Chapter 7

It snowed.

After a long sleep, Chen Nongmo woke up, drew the curtains, and opened the window.

As daylight spilled into the dim room, she could clearly see the snowflakes falling outside.

The snow had already accumulated thickly, and it was uncertain how long this snow would last.

Chen Nongmo, casually muttering a few words, stood by the window, stretched lazily, and did a few simple stretches to loosen her stiff body from sleeping for too long. Only then did she start tidying up the room and herself.

“Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?” In the kitchen, Cao Qiuhua, holding a kettle of hot water, was preparing to scald the chicken feathers. Upon seeing the girl walk in, she moved aside, blocking the large wooden tub where the chicken was.

Chen Nongmo wasn’t bothered by these bloody things. She just wasn’t very down-to-earth in her appearance, but in reality, she was quite experienced in slaughtering chickens and fish. “I slept enough. It’s already past seven.”

At a time when everyone else typically woke up around five, she considered herself a late riser.

“As long as you’re not tired. Have you brushed your teeth and washed your face? When you’re done, go have breakfast.” While speaking, Cao Qiuhua set the kettle down on the floor, grabbed a cloth from the shelf to wipe her hands, and prepared to serve breakfast to the girl.

“Just tell me where it is, I’ll go get it myself.” She didn’t have the cheek to wait for someone to serve her.

Although she thought girls were generally more delicate than boys, Cao Qiuhua wasn’t the type to not let the girl do anything. Especially since Demao and Ji Mo’s family were in trouble, she needed Yuyu to be able to take care of herself in order for her to feel at ease.

So she gestured toward the stove, raising her chin. “It’s warming in the pot inside. Be careful when you take it, don’t burn yourself on the pot’s edge. There’s also milk powder on the table outside. You know how to make it, right?”

Once again being treated like a child, Chen Nongmo held back her embarrassment. “…I know!”

After quickly finishing breakfast, Chen Nongmo cleaned the dishes and then found a small stool to sit beside the wooden tub, helping her mother, Qiuhua, pluck the chicken feathers.

“You don’t need to do this, it’s dirty. If you’re bored, just walk around the house. There are sunflower seeds and peanuts in the cupboard.”

Chen Nongmo didn’t listen. The house and the peanuts weren’t going anywhere, so she continued to help pluck the feathers.

However, she was mindful of her speed, trying hard to act like a beginner. “Where are Daddy Zong, Xiao Hu, and the older brothers?”

Cao Qiuhua saw the girl persist in working clumsily and thought that she was probably uneasy and trying to find something to do. So, she didn’t stop her and instead sped up her own movements, deciding to do more herself. “It’s almost New Year’s. We need to stock up on some meat. Your Daddy Zong went out early this morning with the second, third, and Xiao Hu to check the traps on the back mountain.”

Chen Nongmo knew nothing about hunting. As she imagined the scene of three burly men sweeping through the back mountain, she pursed her lips, stifling a laugh, and asked, “When will they be back? Is the snow outside okay?”

“What’s this snow? It’s just a light flurry, probably won’t last past noon. It’s perfect for playing in… they’ll be back before lunch.” Cao Qiuhua moved quickly; in just a short time, she had nearly finished plucking the feathers from the old hen, leaving only some fine fluff that needed careful cleaning.

“I’ll go change the water.” She handed the chicken to her daughter to hold and bent down to take the wooden tub outside.

After disposing of the dirty water and feathers, she returned to the kitchen with a half tub of warm water and continued to clean the small fluff from the chicken. “Your fourth and fifth brothers went to the village to borrow books.”

Chen Nongmo rubbed her nose with her wrist, which had become a little itchy from the loose feathers, and asked in confusion, “Borrow books?”

“Yes, borrow elementary school textbooks. We don’t have any at home. Fifth Brother has the best grades, so I asked him to start teaching you from first grade. When you catch up to middle school level, then you can go to school,” Cao Qiuhua explained thoughtfully.

She was genuinely considering her daughter’s future. Sending her directly to first grade with much younger children would not only be awkward for her, but also likely the subject of gossip.

No one in the village knew that Yuyu hadn’t been aware of things before.

