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墨書 Inktalez
The winter vacation had begun.
On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Chai Hongmin, the director of the Party Affairs Office from Laogu Township, made a special trip to Hu Ruoyun's home in Village 212. Due to excellent performance in attracting investment, the county awarded Village a Santana car. This 212 vehicle made things much more convenient for the Party Affairs Office. As the car parked at the alley entrance, Director Chai and the driver unloaded some items. He greeted Hu Ruoyun, who came out to meet them along with his father, saying, “As the New Year approaches, the leaders are busier than ever. Township Head Feng has been away from Village for seven or eight days and specifically asked me to come and wish you a Happy New Year in advance…”
After placing the items down without even taking a sip of water, he got back into the car and left.
Looking at what was left on the ground, there was a box of Zhang Gong Wine, two packs of Silk Road Cigarettes, four clean White Strip Chickens, four neatly prepared Big Carps, and a large chunk of lamb weighing over ten pounds.
Hu Ruoyun's father said to him, “Didn’t we get help from someone to buy fertilizer? Why are they sending us gifts again?”
Hu Ruoyun struggled to explain: “Can’t you see they came specifically for this? If you don’t accept it, it would be disrespectful… It’s not even their personal money; it’s from Village.”
Hu Qihua was puzzled: “Then what does Village mean by this?”
It was Second Uncle who chimed in: “As long as we don’t steal or cheat… Why ask so many questions? Even if they told us, we wouldn’t understand.”
That seemed reasonable enough.
They gave Second Uncle a chicken, a fish, four boxes of cigarettes, and two bottles of wine for him to take home.
Hu Ruoyun noticed that Xiao Hu and Xiao Feng often went to watch TV at neighbors' houses in the evening. He suggested buying a television, but his mother Zhao Meirong strongly opposed: “No way! Look at all your peers in the village; many are already engaged or even married. Your father and I aren’t in a hurry yet, but we haven’t built you a house! Think about it; we need to settle you down in the next few years. We have plenty to deal with later!”
Hu Qihua’s reasoning was more straightforward: “With a tractor, we can earn money; buying a TV is just wasting electricity.”
Zhao Meirong sighed again: “That girl from Pingbei Zhangjiazai is quite impressive… Sigh! I mentioned this to uncle Jian Guo, and he also thinks it’s a pity.”
On New Year's Eve, the family gathered together to eat dumplings. After much contemplation, Hu Ruoyun finally spoke up to Hu Qihua and Zhao Meirong: “Dad, Mom, I have two things to tell you!”
Seeing their eldest son’s serious expression, Zhao Meirong and Hu Qihua exchanged worried glances.
Zhao Meirong’s voice trembled: “What is it? Did you get into trouble outside? The police station gave us two hundred yuan last year; at first, I was happy about it until I heard people say it was because you got into a fight… They said it was really serious! It scared me so much that I had nightmares for over a month; every time I woke up at night, I saw you covered in blood…”
Her anxiety affected Xiao Hu and Xiao Feng as well; they paused with their chopsticks and looked at their brother with concern.
Seeing his mother so tense made Hu Ruoyun feel a pang in his heart, but he smiled reassuringly: “It’s nothing serious! I just wanted to tell you that I have some money now from writing; I’ve saved it in the bank. Whenever we build our house, we can use it.”
Upon hearing this, his mother sighed in relief: “You should keep it. You haven’t asked for living expenses for over a year now. You’ve also taken care of Xiao Hu and Xiao Feng’s school fees. You’ve probably spent most of your previous earnings too? When school starts after New Year’s, let your father give you some more…”
His sister Xiao Feng was both quick-witted and straightforward: “Brother, how much did you earn?”
Hu Ruoyun handed her his bankbook to show her. Their father Hu Qihua also looked on with curiosity as he set down his pipe.
"One, ten, hundred, thousand... ten thousand! Brother, you earned over ten thousand?" Xiao Feng exclaimed.
Hu Qihua and Zhao Meirong looked at their daughter in disbelief. "You didn't misread it, did you?"
Xiao Feng replied defiantly, "I'm already in junior high! How could I misread it?"
What surprised Hu Ruoyun was that her parents did not react with the excitement she had imagined. Her father took a deep drag from his pipe and said, "We don't want your money; you keep it for yourself!"
Damn it, I’ve worked hard for a year with your Second Uncle just to save over three thousand, and I thought I was content. You, on the other hand, just scribble a few words and earn more than I do in several years... Why does it feel so unsettling?
