Chapter 11

Chen Nongmo had initially wanted to chat more with her Second Brother about his high school classmate, Liu Yuanyuan. 

But once the bus started moving, whatever curiosity she had was buried under the biting cold wind. 

The bus, a relic that had likely been sputtering along for decades, allowed the frigid wind to seep in through its countless cracks and gaps as soon as it roared to life. 

The journey from the town to the county seat took nearly an hour.

Throughout the trip, Chen Nongmo kept her face buried in her scarf. 

At first, it was to shield herself from the cold. Later, as more passengers got on and the bus became crowded, the cold abated. 

However, at some point, someone boarded the bus carrying live chickens and ducks. The pungent smell of animal droppings nearly overwhelmed her. 

The ride was bumpy, cramped, and filled with unpleasant odors. By the time they finally arrived, Chen Nongmo, protected by Second Brother as they disembarked, bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for air. She longed desperately for the modern conveniences of her previous life. 

“It’s about a ten-minute walk to the cooperative. Want me to carry you?” Cao Liu asked, worried as he noticed how pale the girl looked. Internally, he thought to himself that he’d have to make sure Sixth Sister ate more in the future. Her health seemed so poor, and she was so thin—light enough to lift with one hand. 

Chen Nongmo declined. “No need. I just need to breathe in some fresh air.” 

Cao Liu furrowed his thick eyebrows, ready to press the matter further, when a sharp voice from nearby interrupted him. 

“Hmph! Pretentious!” 

Instinctively, Chen Nongmo turned her head. Before she could fully see who it was, something was tossed toward her chest. 

She reflexively reached out to catch it.

It was two hard candies. 

“They’re orange-flavored.” Liu Yuanyuan said from a short distance away.

She had her chin slightly raised, her demeanor exuding arrogance. 

However, the faint redness around her eyes betrayed her true emotions. 

Seeing this, Chen Nongmo felt a flicker of amusement in her heart. She understood that this girl must have been embarrassed after being rejected, struggling to maintain her composure. 

Still… Chen Nongmo squeezed the candies in her hand, her eyes gradually curving into a smile. She thought the girl was rather endearing. 

Cao Liu had apparently come to the same conclusion. He didn’t take offense at Liu Yuanyuan’s earlier tone. Instead, he merely pressed his lips into a straight line and gave her a glance before turning back to his little sister. “Let’s go. Mom and Dad are waiting for us.” 

Chen Nongmo unwrapped one of the candies and popped it into her mouth. The tangy sweetness spread across her tongue, suppressing the last trace of nausea. She smiled at Liu Yuanyuan and said, “Thank you!” 

Liu Yuanyuan’s face turned red.

She couldn’t bring herself to meet the gaze of the pretty girl again. Instead, she glared at Cao Liu and snapped, “It’s because my dad said you’re nice! It’s not because I like you!” 

After tossing out that remark, Liu Yuanyuan turned abruptly, her two dark braids swinging as she strode away with large steps. 

“Brother, she’s quite nice,” Chen Nongmo remarked. The soft-hearted girl was obviously fond of Second Brother, despite her outward denial. 

Cao Liu patted his little sister’s hat. “I’m planning to enlist after the New Year. I don’t want to get married yet—why drag her into this?” 

Hearing that, Chen Nongmo didn’t press further. She turned back briefly to look at Liu Yuanyuan, who had already run quite a distance, before heading toward Mom Qiuhua, who was waiting for them not far away. 

But as she took just a few steps, a sudden memory surfaced in her mind, startling her so much that she stopped in her tracks. 

“What’s wrong?” 

Chen Nongmo blinked, quickly hiding the shock in her eyes. She looked up at Second Brother and said, “Nothing. I just bit my tongue while eating the candy.” 

Cao Liu didn’t think much of it and teased her with a smile. “You must’ve been too greedy.” 

“Mom Qiuhua, Second Brother said I’m greedy!” Chen Nongmo called out in mock indignation, tattling to their mother. 

Hearing her daughter’s playful complaint, Cao Qiuhua laughed and joined in, “Then we won’t let him eat anything we buy later. Let’s see how he likes not being greedy.” 

Chen Nongmo wasn’t really a 15-year-old, after all. She had said that just to divert her Second Brother’s attention. Now, being doted on like this, her face flushed red. 

Seeing her expression, Cao Qiuhua chuckled and took her little girl’s hand, leading her toward the cooperative. 

The closer it got to the end of the year, the more people swarmed to stock up on supplies. They needed to move quickly. 

From the night Aunt Xiumei had come over to propose the marriage match, Chen Nongmo had thought Liu Yuanyuan’s name sounded familiar but hadn’t dwelled on it. She’d merely assumed the two “Yuanyuan” characters were too common. 

It wasn’t until just now, when she first learned that her Second Brother’s goal was to become a soldier, that she suddenly remembered where the sense of familiarity came from. 

In the original novel, the male lead, Chu Wuwen, had a tragic ending for his little sister. But even Cao Liu, a minor supporting character with limited page time, had a fate that was less than ideal. 

