Chapter 5: A Promissory Note

In the back pocket, sewn into the jacket, was a promissory note and a black-and-white photo!

The person who sewed this was very meticulous, wrapping the contents in waterproof paper. Even if the original owner had washed the jacket, the items inside would likely remain dry.

The promissory note clearly listed the borrower’s name, date of birth, home address, details of their immediate family, the reason they borrowed two hundred yuan from Comrade Su Donghan, the deadline of two years, and a note stating that the two’s handwritten signatures and photo would serve as proof. After two years, with interest, the total repayment amount would be 2,150 yuan. The borrower could repay either personally or through an agent.

Along with the signatures of the borrower and lender, there were also two witnesses’ signatures, all sealed with red handprints.

The date on the promissory note was over three years ago, just before the original owner went to the countryside.

Su Taotao racked her brain. She didn’t recall this part being mentioned in the book. Perhaps the original owner never noticed the promissory note sewn into the jacket, or maybe after she returned to the city, she never checked. Since Su Taotao was now in the body of the original owner and made a different choice, the story had deviated significantly from what was originally written. Apart from the objectively existing people or events, the original plot no longer served as much of a reference.

Su Taotao picked up the photo, glanced at it, and couldn’t help but smile. Genetics is truly a remarkable science. The original owner’s fox-like eyes were actually inherited from her father. Even though she had never met him, one look was enough to tell who the donor was—Su Donghan, “Su Taotao’s” biological father.

The original book didn’t elaborate much on Su Taotao’s family, briefly mentioning that her relationship with them wasn’t good.

The borrower’s address in the IOU, Cao Guohua, was located in the county where the Qinglian Commune was, only about ten kilometers from the village where Su Taotao was.

The fact that Su Taotao was stationed here and had this promissory note sewn into her jacket might not be a coincidence. It was likely arranged by her father, Su Donghan. The so-called “strained relationship with her family” might have been the original owner’s perspective. Her family probably still cared about her, but in those days, it was common to have many children. Su Taotao had two older brothers and a younger sister, making her the most easily overlooked middle child.

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Perhaps Su Donghan or her mother didn’t tell the original owner about this promissory note because they knew she was extravagant. By the time of real need, they wouldn’t be able to help from afar, so they had preemptively set this “safety net” in place, which might solve urgent problems at critical moments.

It was truly a thoughtful arrangement.

Su Taotao carefully put away the promissory note and the photo. With only thirteen yuan and eighty-five cents left to her name, she would likely need to use this “safety net” soon. Even if she didn’t need it, she had to nourish Chenchen, who was in his developmental years. Such a smart child shouldn’t waste his talents.

As she continued cleaning up, Su Taotao found a letter from her childhood friend addressed to the original owner.

She skimmed through it. The handwriting and prose were both beautiful. Although the word “love” was never mentioned, the affection overflowed in every line, brimming with genuine emotions. No wonder the original owner couldn’t stop thinking about him all these years.

Su Taotao thought for a moment, then found a matchbox, struck a match, and set the letter on fire.

Back then, people were very strict about keeping men and women separate. If someone discovered the letter, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself even with ten mouths. She had no intention of experiencing a pig cage dunking.

Her body, having been soaked in cold water, was weak. After cleaning for a while, she was exhausted.

Feeling around under her pillow, she pulled out her watch. It was already past ten o’clock at night. Staying up this late was considered staying up too late by the standards of the time.

Su Taotao fought off her drowsiness, changed the bedsheet, and used an old piece of clothing as a pillowcase before lying back down. Before sleeping, she thought, disoriented, that the watch was one of the betrothal gifts from Fu Zhengtu. Although they couldn’t afford all the traditional wedding gifts like a sewing machine, bicycle, radio, and watch, it was still considered a decent match in the countryside.

Originally, the original owner had set her sights on Fu Zhengtu when he came back on leave and had used some unsavory means to marry into the Fu family successfully. In reality, neither Fu Zhengtu nor the Fu family had mistreated the original owner or spoken ill of her.

