Back at school, Zhu Hongqi pointed to the package on the table.
"Peach, you have two packages. You weren't here at the time, so we went to the security guard to sign for them for you."
Xiao Jiu thanked them, picked up the very heavy packages, and saw that one was from Beijing and the other from K City.
The one from Beijing is undoubtedly the fifth sister, and the one from K City... well, that must be the sixth sister.
Are the two older sisters on the same wavelength? What did they send her?
Xiao Jiu couldn't wait to open the package from K City. What she saw was a stack of handwritten test papers and several math, physics, and chemistry exercise books.
She twitched her lips. No wonder it was so heavy. It was really kind of her sixth sister to think of sending her so many review materials.
Besides that, I also found a letter inside the exam paper. It felt thick to the touch. Could it contain money?
Upon opening it, wow, it really was true! Not only was there money, but there were also coupons. There were fifty yuan in money and a stack of coupons. A rough count revealed that there were fifteen jin of national grain coupons. Sixth Sister was really generous. Although the letter was short, it contained more than half a coupon.
Zhou Shengnan and the others curiously gathered around, "Wow, it's actually a handwritten test paper, and the handwriting is different too!"
Xiao Jiu nodded as she read the letter. "Yes, this is an exam paper that my sister found a top student from the local high school's honors class to copy. She also said she would send it to me every year for the next two years, and that I should write it carefully and ask the teacher if I don't understand something."
Don't just stand there, there's still some time in class. Everyone find a sheet, copy it into your notebook and start doing it!
My sister had someone copy it, and I made it myself when I got back.
Zhou Shengnan and Gao Mingxia were taken aback at first, then looked at Xiaojiu with excitement in their eyes.
"Peach, are you serious? You not only don't mind, but you're even willing to share with us?"
"Of course, we get along well, why would I keep anything from you?"
No one touched her things; they just curiously leaned forward and craned their necks to peek at her.
Who wouldn't like a roommate who has such a strong sense of boundaries?
So she was happy to share it, but she wasn't so kind as to take it to class.
"Many hands make light work. This is a test paper from K City. Let's do it together, and we can discuss the parts we don't know."
These books, too, were carefully selected by my sister at the bookstore. Please feel free to look around.
Learning is more motivating when everyone works together and challenges themselves.
They were so moved by the small amount of wine that they quickly tidied up the table to prepare to copy the questions.
On the other side, Xiao Jiu had already opened Tang Cuimei's package. Compared to Sixth Sister's, hers was heavier, and it might also contain review materials.
Sure enough, as soon as the package was opened, the first thing that caught my eye was a stack of books, and below the books was a thick stack of exam papers, neatly arranged.
"Look, this is from Beijing. It seems we'll have to work overtime every night from now on. So many papers, all from this semester. If we don't finish them before the final exams and send them over later, they'll just pile up."
"My goodness, Peach, you're so lucky! So many older brothers and sisters from all over the country came up with this amazing way to tutor you! It's incredible!"
Xiao Jiu couldn't help but shake her head. "I think this must have been my fifth sister's idea. My sixth sister isn't as thoughtful as her. Besides, none of my brothers in Harbin and Beijing thought of doing this for me."
"No, you all need to hurry up and write. I need to write a letter to each of my other brothers later, asking them to buy me more test papers using this method."
Every school has different exam papers. As long as you find out which is the best high school in the area, find a student who is both academically and morally reliable, give them some benefits, and let them copy down the school's exam papers for each test, the deal is done.
High school life is tough; who doesn't get through it by doing endless practice problems?
She couldn't forget her third brother in X city, where he was studying at a teachers' college!
"Oh my, Peach, your sister is so smart! How come we didn't think of that? I'll go back and write a letter too, and I'll ask my brother to find me some practice papers."
Pang Weiwei acted immediately, abandoning her original plan to copy the exam paper and instead taking out letter paper to start writing.
The other roommates also started flipping through their notebooks, looking for relatives living in other places.
Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Xiao Jiu couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, what we have is enough to keep us busy for a month. We can take our time with writing the letters. Let's copy the questions first. We have evening self-study soon, so each of you should copy a test paper beforehand. We'll practice during evening self-study. We'll check the answers together when we get back."
Everyone was so focused on copying the test papers that no one noticed that Tang Cuimei's package contained not only the test papers and books, but also a cloth bag.
Upon opening it, I found a red floral cotton-padded jacket, made of pure cotton, along with a bright red scarf and a pair of beautifully knitted red gloves.
Xiao Jiu found the letter hidden inside the book, touched it, opened it, and was stunned.
