Chapter 37: The Autumn Harvest Begins (Part 1)

Whether it was celebrating National Day or a birthday, both were reasons to be happy.

When both happened together, the joy was doubled!

On such a wonderful day, besides celebrating her birthday, Mu Mian also planned to send out the picture books.

She had already planned to go to the commune today.

In this era, birthday celebrations didn’t involve fancy cakes or extravagant treats.

In some large families, parents didn’t even remember their children’s exact birthdates, let alone celebrate them. Not having a birthday celebration was the norm.

Of course, Mu Fugui and his wife would never forget Mu Mian’s birthday. Every year, when the day arrived, the whole family would go to a state-run restaurant for a meal.

No matter the time period, one thing never changed—when there was a reason to celebrate, people would eat something special.

—

The National Day holiday wasn’t as long as it would be in the future—just three days.

Naturally, Mu Fugui also had time off.

That day, the weather was perfect.

The sun shone brightly, the sky was a deep blue, and a few white clouds drifted lazily overhead.

Mu Mian woke up naturally, stretching as she listened to the sounds of her parents bustling about. She reached for the clothes on the bedside table and got dressed.

She put on the ruffled short-sleeve blouse her mother had made for her. Even though it had been sewn months ago, it still looked brand new since she had only worn it a few times.

Mu Mian usually only wore her new clothes when going out. Most of the time, when running around the brigade, she wore old clothes.

Although Mu Zhuo had sent back a lot of red fabric before, saying it could be used to make new clothes for birthdays, Mu Mian thought about it and decided not to have her mother make anything just yet.

She already had one set of new clothes, so this red fabric could be saved for making a padded jacket for the New Year.

After all, the New Year should be bright and festive!

Once her jacket was made, her mother and grandmother could each sew a small padded vest. The fabric would be just enough.

If they had only relied on the ten feet of fabric her brother sent, it might have been enough for just two people.

But thanks to a kind-hearted comrade who had gifted them an extra five feet, all three of them could have new clothes!

By then, everyone in the family except her father would be dressed in matching red outfits. Wouldn’t that be festive?

A bright and cheerful New Year would surely bring good fortune and prosperity in the coming year!

There really were kind people in this world, and that platoon leader named Wen Zhan was one of them!

—

Mu Mian welcomed the first day of being nine years old in a cheerful mood, thinking, “The sun is shining, the world is beautiful!”

As soon as she opened the door, she was met with a beaming smile from Comrade Mu Fugui.

“Hey, our little birthday girl is up! Why haven’t you combed your hair? Come here, let Dad tie you two braids.”

Mu Mian immediately shook her head like a rattle drum. “No, no, go do something else, Dad. I just couldn’t find my comb.”

Her father’s hands were not suited for delicate tasks, and for the sake of her hair, it was better to refuse.

She had let him try once before out of boredom. How did it feel?

It felt like she was a pig on a butcher’s board, and her hair had been shaved off like bristles.

That was not an experience she ever wanted to go through again.

Mu Mian called toward the kitchen, “Mom, have you seen my comb?”

Liu Shuangcui’s voice came from inside, “It’s probably in our room. Look around.”

Sure enough, it was there.

A good morning started with a well-tied hairstyle.

Over the past six months, Mu Mian’s hair had grown a lot. Now she could tie it up into a high ponytail, which made her look especially energetic.

Since they would be eating at the state-run restaurant for lunch, they kept breakfast simple.

After finishing the meal and getting busy for a while, the whole family prepared to ride their bicycles to the commune.

This time, the old lady did not complain about Mu Fugui possibly making her fall.

At the entrance of the courtyard, Comrade Mu Fugui stood with both feet firmly planted on either side of the bicycle, steadily supporting the weight of the three women in the family.

Mu Mian and her grandmother squeezed onto the back seat, while Liu Shuangcui sat on the front crossbar.

At that moment, Liu Guizhi happened to pass by. Seeing the four of them in this formation, she laughed and said to Liu Shuangcui, “Look at you sitting on that crossbar—it’s like a new bride being welcomed home!”

