Chapter 7

Chen Suihuan had initially only intended to pretend to cry for a moment, but the more she cried, the heavier the ache in her heart became. Eventually, she truly broke down and cried for real, no longer just acting.

Her genuine emotions showed, and the neighbors around, seeing this, all felt a deep sadness in their hearts.

“Ah! That Grandmother Chen and her family are just terrible! Huanhuan and An’an’s father has only just been buried, and they’re already bullying them like this!”

“Huanhuan was such a good child! To be forced to undergo surgery… she must have suffered so much injustice!”

“When Grandmother Chen was alive, she never cared about the second son. Now that he’s dead, it’s even less likely she’ll treat those siblings well.”

“Look at the big wound on Huanhuan’s head; it’s clear these past few days, those two siblings have been beaten badly!”

“Sis! Sis, please don’t cry anymore! Sis!” Chen Sui’an saw Chen Suihuan crying so uncontrollably that it made his heart ache, and he started shedding tears too.

Seeing Chen Sui’an covered in dust with a slap mark on his face, the neighbors felt even more heartbroken and scolded Grandmother Chen’s family harshly.

“Huanhuan, please stop crying. You have such a big bump on your head. If you get too upset, won’t your body suffer even more?”

“Xiao An, quickly help your sister up. She’s hurt and can’t catch a cold now.”

“Huanhuan, don’t cry. Everyone here will testify for you. We absolutely won’t let them bully you again.”

Finally calming down, Chen Suihuan wiped away her tears and stood up to thank everyone.

“Thank you, uncles and aunties, eldest aunt. Yesterday, I just couldn’t hold back seeing my brother get beaten so badly, so I lost my temper.”

“My grandmother and her people come to cause trouble every few days. My brother and I really can’t go on living like this!” Chen Suihuan then pulled out Chen Sui’an, and the siblings together shared their suffering.

Two aunts who often visited Chen Suihuan’s family helped the siblings up, one on each side, and the group escorted them back home.

The house was a complete mess; tables and chairs were overturned on the floor. Everyone helped tidy up a bit before shaking their heads with a sigh and leaving.

Once they were gone, Chen Suihuan quickly sat up, closed the door, and asked Chen Sui’an: “Did we hide the things we bought?”

Chen Sui’an nodded: “All hidden. I thought they would definitely come to cause trouble yesterday, so after you left, I moved everything into Mom and Dad’s room and locked it.”

“When you came back, they were asking me for the keys.”

Chen Suihuan patted her brother’s shoulder: “Good job. After yesterday, it should be peaceful over there for two days. We’ll take this chance to leave quickly.”

“Okay.” Chen Sui’an said, then opened their father Chen’s mother’s room door and went in to help Chen Suihuan pack.

“Pack up the quilts and stuff. Tomorrow I’ll send them to the post office for you. Don’t bring too much on the train.” Chen Sui’an said, fussing as she packed.

Looking at her acting like a mother hen, Chen Suihuan knew the kid just didn’t want them to be separated.

“Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

“We still have a small boiler and an iron pot at home. Take those too. I heard that when you go to the countryside, people eat together.”

“If you have those, maybe you can cook your own meals or eat separately. Eating alone means you can have better food.”

“Alright.”

“I also packed the thick quilt and the cotton-padded jacket Mom made for you. You have to take good care of yourself in the northeast.”

“Don’t force yourself just to fit in. I’m here for you—I’ll send you money every month. Don’t wear yourself out.”

“I have food and drink in the army; I won’t starve. When the time comes, I’ll send you money and vouchers. Even if you do nothing, I can support you for life.”

Chen Suihuan felt a sharp ache in her chest as Chen Sui’an kept nagging her. Her eyes grew wet, and she hugged her younger brother tightly.

“I know, I will take good care of myself. You also have to take good care of yourself in the military unit. I’ll be waiting for you to visit me during your leave.” Chen Suihuan said.

Chen Sui’an choked back a tear and gave a small nod.

Ever since they were little, everyone in the family had been reluctant to see Chen Suihuan live such a hard life. Now, she was being forced to go down to the countryside to farm.

Thinking about this, Chen Sui’an hated Grandmother Chen and her family fiercely.

The more he hated them, the more powerless he felt.

“Sis, just wait. I will grow up quickly, and later I will become your support. Then no one will dare bully us again.” Chen Sui’an promised.

Chen Suihuan’s eyes reddened, and she nodded in response again.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Early the next morning, after breakfast, the siblings went once more to the department store. This time, they were there to buy watches.

Chen Suihuan was going to the countryside, and it would be inconvenient without a watch to tell time.

They each got one watch. Each watch cost 125 yuan, which was really expensive, but Chen Suihuan had the money.

Adding the cost of the watches to the miscellaneous items bought the day before, they had spent several hundred yuan in total.

Chen Suihuan still had over 2,400 yuan left in her hand.

“Sis, after dinner tonight, I’m going to Uncle Qin’s house. Tomorrow we have to leave for the military unit before dawn.” Chen Sui’an said.

Chen Suihuan nodded: “Alright. When we leave, dumplings will be waiting at home. Let’s make a big batch of dumplings now, to send us off as siblings.”

Chen Sui’an quietly nodded, remembering how their mother used to make dumplings when their father left. Now, both parents were gone.

At noon, Chen Suihuan bought two meals at the state-run restaurant—one braised pork, one sweet and sour ribs, plus some vegetables. The two siblings ate until they were quite full.

After finishing the meal, Chen Suihuan continued packing.

“I’m almost done here. Let’s send the luggage first, then we’ll go to the meat factory to buy meat, and at night, we’ll make dumplings.” Chen Suihuan told Chen Sui’an.

“I’m going to borrow Uncle Lin’s bicycle.” Chen Sui’an said, then ran out.

Their home was not far from the post office, about ten minutes away. The siblings pushed three large packages there.

After sending off the three large packages, Chen Suihuan picked out a few postage stamps to keep.

Although postage stamps weren’t worth much now, they would have great collectible value in the future.

Especially the monkey stamps and the “Whole Country Red” stamps, which were very rare.

However, the “Whole Country Red” stamps were issued in 1968, and now it was 1975. It was uncertain whether they could still be found.

If they ever encountered them again, they had to buy them.

Time before parting always passed especially quickly. The siblings bought meat and went home to chop the filling and make dumplings.

Just as they placed the dumplings on the table, the sky outside was beginning to darken.

“Eat! Our separation now is so that in the future we can see each other more safely. An’an, you have to take good care of yourself.”

“Sis, you too.”

They didn’t say much more after that. After finishing the dumplings, Chen Suihuan saw Chen Sui’an off at the door.

When she returned home again, the house felt cold and empty, with only her left inside.