Ye Yuncheng’s prosthetic limb was ready in March.

It happened to coincide with the start of spring. After two rounds of rain, the weather began to warm.

The air turned damp and sticky, but the withered grass along the roadsides gradually greened again, recovering its vitality.

The day the equipment arrived, a great many people came.

Wei Xi and Shen Musi and the others all showed up, and they had even gone out of their way to buy a cake. Liu Qiaohong also made a special trip in from the countryside, camera in hand, ready to document the occasion.

To make filming and promotional content easier, the location was chosen as the living room of the rental apartment. As much as possible, the room had been cleared out, with only a small amount of furniture left behind to keep the space open.

The technician unwrapped the packaging, taught Ye Yuncheng how to use the prosthetic, and helped him complete his first fitting and removal.

Yan Lie stood to one side, reading the instruction manual and the usage precautions. Shen Musi, wide-eyed with unfamiliarity, stared at the metallic surface and exclaimed, “So cool!”

Unable to resist showing off a little, the technician said, “On a previous charity project of ours, we used 3D printing technology to produce a special line of designs — anime-themed ones, designed specifically for children. That was really cool.”

Shen Musi immediately launched into another round of exclamations.

That young man glanced around at the room packed with people, then smiled at Ye Yuncheng and said, “Your kids have quite the social circle.”

Ye Yuncheng was too nervous to catch the words clearly. Knowing it was a compliment, he replied vaguely, “Yes, indeed — all our kids are wonderful.”

Wei Xi called out loudly, “Shouldn’t it be that Uncle has the great social circle? Uncle is way too handsome!”

Ye Yuncheng laughed, a little sheepish.

The technician stepped back two paces, giving Ye Yuncheng room to try standing up.

He was still not very comfortable letting go of his crutch. After all, he had relied on that thing for so many years. The technician soothed him and guided him, just as they had done during training, through the process of walking independently.

Ye Yuncheng’s gait was a little unusual — one foot came down heavily, the other moved stiffly upright — but it would not be too noticeable in loose, long trousers.

He successfully walked two laps around the room, then retrieved two cloth bags from near the kitchen doorway and said, “I’m going to buy groceries.”

Liu Qiaohong smiled and nodded, holding the camera steady with both hands and gesturing for Ye Yuncheng to walk ahead. He himself maintained a distance of about half a meter and accompanied him out the door.

Fang Zhuo and Yan Lie followed close behind. The whole group trailed after Ye Yuncheng and walked together into the market — quite the procession, drawing curious glances from passersby on all sides.

The aunties selling vegetables were seasoned veterans and were on fairly familiar terms with Ye Yuncheng. Seeing him filming like some sort of internet celebrity today, they restrained themselves from striking up a conversation, keeping their expressions calm as they bagged a few radishes for him and threw in a bunch of spring onions for free, watching them go.

Ye Yuncheng then went to buy a few jin of pork, a few jin of fruit, and from the neighboring supermarket he bought drinks to share with everyone.

Throughout the entire outing his expression remained relaxed, as though nothing about it was uncomfortable.

After wandering around for a full circuit and returning home, Ye Yuncheng found he had worked up a sweat all over. Whether it was from nerves or excitement, he could not quite tell.

He stood at his own front door, hands trembling slightly. Out of habit he almost leaned against the wall, but quickly caught himself — he no longer needed a crutch, no longer had to consciously free up one hand. He straightened his back, fished his keys out of his pocket, turned the lock, and stepped forward.

It was a deeply complicated feeling.

Having long since grown accustomed to the incompleteness of his body, he was now experiencing wholeness again after so many years apart from it. All the small habits he had accumulated in daily life still bore the traces of his hardship, and in that moment they became testament to the dawn of a new chapter.

“Wow!” Ye Yuncheng said to the camera, moved beyond measure. “This is wonderful!”

He carried his bags to the kitchen sink, reached up to unwrap his scarf, then turned around. His eyes shimmered with moisture. He opened his arms wide toward them all.

Fang Zhuo rushed in to embrace him, and the other young people surged forward in a pile.

“We’ve been waiting so long, Uncle!”

“Ahhh! Congratulations, Uncle!”

