Chapter 14: A Letter from Lu Huaichuan, the Eldest Nephew of the First Branch

After Du Chunyu understood her mother’s intentions, she smiled helplessly. “Mom, Sister Ye Qiu has long been married. She even has kids now.”

Mother Du sighed regretfully. “Then you should really make more friends. There’s still some food at home—bring it over. You can’t just take advantage of others.”

The next time Ye Qiu came to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, she immediately received a big gift prepared by Du Chunyu. It was bulging and full, clearly containing quite a few things.

“Sis, the candies you gave me really made me look good in front of my relatives. Even my fiancé’s parents were shocked at how I managed to get so many sweets.” Du Chunyu pursed her lips. “A whole fruit tray full of milk candies—their eyes almost popped out.”

“These things were made by my mom, and there’s also some leftover fabric from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. All of it is for you.” Du Chunyu leaned closer to Ye Qiu and whispered: “By the way, I’m getting married on the fifteenth of next month. Sis, you should bring the kids and come too.”

Knowing that Ye Qiu had two boys at home, Du Chunyu often saved up some snacks, and now they were finally put to good use.

Ye Qiu came in empty-handed but left with a large bundle slung over her shoulder, walking slowly. It made people want to peek and see what was inside.

Ye Qiu didn’t refuse and immediately agreed with a slightly teasing tone: “Alright, I must come see the bride.”

Her words made Du Chunyu blush deeply. She quickly tried to change the subject. “Sis—you go back to work. I… I’ll go tidy things up.”

This era was still very pure. After all, after the nationwide crackdowns, those who behaved inappropriately had already been shot. The country’s population had even dropped by a third. If you still dared to be improper, you wouldn’t live long.

Before marriage, men and women had to keep their distance. Even holding hands in public was not acceptable. After marriage, walking together on the road still required distance; holding or pulling could easily lead to misunderstandings.

As she passed the post office, a sharp-eyed worker immediately noticed Ye Qiu and stood up to call her. “Comrade Ye! Comrade Ye! There’s a letter and a package for you.”

Ye Qiu walked in, and the staff member joked curiously: “You used to come every three or five days, but it’s been nearly two weeks this time. If you didn’t show up soon, we were about to deliver it to your house.”

These days, the post office could deliver things directly to recipients’ homes, but it took some time. If it was urgent, it would be labeled as such and delivered right away without delay.

Ye Qiu had come so often in the past that everyone at the post office knew her. They all knew she was a military wife who used to write letters to her husband asking for money.

Ye Qiu thanked the staff and had just opened the letter when a woman nearby enthusiastically offered: “Comrade Ye, want us to read it for you?”

“No need. I’ve recently learned a few characters—I want to see if I can read it myself.” Ye Qiu shook her head and declined.

The woman didn’t insist and even brought Ye Qiu a small bench. “It’s a good thing to be motivated. Women should definitely read more.”

“If you become literate, you might even get a job at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.” she added. After all, Ye Qiu was good-looking, and people were visual creatures. If Ye Qiu had just gone to school for two more years, the manager would’ve begged her to stay.

Even standing at the entrance of the Cooperative as a lucky charm would be pleasing to the eye.

Ye Qiu smiled. “That’s right, but talented people can shine no matter where they are.”

The woman nodded firmly and became even more enthusiastic toward Ye Qiu, volunteering herself: “You take your time reading. If there’s any character you don’t recognize, just come ask me.”

Ye Qiu found a quiet corner to sit down. She opened the envelope to find two full pages. The handwriting was bold and strong, the letter full of words. It inquired about the parents, expressed concern for the children.

But what was left for Ye Qiu herself were only a few lines, stating that this month’s allowance of seventy-five yuan had been transferred, and the accompanying package contained canned goods. He told Ye Qiu to take good care of the two kids.

After reading it, Ye Qiu chuckled angrily. Did she need him to tell her to take care of the kids? No wonder the original Ye Qiu had run off with someone else. There wasn’t even a trace of emotion in their communication as husband and wife.

She had gone out empty-handed and came back carrying two large parcels. Ye Qiu once again became a sensation on the ox cart. When people found out the items were from Lu Huaichuan, the envy in their eyes was impossible to hide.

Several women stared at the parcels without blinking, wishing they had X-ray vision to see what was inside. After all, Lu Huaichuan had been working outside for so many years—the benefits must be excellent.

Otherwise, how could he afford to keep his wife and children so fair and chubby?

Since marrying into the Lu family, Ye Qiu had never gone to the fields to work even once. She grew prettier by the day, and everyone noticed. They all guessed that Lu Huaichuan’s allowance must be generous. Otherwise, how could he feed so many mouths?

Half-grown boys could eat their fathers poor. Lu Zhinan and Lu Zhibei were now both sturdy and strong, visibly taller than other kids their age. They must have been fed well.

The villagers were only speculating, but when they actually visited the Lu family and saw Ye Qiu’s cooking, it was even better than they imagined. The two boys had an egg every morning and a bowl of milk every evening. In just a few weeks, the change was dramatic.

Lu Zhinan even knew to keep things a secret. If others found out, they’d say his mother was wasteful. Only the mother and her two sons knew. Even when Lu Zhibei wanted to show off, he never said a word outside.

After Ye Qiu returned with her two parcels, everyone in the village saw it, and she immediately became the talk of the town. By the time Zhuang Meifeng found out, Ye Qiu had already taken the things home.

She had just returned from working in the fields and learned about it from others. On her way home, she saw her little nephew running toward her from the village entrance and quickly called out: “Tiedan, why are you here?”

The chubby child’s eyes were squinted from his round cheeks. The moment he saw Zhuang Meifeng, he burst into tears and clung to her leg, shouting for help. “Auntie, my dad wants to beat me! I ran away!”

“Your dad wants to beat you? What did you do?” The Zhuang family loved children from top to bottom. At home, Zhuang Tiedan was treated like a little ancestor—pampered beyond belief. How could anyone raise a hand against him?

Zhuang Tiedan stammered, unwilling to tell the truth. He sat on the ground, covered in dust, flailing and crying to follow Zhuang Meifeng home. “Auntie, let me stay with you for a couple of days. Once my dad’s anger cools off, I’ll go back.”

Zhuang Meifeng agreed immediately. But once she got home and met the gaze of her in-laws, she froze on the spot and quickly explained: “Mom, this is my nephew Tiedan from my parents’ side. He missed me, so I let him stay for a couple of days. I’ll take him back the day after tomorrow.”

She turned to her husband and urged: “Honey, go to the Zhuang family and tell my brother and sister-in-law that Tiedan is with us so they won’t worry.”

Lu Hailiang stayed silent. He couldn’t help but wonder if his wife had left her brain in the fields. He still held a grudge over what the Zhuang family had done earlier and didn’t welcome her nephew either.

Although he believed adult matters shouldn’t affect children, Lu Hailiang hadn’t forgotten how Zhuang Tiedan had shoved their son. If they brought back the Zhuang family’s little tyrant, what if the kids fought again?