She pulled out the letters from her space. There were over 30 unopened ones, and about 10 opened ones. She remembered them simply telling her where the letter was sent from, what activities were going on, the local scenery and customs, how she was doing, and the details of the mailed items. She tore open the envelopes in order and pulled out the letter paper. This was the first one, the one she had been writing since she was 10 years old.
"My dear, I can't face you. Looking at your photo, I can't help but hate him. He said you were his darling, that he would hold you in his hands forever, watching you grow from a whispering child to a graceful young lady. But he left without a trace of regret... He said a man who couldn't protect the land beneath his feet and the woman in his arms wasn't a man. But he protected this land, but he didn't protect us as he promised.
You have to learn to wait, just like I learned to wait. Now in Yunnan, I try to follow your father's footsteps to find out how he felt at that time, and waiting will become anticipation. You are still young. When you grow up and fall in love with someone, you will understand that longing is the most unbearable. I have dreamed of our family gathered together countless times, but I still wake up to an empty dormitory. Since your father left, I have no home. I have been drifting around like this. I thought that one day when I was tired of drifting, I might return to you, but I can't do it now. I can't feel at peace unless my heart is at peace..." Zhou Jiao sighed. The 10-year-old girl might not have understood, but she understands now.
I opened the second letter and found a dozen or so brand new first edition RMB notes along with the stationery. They were all carefully exchanged for small denominations.
"...Baby, your second uncle's daughter, Xuezhen, was born in the same month as you, turning ten. Your father once said he would work hard to earn money and start preparing for a dowry when she was ten, but where is he now? I'm following in your father's footsteps, collecting things according to his wishes...
If one day mommy never comes back to you, you must learn to wait, just as I always believe that your daddy and I breathe under the same sky.
This time, I'm mailing you clothes and sweaters tailored to Xiao Xuezhen's height. The rest are being kept by your grandma. Your grandpa heard about your situation, so I put money in the letter. I don't know if you received it. Any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem. Don't worry about it. Besides the regular monthly remittance to your grandparents, our family is not short of money..."
Zhou Jiao opened each envelope one by one. The earliest ones contained money, then military supply receipts, and most recently, three 200-yuan remittance coupons. Each letter stated what was sent, but she hadn't received any. Looking through the pile, she realized her mother shared her obsessive-compulsive disorder. The stationery, money, and receipts were all pristine white.
After reading the letter, she sorted through a pile of bills. These bills had no time limit. The overseas remittance coupons were from the provincial capital. I wonder how she got them? They were only issued by the provincial capital at the end of last year.
"Baby, look at these bills. They're all given by your grandma. You need to grow up quickly so you can eat delicious food. Your grandma is very rich and can solve any problem with money. She's really stupid and has a lot of money. Don't learn to be like that in the future. We are good children and we need to be frugal and manage our family well, okay?"
Grandma knocked gently on the window, "Jiaojiao, are you asleep?"
Zhou Jiao looked at the box and saw only letters, nothing else. There was no need to avoid her. "No, Mom, come in and talk. Ping An hasn't slept either."
"Oh, grandma, little darling, you're awake. What are you thinking about?" Zhang's mother came in and saw her darling grandson first. "You got this pile of bills from your mother's letter, right? You're so stubborn that you're only opening the letter now. It seems your mother was afraid that your grandfather and the others would be harsh on you, so she gave it to you privately so she wouldn't lose it. She's really kind-hearted."
Zhou Jiao had a deep wallet of her own, so she didn't care about these material possessions. "Mom, these are all military supply tickets. Just take whatever you want to buy. Those three are the most valuable, 200 yuan each.
You have to go to the Friendship Mall in the provincial capital. Those are for overseas Chinese and foreigners, and the stuff there is cheaper than at the department store. They're called Overseas Chinese Remittance Coupons. This is an Overseas Chinese Remittance Coupon, which only became available in the provincial capital last year. You need it to get into the Friendship Mall. Take a 200-yuan coupon and ask Dad to take you there. I've never been there, but I heard from my classmates that things are much cheaper there.
"Hey kid, I just wanted to come over and talk to you because I saw Xiaowu bought so much yarn and other things. You'll need money for everything if you want to live a good life in the future, and you can't spend like this anymore. You can use these coupons yourself. When you're out of confinement, I'll go with you to see it." Mother Zhang pushed away the receipts she handed over.
Zhou Jiao didn't push it away, thinking that except for the clothes her parents wore when going out, they were all made of homespun cloth and were all patched up.
"That's fine. If you need anything for the New Year, just tell me and I'll have Brother Xiaowu buy it. I'm going to use these cotton and cloth receipts to make clothes for you."
"No, you can keep them for yourselves and make some for Ping'an. The child needs a lot of cloth. I don't think you should wear Ping'an in those old clothes anymore. I don't know how many cloth coupons and cotton are needed, and they're not enough." She said with a smile, "My little Ping'an is so lucky. My dear grandson wears new clothes. This little cotton-padded jacket is embroidered with flowers, and even the diaper is snow-white."
Zhou Jiao thought about how her sister-in-law had stared with eyes wide open when she saw Ping An changing his diaper that afternoon. Fortunately, she was not a talkative person, otherwise, the whole village would have come to see the Western paintings.
"Mom, you've already eaten, why are you eating so fast?"
"Your father saw the wine and beef and refused to leave the table. He was drinking with Xiaowu and the others. He left the table after we finished eating."
Lin Juhua thought about it in the room, then came out holding the little girl Mai Sui and knocked on the door of her third brother's wife.
"Jiaojiao, is mommy here? I'm going in."
"Second sister-in-law, come in. Our mother is here."
Mother Zhang quickly wrapped up the pile of banknotes in front of Jiaojiao and put them under the pillow. She gave Jiaojiao a cold look, saying that this girl was so simple-minded.
Zhou Jiao smiled at her ingratiatingly. There was nothing she could do about it; this was because her mother-in-law loved her and she was afraid that her second sister-in-law would come in and be jealous and ask for it.
Lin Juhua came in holding her daughter. "Mom, you're here. I thought Jiaojiao was bored during her confinement, and Xiaowu and the others are with Dad, so we came here to chat. Jiaojiao, I'll help you wash the sheets and clothes today. If you have anything else to wash later, ask Xiaowu to bring it to me. You can rest assured to take care of your health this month. My sister-in-law and I have agreed that we'll be doing light work after work now, and we'll be in hibernation soon. You should take good care of yourself during this confinement period."
"Then I really have to thank you and my eldest sister-in-law very much. My dear second sister-in-law, you and my eldest sister-in-law have really helped me a lot. Please put the wheat ears on the kang so I can sit down and rest. Mom, can you help me make a cup of milk powder for Mai Sui to drink?"
Zhou Jiao teased the little girl, "Little wheat ear, auntie will give you milk powder, you will be my daughter."
Little Wheat Ear sat on the pit, looked at her grandmother and mother, and shook her head. "No, I am my mother's daughter. My little brother is yours. Little aunt, my little brother is so small, much smaller than me. I say he will take a long time to grow up. Now he can only drink milk and can't even have porridge. I am waiting so impatiently."
Hearing the childish yet somewhat adult-like words, the three of them laughed, "Don't worry, we'll be able to play together soon. By then, Little Wheat Ear will be the big sister and play with her little brother."
Mai Sui, who was drinking enthusiastically, nodded repeatedly. She was looking at her little brother's bottle, which was so beautiful.
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