The 1970S: Iron Hammer and Xia Xue

In the 1970s, at the Northern Red Flag Production Brigade, there are no pocket dimensions or miraculous strokes of fortune. Life is poor and hard, and the only way to build a better one is to work for it with your own hands. Li Tiechui, whom everyone usually calls Li Ergou, comes from a poor farming family. Quiet and honest, he is strong and hardworking, though not much of a talker. Xia Xue, an educated youth sent down to the countryside, is well-read and sensible, but struggles to adjust to the backbreaking farm work. One autumn day, a sudden downpour threatens to ruin the wheat harvest. At a loss as the crop faces destruction, Xia Xue receives help from Li Tiechui, and the two meet for the first time. After that, they often cross paths while working for the production brigade. Xia Xue is literate, so she helps record work points for the team and teaches the village children to read in her spare time. Li Tiechui diligently tends the fields, chops wood in the mountains, and takes odd jobs during the slack season to earn as much grain as he can. Rumors spread through the village, with some gossiping about the educated youth and the local farm boy. The two remain open and unashamed, meeting the talk with quiet dignity. Through those hard years, they support each other. He repairs her earthen home, carries heavy things for her, and shields her from gossip; she mends his clothes, writes letters for him, and gently comforts him when he is down. They grow closer through hardship, and affection blossoms between them. Their feelings are mutual, and they marry simply, making a small adobe hut their new home. After the wedding, they work together and live frugally, joining hands to weather one hardship after another, from food shortages to illness. When policies are relaxed and farmland is divided among households, they seize the opportunity, carefully tending their fields and steadily running a side business. They never speculate or cut corners, building up their household through honest hard work. They raise their children with care and treat their neighbors kindly. Amid the daily routines of food and firewood, they are considerate of each other and remain devoted for life.