Yan Xiaonan was satisfied. For an elderly woman like Grandma Yan, who was so frugal, to spend such a large sum of money on stamps was definitely a wise thing to do.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, Yan Xiaonan closed her eyes and hid the stamp in her spatial dimension. Decades later, this stamp would be worth 100,000 yuan a set.
It was almost time to go back. The three of them headed towards the oxcart. Yan Xiaoqiang quickly helped his mother onto the oxcart and then carried Yan Xiaonan onto it as well.
When the oxcart reached a secluded spot, Yan Xiaonan conjured up a sewing machine and other items from her spatial storage, instantly filling the oxcart with goods.
Yan Xiaoqiang carried Yan Xiaonan in front of the carriage while driving, while Grandma Yan and Cuihua sat behind to watch for things so they wouldn't fall off.
Southeast and Xuemei were very excited today because Grandma said they went to town to get the sewing machine, which their uncle had asked someone to bring over.
Xuemei found it strange that her uncle hadn't written. Dongnan said he had arrived two months earlier, but he had been so busy with his studies and exams that he forgot to tell her. Xuemei nodded, saying that studying was the most important thing.
When the oxcart entered the village, the villagers knew that Yan's eldest son had asked someone to buy sewing machines and candies from the capital to the southeast—a whole oxcart full!
As a result, the entrance to the Yan family's house was crowded with people. Dongnan was worried that things would be stolen, so he asked Xuemei to call the two boys back to guard the door.
Xuemei was also worried, as these were all items from the capital, very precious, and she would be heartbroken if even one of them were missing.
He hurriedly ran towards the small river at the edge of the village. Southwest saw Xuemei running towards him from afar and knew that something had happened at home. He picked up a small bucket and fishing rod, called Beinan, and ran home.
On the way, Xuemei told them that her uncle had sent someone to bring back a sewing machine and candy. There were too many people at the door, so they should keep an eye on things and not let anyone steal them.
Upon hearing about candy, Bei Nan perked up. Seeing so many people at her doorstep annoyed her, she picked up her small bucket and started splashing water on them, which finally eased the crowd a bit.
Someone whose clothes got wet started cursing: "You little brat, are you looking for a beating? No wonder Wang's eldest daughter likes you, you're just like her."
Yan Beinan grabbed a broom from behind the door and hit the man in the face. When the villagers saw that Beinan was really angry, they also cursed the man for talking nonsense.
"I'll remember your face. You're not allowed to come to my brother's wedding dinner," Yan Beinan cursed viciously.
What? You're not allowed to come for dinner? That won't do! We're just waiting for the eldest son of the Yan family to get married so we can taste meat. The man immediately backed down.
"Bei Nan, your auntie is a chatterbox, don't be angry, your auntie won't say anything more."
"Get out of here! Who do you think you are, auntie? Your face is longer than a horse's, isn't it? What's wrong? Don't you have anything better to do? You don't even want your work points anymore?" Village Chief Ma rushed over after hearing the news and started chasing people away.
When everyone saw the village chief coming, they scattered in all directions, but the children ran to watch from a distance, as they had never seen a sewing machine before.
Would the Yan family let them see? Yan Xiaoqiang drove the oxcart into the yard, and Bei Nan locked the door tightly.
The children, unwilling to give up, all ran over and peeked through the crack in the door.
But what they saw was a fair-skinned little girl with a topknot, wearing a bright red vest and black shorts, looking at them through the crack in the door.
At this moment, everyone forgot about the sewing machine and stared in astonishment, their mouths agape. It turned out that Yan's little Nan Nan was so beautiful.
From then on, no girl in the village could catch their eye, and Yan Xiaonan became the public enemy of all the girls in the village.
Yan Xiaonan had no idea that she had left a deep impression on these little ones. She was going to wash her hands and face because it was too hot.
Xuemei forgot about the sewing machine and hurriedly helped fetch water and towels. The temperature of the well water made Yan Xiaonan feel comfortable all over. After drinking a cup of plum juice, Yan Xiaonan's eyes squinted.
The sewing machine was carried to the main room. Grandma Yan wanted to put it in the new room, but Xuemei refused. She said that the family used the sewing machine a lot, and she couldn't be so selfish.
Bei Nan's mouth was watering at the sight of so many colorful candies. Yan Xiaonan took out the liqueur-filled chocolates that Zhao Weiguo had given her and gave them to Xinan and Bei Nan.
Their eyes were filled with shock. This was chocolate, chocolate with alcohol inside.
Yan Xiaonan nodded and casually handed the bag of chocolates to Grandma Yan. For Yan Xiaonan, who was used to eating Ferrero Rocher chocolates, the taste was really not that great.
Grandma Yan glanced at Yan Xiaonan, who was dismissive of the chocolate, and then at Bei Nan, who was in a great hurry. She sighed inwardly, thinking, "How can two people born from the same belly be so different?"
It took Cuihua and Xuemei a long time to learn how to operate the sewing machine. Their first task was to make new clothes for Beinan and Xinan.
It's their older brother's wedding, and the two children can't possibly wear clothes that are too short or have patches.
With a sewing machine, the speed is truly amazing. Just sew the cut fabric together, step on it, and voila, a pant leg is finished.
The three women looked at the neat and fine stitches and were amazed by the power of technology: a box that could sing, two wheels that could walk, and foot pedals that could make clothes.
No wonder city people love the "three turns and one sound" wedding ceremony. Oh right, there's another turn—I forgot to take out my watch.
Yan Xiaonan remembered it too, and hurriedly ran into her grandmother's room. She closed her eyes, and two boxes appeared on the kang (a heated brick bed). She picked up the boxes and went to the main room.
Upon opening the box, two watches, one large and one small, gleamed brightly. Cuihua looked at the watches and said, "Aren't they supposed to turn once? Why aren't they moving? Are they broken?"
Yan Xiaonan almost choked on her own saliva, silently repeating to herself, "Poverty limits imagination, poverty limits imagination."
Fortunately, Southeast was somewhat knowledgeable; he took out his watch, estimated the time, and wound it up.
"Xuemei, listen to the radio carefully. Set the hands on the hour and wind them up every day."
Cuihua finally realized that the clasp next to the watch was for winding; she had thought it was a small weight.
Yan Xiaoqiang laughed so hard, "Why put a weight on a watch? To sell vegetables?"
Grandma Yan touched her watch, glanced at the radio, then at the sewing machine, and saw a bicycle outside.
The cellar is full of food and drink, and there are hens and rabbits in the yard. Dongnan is getting married again. Ah, what a wonderful day!
"These days are all thanks to my little fairy!" Grandma Yan couldn't help but pick up Yan Xiaonan and kiss her cheek. "My darling, are you hungry?"
It's hot, and I don't have much of an appetite, so I just make some plain rice porridge and some homemade pickled vegetables.
Yan Xiaonan isn't picky about food, but she must control her portion sizes, otherwise she'll become a little fat.
It was already mid-August when Yan Xiaoqiang asked his grandmother, "Mom, do we need to inform my second brother and the others about Dongnan's wedding?"
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