Chapter 14: Falling Off the Bicycle

“It’s a sesame pancake.” The old lady smiled kindly at Bai An and said, “One-third of a piece.”

“Brother.” Before Bai An could continue saying anything, Lu Jin’an directly handed the money to the old lady.

Eating the sesame pancake, Bai An’s cheeks were puffed up as she mumbled, “Brother, you’re so good.”

Lu Jin’an smiled and rubbed Bai An’s head. “Now you remember I’m good?”

“Brother has always been good.” Bai An leaned closer to Lu Jin’an, pressing her face up to his and secretly wiping her mouth on his clothes.

Lu Jin’an saw Bai An’s little move and, pinching her cheek, teasingly asked, “Is this how you’re going to repay your brother?”

Caught in the act, Bai An felt embarrassed, just as a man selling candied hawthorn passed by them.

“Candied hawthorn, delicious candied hawthorn!”

With her cheek being pinched, Bai An stared at Lu Jin’an with her big eyes, pouting slightly.

“Brother.”

Lu Jin’an glanced at the candied hawthorn ahead, his eyes filled with amusement. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the crumbs from the corner of Bai An’s mouth.

“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you afraid the candied hawthorn will disappear soon?”

Bai An and Lu Jin’an each held a skewer of candied hawthorn as they walked down a sparsely populated street.

Lu Jin’an ate his candied hawthorn with occasional pauses. Hearing Bai An’s chewing sound above him, she couldn’t help but glance up at him.

Sensing Bai An’s gaze repeatedly on him, Lu Jin’an raised an eyebrow with a smile and asked, “Why are you staring at me?”

Bai An’s eyes rolled around, and she softly said, “Nothing, I just didn’t know you also liked candied hawthorn.”

Lu Jin’an gently patted her head. “Brother is just an ordinary person too. I have things I like as well.”

Bai An rubbed the top of her head and noticed a clothing store nearby.

“Brother, how much money do you have left in your pocket?”

Lu Jin’an thought Bai An wanted to buy something and followed her gaze to the store.

“You want to buy clothes, huh?” While wondering if his money would be enough, Bai An grabbed his hand.

Bai An placed all her private savings into Lu Jin’an’s hand. To this point, Bai An still didn’t quite understand the price levels of this era.

Leaning toward Lu Jin’an’s ear, she whispered, “I want to buy a dress for mom. Brother, can you help me haggle a bit?”

Looking at the money Bai An had handed him, Lu Jin’an was somewhat puzzled, wondering where Bai An had gotten all this money.

“Boss!” Bai An walked into the store and asked a woman at the counter, “What’s the most fashionable dress here?”

“This one.” The store owner picked up a deep blue robe and said, “This color and style are very popular right now.”

Looking at the dress the owner was holding, Bai An hesitated. In her mind, a simple and elegant qipao would be more suitable for her mother, but a qipao would be out of place in their village.

In the village, the main colors in fashion were blue, green, gray, and black, with rectangular patches often sewn on the knees due to the limited fabric rations issued each year. The quota per person was only one and a half yards.

The villagers’ slogan was: New for three years, old for three years, patch and mend for another three years.

However, there were occasionally a few fashionable young people wearing bell-bottom pants or “Dacron” clothes.

Bai An would occasionally “find” a few pieces of clothing, but her mother would always cut them and remake them into the common styles of the village at the time.

So, given her mother’s personality, even if she bought a qipao, she wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing it outside.

Bai An turned to ask Lu Jin’an, who seemed lost in thought, “Which one do you think looks good?”

Lu Jin’an snapped out of his reverie and looked up at the clothes displayed in the store.

Too plain.

Too flashy.

Too…

Lu Jin’an carefully picked out a light green, elegant qipao.
“Mom will like this one.”

Bai An had seen it too, but would her mother really wear it?

“Whether Mom likes it is one thing, but wearing it is another,” Lu Jin’an said, rubbing Bai An’s head. “Don’t think too much. The thought counts the most.”

Bai An thought for a moment and felt that Lu Jin’an was right.

However, when it came time to pay, even with Bai An’s money and Lu Jin’an’s, they still didn’t have enough.

“Brother, what should we do?” Bai An asked with a drooping face, holding the pile of money.

Lu Jin’an took Bai An’s hand and comforted her. “Dad still has money. We’ll just go ask him for some later.”

Although he said that, Lu Jin’an wasn’t sure if their dad still had money after buying the bicycle.

When they finally found Lu Demin, he had already bought a flashy 28-inch bicycle.

“Dad, do you still have money?” Lu Jin’an walked over to his father, holding Bai An’s hand. “Bai An wants to buy a qipao for Mom, but we don’t have enough.”

“A qipao, huh?” Lu Demin pushed the bicycle outside, speaking nostalgically. “Your mom loved wearing those.”

He patted the seat behind him. “Get on, we’ll go buy a qipao for your mom now.”

Lu Jin’an looked at his confident father. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust him, but…

“Dad, do you know how to ride a bicycle?”

Lu Jin’an didn’t want to risk their lives, but his father seemed overly confident.

Bai An also looked at her dad with some doubt after hearing Lu Jin’an’s question.

Under the scrutiny of both children’s concerned gazes, Lu Demin laughed heartily. “I’ve been riding bicycles since I was a kid.”

“Bai An, you sit in front, Jin’an, you sit behind.”

Bai An walked up to her dad and looked at the seat with just one bar. “The clothing store isn’t too far. Maybe I’ll walk over and guide Dad there.”

Lu Demin directly pulled Bai An onto his lap and glanced at Lu Jin’an, who was still hesitating.

“I’ll sit,” Lu Jin’an said, slowly settling onto the back seat while tightly gripping his father’s clothes.

“Bai An, be careful,” Lu Jin’an said, seeing his little sister sitting precariously on the bar.

Bai An responded with a soft “Mmm,” her bottom shifting uncomfortably as the bike started moving.

Lu Demin patted Bai An’s head. “Sit still, don’t move.”

With one foot pushing off the ground, Lu Demin began pedaling, sending the bike wobbling forward.

“Ahhh, Dad!” Bai An felt herself swaying, as though she might fall off any second, and yelled in fear. “We’re going to fall!”

Lu Demin, with a determined look in his eyes, gripped the handlebars tightly. After riding for over ten years, how could he fall?

“Bang.”

Just as the bike tipped over, Lu Demin jumped off and shielded Bai An from the fall, landing safely.

Lu Jin’an watched helplessly as he and the bike crashed to the ground, while Bai An and Lu Demin looked on.

“You… you guys…”

Before he could finish, as he lay on the ground, Lu Jin’an saw his father running toward him with a look of concern. At least he still had a bit of a conscience