Chapter 9.1

That night, Lin Yao tossed and turned, her eyelids heavy, and eventually drifted off to sleep with her small pillow.

In the middle of the night, a thunderstorm erupted, and rain pattered heavily on the bamboo leaves in the courtyard.

Fortunately, Lin Yao had left a small wooden window open for ventilation before going to bed, and the cool breeze made the room pleasantly cool.

She slept well, wrapped in her small cotton quilt.

Gu Chunmei also slept well in the south wing, but Gu Shidong had a harder time. His small room, though narrow, had good orientation and lighting, with a wooden bed, desk, chairs, and wardrobe.

In the summer, Zhang Cuilan had hung a coarse cloth mosquito net in Gu Shidong’s room and placed a large fan on the bed to keep mosquitoes away, hoping he would have a good night’s sleep.

However, Gu Shidong, being lazy, didn’t wash his feet before bed or bother to use the fan to chase away mosquitoes. By the time it was dark, he was already fast asleep.

Usually, Zhang Cuilan would help him with the mosquito net if she had time. But these days, she was busy with work at the pig farm and helping out at the large dining hall, where all the women in the courtyard were expected to contribute.

With such pressure, who dared to skip?

Lin Yao also had to help out the next day.

As Zhang Cuilan was busy, she couldn’t manage everything in Gu Shidong’s room. Yunshui County was humid during the rainy season, and the courtyard was lush with plants. If one wasn’t careful, they could end up with mosquito bites.

Unfortunately, the rain last night had left Gu Shidong’s window open and the mosquito net wet from the wind and rain. As a result, mosquitoes buzzed around his room all night.

Gu Shidong had become the mosquitoes’ favorite target, scratching and itching all night long.

Before dawn the next day, the little rascal was already crying and knocking on his parents’ door.

The pig farm started work at 7:30 AM, and Zhang Cuilan had gotten up at 6:30 AM to get ready for the day—a routine she had followed for many years.

At this hour, it was still misty and dark outside, with rain drumming softly on the roof. Zhang Cuilan, deep in her sleep, was snoring soundly.

Her youngest son was banging loudly on the door, which woke Zhang Cuilan up, and she was grumpy and irritable. She quickly dressed, put on her cloth shoes, and stormed out of the bedroom.

That little rascal—three days without a beating and now causing a ruckus early in the morning, looking for trouble!

Zhang Cuilan rushed to the door, pulled open the latch, and was about to scold him when she looked outside and took a sharp breath.

Heaven help, what is that pig head doing here?

*

Lin Yao slept soundly, and when she woke up, the rain had stopped, and the sun was shining brightly. The cicadas on the parasol trees outside chirped happily.

The courtyard was cool and fresh after the rain, with a unique scent of grass.

Lin Yao, still a bit groggy, slowly got dressed and went to the courtyard to wash her face and brush her teeth. She applied some face cream and took a stroll around the courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet, and neither Zhang Cuilan nor Gu Mancang were at home. They had probably gone to work early.

Gu Shidong was also missing from his room.

Lin Yao found it odd. Usually, Gu Shidong, being so lazy, would sleep until late morning, so why was he up so early today?

Just then, the door to the south wing opened, and Gu Chunmei, carrying a basin of water and yawning, crossed the threshold.

“Sister, you’re not going to work today?”

Gu Chunmei went to the water tank to fetch some water.

Lin Yao went over to help her, scooping up some well water with a ladle.

“Today’s a holiday, no work,” Gu Chunmei said, rolling up her sleeves and washing her face.

In those days, there were no weekends, and workers in the county had only one day off a week. As a sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative, Gu Chunmei’s shifts were rotated.

Lin Yao responded with an “Oh” and then said, “No wonder, Uncle and Aunt are not home, and Gu Shidong is missing so early.”

Gu Chunmei laughed as she brushed her teeth. “Yaoyao, you didn’t know? The little rascal got bitten all over by mosquitoes and his face looks like a pig’s head. He didn’t close the window while sleeping, and the mosquitoes in the courtyard are fierce. He was crying and making a fuss, so he must be at the clinic now, probably getting an IV.”

Lin Yao: “………”

What an unfortunate child.

