Chapter 42

From the Xu household to the military base where Cao Xiu was now stationed, it was over twenty li (approx. 10 kilometers).

That didn’t sound too far, but with transfers and waiting times, it still took more than an hour to get there.

And once at the base, there were formalities to go through with his wife.

So, after having an early lunch together, Cao Xiu carefully explained the basics of the new home: the times when the water station would be running, where the waste disposal point was, and so on. Then, he said his goodbyes.

Su Nan already knew the distance between the two places. In the future, she could take the tram by herself, so she wasn’t reluctant to part.

But just as she reached the door, she suddenly remembered something and turned back.
“Hehua, the exam for the medicinal herb company is on the 10th, right?”

“Yes, the 10th,” Xu Hehua confirmed.

Xu Wanchun had just finished forcing two packs of cigarettes into Xiao Zhang’s hands when she heard and added,
“I start school on the 12th. We should be able to get everything settled before that.”

Speaking of jobs—it had taken quite a bit of effort from her and her senior brother to secure this opportunity.

In the ’50s and ’60s, it was extremely difficult for non-locals to settle down and become formal employees in Hu City—less than 3% made it.

So in addition to her overachieving mother earning a junior high diploma, Xu Wanchun had also written back and forth frequently with her senior brother, who was then still studying at the Military Medical University.

Eventually, they settled on the most suitable job: processing medicinal herbs at a pharmaceutical company.

The recruitment criteria for the company were: political background, technical certification, a junior high school education, under 50 years old, and priority for those who knew herbs.

Mrs. Xu Hehua, who had dug herbs for seven or eight years, met all of these.

All she needed was a referral letter to take the company’s exam.

The hardest part was getting that referral letter as someone from another province—but Xu Wanchun had pulled strings through Granny Yu, and after much difficulty, finally secured one.

Su Nan nodded. “Alright. On the exam day, I’ll have Jingliang’s uncle go with you.”

They were family—Xu Wanchun didn’t stand on ceremony and replied happily,
“It was already a sure thing, but with Senior Brother’s uncle tagging along, nothing can go wrong.”

After all, Senior Brother’s uncle happened to be the police chief in the same district as the pharmaceutical company. He probably knew some of the executives there.

Xu Wanchun never intended to take any backdoors—if they got caught, it would ruin everyone.

She just wanted to use some influence to ensure her mother got fair treatment.

At the very least… to make sure she didn’t get bumped by someone else’s relative even after passing.

Su Nan understood this perfectly too, and had no qualms about bossing her own younger brother around. Smiling, she pointed at the little girl,
“If you pass, I’ll have him help with the formalities too, get your household registration settled as soon as possible.”

“Aiya! Shiniang, you’re so good to us…”

“Shoo, shoo… That’s too cheesy. I’m leaving!”

Seeing her shiniang fleeing like she was being chased by ghosts, Xu Wanchun laughed so hard her belly hurt…

=

After seeing off Master, Shiniang, and Soldier Xiao Zhang—

Xu Wanchun turned to her mother and Granny Wu. “Do you want to take a nap?”

Xu Hehua shook her head and rolled up her sleeves to unpack. “Right after getting off the boat, I felt a bit floaty, but I’m fine now. You and Aunt Wu go lie down. I’m not sleepy.”

“I’m not tired either. Granny Wu, I’ll help you set up your room—you can rest,” Xu Wanchun insisted. She had a bit of OCD, and with 18 bags still left in the house (aside from the two taken by Master and Shiniang), she couldn’t relax until everything was in order.

Wu Yuzhen waved her hand repeatedly. “What, you think I’m old and weak? I’ve got plenty of strength.” Saying that, she rolled up her sleeves too, intent on helping.

No matter how fit she was, she was still over sixty. The Xu mother and daughter hurried to stop her.

Seeing that Granny Wu was starting to look unhappy, Xu Wanchun quickly offered a compromise:
“How about this—Granny Wu, since you speak the local dialect, you can help by going to the co-op and picking up some essentials. Chat with the neighbors too, see what kind of people they are.”

Back then, having good neighbors really mattered. Granny Wu was clever and experienced, and sure enough, she no longer insisted on helping with the unpacking.