In the city, young couples who were deeply in love liked to do this. When picking up the bride, the woman would sit on the bicycle’s crossbar, and the man, wearing a big red flower, would ride while grinning from ear to ear.

Mu Fugui was not one to get embarrassed easily. He casually agreed, “It’s still a bit different. If my daughter and my mother weren’t sitting behind, it would look more like it.”

Hearing this, Mu Mian immediately chimed in, “So you’re saying Grandma and I are in the way~?”

Unlike Mu Fugui, Liu Shuangcui was not thick-skinned. She was already in her forties—what new bride nonsense? It was embarrassing.

She lightly patted Mu Fugui’s arm. “Stop dawdling. Sitting on this bar for too long makes my backside sore.”

Then, she gestured to Liu Guizhi. “We’re heading off now.”

Liu Guizhi waved her hand. “Go on, go on. I’ve got work to do too.”

—

Since the bicycle was carrying four people, Mu Fugui rode slower than usual.

There was no rush anyway. The state-run restaurant wouldn’t open before its scheduled time.

When they reached the commune, Mu Fugui followed his daughter’s instructions and parked the bicycle in front of the post office.

Just as they stopped, an auntie from the brigade came out from the post office, having picked up a package.

Liu Shuangcui and the others stayed behind to chat for a bit, while Mu Mian didn’t wait for her parents. She carried her bag and went straight into the post office.

She was no longer the eight-year-old who had to ask her parents for money to send a letter.

She was nine now!

And she had a whole twenty yuan of her own money!

Skillfully, Mu Mian bought stamps and envelopes, then took out a pen and leaned over a small stool in the corner to write the recipient’s information.

Hmm… although she was now nine, the tall counter at the post office was still difficult to reach. She had no choice but to use the low stool.

She had just finished writing the recipient’s address when a voice called out from ahead.

“Xiao Mian?”

Mu Mian looked up. “Oh, Sister Sihui! What are you doing here? Picking something up?”

Nie Sihui walked closer. “No, I’m mailing something to a friend.”

As she spoke, her gaze swept downward, and she caught sight of a familiar publishing house name.

She had heard her friend Bi Qin mention it countless times back in school, and it had also been brought up in recent letters.

Bi Qin had graduated from high school and successfully been admitted to the very same publishing house where her father worked. Now, father and daughter were in the same workplace.

Mu Mian didn’t notice the slight surprise in Nie Sihui’s eyes. She simply tilted her round little face and asked, “Are you here alone?”

Nie Sihui withdrew her gaze. “No, I came with Mulan. She’s outside talking to your mom and Aunt Wang.”

Then, she gestured with her eyes. “I’ll go mail my package first.”

Mailing letters and sending parcels were done at different counters.

Mu Mian nodded. “Okay, okay. Go ahead, Sister Sihui.”

After Nie Sihui left, Mu Mian continued writing happily, completely unaware that her address had just been seen.

Mu Mian never intended to block her. This wasn’t something that needed to be kept secret anyway.

At the moment when Nie Sihui turned around, Mu Mian instinctively thought—

This publishing house was in Hushi, and Sister Sihui was also from Hushi.

What a coincidence.

Just a small coincidence. Mu Mian quickly put it out of her mind. She had carefully chosen this publishing house from several options because it suited her style.

Only a good match would increase the chances of acceptance.

Even though she often said that it wouldn’t matter if her submission got rejected, she had put in so much effort. The process had taken three to four months, and after all that time and effort, she still hoped for some results.

After writing the recipient’s information, Mu Mian filled in the sender’s details as well. Once done, she carefully placed the manuscript inside the envelope.

The topmost page featured a cover she had casually drawn herself, with the words “Autumn Rain Mianmian” written in the bottom right corner.

Publishing illustrated storybooks was different from submitting to magazines. Magazines required real names for submissions, but illustrated storybooks did not.

The ones she had seen all used pen names.

So, she picked one for herself too.

“Autumn Rain Mianmian”—as the name suggested—

She was born on a rainy autumn day.

Simple and straightforward.