Chapter 40

Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu were both stunned when they heard what the people outside said.

After looking at each other briefly for a second, they both rushed out at the same time.

The postman was wearing a black raincoat made of nylon. He squinted his eyes and put the letters and items that needed to be delivered in a bag on the back seat of his bicycle. The bag was also waterproof and bulging inside. I don't know how many people's greetings and thoughts were contained in it.

The postman stood outside the Chu family's courtyard. He looked inside for a long time and was wondering whether he should shout again when he saw two figures rushing out of the gate, one in front and one behind. The older one stopped beside him, and the smaller one rushed forward and bumped into him. Not only did he pull at his raincoat and ask questions non-stop like a tape recorder.

"The letter! The letter! The letter! Uncle, please take it out quickly, quickly, quickly!"

Postman: “…”

Fortunately, this postman has been working for ten years and is knowledgeable. He has seen countless excited and anxious recipients like Chu Jiujiu.

The postman didn't give her the letter. Instead, he tucked his sleeves in and looked at the two children. "Where are your parents?"

Chu Shao replied: "There are no adults in my family."

The postman was stunned. He was a little surprised, but not particularly surprised. People's life is not easy nowadays. Although there are fewer children living alone, there are definitely some. It's just that he saw the two children were dressed cleanly and looked healthy just now, so he didn't think about it in this way.

After an awkward cough, the postman asked again, "So which of you two is Chu Jiujiu?"

Chu Jiujiu stood beside him, almost jumping up to let him look at her, "Uncle, it's me! I am Chu Jiujiu!"

The postman said: "That's not enough. Take out your household registration booklet and let me see it. I can only give it to you after I confirm it."

There was actually no such rule before, but starting this month, I don’t know what the leaders came up with, but after a collective meeting, they suddenly decided that in the future, when postmen go to deliver letters and meet strangers, they must first look at the other party’s household registration book. If there is no household registration book, a letter of introduction will do. In any case, they must ensure that the letter is delivered to the person in question.

I heard that there was an incident of someone claiming a letter for no reason somewhere, but this had nothing to do with the postman. He just thought that this new rule was annoying and had simply increased his workload.

Chu Jiujiu was stunned ever since she heard the postman's words, because her name had not been printed on the household registration book. Now, the only places that recorded her name were the Qingzhu Village Brigade Headquarters and the Commune Office. She couldn't possibly run to such a far place just to receive a letter.

Chu Jiujiu was at a loss as to what to do. "I don't have a household registration booklet, and my family's household registration booklet hasn't been updated yet. But uncle, I am Chu Jiujiu. You want me to prove it... Can I call my neighbors? The whole village knows I am Chu Jiujiu, and so do the post office. Many of the aunties there know me, too. Uncle, do you know Aunt Feng? Aunt Feng Ruyi can prove it. How about I go back to the post office with you? After Aunt Feng meets me, you can give me the letter."

The postman had actually believed she was Chu Jiujiu the moment she said she was calling a neighbor, but because he was concerned about the rules, he didn't give in for a while. Later, when he heard her mention Section Chief Feng, the postman looked at her in surprise, "Do you know Section Chief Feng?"

Chu Jiujiu nodded quickly, "Yes, she did. She even gave me some food. It was a big bag of butter biscuits."

The postman was completely relieved. Even Section Chief Feng knew him. This kid was no ordinary kid. He took the letter and remittance notice out of his sleeve and handed them to Chu Jiujiu. Then the postman rode away on his bicycle. Chu Shao looked at his back and found that the bundle behind him was open a little, revealing a few newspapers, the edges of which had been wet by the rain.

Chu Shao subconsciously took a step forward. He wanted to call the postman, but the postman was riding his bike very fast and turned a corner in the blink of an eye. If it were in modern times, this postman would definitely be a professional traffic ticket issuer.

…

Standing in the drizzle, Chu Shao didn't move for a moment, while Chu Jiujiu ran back to the house at the speed of light after receiving the letter. She was about to open the letter when she realized that Chu Shao hadn't come in. She pried open the door and shouted to Chu Shao, "What are you doing? Come in and open the letter!"

