Chapter 13

“Me? Mom gave them to me?” Compared to his friend’s dark expression, Shao Zheng was more surprised. He stood up, walked over, and reached for one of the pairs of shoes to examine it.

Over the years, although Aunt Qiuhua would send Old Chen food when she sent things, she had never sent him any clothes or shoes.

Hearing this, Chu Wuwen glanced at his friend, who had already removed his shoes and was happily trying on the leather boots. His face stiffened, and just as he was about to shift the blame to his mother, someone shouted, “Lieutenant Colonel Chen, you actually have a little sister? How come you’ve never mentioned her? You’ve been hiding her too well!”

Before the lie could even leave his lips, it was exposed. Looking into the surprised eyes of Old Shao, the tall and sturdy man, enraged and embarrassed, glared at the company commander, who was secretly glancing at the letter. He waved his hand at the guys lagging behind and shouted, “Hurry up! Take the food and get lost!”

The others weren’t intimidated; they continued to leisurely pick through the food in the packages.

After they had taken half of the good stuff, they finally left, laughing and chatting as they went.

Just as they were leaving, the company commander made a quick return.

He stuck his head back in and asked the people inside, “Lieutenant Colonel Chen, how old is your little sister this year?”

At this, not only Chu Wuwen but even Shao Zheng, who had changed into new shoes, looked over. He stared at the company commander, narrowing his long, sharp eyes, and smiled meaningfully, “The age where she would call you ‘uncle.'”

Upon hearing this, the company commander clicked his tongue and reflexively replied, “I’m only one year older than Lieutenant Colonel Shao, right?”

The implication being that both of them were at the age to be uncles.

In response, Shao Zheng raised an eyebrow but didn’t refute it. Clearly, he accepted that title.

Chu Wuwen, however, was amused and mocked, “What kind of spring and autumn dreams are you having? Should I be calling you both uncles too?”

“Whoosh!” In an instant, the company commander was completely gone, disappearing from the door.

After the playful banter, the frustration that had been bothering Chu Wuwen faded away. He handed the letter, which he had been holding in his hand, to his good friend and then unfolded his parents’ letter, quickly scanning through it.

The letter was long, just like before. It not only contained his parents’ deep concern but also greetings from his younger brothers and recent family matters.

But more than anything, it was filled with praise for the little sister.

Well-behaved, considerate, beautiful, elegant, intelligent… In short, all kinds of flattering words were lavished on the little sister, who he had never met. This made Chu Wuwen even more curious about the little girl who shared his name.

Little sister, huh…

Meanwhile, Shao Zheng finished reading the brief yet sincere letter of thanks. He felt a bit surprised.

His family’s Master Zhi and the national doctor, Dr. Min, had connections. A few years ago, when Old Chen had asked him to help arrange a medical checkup for the girl, he had learned about Chen Nongmo’s special situation.

A few days ago, when Old Chen mentioned that the little sister had regained her sanity, Shao Zheng had been happy for his friend, though also curious. However, he had no intention of digging deeper.

He certainly hadn’t expected that the girl would send him a gift.

By the way, how old was the little sister? Fifteen, right?

As he thought about it, Shao Zheng carefully folded the letter, suddenly feeling that the shoes on his feet were getting a bit too warm.

He was a grown man, receiving a gift from a fifteen-year-old girl?

Although it was a token of thanks for his help, Shao Zheng still felt a bit embarrassed. He thought about returning the favor. “You mentioned buying a gift for our little sister last time. Did you send it yet?”

Chu Wuwen, who had been busy to the point of exhaustion, finally stopped working just recently. A look of regret appeared on his face. “I haven’t had time to buy it yet. Didn’t you say the Flowered Cotton Jacket wasn’t nice?”

Who could have guessed that with all the delays, it was his older brother, who was over ten years older, who had ended up receiving a gift from the little sister first?

Especially now, after reading the family’s various praises for the little sister in the letter, and with the warm new leather boots at hand, Chu Wuwen couldn’t help but feel his heart soften.

Little Sister, huh… It seemed so different from the younger brothers. After all, he hadn’t received any gifts from those little rascals in the ten years he’d been away from home.

Thinking of this, Chu Wuwen looked back at his friend. “What do girls from J City like? I’m sure if I buy something according to the tastes of the women there, it’ll be a safe bet for Yuyu.”

Shao Zheng was surprised. “Yuyu?” Ink for the brush, brush for the ink… Was that a nickname related to ink?

“The little girl’s nickname. I’m asking you, what do the women from J City like as gifts?”

Shao Zheng, helpless, shrugged. How would he know? His family didn’t have such a young girl.

Still, feeling the warmth from the shoes on his feet, the man thought seriously for a moment before asking, “What does Little Sister look like? Or how does she usually dress?”

