The letter was sent half a month ago, and there has been no reply yet. The distance from Huai City in Anhui Province to Nan City in Jiangsu Province is not far, so her letter must have reached Huo Yingjie by now.
Just to be on the safe side, He Tiantian took a day off to personally mail a letter and inquire about the situation.
This time, He Tiantian wrote directly to her parents. As for Huo Yingjie, if he receives the letter, he will definitely reply to her, so she doesn't want to write any more.
"Xiao Yan, who do we usually send the letters to in our village?" He Tiantian asked. Now that we live in a large collective, we don't just go to a person directly for anything. She was worried that her letters would be collected by Qi Shuli and Qi Jianguo like they had in her previous life.
"The letters are all delivered to Qi Shuli, the village party secretary, who is also Qi Fangfang's second uncle, and then distributed to individuals," Qi Xiaoyan said. "Are you asking these questions because you're thinking about the replies your family will give you?"
He Tiantian nodded and said, "Yes, I miss home so much. Seeing their letter is like seeing my family. I made a promise with my parents that I would write home as soon as I got here, and they would reply to me immediately after receiving the letter. I haven't received the letter yet, and I'm very worried."
Qi Shuli, Qi Jianguo's second uncle, was no good either. If they hadn't interfered in her past life, He Tiantian wouldn't have missed seeing her parents one last time. In this life, she absolutely couldn't let her letters fall into their hands and allow them to do whatever they wanted.
Seeing He Tiantian's dejected expression, Qi Xiaoyan took her arm and comforted her, "Your well-being is the best news for your family. My dad is going to the county town the day after tomorrow, and I'd like to go with him. If you're going, please ask for leave in advance, and I'll show you around the county town."
He Tiantian thought for a moment and decided that going to the county town would be fine. She could go to the post office and ask how long it would take for a letter from Nanshi to arrive here.
Given her parents' doting love for her, He Tiantian believed that they would reply immediately after receiving her letter. Even if she didn't receive the letter and suspected Qi Shuli and Qi Jianguo, she couldn't directly confront Qi Shuli. Without evidence, even if she did confront him, Qi Shuli wouldn't admit it.
In that case, we can only start with the post office in the county town.
“Okay, I’ll go ask for leave,” He Tiantian said. “I’m out of soap for showering and toothpaste for brushing my teeth, so I definitely need to buy some.”
Qi Xiaoyan was very happy to see that He Tiantian was willing to go to the county town with her, thinking that if Qi Fangfang knew, she would definitely come along. However, Qi Fangfang would come along, not buy anything herself, but just watch Qi Xiaoyan buy things with envious eyes, which made Qi Xiaoyan uncomfortable. Therefore, Qi Xiaoyan did not like to go shopping in the county town with Qi Fangfang.
"Sister Tian, let's not tell Fangfang when we go to the county town, okay? I don't want to go shopping with Fangfang." Qi Xiaoyan said, blushing, realizing that what she was doing seemed wrong. However, she just didn't like going out with Qi Fangfang. Since it was a rare opportunity to go out, she wanted it to be a happy occasion.
He Tiantian was puzzled. Qi Fangfang and Qi Xiaoyan usually had a good relationship. She asked, "What's wrong? Did they have a fight?"
Qi Xiaoyan blushed with embarrassment and shook her head, saying, "Every time Qi Fangfang comes home from the county town, she tells her mother about the things I bought. Qi Fangfang's mother is a gossip, and when she sees me, she says in a sour tone, 'She's the village secretary's daughter after all, able to afford such expensive perfume, while they can't even afford cheap calamari oil.' The way she says it makes it sound like my dad embezzled village money. All that money and industrial coupons I have were given to me by my second brother."
Hearing Qi Xiaoyan's words, He Tiantian expressed her understanding; Qi Fangfang did have this problem. Whenever she saw someone with nice things, she would come home and complain. If Qi's mother could satisfy Qi Fangfang's cravings, she would gossip, saying how good she was to her daughter, how noble her daughter was, and how she was willing to buy her such good things. If Qi's mother couldn't afford it, she would gossip, saying that others could afford it and were wasteful. In a family like Qi Xiaoyan's, where the father was the village secretary, Qi's mother would subtly imply that Secretary Qi was corrupt.
This is a classic case of sour grapes.
“Hehe, since that’s the case, it’s indeed not good to bring Qi Fangfang along,” He Tiantian said. “Actually, I don’t want Qi Fangfang to come either. For some reason, every time I run into her in the village these past few days, I see her brother with her. She’s always talking about how good and capable her brother is. It’s not like she’s selling something, she just keeps praising him. I feel very embarrassed when I hear it.”
Qi Xiaoyan was taken aback, then laughed and said, "Then you should stay away. I heard that Qi Fangfang's mother used to say in the village that when her son looks for a wife, he won't look for a girl from the countryside, but must find a literate city girl. You're from the city, young, and your parents aren't around, so don't let anyone bully you."
Although Qi Xiaoyan doesn't talk much, it doesn't mean she's ignorant of rural customs and social dynamics. She remembers everything her parents tell her about village life.
"Ah!" He Tiantian exclaimed, "No wonder! I've noticed his brother keeps staring at me, it's really annoying. I'll have to avoid them from now on and not associate with them anymore."
This family is truly something else! He Tiantian has seen through them.
“That’s right,” Qi Xiaoyan said, but then she added, “I’m not gossiping behind your back, I’m just reminding you to be careful.”
Qi Xiaoyan was worried that He Tiantian would think she was a gossip, so she quickly explained. If it weren't a close friend, given Qi Xiaoyan's personality, even if she knew, she wouldn't say anything.
"I know you're doing this for my own good," He Tiantian said with a smile. "We're good friends, how could I blame you? Next time I write to my parents, I'll tell them that I've made a good friend here, so they can be happy for me too."
Qi Xiaoyan was even happier to hear He Tiantian's words, and the two became even closer than before.
When He Tiantian was working, she told Aunt Liu and Old Man Qi about it and asked them to adjust their schedules so she could work more these two days and then ask for a day off.
"Sweetie, could you bring me back a bar of soap from the county town?" Aunt Liu pulled out two cents and a factory coupon from her pocket. "It's the one you usually use, it smells so nice. My eldest daughter is thirteen now. When her father and I go to work, she takes care of all the children at home. Now that she's older, she should get a proper bath and grooming."
Parents' hearts are always full of love and worry!
With more children, parents may have less energy to devote to each child. This doesn't mean they don't love their children; they simply keep it in their hearts and do their best to care for them.
He Tiantian took it and said, "Okay! I'll go buy one too. I'll pick the ones that don't dry out my skin, I guarantee they'll be good quality and inexpensive."
Aunt Liu was even happier to hear He Tiantian say that, and said, "Don't worry, I'll take care of your little lambs."
"Then thank you for your hard work, Aunt Liu," He Tiantian said gratefully, carefully putting away the money and tickets that Aunt Liu had given her.
Going to the county town isn't easy, but He Tiantian helps others carry things, and Secretary Qi has even more villagers who need things carried, requiring a long list each time.
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