Chapter 41
Chu Shao was silent for a moment, then replied, "If I really made up a name, I wouldn't make up a name like Jiujiu."
Chu Jiujiu: “???”
Why is she mentioned again? And what's wrong with the name Jiujiu? Isn't it nice?
…
I don’t know what was said on the other end of the phone. Chu Shao frowned, feeling that it was too troublesome to explain, so he simply turned around and handed the receiver to Chu Jiujiu.
Chu Jiujiu's eyes widened. She pointed at her nose and said in a low voice, "What are you doing for me?"
Chu Shao shook the receiver, signaling her to come over quickly.
Chu Jiujiu shook her head frantically, no, she didn’t want to go over there. She hadn’t figured out how to talk to her great-grandfather yet. She would do it next time, definitely next time.
…
Chu Shao's face turned cold and he lowered his voice, "Come here, you are not listening, are you?"
"Hurry up, he can't be on the line for too long. If you don't come over, he'll hang up."
Feng Ruyi looked at the two siblings and felt even more puzzled. Chu Shao’s father is Chu Jiujiu’s father. Why doesn’t Chu Jiujiu want to answer her father’s call?
It doesn’t seem like he doesn’t want to answer the call, he’s just afraid to answer it.
Chu Shao threatened her, and Chu Jiujiu, who was a bit timid to begin with, was frightened and quickly ran over.
Before Chu Jiujiu was born, landline phones had basically been eliminated. Except for companies, ordinary families rarely installed landline phones. Even if they did, they did not use them for making calls, but for broadband.
This was Chu Jiujiu's first time using a receiver. She imitated Chu Shao and put the receiver to her ear. She was so nervous that even her lips started to tremble.
"Hello, hello, Daddy."
Chu Shao: “…”
Feng Ruyi: “…”
Chu Liqiang: "..."
Chu Liqiang was very surprised because he didn't expect that Chu Jiujiu was actually a little girl.
Also, what is Taibaba? Is it some unknown dialect?
…
Realizing that she had said something wrong, Chu Jiujiu quickly made amends: "No, no, I was wrong. When I get nervous, my mouth doesn't obey me, hehe, hehe..."
Feeling both embarrassed and suffocated, Chu Jiujiu wanted to pull Chu Shao over and ask him to take the receiver back. However, Chu Shao stood aside with his arms crossed, watching her make a fool of herself, and even curled his lips with a gloating look.
On the other side, Chu Liqiang listened to the awkward yet polite smile coming from the phone. He looked at Nie Bai, who was standing by and looked like he really wanted to come over and listen. He stood a little further away from Nie Bai before speaking again: "Chu Jiujiu?"
Chu Jiujiu felt like she had never been so stupid in her life. She was feeling depressed when she suddenly heard Chu Liqiang's voice. She immediately perked up, "Yeah! It's me!"
Wow, this is my great-grandfather's voice, so gentle, even gentler than Shengyi's~
Chu Liqiang asked her: "Do you and Chu Shao live together?"
Chu Jiujiu: "Yes, but this is only temporary. Chu Shao said that he will move to another room next spring because we don't have enough cotton and cloth this year, so we have to live together for now. When we have enough tickets for next year, we won't have to squeeze together anymore."
Chu Liqiang was asking if she and Chu Shao lived in the same house, but Chu Jiujiu took it as a question about why they shared a room. She was nine, Chu Shao was twelve, and they were both no longer children, yet they still shared a room. It felt strange, but there was nothing they could do about it. After all, these two children had nothing, and everything had to start from scratch. It was not easy for them to have enough food and clothing to live like this.
Feng Ruyi listened quietly to Chu Jiujiu's conversation with the person on the other end of the phone, her curiosity and sympathy growing even stronger for the two children's plight. They had plenty of money, yet they lived in poverty. Their family was still around, but they were forced to rely on each other in a small mountain village. She wondered what the Chu family had gone through to leave two children living alone thousands of miles away. Thinking back to the turmoil of the past few years, Feng Ruyi felt it best not to pry into their affairs.
Feng Ruyi's focus is on the family background of the two children, while Chu Liqiang's focus is on the two children living in the same room.
Judging from what Chu Jiujiu said, it was Chu Shao who took the initiative to propose this.
