Chapter 23: Buying Books in the County (Part 2)

By the time they finally got seats, Mu Mian’s braids were a little loose. But there weren’t enough seats, so she had to sit on her mom’s lap.

Mu Mian scrunched up her little face. “Is it always this crowded?”

Mu Fugui sighed. “Of course. Sundays are the worst. If you can’t squeeze in, you either wait for the next one or stand in the aisle. There are only two buses a day.”

The elderly woman sitting behind them seemed like a chatterbox and leaned in with a friendly smile. “Today’s not even that bad. You should see it during New Year’s! Little girl, is this your first time going to the county?”

Mu Mian didn’t get a chance to respond before her father chuckled and answered, “That’s right. My wife and I are usually too busy.”

The old lady nodded. “So, what are you going to do today?”

Mu Fugui grinned. “Since we finally have some free time, we thought we’d take our daughter out for a bit and let her see the world. What about you, Auntie?”

The old lady looked pleased. “I’m going to visit my daughter. She just had a baby, so I’m bringing a chicken for her to help her recover.”

Hearing this, Mu Mian finally noticed that the old lady was indeed carrying a bag with a live hen inside.

That explained the faint chicken sounds she had been hearing amidst the noisy crowd. She had thought she was imagining things.

The bus was packed and noisy, and Mu Mian started feeling a bit dizzy from all the commotion. Looking around carefully, she realized that the old lady wasn’t the only one bringing chickens—there were several others carrying them too.

This suddenly reminded her of a news article she had seen in her past life—apparently, in this era, people even transported pigs by train.

She was relieved that this bus was too small for that. Otherwise, she couldn’t imagine what it would be like to sit on a bus with a pig staring at her.

About ten minutes later, the ticket seller suddenly slammed the door shut. There were still people outside trying to get in, but the bus was already packed to the brim.

The road from the commune to the county wasn’t in great condition—full of bumps and potholes. On top of that, the air inside the bus was far from pleasant.

The constant swaying, combined with the smell, managed to make Mu Mian feel dizzy, even though she had never been prone to motion sickness before.

By the time they finally arrived at the county, the little girl looked dazed.

Meanwhile, her parents were perfectly fine, completely used to the rough ride.

Mu Fugui, still in high spirits, asked, “Where do you want to go first, daughter? Just the bookstore? I heard there’s a cinema here too. Do you want to check it out?”

Sometimes, film projectionists would bring movies to the countryside, but there were so many brigades that it took ages for a screening to make its way around.

Mu Mian wasn’t particularly excited about it—she could already picture what an old county cinema looked like. But seeing her father’s enthusiasm, she nodded cooperatively. “Let’s go! Bookstore first, then the cinema!”

Mu Fugui waved his hand decisively. “Alright, today we follow our daughter’s plan!”

Liu Shuangcui reminded them, “Aren’t we also buying a fountain pen?”

Mu Fugui replied, “That can wait. We’ll stop by the supply and marketing cooperative before we head back. If we buy it now, we’ll have to carry it around the whole time, and if someone swipes it, what then?”

Mu Fugui and his wife rarely visited the county, so they weren’t very familiar with the area. But people have mouths, and roads are found by asking for directions. By asking along the way, they arrived at the bookstore without any trouble.

The bookstore in the county was indeed much larger than the one in the commune. After walking for a while, Mu Mian had mostly recovered her energy. The little girl carefully browsed through the selection, taking her time to choose.

In the end, she bought two issues of a youth magazine and four illustrated storybooks.

These illustrated storybooks were similar to comic books, filled with both pictures and text, making them very popular among elementary school students.

She also bought two other magazines since she had come all this way. It was better to buy more while she had the chance. After all, she had no plans to return anytime soon.

The bookstore was quite close to the cinema, and there happened to be a war movie screening that morning.

After watching the film, Comrade Liu Shuangcui had red-rimmed eyes.

Mu Fugui’s reaction was even more dramatic—tears streamed down his face as he sniffled, attracting the attention of a young couple who seemed to be on a date. They were left staring at him in surprise.

Mu Mian was also a bit stunned. So, her father had a soft side beneath his tough exterior.

At noon, they ate at a state-run restaurant. Mu Mian had brought an empty food container in advance, and she packed a serving of braised pork specifically for her grandmother.

Since it was only a half-day trip, the food wouldn’t spoil. It would be just right to eat it in the evening.

After lunch, the three of them headed straight to the supply and marketing cooperative. The county’s cooperative was much larger than the one in the commune.

Besides buying a fountain pen, Liu Shuangcui picked up various other items—mostly things that weren’t available in the commune’s cooperative.

When they stepped out, Mu Fugui was carrying most of the bags.

“I heard there’s a zoo in the city,” he said. “Too bad we don’t have one in the county.”

Mu Mian responded to every sentence. “Dad, do you want to see the animals? What do you want to see?”

Mu Fugui spoke righteously, “I don’t want to see them. I was thinking about taking you to see them.”

Mu Mian: “……”

That was not a very convincing statement.

Liu Shuangcui let out a scoff. “Even if you wanted to go today, you wouldn’t make it in time.”