Ye Yuncheng wrapped both arms around their backs and patted them gently, nodding and laughing, not knowing what to say — only able to repeat over and over: “Good. Good, good, good.”

The room was a joyful uproar, happiness written plainly on everyone’s face, radiating outward with irresistible force.

Liu Qiaohong raised his equipment in one hand and pressed in to join the celebration too, nearly pushing Ye Yuncheng backward, leaving him no choice but to lean against the counter behind him.

After the exuberant chaos, everyone spread out, clamoring for cake, clamoring to celebrate.

Ye Yuncheng was all smiles, warmly indulgent. “Fine! Besides cake, we’re having dumplings! Eat your fill before you head back to school! I’ll send more over tomorrow!”

Shen Musi bounced with excitement. “Uncle, then you have to take me on a tour of our A University! A University is huge! You can roll on the lawns.”

Wei Xi said, “The lawn was probably worn bare by your rolling.”

Shen Musi cried out in protest, “Get away from me! The grass goes dormant in winter!”

Ye Yuncheng said, “I’ve never been to a university.”

“It’s not actually that different — just more people.” Wei Xi gestured around the room. “Look — aren’t we all A University students!”

Liu Qiaohong laughed and chimed in: “That’s right. Everyone here has long since graduated from being the nation’s budding little flowers and sprouts. We’re grown trees now, holding up the sky.”

Wei Xi and Fang Zhuo stayed behind in the kitchen to wash the fruit, while the technician brought Ye Yuncheng back to the living room and carefully asked about how he was feeling, and whether there was any pain in his limb. Then he removed the prosthetic and checked Ye Yuncheng’s skin for any redness or swelling. After confirming everything was normal, he left his contact information and departed.

Liu Qiaohong finished recording, switched off his camera, and joined them for the meal. That afternoon he headed back to the village to oversee things there.

Fang Zhuo and the others also had afternoon classes. They had been buzzing with excitement all morning and still wanted to take Ye Yuncheng out to explore the wide world. But their phone alarms went off one after another, leaving them no choice but to hurry back to A University.

Ye Yuncheng updated his social media moments just as Fang Zhuo happened to be sitting in an elective class: Physics and Human Civilization.

She scrolled to Ye Yuncheng’s newly posted photo. It was a shot taken from below, looking upward along a branch that had just put out new leaves, framed against the lush greenery of the residential complex.

The background was an expanse of brilliant, boundless blue sky, that tender, delicate green bursting with life.

Ye Yuncheng: [Photo] Stepping toward spring!

Corny yet earnest — Fang Zhuo could not help giving it a like.

Before long, Ye Yuncheng replied: Study properly.

Fang Zhuo: “……” Caught in his own sting operation.

Liu Qiaohong had the video edited that very same evening.

He sent one copy to the head of the prosthetic company as a promotional case study, another to Ye Yuncheng and Fang Zhuo as a keepsake. Then he published it on his own official account as well.

The following afternoon, after watching the edited video, Fang Zhuo launched into an in-depth discussion with Liu Qiaohong about how he could possibly make people look so unflattering — was there something wrong with filters and beauty features? It made it seem like A University had no good-looking people whatsoever.

Liu Qiaohong felt this was a bias on her part. He believed that everyone in the video looked spirited — their expressions positive and uplifting, embodying the passion and vigor of the modern young generation.

That afternoon, the two of them received a protest from Wei Xi. Wei Xi said she looked so bad she wanted to blur out her own face.

Nobody paid much attention to the matter.

The following evening, Fang Zhuo was in her dormitory working on a group assignment when her academic advisor tracked her down through the class chat group and sent her a screenshot, then promptly called.

“Fang Zhuo, is that you in the video?”

Fang Zhuo said, “Yes, that’s me.”

The advisor said in surprise, “Are all those people in the video my relatives too?”

Fang Zhuo laughed and said, “Of course not. They’re my high school classmates. We were close, and since we all got into A University, we’ve stayed in touch.”

“Oh, so the uncle in the video — that’s your actual uncle?” the advisor asked. “You two look quite alike.”

Fang Zhuo had already told the advisor about her family situation when she applied for the work-study program. His repeated confirmation of this left her somewhat puzzled.

