Chapter 109: Seeking Another Way Out

After tidying up, Luo Qiao began her daily chores. When she saw the newspapers and magazines, an idea suddenly struck her. Yes, why hadn’t she thought of this before? This could be another way forward.

She had a background in art and could provide illustrations for magazines. She could also try writing and getting her work published. This way, she could earn her own money, and in the future, she would have a legitimate reason to support Shitou.

Oh, this is great! She just didn’t know if her art would catch the editors’ eyes. But how would she know if she didn’t give it a try?

She immediately took the manuscript paper sent by Grandpa Yuan and began writing letters back to both the Yuan and Yang families. She assured them that everything was fine with her, and she would be starting high school in the second half of the year, asking them not to worry.

After finishing the letters and putting them away, she thought about sending some dried mushrooms and vegetables she had sun-dried recently. Once soaked and cooked, their flavor would be excellent, and she was sure they would love it after trying.

Although these items weren’t valuable, they represented her heartfelt intentions. After collecting her thoughts, she began to ponder what she should paint and send out.

After much thought, she decided that if she wanted to test the waters, she might as well write some fables accompanied by illustrations. This way, even if they didn’t succeed, it wouldn’t be a waste of time and effort.

She only had regular pencils at the moment, without colored ones, but she managed to make do. That evening, she wrote two short fables, each accompanied by simple illustrations, but she put in extra effort into her drawings.

After completing them, she set them aside and prepared to find time to send them to the commune. Additionally, she thought if there was time, she should make a trip to the town to buy some professional drawing tools. If she wanted to pursue this path seriously, she needed to be willing to invest in it.

The next morning, she packed up the items she planned to send to the Yuan and Yang families and got ready to go to the commune at noon. Sending them out sooner meant getting results sooner.

After finishing work at noon, Luo Qiao hastily ate her lunch and headed straight to the commune. She first sent the letters to the Yuan and Yang families, then sent the two fables she had illustrated the previous night to the magazines and newspapers offices.

She also stopped by the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some basic pencils and paper. The cooperative in the commune only had these supplies; for professional tools, she would need to go to the town.

Back in the village, she ran into Li Xiulan at the bridge. Li Xiulan warmly greeted Luo Qiao, “Luo Qiao, where did you go?”

Luo Qiao didn’t particularly like Li Xiulan, but with so many people around the bridge, she couldn’t be too dismissive. She replied, “I went to mail some letters, auntie. I haven’t had lunch yet, so I’m heading home now.”

She didn’t want to stay there and endure the prying questions from the crowd, so she quickly found an excuse to leave.

This left a group of curious women disappointed. Li Xiulan smiled and said, “Then go home quickly. You still have work in the afternoon.”

Luo Qiao greeted the women on the bridge and hurried away.

A nearby woman remarked, “Li Xiulan, why are you so easy-going today? That’s not like you.”

Li Xiulan replied, “Our Shunyi’s life was saved by Luo Qiao. In the future, I’ll definitely have to take better care of Luo Qiao. That’s what gratitude is.”

The woman retorted, “You? Knowing gratitude? I don’t see you acting on it.”

Li Xiulan didn’t get upset at the woman’s words. After all, Luo Qiao would be part of their Gao family in the future, and there would be times when others envied them.

Another woman added, “Xiulan, since you said Luo Qiao saved your Shunyi, why haven’t your family sent something to thank her? It’s easy to talk about gratitude, but words alone aren’t enough.”