to support a family of four， with another child on the way. No matter how much money he made， it was never enough， and he had to budget carefully.

He grinned sheepishly， “You’re right. Okay， we’ll do it your way. We won’t build the kang just yet. I’ll stoke the stove and make you some brown sugar water with eggs to nourish you.”

“I’m in good health， no need for any nourishment. You should go inside and rest for a while. You need to save your strength for the afternoon when you go back to the river.” Li Xiuzhen declined her husband’s offer， smiling as she ushered him inside. Although their home was simple， it was tidy， reflecting the diligent and efficient nature of the hostess.

Li Xiuzhen ladled a bowl of milk-white fish soup from the pot， stir-fried some spinach， and took out two whole-grain buns. This was lunch for the family of four. The fish soup was made from an authentic Yellow River carp that Shao Zhongcheng had caught. Whenever he worked on the river， he would bring along his homemade fish spear and net. On lucky days， he’d catch a big fish to supplement their meals， providing the family with delicious food for two or three days. Yet， their life remained very poor， and their lunch was never enough. They would constantly offer their portions to each other， claiming they were already full.

“Dad， I want to go to the river with you this afternoon. I’ll catch some shrimp， and Mom can fry them up-- delicious and fragrant.” Their eldest son， Shao Dahe， was as thin as a reed but inherited the Shao family’s tall stature. At nine years old， he already looked like a young man. Growing up by the river made the children bold and naughty， but their parents were strict， forbidding them from going to the river alone. Whenever the kids got caught sneaking off， they’d get a thorough scolding. Despite being punished several times， Shao Dahe’s enthusiasm for the Yellow River never waned. Whenever he got the chance， he would pester Shao Zhongcheng to let him tag along.

Shao Zhongcheng ruffled his son’s hair. “It’s not the season for shrimp. There won’t be any to catch. Stop making a fuss and stay home to play with your brother. Let your mother rest， okay?”

Shao Dahe persisted. “But you just brought back a big carp from the river， so there must be shrimp too.”

“I’ll take you when spring comes and the weather gets warmer.” After a few more reminders， Shao Zhongcheng headed out the door.

Outside， another colleague from the maintenance team， Lao Han， was already waiting. He and Shao Zhongcheng worked on the same boat. Today， they had to clear the three main waterways， and the job had to be finished before nightfall. It was a huge workload. Shao Zhongcheng had been doing this job for many years， gaining extensive experience and respect within the team. Although he didn’t have an official position and couldn’t be promoted to team leader， his old mates still listened to him.

“Tonight， I’m making soybean paste eggplant.”

Soybean paste eggplant was a traditional Northeastern dish. Only his wife could make the soybean paste with the authentic taste of their hometown， which she then used to cook Northeastern delicacies like soybean paste eggplant and dipped vegetables.

Shao Zhongcheng left for work with anticipation. By the time he returned home in the dark， he was eager and anxious. He entered the house soaking wet， his lips blue from the cold， and shivering uncontrollably. He could barely speak， which frightened Li Xiuzhen.

“Darling， what happened? Are you okay?”

She quickly helped him take off all his clothes， wrapped him in the thickest quilt they had， and sat him by the warm stove. She hurried to pour him a large bowl of hot water. After he drank it， the ginger tea she had been brewing was ready. Shao Zhongcheng obediently drank another large bowl， finally beginning to feel better.