Chu Shao reacted and walked back quickly. When he entered the house, a fine raindrop fell on his head. He looked at the envelope in Chu Jiujiu's hand, and Chu Jiujiu looked at him. Both of them were a little nervous.

Chu Jiujiu handed the envelope to Chu Shao. Chu Shao turned it over and found that the address and name on the envelope were still the same as on the previous remittance receipt, but the handwriting was different this time.

The address and name on the reissued remittance receipt were written by Comrade Xiaoyu from the post office, but this envelope was written by Nie Bai himself. His handwriting was crooked and not beautiful at all. The big characters were too big and the small characters were too small. It looked like the handwriting of a fourth or fifth grade boy.

Chu Shao looked at the envelope and paused for a second. Then, he tore open the envelope and took out the letter. When he saw the first sentence written on it, Chu Shao's pupils suddenly shrank, and even his fingers that were pinching the edge of the letter curled up unconsciously.

Chu Jiujiu climbed onto his arm, stood on tiptoe, and looked at the top of the letter curiously. After quickly browsing two lines, Chu Jiujiu grabbed Chu Shao's upper arm tightly and couldn't help but let out a scream of surprise.

"It's Great Grandpa! Oh my God, Grandpa, it's really Great Grandpa who wrote to us!"

Chu Jiujiu scratched Chu Shao's arm until it was blue, but neither of them felt tired or painful. Their attention was focused on the content of the letter.

Chu Liqiang personally penned the entire letter, save for the envelope, which was addressed by Nie Bai. He simply told Chu Shao that he was doing well, no longer in the capital, but now residing in a military unit. He had sent all the previous remittances. Nie Bai was his superior, so due to some inconveniences, they should contact him through Nie Bai in the future.

He wrote these in just two short paragraphs, less than a third of the first sheet of paper. The rest of the letter was filled with inquiries about Chu Shao's life and what had happened. He also offered constant comfort and encouragement, telling him not to dwell on the past. As long as people lived, there was hope. One day, he would take Chu Shao back to his side, and they would be reunited.

Especially when she saw the sentence "Dad will work hard, you have to work hard too. We are the pillars of the family and we can't let Mom down", Chu Jiujiu burst into tears.

…

Chu Shao was staring at the letter, motionless. After he finished reading it, he found it difficult to describe his feelings. Just as he was trying to calm down, Chu Jiujiu suddenly did this. He was stunned and turned to look at Chu Jiujiu who was wiping her tears and snot all over his body.

"I'm not crying, why are you crying?"

Chu Jiujiu answered him while shedding tears: "It's normal for me to cry. It's a problem if you don't cry!"

Chu Shao: “…”

It seems to make some sense.

But Chu Shao really couldn't cry. He was sad, heartbroken, happy, and relieved. All kinds of emotions were like an overturned spice bucket, making his heart mixed. But no matter how excited he was, his eyes were still dry, unlike Chu Jiujiu, whose tears roared out of his tear glands like the Yellow River bursting its banks.

…

Chu Shao neither comforted her nor stopped her. He just stood there silently, listening to her sobbing while looking at the letter in his hand. After most of the day, Chu Jiujiu's sobbing became quieter and quieter, and it seemed that she was almost done crying. But who knew, after a certain moment, Chu Jiujiu paused for a few seconds, and then burst into even louder tears.

Chu Shao was startled. He didn't understand, "What happened again?"

Chu Jiujiu cried and stamped her feet, "I guessed right! You see, the remittances were indeed sent by Great Grandfather. Zhao Shiliu and the others stole the remittances, so you never knew that Great Grandfather was still alive. If it weren't for Zhao Shiliu, you would have contacted him a long time ago. Great Grandfather even said he would come to pick you up. You could have left earlier. With Great Grandfather around, you wouldn't have suffered so much, and my father would have had a complete childhood. Even I... I wouldn't have become an orphan. I wouldn't be without a family after losing my parents. Wuwuwu..."