Although Gu Chunmei often teased her younger brother, she was still concerned for him.

After breakfast, the sisters planned to visit the clinic to check on Gu Shidong.

On the way, Zhang Cuilan hurried back home. When Lin Yao asked, she learned that Gu Shidong was indeed at the clinic getting an IV. The poor kid was badly bitten by mosquitoes, with his face, hands, and feet swollen. The clinic had given him an allergy IV and some ointment and cooling oil to help with the swelling.

Since the clinic only had ointment and no cooling oil, Zhang Cuilan had to go back home to get money to buy “Wan Laohu” brand cooling oil from the supply and marketing cooperative.

In those days, there was no such thing as floral water, and only the local supply and marketing cooperative sold “Wan Laohu” brand cooling oil, an old brand from the Republic of China era. The brand founder’s surname was Wan, so locals called it “Wan Laohu Oil.”

Wan Laohu Oil, containing menthol, cloves, and camphor oil, could relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and soothe itching. It was highly effective for rashes or mosquito bites.

Zhang Cuilan took the money and was about to rush out when Lin Yao remembered that she had a jar of cooling oil in her space supermarket. She offered to give Zhang Cuilan the jar she had at home.

When Zhang Cuilan returned, she was delighted and clapped her hands, glad she didn’t have to make the effort to go to the street to buy it.

The “Wan Laohu” oil was only sold at the old supply and marketing cooperative in the county, and it would take over an hour to go back and forth from the courtyard to the old street.

Zhang Cuilan praised Lin Yao and then hopped on her bicycle to head out again.

Before leaving, Zhang Cuilan added, “Yaoyao, you’ve been working hard this summer. You look so thin. When I get back tonight, I’ll make you a pork lard egg pancake to help you regain some strength.”

Gu Chunmei nodded in agreement. “Yes, Yaoyao really has lost weight. Mom, one pancake isn’t enough, make a few more.”

The thought of enjoying a few pancakes together with Yaoyao and their parents made her happy.

Zhang Cuilan shot her a look and ignored her.

After breakfast, the sisters tidied up the house, locked the doors, and headed to the clinic by bus.

In the 1950s, due to tight gasoline supplies, buses in major cities were converted to run on gas, with black gas bags on top.

Yunshui County had only one bus, which was cramped and crowded during peak hours.

At this time, there were fewer passengers, so Lin Yao bought bus tickets for two cents each and found two seats by the window. She and Gu Chunmei sat down, opened the window to enjoy the breeze, and made the ride more bearable in the bright sunlight.

The bus swayed and bumped along the road for half an hour before arriving at the street where the county clinic was located.

The county clinic was right by the road, a four-story red brick building said to have been constructed before the liberation. With its white entrance and red slogans on the walls, the pungent smell of disinfectant, and the crowd in gray-blue clothing, it was a typical sight of the era.

The infusion room was on the second floor. When Lin Yao and the others arrived, the room was packed with people. Gu Shidong was sitting in the hallway with an IV drip.

After getting the injection and applying the medicine, Gu Shidong seemed more spirited and called out when he saw Lin Yao, “Sister-in-law, you came to see me!”

Lin Yao looked at him in surprise. How did the poor kid’s mouth get so swollen?

Gu Chunmei was displeased. “Little rascal, can’t you see your sister here?”

Gu Shidong huffed, “Who told you to make fun of me?”

So he was still holding a grudge.

Seeing that the siblings were about to bicker again, Lin Yao quickly took out some sugar-coated glutinous rice cakes she had bought on the way to satisfy Gu Shidong’s craving.

Sugar-coated glutinous rice cakes were one of Yunshui County’s specialties, sold in state-run restaurants and supply cooperatives. The cakes were coated with sugar and filled with red and green bean paste. They were soft, warm, and sweet.

Gu Shidong loved them. His eyes squinted into slits with joy, and he eagerly reached out to grab some.

Gu Chunmei gave him a pat. “Dirty hands or not, wash them before you eat!”

He was already sick, and eating without washing hands was asking for trouble.

Gu Shidong protested, “I’m getting an IV, how can I wash my hands?”

He was so hungry, and the women were really troublesome!

Lin Yao handed him the paper-wrapped cakes, allowing him to eat them.