Good job.
Chu Liqiang was quite shocked because he knew that Chu Shao was a very eccentric person. Whether in the Southwest Army or in the military compound in the capital, Chu Shao was never willing to spend time with his peers. He would rather sit at home tinkering with the radio and studying those weird things than play with other children. As for those younger than him, they would run away when they saw him, as if he was more terrifying than adults.
The children don't like Chu Shao, and Chu Shao doesn't like the children either. This is true for outsiders and his own family members. He treats his cousins like strangers, and no one can tell that they are a family.
Who on earth is this Chu Jiujiu? She actually made Chu Shao agree to live with her. She even asked Chu Shao to bring her along when she called him and wrote him a letter. Now it seems that he not only used Chu Jiujiu's name, but he also told Chu Jiujiu the contents of the letter and his family's experience.
The last person Chu Shao could trust so much was his wife, Ms. Zhang Fengjuan.
Chu Liqiang suppressed his emotions and smiled slightly. He lowered his voice and asked in a somewhat coaxing tone, "Jiujiu, can I call you Jiujiu?"
Chu Jiujiu's face turned red. She liked people with nice voices the most. A nice and gentle voice was exactly what she loved.
"OK."
Chu Liqiang: "Jiujiu, can you tell your uncle what your relationship with Chu Shao is?"
Hearing this question, Chu Jiujiu couldn't help but turn her head and look at Chu Shao. She wanted to ask Chu Shao how she should answer, but Chu Liqiang was listening there, and without hearing her answer, he asked again. He sounded very gentle, as if it didn't matter to Chu Jiujiu whether she answered or not. In fact, he was forcing Chu Jiujiu to answer, not even giving her extra time to think in order to make her tell the truth.
Chu Jiujiu was anxious when she was asked this question. After struggling for a while, an idea suddenly occurred to her and she said, "We are family."
Family is always right, right? She and Chu Shao are indeed family from the same bloodline.
Hearing this answer, Chu Liqiang frowned slightly. He wanted to ask something else, but Chu Shao on the other side had already taken the receiver back. He just wanted Chu Jiujiu to prove her existence, but didn't want his father to ask too much under such circumstances.
Chu Jiujiu's origins were difficult to explain in a few words. Chu Shao wouldn't tell the truth unless they met in person. Who knew who was monitoring their phone line, or which of their letters had been opened? Chu Jiujiu was harmless. Chu Liqiang might be suspicious and wary now, but over time, he would naturally know what kind of person Chu Jiujiu was.
He spoke a few more words to Chu Liqiang. Chu Shao's attitude was very clear. Chu Liqiang asked two questions, but when he couldn't get an answer, he gave up temporarily and continued to instruct Chu Shao, especially emphasizing twice that he must remember to write the letter. Only then did Chu Liqiang hang up the phone.
The receiver was put back on the phone with a click, and the office suddenly became quiet. Everyone's thoughts were blank for a moment. Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu reacted at the same time. When they were talking, Feng Ruyi was listening next to them. Thinking of this, they couldn't help but turn around and look at Feng Ruyi.
The two children looked a little nervous, as if someone had overheard their most important secret. Feng Ruyi didn't understand a word of what was said, but she still said calmly, "Every family has its own problems. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
After hearing this, Chu Shao said to Feng Ruyi solemnly, "Thank you, Chief Feng."
Seeing Chu Shao so serious, Chu Jiujiu couldn't help but trot over and stand beside him. She also said to Feng Ruyi, "Thank you, Aunt Feng."
Feng Ruyi smiled faintly. "Don't be so polite. If you need to call me in the future, just come find me. If you can't find me here, go to the Water Conservancy Bureau and find my husband. His name is Chai Yaozu, and he's the chief engineer of the Qingshi River Dam Project."
Chu Jiujiu asked in surprise, "Is the Qingshi River going to be dammed?"
Feng Ruyi: "It's been under construction for two years. The Qingshi River is too long. This dam is a huge project. Not only our town, but two other towns are also working on it."
Chu Shao: "Thank you for your husband's hard work."
