Chapter 010

Seeing Zhenzhen’s face flush bright red, Shi Huaiming was momentarily stunned.

He quickly came back to his senses and withdrew his hand, his tone and expression remaining unaffected as he said, “Just like that. Sit up straight when you write. Don’t hunch or lower your head too much. That’s a bad habit and it’s not good for your body.”

Zhenzhen nodded quickly.

She straightened her back as instructed and, using the grip he’d taught her, wrote the letter “a” on the page.

After finishing, she lifted her hand to show him. “Is this okay?”

Shi Huaiming gave her a nod of approval. “It’s good.”

He stood up. “I have to go teach now. You should recite and copy what we just covered. Try to memorize it and be able to write it from memory as soon as possible. Later, Li Shuang will come find you. Just go with her.”

Zhenzhen watched him stand, still holding the pencil. “Okay.”

Shi Huaiming thought for a moment, then added, “I’ve already given Li Shuang the money and ration coupons. You don’t need to worry—just stick with her when you go out.”

Zhenzhen responded obediently, “Okay.”

She got up to see Shi Huaiming off at the door.

After watching the front door close, she returned to her room, sat down, and picked up the pencil to continue practicing the letters.

Shi Huaiming had spent time and effort teaching her—she didn’t dare to take it lightly.

It was Zhenzhen’s first time practicing writing, so she wrote slowly.

By the time she had carefully filled two pages, a knock sounded at the front door.

She put down the pencil and went to open it, finding their neighbor Li Shuang standing outside.

Zhenzhen quickly smiled, “Sister-in-law.”

Li Shuang wasn’t especially warm. She didn’t come in and simply said, “There was something at home today. I took a half-day off and just got back. Come on, let’s go shopping.”

Zhenzhen smiled and agreed, following her out the door.

From the first time she saw Li Shuang, Zhenzhen had liked her. She thought to herself that if she could be even half as capable as Li Shuang, she’d be satisfied.

Li Shuang embodied everything Zhenzhen had imagined a city woman would be.

Walking side by side, Li Shuang asked, “So what do you need?”

Zhenzhen answered honestly, “Actually, I don’t need anything.”

Compared to her life in the countryside, she had far more now—everything she could possibly need. She lacked nothing.

Li Shuang chuckled, “Well, let’s just look around anyway.”

She wasn’t particularly interested in Zhenzhen herself, but she was curious about Zhenzhen and Shi Huaiming’s relationship.

She kept the conversation going as they walked. “I heard you and Shi Huaiming had an arranged childhood betrothal?”

Zhenzhen nodded. “Our parents decided it when we were kids.”

Li Shuang didn’t quite understand. “But you got married in the new era. The country was already advocating free love and rejecting arranged feudal marriages. Why did you still go through with it?”

Zhenzhen hesitated for a moment before saying, “Third Brother… he’s very filial.”

Li Shuang understood immediately. Arranged marriages were naturally chosen by the parents, and for Shi Huaiming to accept such an arrangement, it was because he didn’t want to defy them.

But Zhenzhen had only told half the story. Li Shuang pressed, “And what about you?”

Zhenzhen thought for a moment and replied, “I didn’t really have any thoughts of my own. My parents arranged the marriage, and I just went along with it. Where I’m from, once you’re engaged, if you don’t marry, it reflects badly on the girl’s reputation. We’re raised to think that once you grow up, you marry a man and settle down. That’s how it is back home.”

Li Shuang nodded. “Well, Shi Huaiming seems pretty decent. At least he didn’t abandon you after he made something of himself.”

Once they finished talking about the marriage, Li Shuang asked about children: “You two don’t have any?”

Zhenzhen shook her head. “A little over two weeks after we married, he left to join the army.”

Li Shuang was reminded of her own experience.

She reflected aloud, “Same with us. We hadn’t been married long when He Shuo left. I had just gotten pregnant at the time. I gave birth on my own and raised the child alone until last year when he finally came back.”

Talking about their husbands gave them a shared topic, and the conversation flowed easily.

They chatted all the way to the department store. At the entrance, Li Shuang gestured, “We’re here. Come on, I’ll take you in for a look.”

