Although it was early in the morning when the package arrived, the villagers were already hard at work, as they started their labor early in the countryside.

Lin Youpeng was Grandpa Lin’s name.

He didn’t need to work, but he wasn’t idle either.

He often went up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs, especially in summer, when he would gather herbs to cool down the body and give them out for free to the villagers.

That’s why Grandpa Lin had a great reputation in the Gao Mountain Hollow Production Brigade.

Moreover, the Lin family had many sons, and the villagers knew that the Lin family wanted a daughter.

Because of this, many young women hoped to marry into the Lin family.

If they married into the Lin family, they wouldn’t have to worry about being looked down upon by their in-laws for giving birth to a daughter.

“When Lin Youpeng isn’t home, I’m his wife. Can I receive the package?” Grandma Lin called out loudly from the fields.

The Lin family’s ancestors were all great physicians, and Grandpa Lin was skilled in medicine.

Before the liberation, although the Lin family wasn’t rich or a landowner, they had their own medicine shop.

Later, when the country went through upheaval, the Lin family’s shop was closed down, and Grandpa Lin started treating patients privately, secretly providing medicine to the country.

How did such a person come to know Grandma Lin?

Grandma Lin had never received an education, and her father had once been a rickshaw puller.

Since rickshaw pullers worked day and night, one day, Grandma Lin’s father did business for Grandpa Lin, and they became acquainted.

Gradually, they got to know each other, and later, Grandpa Lin married Grandma Lin.

Afterward, with the liberation and the founding of the new country, they moved to the Gao Mountain Hollow Production Brigade, which was also the Lin family’s ancestral home.

Although Grandma Lin had followed Grandpa Lin for many years, she had never received formal education, but she still knew a few characters.

When she was young, her father taught her how to read, and after marriage, Grandpa Lin taught her more.

“Yes, yes, yes, this is Doctor Lin’s wife; she can receive the package.” The villagers working in the fields shouted out.

As a renowned doctor, Grandpa Lin was already respected, and since Lin Qingqing had married an officer, the villagers held the Lin family in even higher esteem.

The postman said, “It’s fine, you can receive it.”

He didn’t want to make another trip.

Though the Gao Mountain Hollow Production Brigade wasn’t very remote and was relatively close to the town, he had many packages to deliver.

If everyone was absent, he’d have to make several trips, which would delay his entire schedule.

Hearing the postman’s approval, Grandma Lin immediately went to collect the package.

It was the first time their family had received a package, and Grandma Lin had a feeling that it must be from her granddaughter.

Sure enough, when she looked at the package, she saw that it was addressed by name to Lin Qingqing.

Thankfully, Grandma Lin could still recognize her granddaughter’s name or any of her family’s names. “Comrade, thank you so much,”

“Thank you,” Lin Grandmother said as she received the package and greeted the team leader. “Team Leader, I’ll go home to drop off the package first, then I’ll come back to work.”

The team leader nodded. “Alright,” he said.

The work attendance wasn’t based on time; it was based on the amount of work completed.

The Lin family saw Lin Grandmother carrying the package home and eagerly watched her, wanting to go home and check it out too, but they didn’t dare to.

When Lin Grandmother got home, she didn’t immediately open the package.

She placed it in her room and locked it up, then went back to work.

But she didn’t work for long, as she was soon back to prepare lunch.

Before the lunch was even ready, Lin Grandfather returned home.

As soon as he came in, he went to the kitchen. “On my way back, I passed by the fields, and the neighbors were saying we got a package?”

Lin Grandfather was a well-educated, kind-hearted man who looked very gentle.

From his demeanor, it was clear he had received good education and came from a reputable background.

Lin Grandfather could guess the package was from his granddaughter, so he was curious about what she had sent.

Lin Grandmother replied, “Yes, I checked the name, it’s from Qingqing. You know, when she was born, she was so fat, almost couldn’t make it out. I was worried she might be hard to raise, so I named her Qingqing, to ‘lighten’ her fate. Now, it seems she’s a fortunate child. Lu Cheng has no parents, no mother-in-law, and the little boy is still young, it won’t be a problem. She’ll have a good life ahead.”

Lin Grandfather didn’t want to dampen her spirits but still added, “Let’s read the letter first; we don’t know if it’s good or bad yet.”

“Go, go, go. You never have anything nice to say,” Lin Grandmother scolded him, not at all pleased with his words. “You’re just eager to open the package yourself. Let’s wait for everyone to come home, and then we’ll open it together.”

Seeing he wasn’t going to get his way, Lin Grandfather left to tend to his herbs.

Before long, the Lin family returned from work.

Everyone hurriedly asked, “Mother, is the package from Qingqing?”

The first to ask was Lin’s mother, as she was the most qualified to ask.

“Mother, what did Qingqing send us?”

“Grandmother, did Sister send me something tasty?”

“Grandmother…”

“Mother…”

Although it was lively with so many people, sometimes it could get a bit too noisy.

Lin Grandmother, hearing all their questions, felt like her ears were going to ring. “Let’s eat first. I haven’t opened it yet. We’ll all look at it together after lunch.”

As soon as Lin Grandmother said this, everyone immediately started preparing for the meal.

At the Lin family’s house, the men and women ate separately.