Zhao Meirong's reaction was even more unexpected. She first reminded Xiao Hu and Xiao Feng, "Remember, you can't tell your Second Uncle or Second Aunt about your brother's money. Don't show off when we go to your grandmother's house... No one can know. Even when your father earns just a few thousand, people come knocking at our door asking to borrow money. If they find out we have such a large sum, they’ll be trampling our doorstep to borrow money. It's easy to lend it out, but who knows when we’ll get it back!"
In the end, she handed the passbook back to Hu Ruoyun. "You keep it; even if you give it to us, we won't take it! We might lose it again."
Since her sister was already in middle school, Hu Ruoyun gave her a brand new fifty-yuan note. Xiao Hu was in fourth grade and received ten yuan...
But these two were still young. During the Spring Festival when they visited their grandmother's house and played with their cousins and younger female relatives, they inadvertently let something slip: "Have you ever seen a passbook? My brother has one... It has money—over ten thousand..."
Fortunately, it didn’t reach the ears of the adults.
When they returned home, Zhao Meirong gave them a good scolding.
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, as per their agreement before the holiday, guests arrived at Hu Ruoyun's home.
Brother Biao arrived dressed in a military coat, wearing a cotton hat and gloves, driving the family’s newly bought small tractor with a trailer attached. The trailer not only carried stools but also had mats, bedding, and a quilt inside. Sitting on one of the stools was Zhao Hongtao, while Jiang Qiuying and Mao Na were nestled under the quilt.
Li Xiangqian had already joined the army and wouldn’t be back for at least two years, but he had sent letters with triangular stamps and photos of himself standing at attention with his rifle to several classmates.
Though he didn’t say it outright, Zhao Meirong and Hu Qihua knew that one of those girls was "the one" their son had mentioned. As Second Aunt and Zhao Meirong busied themselves in the kitchen, they quietly discussed the girls' heights, weights, and skin tones while guessing which one their son was referring to.
Zhao Meirong felt pleased: No matter which one it was, she approved!
While they were whispering to each other, Jiang Qiuying suddenly pulled Mao Na into the kitchen, startling them both.
"Hey Aunties," Jiang Qiuying said enthusiastically as she introduced her friend. "What do you think of my sister Mona's coat?"
Both women nodded eagerly. "It looks great!"
Jiang Qiuying then dropped a bombshell: "Hu Ruoyun bought it for my sister Mona..."
The two women wanted to help out but were firmly stopped by Second Aunt and Zhao Meirong. They called for Xiao Feng to bring over two stools so that the girls could sit by the fire to warm up. Their eyes were almost glued to Mao Na, making her lower her head in embarrassment before she pulled Xiao Feng away as if escaping...
Zhao Meirong’s face flushed from the heat of the fire as she watched Mao Na leave and said to Second Aunt, "She’s about Hu Ruoyun’s height—not too fat or too thin... She looks quite neat..."
Second Aunt agreed. "She seems gentle too..."
Suddenly, she slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "The girl is coming for the first time; I need to prepare a 'welcome gift'!"
Then she called for Brother to come in.
Hu Ruoyun instinctively said, "She has money."
Zhao Meirong was furious and retorted, "Nonsense! Just because she has money doesn't mean we can't give her something! If we don't give her anything on her first visit, when will we?"
...
Jiang Qiuying was chatting with Brother Biao and Hong Tao while Xiao Feng was showing Mao Na around the front and back yards. Zhao Meirong rushed over, insisting on giving Mao Na a red envelope. Mao Na kept refusing, but Zhao Meirong forcefully stuffed it into her pocket, saying, "Dear girl, you’ve seen our family’s situation isn’t great, so don’t think it’s too little! This is just proper etiquette; if you don’t accept it, I won’t feel right!"
In the afternoon, the group was about to leave. Zhao Meirong held Mao Na's hand tightly, reluctant to let go. In front of them, the tractor chugged along slowly as they walked behind it. They only released their hands when they reached the village entrance, allowing Mao Na to get on the vehicle.
Throughout the day, Mao Na finally found a moment alone with Hu Ruoyun. Pouting, she said, "I start my shift on the sixth day of the new year. My parents took Mao Jie to the county to look at houses and won’t be back for over a week. Everyone at the Post Office has gone home for the New Year too; I'm scared being all alone!"
Hu Ruoyun reassured her, "I’ll be back at school on the sixth; I’ll come keep you company then."
Mao Na smiled with satisfaction and added, "Auntie gave me a red envelope..."
Hu Ruoyun replied, "If she gives it to you, just take it. That’s how things are done here; if you don’t accept it, they’ll think you disagree."
Mao Na quickly put the red envelope back into her pocket.
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