When "Chrysanthemum" was released in early December, it snowed heavily in L City. Considering the heavy snow, the schools did not have a holiday.
However, on Saturday afternoon, everyone was asked to leave the school early to send telegrams home. Of course, this was based on their own family situation. Those who wanted to say something could say so. Most students did not leave the school. In this day and age, high school students can choose not to go home. Not only students, but parents are also used to it.
Because Xiao Jiu was thinking about buying stamps, she specially found a pair of worn-out cotton shoes from her space to change into. The snow was up to her calves, making it difficult to walk, but it wasn't cold. The place she was going to was the post office closest to the school, but it was still two kilometers away.
I walked along the snow early in the morning, my feet sinking into the deep, but thankfully it hadn't frozen yet, so it felt soft and slippery. There weren't any kind people shoveling snow on the road yet.
When she finally arrived at the post office, she found that the line stretched all the way outside the door. Luckily, it was people waiting to make phone calls and send telegrams. There weren't too many people at the mail and parcel posting area. After waiting for about ten minutes, it was finally her turn.
"Comrade, do you have any newly issued 'Chrysanthemum' stamps here?"
"Yes, little student, what kind of layout do you need? We have four, eight, ten, and twenty minutes."
Xiao Jiu thought for a moment, "Then give me five sets of each of the different versions with scores of 4, 8, 10, 20, 22, 30, 35 and 52."
The sales clerk thought she had misheard: "How many did you say? This edition has eighteen sheets!"
"Yeah, we need five sets of each edition. Our class has final exams coming up soon, and the teacher asked me to buy more so we can get prizes!"
After Xiao Jiu explained it this way, the other party understood and immediately began to count and calculate the bill for Xiao Jiu.
But as she calculated, the salesperson became uneasy.
"Are you sure you want these high-denomination stamps too? 20, 22, 30, 35, 52—that adds up to a lot of money!"
"Yes, comrade. Many of my family members live in other places and need to have packages mailed to them."
Well, she asked too many questions. In the end, the total came to 162.9 yuan. She didn't even take the last penny and just took ten envelopes, which meant she spent 163 yuan.
She had prepared the money in advance, counted it out of the envelope, and handed it over. Such a generous gesture surprised not only the sales clerk but also the people waiting in line nearby.
Some people even asked curiously, "Little girl, why did you choose this one out of so many stamps?"
Xiao Jiu grinned and explained, "Our teacher said that these are paintings by famous artists. Look how beautiful they are! They are so lifelike, and the varieties are all different. Since the teacher said they are good, I definitely think they are good too. My family needs them, so I might as well buy more."
Before she could even step out the door, she heard an unfamiliar voice behind her: "Tao Tao? Is that you, Tao Tao?"
When Xiao Jiu turned around, lo and behold, it was a post office worker in a dark blue uniform?
She looked somewhat familiar, but for a moment I couldn't place her. It wasn't until the other person saw her bewildered expression that she began to introduce herself.
"Oh, my little girl, how could you forget me? You saved my life, you know. It was me, Ye Zhen. That night, you..."
Xiao Jiu suddenly remembered and quickly greeted Ye Zhen, "Sister Zhen, I'm so sorry, haha, I really didn't remember."
"That means you've done too many good deeds. I should have asked you for your address that night and paid you a visit."
Look at the mess you've made! You're out in this heavy snow? Are you here to mail something or to make a phone call or send a telegram?
Although when she got home that night, her parents and brothers all said that it was impossible for a child to carry her to a safe place.
However, it cannot be denied that Tao Tao did indeed save her.
The bad guy even made the news the next day; apparently, his lower body was burned and necrotic.
She will definitely be unable to have children in the future. As for whether she can use the toilet normally, it depends on whether her family has the financial means to support her.
This is truly gratifying!
Bad people deserve this kind of punishment!
So no matter who did it, she was convinced that Tao Tao had saved her. Ye Zhen was a grateful girl, and she couldn't let Xiao Jiu leave like this today.
"Oh, I just came by and bought some stamps. Sister Zhen, so you work at this post office?"
Seeing that Ye Zhen was carrying a water bottle, Xiao Jiu knew that it was her break time and was just about to find an excuse to leave when Ye Zhen grabbed her and insisted that she leave an address. Xiao Jiu was helpless.
"Sister Zhen, that day was just a coincidence, let's not tear it apart,"
"There's no time like the present. You don't have to tell me where you live, but I'll treat you to dinner at a state-run restaurant tonight, okay?"