After a few pleasantries, Feng Ruyi led them out. She had to be on duty this afternoon and had just left her post for about ten minutes without permission. After coming out, Feng Ruyi quickly returned to her work while the two of them went to collect the remittance. After collecting the remittance, Chu Jiujiu was about to leave with the meat coupons Feng Ruyi had just given her when Chu Shao suddenly stopped and looked at the newspaper rack at the post office door.
There are many newspaper brands now, but unlike in the future, every newspaper can be sold nationwide. Now, only national publications such as People's Daily and Xinhua Daily can be bought everywhere. Apart from these, locals can only buy newspapers from local newspapers, and the reports in the newspapers are also similar. There are no colorful advertisements, no various news, and no entertainment and gossip pages that everyone loves.
Even so, newspapers are the most advanced media today. Holding a newspaper, you can see the situation in the whole country. For families who don’t have radios, subscribing to newspapers is still very necessary.
Chu Shao took Chu Jiujiu's hand and led her to the newspaper rack. "If you really don't want to go to school, forget it. But you can't just not learn anything. Let's subscribe to a newspaper for a year. In the future, don't go out and run around when you have nothing to do. Read the newspaper at home before going out."
Hearing this, Chu Jiujiu looked at the newspaper rack in front of her. There were four types of newspapers hanging on it: People's Daily, Xinhua Daily, XX Morning Post, and Reference News.
Chu Jiujiu took a quick look and felt that the four types of newspapers were not that different. However, the People's Daily masthead looked very familiar to her. In the past, when her mother took her to kindergarten, when she passed by the newsstand, she could see piles of newspapers printed with the four big words "People's Daily". Moreover, several decades had passed, and these four words had not changed at all!
It is true that the People's Daily is permanent, but the people are transient.
…
Chu Jiujiu eagerly pointed to the top and said, "I want this newspaper. Can I subscribe to it, Chu Shao?"
Chu Shao actually wanted to subscribe to Reference News. Compared with other newspapers, the content of Reference News was more international and could broaden his horizons. Moreover, the newspaper was printed in small quantities, unlike the People's Daily, which had a rare flavor. Therefore, it caught Chu Shao's attention.
Back in the capital, Zhang Fengjuan used to subscribe to Reference News, and Chu Shao read it with her. Initially, he couldn't understand a single word, but later he could read without any pressure. Chu Shao thought for a moment and walked over to the newspaper vendor.
"Hello, how much is it to subscribe to Reference News and People's Daily?"
The staff was very busy, so he replied without even looking up: "Eight points."
Chu Shao added: "We want to subscribe for a year."
Hearing this, the staff member finally looked up. Seeing that it was a child, he was a little skeptical whether he could afford it. However, after calculating the total price, he still quoted it to Chu Shao: "A year's subscription to Reference News is 10.95 yuan, and you can get a fountain pen if you order now. People's Daily doesn't give anything away, but you can get a 20% discount if you subscribe to it for a year, so it's only 14.60 yuan. If you subscribe to both, it will be 25.55 yuan. Are you sure you want to order it?"
Chu Jiujiu watched the staff do the math. When she heard the total, her eyes widened. It was too expensive. A worker these days only earns a few dozen yuan a month, and ordering two newspapers would cost so much. If converted to modern RMB, it would be around four or five thousand.
As soon as this thought came to her mind, Chu Jiujiu remembered what Chu Shao had said to her. She patted her forehead and warned herself in her heart, no, no, she can't compare the current prices with those of a few decades later. Her life is here, not in the distant future. Her behavior is like spending RMB but still paying attention to the exchange rate of the US dollar. Isn't this just worrying about one's own business?
Chu Jiujiu was distracted for a while, and Chu Shao was already ready to pay.
Chu Shao had always been a lavish spender, and now with Chu Liqiang as his backer, he felt even more confident. But that was nothing. Chu Shao had his own plans for spending money. He wasn't stingy, but he wouldn't spend recklessly. He was generous only where it was necessary, and wouldn't spend a cent where it wasn't necessary.
Chu Shao received the newspaper order form from the staff, filled in his address and name, and handed it over along with the money. The staff member rummaged around for a while, then took out two pens and said, "Pick one."
These two pens look the same, except for the color of the lower half of the pen body, one is black and the other is dark green. Nowadays, fountain pens are very expensive. The cheapest one sold in bookstores costs two yuan. These gifts given with newspapers are generally defective products. However, in this era, the quality of defective products is also guaranteed.
