Chapter 205: A Nightmare in Reality

“Wang Xuan, houses in the city can’t be built casually. The workers live in the city, and the longer they stay, the smaller their homes become. I even saw a family of seven living in one room. It’s so cramped compared to our house,” Zuo He, who was most familiar with the situation there, explained to everyone.

Wang Zhenhe led the children away from the areas where sports were often played. He wanted to broaden their horizons, but he didn’t want them to witness certain scenes.

Mingyuan wasn’t particularly interested in the city’s gardens, especially in winter when there weren’t many flowers to see. Instead, he could see a pond with some remaining lotus leaves frozen in the ice. It wasn’t as interesting as the riverbank near their home.

“Dad, what are those round things stacked beneath their windows? I’ve never seen those before,” Mingxuan asked, puzzled.

Zuo He glanced over and noticed that it was honeycomb coal. He explained, “Mingyuan, many city dwellers don’t have stoves like we do. They can only cook using a stove, and honeycomb coal is used for both heating and cooking. They have to buy it.”

Wang Xuan felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing this. “Wow, they have to spend money just to cook a meal in the city. It’s not like at our home, where we can gather grass from the mountain for free. Our bed is warm, too. Our home is much better.”

Zuo Yu nodded in agreement. “Of course, look, they don’t have chickens or pigs. Where could they play? It’s not like at our home, where we can go out and play. We eat what we grow ourselves, even the eggs. In the city, you have to pay for all of that. But one good thing about the city is that everything is convenient to buy, and the workers earn more than Uncle and the others.” Even Wang Zhenhe found Zuo Yu’s words to be quite accurate.

“Dad, I think when we grow up and work in the city, we should bring the money back home,” Mingyuan’s words amused Wang Zhenhe. This child could be quite entertaining.

When they arrived at the department store, the children were immediately drawn to the wide array of goods. The store was much larger than their local cooperative store, offering a greater variety of products and attracting more customers.

“Kids, if there’s anything you need, just let me know. I’ll buy it for you,” Wang Zhenhe said, feeling confident with the money his wife had given him.

After a stroll around the store, he bought a study dictionary for Mingcheng, storybooks for Mingyuan and Zuo Yu, a pen for Zuo Hao, a diary for Zuo He, and a pair of red ribbons for Wang Xuan to tie her hair. As for the youngest daughter, he hesitated for a while. He hadn’t noticed any particular likes or dislikes in her. She didn’t seem to care much about clothes or food; she was simply interested in money.

Seeing Wang Zhenhe looking somewhat uncertain, Zuo He spoke up, “Uncle, could you buy my sister a few stamps? I heard her mention that she likes them, and she even asked my dad to collect them for her.”

After a moment’s thought, Wang Zhenhe decided to buy stamps. They could be used in the future, maybe to send a letter or something for his nephew.

At the counter, he asked the saleswoman to give him a set of each stamp, not considering the potential waste. The woman kindly explained, “Comrade, I still have some old stamps that haven’t been sold. If you want, I can give you a set of each type. They’re all usable. I only discovered them when I was checking the inventory.”

Wang Zhenhe wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about stamps, but as long as the designs were different and his daughter liked them, he happily bought a set of each. He reckoned that he’d never have dreamt of making such an impulsive purchase, but today, it seemed like he had inadvertently added a hidden wealth to their family.

After buying some snacks and pastries for the elderly at home, the group returned to the Zuo family courtyard.

Zuo He, excited to see the familiar courtyard, ran inside, while Zuo Yu began to survey the place where their grandparents had once lived with a different kind of sentiment.

“Wang Xuan, we’re back. Look, Uncle has bought you some gifts,” he announced to his little sister.

Zuo He ran into the courtyard and shouted, followed by Mingyuan and the others, as they surveyed the somewhat narrow courtyard.

Zhang Lan and Wang Qian walked out of the kitchen, seeing the excited expressions on the children’s faces, they also felt delighted. “So, did you buy everything the kids wanted?” Zhang Lan asked.

Before Wang Zhenhe could answer, Zuo He spoke up, “Aunt, we bought everything, and Uncle even bought a lot of stamps for my sister.”

The mention of stamps excited Wang Qian. She hadn’t thought about buying some herself. She didn’t know much about the value of stamps, but she knew they were special and couldn’t be replicated.

“Dad, you’re amazing. I love you so much. Show me the stamps,” Wang Qian exclaimed. Seeing her daughter’s excitement, Wang Zhenhe knew he had made the right choice. He smiled at Zuo He, expressing his gratitude. As Wang Qian received the roll of stamps, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret for her father’s expenditure. “Dad, why did you only buy one? Why didn’t you get more?” she asked.

