Jiang Rou

Biodata

Background and History

Jiang Rou and Gu Yang discovered enemy agents aboard the train to the countryside and sought Bai Yao’s help. When the group confronted the agents, Jiang Rou knocked a woman unconscious with a slap. The six travelers received sleeper berths and other rewards, and Jiang Rou’s share of the recovered proceeds was ten yuan and grain tickets for two jin 16 17.

After arriving in Unity Village as an educated youth, Jiang Rou rented a small room near the educated youth compound. She later chose field weeding alongside Bai Yao and Kong Wu 21 24 35.

In town, Jiang Rou arranged to supply grain and other goods to the black market. Within two days, she had become its boss. When Brother Dong plotted to report and attack her operation, Bai Yao anonymously warned her after incapacitating his men. Jiang Rou interrogated a captured follower and took over Brother Dong’s operation, although Bai Yao had already removed its goods and valuables 29 43 44.

Appearance

Jiang Rou is a delicate-looking young woman whose appearance belies her strength. Her looks attracted attention from the male educated youths when she arrived at the village 16 27.

Personality

Jiang Rou has a fiery temper and readily steps in when others need help. She rescued a choking child on the train and later intervened when Fang Fang’s attention made Gu Yang uncomfortable. On the road to Unity Village, she declined a cart ride and suggested that the exhausted Gu Yang take the seat instead 16 18 23 27.

She can also be ruthless toward threats: she broke a captured spy’s leg to make him disclose Brother Dong’s plan. Nevertheless, some of her own subordinates’ proposed punishments struck her as excessively vicious 44.

Abilities and Skills

Strength and stamina

Jiang Rou possesses exceptional physical strength and endurance 16 22.

• Crushed roasted soybeans between her fingers to demonstrate her strength and knocked an enemy agent unconscious with a slap 16 17.
• Smashed an earthen brick bare-handed when several male educated youths crowded around her 27.
• Remained energetic during the long walk to Unity Village and later cycled fast enough that Bai Yao struggled to follow her 22 23 43.
• Bai Yao observed that she did not appear proficient in joint locks, despite her fighting strength 44.

First aid

• Performed the Heimlich maneuver on a choking child, dislodging a piece of candy 18.

Black-market dealings

• Arranged to supply 5,000 jin of coarse grain, 1,000 jin of fine grain, and quantities of sugar, cloth, and other goods; she changed the plan to distribute them gradually over a year 29.
• Won the loyalty of her underlings through her strength and money, and directed the takeover of Brother Dong’s operation 44.

Items

• Bicycle — Used for travel between Unity Village and town 41 43.
• Game sets — Carried Chinese chess and five-in-a-row pieces to entertain the travelers on the train 18.
• Disguise — Wore a mask, sunglasses, and hat when visiting the black market 43.

Relationships

• Gu Yang — Fellow educated youth who discovered the train’s enemy agents with her. She later gave up a cart seat for him and rescued him from Fang Fang’s attention 16 23 27.
• Bai Yao — Fellow educated youth and train companion. He secretly warned her about Brother Dong’s plot; she did not recognize him as the sender 17 43 44.
• Kong Wu — Fellow educated youth who worked alongside Jiang Rou and Bai Yao in the fields 35.
• Brother Dong — Rival black-market operator who planned to report and attack her operation. Jiang Rou subsequently took over his territory and people 43 44.
• Cao Granny — Sought information about Jiang Rou for her youngest son, who had taken a fancy to her. Bai Yao discouraged the proposed match 41 42.

Trivia

• Bai Yao suspected that Jiang Rou came from the twenty-first century and speculated about an apocalyptic background, but he did not confirm either theory 44.
• Bai Yao found it suspicious that the loose game pieces in Jiang Rou’s shoulder bag had made no clattering sound during the train journey 18.