Chapter 12

“This is a New Year gift.” Seeing that her Fifth Brother was about to say something more, Chen Nongmo quickly interrupted him.

Noticing his Sixth Sister’s firm attitude, Chen Yi remained silent for a few moments before raising his hand to pat her head. His tone carried a sense of weariness, “Be careful; Mom and Dad might beat someone up.”

“They won’t!” Chen Nongmo replied with certainty. At most, they would grumble for a bit.

Chen Yi pointed at himself helplessly. “They’ll beat me!”

Chen Nongmo stifled her laughter and then, in an unusually considerate tone, said, “Don’t worry. I’ll stand in front of you.”

The tall and slender young man lowered his head to look at his younger sister, who only came up to his shoulder. Seeing her growing more relaxed, he smiled. When he spoke again, there was a teasing hint of doubt in his tone. “You think you can shield me?”

“I’m not short!” Chen Nongmo protested, annoyed by his doubtful gaze. Even if she didn’t grow any taller, she was still about 1.6 meters tall—petite and delicate, which was adorable, wasn’t it? Besides, she was only 16 years old, according to her nominal age.

Chen Yi quickly tried to soothe her. “Alright, alright, not short! Not short! But honestly, there’s no need to buy so many shoes. Just get some for the elders, okay? This money could buy two bicycles.”

This time, Chen Nongmo didn’t reply but instead made her refusal crystal clear with her attitude.

She was fully aware that this wasn’t a small amount of money, but she didn’t spend like this all the time. If she did, no matter how much money their parents prepared, it wouldn’t be enough for her to squander.

Moreover, she had already started learning how to make clothes and shoes. Once her skills improved to a presentable level, she could save a lot by doing it herself.

The reason she insisted on buying boots was that she noticed her brothers were the type who liked going out a lot. However, their cotton shoes weren’t waterproof, and all of them had chilblains on their feet.

These leather boots, with their thick fur lining and waterproof exterior, would surely be warm. If properly maintained, they could last for ten years without a problem.

With that thought in mind, she turned to the shop assistant, who was busy comparing sizes, and added, “Comrade, not just my pair—please size up the other pairs as well. Oh, and could you grab a few more tubes of shoe polish?”

Hearing this, the shop assistant instinctively glanced at the thick stack of money in the girl’s hand and smiled even more warmly. “Of course!”

“We already have shoe polish at home,” Chen Yi reminded her.

Their father and eldest brother often went into the mountains, where cotton shoes couldn’t handle the dampness. As a result, there were already two pairs of leather boots in their household.

Even though the boots had been carefully maintained for many years, the leather had cracked in several places. 

Later, when Big Brother joined the military unit, he left his pair of boots for Second Brother. 

Next year, when Second Brother successfully passed the selection to join the military unit, the boots would then be handed down to Third Brother… 

“The shoe polish is for Big Brother and his friend Comrade Shao.” Chen Nongmo explained thoughtfully.

Since she was already gifting the boots, a box of shoe polish was hardly an extra expense.

Once she committed to doing something, she always aimed to do it perfectly. 

Measuring the shoe sizes didn’t take long, but the store didn’t have so many pairs in stock on display. The shop assistant had to go back and forth to the warehouse to retrieve them. 

The process ended up taking more than half an hour. 

When Chen Yi, both delighted and distressed, finally carried the dozen or so pairs of shoes and carefully protected his Little Sister as they headed down to the first floor, they saw from afar that their parents were still waiting in line. 

“Let’s find a place to wait,” Chen Yi suggested. 

Not wanting to squeeze into the crowd downstairs, Chen Nongmo nodded in agreement and followed her Fifth Brother to a sheltered corner out of the wind. They sat down to wait. 

Although he had tried to stop her from buying the shoes earlier, once the teenager actually had his own pair of leather boots, he couldn’t help but be overjoyed. At just fifteen years old, he held his boots close and kept looking at them with a face full of excitement. 

This was the first time he’d ever had a pair of leather boots of his own. 

While the family was doing relatively well, they weren’t exceptionally wealthy. Other than being generous with food, their spending habits were much the same as others in the village. 

Especially when it came to clothing and shoes, apart from soft fabrics used for undergarments, most of the clothes and shoes the brothers wore were made from the durable old fabric their mother wove. The material was tough and long-lasting. 

Still, he couldn’t just take his Little Sister’s gift without giving something back. He’d have to think of a better return gift later… 

“Want to put them on now?” Chen Nongmo asked as she freed her hands from her gloves, preparing to take out her own boots to change into. She felt the cold easily, and the new boots were sure to be warmer. 

Chen Yi, his thoughts interrupted, stepped forward slightly to block her. Shaking his head, he disapproved, “Save them for New Year’s. It’s not a holiday now—why wear new shoes?” 

Chen Nongmo blinked and, seeing that her Fifth Brother was serious, withdrew her hand. She put her gloves back on, rested her chin in her hands, and gazed at the clean and refined young man with a smile. 

See? Having new shoes made him happy after all. 

Chen Yi, feeling awkward under his Little Sister’s gaze for a moment, eventually broke into a big, contented smile of his own. 

Of course, the siblings’ smiles didn’t last long. Before they knew it, their joy was frozen solid by their parents’ dark expressions. 