In fact, what Chu Jiujiu said was quite far-fetched. It was true that Zhao Shiliu indirectly killed Chu Liqiang because of her greed. Chu Liqiang had not been able to contact his wife and children. He was too worried. Later, he bravely wrote two letters, but they still fell into the sea. From then on, he became increasingly depressed, his health deteriorated day by day, and he finally died of illness in a military hospital.

This causal relationship is established, but what happens next, whether it is Chu Shao's lifespan, or the fate of her father and herself, there are too many variables involved, and it is not something that Zhao Shiliu alone can decide.

But many times, people just need to find a reason for the misfortune they encounter, no matter whether the reason is true or false, as long as they feel that the suffering they suffer is not destined, but has a reason and a culprit. In this way, they can safely condemn the culprit and keep all their anger and hatred on the culprit, and then they can continue to live their peaceful lives.

Chu Jiujiu was in this state of mind right now. Even on the day Zhao Shiliu said she was an illegitimate daughter, she had never hated Zhao Shiliu so much. She burst into tears. Chu Shao frowned at her. After a while, he said, "Stop crying."

Chu Jiujiu's crying became weaker. She sniffed, opened her big eyes, and looked at him in confusion.

Chu Shao: "The Chu Shao you're talking about suffered a lot and died young. I know all of this. But he's not me, and I'm not him. I'm doing well now, and I even received a letter from my father. It's impossible for me to go through the same thing as him again. Jiujiu, the person you know and are talking to now is me, not that Chu Shao. You have to learn to separate us and forget that Chu Shao. Do you understand?"

Chu Jiujiu was stunned. "I don't understand. Aren't you two one? Why do you want to separate?"

"Because I'm the same age as you, and our lives are still going on. There are still many days to go. You can't always compare my current self with my other self like this. Our lives are very different. In the end, you won't gain anything by comparing them, and you will only become more and more unwilling to accept it."

Chu Jiujiu was still a little confused. Chu Shao pursed his lips and continued, "You said you can't go back, right? Then forget everything in the past. You are no longer the Chu Jiujiu living in the future. You are now the daughter of Chu Liqiang and Zhang Fengjuan, and my sister, Chu Shao. You were born in 1960. How can someone born in 1960 always think about things in 202X?"

After hearing Chu Shao's words, Chu Jiujiu was stunned for a long time. She had stopped crying and her mind had become a little clearer. She vaguely understood what Chu Shao meant, but she felt a little reluctant.

Chu Jiujiu: "Do you really have to forget it?"

Chu Shao: "You must forget it."

Chu Jiujiu: "Can't you recall even a single thing?"

Chu Shao paused for a moment, then he reached out and touched Chu Jiujiu's head, "When no one is around at night, you can think about it secretly for a while."

Feeling the weight on her head, Chu Jiujiu raised her arm and wiped away the tears that had just begun to well up in her eyes. She nodded obediently, "I understand, Grandpa."

Chu Jiujiu agreed readily, but no one knew if she could actually do it. Most likely, she couldn't. But it didn't matter. Chu Shao said this to her because he hoped she wouldn't let the events of another time and space affect their present. He didn't want Chu Jiujiu to learn what hatred meant before she learned what love meant.

Seeing that Chu Jiujiu's emotions had stabilized, Chu Shao picked up the two pieces of letter paper again and read them again. He let out a breath and then put the letter paper back into the envelope.

He planned to write a reply now and mail it before dinner.

Knowing that her father was safe and sound and that he had never abandoned her and her son, the initial sadness in her heart slowly disappeared, and what was left was peace of mind and happiness. Chu Shao was about to leave, and Chu Jiujiu suddenly remembered that she was still holding the remittance notice!

Calling Chu Shao back, Chu Jiujiu picked up the notice and read it over first. "Wow, there are thirty yuan this time. Great grandfather is really amazing."

"Hey, there's another line of words in the postscript. What does it say? Grandpa, please come and take a look. I don't understand."

Chu Jiujiu recognized the words on the envelope because she had seen them before. However, Nie Bai wrote the postscript quickly and sloppily, as if he was about to catch a train. Chu Jiujiu couldn't make it out. Chu Shao took it and carefully identified it for a while.

