Chapter 7 – Where Did That Bicycle Come From?

The post office at this time looked particularly rundown, with nothing more than a wooden board hanging above the entrance with the words “Post Office” scrawled on it.

When Li Yiyi walked in holding the hands of her two children, one of the staff immediately recognized her as the military family member who came every month to collect money.

“Comrade, you came at just the right time! Your package and remittance slip just arrived,” the postal worker greeted her warmly.

As they spoke, the worker turned and enthusiastically fetched a large parcel and a remittance slip from behind the counter and handed them over.

Li Yiyi took them in surprise. She had only expected to pick up a remittance slip today—she didn’t think there would also be such a large package.

She looked first at the most important thing—the remittance slip. Good heavens, seventy yuan! In this era, someone working in the city only made thirty to forty yuan a month, so seventy yuan was equivalent to two city salaries.

In the countryside, this amount could be what an entire family earned in a year.

“Comrade, just sign your name here,” said the postal worker, holding out a list.

Li Yiyi quickly set aside the remittance slip and signed her name on the form. Then she stepped over to the counter to collect the money.

As soon as the money was in her hands, she tucked it into her pocket. After thanking the staff, she hoisted the large parcel with one hand, held her younger child with the other, and the older one followed by her side as the three of them left the post office.

Halfway along the road, Li Yiyi grew tired and had to stop. Glancing at the two children, she saw they were both drenched in sweat from the heat.

At that moment, she remembered the bicycle in the space supermarket. There was a Little Bird brand bike in there, along with other styles for both children and adults.

Looking over at the thick grass growing by the roadside, she immediately led the two children into the overgrown brush.

The grass was taller than a person, and seeing no one around, she crouched down and said to the kids, “Wait here for Mommy. I’m just going to get something and will be right back. Don’t go anywhere, got it?”

The two children nodded obediently.

Jiang Yueyue looked up with a serious little face and said, “Mommy, I’ll take good care of little brother.”

Hearing her soft, sweet voice, Li Yiyi smiled and patted her head. “Good girl, Yueyue. When Mommy comes back, I’ll give you something tasty.”

“Xiaobao’s good too! I want something tasty too!” Jiang Xiaobao quickly tugged at her hand, whining cutely.

Even though this was Li Yiyi’s first time being a mother—and technically a ‘cheap’ one at that—these two children were so well-behaved that she couldn’t help but like them.

“Alright, you’ll both get something tasty. Be good and wait here, I’ll be right back.”

With that, she stepped further into the grass. Once she was sure the children could no longer see her, she quickly slipped into the space supermarket and headed straight for the bicycle shop inside. She picked out a women’s model bicycle, and just before checking out, she went over to the supermarket section and bought a pound of candy.

At checkout, she realized she didn’t have enough left from last time, so she took a ten-yuan bill from today’s remittance and inserted it. The next second, the balance displayed a whopping 10,000 yuan.

With a beep, Li Yiyi stared at the shockingly high balance and couldn’t help but sigh—this money really was amazing.

After paying, she immediately wheeled the bike out of the space, remembering the two kids waiting for her.

Sure enough, when she returned with the bicycle, the two children were still in the exact same position as when she’d left. It was clear they hadn’t moved a muscle.

Parking the bike, she walked over and patted their little heads. “I’m back. Good job, you two! As a reward, when we get home, Mommy will give you two candies each.”

The moment they heard the word “candy,” both kids’ eyes lit up.

Still reeling from the joy of promised sweets, they were stunned again by the sight of the new object in front of them.

Seeing their curious gazes on the parked bicycle, Li Yiyi laughed and explained, “This is a bicycle. Later, Mommy will ride it and take both of you home. That way, we won’t have to walk anymore.”

Their eyes sparkled even brighter as they stared at the bicycle.

Li Yiyi wheeled it out of the grass with the kids. First, she tied the large package securely to the rear seat of the bike, then helped her older daughter sit on top of the package. The younger one she seated on the front crossbar.

She tried pedaling—thankfully, it wasn’t too hard. After wobbling a bit at first, she finally got the bike moving steadily.

The kids were both beaming with excitement as they sat on the bicycle and looked ahead.

Li Yiyi kept glancing back to check on them, and seeing their happy faces, a smile lifted the corners of her own lips.

With the help of the bicycle, the trio—and the big parcel—easily made it back to the entrance of Jiangjia Village.

As soon as they rode into view, the villagers working in the fields nearby spotted them immediately.

“Oh my heavens! Aunt Jiang, look! Isn’t that your younger daughter-in-law? Is she riding a bicycle? Good heavens, where’d that bicycle come from?!”

The woman’s shout caught everyone’s attention, and the villagers all looked toward the small path where Li Yiyi was riding.

Mother Jiang squinted toward the path, and sure enough—it was her younger daughter-in-law, returning home on a bicycle!

The bike was going pretty fast and soon disappeared from their sight, but even so, it caused quite a stir among the villagers.

Back home, Li Yiyi first helped the two children off the bike, then unloaded the big package from the rear seat.

“Mommy, I’ll help you,” said Jiang Yueyue, rushing over to lend a hand.

Jiang Xiaobao, not wanting to be left out, also ran over to the other side of the package and grabbed a corner. “Me too, Mommy! I’ll help too!”

Seeing how considerate they were, Li Yiyi’s heart warmed. “Alright, you each carry a corner—just go slowly and don’t fall.”

She let them help, but of course, she bore the weight of the package herself.

After a little while, the three of them finally got the large parcel into the main room.

Once inside, Li Yiyi ripped open the tied-up sack and opened the hefty package, which must’ve weighed over ten jin (about 11 pounds). She wanted to see what was inside.

The moment it was opened, the familiar scent of dried meat filled her nose—beef jerky.

Sure enough, as she pulled items out one by one, she found not only beef jerky, but also raisins, milk tablets, and other goodies.