Xu Ning returned home and placed the soybean paste on the table. She took the prepared canning jars and washed them so they would be ready for packing later, making it easier to carry when she left.

After dinner, Xu Ning and Xu Yang quietly slipped out the back door toward the cattle shed. They first handed the letter to Lu’s father and mother, then placed the food sent by Lu Xiaoran on the table next to the kang.

After reading the letter, Aunt Lu felt both happy and worried. She sighed, “Xiaoran is getting married, and the two of us can’t even attend her wedding. I wonder if her husband and in-laws will treat her well.”

Uncle Lu read the letter again and said, “From what Xiaoran wrote, it seems like the family is pretty good. She’s getting along well with them.”

Xu Ning also chimed in, “Uncle Lu, Aunt Lu, I think Xiaoran’s in-laws must value her a lot. Look at how thoughtfully the gifts were prepared. Her mother-in-law even personally embroidered shoe insoles to send over. How many mothers-in-law nowadays do needlework for their daughters-in-law’s families?”

Aunt Lu had been a bit anxious, but after hearing Xu Ning’s words, she began to feel more reassured. She stood up and retrieved a worn-out cotton coat from the bottom of the kang cabinet. From the sleeve, she tore open a seam and pulled out a stack of money.

She handed it to Xu Ning and said, “Xiao Ning, here’s 300 yuan. Neither your Uncle Lu nor I are in any condition to go out. Please send 100 yuan to Xiaoran, and with the remaining 200 yuan, could you help us buy some things she might need for the wedding and send them over?”

Xu Ning accepted the money and asked, “Aunt Lu, what do you plan to buy for Sister Xiaoran with this 200 yuan? Last time Brother Lu came, he left quite a bit of money and ration tickets with me.”

Aunt Lu sighed and replied, “She’s getting married there, and we don’t know what local customs they have. Xiao Ning, you decide what to buy. If there are fabric tickets, send her some cloth so she can make herself a new outfit. As for her husband and in-laws, you can buy something suitable for them too.”

Xu Ning said, “Uncle Lu, Aunt Lu, I’ll go to the city in the next couple of days to prepare everything for Sister Xiaoran. Once I’ve bought everything, I’ll show you.”

Both waved their hands and said, “Xiao Ning, just send it directly once you’ve bought it. No need to bring it back. Also, try not to come to the cattle shed too often if there’s no urgent matter. There’s a female educated youth who’s been hanging around lately. She even greeted us when she saw a few of us.”

Xu Ning nodded and said, “Uncle Lu, I understand. My dad also had Xiao Mo tell us about it.”

Xu Ning then went to sit for a while in her parents’ room. Her father reminded her again, “From now on, don’t deliver things here too frequently. And you shouldn’t let Xiao Mo eat at your place too often either.”

“That female educated youth comes around several times a day,” her father added. “Your Uncle Lu and I haven’t sensed any malice from her, but we don’t understand why she’s getting close to us. Given our situation, most people would avoid us, but she keeps coming around.

The day before yesterday, she even brought two small bottles for your mom and your Aunt Lu, saying they were for hand lotion. We didn’t accept them and told her not to come by the cattle shed anymore.”

Xu Ning nodded and said, “Dad, I understand. I’ll be careful.”

As Xu Ning and Xu Yang were about to leave, their mother said, “Xiao Ning, when you send Xiaoran her wedding money, include ten yuan from your dad and me. Just let her know it’s a little something from us.”

“Mom, I got it,” Xu Ning replied.

Once they arrived back home, Xu Yang asked, “Sis, is the female educated youth Dad mentioned the same one you told me about before, the one you found odd?”

“It’s her. But don’t worry, Brother. Both Dad and Uncle Lu said they didn’t feel any bad intentions from her. We’ll just be cautious, avoid interacting with her, and keep our distance.”

Xu Ning knew very well that Lin Miao was simply trying to latch onto someone influential. She was making friends with a few people now in the hopes of having some support when she returned to the city. Lin Miao likely had no intention of harming anyone, and she wouldn’t dare to either.

Seeing that Xu Yang was still worried, and not wanting him to dwell on it when he returned to the military, Xu Ning thought for a moment and said, “I overheard her talking with her boyfriend on the mountain. She mentioned that the people in the cattle shed were once officials, and if any of them ever manage to make a comeback, they’d be a powerful connection. That’s probably why she’s trying to get close to Mom and Dad.”

She continued, “It’s that kind of mindset that made me realize she has a problem with her way of thinking, which is why I avoid dealing with her.”

Hearing this, Xu Yang breathed a sigh of relief and said, “If that’s her motive, then things should be safe at the cattle shed. But you still need to be careful when you and Xiao An interact with people there.”

He glanced at the clock, noticing it was getting late, and said to Xu Ning, “You should get some rest. I’m going to go remind Xiao An and Xiao Mo to be cautious too.”

Seeing that Xu Yang was now at ease, Xu Ning didn’t say more and went off to bed. Tomorrow, they were going hunting in the mountains, and the day after, Xu Yang would be returning to his unit. She needed to wake up early to prepare food and other things for him to take on his journey.

Xu Yang and Xu An had gone up the mountain, while Xu Ning was busy making spiced salt biscuits. Xiao Mo was helping tend the fire. There wasn’t much suitable for the journey, so she figured that some biscuits, along with a pot of water on the train, would make for a decent meal. In the afternoon, she planned to steam some sponge cakes, both sweet and savory, to offer a variety of flavors.

Xiao Mo, munching on a biscuit while tending the fire, kept chatting away. “Sis, after Brother leaves tomorrow, I’ll be staying with Grandpa Qi. He tells the best stories! When it gets colder, I won’t be coming around here every day, but if you make something tasty, make sure to save me a bite!”

Xu Ning looked at the clever little boy, finding him more adorable with every glance. She smiled and said, “Xiao Mo, don’t worry. Your sister will be fetching water every day, so we can agree on a time. You can wait by the door, and I’ll bring you something delicious.”

Xiao Mo’s eyes lit up. “Sis, let’s make up a secret code! When you arrive, just bark twice like a dog, and I’ll meow back like a cat. If you don’t hear a meow, it means I didn’t hear you, so bark louder!”

Xu Ning…

You little rascal, maybe you should stop eating.

Xu Yang and Xu An returned later, carrying a roe deer, a wild chicken, and a rabbit.

Xu An said to Xu Ning, “Sis, when Brother and I went up the mountain, we ran into Uncle Hongjun and three men from the village who were also going hunting, so we all went together.

They weren’t as skilled as Brother, and when they saw the wild chickens and rabbits he caught, they were so envious. Brother then suggested we work as a team and split whatever we caught. They were thrilled by the idea.

In total, we caught two roe deer, more than ten wild chickens, and more than ten rabbits. When it came time to split the catch, Uncle Hongjun insisted that Brother take one of the roe deer, along with some chickens and rabbits. Brother only took the smaller roe deer and let them divide the rest among themselves. One of the older men felt a bit embarrassed since both roe deer were caught by Brother, so he added a chicken and a rabbit to our basket.”

After hearing this, Xu Ning said, “Brother did the right thing. Since you all hunted together, it wouldn’t be fair to keep everything to ourselves—that would only make people resentful. It’s better to share. Even though we may end up with less, it’s safer this way. Everyone gets something, and no one will have any reason to cause trouble later.”

Xu Yang looked at Xu Ning, feeling truly proud of his younger sister. She wasn’t just smart, but exceptionally wise.

At first, he hadn’t thought about teaming up with the others, only about keeping a low profile and not drawing attention. But seeing how envious they were of his catches, he came up with the idea of sharing.