"Between 1:00 and 3:00 pm, call this number and ask for Nie Bai."

Chu Jiujiu's eyes widened. She snatched the notice back from Chu Shao's hand and said, "Let me see! Oh—so this is a number. But why is it so short? Only five digits."

Chu Jiujiu raised her head and looked at the sky outside. The rain was still falling and the sun was nowhere to be seen. She couldn't guess the time, so she could only ask Chu Shao, "Grandpa, what time is it now?"

Chu Shao wasn't really good at guessing, so he could only guess, "It should be just after noon."

It happened to be raining today and the sun was not visible. When the weather is like this, no one has much idea of the passage of time. Even at five o'clock in the afternoon, everyone still feels like it is morning.

Upon hearing this, Chu Jiujiu quickly folded the notice in half and put it in the small pocket of her trousers. "There's still time. Let's go quickly. Isn't there a phone service at the post office? Grandpa, quickly grab your umbrella."

Chu Shao: "It's still raining outside, are you planning to go today?"

Chu Jiujiu: "Of course we have to go today. You haven't seen your great grandfather for such a long time. Don't you want to hear his voice? If you don't want to, I do. Anyway, we have nothing to do at home. By the way, Grandpa, remember to bring money. If we arrive after three o'clock, we can't go there in vain. Just give me that big meal in advance!"

Chu Shao: “…”

After all, you are still thinking about that big meal.

Chu Shao opened the red umbrella, held it, and Chu Jiujiu stuck close to him. The two walked out quickly. Although the rain was not heavy, it was very dense. The umbrella could only cover their upper bodies but not their lower bodies. Chu Jiujiu's calves were soon wet. Walking on the small road out of the village, Chu Jiujiu grabbed her trouser pocket with one hand to prevent the notice from getting wet, and with the other hand she grabbed Chu Shao's clothes to prevent herself from slipping.

When it rains, it is inevitable to step on mud. Chu Jiujiu kept her head down all the way, focusing on the road under her feet. It was not until Chu Shao suddenly pulled her to the side that she heard the crackling sound.

Chu Jiujiu turned her head not knowing what was going on and almost popped her eyes out.

What a tall convertible armored vehicle!

When the car drove up to them, Chu Jiujiu looked up and exclaimed, "Wow, an armored vehicle."

Chu Shao: “…”

“This is a tractor.”

Just as he finished explaining, the driver saw the very conspicuous red umbrella and discovered that there were two children underneath. He asked, "Where are you going, kids?"

Chu Jiujiu was the first to answer: "Go to town! My brother wants to treat me to a meal!"

The driver laughed. "You two are quite amusing, going to town for dinner at this hour. Come on up. I'm going to the grain depot in town, and it's on our way."

This is what it means to be handed a pillow just as you are about to doze off. Chu Shao thanked the driver, then helped Chu Jiujiu onto the dump truck on the back of the tractor used to transport goods. Usually, in order to get a free ride, the tractor would be filled with people whenever it got in and out, as long as it was not transporting goods. But it was raining today and no one left the village, so Chu Jiujiu and Chu Shao enjoyed the treatment of having the whole place to themselves.

It's no big deal, they just sit in the most comfortable place, open their umbrella and hide themselves completely under it.

The tractor wasn't going very fast, and it took about twenty minutes before they arrived in town. The driver drove the tractor directly to the grain station. Chu Shao got off the tractor and thanked the driver again. Seeing how polite he was, the driver had originally wanted to just go back and leave them alone, but now, he added, "I'll be done in two or three hours. You two should eat quickly, and then come back here to find me and I'll take you back."

"But after we get back, I won't go to Qingzhu Village. I'll drop you off at the commune, and you can walk back on your own."

Chu Jiujiu smiled sweetly, "I know. Thank you, driver uncle. When we come back, we'll bring you something delicious!"

Chu Shao’s catchphrase is “Let’s talk about it later”, while Chu Jiujiu’s catchphrase is “Bring you delicious food”. Because she likes to taste delicious food, she thinks that delicious food is the best gift and the best tool to win people’s hearts.