Chu Jiujiu had only used a pencil in her life, and she didn't even know how to hold a fountain pen, so Chu Shao didn't ask her. He looked at them for two seconds and then chose the black one.
The newly ordered newspaper wouldn't be delivered for another two days. After collecting the receipt, Chu Shao and Chu Jiujiu left the post office. It was only 2:30 a.m., and the rain had subsided. With the umbrella folded up, you couldn't even feel the raindrops falling unless you paid attention. This light rain was like no rain at all for people in the south. Chu Shao, holding the red umbrella, walked down Jiefang Street, where they could see people hurriedly taking off their raincoats.
Because they were thinking about riding on the tractor back home, neither of them stayed in the town for a long time, but went straight to the state-owned restaurant.
Chu Jiujiu had originally wanted to try braised pork, but when she got to the state-owned restaurant, she saw that the special was braised spare ribs. Because spare ribs are high in bone and lacking in fat, few people wanted to buy them. Since sales were low, the restaurant simply offered a one-day special to get rid of the spare ribs as soon as possible.
The same quantity, but the spare ribs are only half the price of the braised pork, and no ticket is required. Chu Jiujiu was so happy that she ordered two on the spot, one to eat now and the other to pack up. The meat ticket borrowed from Feng Ruyi was taken away by Chu Shao. He planned to keep it and go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy good pork belly next time.
The cumin pork belly dish he had last time left a deep impression on Chu Shao, and for a while, he didn’t want to eat any other meat dishes.
…
It was a little after two in the afternoon, and many people were working in the factory, so there were relatively few people eating at the state-owned restaurant. After Chu Jiujiu ordered the dishes, she and Chu Shao found a seat by the window and sat down. They were originally waiting for the waiter to call them, but after a while, the waiter brought the plates over directly.
A serving of braised pork ribs, a serving of scallion-fried tofu, two bowls of plain noodles, and two large white steamed buns. The waiter brought them a smile.
However, this waiter usually didn't like to laugh. When he suddenly laughed, it was as if he was going to kidnap a child, which almost scared Chu Jiujiu so much that she fell off the stool.
…
After the strange waiter left, Chu Jiujiu felt a little relieved. The two began to eat. One bowl of plain noodles was Chu Jiujiu's, and the remaining bowl, as well as the two big white steamed buns as big as palms, were all Chu Shao's.
Normally at home, everyone ate the same steamed bread and vegetables. Chu Jiujiu hadn't realized anything until today. She watched Chu Shao calmly stuff two steamed buns into his mouth, then gobbled up the entire bowl of noodles like water. She held up her chopsticks and asked hesitantly, "Chu Shao, do you have worms in your stomach?"
Chu Shao paused in slurping his noodles, then looked up, not understanding why she suddenly said that.
Chu Jiujiu half-lay on the table. "Look, you don't feel full even though you eat so much. You didn't eat that much before. I saw on the science and education channel that children are prone to having worms in their stomachs. The worms hide in your intestines and eat what you eat. So no matter how much you eat, you don't feel hungry. Once the worms are full, they will leave your intestines and go out to look for..."
Chu Shao couldn't stand it anymore after hearing half of it, "Stop!"
"I don't have worms! Could you please stop saying such disgusting things while we're eating?"
Chu Jiujiu pouted. "If you don't mention it during dinner, then when will you? I wouldn't normally think of talking about it. Besides, how do you know you don't have worms?"
Chu Shao: "...I've taken anthelmintics, and besides, it's normal for me to have a big appetite at my age!"
Chu Jiujiu didn't believe it: "Brother Shengyi is about the same age as you, but his appetite is much smaller than yours."
Chu Shao: "Wait another two years and see, maybe he'll have a big appetite and eat you up."
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
After being interrupted by Chu Jiujiu, Chu Shao looked at the remaining half bowl of noodles and couldn't swallow it at all. He lost his appetite, so he simply stood up and asked the waiter for a piece of brown paper to pack up the food he hadn't eaten. As for the white noodles, he decided to leave them there.
He doesn't want to see noodles anymore lately.
