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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 the outstanding performance in attracting investment, the county awarded Village a Santana car. This new 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 their items. He greeted Hu Ruoyun, who had come out to meet them along with his father, saying, “It’s the New Year, and the leaders are busier than ever. Township Head Feng hasn’t been in Village for seven or eight days now; he specifically asked me to come and wish you a happy New Year in advance…”
After setting down the items, they didn’t even take a sip of water before getting back into the car and leaving. “We can talk more when I come back,” he said.
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 about ten jin.
Hu Ruoyun’s father said to him, “Didn’t we buy fertilizer with help from them? Why are they sending us gifts again?”
Hu Ruoyun couldn’t explain clearly: “Didn’t you see they came specifically for this? If we don’t accept it, it would be disrespectful… It’s not even their personal money; it’s from Village.”
Hu Qihua was confused: “Then what does Village mean by this?”
It was Second Uncle who chimed in: “As long as we don’t steal or cheat… Why do you need to ask so many questions? Even if they told us, we wouldn’t understand.”
That seemed reasonable enough.
He gave Second Uncle a chicken, a fish, four packs of cigarettes, and two bottles of wine to take back with him.
Hu Ruoyun noticed that Xiao Hu and Xiao Feng often went to watch TV at neighbors’ houses in the evenings. He suggested buying a television, but his mother Zhao Meirong strongly opposed: “No! Look at how many kids your age in the village are already engaged or even married. Your father and I aren’t in a hurry yet, but we haven’t even built you a house! Just think about it; we need to settle you down in these next few years. We have so much to do ahead!”
Hu Qihua’s reasoning was more direct: “If we buy a tractor, we can make money; buying a TV is just wasting electricity.”
Zhao Meirong sighed again: “That girl from Zhangjiazai in Pingbei is so impressive… Sigh! I talked about this with your Uncle Jianguo; he thinks it’s such a pity.”
On New Year’s Eve, the family gathered together to eat dumplings. After much contemplation, Hu Ruoyun finally said 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 quite serious! I was so scared that I had nightmares for over a month; every time I woke up at night, I’d see 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’s tense expression made Hu Ruoyun feel a pang in his heart. However, he smiled and reassured her: “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 so that when we build our house, we can use it.”
Hearing this news relieved his mother: “You should keep it then. 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 the New Year, let your dad give you some more…”
His sister Xiao Feng was quick-witted and always got straight to the point: “Brother, how much did you earn?”
Hu Ruoyun handed her his bankbook to show her. Their father Hu Qihua also looked up from his pipe with an inquisitive expression.
"Units, tens, hundreds, thousands... ten thousand! Brother, you earned over ten thousand?" Xiao Feng exclaimed in surprise.
Hu Qihua and Zhao Meirong looked at their daughter in disbelief. "You didn't misread it, did you?"
Xiao Feng replied defiantly, "I'm in junior high now; there's no way I could misread that!"
What Hu Ruoyun didn't expect was that her parents didn't 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 with your Second Uncle for a year to save just over three thousand, and I thought I was already quite satisfied. You, on the other hand, just scribble a bit and earn what would take me years to make... Why does it feel so unsettling?
Zhao Meirong's reaction was even more unexpected. She first warned Xiao Hu and Xiao Feng, "Remember, you can't tell your Second Uncle or Second Aunt about your brother's money. And when we go to your grandmother's house, don't show off... 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 trying to borrow from us. Lending is easy; 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 bill. Xiao Hu was in fourth grade and received ten yuan...
But these two were still young. During the Spring Festival visit to their grandmother's house, while playing with cousins and younger female relatives, they inadvertently let slip, "Have you ever seen a passbook? My brother has one... It has money in it—over ten thousand..."
Fortunately, this did not reach the ears of the adults.
Upon returning home, Zhao Meirong gave them a good scolding.
On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, as per their agreement before the holiday, Hu Ruoyun's family welcomed a group of guests.
Brother Biao arrived dressed in a military coat, wearing a cotton hat and gloves. He drove the family's newly purchased small tractor with a trailer attached. The trailer was not only filled with stools but also laid with mats and blankets, along with a quilt. On one stool sat Zhao Hongtao while Jiang Qiuying and Mao Na were nestled under the quilt.
Li Xiangqian had already joined the army and wouldn't be able to return for at least two years. However, he had sent letters covered with triangular stamps and photos of himself standing at attention with his rifle to several classmates.
Though he hadn't explicitly mentioned it, Zhao Meirong and Hu Qihua knew that one of these girls was "the one" their son had talked about. While they busied themselves in the kitchen, Second Aunt and Zhao Meirong quietly discussed the girls' heights, weights, and appearances while guessing which one their son had mentioned.
Zhao Meirong felt pleased: Regardless of which girl it was, she approved!
As they whispered among themselves, Jiang Qiuying suddenly pulled Mao Na into the kitchen, startling both women who were deep in conversation.
"Hey Aunties," Jiang Qiuying began enthusiastically. "Do you think my sister Mona's coat looks good?"
Both women nodded vigorously. "It looks great!"
Jiang Qiuying then dropped a bombshell: "Hu Ruoyun bought this for my sister Mona..."
The two women wanted to help out but were firmly held back 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 shyness before she grabbed Xiao Feng's hand and hurriedly left...
Zhao Meirong’s face flushed red from the heat of the stove as she watched Mao Na’s retreating figure and said to Second Aunt, "She’s about as tall as Hu Ruoyun—not too fat or too thin... And she looks quite neat..."
Second Aunt agreed. "She seems quite gentle..."
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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