Seeing the large building with its grand entrance, Zhenzhen felt a little dizzy.

She followed Li Shuang inside, her fingers tucked into her sleeves, clenching nervously. The clothes she wore and the whole feel of the store seemed completely mismatched.

She didn’t want to look unsophisticated, but she couldn’t help feeling nervous.

Walking beside Li Shuang, she kept glancing around curiously.

The department store was like nothing she had ever seen, and many of the items inside were just as unfamiliar. Everything felt novel and strange.

Li Shuang noticed her wide-eyed curiosity and nervousness and smiled, “Never seen one before, have you?”

Zhenzhen nodded honestly.

Li Shuang laughed heartily. “Let’s go, I’ll give you a proper tour today.”

To avoid getting separated, Zhenzhen stuck close to her.

Li Shuang led her to various counters, introducing the items for sale.

Zhenzhen nodded as she listened, trying to remember everything Li Shuang explained.

When they arrived at the counter selling snow cream, Li Shuang suddenly asked, “Xiaomianhua^[1]means little cotton, do you have any snow cream?”

Because it wasn’t her name, Zhenzhen didn’t immediately respond.

Li Shuang looked at her and asked again, “I’m talking to you. Do you have snow cream?”

Zhenzhen finally realized the question was for her and quickly replied, “I’ve never used that kind of thing.”

Li Shuang looked at her face and said, “Your skin’s not bad. If you use this, it’ll get even better. Plus, it smells nice.”

She turned to the counter. “Take a look—any of these interest you?”

Different brands, different bottles.

Zhenzhen didn’t know how to choose. She answered honestly, “I don’t really know. Honestly, I think I can go without it.”

If it made your skin better and smell nice, it surely wasn’t cheap.

Li Shuang seemed to read her mind and said breezily, “Don’t worry. With Shi Huaiming’s current salary and allowances, he can definitely afford this kind of thing. A woman should make herself smell nice and look beautiful—understand?”

Of course Zhenzhen understood that women who looked good were more admired. After all, she liked the red scarf Shi Huaiming had given her.

But the kind of beauty Li Shuang was talking about—Zhenzhen hadn’t even dared to imagine it before.

Seeing that she didn’t say anything, Li Shuang figured out why Shi Huaiming had asked her to take Zhenzhen shopping.

It wasn’t just that Shi Huaiming didn’t know what Zhenzhen needed—even Zhenzhen didn’t know.

Since that was the case, Li Shuang stopped asking questions.

She picked out a brand of snow cream from the counter, took two jars—one for herself and one for Zhenzhen—paid for them, tucked them into her bag, and continued leading Zhenzhen to the next counter.

Zhenzhen, remembering what Li Shuang had called her earlier, took a moment to explain, “My name is Lin Zhenzhen, not Xiaomianhua.”

Li Shuang looked at her and smiled, “I know. It’s a nickname I gave you. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

Oh…

Zhenzhen didn’t say anything more.

Xiaomianhua it is, then.

After buying the snow cream, Li Shuang took Zhenzhen to buy some other women’s products.

Some of the items were things Li Shuang herself needed, so she bought double.

After purchasing sanitary napkins, Li Shuang quietly asked Zhenzhen, “Do you know what sanitary napkins are?”

Zhenzhen shook her head. “I’ve never heard of them in the countryside.”

Li Shuang smiled, lowering her voice further. “You use them when your period comes. I’ll teach you later.”

Zhenzhen understood and whispered back, “Oh, okay.”

After browsing for a while, Li Shuang’s bag was already full.

She looked around at the counters in the mall, thought for a moment, and then took Zhenzhen to the fabric counter. She helped Zhenzhen pick out enough fabric to make two outfits.

Li Shuang held up the fabric to Zhenzhen, “It’s still a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings. Let’s buy the fabric now, and I’ll take you to the tailor later. You’ll get a spring and autumn set made—long sleeves and pants. This floral blue fabric will look great on you. Let’s make a dress out of it.”

Zhenzhen, curious, asked, “Sister-in-law, what’s a ‘bulaji’?”

