Chapter 40: A Letter from Hushi (Part 1)

Xu Lele’s game of playing house didn’t last long.

Mainly because Mu Mian, the so-called “dog mom,” refused to play along. While the others were still having fun, she snuck away to feed the chickens.

Kids at this age were always jumping from one thing to another.

By the time she returned, they had already moved on to a new topic—naming the puppy.

Xiao Chengzi was straightforward. “It’s completely black, so let’s call it Dahei^[1]Big Black!”

Dazhuang shook his head. “No way, my cousin’s name is Dahei.”

Xu Lele suggested, “How about Wangwang? It keeps barking.”

Gutou chimed in, “Isn’t Grandma Li’s newborn grandson also named Wangwang?”

Xu Lele rested her chin on her hands, looking thoughtful. “Really? He’s so little, and he doesn’t play with us. I didn’t even know his name!”

Xiao Chengzi turned to Mu Mian as she walked over. “This puppy is a gift from uncle to sister Mianmian. Sister Mianmian should be the one to name it.”

Mu Mian immediately said, “I’ve already thought about it. Let’s call it Shiyi^[2]Shiyi.”

Dazhuang was shocked. “What? That dog’s mom gave birth to eleven puppies? How is that even possible? Wouldn’t her belly burst?”

It wasn’t surprising that Dazhuang’s first reaction was this. In their brigade, many families liked to name their children based on birth order.

For example, names like Da Ya, Er Ya, Da Wa, and Er Wa were common. Some even kept it simpler, calling their children Lao Da, Lao Er, and Lao San.

Mu Mian explained, “Shiyi doesn’t mean it has ten older siblings. It’s because yesterday was the eleventh—November 11th.”

Xiao Chengzi was the first to support her. “This is a great name. No one else in the brigade is called Shiyi.”

Dazhuang scoffed, “Of course. Who could possibly have eleven kids?”

They weren’t sure about other brigades, but in their own, there was definitely no such case.

—

Before little Shiyi could even get used to its freshly chosen name, Mu Mian noticed that the puppy really did seem to have some hunting instincts.

Even though it was still tiny, it showed a great interest in the chicks in the chicken coop. From time to time, it would run up to the coop and let out a fierce little “woof woof” in its babyish voice.

These three chicks were bought by the old lady from the commune along with Aunt Li some time ago.

There was a rule now—each household was allowed to raise a maximum of three chickens.

Previously, their family had three, but they ate one during the autumn harvest, leaving only two.

However, when buying chicks, most people would choose to get a couple more.

After all, in most cases, one or two would die along the way before they could grow up.

If little Shiyi kept showing this much interest in them, these chicks probably wouldn’t survive for long.

Chickens were valuable, and it wouldn’t do if they all got scared to death. The old lady had worked hard to buy them.

Seeing how energetic and lively Shiyi was, Mu Mian didn’t want to waste its natural talents.

So, she especially went to the Tang family to ask Grandpa Tang how he had trained his dog in the past.

The Tang family’s dog was a big yellow one. Even though it was old, it was still very alert.

The moment a stranger approached their house, it would get up from its kennel and stand in the yard, its sharp eyes fixed on the person. It looked very intimidating.

Little Shiyi was so scared that it whimpered and burrowed into Mu Mian’s arms, making her eyes twitch in frustration.

This little thing really had two faces. It didn’t act like this in front of the chicks.

Grandpa Tang wasn’t a very talkative person, but Mu Mian was. Her approach was simple—thick-skinned persistence and an eagerness to learn.

Plus, she was adorable. No elderly person could refuse a well-behaved little girl like her.

After spending half a day at the Tang household, she managed to get some useful training tips.

She started training Shiyi at home, and it actually looked quite professional.

By the time Shiyi finally stopped bothering the chicks, it was already late November.

It was only then that Mu Mian suddenly remembered something important…

Her picture book!

It had been a month and a half since she sent it out, and there was still no reply!

She had done her research beforehand. Compared to writing an article, drawing an entire picture book took much more time and effort.

So, even if a submission was rejected, publishing houses would usually send back the original manuscript.

That way, she could submit it to another publisher. Who knows? Maybe one of them would accept it.

At the very least, she could keep it as a memento.

But now, there wasn’t even a single letter.

Some of the larger publishers, like the one in Hushi, received an overwhelming number of submissions.

Since they offered high payments, there were many contributors, and manuscripts often got backlogged.

The question was—was her submission stuck in the backlog, or had it been lost in the mail?

While Mu Mian was busy speculating, at the same time, in Hushi…

At the publishing house, the afternoon work shift had just started.

Bi Qin was holding a stack of documents, preparing to leave, when she ran into her father in the hallway.

Father Bi casually asked, “Where are you going?”

Bi Qin lifted the things in her hand. “Sister Zhang asked me to mail these out. It’s the one Sihui wrote to me about. The sample books have finally been printed.”

Father Bi didn’t handle this section, but he knew about it. “Didn’t this happen a long time ago? Why did it take so long?”

Bi Qin pouted. “I told you before. There were too many submissions and a huge backlog. If Sihui hadn’t written to remind me, it probably would’ve taken another month before they even noticed it.”

Father Bi casually took the book from him. “Let me see what kind of drawings that girl, Xiao Nie, specially wrote to you about it.”