Mu Fugui lowered his head and made a bold declaration to Mu Mian. “Next time! Next time, we’ll go straight to the city. We’ll ask Old Xu for an introduction letter and stay at the guesthouse for the night.”

Mu Mian had no idea when this “next time” would come. She only knew that the bus ride back to the commune was even more crowded than when they came.

By the time she got off, her two braids had come loose, and her hair had turned frizzy.

Liu Shuangcui was also exhausted. “Going back and forth like this is more tiring than working for a whole day.”

Mu Fugui had his own perspective. “How can it be the same? We went out and gained some knowledge.”

Liu Shuangcui didn’t even bother arguing with him. “Yeah, yeah, you’re the well-traveled one. Now hurry up and ride home.”

Their bicycle was carrying two large bags this time.

Some were their own purchases, while others were things people had asked Liu Shuangcui to bring back from the county.

The bags hung on the crossbar, clattering and jingling all the way.

As usual, Mu Mian squeezed onto the back seat with her mother, and the three of them chatted idly along the way.

The sun was setting, casting a golden glow on the clouds, making them look quite beautiful.

As they approached a fork in the road, Mu Fugui suddenly asked, “Who’s that up ahead? They don’t look like someone from our brigade.”

Because Mu Fugui was in front, he blocked their view. If he hadn’t spoken, the mother and daughter wouldn’t have noticed.

Hearing his words, they both leaned forward in unison.

Mu Mian focused her eyes. “I don’t recognize them.”

Liu Shuangcui guessed, “Probably a relative visiting someone.”

As they were discussing, the person up ahead suddenly stopped walking and stood by the roadside, waving at them.

Now that she was closer, Mu Mian could see clearly—it was a young woman, and she definitely wasn’t from their brigade.

Mu Fugui stopped the bicycle. “What’s the matter, comrade?”

The woman was carrying a large bag on her back. “Hello, comrade. Is Qingfeng Brigade down this road?”

Mu Fugui nodded. “Yes, we’re from Qingfeng Brigade. Who are you looking for?”

The woman looked tired. “I’m not looking for anyone. I’m an educated youth.”

Mu Fugui was surprised. “An educated youth? Didn’t Old Xu send someone to pick you up this morning? You didn’t meet them? How did you end up walking here alone?”

He knew that a new educated youth was supposed to arrive today—Old Xu had mentioned it. He had assumed they had already been picked up.

It wasn’t his fault he hadn’t recognized her. She looked disheveled. The previous educated youths had also been exhausted from the journey, but they still maintained some sense of neatness, making it obvious they were from the city at first glance.

The woman looked confused. “Old Xu?”

Liu Shuangcui chimed in, “Our brigade leader, Xu Yongshou. The paperwork from the educated youth office should have mentioned his name.”

The woman immediately pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and glanced at it. “Yes, yes, it’s Xu Yongshou.”

She explained further, “I got delayed on the way, so I arrived late. When I reached the commune, they said the brigade had already left without picking me up. So they just gave me directions and told me to walk here on my own.”

Liu Shuangcui sighed. “That’s really unlucky.”

Mu Fugui pointed ahead. “You’re almost there. Just keep going straight to the end of this road.”

The woman smiled gratefully. “Thank you so much.”

Mu Mian added, “Once you reach the brigade entrance, head east. The brigade leader’s house is the one with the blue brick walls. If you ask the people of the brigade, they’ll help you find it.”

The woman smiled again, looking truly thankful. “Alright, thank you. I would have definitely gotten lost without your help.”

Mu Fugui waved her off. “It’s nothing. We’ll be on our way now. Take care.”

As the bicycle rolled away, Mu Fugui commented, “That educated youth looks quite young.”

Liu Shuangcui responded with a soft “Hmm,” then said, “I guess she’s definitely not twenty yet.”

Mu Mian said, “That means she’s even younger than my big brother.”

Mu Fugui added, “Maybe she just looks young.”

Liu Shuangcui asked, “Where is that girl from? Did you hear anything from Old Xu?”

Mu Fugui: “He mentioned it briefly. I think it was Hushi? He just brought it up in passing, so I didn’t really remember.”

Liu Shuangcui was slightly surprised. “A big city? What is someone from a big city doing here?”

Mu Fugui shrugged. “Who knows?”

Mu Mian sighed. “Hushi is even farther from here than the place where my big brother is stationed. She must have had a tiring journey.”

Liu Shuangcui found it interesting. “How do you know that?”

Mu Mian answered seriously, “I read about it in books. Books have everything—maps showing where each city is located. Mom, you should read more books or newspapers too.”

Liu Shuangcui pinched her daughter’s little face and chuckled. “Now you’re lecturing your mom? Reading gives me a headache. I’d rather spend that time planting a couple more rows of vegetables.”

Mu Fugui laughed heartily. “Your mom and I are the same in that way. Reading doesn’t just give me a headache—it makes my butt hurt too, like I’m sitting on needles. But you and your brother are both bookworms.”

With their conversation filled with laughter, they soon arrived home.