Li Shuang explained, “It’s a dress, a one-piece dress, transliterated from Russian.”

Zhenzhen didn’t understand the term “transliteration,” but she didn’t ask further.

Once the fabric was chosen, Li Shuang pointed to the pieces and told the shop assistant, “Cut four and a half yards of this, three yards of that, and seven yards of the other.”

After paying for the fabric and receiving the receipt, Li Shuang turned to Zhenzhen and said, “Let’s go, I’ll take you to the tailor.”

Zhenzhen, holding Li Shuang’s bag, didn’t try to take the fabric herself.

She wasn’t familiar with the area, so she simply followed Li Shuang wherever she went.

At the tailor’s shop, Zhenzhen followed Li Shuang’s lead.

Li Shuang had the tailor measure Zhenzhen’s body and gave instructions on the style of the clothes to be made.

Watching Li Shuang handle things confidently, Zhenzhen thought to herself: She’s really impressive.

Although Zhenzhen didn’t feel like she was particularly remarkable—before her marriage, her father and older brothers had always protected her, and after marriage, she was cared for by her mother-in-law and her brother-in-law and sister-in-law—she admired strong, capable people.

She didn’t just admire them—she envied them deeply.

Seeing Zhenzhen’s look of admiration, Li Shuang couldn’t help but laugh and asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Zhenzhen smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, you’re really beautiful.”

Li Shuang was delighted by the compliment and didn’t shy away from it, “You have good taste.”

After leaving the tailor’s, the two women were a little more familiar with each other.

Li Shuang said to Zhenzhen, “We’re neighbors, and He Shuo and Shi Huaiming are both comrades and classmates. We have a good relationship. If you ever need anything, just come to me. I’ll help you with whatever I can.”

Zhenzhen didn’t stand on ceremony, replying, “Thank you, Sister-in-law.”

They continued chatting as they returned home, where Shi Huaiming and He Shuo had already finished their lessons and were waiting outside for dinner.

When they saw Li Shuang and Zhenzhen return, He Shuo spoke first: “Wow, looks like you bought quite a bit.”

Li Shuang glanced at him and replied, “I bought everything we needed, so of course it’s a lot.”

She took the bag from Zhenzhen and said, “After dinner, come to my house. I’ll sort out your things for you.”

Zhenzhen nodded, “Okay, Sister-in-law.”

With that, the two couples went their separate ways.

As He Shuo opened the door, He Ziran ran back inside. The family of three entered together.

Once inside, He Shuo closed the door and looked at Li Shuang. “Looks like you’re getting along well with her.”

Li Shuang, walking into the room with the bag, responded, “I just know how to handle things. As long as I want to, I can get along with anyone.”

He Shuo took He Ziran to wash his hands in the kitchen. “Yes, my wife is the best.”

Next door, Zhenzhen and Shi Huaiming were already sitting down for dinner.

Shi Huaiming asked Zhenzhen, “Did you have fun?”

Zhenzhen’s eyes brightened as she nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, Sister-in-law Li took me to the department store, and I learned a lot. There were so many things I’ve never seen before in the countryside. We also went to the tailor’s, and she’s having a bulaji made for me…”

She suddenly remembered something. “Third Brother, what does ‘transliteration’ mean?”

Shi Huaiming explained, “It means translating a word based on the pronunciation of another language. For example, the Russian word for a dress sounds like ‘bulaji.’”

Zhenzhen understood and nodded. “I think I get it now.”

Excited, Zhenzhen was about to tell Shi Huaiming more about her trip to the store, but before she could speak, Shi Huaiming suddenly said, “Don’t get distracted. Focus. After dinner, you need to continue copying letters until you can write them from memory. I’ll check your work tonight.”

Her excitement was abruptly cut off.

Zhenzhen paused for a moment, swallowed the words she had been about to say, slowly wiped the smile from her face, and nodded at him. “Okay.”

Then she remembered, “But Sister-in-law Li wants me to come over and get the things I bought…”

Shi Huaiming replied, “I’ll go get them for you.”

Zhenzhen sighed and obediently replied, “Oh, okay.”