…
Before leaving, Chu Jiujiu bought another big flatbread from the waiter. The flatbread was hard, coated with oil, and sprinkled with sesame seeds in the middle. The chef behind her said that this was something that people in Xinjiang often eat, called baked naan.
The local area seems to have a policy of mutual communication with Xinjiang. Whether it is a supply and marketing cooperative or a state-owned restaurant, there are always some new things from Xinjiang, and these things do not require tickets, but the price is a bit expensive.
Chu Jiujiu feels that the money is well spent as she can eat fresh food and support border construction. She hopes that comrades in Xinjiang will work harder and try to deliver their grilled lamb skewers as soon as possible. When the time comes, she will be the first to go and show her support.
…
They asked the chef to cut the baked naan into two halves. One half would be Chu Jiujiu and her friends' dinner tonight, and the other half would be given to the driver to thank him for bringing them to the town. With the packed food, Chu Jiujiu and Chu Shao quickly walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative. Behind them, a waiter sighed.
The director of the Revolutionary Committee had been in office for such a long time, but he had never come to their restaurant once. She waited for a long time before the two children came again. Unfortunately, not only did she fail to leave a good impression on them, she also scared the director's daughter. Damn it, she wouldn't go back and complain to the director, would she?
Thinking of this, the waiter sighed again.
She just wanted to meet the new director, why was it so difficult?
——
They got on the tractor and shuddered all the way back to the village. The driver dropped them off at the entrance of the commune and continued driving the tractor towards the commune's granary. Chu Jiujiu was back at the commune for the first time. Standing outside, she looked inside and found that the buildings were all in uniform white, well-built. There were red slogans on every wall, which made people feel refreshed.
And the buttocks tightened.
...I feel like I have to be careful when speaking here.
The commune wasn't far from Qingzhu Village; the straight-line distance from the village entrance to the commune gate was only about ten minutes. By the time they'd returned to Qingzhu Village, the rain had completely stopped, and a faint rainbow had appeared in the sky. Sitting at home, Chu Shao took out his stationery, ready to write to Chu Liqiang. He pulled out his newly acquired fountain pen, but just as he was about to use it, he remembered that newspaper subscriptions only came with a fountain pen, not ink.
He had no choice but to put down the pen and find a pencil.
Chu Shao was writing a letter at home, and Chu Jiujiu ran out again. She took the packed braised pork ribs to find Han Shengyi, wanting to tell him the good news that she had received a reply. When she arrived at the cowshed, Grandma Han and Grandpa Han were at home, but Han Shengyi was not there. But it didn't matter, she could just say the same thing to Grandma Han and Grandpa Han.
Sitting cross-legged on Han's bed, Chu Jiujiu acted as familiar as if this was her own home.
She started talking about the postman and went all the way to the waiter in the state-owned restaurant. It was thanks to her large lung capacity that an ordinary person would have died of exhaustion after talking so much.
"...Section Chief Feng is very nice. She told us to call her next time. If Chu Shao hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known it used to cost so much to make a phone call. Now it's free, and we can use the money we save to do so many things."
Grandpa Han listened to her with a smile on his face, not feeling annoyed at all. He asked, "Jiujiu, are you happy to hear Daddy's voice?"
After leaving the post office, Chu Shao told Chu Jiujiu that they didn't need to hide anymore. Things were getting better, and his father had returned to the army. They would send and receive letters frequently. Being vague would only arouse suspicion, so it was better to speak openly. Just don't tell everyone about it. People like the team leader and Grandpa Han and Grandma Han, who were close to the family, could tell everyone. Don't mention other gossipy villagers unless they ask.
Chu Jiujiu blinked when she heard Grandpa Han's question. She didn't make up an answer, but told the truth: "Happy, but still a little scared."
Grandpa Han laughed out loud, "Your father is in the army, so he must be a bit more aggressive than the average person. Just look at Chu Shao, he takes after your father."
Chu Jiujiu pursed her lips and just smiled without saying anything.
She brought a portion of spare ribs to the Han family. Although she said that it was half price, only 75 cents per plate, and she didn't even ask for a ticket, Grandma Han still insisted on giving her money. Who knew that Chu Jiujiu was even more stubborn than Grandma Han, and she just refused to accept it. In the end, she stuck her neck out with a righteous demeanor, as if Grandma Han was going to give her a capitalist sugar-coated bullet. After a moment of silence, Grandma Han gave up.