He hadn’t seen this manuscript before, but if it was approved for publication, it had to be decent.

Bi Qin grinned. “The artwork is really good, but I love the content even more. It’s so much fun!”

Father Bi flipped through it. “It’s about the countryside?”

Bi Qin nodded enthusiastically. “It’s super lively! I never imagined so many interesting things could happen there!”

Father Bi had reviewed many manuscripts in the past. After getting promoted, he didn’t do it as much, but he chuckled and said, “It just means the author has an interesting mind and plenty of ideas.”

After all, most of it was fictional. True-to-life stories were rare.

As he continued reading, he found himself unable to put it down.

Casually, he asked, “How old is this author?”

Bi Qin shook her head. “No idea. Sihui didn’t tell me much. She just said this person helped her a lot. I guess they’re around our age—probably eighteen or nineteen.”

Father Bi nodded in approval. “For that age, this is quite impressive.”

Just then, another colleague walked past them in the hallway, greeting them as they passed.

Bi Qin suddenly realized the time and grabbed her father’s arm to check his wristwatch.

“Oh no, Dad, I don’t have time to chat anymore! I have so much work waiting for me!”

The moment she finished speaking, she snatched the sample book from Father Bi’s hands, leaving the older man clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction. Without hesitation, Father Bi turned and walked straight into the editorial office—there was no way they had printed only one sample copy. He would find another one himself!

Meanwhile, Mu Mian had no idea that the long-awaited reply had already left Hushi on its way to her.

She was on the mountain with Xiao Shiyi—or rather, the little black dog insisted on following her.

The old lady’s words had come true—this pup truly loved sticking to her. Wherever Mu Mian went, it followed.

Perhaps it was because she was the one who fed it every time, and the little dog knew exactly who provided its meals. Of course, it had to stay close.

But its short legs made climbing the mountain quite a challenge. Most of the time, Mu Mian had to carry it, and as soon as they reached an easier path, the puppy would start dashing around excitedly.

One moment, it was chasing bugs. Next, it was scratching at tree roots, barking fiercely at the birds perched on the branches above.

In the end, it failed to scare the birds but managed to overbalance itself. Standing too straight on its hind legs, which lacked the strength to support its round little body, it flipped backward, rolling twice on the ground before getting back up—clumsy yet adorable.

Despite its occasional foolishness, its nose was exceptionally sharp.

After only a few trips, Mu Mian noticed that the little pup had an amazing sense of direction.

In just a short time, it had already memorized the way home from the foot of the mountain.

Whenever they headed back, Xiao Shiyi would lead the way, dashing ahead, while she and Lele followed behind at a leisurely pace.

By now, December had quietly arrived, and the temperature had dropped even further.

There was no farm work left to do, so the villagers had settled into their winter routines, staying home and keeping busy with various tasks.

This year’s Spring Festival was coming early, and many preparations could already begin—such as making new winter coats.

That day, Comrade Liu Shuangcui took out the red fabric that Mu Zhuo had sent back home. Mu Mian stood in front of her mother, letting her hold the cloth up against her, measuring and comparing.

Mu Mian tilted her round little face. “Are we making it now? But we haven’t gotten any cotton yet.”

The bright red fabric made her fair little face look even whiter. She had tanned a bit during the autumn harvest, but after staying home for a while, her complexion had lightened again. Children always recovered quickly.

Liu Shuangcui held a pencil, marking the fabric while replying, “We’ll cut it first. Who knows when your father will manage to get the cotton?”

Cotton was a rare commodity in these times, especially in their cold region where winter coats needed to be thick and well-padded.

The limited supply at the cooperative store was never enough, and it was difficult to trade for it privately.

Since Mu Fugui knew many people at the commune, this challenging task naturally fell to him.

Just as the mother and daughter mentioned Mu Fugui, he came riding home on his bicycle, looking cheerful.

Mu Mian turned to her father. “You look so happy, Dad! Did you manage to get the cotton?”

Mu Fugui grinned widely. “I’ve got a lead, but I haven’t made the trade yet.”

Without hesitation, Mu Mian praised him, “That’s already great! You’re such an outstanding comrade!”

Mu Fugui laughed heartily. “Oh, you little flatterer! But not as impressive as my daughter!”

As he spoke, he pulled an envelope from his coat pocket. “Here, Xiao Zhang gave this to me this morning. It’s a letter from Hushi.”

Mu Mian’s eyes lit up instantly. “Did my manuscript get accepted?”

Mu Fugui shook his head. “I didn’t open it. I wanted to bring it home and read it with you. But it feels quite thick, just like the last two times!”

Mu Mian remained cautious, speaking as she carefully tore open the envelope. “Not necessarily. My submission was thick too. It could be a rejection letter.”

Mu Fugui had absolute confidence in his daughter. “No way! It definitely got accepted!”

His daughter was so talented—how could they possibly reject her? Where else could they find a little girl who could draw so well?

He often wondered how her mind worked. She only needed to flip through other people’s illustrations a few times, and she could replicate the style flawlessly.

In fact, he believed her drawings were even better than those in the children’s books they bought.

His daughter’s mind was truly remarkable. What was that word she had used before?

Ah, right—talent!

Just like him. He was born for butchering—his first time wielding a knife, and he had handled it like a pro. No pig had ever escaped from his grasp.