In January 1992, eighteen-year-old Cheng Jin Nian lives in the impoverished Dagou Village with his guardian, Song Hao, who is two years his senior. Their bond, forged when Song Hao rescued Cheng Jin Nian from an abusive and neglectful father after their mother Du Hongxia died of tuberculosis in 1988, is the central pillar of their existence. Song Hao, having dropped out of school to support the family, works as a street vendor selling accessories like scarves and gloves in the nearby city of Zhushi. He has dedicated his life to ensuring Cheng Jin Nian receives an education and can escape the poverty that defined their rural upbringing. The narrative opens with the two traveling through a snowstorm to sell goods, highlighting their close, interdependent relationship and Song Hao’s protective nature.
The story flashes back to 1988, when fourteen-year-old Cheng Jin Nian and sixteen-year-old Song Hao traveled to Zhushi to confront Cheng Jin Nian’s father, Cheng Haijun. Cheng Haijun had abandoned them after returning to the city, eventually marrying a woman named Xie Min. Upon arrival, the boys were met with hostility and dismissal from Cheng Haijun’s sister, Cheng Haijie, who insulted Du Hongxia’s memory and refused to acknowledge Cheng Jin Nian’s lineage. In a fit of rage and grief, Cheng Jin Nian attacked his aunt, leading to a physical altercation that Song Hao mediated by shielding Cheng Jin Nian. Cheng Haijun, overwhelmed by guilt and pressure, gave them nine hundred and seventy-eight yuan—a significant sum at the time—and told them to leave. Song Hao, initially refusing the money on principle, eventually accepted it after Cheng Jin Nian insisted, viewing it as compensation for the suffering they endured. They used part of the money to return to Baoping City, where Song Hao began his trading business to fund Cheng Jin Nian’s schooling.
Back in the present, while Cheng Jin Nian runs an errand to buy breakfast, he discovers an abandoned newborn baby left to freeze in the snow near a trash bin. Panicked, he rushes to alert Song Hao, who is setting up his stall. Together, they transport the infant to a hospital, where they learn the baby is premature and suffering from a high fever. Despite the high medical costs and the uncertainty of the child’s survival, Song Hao and Cheng Jin Nian pay the three-hundred-yuan deposit without hesitation, prioritizing the child’s life over their financial stability. A local customer, Liu Fang, assists them and suggests they report the finding to the police and consider placing the child in an orphanage once recovered, warning them of the lifelong burden of raising a child.
As they navigate this crisis, the narrative explores the evolving dynamics between Song Hao and Cheng Jin Nian. Cheng Jin Nian’s jealousy surfaces when Song Hao casually refers to him as his partner in front of Liu Fang, leading to a tender moment where Song Hao reaffirms their commitment to each other. Meanwhile, Song Hao faces pressure from his mother and sister-in-law to marry, which he vehemently resists, revealing his deep-seated fear of losing his bond with Cheng Jin Nian. The discovery of the abandoned baby introduces a new variable into their lives, forcing both young men to confront their responsibilities, their feelings for one another, and their future. The story sets the stage for a complex journey involving the care of the foundling, the resolution of their familial obligations, and the deepening of their emotional connection amidst the backdrop of 1990s China’s economic transition.
