Chapter 15 A letter from home. For the first time, he blamed himself for not having read enough books…
Chen Mian responded and stepped forward to take the envelope from the postman. A stamp depicting a landscape was affixed to the kraft paper envelope.
When Chen Mian saw the words "Sent by Lin Huijun" on the cover, her eyes welled up with tears. It was a letter from her mother.
This was the first time in her life that she had been so far away from her parents.
Chen Mian didn't have time to go back to her room to read the letter. Standing there, she impatiently tore open the envelope. Inside were a few thin pages of paper, filled with her parents' longing.
In her letter, Lin Huijun wrote that she and her husband missed their three children very much, and they wrote to each of them this time. She had also told her son about Chen Mian coming to Xinjiang to work.
If I happen to encounter kapok and cypress trees in Xinjiang, I hope I can write to them to let them know. If I don't, then so be it.
She also said that she and her husband were doing well at home and neither of them were sick. They had been pickling various kinds of vegetables on time, such as dried radish and pickled eggplant, and recently they had pickled a new jar of sauerkraut.
Chen Mian thought of the delicious taste of braised pork with sauerkraut, which made her mouth water and left her wanting more.
Lin Huijun smiled gently: "We can eat it in a while. We'll make the rest together when you come back for the New Year..."
Mr. Chen added, "Mianmian, you're all alone out there, so be careful and take good care of yourself. Making money isn't important, as long as you're safe and sound."
Fearing that his daughter might be like his son, only reporting good news and not bad, Mr. Chen specifically instructed her, "If you encounter any difficulties outside, you must tell your family. If anyone bullies you, you must also tell your parents, and we will come to pick you up."
Chen Mian looked at the letter in her hand again and again, her nose tingling slightly. She looked up at the blue sky, blinked hard with her big eyes, and tried to hold back the tears in her eyes.
Mr. Chen's handwriting was somewhat messy, while Mrs. Chen's handwriting was particularly neat, stroke by stroke. It seemed as if the two of them took turns writing, saving up their writings for several days before finally turning their heartfelt longing into a letter and sending it out.
Chen Mumian: Be strong, don't cry. The next second, *waaaaaah*...
At the end of the letter, Lin Huijun also wrote that her younger sister, Muhe, had already started school, and in the blink of an eye, graduation would not be far away.
Lin Huijun couldn't help but sigh, "Two of my three children are in Xinjiang, but they're not close by. I wonder where Muhe will end up. They're scattered all over the country, and it'll be hard to even see her once a year..."
Perhaps realizing that her writing was a bit too sad and wordy, Lin Huijun added with feigned strength, "Just take good care of yourself out there, don't worry about us. Mom will always support you and take care of the home for you."
Upon seeing this, Chen Mian, who had been holding back her tears for so long, finally let them flow. Inside the envelope, besides her overflowing longing, was one hundred yuan.
Fearing that their daughter would suffer outside, her parents secretly took out another hundred yuan from the bottom of the trunk and put it in an envelope.
Chen Mian choked back tears as she carefully put the letter away, placing it in her bosom. Then, she silently walked to a corner, squatted down, and began to pretend to be a mushroom.
It was a bright, sunny day, yet the mushroom seemed to be shrouded in a thick layer of dark clouds. A light drizzle was falling, making everyone feel uneasy.
From the moment Chen Mian opened the envelope, Ji Yu had been secretly watching her every move out of the corner of her eye, until she saw Chen Mian squatting in the corner and silently wiping away her tears.
Ji Yu's inner monologue: Oh no, this girl I just met is already crying. If Chen Mubai finds out, he'll beat me up!
He rubbed his hands together awkwardly, stammering for a long time, trying to say something to comfort the other person.
His mouth opened and closed, and for the first time he began to blame himself for not having read many books. He didn't know what to say to comfort others.
After a while, I suddenly remembered the phone call I received yesterday. People from the Suke City Public Security Bureau called to say that they had news about Li Cuiping, and that she seemed to be at a cotton farm in the area.
The man stepped forward, patted Little Mushroom's head with his large hand, and told her the news.
Mushroom, who had just been drizzling, stopped crying upon hearing this and looked up at the man beside her.
Ji Yu earnestly assured her that he would contact Li Cuiping as soon as possible.
Yu Xiaoyue, who was cooking inside, came out, hugged the little girl, and gently coaxed her, "Come on, Auntie's still here. I'll make you something nice to eat. You'll be able to go home for the New Year soon..."
Chen Mianmian obediently stood up, wiped away her tears, and followed Yu Xiaoyue into the kitchen. Ji Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
Yu Xiaoyue took a handful of red beans from the cupboard, washed them, poured them into a pot, added water, and turned on the heat to cook the red beans.
Then he took out some glutinous rice flour and poured it into a bowl, added some hot water, stirred and kneaded it into a dough while it was still hot, and coaxed Chen Mian to come over and roll small balls together.
Yu Xiaoyue raised her hand to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, then kneaded the glutinous rice dough vigorously, cut it into long strips of even thickness, and then cut it into small pieces.
Then, using the strength of your palms, knead the dough in circles on the cutting board, and soon you'll have round little dumplings.
Chen Mian also joined in making small glutinous rice balls. She had only ever made large potato balls at home before, filled with red dates. This was the first time she had made these hollow small glutinous rice balls.
