Chapter 2: Preparing for the Countryside 

“Dad, Mom, why did you buy so much stuff?”  

Li Lin opened the door and walked out, shocked at the sight of everything in the living room. Then, without a second thought, she called out to her parents.  

“Is it too much? I actually feel like it’s not enough,” Zhao Chunmei responded, glancing over the items.  

“Mom, look at my small arms and legs. How am I supposed to carry all this?” Li Lin stretched her delicate, fair arms and asked.  

“You’re right, daughter, this is indeed too much,” Li Donghai said, nodding in agreement. “How about this: you take what you can carry for now, and I’ll send the rest to you by mail. After all, it’s summer, so you won’t need all those thick clothes and blankets anyway.”  

“That sounds good. You take what you can use when you leave, and your dad and I will mail the rest to you. By the time you get to the Northeast, it should be about time for those things to arrive.” Zhao Chunmei nodded, agreeing with her husband’s suggestion.  

“Okay, then I’ll pack up later. We’re leaving tomorrow morning, right?” Li Lin noticed the change in her parents’ expressions after she spoke, and immediately added with a smile, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll come back whenever I have time.”  

“It’s not as easy as you think,” Zhao Chunmei said, looking at her silly daughter. She was genuinely worried that Li Lin would be taken advantage of in the countryside.  

“Yeah, daughter, it’s not as simple as you think. Just look at Old Liu’s daughter in the building next door. She’s been in the countryside for a year now. Not only has she never come back, but she doesn’t even send letters. Just thinking about it is heart-wrenching,” Li Donghai added, agreeing with his wife.  

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll definitely come back when I can. If I can’t, I’ll write to you whenever I have time,” Li Lin said, hugging her mother’s arm and pouting. “Mom, you and Dad must take good care of yourselves. If you don’t, I’ll make sure to come back, even if I make a mistake, okay?”  

“We know, we know. Don’t worry about us. Think about what you’ll do when you get to the countryside,” Zhao Chunmei said, her eyes welling up at the thought of her pampered daughter having to suffer in the countryside.  

“Alright, alright, if you keep going like this, you’ll make our daughter feel worse,” Li Donghai quickly said as he saw his wife starting to cry. He pulled her back into the room to calm her down.  

Li Lin watched her parents’ retreating figures with envy. Then, she turned back into her room to start packing.  

—

Time passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was already afternoon.  

This morning, Zhao Chunmei had used the entire month’s worth of meat coupons to buy pork. Now, she was in the kitchen, chopping the meat for dumpling filling, the sound of the knife ringing through the house, preparing to make dumplings for her daughter.  

That evening, the family had a dinner of cabbage and pork dumplings, each with their own complicated feelings.  

After dinner, Zhao Chunmei cleaned up and went into her daughter’s room. Using her skilled hands, she packed up a backpack and two bundles of items for Li Lin.  

Seeing her mother packing so much, Li Lin hurried to stop her, saying, “Mom, this is enough. Didn’t you and Dad say you’d mail the rest to me later?”  

“Right, I almost forgot about that,” Zhao Chunmei sighed as she listened to her daughter’s words. “Okay, I’ll only pack these things for you. Get some sleep now. You have to get up early tomorrow.”  

“Mm, Mom, you get some rest too.” Li Lin didn’t know how to comfort her mother, so she just thought to herself that she would write letters home often to make sure they wouldn’t worry.  

“By the way, Linlin, this is the money and coupons your dad and I prepared for you. Keep it safe.”  

Just as Zhao Chunmei was about to leave, she suddenly remembered the money they had prepared and turned around. She handed Li Lin a white silk handkerchief that wrapped the money and said, “Make sure to keep the money in several places so you don’t lose it.”  

“Thank you, Mom.”  

Li Lin knew that if she didn’t accept the money, her mom would never feel at ease, so she accepted it without hesitation. In her heart, she was already thinking of ways to send some things to her parents once she arrived in the countryside to help them stay healthy.

“I don’t know where you’ll be going or how many people will be there. Be cautious, don’t let someone sweet-talk you into giving away everything you’ve got just because they say a few nice words,” Zhao Chunmei continued, looking at her naive daughter and feeling the need to remind her once more.

“Mom, am I really that gullible?”  

Li Lin was completely helpless at her mother’s constant nagging. She could only stretch out her hand, saying nothing as she supported her mother out of the room.

“Alright, I won’t say anymore. Go back and get some rest,” Zhao Chunmei said, realizing she had probably said too much. She turned and left the room.

Li Lin, meanwhile, closed the door behind her, and after receiving the money and coupons, quickly slipped into the space.

She placed the money in the room on the 16th floor, the one she had decided would be her future room. Then, she headed down to the underground supermarket to grab toiletries—towels, shampoo, body wash, and other essentials.

Once she had everything set up in her room, she filled the bathtub with water, added a few drops of essential oil, and enjoyed a relaxing bath.

Afterward, she dried herself off and happily lay down on the big, comfortable bed to get some good sleep.

The next morning, before the sun had risen, Zhao Chunmei got up early to prepare dry food for her daughter’s train journey. 

She had everything ready, but since Li Lin hadn’t woken up yet, she had no choice but to wash her hands and go knock on the door, calling for her daughter to get up.

“Linlin, wake up! If you don’t hurry, we’ll be late for the train,” Zhao Chunmei knocked gently at first, then, hearing no response, began banging on the door loudly.

Li Lin, who had been sleeping soundly, quickly changed into the clothes of the original owner, then swiftly stepped out of the space.

She opened the door with a sleepy expression and said, “Mom, what time is it that you’re knocking so early?”

“It’s already 6:30! If you don’t hurry, you’ll be the one panicking,” Zhao Chunmei said impatiently when she saw her daughter acting like this.

“I’ll be ready in a moment,” Li Lin replied, realizing it was already 6:30. She quickly turned around and went back to her room to get herself ready.

She put on a white half-sleeve shirt, olive-green pants, and a pair of Wuhui shoes, then went to the bathroom to wash up. Afterward, she sat down to eat some buns, taking big bites.

“Slow down, slow down. Even if you’re in a hurry, you can’t eat so fast,” Zhao Chunmei said anxiously, seeing her daughter scarfing down her food. She quickly served her a bowl of porridge to help her settle her stomach.

“Mom, where’s Dad?” Li Lin asked, noticing her father was nowhere to be seen after she had finished eating.

“Your dad…” Zhao Chunmei began, but before she could finish, Li Donghai rushed into the room, holding an oiled paper bag, panting.

“Dad, what were you doing?” Li Lin frowned at her dad’s disheveled appearance and asked.

“I had someone buy two pounds of brown sugar for you. It was supposed to arrive today, so I went to pick it up early this morning. I was afraid it would be too late and you’d miss the train,” Li Donghai explained, wiping the sweat from his brow as he handed the oiled paper bag to his wife so she could pack it for their daughter.

“Dad…”  

Li Lin’s eyes filled with tears when she heard what her father had done for her. Unable to hold back her emotions, she couldn’t stop herself from hugging her father.

“Alright, alright, you’re all grown up now, and still crying like this?”  

Li Donghai hadn’t hugged his daughter since she was six or seven years old. Now, feeling his daughter suddenly embrace him, he didn’t know where to put his hands and could only tease her with a smile.

“No, I wasn’t…”  

Li Lin quickly let go and smiled, feeling both touched and awkward at the same time.