She didn’t want her daughter to be the subject of idle talk, so it would be better for her to self-study up to middle school before attending school.

Chen Nongmo, a little disheartened by her lack of education, reluctantly agreed, “…Okay.”

Cao Qiuhua, unaware of her daughter’s internal frustration, smiled as if recalling something. “By the way, don’t worry about your parents. This afternoon, I’ll go with your Daddy Zong to the village committee to call your Big Brother. He’s in the military, knows a lot of people, and should be able to find out where Demao and the others are.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Nongmo paused in her actions, her head snapping up in surprise. “Really? Can I go with you?”

Maybe… just maybe, that older brother, whom she had never met and who was her only blood relative on her father’s side, already knew where her parents were?

After seeing firsthand the harsh attitude toward so-called ‘re-education’ detainees in this era, she couldn’t help but feel that, even if there was only a small chance, she wanted to know her parents’ whereabouts as soon as possible.

The little girl had been acting unusually calm since yesterday, more composed and obedient than a typical 15-year-old.

This was the first time Cao Qiuhua had seen her so excited, and she couldn’t bring herself to refuse. “If you want to go, then go. I’ll also take you to see Old Secretary. Even though we’re five generations removed from the family, by seniority, you should still call him Fourth Uncle.”

“Do I need to bring a gift?”

“No need for that. You’re still a child.”

“I’m not that young anymore. In a few days, I’ll be 16.”

“That’s still your Chinese age. Before you get married, there’s no need for you to follow all the formalities. Even if you do, it’s Fourth Uncle, an elder, who should give you a red envelope.”

“……”

After lunch, Xiao Hu left.

Chen Demao’s incident wouldn’t involve him, and when he realized that the internal conflict might affect him, he had already arranged for his bodyguard’s departure. Based on his excellent performance over the years, he was even promoted.

So, this period, which Xiao Hu was taking as a vacation, was also a good time to visit his family in the neighboring city before heading to report to his new Military Unit.

As the oldest, Cao Liu brought several marinated and dried wild rabbits, along with a large piece of wild boar meat as a gift, personally sending him off to the county town to catch the bus.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family wasn’t idle either.

The three boys, who didn’t have the habit of taking afternoon naps, were rarely home instead of running around, all gathered in the house watching their Little Sister study.

“1, 2, 3… 9, 10, today we’re going to learn these numbers. Sixth Sister, let’s see if you can write and memorize them today,” said Chen Yi, the 15-year-old Fifth Brother, who was in the second year of middle school. He was an excellent student, gentle in nature, and took his role as a little teacher seriously.

Behind him were Chen Jun, the fourth brother, and Chen Huai, the third brother, who were gathered around to watch the show.

Chen Nongmo, with great effort, followed along and tried to learn, writing crooked and uneven characters.

But for someone who had graduated from a prestigious university with a master’s degree, going back to the basics of learning to write was not something she was skilled at. No matter how much she tried to pay attention, there was still a slight difference in how she performed.

When Cao Qiuhua woke up from her afternoon nap, she heard from her sons that Little Sister was a genius.

Naturally, she responded, “Isn’t Yuyu smart? Do you really need to go out of your way to say it?”

Upon hearing this, Chen Nongmo, whose intelligence wasn’t particularly extraordinary but was perfectly normal, subconsciously shifted her gaze away, feeling a bit guilty.

Cao Qiuhua turned her attention to Chen Yi. “Fifth Brother, pay attention and adjust the lessons based on Yuyu’s progress. Your father and I will take your sister to make a call to Wu Wen.”

The three brothers all looked over at once, and it was Chen Huai, the third brother, who spoke for the group. “Let’s all go. Big Brother hasn’t been home for three years.”

“Then let’s go together.”

Chen Zong was a man of few words, but he was very considerate of his wife, lacking any trace of derogatory male chauvinism.

Worried that his wife might fall, even though it had been snowing for the past two or three months, he had been carefully clearing the paths wherever they would need to step.

He had been doing this consistently for twenty years.

In the past, he did it alone, but now, with the children grown up, he led his sons to help.

So, as Chen Nongmo was surrounded by a group of tall, broad-shouldered men on their way to the village, their path was smooth and uneventful.

