Chapter 15: Buying a Bicycle

“But Xia Xia and I won’t be going back. Xia Xia and I have nothing to do with them anymore. I don’t mind if you go back, but you can’t force me.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t. I know how my mother treated you two. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you both in the future.”

As long as Mi Xia doesn’t get a divorce, that’s fine. It was his mother who was wrong. If they hadn’t come to Big Brother’s house, they probably wouldn’t have survived.

“By the way, can you get sewing machine coupons? I want to buy one,” Mi Xia asked.

“I have a comrade who’s been discharged from the army back in the county town. I’ll go find him and ask. Do you need any other coupons?”

“No, just the sewing machine one.”

“Here’s the passbook. It has my salary and bonus for a year and a half.”

“Here are the coupons. Take them. Buy whatever you want.” He handed over a passbook and a stack of coupons.

Mi Xia looked at Mo Haoyue. The way he handed over his salary was so handsome; she wanted to have his children.

Mo Haoyue blushed under Mi Xia’s gaze. But he felt that Mi Xia was in a good mood. Was it because he gave her his salary? He would send his salary to his little wife from now on.

“Wife, you really won’t come to the army with me? I can take care of you two there.” Mo Haoyue still wanted them to go back to the army with him so he could see them every day.

“Let’s wait. When Xia Xia turns three, I’ll take her there.” Mi Xia could feel that he genuinely wanted to take them with him, but she wanted to save some money before they left to buy a courtyard house in Kyoto.

She also needed to arrange things for her older brother’s family before she could leave with peace of mind, otherwise, they would return to their previous life.

They talked late into the night. The next morning, Mo Haoyue took Mo Zhixia to wash up. After breakfast, the family set off for the county town.

Mo Haoyue held Mo Zhixia all the way, teasing her and telling her stories. The family chatted and laughed along the way.

In the county town, Mo Haoyue asked Mi Xia to wait for him at the supply and marketing cooperative while he went to find his comrade.

Mi Xia said she also wanted to visit an old lady, and they agreed to meet there in an hour. She asked Mo Haoyue to take Mo Zhixia with him before heading towards Zhang Xiaoyu’s place.

She first put the things in the small woods from last time. This time, she only put food there. She hurried to Zhang Xiaoyu’s place, asking him to find someone to retrieve the things from the small woods.

Then she asked if he had found a job. As expected, thanks to Zhang Xiaoyu’s younger brother’s inquiries, a family was selling a job position.

“If you hadn’t come, I was going to buy it for you. They want 350 yuan plus 100 kilograms of grain.”

“I have other things to do in the county today. You keep the people selling the job position steady. Tomorrow morning, I’ll bring my older brother. I’ll settle the grain from the woods tomorrow. Is the house ready?”

“Yes, each room has been cleaned, and all necessary repairs have been done. The yard has also been tidied up. I’ll get the keys for you later.”

A few minutes later, Zhang Xiaoyu returned, handing the keys to Mi Xia and saying, “Then I’ll take you to buy the job tomorrow. I’ll calculate the grain money today and give it to you tomorrow.”

“Okay, thank you. You helped me find a house and a job. I’ll bring more things tomorrow.”

Mi Xia left, so fast it was like a dog was chasing her, leaving Zhang Xiaoyu stunned.

But he was very happy; he could make a good profit again.

Mi Xia took a fish, a pound of shrimp, and some mushrooms from her space, putting them in her backpack before hurrying to Grandma Song’s house.

The food she brought last time certainly wasn’t all eaten, so she didn’t need to bring any this time.

Less than a minute after knocking, Song Binbin opened the door. Song Binbin was in a good mood, his complexion rosy. After checking on Grandma Song, who looked healthy and radiant, Mi Xia felt relieved.

After a brief chat with Grandma Song, she left. The time she had agreed with Mo Haoyue had already passed, so even though Grandma Song asked her to stay, she didn’t.

After giving Song Binbin some instructions, she hurried to the supply and marketing cooperative. From afar, she saw Mo Haoyue waiting with Mo Zhixia.

“Sorry, I stayed a little longer and was late,” Mi Xia said with an apologetic smile.

“It’s okay, let’s go in. It wasn’t long. I got the sewing machine coupon, and I also got a bicycle coupon.” Mo Haoyue couldn’t help but pinch Mi Xia’s face.

Mi Xia looked at Mo Haoyue in surprise, not only because of his action but also because these two coupons were not easy to obtain. She didn’t ask, and the family went inside together.

Mi Xia first bought some White Rabbit milk candies and snacks. The milk candies she bought last time were gone. She also bought a pound of white sugar to make candied haws for the children; it wasn’t good to take them out from her space with Mo Haoyue present.

After buying them, they went straight to the sewing machines. A sewing machine cost a sewing machine coupon plus 200 yuan, and a bicycle cost a bicycle coupon plus 150 yuan. No wonder many people couldn’t afford them; they were really expensive.

There were women’s bicycles, but Mi Xia didn’t want one. She would leave it for her older brother’s family after she went to university.

This amount of money was equivalent to the cost of a BMW in her time. Since she had the coupons, Mi Xia naturally bought them all.

The family had lunch at the state-run restaurant, ordering two bowls of shredded pork noodles. The portions were generous—thirty cents plus a grain coupon. It wasn’t as delicious as homemade food, but in this era of scarcity, it was already very good.

After a satisfying meal, the family prepared to go home. This time, Mo Haoyue rode the bicycle with Mi Xia sitting behind him, holding their daughter.

Riding a bicycle was fast. They reached the village entrance in less than half an hour. Many people were under the tree, and they saw Mi Xia sitting on the back of the bicycle, causing a buzz of discussion.

“That’s Mi Xia and her daughter on the back of the bicycle,” said an aunt.

“Yes, her husband is riding in front. He’s an officer.”

“Oh, I heard about her partner last year, but I never saw him. He’s so handsome.”

“And they’re riding a new bicycle back. It must be newly bought.”

“Have you noticed that Mi Xia’s also become prettier? She’s so fair; she doesn’t look like she has a one-year-old child.”

The family returned home amidst the gossip. When Mo Haoyue rode the bicycle into the yard, Zhang Hongxia was also shocked.

They went out for a trip and came back with a new bicycle. Mi Xia explained, “Sister-in-law, Haoyue bought a bicycle to make it easier for me to go to the county town. He also bought a sewing machine, which should be delivered soon. You can use the sewing machine to make clothes.”

Zhang Hongxia quickly refused, “Why buy that? It’s a waste of money. I can sew by hand. Go return it.”

“Sister-in-law, it’s already bought, just use it. The sewing machine saves time, and the children can wear new clothes sooner.”

After much persuasion, Zhang Hongxia finally didn’t object. Mi Xia gave her sister-in-law the White Rabbit milk candies and snacks from her backpack, then took the white sugar to the kitchen to prepare the candied haws.

She washed the hawthorns, removed the seeds, and threaded them onto bamboo skewers.