At this thought, Chen Nongmo glanced up at the tall figure walking ahead of them, shielding her and Mom Qiuhua from the cold wind alongside Dad Zong. 

Cao Liu. Cao Liu. 

When Cao Qiuhua had chosen this name for her son, it was because she hoped to continue the Cao family’s lineage. People of this era strongly believed in the importance of descendants. 

And yet… Cao Liu had remained unmarried his entire life. 

And the reason behind it all lay with the girl who had given her the candies—Liu Yuanyuan. 

As for what exactly had happened, Chen Nongmo could no longer recall. 

After all, in the original story, both she and Cao Liu were minor characters with little narrative attention. 

She only vaguely remembered that her Second Brother had passed the military selection process and, on his way back from collecting his uniform at the armed forces department, he had lost his leg. 

Technically speaking, it was because he saved his high school classmate, Liu Yuanyuan. 

But why he had saved her, and how it had led to his injury, no matter how hard she tried, Chen Nongmo couldn’t recall. 

She only knew that in the end, Second Brother had suffered severe soft tissue injuries. The damage had led to irreversible necrosis in his limb, and he ultimately had to undergo amputation. 

During the surgery, he had still been wearing the military uniform he had dreamed of for so long… 

At the same time, Chen Nongmo also remembered the regret that the novel’s male lead, Chu Wuwen, had expressed for Cao Liu. 

He had said that Second Brother, in both physical ability and intelligence, was no worse than him. 

When university education was briefly halted, Cao Liu, still in middle school at the time, had already shared his plans for the future with the family. 

He wanted to graduate from high school, enlist in the army, and work his way up in the military. After a few years, he aimed to earn a recommendation for university admission through internal military channels. 

Yes, he had wanted to go to college. 

From the very beginning, his goals had been clear. 

But all of his plans and dreams had come to an abrupt halt because of a car accident. 

Although, after the reform and opening up, Cao Liu had still managed to build a substantial family business through his own abilities and the support of his brothers, the fact remained—he spent his life confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk. 

And, as the story had shown, Second Brother never married. 

Chen Nongmo didn’t know whether he had never met someone he loved or if there was some other reason behind it… 

But she thought, if the calamity could be avoided, her thoughtful and perceptive Second Brother should have no trouble achieving his dreams. 

The cooperative was now in sight. 

Chen Nongmo took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the tumultuous emotions swirling in her heart. 

Surrounded by the protective circle of her family, she followed the crowd and squeezed into the marketplace. 

There was a long list of things to buy. 

Crowding together to shop wasn’t an option. Even if they had all day to spend, the good items were always limited in quantity, and many others would be competing for them. 

Thus, as planned at home, once the family successfully pushed their way into the cooperative, they split up into pairs to shop efficiently. 

Chen Nongmo went to the third floor with Fifth Brother, Chen Yi, who was known for his reliable nature, to look at shoes. 

When she came over from N City, she had brought only a limited amount of belongings due to various considerations. 

Especially shoes—of the three pairs she owned, only one could barely be worn; the others were far too flimsy for the current weather. 

In this era, leather shoes were considered a luxury. Compared to the noisy and crowded counters downstairs, the shoe section was relatively quiet. 

Chen Nongmo and Fifth Brother leaned against the glass display cases, their eyes fixed on the limited selection of winter leather boots inside. 

There were only four styles for men and even fewer for women—just two designs. 

Without wasting words, Chen Nongmo immediately picked a style and pulled out several lengths of straw rope from her bag. She handed them to the sales clerk, who was eyeing her skeptically, then pointed at a pair of leather boots that would be considered a retro design in later years. “This style. Please take out one pair in each of these sizes for me.” 

As she spoke, she pulled out the longest piece of rope from another pocket and handed it over. “For this size, I’ll need four pairs.” 

Over the past few days, she had discreetly gathered information and learned that Dad Zong, Big Brother, Second Brother, and the helpful Comrade Shao Zheng all wore shoes of roughly the same size. 

She hadn’t dared to ask too directly about their exact measurements, so she used rope as a guide. 

Chen Yi, snapping out of his initial shock, frowned and tried to stop her. “Sixth Sister, just buy shoes for yourself. You’re still growing—don’t buy shoes that fit you perfectly now. Go a size bigger so they’ll last an extra two years.” 

A single pair of shoes, excluding the ration coupons, cost nearly 30 yuan. With a wave of her hand, Chen Nongmo was about to spend close to 300 yuan. Even Chen Yi, who prided himself on his family being relatively well-off, was thoroughly stunned. 

However, Chen Nongmo was determined. If she was going to send a letter and gifts to Big Brother, it wouldn’t make sense to leave the rest of the family out. 

Besides, some of the sizes she was buying were for her parents. She had been thinking about them for a long time. Once she had their exact address, she intended to visit them in person to put her worries to rest. 

Ignoring the boy’s disapproval, she smiled and said, “Fifth Brother, you’re so clever. I didn’t even think about buying a size bigger.” 

As she spoke, she took out a stack of ration coupons and some cash from her inner pocket and urged the still-stunned sales clerk, “Please hurry.” 

Chen Yi… was that what he had meant?