The house was finally ready, and Zhuang Zhimeng, Jiang Yanxia, ​​and Su Mengmeng moved all their belongings from the educated youth compound into their new home.

Move all the previously ordered furniture to the designated place and settle the remaining balance.

After making her bed, Zhuang Zhimeng saw the large package and opened it to see what her family had packed and sent.

Upon opening the package, I found a thick cotton quilt weighing eight pounds. It's really heavy; my family must have spent a long time gathering the cotton.

There was a cotton-padded coat and a military overcoat. The military overcoat should have been sent back by my second brother.

There are also two sets of sweaters and pants, one knitted by my sister-in-law and the other bought at the Friendship Store, both of which are very nice.

There are also two cans of malted milk powder. I guess the family is worried that Zhuang Zhimeng might not be getting enough nutrition. These days, you need a doctor's certificate to buy milk powder, so it's not something anyone can just buy whenever they want. That's why they bought malted milk powder instead.

The family gave her a few more jars of pickled vegetables, worried that Zhuang Zhimeng might not have enough to eat.

They also sent some shrimp-flavored crispy candy and sachima (a type of Chinese pastry), which Zhuang Zhimeng loved to eat when she was at home.

Along with these came a letter.

"Yaya, it's like seeing you in person."

Everything is fine at home, so there's no need to worry about it.

Since you left, your dad has been unable to eat or sleep, and he has lost a lot of weight in just a few days.

I worry every day that you might not have enough to eat or wear, and I'm always thinking about it. I look forward to your letter informing me of the details after you go to the countryside.

Ping An and An An have been diligently learning to read these past few days, saying they want to write a letter to their aunt and are worried you'll have to wait too long. They're studying very seriously every day, nodding and swaying their heads, and they promise to write you the next letter.

Your grandparents miss you very much and talk about you every day.

When your second brother returned from his mission and learned that you had gone to the countryside, he was so worried that he almost went to look for you. After much persuasion, he finally gave up the idea.

Your older brother and sister-in-law are also worried about you, afraid that you will suffer in the countryside.

My neighbor, Aunt Lin, was bragging to me that her child was sent to a nice rural area with fish and shrimp, and even received a salary.

I don't envy her at all. Only a parent knows their own child. She's definitely only saying nice things; she would never tell anyone about the hardships she's endured.

If you suffer in the countryside, just tell your family.

I hope you can reply as soon as possible so that your family knows about your situation.

A message from your loving mother.

Seeing the letter her mother wrote to her warmed Zhuang Zhimeng's heart; it was all about the love her family had for her. She immediately took out paper and pen and wrote back to her mother, explaining in detail what had happened since she went to the countryside.

I told my mom I built a house so they wouldn't worry. I made some good friends as soon as I arrived in the countryside, and I even asked my mom to praise my nephews for me.

After finishing the letter, I thought I'd go to the post office to mail it later, and while I was at it, I'd also like to visit the scrap yard and buy some newspapers. The walls are all dusty; sticking up some newspapers would help, at least it would keep the dust out.

Zhuang Zhimeng rode in Uncle An's oxcart to town. At the post office, she bought envelopes and stamps. Thinking she would write to her family often, she bought several sets.

She doesn't collect stamps, but she still asked if they had complete sets, since they might appreciate in value in the future.

The post office clerk asked, "What do you need several complete sets of stamps for?"

Zhuang Zhimeng replied, "My dad is particularly interested in stamps. He has a habit of collecting stamps. I am a newly arrived educated youth in the countryside, and I want to buy some local stamps to send back to him."

Upon hearing this, the staff thought Zhuang Zhimeng was quite filial, so they agreed to sell her several sets of tickets.

Zhuang Zhimeng was very happy that she bought it so easily. After leaving the post office, she went to the scrap metal recycling station.

When we arrived at the scrap metal recycling station, an old man was sitting at the entrance.

"Grandpa, I'll find some newspapers to paste on the wall. Can I come in now?" he said, handing over a few pieces of candy.

"Go inside! Don't touch anything you shouldn't."

Zhuang Zhimeng hurriedly went inside. The space inside was large, with things piled up on the floor in a haphazard manner, and it didn't look very clean.

She found the place where the papers were kept and took a few newspapers. She happened to see a set of math, physics, and chemistry books, so she quickly grabbed those too. She remembered the set had 17 books, but there were only 5 left. She decided to keep them for now and look for more later.

"I'll give you 2 cents!"

He took out 20 cents, handed it to the old man, and left the scrap metal recycling station.

Zhuang Zhimeng thought about treating the brigade leader, Aunt Tian, ​​Aunt Wang, and the two team leaders of the educated youth settlement to dinner that evening. After all, they had moved to a new house, and it would be a way to thank them for their care. Including Su Mengmeng and Jiang Yanxia, ​​after counting the number of people, they headed towards the supply and marketing cooperative.

We need to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and other seasonings. The supply and marketing cooperative has fish today, so I'll buy some tofu. I'll go back and exchange some eggs, garlic sprouts, and pickled vegetables with Aunt Tian. Later, I'll go to the state-run restaurant to buy some steamed buns; it would be hard to explain the source of the rice if I steam rice instead.

Thinking about the menu for tonight's dinner party, I rode back to the village in an oxcart.