"It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that my home isn't here. My home is in Y County. I came here to study, but my family isn't here."
"Oh, going to school? Which school?"
Xiao Jiu was afraid that she would write a letter of praise, so she looked hesitant. Ye Zhen was older than her, so how could she not know what she was thinking?
"Don't worry, I'm just asking, so I can come see you later."
Xiao Jiu thought that having a friend who works at the post office might be a good thing, so she honestly told him.
"I'm a first-year student at the city's No. 1 High School,"
"What? You said you went to which school? High school? You're a high school student?"
Xiao Jiu knew this would be the reaction, "Yeah, I skipped a grade."
"How old are you? If you hadn't told me, I would have thought you were a primary school student!"
"I was born in 1950,"
"My goodness, I'm ten years older than you! I never knew you were such a good student! How could it have been you that night?"
"And my brother too. I was just afraid of scaring you, so I was the only one playing the good guy."
"Was it your brother who carried me on his back and escorted us all the way to my house?"
Ye Zhen breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving Xiao Jiu's nod.
"So, there are two people who saved my life. Where is he? Can I meet him and express my gratitude in person?"
Xiao Jiu shook her head. "He's gone. He came to see me temporarily; he's studying in another city."
Ye Zhen felt a little regretful, but after this explanation, she was completely relieved.
"Why don't you go warm yourself by the fire in our back office? After I get off work, we'll go to the state-run restaurant. My uncle is the head chef there, so we can eat meat. I'll call him in a bit and ask him to save some for us."
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Xiao Jiu had no choice but to accept, but she had no intention of going to their office.
"Then I'll go out for a walk some more, and I'll come back to find Sister Zhen when it's time, okay?"
Ye Zhen grabbed her arm. "Are you sure you're going to come over? I'm going to call my uncle."
Xiao Jiu nodded vigorously and pointed to her eyes.
"Sister, look, I really want to eat meat, I definitely won't stand you up."
Ye Zhen then pinched her little cheek with satisfaction.
"Oh, it's quite soft. Sweetie, wait for me to get off work!"
After Ye Zhen left, Xiao Jiu took advantage of the cold weather and the lack of people on the road to transfer the stamps into her spatial dimension.
Then I went to the scrap metal recycling station. It was so cold and the snow was so heavy. As expected, all I saw was the auntie on duty knitting a sweater by the stove.
I recognized her at a glance: "Oh, little girl, looking at old books and newspapers again today?"
Xiao Jiu grinned, showing her white teeth, and nodded. "My mother asked me to buy some newspapers to start a fire, and then I'll see if there are any books I want to read."
"Go ahead, but the same old rules apply: put it back where you picked it up, and don't make a mess of it!"
"Okay, don't worry, comrade, I know," she said obediently as she walked towards the backyard.
Compared to a while ago, there were many more old furniture items in the recycling station. Besides the furniture, the place for old books and newspapers also seemed to have changed a bit. She took a small stool, sat down, took out a pair of woolen gloves from her spatial storage, put them on, and began to carefully sort through the items.
She bought newspapers to stay informed about current events, which was helpful for her political exam. So she flipped through the recent old newspapers, picked out the useful ones, and piled them aside.
Just as I was searching, I heard a voice behind me. I turned around and saw, lo and behold, it was Zheng Yuan, whom I had seen before.
Upon seeing her, Zheng Yuan was also surprised. "You're here to send a telegram home too?"
Xiao Jiu nodded sheepishly. "He's a senior student. I was thinking of taking a stroll since I don't have evening self-study tonight, and I wanted to find something useful to take back."
"Oh? Then I'll take you back later, since we're going the same way anyway."
Xiao Jiu stood up a little embarrassedly, "Um, senior brother, I have to go find a sister to have lunch with at noon, so,"
Zheng Yuan looked up at the sky. "Then you'd better hurry up tonight. The sky is so overcast, what if it freezes again?"
"Okay, senior brother, I'll be careful." After that, the two didn't speak again, each choosing what they wanted.
Xiao Jiu stayed at the recycling station for about forty minutes before the auntie there called out that it was almost time to close, and she quickly packed up and went to get weighed.
Zheng Yuan left sometime during the day, which is good, it saves us from embarrassment.
After giving a dime, Xiao Jiu carried the bundled old books and newspapers out of the recycling station.
When she arrived at the post office, she no longer had any old books or newspapers in her hands.
I checked the time; it was almost five o'clock.
Five minutes later, Ye Zhen came out wearing a hat and carrying their post office's little green backpack.