Ten black banknotes were bad enough, but there were also two gold rings?!
Good heavens, Fifth Sister is being too extravagant!
The letter said, "Your sixth sister's cooking skills are undeniable. She found a job as a kitchen helper at school and knows how to get food coupons, so I won't bother getting them for you. Don't skimp on yourself at school. I've already sent money home; keep that money for yourself. I'm helping out at the sanatorium in our hospital now, and sometimes I can even go out for medical treatment on my own. I have some money on hand..."
"The cotton coat was made by one of my patients as a thank you for making it according to your size. It might be a little big, but my little one is still growing, so he wears it inside to avoid getting it dirty and making it difficult to take it apart and wash."
"I had someone replace the ring; I'm keeping it so it can appreciate in value later."
"Do your best on the test. I hope you can get into a university in the capital so that we sisters can take care of each other."
...
After reading the letter with red eyes, Xiao Jiu touched the soft cotton coat and quickly put it on to try it on.
The sisters felt a sudden flush of red before their eyes. Xiao Jiu put on a scarf and gloves, and seeing everyone looking at her, she twirled around with a grin.
"How is it? My sister had someone make it for me, does it look good?"
Everyone nodded sincerely as they looked at the girl with a bright smile, dimples, and happiness radiating from her eyes.
"Of course it looks good. You're already fair-skinned, and the red color makes you look even fairer and brighter."
"Look how capable you are! But I'm also curious, do you have many older sisters?"
Xiao Jiu made up a bunch of nonsense: "Well, we're cousins, so there are many older sisters and many older brothers too."
"Wow, your family is really close-knit. It's rare to find cousins who get along so well."
That's the truth. Those cousins from Taoyuan Village, my god, they practically killed you.
The others also complained about their awful relatives in the village or at home, occasionally casting envious glances at Xiao Jiu.
After trying on the clothes, Xiao Jiu put the new clothes, scarf, and gloves away in the closet, planning to take them out to wear again when it gets colder in a few days.
Then he found a book of letter paper and started thinking about how to write a letter to his older brother and sister who were away from home.
Since we were talking about the exam papers, I also took the opportunity to ask if they were coming back for the Chinese New Year.
On Saturday, October 29th, as soon as school was over at four o'clock, Xiao Jiu slung her packed luggage over her shoulder, found a secluded spot to put it in her personal storage, then slung a military green crossbody bag over her shoulder and took bus number 2 to the bus station.
The bus arrived at their county town at 5 o'clock. After a bumpy two-hour ride, it was already dark. Knowing that she would be leaving again the following afternoon, she did not turn towards the county winery.
First, find a place to carry the things you brought back in your hands.
I intended to walk a little further before releasing the stolen bicycle with the license plate, but as soon as I went out, I saw my fourth sister standing not far from the bus station.
He immediately exclaimed, "Luckily, I took my luggage out earlier."
Fourth Sister Tang Cuihong has always been silent. Even though she can speak, she rarely uses words to express her thoughts because she considers communication difficult.
Xiao Jiu rarely interacted with this older sister, but she had a strong presence in the front yard, simply because she had learned excellent cooking skills from Sixth Sister. Although she was usually quiet, she could often conjure up seafood for them to eat, so Xiao Jiu guessed that she also had a cheat code.
Sure enough, upon seeing Xiao Jiu, the usually stern older sister forced a stiff smile and awkwardly waved at her.
Xiao Jiu couldn't help but chuckle. She figured it was because of the letter she had sent home earlier that her older sister had guessed she was coming back today and had come to pick her up.
She quickly ran over and grabbed Tang Cuihong's arm, slowly and coquettishly expressing her meaning.
"Fourth Sister, thank you for picking me up. Were you waiting long?"
She spoke slowly, allowing Cuihong to roughly guess her meaning from her lip movements.
"No, I haven't been here long either, I've been keeping track of the time."
Yes, I think I mentioned it to my sisters before. She usually rushes as fast as she can to catch the 5 o'clock bus from L City to Y County.
Cuihong secured her luggage to the right rack of the bicycle and then patted the back seat.
"I'll ride on it in a bit, and you jump on."
Xiao Jiu nodded quickly. Her fourth sister was known for her great strength, and she felt very safe with her there. Perhaps that was why she asked her fourth sister to come pick her up by bicycle after dark.
Fourth Sister was indeed very steady; even after she jumped onto the bike, the handlebars of the old-fashioned bicycle didn't wobble at all, it was incredibly stable.
Because she was sitting sideways, Xiao Jiu naturally put down her footstool and put her right arm around Cui Hong's waist.
