Chapter 27: Going to the County Town

When Xie Jinghao entered the room, she saw Shen Meng frowning and staring intently at the letter in her hands, which couldn't help but bring a smile to her heart; it was the first time she had ever seen such an expression on her sister-in-law's face.

"Sister-in-law, are you reading the letter?"

Hearing the voice, Shen Meng quickly pretended to look distressed as she faced her. The Shen family was good in every way, but it was such a pity that the original owner hadn't been allowed to attend school properly for even a couple of days.

"Read what? The whole paper is covered in words. They don't know me, and I don't know them. Jinghao, come over and take a look. If you recognize them, read it out loud to us. Let's see what your eldest brother has to say."

Xie Jinghao's face flushed. When her grandmother was alive, she had made it to the third grade. Schools back then weren't like they were now, teaching so much; her schooling mostly consisted of memorizing slogans, and during the busy farming season, she had to work in the fields to earn work points. She wasn't quite sure herself if she could recognize all the characters.

"Then... then I'll take a look."

Xie Jinghao scanned it once and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there were no rare or obscure characters; she recognized them all, and even the ones she wasn't quite sure about, she could piece together. The two sisters-in-law stepped out of the room and read the letter aloud in front of the children.

Lu Mingkai, who had never seen his father since birth, stared intently at the letter with his small face, as if he could discern his father's likeness from the paper.

"I've kept the remittance slip, the food stamps, and the voucher for picking up the package safe. I'll take the ox cart to the county town tomorrow. Jinghao, is there anything you need? I'll bring it back for you."

Xie Jinghao was very good to the children. Since she was about to give birth, she should show some appreciation; besides, her needlework wasn't great, and there would be plenty of times in the future when she'd need to ask for help!

"No need, no need, Sister-in-law. Jiasheng will be back soon, and he can help bring things. It's not easy for a woman like you to look after four children, so don't worry about me. Um, Sister-in-law, if you go to the county town tomorrow, will your body be able to handle it?"

Shen Meng gave a light laugh and said, "That half-dead appearance was just to fool my mother and the others. My body isn't nearly as injured as it originally was; I'm getting better every day. Going to the county town tomorrow definitely won't be a problem, though I'll have to wait until after everyone goes to work to avoid the crowds."

This put Xie Jinghao at ease. She had been afraid that the children's good days would be cut short if her sister-in-law passed away. As long as her sister-in-law was healthy, the good days were ahead.

In the courtyard, Lu Mingyang and Lu Mingliang exchanged a glance. As expected, they had seen through it early on—their mother was lying.

Early the next morning, Shen Meng woke Lu Mingyang.

Lu Mingyang was sleeping soundly when he suddenly saw his mother's face enlarging before his eyes. Startled, he let out an "Ouch!" and rolled to the side.

"Don't be scared, don't be scared. I'm heading out early to catch the ox cart. I've made breakfast for you all; eat it with your younger siblings later. I made plenty. If I come back late, you can start eating. Oh, and divide up the stewed eggs, leave some for Xiaogang, understood? Your third aunt is bringing Xiaogang today to make clothes for Mingfang. Your third aunt's belly is getting big, so if she feels unwell, hurry to the field and find the village chief, do you hear me?"

With his heart still racing, Lu Mingyang said with a stiff mouth, "Un... understood, Mother."

"Good, then Mother is leaving."

After giving her instructions, Shen Meng waited for the ox cart before the dawn light had fully broken. She wore a headscarf and boarded the cart as soon as the fare was paid. When the other passengers tried to chat, she ignored them.

It took nearly two hours to reach the county town. The jolting of the ox cart nearly made Shen Meng's stomach turn. After getting off, she headed straight for the post office, used the voucher to collect the remittance, and received a massive package. It took her a couple of tries before she could hoist it onto her shoulder.

Hunched over and panting heavily, tears even pricked the corners of Shen Meng's eyes. *Damn, it's heavy!* What on earth were those soldiers sending that was so heavy? It felt like they had sent every good thing they had.

Carrying the load, she wound through several alleys to find a secluded spot to quickly tuck it into her Space. After resting well in the Space and catching up on two hours of sleep, she took her basket and headed toward the supply and marketing cooperative.

The cooperative in the county town was larger than the one in the commune, selling a wider variety of goods, covering basically all aspects of daily life. The cooperative was quite crowded; she had to squeeze for a while just to get inside. The saleswoman was frowning as she helped customers pick out items, packaging them and collecting money.

"Comrade, please cut me one meter of blue polyester fabric, two pairs of rubber-soled shoes for a two-year-old, and a jin of Golden Monkey milk candy, please. Thank you, comrade."

Shen Meng spoke while looking at the items in the counter. These were all common goods of this era. What she was buying was for Xie Jinghao, making the trip worthwhile. She scanned the general stock; she would get what she needed from her Space later to avoid accidentally bringing out something too advanced or too outdated for this era, which would cause a scene.

"Wait!"

Shen Meng breathed a sigh of relief. Although the saleswoman's attitude wasn't great, she didn't make things difficult for her like in the novels. It seemed she wasn't a protagonist, so she didn't have the privilege of arguing with the saleswoman.

After getting her items, Shen Meng took a stroll around the county town. The radio was playing songs characteristic of this era. The passing crowds moved with hurried steps, yet everyone looked spirited and full of life; this passionate side of life also infected Shen Meng.

She made a special trip to the waste station, but unfortunately, there wasn't much of value. She only picked up a few relatively clean old newspapers. Under the suspicious gaze of the old man guarding the gate, she left sheepishly.

After having a nice Sukiyaki meal and a cup of milk tea in her Space, and sleeping comfortably for a while, she found a burlap sack. She packed out two sets of bedding (inner and outer), two sets of ready-made clothes for each of the children, a pair of liberation shoes, fabric, wool, two sets of clothes for herself, pots and pans, a new toothbrush, a cup, an enamel basin, a thermos, three jin of pork belly, two jin of lean meat, five jin of ribs, and some candies, pastries, brown sugar, and white sugar. All in all, it filled a large sack.

Shen Meng missed the ox cart back to the village. Just as she was worrying, she happened to run into a tractor from the neighboring production team. After striking up a conversation and learning they were military families, they quickly helped her load the things onto the tractor and gave her a ride home. As Shen Meng got off the tractor, she slipped a handful of candy to the driver. Being a man who accepted a gift, he felt a bit embarrassed and helped carry the things into her house.

Xie Jinghao, who was doing needlework in the house, along with the still-awake Lu Mingyang and Lu Mingliang, came out to look. Seeing the two large burlap sacks on the ground, they were stunned into silence.

"Sister-in-law, what is this? Did Big Brother send all of this back?"

Shen Meng had been jolted terribly by the tractor. Just as she was about to thank the driver, the vehicle hit a large pothole, and she nearly bit her tongue.

"No, this sack is what I bought. The house is lacking in everything; if I don't buy some things to add to our stock, we won't be able to live."

Xie Jinghao: "..."

Lu Mingyang: "..."

Lu Mingliang: "..."

The three of them stared at Shen Meng, their hearts racing. How much money was this? Are they even going to be able to live their lives anymore???