“You’re famous!” the advisor announced loudly. “Did you know this video made it onto the trending list? The likes have already broken six hundred thousand! I’d estimate it’ll hit a million! I’d say it can hit a million!”

Fang Zhuo was stunned. “What?”

The advisor laughed. “It’s true — your uncle is famous! Everyone finds it heartwarming and inspiring. Go check it out online if you don’t believe me. A journalist friend of mine just contacted me, asking whether I knew you and whether you’re really an A University student. The teachers in the office have been asking me about it too.”

Fang Zhuo did not quite feel the reality of it, half-suspecting he was joking. She could tell it was real, and yet she did not know what it meant.

The advisor urged her to go have a look, then hung up.

Fang Zhuo duly opened Ye Yuncheng’s account.

Both he and Liu Qiaohong had posted the video. The like count on Ye Yuncheng’s account was currently just over three hundred thousand — already very high, and a staggering leap compared to his usual tally of a hundred or so.

She scrolled through the comments and discovered that internet users were not quite as earnest as her advisor had described. Many of them were quite amusing:

“Are any of you single? I mean everyone — including the younger ones.”

“That guy in the white puffer jacket doesn’t look struggling at all! There’s no way he’s from a low-income background. He looks so handsome from this angle! I rewound it several times.”

“Calm yourselves, sisters! Don’t be so blatant! Cry first, go through the motions, at least pretend to be a decent person!”

“I’ll just say quietly: Uncle, do you know you could live off your looks alone?”

“Are they all A University students? I’m a bit confused about the relationships here. Did Uncle single-handedly produce a whole nest of A University nieces and nephews? Uncle, please open a tutoring center.”

Fang Zhuo took a deep breath and called Ye Yuncheng.

Ye Yuncheng had only just found out himself. After being buried under an inexplicable avalanche of messages, he heard Fang Zhuo’s voice now with a mix of laughter and exasperation. “Yes, your Uncle Liu says it blew up. I have no idea what blowing up is supposed to do for us. His account gained over a hundred thousand followers, and my personal account has gained a lot too… hold on, your Uncle Liu is here at my place right now, telling me to film a video — says we need to give the internet users a response…”

Fang Zhuo asked, “What kind of response?”

“Some people are claiming it’s all staged — a poverty alleviation publicity stunt for views. Your Uncle Liu says we need to ride this wave of attention quickly. He thinks we might be able to use this momentum to promote the poverty alleviation project in Li Village.” Ye Yuncheng said, “The others over there are all discussing it now… your Uncle Liu is rushing me. I’ll hang up first and call you back later.”

Fang Zhuo had not had a chance to say anything before the line went dead. Her screen now showed her advisor’s follow-up messages.

Advisor: Tell your uncle to be careful. Don’t let any internet celebrity incubator company take advantage of him. Don’t rush into signing any contracts. Help him filter things on his end.

Advisor: There are a lot of people out to exploit trending content. If you need any help, come find a teacher.

Fang Zhuo herself was completely in the dark about such things and had no way of helping Ye Yuncheng filter anything. Besides, even though Ye Yuncheng had never attended university, he was no stranger to the world — he had more than enough judgment of his own.

Since Liu Qiaohong was already by his side to help coordinate, Fang Zhuo sent two brief check-in messages and did not disturb him further.

She sent a thank-you to her advisor, then sat in her seat feeling strangely hollow. After a while it occurred to her that she could tell Yan Lie.

Little Sun: Uncle’s video went viral?

You Bear a Fierce Name: I just saw — my roommate is going crazy about it.

You Bear a Fierce Name: [Photo] See this? They’re saying we all look like one family.

Fang Zhuo thought to herself: actually, far more people were saying Yan Lie couldn’t possibly belong to the same family as them.

You Bear a Fierce Name: Ha, just treat it as something fun. This kind of trending won’t last more than a few days.

Little Sun: Yeah!

You Bear a Fierce Name: If anyone bothers you, find a security guard or tell me. Don’t worry about them.

Little Sun: Got it!

You Bear a Fierce Name: Why the exclamation mark?

Little Sun: Hm? I’m actually pretty calm right now, but I don’t know how else to express it, so I used an exclamation mark to liven things up.