It’s better not to waste time on this twaddle. She could do something else instead of wasting time on arguing.
…
Waving her hand tiredly, Grandma Han asked Chu Jiujiu to take away all the dried Ganoderma lucidum and Tremella fuciformis. She only gave Chu Jiujiu one-third of the mushrooms because Chu Jiujiu really didn't like the taste of mushrooms. Even if she took them back, only Chu Shao would eat them. These were enough for them to eat for half a year. If she gave more, they would probably get moldy in the cupboard.
Before leaving, Grandma Han couldn't help but remind Chu Jiujiu: "If you don't want to sell the Ganoderma lucidum and Tremella fuciformis, then eat them when you can. Otherwise, you'll have to take them out and dry them again after a while. Our place is too humid, so it's not suitable for storing these things. Remember this and don't waste them."
Chu Jiujiu looked at the Ganoderma lucidum that had shrunk to half its size and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll use them right away."
Grandma Han: “…”
There's no need to be so fast.
After all, these were Chu Jiujiu's things. Grandma Han was silent for a while, and finally shut up. Chu Jiujiu took these things home and started looking for containers to put them in.
Chu Shao was halfway through writing a letter when he came out and asked her, "What are you looking for?"
"Looking for a jar, Grandpa. Do we have any glass jars at home? Iron jars are fine too. Grandma Han has dried the Ganoderma lucidum and Tremella fuciformis, and I want to send them to Great Grandpa. Did you hear him coughing on the phone? It sounded quite severe, different from the coughs of ordinary people."
Chu Shao was surprised: "You can even hear this?"
Chu Jiujiu straightened up, also surprised. "It's obvious. Normal people cough 'cough cough cough', but my great-grandfather coughs 'cough cough cough'. There's an old man in our neighborhood park who coughs just like that. He said he got lost in the lake while swimming in winter one year. He swam for a long time but couldn't find the shore. He was frozen in the water for too long and it damaged his lungs. He kept coughing after coming out."
Chu Shao: "You have a wide social circle. You even have a say in this old man."
Chu Jiujiu: "He came to see me on his own initiative. He was exercising in the neighborhood, but he got lost and couldn't find his way home, so he came to ask me how to get home."
Chu Shao: “…”
Since he can’t even find such a close road, it’s better for this old man not to go out in the future.
"We don't have any jars at home. If you want to send these things, just wrap them in brown paper." Chu Shao suggested.
Chu Jiujiu shook her head and said, "No, I have to make it first before sending it over. If I pack it in brown paper, it will all spill."
Chu Shao: "You really don't mind the trouble. And are you sure it won't get moldy if you boil it and send it before sending it?"
Chu Jiujiu turned around and grinned at Chu Shao, "Not sure, let's give it a try."
Chu Shao: “…”
spendthrift.
He thought so, but Chu Jiujiu was very persistent, so Chu Shao could only promise her that he would find her a leak-proof jar. He returned to the house and continued writing the letter. After writing only two lines, Chu Shao came out again and handed Chu Jiujiu a piece of letter paper.
"You write too."
Chu Jiujiu was stunned. "I want to write too?"
Chu Shao nodded, "Well, we will write together from now on."
Chu Jiujiu was a little at a loss, "But...what should I write?"
Chu Shao: "Write whatever you want. Don't be nervous. He's your elder and won't do anything to you. Write more for a few years. When that time comes, when he sees you again, even if he wants to reject you, he won't be able to say it."
Chu Shao spoke with confidence, a calculating glint in his eyes.
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
It sounds familiar. Why is it so similar to the way she dealt with Chu Shao before?
Chu Jiujiu took the letter and asked doubtfully, "Do you think Great Grandfather might not accept me?"
Chu Shao: "He can accept you, but he certainly can't accept your background. Do you think everyone is as open-minded as me?"
Chu Jiujiu: “…”
She couldn't respond to that.
After standing there and thinking for a while, Chu Jiujiu clenched her fists and said, "Okay! From now on, I will work hard to get closer to my great-grandfather and ask him to accept me as his family as soon as possible. I'll write a letter now!"
"Grandpa, don't just sit there, go find me a jar!"