At first, she resisted and twisted a couple of times, but after noticing her discomfort, Xiao Jiu changed to tugging at Fourth Sister's clothes.
"It's okay, you'll feel safer holding me. I just feel a little itchy."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiu stopped being polite, wrapped both arms around Tang Cuihong, and rested her head on Tang Cuihong's back.
Sensing her stiffness, Xiao Jiu sat in the back seat and secretly chuckled.
We traveled in silence for more than half an hour before finally arriving back at Xihe Village.
As soon as Xiao Jiu got out of the car, he vigorously rubbed his sore butt. There was a cushion strapped to the back seat; if it had been bare, he probably would have been shaken in two by now.
It was already quite cold at the end of October. After her fourth sister dropped her off at the door, she nudged her to go inside.
"It's too late today. Come back tomorrow. Go back and check on your grandparents."
Just as Xiao Jiu was about to take something out, her fourth sister patted her on the shoulder: "Go back quickly, we have everything here."
It's already 8 or 9 pm, which is too late. I'll deliver it tomorrow morning.
She obediently returned home, and as soon as she entered the yard, she heard her older brother's voice: "Grandpa and Grandma, Xiao Jiu is back!"
As she spoke, she ran over to take the luggage, "Oh, you're finally back! Are you hungry? Are you cold? Come into the kitchen and warm your hands."
"It's okay, brother. I'm fine. Can you help me with my things? I'm going to check on my grandparents."
Grandma was moving a little slowly, and Grandpa was helping her walk out. When they heard the whooshing sound, the loud little girl gave each of them a bear hug. If Grandpa hadn't been supporting Grandma, she might have knocked them over.
"Hey, you little cannonball, your grandma can't take a hit. Quick, help your grandma sit down."
Grandma immediately grabbed her hand, tilting her head and looking at her with curiosity under the dim oil lamp.
“My dear granddaughter seems to have grown taller again. She hasn’t been back for over a month, and I’ve missed her terribly.”
"Grandma, have you and Grandpa drunk the recovery powder, milk powder, and malted milk powder I sent you?"
"Drink up, drink up, my dear grandson. Don't send everything home. You use your brain every day, you need to nourish yourself. We're all old, why would we need to drink that expensive stuff? You keep sending cans home, I don't know how many people are jealous of you."
She had picked up five health supplement vouchers before, so she figured she might as well use them. They were specially issued by the hospital, and only people with edematous hepatitis could get them. She had already checked them; they were made from wheat bran, soybean flour, and sugar, and then mixed with boiling water. They weren't anything precious.
A whole can costs less than malted milk powder, only 1 yuan.
Malted milk powder is available in bags, bottles, and cans.
A 200-gram bag costs one yuan, a 300-gram bottle costs one yuan and fifty cents, and an 800-gram can costs four yuan and fifty cents.
It all comes down to the packaging; the better the packaging, the more expensive it is.
"Where's the formula?"
Grandpa quickly took out the liquor from the cabinet: "This precious stuff is for you two who use your brains more. We can't even finish the ones you sent back. This recovery powder and malted milk powder are enough. You two siblings can take the milk powder back and share it."
The delivery guy brought her a basin of hot water, and she couldn't help but complain when she heard this.
“My grandparents not only give me milk powder, but also give milk powder to my parents, saying that they are tired from work and need to supplement their nutrition. No matter how we try to persuade them, it won’t work.”
A 200-gram bag of milk powder costs three yuan, and a canned one would be even more expensive, so the two elderly people were reluctant to drink it and wanted to save it for their children and grandchildren.
Xiao Jiu sighed, her face full of helplessness and heartache, patting her grandmother's hand with a muffled sound.
"Grandma, maybe I shouldn't go to school. Look at you and Grandpa at home, not eating properly or taking your supplements. I worry about you so much when I'm away. With all this worrying about things at home, I can't concentrate on my studies. Why would I waste my time going to school?"
“You raised us, and now that you should be enjoying your retirement, you still worry about us. As your granddaughter, I feel ashamed!”
“Yes, that’s settled then. From now on, I’ll stay home and watch over your meals. You’re already sick, and now it’s winter. If you get sick again, I might regret it for the rest of my life. I’m so stupid. I shouldn’t have gone to school. I should have stayed by your side and looked after you…”
As she spoke, Xiao Jiu couldn't help but shed tears. She looked at the two elderly people opposite her with guilt while crying, making them twitch at the corners of their eyes. How come they hadn't noticed before that their granddaughter was such a good actress?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com