Though the shoes weren’t returned, Chen Nongmo and Chen Yi were scolded the entire way home. 

Most of the scolding was directed at Chen Yi. 

In Cao Qiuhua and Chen Zong’s eyes, it was understandable that their youngest daughter, given her past circumstances, didn’t have much of a sense of money. 

But for their youngest son, who had accompanied her and failed to stop her spending? He bore the brunt of the blame. If they weren’t going to yell at him, then who else? 

The culprit, Chen Nongmo, who had promised to help divert some of the scolding, shamelessly hid behind the amused Second Brother. She wore an expression of pure innocence as if she had nothing to do with it. 

The sight of her hiding made the usually good-tempered Chen Yi grind his teeth in frustration. 

---

The county’s State-Owned Restaurant was famous for its chef’s extraordinary skills. 

It was said that his ancestors had once been imperial chefs. 

While this claim couldn’t be verified, it was still impressive that he could maintain his reputation as head chef even during these sensitive times. 

At the State-Owned Restaurant, Chen Nongmo once again encountered Liu Yuanyuan. 

Liu Yuanyuan didn’t seem to notice them. She was surrounded by a group of neatly dressed young people, chatting and laughing with her bright and animated expression. 

She was a radiant and lively girl. 

Remembering the book’s plot, in which Liu Yuanyuan indirectly caused Second Brother to lose a leg and later fell into despair, changing her personality and dying young, Chen Nongmo grew increasingly concerned about the disaster looming after the New Year. 

“What are you spacing out for? Come with me to line up over there,” Cao Liu said, tugging Little Sister’s arm and pulling her toward a long queue. 

Dragged along, Chen Nongmo asked blankly, “What are they selling? Why is the line so long?” 

“Smoked pork knuckle! It’s that dish you loved last night. It’s the chef’s specialty, and they only sell a limited amount each day. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.” 

Hearing this, Chen Nongmo no longer needed Second Brother to drag her. She eagerly stepped forward to join the crowd. 

Smoked pork knuckle! 

She absolutely had to get some! 

After enjoying a hearty meal, the family made their way to the post office. 

This year, Chu Wuwen still couldn’t make it home for the New Year. As usual, the family prepared a package of food and clothing to send to him. 

With the addition of the leather boots and a letter from Chen Nongmo, the package looked particularly large and sturdy, weighing around twenty pounds. 

Big Brother was stationed in H Province, about a three-day journey from home. Barring any unexpected delays, the package should reach him before the New Year. 

As they left the post office, Chen Nongmo found herself wondering whether Big Brother would be happy to receive her letter of thanks and the boots. 

A blood-related brother, huh… 

The thought felt so strange and wonderful to her. 

---

The package, filled with the love and care of the family, indeed arrived at the 738th Military Unit just as Chen Nongmo had hoped—on the eve of the Lunar New Year. 

At the end of the year, many soldiers received packages from home. 

Some arrived earlier, some later. 

There was, however, an unwritten rule: whatever was received, half of it should be shared with familiar comrades. 

It had been this way every year, and this year was no exception. 

When Chu Wuwen cheerfully carried the large package back to his single dormitory, he wasn’t surprised to find a room full of “wolves” waiting for him. 

He laughed and cursed, “Are you all bloodhounds or something? How did you sniff this out and get here so fast?” 

The First Battalion Commander reached out to grab the package. “Stop wasting words. Hand it over.” 

The Second Battalion Commander chuckled. “Lieutenant Colonel Chen, this year’s package seems even bigger than usual. Hurry up and open it. Let’s see what goodies are inside.” 

As they spoke, the First Battalion Commander pulled out a pair of scissors he had prepared in advance and started cutting the package open, grinning widely. 

Meanwhile, the package’s rightful owner, Chu Wuwen, was unceremoniously shoved to the outer edge of the group. 

He didn’t mind, though. Even with all the joking around, everyone knew their limits. 

“Your package should be arriving in the next couple of days, right?” Unable to squeeze back into the crowd, Chu Wuwen casually sat down beside his close friend, crossing his long legs in a relaxed manner as he struck up some small talk. 

Shao Zheng thought for a moment. “Not sure. The route to J City is far, and with all the Spring Festival packages, it might not arrive until after the holiday.” 

Just as Chu Wuwen was about to respond, a chorus of excited shouts erupted from the group of comrades: 

“Whoa! Two pairs of leather boots!” 

“These things are crazy expensive!” 

“Lieutenant Colonel Chen’s family really goes all out. But why would they send two pairs of the exact same boots?” 

Hearing this, Chu Wuwen exchanged a glance with Shao Zheng. Then, both of them got up and walked over. 

“Lieutenant Colonel Chen, there’s a letter here,” the First Battalion Commander said, handing over a thick envelope. 

Chu Wuwen’s gaze lingered on the boots for a moment before he quickly tore open the envelope. Even before reading a word, an uneasy feeling began to creep into his chest. 

Sure enough, as soon as he unfolded one of the letters and saw the unfamiliar yet slightly immature handwriting, his expression darkened. 

His eyes darted back and forth between the boots and his close friend. 

After a long silence, he finally gritted his teeth and said, dripping with sarcasm, “The other pair is for you.” 

Damn it! 

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got!