You Bear a Fierce Name: [Adorable] Go back to your calm studying. Or should I buy you some late-night snacks?

Whatever small ember had been flickering in Fang Zhuo’s heart was thoroughly snuffed out by Yan Lie. Thinking it over carefully, she decided it really was not such a big deal. What did a moment of internet enthusiasm have to do with her?

Little Sun: It’s fine. I’ll get back to working on my presentation.

Fang Zhuo calmly searched for resources online and finished the group assignment.

Before long, a few of her dormitory roommates came rushing back from the library. The moment they saw her, they sharply drew in their breath — clearly they too had seen the short video.

Yu Qingjiang knew that Fang Zhuo’s financial circumstances were not great, and had always noticed her taking part in the work-study program. But she had never expected that their family could be registered poverty-line household — or that Ye Yuncheng had only now, for the first time, been fitted with a prosthetic limb.

Perhaps because the social environment had improved so much over the years, she found it almost impossible to believe that a classmate living in such difficult circumstances was sharing a dormitory room with her.

Fang Zhuo carefully explained that she had only met Ye Yuncheng in her third year of high school. And that Ye Yuncheng’s poverty was largely due to secretly saving money to support her through school, on top of his health difficulties.

By the time she finished, Yu Qingjiang was even more awed than before. She looked deeply moved and said, “That’s incredible, sister. You are so incredible.”

The other two roommates chimed in: “Your uncle is such a good person.”

“And for you to get into A University on top of all that — there is nothing in this world you can’t achieve, sister!”

Fang Zhuo felt they were being excessive and was a little at a loss, touching the back of her neck. “It really wasn’t anything extraordinary. I think it was fine.”

After saying it, she fell briefly quiet. She realized with a start that she could now speak of the past with genuine ease — it was fine.

Because the present was so good, the poverty and hardship of the past no longer felt like much at all.

Looking down from a height, all the rises and falls of the terrain below appear as nothing more than a blurred, undulating line. Her longing for the future far outweighed any resentment she held toward the past.

Walk far enough down a road and, without knowing quite when, it becomes clear.

Fang Zhuo lifted the corners of her mouth and smiled again. “We’re doing well now. It’s only going to get better.”

Yu Qingjiang said, “Of course it will — you’re Fang Zhuo!“

Yu Qingjiang genuinely admired her — especially the way she could say it’s only going to get better with such serene calm.

If it were her, growing up in a world like that, she was not sure she could face it without fear the way Fang Zhuo did.

Yu Qingjiang was stirred with a deep wave of feeling. Too restless to settle, she and the other roommates huddled together scrolling through comments online.

A few minutes later she slammed her hand on the desk in outrage. “There are still so many people in the comments calling it fake! They’re saying you’re some internet celebrity from a second-rate school, not an A University student at all! And others claiming to be your classmates, saying you splurged money all through school! Disgusting! How can people be so shameless! They lie without a second thought about the consequences — do they just love stirring up drama that much? I’ll argue back on your behalf!”

Fang Zhuo said, “Thank you. But I hope it doesn’t get in the way of your studies.”

The three of them fixed her with a complex look, as one might regard a saint — but they could not overcome the pull of human nature, and spent over an hour feuding with the troublemakers online, finally going to bed satisfied.

The following morning, a little after ten o’clock, Ye Yuncheng’s clarification video was edited and ready.

The online stir had brought almost no change to Fang Zhuo’s daily life. She went to class as usual. Some people on campus knew who she was; others did not.

Even those who knew her, upon seeing her, offered only a gentle word of concern: “Have you been all right lately?”

Fang Zhuo would answer, “I’m fine.”

And that was the end of it.

During a break between classes as she was changing rooms, she opened Ye Yuncheng’s video, seizing the moment before the next teacher arrived, and pressed play.

She leaned in close to the roommate sitting next to her, and that familiar yet slightly surreal voice drifted out from the background.

“I was born in a very remote village near A City. A lot of people may never have heard of the place — but our village’s tangerines are exceptionally good to eat.”

— What a clunky product placement, Fang Zhuo thought to herself.

