"Thankfully, they just sent me some mountain produce and dried peaches."
"Don't try to downplay the issue," the commander asked.
“Commander, you don’t believe me, and you don’t even believe what Mianmian said herself? Well, here’s the letter Mianmian just sent you. This letter came with the package, and this one is from Zhou Jianbin, the director of the Fusong County Public Security Bureau. He used to be Deputy Commander Han’s soldier. After Deputy Commander Han heard about Lao Li’s sacrifice, he contacted me, saying that this man works at the Fusong County Public Security Bureau, and that Mianmian can contact him if she encounters any problems in the future. Oh, and Political Commissar Ma, this Ma Dayong claims to be from your clan. He just sent a letter saying that he works at the Fusong County Post Office, and that Xiao Liu is his savior, and that she can contact him if she needs anything.” He then showed the letters to the commander and the political commissar.
"Please sit down."
After the commander finished reading the letter, he handed it to the political commissar. After the political commissar finished reading it, the two older women looked at it again.
Commander Chen said, "This child handled things well."
"Indeed, she's quite good for her age."
"But the Gu family isn't very good."
"Who can argue with that? If we didn't know that Mianmian had the backing of the police chief, who knows what might have happened."
The four people were talking there.
"Xiao Shen, write a letter to Mianmian later and tell her that if she encounters any problems in the future, she can call the army."
"yes"
"What's the point of just making phone calls, Xiao Zhou? When are you going to send a package to Mianmian again? Or forget it, don't rush to send one for her in the next couple of days. I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow to see what they have and buy some for the child. We'll go together then."
"Yes, eldest sister is right. Mianmian just said that she traded brown sugar for these mountain goods, so there's probably not much left. Besides, people in the countryside not only lack brown sugar, but also cloth and such. Tomorrow I'm going to town to visit my sister-in-law. She works at a textile factory, and they have a lot of defective cloth in their warehouse. I'll go and buy some for her and send it over. The Gu family just thinks Mianmian is too young and doesn't have any adults around. Even though we're not by her side, we can't let them bully her."
"Oh, ladies, I'll do as you say. I was originally planning to have my husbands, Shen Xi and Shen Bei, go and visit Mianmian together after they've started their holidays."
"Alright, that's how it should be. They should know that Mianmian has family too. Since there's no rush, let's prepare more for them."
"Since we're arranging for the two of them to go to Fusong County, we should also have them visit Zhou Jianbin's house and Ma Dayong's house," the commander said.
"Yes, Commander, it will be arranged then."
"Alright, when Shen Xi and his brother are both at military academy, showing up in their formal uniforms at the battalion, no one will dare to bully Mianmian," the political commissar said with a smile.
"They dare to bully Mianmian? She's a child of our troops. Even if her parents were gone, we wouldn't believe it," the commander said.
The families who received Li Mianmian's packages were discussing what to send to their child, and asked the man to ask Deputy Division Commander Shen when they would send packages so they could do it together.
The next day, after the man returned home, he heard that he planned to visit Shen Xi and Shen Bei in person after they had their holidays in a few days. Thinking that the two of them carrying packages wouldn't be much, he bought a lot, but worried about food spoiling, so he didn't buy any perishable snacks. He just grabbed two bottles of canned meat that the man had given him, a pound of sugar, or a pound of biscuits, some malted milk powder, some cloth, and other things—basically anything Mianmian might need. In the end, it all came to four sacks. When Shen Xi and Shen Bei saw the sacks, their scalps tingled with fear. After only two days of rest at home, Zhou Tao rushed them to take the train to Fusong County.
I didn't know my third and fourth brothers were coming. Work hasn't been too tiring lately; I usually finish my tasks in half a day. I haven't asked to do more. I calculated that six work points a day, plus the grain I grow on my private plot, is enough to feed me for a year. Besides, there's a subsidy, and I have my own space; I don't need to work so hard. I'm not even 14 yet; I'm still growing, so I can't overwork myself. Besides, there are plenty of good things on the mountain. I need to go up and collect more mountain produce to dry and send to Uncle Shen and the others during the Mid-Autumn Festival or New Year. I've also found many good things on the mountain; I've harvested quite a lot, which I can secretly put into my space, cook, and eat secretly.
I recently discovered fish in the river not far away, and I'm planning to secretly set a net there to catch some fish, pickle them, and send them back home for the New Year.
After receiving the package I sent, Dr. Zhang from the military hospital quickly distributed it to everyone. We were discussing what to send. Even though the items weren't expensive in the countryside, they were still hard to find in the city, even with money and coupons. To be honest, these items were high-end gifts.
People far away were initially surprised, then delighted, when they received the packages I sent. Even Deputy Commander Han told his wife, "I didn't really help much, just asked Xiao Zhou to look after things a bit, but who would have thought this kid would send us so many things?"
"Who can argue with that? It shows that this child has a grateful heart."
"What you're saying is true. Over the years, many of your own soldiers have sacrificed their lives on the battlefield. How have you taken care of them? It's not as good as saying a few words to make them remember your kindness."
You're right.
"It's disheartening to think about."
"Alright, enough with the heartache. Don't you realize what the situation is like? Everyone's starving. A woman with several children is barely getting enough to eat, and she also has to take care of the elderly. Unlike this child, who doesn't even have any siblings, she's the only one who's fed and has no family to worry about. That's why she thought of sending us these things. It shows that she understands. She sent these things to make you happy, not to make you sad. Instead of being sad, think about how to reciprocate. That's much better than those who don't even remember who you are."
"That's true. We need to have someone ask around and see what those comrades we helped before are doing now. We can't afford to be taken advantage of again."
"Tch, you call yourself a sucker? They'd rather you be a fool."
"What do you mean?"
"What do you mean? The literal meaning?"
"you"
"Alright, enough of that. These are the families of your comrades whom you've supported over the years. I asked my local comrades to help me find out the details. If the information is true, I'll still do as you said, giving them money or vouchers every month or every few months. If the information isn't true, please ask a few more people to help."
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