It wasn’t because of favoritism, but because the Lin family had always done things this way.

Because the table was too small to fit everyone, the men and women sat separately.

Grandpa Lin sat at the table with his three sons and grandsons, while Grandma Lin sat with her daughters-in-law and granddaughters.

The Lin family didn’t eat in a hurry like some families.

This had a lot to do with the example set by Grandpa Lin.

After the three sons were born, they naturally followed their parents’ example, so they didn’t eat quickly.

Later, when the daughters-in-law entered the family, they naturally followed the men’s habits.

As a result, the children they had were also taught to eat in the same way.

But today was different.

The Lin family ate much faster than usual.

Grandma Lin was getting older and couldn’t eat as quickly as the younger ones, so while the others had finished eating, she was still at the table.

As a result, all eyes were on her, including Grandpa Lin’s.

Grandma Lin didn’t mind.

She scolded, “One at a time, you’re all grown-ups, yet you have no patience. Even Qingqing could endure until she was 19 before getting married. Look at you all.”

“Mom, we’re just curious,” Lin Er (Second Son) chuckled.

Like in many families, Lin Er was once neglected by his parents before Qingqing was born.

However, Grandpa Lin and Grandma Lin never mistreated him, even though they had many sons.

Aside from the eldest son, the other sons were treated equally.

Who would’ve known that Lin mother was expecting a daughter?

The older generation had their ways of guessing the gender of a baby, and Grandma Lin, when she began showing signs of pregnancy, thought she was carrying a girl.

She even consulted a fortune teller.

Surprisingly, the fortune teller predicted it would indeed be a girl.

So, Lin mother started the long process of nourishing herself, but in the end, she nearly sacrificed her own health in the process.

When Lin Qingqing was born, both Grandpa Lin and Grandma Lin’s parents were still alive.

The birth of a girl after three generations was such a joy for them.

At that time, Lin Qingqing was truly cherished.

Whenever there was food, it was always prioritized for her, starting with the great-grandparents.

The Lin family had always been involved in medicine, so they were not poor.

Delicious food was frequently available, and Lin Qingqing’s clothes, even those sent by the army, were always in perfect condition, without a single patch.

Hearing Grandma Lin’s words, Lin mother thought to herself that her daughter wasn’t someone who could endure, but rather someone with high standards.

By the age of 19, Qingqing still hadn’t found the right person.

Furthermore, with the elders in the family spoiling her and Grandpa Lin, as a doctor, agreeing that it was better for women to marry later and have children later, no one in the family pressured her to get married.

As the only granddaughter of three generations, Grandpa and Grandma Lin also wanted to keep her around for a few more years.

Finally, when Grandma Lin finished her meal and asked the daughters-in-law to clean up the kitchen, she went to her room and brought in the package that Qingqing had sent.

The package was indeed large, but to Lin Grandmother, who was used to farm work, it didn’t seem like much.

When the package was moved into the living room, everyone’s eyes were wide open, eagerly waiting to see what would come out of it.

Lin Grandmother said, “The package hasn’t been opened yet. Should I open it now?” She then began to unwrap the package, and as soon as it was opened, the items inside started to emerge.

“So much fabric!”

“Didn’t Little Sister just bring all the supply store’s fabric home?” Lin Yiyang commented.

As the eldest grandson of the family, Lin Yiyang had always been taught to protect his younger sister since she was the only girl born in the third generation of the Lin family.

Even though they were cousins, Lin Yiyang felt a deep affection for Lin Qingqing, stronger than that of siblings.

Similarly, Lin Qingqing was very fond of him because he had always taken care of her since she was little.

“Don’t speak if you have nothing good to say.”

Lin Grandmother gave him a look, “How would I know how many tickets this fabric cost? Qingqing must have owed quite a few people favors.”

After pulling out several bundles of fabric, Lin Grandmother found a few “Liberation Bags” and pencil cases, clearly meant for the younger brothers still in school.

There were also two packs of White Rabbit milk candies and a bag of fruit candies.

Most importantly, she pulled out a can of milk powder.

“Wow, Eldest Sister sent so many candies!”

“Grandmother, I want some candy,” Lin Luming, Lin Qingqing’s biological younger brother, said.

Lin Luming was the sixth child in the Lin family, hence his name.

Meanwhile, Lin Yiyang, the first-born of this generation, had a name reflecting his status, “Yi,” meaning “one.”

“Wait a minute,” Lin Grandmother replied as she continued to pull out more items. “These clothes… this fabric feels so nice, it must be expensive.”

There were several pieces of clothing, but it was unclear who they were for, making everyone feel a bit anxious.

“And there’s more…” Lin Grandmother finally pulled out two pairs of rain boots.

“These boots are good,” Lin Grandfather commented. “With these boots, I won’t worry about going up the mountain anymore.”

The Lin family’s situation wasn’t bad, and they had family assets.

However, even though they had some wealth, as farmers, they had no “tickets” (which refers to ration cards or purchasing privileges in this era).

Even with money, they couldn’t buy everything in stores, such as at the department store.

Lin Grandmother, who liked to tease Lin Grandfather, shot back, “How do you know they’re for you? Maybe they’re for me or for the eldest, second, or third sons!”