After saying goodbye to the driver, the two of them walked towards the post office under an umbrella. When they passed the supply and marketing cooperative, Chu Jiujiu paused and said, "Wait a minute, I suddenly remembered that I told Aunt Feng last time that I should bring something for her when I come to collect the remittance. Grandpa, let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative first."

Buying something won't take more than a few minutes, not to mention that the weather is bad today and there is no one in the supply and marketing cooperative. They don't have to queue up, so they will definitely buy faster.

When he went out, Chu Shao took fifty yuan with him. Chu Jiujiu was surprised why he brought so much. She didn't know that making phone calls was very expensive now, especially the long-distance calls they wanted to make. It was even more expensive. He and Chu Liqiang hadn't seen each other for so long, and they must have a lot to say. The phone bill alone would cost him more than ten or twenty yuan.

Arriving at the gift counter, Chu Jiujiu looked around, then pointed at a strangely shaped package behind the salesperson and asked, "What is that?"

The saleswoman lazily turned back, glanced at it, and then lazily turned back again, looking at her nails as she answered, "Jinhua ham, one pound for one dollar and eighty cents, sold whole, not cut."

The smallest Jinhua ham weighs four or five pounds. Jinhua ham is made from pork, while the braised pork in the state-owned restaurant next door only costs one dollar and fifty cents per plate. This ham is not only not greasy, but also contains a big bone. No one would be willing to buy this unless it is a gift or the family is extremely wealthy.

Chu Jiujiu calculated and felt it was a bit expensive, but when she thought about the butter biscuits Aunt Feng gave her last time, she became conflicted. She turned her head to look at Chu Shao. When he caught her gaze, the chief steward nodded compassionately and said, "It's only right to return a favor. Buy it."

After receiving the approval from the chief financial officer, Chu Jiujiu suddenly became happy. She pointed at the smallest one and said, "I want that one. No need to wrap it. Let's take it and go."

Chu Shao handed over the money and the salesperson handed over the goods. Chu Jiujiu took the ham in her hand. After leaving, she felt strange looking at the big ham because it was really in the shape of a leg, similar to the turkey legs her mother had bought before, but the Jinhua ham was much bigger and more expensive.

Chu Jiujiu happily held up the ham and said to Chu Shao, "Except in cartoons, I've never seen ham like this. The hams I usually eat are all round, and some are even cut into slices, so you can't see the original shape at all."

They walked and chatted until they arrived at the post office. They thought the post office would be empty, but it was still packed with people. There were queues at all the windows, and even the remittance window for Comrade Xiaoyu had four people in line.

Chu Jiujiu looked around and saw the window where the phone was being made. She pointed and said, "Over there, Chu Shao, let's go over there!"

The line for making phone calls wasn't long, but it was the slowest. Chu Shao was queuing at the back, while Chu Jiujiu ran to the front. She wanted to see how people made calls here.

The aunt at the front of the line first told the staff who she wanted to call. After the staff dialed the number, they waited for a long time. Finally, the call was picked up. The staff asked the aunt who she was looking for. The aunt quickly said a name, and the staff repeated it to the other end. Then, she stopped moving.

There was really no movement. Even the aunt pretended to wait silently with her head down. After more than ten minutes, the staff member kept her eyelids drooping and kept the receiver to her ear. Finally, she heard a voice from the other end. The staff member hummed and put down the phone.

"He's on a business trip and will be back on the 29th. You can call him on the 29th."

Chu Jiujiu: “…”

Chu Jiujiu didn't expect this result, but the aunt who made the phone call was not surprised at all. After thanking the staff, she left. The people behind her were not surprised by this and just urged the people in front to hurry over.

Chu Jiujiu was bewildered. Just as she was about to go back, someone behind her called out her name, "Jiujiu?"

Chu Jiujiu turned around and found that it was Feng Ruyi. She was wearing the red armband again. It seemed that this afternoon was her duty time.

Seeing Feng Ruyi, Chu Jiujiu immediately changed her expression to a bright smile, "Aunt Feng, I was just about to look for you. Look, this is the ham I brought for you."