"Are you getting impatient? It's so cold and gloomy, it's almost dark. Oh, right, here, take this."
Xiao Jiu looked at the green canvas backpack in her hand with surprise. It was brand new. Ye Zhen patted the snowflakes off her shoulder.
Then I helped her put her backpack into her small backpack.
"These were given to me by my company. They've been sitting in my office for a long time. I was just thinking of giving them to you when I ran into you someday!"
See, it's in the right place. You're a student, so it's perfect for you. This bag is sturdy and very useful.
That's not all. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me directly.
For example, if you need to send a telegram or make a phone call, come find me in advance, and I'll arrange it for you without having to wait in line.
Xiao Jiu smiled sweetly at Ye Zhen: "Then thank you very much, Sister Zhen. I'll definitely need to trouble you in the future, so please don't find me annoying."
"What are you saying? I'd love for you to come see me more often. I've always wanted a sweet and lovely younger sister like you, but unfortunately I only have an older brother and a younger brother, no younger sister. It's just that God has sent me one. If you don't mind, we can call each other sisters from now on, okay?"
Xiao Jiu realistically agreed. After all, she didn't lack older sisters, but she did need one who worked at the post office!
Upon arriving at the state-run restaurant, Ye Zhen pointed directly to a corner seat.
"You go do it there, I'll go pay the money and get the receipt first."
In those days, state-run restaurants didn't just serve whatever you ordered; you got what they had. If you arrived late, there might not be anything left. But this place, with its head chef, was always packed, morning, noon, and night. If you arrived late, you wouldn't get anything to eat.
Although it's not easy to get meat now, even state-owned restaurants haven't had meat dishes on their "Today's Supply" for a long time.
But not writing it down doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Insiders, especially those with connections, can still buy it based on their connections.
When Ye Zhen arrived, she looked at her apologetically and said, "We're late, so all we had was steamed egg with minced meat."
Xiao Jiu quickly nodded, "Sister, it's already pretty good for just the two of us. We can't even buy meat these days, so let's keep a low profile."
As she spoke, she glanced around. She had been worried that if Ye Zhenzhen brought over meat, the other tables that didn't have any meat dishes might cause trouble. But now that there was only one dish of steamed egg with minced meat, she could finally relax.
"I also ordered a mixed vegetable and potato pancake, fried eggplant fritters, two steamed buns, and millet and pumpkin porridge. How does that sound?"
Xiao Jiu couldn't help but exclaim, "That's great! Actually, it doesn't matter if we order steamed buns or not. We won't eat much tonight, and there's already a potato pancake, right?"
"It's okay, you can take the leftovers home and eat them later if you get hungry tonight."
Their food was ready quickly, and Ye Zhen didn't let her touch it, instead bringing the food over herself. Surprisingly, the portions at this state-run restaurant were quite large; she wondered if it was because they were relatives.
The potato pancakes were sweet and savory, the eggplant fritters were fried until crispy and filled with green peppers and tofu bits, and they tasted pretty good. The millet and pumpkin porridge was also very thick and sticky, and the steamed egg with minced meat came with four eggs, and it tasted quite good; at least she couldn't make it taste like that.
There was no steamed bun left, and even the potato pancakes weren't finished. Ye Zhen packed the rest into a lunchbox and handed it to her.
"This lunchbox is new, you can take it home and use it. If you can't finish it tonight, you can eat it tomorrow. If your family cooks something delicious in the future, I'll bring it back for you."
Xiao Jiu was too embarrassed to refuse, but Ye Zhen didn't give her a chance to refuse and stuffed it into her schoolbag.
Then a restaurant apprentice followed the two of them, first taking her to school, and then turning back to see Ye Zhen off.
It was already completely dark by then. I was even scolded by the security guard when I entered the school. When I got back to the dormitory, my roommates were indeed in a panic.
Xiao Jiu, considering that the remaining flatbread and steamed buns were Ye Zhen's thoughtful gift, didn't take them out, but instead brought a pound of melon seeds to share with everyone.
"You weren't here just now. The school has already notified us that classes will proceed as normal tomorrow."
Xiao Jiu pouted, "I knew it, they definitely wouldn't let us sit idle. I saw that the snow at school has been cleared. What, did you all go out to work this afternoon?"
Zhu Hongqi nodded vigorously while cracking sunflower seeds. "It wasn't for nothing. The school made a pot of radish soup for us to warm up. It was quite delicious. I think they added sugar. It was sweet. I even managed to find five or six slices of radish. It's such a shame you weren't here."
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