She placed a cloth cover over her empty basket, took out a bag of hard candies from her satchel, and stuffed it in her pocket.
“Alright then, I’ll go.”

Xu Wanchun handed her some cash and ration coupons.
“Just get whatever you think we need. Oh—and no need to get any big stuff like stoves. My senior brother already bought those before heading to the frontier. There’s also coal in the kitchen. Just oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar will do.”

Actually, it was more than that. Her senior brother had even hired someone to dig a well in the yard to make water access easier for her and her mother.

Even the furniture in the house had been replaced by people he’d arranged.

Thinking of all this, Xu Wanchun couldn’t help but sigh… Senior Brother really was both handsome and thoughtful!

Granny Wu had no idea what the little girl was thinking—her mind had already wandered off miles away. She took the money and left with a smile.

Once the door was closed again, Xu Hehua asked curiously,
“How does Aunt Wu know the Hu City dialect? On the way here this morning, I tried listening to the locals. It’s soft and pleasant-sounding, but I couldn’t understand a word.”

Xu Wanchun was still wrestling with the tightly knotted string on a cloth bundle. Without looking up, she replied,
“You didn’t know?”

Xu Hehua: “Know what?”

Xu Wanchun:
“My Eldest Uncle-Master stayed with the Hu City garrison for over ten years. He only transferred away recently. Granny Wu lived with him for years—of course she can speak the dialect.”

“Really? That’s great.” Xu Hehua didn’t know this, but it was good news. Aunt Wu being able to speak the local dialect would help them integrate more easily, and that was worth being happy about.

Still unable to untie the dead knot, Xu Wanchun looked at her reddened fingers in frustration.
“Mom, where are the scissors?”

Xu Hehua took one look, understood what her daughter was planning, and rolled her eyes as she shoved her aside.
“You don’t understand how hard it is to run a household. We’re not in the countryside anymore—everything costs money, even green onions. We’ve got to save the string. We can use it again.”

Getting scolded, Xu Wanchun didn’t mind at all. She craned her neck and looked around the house.
“Mom, this house has a high ceiling. Let’s get someone to build a loft.”

“What for? You share a room with me, and Aunt Wu has her own. Isn’t that enough?”

“It’s not for sleeping. I want to use it to store dried vegetables.”

“Well, that makes sense… Honestly, only after coming here do I realize big cities aren’t all that great. The houses are small, and there’s no cellar. It’s a pain.”

“When the policies loosen up, I’ll buy you a western-style house with a yard.”

“Hey! I’ll be waiting then.” Knowing her daughter always followed through, Xu Hehua was genuinely pleased.

Though it might take another twenty years, Xu Wanchun was confident. She was just about to say more when—

THUMP THUMP THUMP—there was a loud knock at the door.

Followed by Granny Wu’s anxious shout:
“Peach Blossom! Hurry and open up! A child’s been hurt!”

“Woof woof woof—”
Danggui, who had been playing in the yard with Fuling, must’ve sensed a stranger’s scent and immediately started barking.

Xu Wanchun gave a soft command: “Danggui, quiet!”

Danggui was a trained dog and immediately fell silent. However, when her owner went to open the door, she insisted on following.

Worried that she might scare the people outside, Xu Wanchun gently stroked the dog’s big head. “Danggui, lie down.”

Danggui obediently lay flat on the ground.

Seeing this, Xu Wanchun unlatched the door and pulled it open.

Outside stood seven or eight women and children.

Wu Yuzhen quickly pointed to the little girl in the arms of an elderly woman at the front of the group.
“Peach Blossom, it’s this child—her hand is hurt.”

Xu Wanchun’s gaze followed the direction Granny Wu pointed. She saw a tearful little girl whining in pain. Xu stepped aside and said,
“Come in first.”

The new neighbor in the alley had just arrived and had even generously given the local kids some candy—everyone in the lane had been curious for days.

So now, they all cheerfully squeezed inside.

“….”
Xu Wanchun was silent for a few seconds, then naturally closed the door behind them.

Xu Hehua had already brought out her daughter’s medical kit and warmly invited everyone to sit and chat.