Chu Jiujiu was uninformed, but Feng Ruyi was different. She came from a wealthy family, and her husband had a respectable job. She had tasted Jinhua ham and knew it was a must-have at state banquets. Of course, the Jinhua ham served at state banquets was definitely different from the readily available Jinhua ham, but even the latter was incredibly delicious, overflowing with fragrance and a tender, crisp texture. It was the only cured meat with less fat but a more lingering flavor than the fat itself.

Feng Ruyi likes to eat it, her husband likes to eat it, and her children like to eat it too. However, Jinhua ham is too expensive and is not sold separately. Feng Ruyi only buys one during the holidays. There are always a lot of people at home during the holidays, so she can't eat many pieces at all. In the end, she uses the leftover bones to stew a big pot of soup and add more noodles for her family.

Feng Ruyi was tempted, but still waved her hand, "This is too expensive, Jiujiu, take it home and eat it yourself."

Chu Jiujiu pouted and stuffed the ham directly into her hand. "Aunt Feng, just take it. I bought it for you. Chu Shao and I are going to the state-owned restaurant to eat soon. Aunt Feng, if you really don't want to accept it, then you can exchange it with me. Give me a pound of meat coupons. Our family has used up all the meat coupons this month, but I want to order some braised pork at the state-owned restaurant, hehe~"

At this point, Chu Jiujiu shifted awkwardly. One pound of meat coupons was exchanged for over five pounds of Jinhua ham. No one could say Chu Jiujiu was taking advantage of Section Chief Feng. After all, anyone with a discerning eye could tell which was more expensive. Hearing this, Feng Ruyi immediately pulled out his leather wallet and began rummaging through it.

In the eyes of people today, Feng Ruyi's wallet is very fashionable. The cowhide texture is obvious, the zipper on it shines silver, and two words are printed on the bottom of the bag: Shanghai.

But in Chu Jiujiu's eyes, this wallet was extremely tacky. It had no card slots and no extra pockets for money. It was just a piece of cloth closed with a zipper. In modern times, even an old man in his sixties or seventies wouldn't use one.

Chu Jiujiu looked for a while, and Feng Ruyi finally found the meat ticket. She took it out and handed it to Chu Jiujiu, along with a few dollars.

"Take them all. I'll treat you and your brother to this meal."

Feng Ruyi gave her two meat coupons. Chu Jiujiu didn't see the exact amount, but it was enough to buy two braised pork dishes. Chu Jiujiu was shocked. She quickly returned the money and the extra meat coupons, "Aunt Feng, I was just kidding. I don't want this money. I borrowed the meat coupons from you. I'll return them to you next month. Aunt Feng, don't be polite with me. You know, our family is not short of money. Look, today, Chu Shao and I came here to collect the remittance. If you insist on giving me money, I won't dare to look for you when I come to the post office in the future."

Feng Ruyi wanted to say something, but she saw Chu Shao standing in the queue behind the people making phone calls. She paused, "This isn't the window for withdrawing remittances. You should go to the back."

Chu Jiujiu laughed. "We know, but today, besides withdrawing the remittance, we also need to make a phone call. By the way, Aunt Feng, do you know what time it is now? We can't make calls after three o'clock. I don't have a clock at home, so I don't know if it's time yet."

Feng Ruyi glanced at the watch on her wrist, "One forty-nine."

After she finished speaking, she raised her head and looked at the long line. After thinking for a moment, she took Chu Jiujiu's hand and said, "Don't queue up anymore. Come with me."

Chu Jiujiu didn't know where she wanted to take her, so she quickly turned around and called out to Chu Shao. Chu Shao frowned and followed her.

Walking out of the back door of the post office, they walked around a sink, opened a blue wooden door, and walked in. It was the office area of the post office. There was a lot of noise in the front, but it was so quiet in the back that you could hear a pin drop. Chu Jiujiu didn't dare to breathe and followed Feng Ruyi cautiously.