At this time, the red beans in the pot were cooked, and Yu Xiaoyue poured all the red beans into a bowl for later use.
Then I took out a rolling pin and stirred it vigorously in one direction until the red beans were mashed into a paste.
After the red bean paste is mixed well, it needs to be poured back into the pot, along with some rock sugar and small glutinous rice balls.
Cook until all the small glutinous rice balls float to the surface, then turn off the heat. Scoop a spoonful into a bowl, drizzle with a little osmanthus honey, and your sweet and soft red bean paste glutinous rice balls are ready.
Chen Mian picked up the small bowl and took a sip. It was sweet and warm, and it warmed her whole body after drinking it.
The sweet red bean paste soothed Chen Mian's melancholy, and she lowered her head and smiled shyly.
Ji Yu also picked up a bowl, took a couple of sips with a spoon but found it too troublesome, so she picked it up and drank it directly. After drinking, she pouted and complained that it was too sweet.
The man didn't leave after finishing his drink; he just sat there watching the little girl eat slowly, bite by bite.
Yu Xiaoyue could tell that her son cared about Chen Mian, so she pulled him into the yard and quietly probed, "Son, what do you think of Mian? I think she's a pretty cute girl, and you take good care of her..."
Ji Yu: "Of course! This is my good brother's sister. From now on, she'll be my own sister. Of course, I have to take good care of her!"
Yu Xiaoyue was speechless. Who told you to recognize her as your sister? Why can't you recognize her as your wife?
Undeterred, he asked in a low voice, "Which of your good brothers' sisters is she? I don't know her. Isn't she from the Northwest?"
Ji Yu explained, “His brother’s name is Chen Mubai. I was injured during a mission that year, and he carried me back. You forgot? You’ve met him before.”
Oh… Yu Xiaoyue remembered, that gentle young man, if he hadn’t been wearing a crisp military uniform, she would have almost thought he was a student from some school.
Yu Xiaoyue smiled through gritted teeth at her blockhead son: "It seems you two are really destined for each other. You'll have to take good care of Mu Mian from now on."
Ji Yu nodded silently; of course he would take good care of his good brother's sister.
At the same time, in a military region in Kashgar, Chen Mubai, who had just finished training, also received two letters from home. He wondered if there was something urgent that made them write two letters in a row.
Chen Mubai hurriedly opened the envelope and began to read. The more he read, the deeper his brows furrowed. When did his younger sister run off to Xinjiang all by herself? His parents didn't care and just let her run wild.
While still angry, she opened another letter. This letter said that Mu Mian had written to her parents to let them know she was safe and sound, and it also included Mu Mian's current address.
She said she worked on the farm, lived in the farm owner's house, was very safe, and earned a good wage.
Chen Mubai's anger subsided slightly upon seeing this, but the more he looked at the address, the more familiar it seemed. Wasn't this...?
He got up and walked towards the political commissar's office, intending to call Ji Yu to ask what was going on and why Mu Mian was in his house.
Upon arriving at the office, before he could even speak, the political commissar informed him: "You've come at the right time. There's an urgent mission. Gather the elite team members and depart immediately!"
Chen Mubai raised his hand in salute: "Yes, sir!"
...
The next morning, Chen Mianmian and Yu Xiaoyue got busy at the goji berry farm again.
The pickers repeatedly picked, dried, and packed the fruit, and the busy picking season is finally coming to an end.
Chen Mian silently calculated the money she had earned, and it turned out to be quite a lot. Except for the first few days when she wasn't picking fast enough and didn't earn much.
Once she got more skilled, she could pick dozens of kilograms every day. By that calculation, she had earned a full 500 yuan these days.
However, her job here is almost over, and it's time for her to start looking for her next job.
Just then, Yu Xiaoyue walked over, as if she knew what she was thinking, and spoke first:
"Kapok, don't even think about leaving now. I still have a lot of work to do. If you leave too and aren't willing to help me, what am I going to do all by myself?"
Yu Xiaoyue added, "Although the picking work is almost over, we still need someone to help with the drying process."
"The salary may not be as high as what you pick, but it's stable. Don't worry, Auntie won't treat you unfairly."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mian had no choice but to agree for now. She would go to the job posting office in the city in a few days to see if there were any suitable new jobs available.
There are still more than two months until the Chinese New Year. If you're lucky, you can make another fortune.
As Chen Mian pondered this, she fiddled with the goji berries on the straw mat, turning them over.
Suddenly, she heard the person next to her whisper, "Mian, Auntie has something to ask you. What do you think of Ji Yu?"
Chen Mian looked bewildered: "Officer Ji is a very nice person, and he's been very kind to me too."
Yu Xiaoyue said helplessly, "That's not what I meant. What do you think of the other aspects?"
Chen Mian was completely bewildered.
A note from the author:
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Mini-theater:
Little Cotton: I'm trying to grow up, and I promise I won't cry anymore.
Ji Yu: It's okay, I'm here for you. I'll take good care of you for your brother.
Yu Xiaoyue: ...
Random thoughts:
Tao Nai swears that the female lead won't be so spoiled anymore. She's still quite young, just starting out in the workforce, and it's normal for her to miss home. Even a strong female lead needs to grow up gradually.
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