“Let me take a look at the injury,” Xu Wanchun said, walking over to the child.

The old woman looked a bit skeptical—this girl seemed far too young. But in the end, she didn’t object and gently pushed the child’s wrist forward.
“Qiqi fell earlier. I didn’t think much of it at first, but she kept saying it hurt. Then I noticed her wrist was swollen. Do you think… could it be broken?”

As soon as she said that, before Xu Wanchun could respond, the other neighbors started chiming in:

“Broken? It’s not that easy to break a bone.”

“Exactly, Granny Qiqi, don’t scare yourself.”

“Let the little doctor take a look, we’ll know soon enough.”

Xu Wanchun smiled and interjected,
“I’m not a doctor yet.”

Wu Yuzhen, who had brought everyone over to build goodwill, also didn’t exaggerate and quickly explained with a smile,
“Our Peach Blossom is still a student—she’s studying at the Military Medical University.”

“Whoa… a college student?”

“That’s amazing. I heard the score requirements for Military Med are really high.”

“Definitely! Graduating from there means you become an officer!”

“Now that’s impressive.”

The bigger the city, the more people admired the well-educated—an age-old tradition.

Even though most people living in the Shigumen alley were part of the middle or upper-middle class of Hu City and college students weren’t rare, top students were still viewed with special respect.

Just like now—the neighbors’ gazes toward their new residents had clearly softened.

That was exactly the result Wu Yuzhen was aiming for. She smiled kindly and said,
“My Peach Blossom is very smart—only sixteen and already skipped grades to attend university. Oh, and her master is a military doctor stationed just twenty li away.”

As for the fact that her senior brother had an uncle who was the police chief? That didn’t need to be said. It’d sound like bragging. People would find out on their own soon enough.

At that moment, she and Peach Blossom exchanged a glance—two sly foxes, one old and one young, wearing equally gentle smiles…

Just as everyone was marveling at the good fortune of having a doctor move into their alley, they suddenly heard a faint “click.”

“All done,” Xu Wanchun said, pulling a candy from her pocket and handing it to the little girl. She smiled and asked,
“Qiqi, does it still hurt?”

The little one was distracted by the candy at first, but then she realized—her hand really didn’t hurt anymore. She immediately beamed through her tears.
“Grandma! Qiqi’s not in pain anymore! Big sister is amazing!”

The old woman was astonished too.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore? It’s all better just like that?”

Xu Wanchun nodded with a smile.
“Mm-hmm. It was just a dislocation. Wrap her arm with a cloth and keep it in a sling for two days—she’ll be fine.”

The elderly woman had vaguely heard of dislocations before. While repeatedly thanking Xu, she also asked about the treatment fee.

The moment she said that, everyone looked over.

Xu Wanchun waved her hand.
“We’re neighbors, and it wasn’t a big deal—no charge.”

“But I should pay you! I’ll go get the money now.”

Seeing she was serious, Xu Wanchun quickly reached out to stop her.
“No need, really. I’m still a student—it’s not allowed to take private payments. Let’s just call it neighbors helping each other.”

“Well then… My last name’s Liu. I live in the row right in front of you. If you ever need help, just come find me.”

Seeing she clearly knew what she was doing—and wasn’t charging anyone—the neighbors became even more enthusiastic.

After all, who doesn’t have a cold or headache from time to time?

They might feel awkward not giving anything at all, but offering a few eggs or a couple of pounds of coarse grain was way cheaper than going to a hospital.

The three women of the Xu family understood what everyone was thinking—but none of them said anything to spoil the mood.

After all, once university started, a military cadet like Xu Wanchun wouldn’t be home much at all during the year.

Helping out with medical issues? Practically impossible.

That was exactly why Xu Wanchun had been so generous about refusing payment.

Since she wouldn’t be around to help much anyway, it was better to build good relationships now.

And indeed, those good relationships would prove very useful.

In the days that followed, thanks to the warm-hearted neighbors, the women of the Xu family quickly settled into their new life.

Time passed happily and comfortably.

And before they knew it, it was September 10th—the day of Madam Xu Hehua’s job exam.