The original owner had thought that marriage would allow her to leave with Fu Zhengtu, but something went wrong, and she wouldn’t be able to join him for another three years.

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She couldn’t wait that long and, by a twist of fate, entered this world. She wondered if she’d wake up back in the twenty-first century.

As it turned out, when Su Taotao woke up, she was still Su Taotao in the 1970s. She couldn’t go back.

She used to have a habit of insomnia from staying up late, but now her sleep quality was excellent.

In the early morning, as she pushed open the door, smoke was rising from the kitchen. She took a deep breath of the crisp morning air and greeted the tiny, adorable Chenchen with a warm, bright smile, “Good morning, Chenchen!”

Chenchen, not yet two years old, was developing slower than most children and was still unsteady on his feet. He was wobbling around with a gourd ladle, trying to give water to the chicks. When Su Taotao called out to him, he almost spilled the water.

He stared at her, wide-eyed and confused, unsure of what to make of this new morning routine. For a moment, he was stunned and couldn’t respond.

Even Chenchen, and Fu Yuanhang, who had just returned from digging earthworms and was feeding the chicks, had his brows furrowed like earthworms. To him, Su Taotao hadn’t been right since she was pulled from the water.

This version of her looked even scarier, like she had something up her sleeve.

Fu Yuanhang shuddered as a thought struck him, and he looked at her in horror. Her sudden kindness towards Chenchen made him wonder if she was planning to sell him!

Little did Su Taotao know that her simple “good morning” had set off Fu Yuanhang’s wild imagination. She was in a great mood after a full night’s sleep and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of such a cute little kid.

Su Taotao walked over with a smile, crouched down in front of Chenchen, and looked him in the eye, pointing at his small gourd-shaped scoop. “Chenchen, what are you doing with that?”

Yep, that was the look and smile of the Big Bad Wolf in grandma’s clothes!

Fu Yuanhang felt he had uncovered the truth and shouted at Chenchen, “Chenchen, come here quick, the chicks are thirsty!”

Hearing his uncle’s call, Chenchen didn’t think twice and slowly waddled over.

Su Taotao felt a pang of regret. She was so close to giving Chenchen’s chubby cheeks a pinch. She hadn’t even guided him to call her “mom” yet. She wondered if he could speak properly already.

No rush, she’d take her time.

Su Taotao didn’t disturb the two as they fed the chicks. Instead, she strolled around the small yard with her hands behind her back.

The house was a typical farmhouse, with a main building that had four rooms. Opposite the house stood the kitchen and bathroom, both built with blue bricks and black tiles, looking relatively new. In between, a spacious open yard stretched out, with a water pump in the center, surrounded by a small cement pool where you could wash things. On either side of the door grew a bamboo plant. One side of the wall was fenced with bamboo to raise chicks, with various farm tools hanging, while on the other side was a small vegetable patch with coriander, garlic, and green onions. Next to that was a simple clothes drying rack made of two wooden forks and a bamboo pole, with a few clothes hanging on it.

The house looked old, but when she woke up yesterday, she thought it looked like a house in need of repair. From the outside today, it looked quite sturdy, with new and clean tiles on the roof that shouldn’t leak. There were no safety concerns.

The key point was how clean it was, a clear sign that the owner was hardworking and loved cleanliness. All in all, the living conditions were much better than she had expected.

Most importantly, the bathroom had a squat toilet, built at Su Taotao’s insistence when she married Fu Zhengtu. She didn’t have to use that smelly outhouse everyone talked about!

This was perhaps the only thing the original owner had done that made her truly happy.

Just as she was admiring the place, something unexpected happened. A figure rushed in like a whirlwind. Without a word, the door slammed shut.

Su Taotao blinked and looked at the two children who were happily feeding the chicks, questioning with her eyes: “Who’s that? What’s going on here?”