Dear Mom and Dad, and Third Brother
Hello:
Time flies, and it's been more than half a year since I went to the countryside. I'm writing to share some really great news with you all: I'm pregnant! I'm three months along now. Brother Nanxun said that the custom here is to announce it only after three months, which is why I'm telling you so late.
Dad, Mom, Third Brother, don't worry, I'm doing well here. Brother Nanxun is taking very good care of me, and we're all eagerly anticipating the arrival of this little life. Since getting married, I haven't worked in the fields except for the autumn harvest. Even during the harvest, Brother Nanxun would finish his own work and come to help me. So, after being in the countryside for so long, all the other educated youths have lost weight, but I've actually gained weight!
I know my parents are still a little worried about my marriage to Nanxun, but finding love and having children with him far from home makes me very happy. I believe that home is where love is, and the love and blessings of my family fill me with warmth and happiness.
Every day here is full of novelty and fun. Brother Nanxun is a retired soldier, so he's an excellent hunter. Now that the autumn harvest is over, the villagers go up the mountain every day to gather firewood and other mountain produce. Unfortunately, since I became pregnant, Brother Nanxun hasn't allowed me to go up the mountain much.
I also made some dried meat and cured meat myself. These were all hunted by Gu Nanxun himself; the meat was delicious, and after my careful marinating and drying, I believe it will be a delicacy on your table. Whenever I make these, I think of your braised pork, Mom; the taste is truly unforgettable.
Besides these, I also sent you some local specialties from the mountains, including wild mushrooms and dried fruits, which were all picked by Nanxun and me. However, since Nanxun wouldn't let me go up the mountain, most of them were picked by Nanxun.
There are some termite mushrooms here, which my daughter found and picked herself. Brother Nanxun said that termite mushrooms are very nutritious. After we picked them that day, we made chicken soup. The aroma filled the air and it was absolutely delicious. My daughter still drools when she thinks about it!
Please rest assured, I will take good care of myself and the baby. At the same time, I hope you will also take care of yourselves and avoid overworking yourselves.
The aunties in the village told me that it will snow here at the end of October, and the snow will be really thick. They said that it can snow up to knee-deep overnight. I've never seen such heavy snow in my life! I'm really looking forward to it! I bought a lot of yarn, and when it snows and I'm holed up in the winter, I'll knit sweaters at home and make one for each of my parents.
When you got married, the dowry you received from Nanxun's father included four 10-pound cotton quilts. Recently, Nanxun has been collecting a lot of firewood on the mountain, filling the firewood shed. He also bought a lot of charcoal, so it will definitely be very warm when the kang (heated brick bed) is heated in winter.
I promised Mom I'd bring Nanxun home for Chinese New Year, but it looks like we won't be able to this year. But we'll definitely bring the baby home to visit you next year.
The package also contains some ginseng pills that my daughter made herself. They are good for your health. Dad and Mom should take one every few days, and three or four a week is enough. Don't be stingy with them. I'll send you more when you run out.
Finally, your daughter really misses you all and hopes that you are safe and healthy at home.
Yours sincerely!
Lin Qing, Gu Nanxun
September 28, 1966
"Honey, what's wrong? Don't cry!"
Lin Jianguo looked helplessly at his wife, who was sobbing on the table.
"Wife, don't cry. Tell me what happened. Did something happen to Qingqing?"
The two had just finished eating when they received a letter and package from the postman. After reading the letter, Dong Xiulan started to cry.
"It's alright, Qingqing, it's alright. I just missed my daughter." Seeing Lin Jianguo's anxiety, Dong Xiulan quickly handed him the letter and said.
After receiving the letter, Lin Jianguo quickly read it. After finishing, he smiled and said, "Qingqing is pregnant. Isn't that a good thing? Why are you crying? You scared me."
"Didn't I tell you? I miss my daughter. Qingqing has never been away from me for this long before. It's only been half a year, and she's already married and has a child. She's still a child herself. How can she take care of herself?"
After saying that, Dong Xiulan forgot about crying and started to worry again.
"Alright, don't worry, Yunfeng is already gone, isn't he?"
"What does Yunfeng know? He's never had a child, what could he possibly know?"
After Lin Jianguo finished speaking, Dong Xiulan became even more worried. Although Yunfeng was older than Qingqing, he was still a man, and her parents and brother's family were about to leave. She wondered if it would affect her daughter.
"Alright, alright, you're such a worrywart. Yunfeng doesn't understand, but Mom, Dad, and sister-in-law do! I bet Mom, Dad, and sister-in-law are here by now. We sent Yunfeng over mainly to take care of them. Although they can't help Qingqing much, they are elders after all, and they can still offer some advice. Besides, Dad knows medicine, and I work hard, sending more money and food to the children every month. We also have some savings, so don't worry, everything will be fine. You should be happy; we're going to be grandparents soon."
"Sigh, I don't know how my parents are doing. I really don't know if what we did was right or wrong. I wonder if they can even take care of their daughter."
Hearing Lin Jianguo mention his parents, Dong Xiulan's face was filled with sorrow again. Now that she had lost her job, the whole family depended on Jianguo alone. She really didn't know what would happen to their family in the future.
Seeing his wife's still worried face, Lin Jianguo changed the subject, saying that his wife hadn't smiled since the incident with her mother's family. "Come on, let's see what our daughter mailed to us?"
Lin Jianguo picked up the package Lin Qing had mailed and placed it on the table, opening it to find several bundles wrapped in newspaper. Inside were red dates, walnuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, dried mushrooms, and the termite mushrooms Qingqing had mentioned in her letter. These mountain produce items were all individually wrapped in newspaper. Besides the dried goods, there was also cured meat, which Lin Jianguo estimated weighed about 5 jin (2.5 kg), two dried chickens, two dried ducks, and some mushroom sauce and meat sauce in canned jars. Finally, there was a small bag of rice weighing about 30 jin (15 kg). Lastly, there were the ginseng pills Qingqing had mentioned in her letter, packaged in a small bottle.
"Qingqing, why did you send rice too?" Dong Xiulan couldn't help but scold her when she saw the rice in the package.
"It seems that Qingqing is indeed doing well, just as she said. Since Qingqing sent it, it is a token of her goodwill. I will send some money to Qingqing tomorrow, and when the grain is distributed next month, I will send some to my daughter. We will keep the rice for ourselves and not let our daughter's good intentions go to waste."
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