“My family was a poverty-stricken one that favored boys over girls. My parents loved me dearly. When I was in elementary school, I was disabled in a car accident. In middle school, my older sister left, unable to bear the burden any longer. In my third year of middle school, both parents passed away. By high school, my sister had also died of illness. I could not adapt to school life and dropped out in my second year of high school, not continuing my studies…”

His voice as he quietly narrated was profoundly gentle — no sharp edges anywhere, as though it could hold and absorb all the jagged things in the world. Even now, as he spoke of a life that had been tumultuous enough to call deeply unfortunate.

He gave a brief account of his hometown, his family, and the identities of the people in the video, in response to internet users’ doubts. At the end he expressed his gratitude to Liu Qiaohong and the others engaged in poverty alleviation work, as well as to the company and volunteers who had offered their support free of charge.

The camera was set far back, capturing his full body — his expression not quite visible.

But Fang Zhuo could see in his face a positive spirit, an eager longing, an unbroken resilience.

Ye Yuncheng would always be someone who gave her strength.

Her roommate draped an arm over her shoulder. Moved by just a few short sentences from Ye Yuncheng and unable to let go of the feeling, her empathy sent a faint, dull ache blooming through her chest. She reached over to take the phone and held the image of that figure in a white shirt in her gaze for a long time.

“Oh my — your uncle is so handsome… I don’t mean his face, I mean his character… though he is genuinely very handsome.”

Fang Zhuo smiled and nodded along.

Before long, Liu Qiaohong’s account posted another video — this one an interview with people from the same village.

In the clip, a middle-aged man in a straw hat, leaning on a hoe, stood at the edge of his field and spoke up loudly: “Little Ye — he used to be a substitute teacher at my son’s elementary school. But his salary was very low, because the school had no money — even the full-time teachers had their wages delayed, let alone the substitute teachers. But he still walked over an hour every day to teach. Leaning on that crutch, trudging along in the blazing summer sun, his skin would peel from the heat… He taught mathematics and Chinese both. His Mandarin was relatively standard — the other teachers had accents, but he was all right.”

“What a shame it was that he lacked a formal degree. But I think he was very gifted at learning. Good genes in that family — the whole family is academically talented! His older sister used to have excellent grades. And his niece got into A University! A University, I tell you! Tremendously impressive!”

“Later, the village primary school merged with another and finally got proper teachers, so Little Ye was let go. He had health problems and couldn’t do farm work — how was he supposed to go out and earn a living? People who don’t know the situation should stop talking nonsense. Little Ye is a good person.”

The scene cut to an elderly woman sitting in a small courtyard, sunning herself. She spoke no Mandarin, and subtitles were used.

“Little Yun is a good child. He even used to help me write letters. Back when there were no mobile phones, making a long-distance call cost fifty fen per minute — who could afford that? Nobody called. So it was Little Yun who wrote letters for me.”

“I’d send him eggs, but he wouldn’t take them. His life was too hard. Things are better now. Now he’s gone to the city.”

“Little Mu has a slow mind, I hear. But apparently the two of them are earning a living together now? I’m not quite sure how.”

The content was broadly a collection of impressions of Ye Yuncheng — almost entirely positive — along with an introduction to his food stall in A City.

Fang Zhuo opened the comments section.

This video had just been posted and had not yet gathered much traction, so the comments were relatively civil — mostly praise and support.

“I scrolled through Uncle’s older videos. The rice balls and braised dishes at their stall are seriously generous portions, clean, and inexpensive. What a hidden gem!”

“I can’t get to it anymore. I used to walk past every day and buy one, but today both the stall and the person were gone. Internet folks, please have some restraint!”

“Haha! If Uncle was still doing the stall, this wave of traffic could actually make him money! I want Uncle to make money!”

Fang Zhuo had not finished reading when the teacher walked into the classroom, and she quickly closed the video.

Over the next two days, the online buzz gradually faded. Liu Qiaohong and the team had managed the narrative well, steering the focal points of discussion away from Fang Zhuo and the others, sparing them from any major disruption.

And on short-video platforms, fresh viral content arrives every day — they were just one small ripple in the current. Without a new controversy to fuel it, the wave rose and fell.

Ye Yuncheng sent Fang Zhuo a few messages with updates.

