Chapter 10 - 4: Sending a Letter

Chapter 10: Chapter 4: Sending a Letter

Wang Chunhua happened to be passing by and overheard them bad-mouthing someone. She couldn’t help but chime in, "Da Zai’s mother wouldn’t be interested in your son, anyway."

The woman flushed with anger. "What kind of way is that to talk!"

’What’s wrong with my son? My son is perfectly fine!’

Feeling she had to retort or she’d choke on her anger, the woman fired back sarcastically, "I heard you went out of your way to help Lin Zhao yesterday. I wonder if she even gave you a ’thank you.’"

Wang Chunhua paid her no mind, replying calmly, "I help people in the hopes that if my own children ever run into trouble, a kind person will help them, too. It’s not like I’m desperate for a thank you. Besides, we’re all fellow villagers here. Isn’t it natural to help each other? We don’t need such empty gestures."

With that said, she turned and walked away.

Having been caught gossiping in the act, the circle of busybodies couldn’t keep their group together and quickly scattered.

Lin Zhao, unaware of this little spat, reached the village entrance. She placed the leftover chicken bones from last night in a spot where the stray dogs often gathered.

The moment she left, a large yellow dog, Dahuang, appeared where she had been. Its fur was matted and dry, and it was so thin that every bone was clearly defined.

Smelling the fragrant bones, Dahuang sniffed at them and gave them a lick with its tongue, but it didn’t eat. Instead, it moved its head away from the bones and barked.

"WOOF..."

A moment later, a small yellow puppy, Little Huang, emerged. It toddled over to the bones and began to gnaw on them, its tail wagging so fast it looked like a propeller.

Dahuang drooled, hungry as well, but it never once considered taking a bite for itself.

The bones from the braised chicken leg were soft, and the puppy quickly finished them. Its belly still felt empty, so it let out a tiny, plaintive yelp at its mother, "WOOF..."

This meant it hadn’t had enough to eat.

Dahuang lowered her head to lick her pup’s head, licking until it tumbled over onto the ground. It let out another tiny but fierce yelp.

After that, the two dogs, one large and one small, left.

The road from Fengshou Team to the county town wasn’t exactly far, but it wasn’t close either. On a bicycle, it was a short trip, but on foot, it was definitely a long walk.

Lin Zhao arrived in the county town at nearly eleven o’clock. The two-hour walk had left her on the verge of collapse.

She first went to the post office to mail her letter. Only after she personally watched the postal worker affix the stamp and place it in the middle of a stack of mail did she feel at ease.

"Don’t you trust me to do my job?" teased the round-faced girl with two short braids behind the counter, smiling.

The girl’s name was Liang Yi. She had worked at the post office for several years and knew Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao chuckled. "It’s not that, it’s just been a while since I’ve mailed a letter. I was just admiring how swift and skillful you’ve become."

Liang Yi was tickled pink by the compliment. Noticing that Lin Zhao’s forehead was red and slightly swollen, she asked with concern, "What happened to your head?"

"I bumped it," Lin Zhao said casually.

"Be careful. Hitting your head is no small matter."

"I know." Seeing someone else approach to do business, Lin Zhao waved at the counter and walked out of the post office.

After mailing the letter, she headed to the supply co-op.

The house was short on many things, so Lin Zhao had brought along all the ration tickets that were about to expire.

She bought some fabric, hard candies, toothbrushes, toilet paper...

Seeing a pair of Warrior sneakers, she asked the salesclerk, "Do you have these in a size for a five-year-old?"

Lin Zhao looked well-off, and she was a decisive shopper—if she liked something, she’d buy it without hesitation. Because of this, the salesclerk’s attitude was much better than usual, free of the typical haughty indifference she showed customers.

In those days, very few people bought shoes. Most wore cloth shoes made at home. Even adults rarely bought new shoes, so families who bought them for their children were exceptionally rare. The co-op had stocked a few pairs of children’s Warrior sneakers, but over a year later, none had sold. Seeing Lin Zhao’s interest, the salesclerk was delighted. "Yes, we do! How many pairs do you need?"

Before Lin Zhao could answer, the clerk launched into a dutiful sales pitch: "Warrior sneakers are great quality. They look good on, too. You definitely won’t regret buying them."

"Two pairs, thank you." Imagining how happy Da Zai and Er Zai would be to see the shoes, Lin Zhao felt that any price was worth it.

The salesclerk was overjoyed. Selling off stagnant inventory, even without a bonus in cash and tickets, would earn her a verbal commendation from the director. This would be good for her when it came time for performance reviews.

Growing even more enthusiastic, she wrapped the two pairs of Warrior sneakers in paper, set them on the counter, and pushed them toward Lin Zhao. "That’ll be seven yuan."

That’s right, seven yuan for two pairs of shoes. That was nearly half a month’s salary for an average worker—incredibly expensive.

Lin Zhao took the shoes in her hands, sizing them up. She estimated in her head that the size was about right and decisively took out her money.

In her half a year of working, the salesclerk had never seen someone spend money so freely. A pang of envy was unavoidable. Remembering two more overstocked blankets, she took the initiative. "Do you need any woolen blankets?"

"Yes!" Lin Zhao’s eyes lit up.

’Perfect,’ she thought. ’I can replace the blankets Third Child and Fourth Child are using when I get back.’

The salesclerk squatted down and pulled two woolen blankets out of a cabinet below the counter.

They were red and looked a bit tacky, but the quality was good.

"I’ll take them both," Lin Zhao said.