Pushing open a door and walking in, Chu Jiujiu found that this was a very small office. Apart from a table and a chair, there was only an old wooden filing cabinet. Needless to say, this was Feng Ruyi's office. Chu Jiujiu took a rough look around the office, and soon, her eyes fell on the old telephone by the window.

Feng Ruyi happened to say, "It's too slow to make calls outside, and you have to pay. Call me here. Who do you want to call? Do you have a number?"

Chu Jiujiu reacted and quickly took out the remittance notice, "Yes, yes, yes."

But before she could take it out, Chu Shao suddenly stopped her, "Wait, Chief Feng, will it cause you any trouble if we make a phone call here?"

Unexpectedly, Chu Shao was so attentive. Feng Ruyi gave him an admiring look and softened her tone. "No, don't worry."

Nowadays, who doesn't use the convenience of work to get some benefits for themselves? None of the staff in the entire post office honestly go out to pay for phone calls. Those who have phones use their own, and those who don't have phones shamelessly use other people's. As long as they don't charge or sell them, there's no problem.

After all, the law does not punish everyone.

Hearing this, Chu Shao no longer stopped Chu Jiujiu. After Chu Jiujiu handed the notice to Feng Ruyi, Feng Ruyi took a look at it, and her opinion of the two children changed a little.

There are also people in Feng Ruyi's family who are soldiers. If she remembered correctly, only soldiers at the battalion level and above could have their own telephones, otherwise they could only go to the army's communication room. It seems that Nie Bai is not only a battalion commander, but also a political commissar.

So what's his relationship with Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu? His last name isn't Chu either.

Feng Ruyi was curious for only a second, then stopped thinking about it. Who cares? It had nothing to do with her anyway. After shaking the handle of the phone vigorously a few times, Feng Ruyi dialed the number. The call was quickly picked up by an operator. Feng Ruyi said she was looking for a certain unit, and the operator asked her to hold. After a while, the call was transferred to another operator. This time, she asked for Nie Bai. After waiting for another two minutes, the call was finally transferred to Nie Bai.

——

At this time, several days had passed since Nie Bai sent the letter. Estimating the time, it felt like these two days were about right. Almost every time he had free time, Nie Bai would run to his office. In the past, he hated sitting in the office the most. He would rather go out and run a few more laps to consume his physical strength.

The only thing that seemed interesting to him was the newspaper in the office. Nie Bai sat in his chair, reading the contents of the newspaper word by word. He had learned to read after joining the army and attending a literacy class, but his literacy level was still far behind. His wife, a high school student, always looked down on him as a rough and tumble person who only knew how to fight and kill. So, when he had free time, he would read the newspaper to try to improve his literacy level.

As I was watching, suddenly, the phone rang with a high-pitched tone like a death warrant.

Nie Bai read halfway without taking his eyes off the newspaper. He just raised his right hand and picked up the receiver.

Nie Bai: "Go ahead."

The operator's voice was distorted due to signal processing. "Captain Nie, there's a call from City X looking for you."

Nie Bai instantly pulled his eyes away from the newspaper. "Are you sure it's City X? Okay, I get it. Turn around."

After the operator finished talking to Nie Bai, she went to talk to Feng Ruyi. She turned around and Feng Ruyi handed the microphone to Chu Jiujiu. Chu Jiujiu quickly moved aside. Chu Shao stepped forward and took the receiver. Then, he heard a man roaring from the other end of the phone.

"Xiao Li? Xiao Li! Hurry and go to the Second Company and call the Second Company's deputy instructor. I want to lecture him!"

After giving the order, Nie Bai remembered that the call seemed to have been transferred. He said "hello" into the receiver, and soon, a faint boy's voice came from the other end.

"Is that Uncle Nie?"

Nie Bai: “…”

Damn it, I embarrassed myself in front of my nephew.

He laughed dryly, "It's me, don't worry, your father and I are old comrades. I just said that to cover for you. I wouldn't dare to scold your father. Usually, it's your father who scolds me."

Chu Shao listened, but didn't say anything else. He was only concerned with one thing.

His father is now the deputy instructor of the second company, and he is no longer the political commissar.

