I finally got home, about twenty minutes later than usual, but it was still much better than walking back.
Lying in bed, he held two watches, turning them over and over, sometimes putting them on his wrist, sometimes taking them off, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Forgive me, we ordinary folks, for never having seen anything high-end!
After playing with it for a while, I sighed and put the watch away. I can't wear it out. Imagine picking corn in the field while wearing a gold Rolex? The image is too jarring to bear.
Being a teacher? That doesn't suit me. Being a sales clerk? Too conspicuous. Being a factory manager? Maybe. (You think you can do whatever you want?)
But where can I become a factory manager? My ideals are lofty, but reality is harsh.
I sighed again. I'll just stay put. If that doesn't work, I'll just secretly wear it at home every day.
The next day, after fetching water, I turned on the radio. I tuned it to the Central People's Broadcasting Station and listened to the morning news while I worked.
This feels good. I feel like I can work faster than before.
Liu Erya and Shi Tou Sanya arrived just as the goat milk was boiled.
Knowing that Zhang Hongmei went to the city to buy a radio yesterday, I came to check it out early.
The two children, holding their bowls, listened intently to the female announcer's impassioned speech on the radio, forgetting all about drinking their milk.
"Second sister, I also want to join the army and fight the invaders."
"Then you should drink your milk quickly and grow taller, otherwise your small body will be picked up and thrown out by the enemy as soon as you go to the battlefield."
"Hahahaha! Yes, your sister Hongmei is right."
Little Stone wasn't annoyed by the laughter; he drank the goat's milk in one gulp. "I'll grow taller, I want to go to the battlefield!"
The three girls ignored him, thinking he was just a child. Little did they know that he would later grow into a king of soldiers and become the strongest warrior.
Soon all the village children came over. They gathered around the radio with great curiosity, listening attentively to the broadcast, and stopped playing around.
While playing revolutionary songs, Zhang Hongmei suddenly had an idea: she could teach the children to sing revolutionary songs! It would be useful for their future schooling or during times of turmoil.
I'll write down the lyrics when I have time, so I can use them when looking after my child.
I ignored them and took out the dried squash that I had put away to dry. It wasn't quite dry yet, and I was afraid it would spoil, which would be a sin.
Er Lengzi came in excitedly carrying a bag and saw all the village children in Zhang Hongmei's yard, with the guerrilla song playing on the radio.
"Red plums are a good thing; your house will be lively from now on. Here, these are two wolf skins."
"Brother Er Lengzi, you should sell this first and use the money to buy a watch. I'm not in a hurry to use this."
"No need, I've already saved up three hundred. Don't worry, I'll go buy the watch tomorrow."
"Is that really enough?"
"I had three hundred in my hand, but I was afraid I wouldn't have enough money, so I borrowed another twenty. It's okay, I can pay it back after I come back and go up the mountain a few times."
“Alright, I’ll accept it.” Zhang Hongmei no longer refused.
"I'm going to get a letter of introduction from the village chief. I'm leaving now."
When Zhang Hongmei had nothing to do, she would take a large pickaxe to the backyard and turn over the soil. The potato patch had already been mostly turned over; turning it over again would save her a lot of effort.
Er Ya came over to help, but Zhang Hongmei refused, saying that the job would be finished in an hour and that they had even leveled it with a rake.
The garlic in the front yard should have been removed long ago, but Zhang Hongmei always thought it could grow a little longer, so she didn't remove it. Now it's bad, the garlic has sprouted again.
Liu Erya kept teasing her from the side, telling her that the garlic had to be removed by a certain time, but she didn't listen. Now she knows!
Zhang Hongmei felt embarrassed, thinking that maybe it could still grow if it was left in the ground.
At noon, the children, being very sensible, greeted Zhang Hongmei and went home. Zhang Hongmei tried to persuade them to stay for lunch, but no one did; they all ran off in a swarm, asking if they could come back after lunch.
Actually, Zhang Hongmei only eats three meals a day, while other families only eat two meals a day. However, the adults in her family had told her to do so, so she obediently went home.
Zhang Hongmei agreed to their request, and seeing their joyful and surprised smiles made her happy too.
For lunch, I had goat milk steamed buns again. After they were steamed, I took a bag of peach shortbread, a bag of steamed rice cakes, a bag of brown sugar, and five steamed buns to the old lady's house. Now I genuinely treat the old lady as my own elder, and I no longer have the mentality of clinging to her like a king.
Grandma, I brought you something delicious.
"You're all about spending money. I heard you bought a radio?"
"Yes, it's great, and it's even imported. Grandma, let me tell you, the kids in our village are so well-behaved. They all behave themselves when they come to my house to listen to the radio, without making a fuss. And when it's time to cook, even if I ask them to stay, no one will stay to go home."
"Yes, the people in our village are upright. Even if some of them are unreliable, there won't be any major problems."
"Grandma, do you want to listen? I'll bring it over so you can listen to it for a few days?"
"No need, I'm getting old and prefer peace and quiet. You should go back and eat."
"You're kicking me out like this? That's not cute at all."
"A girl who gets a good deal but acts innocent."
When Zhang Hongmei returned home, she had just finished eating when she heard a noise outside the door. She knew it was the children, but no one knocked. Just as the old lady had said, the children were there.
I opened the door and let them in, turned on the radio and then ignored them, going to read my book.
The villagers were not at peace. The children came back and talked about how great the radio was. Those who had been out of the village knew about the radio, but those who had never left the village found it novel.
However, being adults, they felt awkward visiting a child's house, so they held back and whispered among themselves.
Several young girls watched Zhang Hongmei reading and curiously gathered around. But they didn't disturb her and just watched from the side.
Why don't you guys go listen to the radio?
"Hongmei, are you reading a book?"
"Yes, what are your names?"
“Hongmei, my name is Yingzi, and I am from Wang Changquan’s family.”
"My name is Chunhong, and I'm from Liu Dagen's family."
"My name is Xiaorui, and I am the youngest child in Wang Hongxi's family."
"My name is Xiaochun, and I'm from Li Sheng's family."
"Your names are so pretty. Would you like me to teach you how to write them?"
"Really? Hongmei, you're really willing to teach us?"
“Why wouldn’t you want to? Sister Chunhong, go and break off five tree branches, and we’ll write on the ground.”
"Okay!" Chunhong excitedly ran off to break off tree branches, while the other children waited with smiles on their faces.
"Let's learn your surnames first. Stand behind me and watch. We'll start by writing the simplest character, '王' (wang). See?"
The four girls squatted down and wrote on the ground with twigs, and they all got it right.
"These are the 'Wang' characters in Wang Yingzi's and Wang Xiaorui's names. Have you both remembered them?"
"I've got it."
"Next, let's write the character 'Li' (李). Look carefully, the character 'Li' is composed of the character 'mu' (木) on top, the character for wood, and the character 'zi' (子) on the bottom. Put them together and you have the character 'Li'. Isn't that simple?"
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