Chu Shao: “…”
Chu Jiujiu is a man of her word. Once she makes a decision, she will do it. However, Chu Shao will not really go crazy with her. After he finished writing his letter, he quietly took his backpack and went out to collect firewood. After Chu Jiujiu wrote frantically at the desk, the passion in her heart slowly cooled down.
Chu Shao's letters were concise, covering only the important things and expressing his concern for Chu Liqiang. Chu Jiujiu, on the other hand, wrote about everything, from past events to how the villagers were doing. She wrote about how she and Chu Shao had been bullied by certain people, and how she had fought back. She wrote so eloquently that her fingers ached before she finally put down her pen.
When Chu Shao came back from collecting firewood, he found that she had finished writing, so he picked up a piece and read it.
He laughed at the words she had written before he even read the content.
Chu Jiujiu heard the mocking tone in his laughter and could not help but jump up and snatch the letter back. She looked at Chu Shao warily, as if she would break up with him on the spot if he dared to say that her handwriting was not good.
"why are you laughing?"
Chu Shao hummed: "The words you wrote..."
Before he could finish his words, he raised his eyes and found Chu Jiujiu staring at him expressionlessly.
Chu Shao: “…”
“The style is very unique.”
Chu Shao answered calmly after taking a detour in his words. He thought his answer was good and would not set off Chu Jiujiu's little cannon. But who knew that she still chose to self-destruct.
Chu Jiujiu: "You said my writing is ugly, I will never talk to you again!"
Chu Shao: “???”
What did he say? Please don’t misinterpret his words!
However, it was useless. Chu Jiujiu was so angry that she didn't even want to eat dinner with Chu Shao. She snatched away the half piece of baked naan and took it to Han's house for dinner, leaving Chu Shao with only the leftover spare ribs and tofu from lunch, as well as a few cold steamed buns.
After hearing the whole story, the three members of the Han family were all at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Grandma Han asked Han Shengyi to call Chu Shao over. Chu Shao also brought the leftovers. When he entered the room, Chu Jiujiu was sitting on a new stool, and opposite her, Grandpa Han was holding a wooden stick and teaching her to write on the ground, stroke by stroke.
"Vertical, horizontal hook, eh, hook—lift it up when you hook it."
The Han family had no paper or pen, but Grandpa Han was obviously a master of calligraphy. Even with a wooden stick, he could write with stunning precision. Chu Jiujiu thought Chu Shao's handwriting was already great, but she didn't expect Grandpa Han to be even better. Holding her chin with both hands, Chu Jiujiu looked at the words Grandpa Han had written and couldn't help but exclaimed "Wow~".
Grandpa Han looked at her proudly and said, "How about it? It looks good, right?"
"If you practice for a few more years, Jiujiu's handwriting will be this beautiful too."
Chu Jiujiu was a little embarrassed. "Is it really possible? I can't even draw or write. Do I have no talent?"
Grandpa Han thought about it and laughed, "Who knows? Maybe Jiujiu, you really don't have any talent. But calligraphy has nothing to do with talent. Calligraphy is our national quintessence, just like martial arts and Peking Opera. No matter how talented you are, as a Chinese, you should always understand a little bit. Knowing a few moves, even if it's just fancy moves, is good, don't you think?"
Feeling that what Grandpa Han said made some sense, Chu Jiujiu couldn't help but straighten her back and looked at him with bright eyes: "Then Grandpa Han, can you teach me? I think Grandpa Han's handwriting is the most beautiful I've ever seen. Unlike that person who uses fancy words and laughs at my ugly handwriting."
Chu Shao: “…”
You get shot even when you're lying down.
Being flattered, Grandpa Han happily agreed. By the way, he raised his head and looked at Han Shengyi: "Shengyi, practice too. And Chu Shao, why don't you three learn together? I don't have any other skills, but I can teach you this handwriting."
At this point, he lowered his voice and said to Chu Shao disapprovingly: "Don't laugh at your sister anymore. She's still young. If you hit her, she'll take it seriously and lose her confidence in the future."
Hearing this, Chu Shao turned his gaze slightly and looked at Chu Jiujiu who was making childish faces at him.
No confidence, Chu Jiujiu?
Grandpa Han, are you kidding?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