In the letter, Chu Liqiang briefly mentioned his past experiences. No, he actually didn't mention what he had experienced in the past at all. He just said that he was living a good life now and Chu Shao didn't need to worry about him. Now it seems that his life is a little more difficult than Chu Shao imagined.

Chu Shao didn't say anything, and Nie Bai didn't know what to say to him. The two of them just held the receiver and waited in silence. About five minutes later, Chu Liqiang arrived. He had just returned from the playground and had been running all the way. He was now out of breath. He took the phone from Nie Bai and said, "Hello."

Finally hearing this familiar voice, Chu Shao took the receiver and opened his mouth, but found that he was a little speechless. After two seconds, he spoke again and called out calmly: "Dad."

Chu Shao was making a phone call over there, while Chu Jiujiu and Feng Ruyi were standing on the other side. However, the office was so small that the other two could hear everything Chu Shao said. Feng Ruyi was even more surprised when she heard Chu Shao calling her dad. She looked at Chu Jiujiu beside her, but found that Chu Jiujiu had pursed her lips, looking very excited but not daring to be too excited.

When Chu Liqiang heard Chu Shao calling him, he lowered his eyes and smiled silently.

"Your handwriting is much better than before."

Chu Shao pursed his lips: "Mom has been teaching me."

Hearing him mention Zhang Fengjuan, Chu Liqiang was silent for two seconds, then he asked, "How are you doing in Qingzhu Village?"

"fine."

Chu Liqiang: "Are you living at your grandmother's house now?"

"No, I moved out from my grandma's house."

In one sentence, he skipped over the complicated and abominable situation at that time. But who was Chu Liqiang? He was always good at guessing people's hearts. What's more, the person opposite was his son. Who was Mrs. Zhang? Chu Liqiang had never met her, but he had heard Zhang Fengjuan mention her countless times. When Zhang Fengjuan first proposed to take Chu Shao back to Qingzhu Village, he initially disagreed, but in the end, he had no choice but to send them away. Without Zhang Fengjuan's protection, it was easy to imagine how difficult Chu Shao's life was.

Chu Liqiang smiled and said as casually as possible: "It's good to move out. Did you receive the money I sent?"

Chu Shao nodded. "Got it. Dad, don't worry about me. I live in a blue brick house next to the team headquarters. You don't have to send me money anymore. The remaining money is enough for us to use for ten years."

Chu Liqiang didn't notice his choice of words for a moment. He frowned and said, "You still have to send the money. I get an allowance every month now, and it will only increase in the future, not decrease. You don't need to worry about money. Just take care of yourself."

Chu Shao: "You too."

Sighing inwardly, Chu Liqiang said, "The army's phone line can't be occupied for too long. You made the call from the post office, right? Talking too much will cost you a lot. Okay, Chu Shao, if there's something urgent next time, call your Uncle Nie. If there's nothing urgent, just write to me. Two letters a month. Don't stop. Remember that?"

Chu Shao: "I remember."

"Well, when you write a letter, just write your Uncle Nie's name on the envelope. I'll also continue to write Chu Jiujiu's name on my side." He chuckled and continued, "There's no need to worry. Letters and calls here can be read by others, but it's better to be prepared."

As he was speaking, Chu Liqiang suddenly started coughing. Chu Shao heard it and couldn't help asking him, "Dad, are you sick?"

"No, I've had a cold recently. Okay, enough talking, Chu Shao, be careful when living in the village, don't get into conflict with others, be tolerant in everything, but don't be too tolerant, and don't let yourself be bullied."

"I know that living alone is still too hard for you, but just bear with it. This situation won't last forever."

Chu Shao listened to his father's instructions to him, and halfway through, he couldn't help but interrupt Chu Liqiang: "Dad, I don't live alone, I live with Jiujiu."

Chu Liqiang was stunned, "Who is Jiujiu?"

Chu Shao: "...Jiujiu is Chu Jiujiu. Don't you always use her name when writing letters?"

Chu Liqiang was extremely shocked: "Jiujiu is a real person?! I thought this was a name you made up!"

Chu Shao: “…”