Zhou Fen was somewhat surprised. She didn't have that much money in total, and with what she had spent at the educated youth settlement, she had very little left.
Looking at the 20 yuan, she hesitated for a moment before accepting it, but Li Xiuxiu quickly stuffed it into her pocket and then said to Zhou Fen:
“Sister Zhou Fen, we’re family. There’s no such thing as borrowing or repaying. We’re buying gifts for our family. Buy whatever you like. If you don’t have enough money, just let me know.”
Li Xiuxiu had Wei Mo completely under her thumb, exuding the air of a nouveau riche. Wei Mo's small eyes widened, and he spoke to Li Xiuxiu beside him:
"Aunt Xiuxiu, what about mine? Do you have any?"
Li Xiuxiu looked at the mischievous Wei Mo, squatted down and pinched Wei Mo's cheek, then said to Wei Mo:
"Yes, aren't they all yours?"
Li Xiuxiu's words had a hidden meaning, but Wei Mo clearly understood what she meant. Li Xiuxiu's meaning was obvious: what belongs to Li Xiuxiu is what belongs to Wei Mo.
However, Qian Manman and Zhou Fen, who were standing nearby, were unaware that Wei Mo was laughing happily and kissed Li Xiuxiu on the cheek as she squatted down.
Even Qian Manman, who was standing next to him, didn't think there was anything wrong with this action.
Afterwards, the group happily went to the department store and went on a shopping spree, buying large bags of items with a wave of Li Xiuxiu's hand.
When no one was looking, Wei Mo stuffed it into his own space, with Li Xiuxiu covering for him.
After all, it's not easy to come to the city, so naturally I want to bring back more things that I can't buy in the county.
As Li Xiuxiu squandered her money, she lost count of how much she had bought. She brought nearly 400 yuan with her on this trip, but now she only has less than 100 yuan left.
They still needed to buy tickets to go back, so Li Xiuxiu stopped and walked with the others toward the Longshi train station. Of the four, Qian Manman missed her home in the village the most at that moment.
The four of them arrived at the train station, but there were no tickets left to go back today, since there were very few trains available at the moment.
Left with no other choice, Li Xiuxiu had to buy a train ticket for tomorrow. She only managed to get it by mentioning the train conductor's name, which shows how useful the conductor's name is.
After buying their tickets, Li Xiuxiu and Wei Mo found the guesthouse, led by Qian Manman.
The cheap rooms in the guesthouse were all large communal rooms, with both men and women, so the four of them naturally wouldn't stay there.
Left with no other choice, we booked two single rooms, each with only one single bed. By squeezing in, we could save some money.
Wei Mo and Li Xiuxiu were assigned to the same room, while Zhou Fen and Qian Manman lived next door.
After having a simple meal at the National Hotel, the four returned to their guesthouse to rest and wait for their train the next day.
The next day, nothing unexpected happened, and the four of them returned to the county town. There was no telephone, and transportation was even less developed, so the four of them had to walk home.
This is also why Qian Manman didn't want those mountain products; of course, part of the reason was to thank the people in the military support office.
The county town wasn't too far from the village, and we came by oxcart, so we didn't feel tired.
However, walking was tiring, so the four of them walked and stopped frequently until they finally saw Wei Mo's house.
Qian Manman was excited when she saw this. With only a short distance left, she started running towards home.
The remaining three watched from behind as Qian Manman ran away, but did not chase after her.
At this moment, only Grandma Yu, Wei Xiaomin, and Wei Xiaohui were at home. Grandma Yu was overjoyed to see Qian Manman return and quickly went over to ask:
"Manman, you're back! Where are Xiuxiu and Weimo? Where's Zhou Fen? Why are you back so soon?"
Qian Manman looked at Grandma Yu, who was concerned about her, but didn't reply. Instead, she threw herself into Grandma Yu's arms and said in a coquettish tone:
"Godmother, I miss you."
Grandma Yu stumbled from the impact of Qian Manman's bump and immediately said to Qian Manman in her arms:
"Let me see if she really misses me. She's so impulsive and careless. She's a grown woman now, how will she ever get married?"
Upon hearing the word "marriage," Qian Manman instantly thought of her home. She looked up at Grandma Yu, who was feigning anger, and then said to her:
"I don't want to get married. I want to stay with my godmother and stay here for the rest of my life. I will never get married."
Grandma Yu glared at Qian Manman and scolded her:
"Pah, pah, pah! Say 'pah, pah, pah' to me! What kind of talk is that? What young woman doesn't get married?"
Qian Manman didn't argue, but threw herself into Grandma Yu's arms. Wei Xiaomin and Wei Xiaohui also came over, with Wei Xiaomin mocking from the side:
"Aunt Manman, you're so big now, aren't you ashamed to be carried like this?"
Seeing Wei Xiaomin teasing her, Qian Manman wriggled out of Grandma Yu's arms, went straight over, and pulled Wei Xiaomin into her embrace. She then said to Wei Xiaomin:
"Oh, Xiaomin is so big now, and she still needs to be carried. Aren't you ashamed?"
Hearing Qian Manman's mocking voice, Wei Xiaomin began to struggle, her rosy cheeks flushed as she retorted:
"No, it was you who held me, Aunt Manman. It wasn't me who held you. Aunt Manman, you're so big now, it's embarrassing for you to let others hold you. I'm still a little kid."
When Zhou Fen, Li Xiuxiu, and Wei Mo, who were behind Qian Manman, entered the courtyard, they saw that Qian Manman had regained her vitality and looked much more energetic.
Grandma Yu wanted to ask more about the trip, but when she saw Wei Mo and the others waving at her, she decided not to ask Qian Manman any further.
This is Qian Manman's family matter. Qian Manman doesn't want to talk about it because she's afraid of recalling it, but other people know about it.
Grandma Yu walked straight up, pinched Wei Mo's cheek, and then addressed the crowd:
"It's cold outside, let's go inside first."
Everyone nodded and followed Grandma Yu into the house.
It's almost April now, but in Northeast China, April is still covered in ice and snow.
The stove that Wei Mo had built inside the house was still burning brightly, so the temperature inside the room was naturally very high.
Back inside, everyone took off their cotton-padded coats and then went into the east room to chat.
But Wei Xiaomin had no interest in chatting. When she saw Wei Mo return, she stared intently at her younger brother with her big eyes.
Wei Mo had said he would bring her a gift when he left. Seeing Wei Xiaomin's expression, Wei Mo smiled gently and then invited Wei Xiaomin and Wei Xiaohui to his room.
"Eldest sister, second sister, come with me, I have something good to give you."
Wei Xiaomin's eyes lit up, and she nodded, then followed closely behind Wei Mo. Wei Xiaohui was more reserved, but she was also very much looking forward to it.
After Wei Mo took Wei Xiaohui and Wei Xiaomin away, Grandma Yu couldn't help but ask:
"Xiuxiu, tell me what happened? Why are you back so soon?"
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