He said that one morning he had tried to set up his stall as usual, but almost got surrounded by people who had come to find him — which badly frightened Xiao Mu. Fortunately they found a different spot and managed to sell everything, and he would return to the regular location once the crowd thinned.

He also mentioned that after talking things over with Liu Qiaohong, they had decided for now not to take on advertising and not to sign any influencer contracts.

He preferred a stable, grounded life — and his small stall was not built to handle that kind of volume. If the attention could be redirected toward the village instead, that would be the best outcome.

Still, he was recently thinking about whether to hire an additional person, since business had genuinely picked up.

Seeing that Ye Yuncheng’s life was still proceeding steadily on its own terms, Fang Zhuo felt at ease.

Her few roommates, though, felt a little sorry on her behalf, convinced that they had let this wave of momentum slip through their fingers without turning it into money — as though they had missed out on a golden opportunity to strike it rich.

The expressions on their faces made it seem like they wanted to drag Fang Zhuo out into the street and beg passersby to make her suddenly wealthy.

Before two days had passed, Liu Qiaohong contacted her again, opening with: “Good news!”

Whenever Fang Zhuo heard the words good news from Liu Qiaohong now, she stood up instinctively as a sign of respect — and Liu Qiaohong, to his credit, had yet to let her down.

“A newly opened shopping center needs to drive foot traffic. They’ve said they’re willing to offer your uncle a commercial space. It’s on the smaller side — the front and back combined are about twenty square meters — but the location is excellent, right at the main entrance. Rent-free for the first two years, and after that, they can pay rent calculated as a percentage of sales.” Liu Qiaohong spoke rapidly. “I had a lawyer friend look over it, and the contract is fairly reasonable — they’ve given us a fair amount of latitude. The rent after two years isn’t high, and it can support long-term development. On top of that, the shopping center has a great location, significant investment capital, and guaranteed foot traffic. This is worth going for!”

Fang Zhuo was genuinely delighted.

This meant Ye Yuncheng could have air conditioning in the summer. It meant he would have security. Their dream of renting a proper shop space had arrived ahead of schedule — and not just arrived, but arrived in a great leap forward.

She entered the address into her maps application and searched it. The shopping center was not far from Ye Yuncheng’s rental apartment. Every detail was enticing.

Fang Zhuo let her composure slip: “Uncle Liu, you are all incredible!”

Liu Qiaohong said smugly, “Uncle Liu will always look out for your uncle and make sure you all find the best path forward. I haven’t disappointed you, have I?”

Fang Zhuo said happily, “Thank you, Uncle Liu!”

“Don’t thank me — your uncle helped our account gain over a hundred thousand followers too.” Liu Qiaohong paused there, cleared his throat, and turned serious. “I sat down with your uncle and went through that short video carefully, and we read through all the comments. We found that internet users really do respond to the kind of energy your uncle gives off. So we’ve decided to keep running his account — focusing on daily life documentation and story-based content. His online reputation right now is excellent: unhurried, with no eye on quick gains, and he has strong audience goodwill. Who knows, maybe if it really takes off, he can take on reputable advertising in future and turn it into a stable income.”

Fang Zhuo said, “Whatever you and he decide is fine.”

Liu Qiaohong said, “All right — we still have a lot of paperwork to handle on this end, so I won’t keep you talking. I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t worry.”

Quiet settled in her ear again, and Fang Zhuo still had a slightly floating, groundless feeling, as though her feet had not quite found the floor.

She needed someone to give her a sense of reality, so she found Yan Lie’s profile icon and sent him a message.

Little Sun: Uncle Liu negotiated a shop space for Uncle. He’s going to be in a shopping center now.

You Bear a Fierce Name: [Wide-eyed] If you’re in a shopping center, that’s not called “running a stall” anymore, is it?

You Bear a Fierce Name: Uncle Liu is impressive! Worthy of being a fellow alumnus! [Starry-eyed]

Little Sun: The money I’ve been saving up suddenly has nowhere to go.

You Bear a Fierce Name: You can find a new goal and keep saving.

You Bear a Fierce Name: Like finding a new home, or something.

You Bear a Fierce Name: I hear weddings are incredibly expensive these days. Sigh, society.