As for her appearance… Chu Wuwen really couldn’t remember much, since he’d only seen a few photos at home. “She looks a lot like me. We’re real siblings.”

Shao Zheng sized up his friend’s appearance, finding it hard to imagine what a female version of Chu Wuwen would look like. Especially when he imagined a strong woman wearing a Flowered Cotton Jacket, he shivered, feeling a bit speechless. “How about… we send Little Sister some New Year’s money? She can buy whatever she likes.”

Chu Wuwen gave Old Shao a disgusted look, thinking he should never have hoped for a good answer from him…

Never mind. He would find a way to contact the old man, who was at the Artillery Academy studying ideology, and ask him what Yuyu liked. It would also be a good chance to check in on his latest situation.

And for Little Sister to get the old man’s address, she would need the old man’s consent first.

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New Year’s Eve.

It started snowing again.

The snow was falling all around.

Chen Nongmo spent the better part of the morning playing ice sled with her third and fourth brothers at the flat ground near the village. Her face, which had always been a little pale, had turned rosy.

“Sixth Brother, stop moving, let me do it!” Chen Jun sat behind Little Sister, using both hands to push on the wooden stick, trying to catch up with Chen Huai, who was constantly turning around and taunting them.

Upon hearing this, Chen Nongmo’s eyes brightened as she obediently pulled her hands away from the wooden stick, steadying herself. As the small sled beneath her picked up speed, the smile on her face grew wider.

She was quickly catching up to her third brother, who was shouting and howling ahead. Suddenly, a booming voice reached their ears:

“Third and Fourth Brothers! Are you itching for a beating? Don’t you see the snow? You’re going to make Little Sister catch a cold!”

The group, caught up in their “racing” and completely oblivious to the time, was startled by the shout. They all shrank back and turned to look.

Before they could even see Second Brother’s expression in the distance, they heard a loud “thud!”

Chen Nongmo turned back just in time to see her third brother, who had been full of pride moments before, crash into a tree. The impact caused the snow from the tree branches to fall in a cascade, quickly burying him under a small mound of snow.

Everyone…

“Hahaha…” Chen Jun’s laughter, full of schadenfreude, echoed through the air.

Of course, his gloating didn’t last long.

After they returned home, the mischief-makers were promptly scolded by their parents. The two brothers, dejected, watched as their Little Sister, who had also played for hours, was only mildly reprimanded by their mother and then treated to a cup of warm milk to comfort her.

How should they put it… The contrast was stark, and they envied her greatly, but neither of them dared to say a word.

“Stop looking at those two fools, drink your milk,” Cao Qiuhua said with a helpless but fond scolding when she noticed her daughter’s gaze drifting toward the two naughty boys.

Chen Nongmo felt a bit embarrassed. She rarely had the chance to play so freely, and it was her first time gliding on the ice, so she got a bit carried away. “Mom Qiuhua, I’m not cold at all, I’m even sweating!”

“You don’t understand, do you? Sweating makes you more likely to catch a cold. You mustn’t do that again. Those two boys knew better, but they still took you to play like that. I think they got off too lightly.”

Seeing Mom Qiuhua’s expression darken again, Chen Nongmo quickly changed the subject. “By the way, Big Brother should have received the package by now, right?”

Cao Qiuhua instinctively replied, “It should have arrived. That brat doesn’t even know what he’s busy with. It’s been three years since he came back. Having a son is just him coming to collect debts.”

Chen Nongmo, still trying to think of something else to talk about…

“By the way, Yuyu probably doesn’t even know what Big Brother looks like, right?”

Chen Nongmo sifted through her limited memories and shook her head. “No, Mom and Dad didn’t have time to show me any photos.”

Mentioning the Demao couple, Cao Qiuhua couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

In her view, it would have been so much better if Ji Mo and Yuyu had come to live with them. What was there to feel shy about? Could the face be more important than living well? She wondered what had become of them.

Though she was pondering these things, Cao Qiuhua didn’t let her daughter see her thoughts. She gently reached out to pat her girl’s head. “There are photos at home. Drink your milk first, and I’ll go get them for you to look at.”

Upon hearing this and watching her mother quickly leave, Chen Nongmo’s curiosity grew.

She wondered if Big Brother looked more like Mom Qiuhua, or more like Dad Zong, or maybe… Would there be any similarities between them as siblings?

Then, as she looked at the photos in her hands, Chen Nongmo fell silent.

How should she put it? As the male lead of a book, Chu Wuwen’s appearance was naturally extraordinary—sharp brows, starry eyes, and a handsome, resolute face.

But… compared to Chen Nongmo, who resembled her mother in appearance, it couldn’t really be called similar.

It was more accurate to say that they had no resemblance at all.