Looking at her thick cotton shoes, which had almost no snow on them, she couldn’t help but glance at the man walking at the front, side by side with Mommy Qiuhua—Daddy Zong.

She couldn’t help but think that perhaps something she had once read or heard was true.

A person’s maturity had nothing to do with their age. Daddy Zong, who was five years younger than Mommy Qiuhua, was clearly the one who took care of others.

“Hey! Are you all going to the back mountain to set traps for rabbits?” The lively Chen Jun, the fourth brother, spotted six or seven young men and women in the distance and immediately raised his voice and waved.

Chen Nongmo also looked over, seeing a few people standing in the vast white snow.

Chen Yi softly explained, “Those are Educated Youths. Every year, they send a few to our village, and after a few years, there are already over a dozen of them. See those first two rows of houses? They live there.”

Educated Youths. It was another special product of this era. As they got closer, Chen Nongmo was able to make out their faces.

Their attire was more stylish than that of the villagers.

There were five boys and two girls.

One of the girls was very beautiful, meeting the aesthetic standards of the era. She had an oval face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a high nose. Her hair was styled in two braided pigtails, and she was tall, around 1.7 meters. She stood there looking lively and charming, which made the surrounding environment seem brighter.

Chen Nongmo didn’t approach them like her fourth brother had. She simply glanced at them curiously, then turned her attention back to the group, following their pace.

“If Sixth Sister wants to set rabbit traps, I can go with Fourth Brother and take you some other time,” Chen Huai, thinking that the girl might be interested in rabbits, casually offered, since he often went to the mountain.

“I think you need a good talking to. If Yuyu wants to go, she can go with Second Brother or your father. With your reckless nature, you might lose her.” Cao Qiuhua turned around and glared at her son, warning him not to make rash suggestions.

The young man, eager to maintain his dignity, retorted, “Mom, I’m already 17, soon to be 18. I’m only two years younger than Second Brother. There’s no way I’d lose Little Sister! You’re just overthinking things!”

Chen Zong turned back and glanced at his third son with a calm expression.

Chen Huai… “Ahem… well, Mom does have a point.”

Chen Nongmo… Who’s the sixth one? You’re the sixth!

As the group continued walking, no one heard the whispers or discussions of the Educated Youths behind them, some of which were filled with admiration or advice:

“Ah! That must be the girl everyone in the village has been talking about, right? What’s her name again? She’s really pretty. I’ve never seen a girl so beautiful.”

“Don’t say that, Xiu Xiu, you’re pretty too! You two just have different styles.”

“Isn’t it said that something happened to her family, and she came here to take refuge?” 

“Who cares? It’s none of our business.” 

“The villagers are very united. Some things are better kept to ourselves. Don’t say everything out loud. We’re already living more comfortably than many of the Educated Youths. We don’t want to upset the villagers.” 

“Got it, got it…” 

“…” 

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738 Military Unit

Chu Wuwen had been busy lately coordinating next year’s training plan for the group with Shao Zheng and hadn’t been assigned any other tasks.

So when he received the call notification from the communications room, he was still at the Military Unit.

As he rushed out of his office, a shadow followed behind him.

Running, Chu Wuwen turned around, “What are you doing? It’s a call for my family!” 

When Shao Zheng realized he’d been spotted, he quickly caught up with his friend, walking side by side with him. With a charming, refined smile on his handsome face, he casually said, “What’s the big deal between us? Your parents are my parents too, right? I bet it’s about Colonel Chen. Maybe our parents want me to pick up the call. I’ll do it and save them the phone bill.” 

Although Chu Wuwen knew his friend was only worried about him possibly getting some bad news, he couldn’t help but feel a little sour when Shao Zheng kept referring to their parents as “our parents.” He retorted, “What if they’re trying to introduce me to someone? She’s been pushing me to get married for a while now.” 

At these words, Shao Zheng looked his friend up and down, then made a face of mild disdain, “Not likely. You’re not as good-looking as I am, nor as charming, and certainly not as sweet-talking as me. Even if Mom wants to introduce someone, she’ll do it for me first.” 

Chu Wuwen…