Wang Zhenhe chuckled as he saw his daughter holding the stamp. He patted her head and said, “Sweetheart, I wanted to buy more for you, but this was something that had been stored away in a warehouse. This was the only one I could buy. There weren’t any others available.”

Looking at the red stamp depicting the nation’s mountains and rivers, Wang Qian couldn’t help but marvel. This was fate. Although she didn’t know much about other things, she had heard that this stamp was worth a lot of money.

With a happy smile on her delicate face, she embraced Wang Zhenhe tightly and said, “Dad, I think you’re really cute today,” then she kissed him on the cheek.

Amidst the praise and affection from his daughter, Wang Zhenhe felt a sense of orientation he had never experienced before. This was the first time his daughter had shown such keen interest in something. “Sweetheart, in the future, if I see any beautiful stamps, I’ll buy them for you,” he promised.

Zhang Lan playfully nudged her husband, “Alright, let’s not just stand here. Let’s all head inside and warm up. I’ve already made lunch, and I’ve been waiting for you all to come back.”

For lunch, Zhang Lan had used quite a bit of oil. The fresh vegetables cooked in oil made for a satisfying meal, and the children couldn’t stop praising the food.

After lunch, the children and Zhang Lan discussed their experiences in the city and shared their feelings. Wang Qian felt that as long as they could express themselves, it meant they had gained something.

Suddenly, they heard loud cries and shouts from outside. Mingyuan and Zuo Yu quickly ran out to see what was happening. When they returned, their expressions were grim.

“Mom, they’re burning books outside,” Mingyuan said, still visibly shaken by what he had witnessed. It was a scene of madness, something he had never seen in the countryside.

Seeing her brother’s expression, Wang Qian realized that the situation outside wasn’t good. “Brother, are there people monitoring the situation?” she asked.

Mingyuan nodded. “Yes, quite a few people are gathered there, watching.”

Wang Zhenhe understood his daughter’s desire to go and see what was happening, but he was genuinely worried about the chaotic scene outside. “Qianqian, it’s better if you don’t go. It’s all a mess out there, and there’s nothing interesting to see. We’ll head back soon. Be a good girl.”

His daughter’s desire to go outside was halted by Wang Zhenhe’s concern. The family sat quietly, listening to the commotion and cries from outside, entangled in their thoughts.

Zhang Lan sighed, “Zhenhe, come here. I need to discuss something with you. Qianqian, stay inside with your older siblings and don’t go anywhere.”

Earlier in the day, Zhang Lan and Wang Qian had promised to deliver oil to some other households, but upon returning, they hadn’t had the chance to do so. Zhang Lan pulled her husband into the kitchen, where they began to package the oil from the jar into individual bottles, each weighing a pound.

“Did you collect the money for this oil in advance?” asked Wang Zhenhe.

“Of course, otherwise it would be troublesome to exchange money and goods simultaneously, especially if someone with ill intentions saw us. Thankfully, we’ve all been paid in advance. Otherwise, with the commotion outside, we wouldn’t have dared to ask for payment. But these are all our old customers, and they trust us and our daughter. Once you’ve put these oil bottles in your pocket, it’ll be less conspicuous,” Zhang Lan explained.

After making the necessary arrangements, Wang Zhenhe brought his youngest daughter over to the space. There was no comparison to the level of secrecy the space provided; he had truly witnessed its power.

With the oil safely stored in the space, Zhang Lan and her daughter left the house. The burning pile of debris outside seemed to be a grim testament to recent events.

As she looked at the ashes of what had been, Wang Qian couldn’t help but sigh. There were some things she couldn’t do anything about.

After completing their tasks, Wang Zhenhe quickly led his family onto the returning car. He was eager to leave the place of conflict and turmoil. With the New Year approaching, he didn’t want a repeat of the previous incident. Zhang Lan’s illness during that time had truly terrified him. It had become a nightmare that haunted him for life.

It was only once they returned home that Wang Zhenhe finally let out a long sigh of relief. Seeing Wang Zhenhe’s tense demeanor, Wang Qian couldn’t find it amusing.

“Grandpa, Grandma, we’re back,” Zuo Yu called out as they reached the courtyard gate. To their surprise, not only did the grandparents come out, but also Peng Ziyun and Zuo Xiangcheng, the couple, were standing at the entrance to the Wang family’s home.

“Dad?” After a moment of surprise, Zuo He and his siblings quickly ran towards their parents.

Peng Ziyun warmly took her son’s hand and embraced him as he ran towards her. “Zuo He, did you miss Mommy?”