Reward 

Lin Miaoyin quickly finished her business and washed her hands under the rusty faucet. Not long after, the old man helped Meng Yuanzheng out. 

Lin Miaoyin hurried over to take over, expressing her gratitude. “Thank you, Grandpa.” 

“It’s nothing, nothing. Just learning from Comrade Lei Feng,” he replied cheerfully. 

They returned to the ward, and seeing that it was already five o’clock, she decided to go get food. Just before leaving, she thought for a moment and asked, “Grandpa, would you like me to bring you some food?” 

The old man smiled and replied, “No need, thank you. Someone will bring food later.” 

Alright then, she took the lunchbox and thermos and left. 

The old man got out of bed and walked around a bit. Looking at Meng Yuanzheng, he asked, “Young man, how did you hurt your leg?” 

… 

Lin Miaoyin arrived at the hospital canteen, where there was already a long line of patients’ families, each holding lunchboxes. 

She got her meal tickets and grain tickets ready, waited for about half an hour, and finally got a portion of stir-fried eggplant. It hurt her pocket a little as the price was quite high, but she reminded herself that Meng Yuanzheng needed to build his strength, and the government would offer subsidies later. So, she reluctantly added a small amount of meat. 

The woman serving the food looked irritated, her face clearly showing disdain for the poor. She sloppily scooped some meat and vegetables into the lunchbox. 

Lin Miaoyin held herself back, paid the money, and left with the lunchbox and thermos. 

Once she had money, she would buy meat to throw at the person serving food, to make them see how it felt to look down on others. 

When she returned to the hospital room, the person who came to deliver food for the old man had already arrived. It was a young man, and he seemed much more composed than the one from the afternoon, Zhenhua. 

The meal he brought was quite luxurious: steamed fish, a soup, and a vegetable dish, all spread out on a small table. The table, however, was placed in front of Meng Yuanzheng, and the old man had pulled a chair and was sitting on Meng Yuanzheng’s bed, not yet eating. 

She walked in, puzzled, and the young man politely greeted her. “Hello, comrade. My name is Jianhua, and I’m here to visit my grandfather.” 

“Oh, hello, comrade. You’re here for…?” She glanced at the table in confusion, noticing that the one next to Meng Yuanzheng’s bed was still there. It was the old man’s table. 

“I get along very well with this young comrade. Let’s put our meals together, chat, and eat happily. Don’t worry, I don’t have any contagious diseases,” he said with a gentle smile. 

Seeing the warm expression on Meng Yuanzheng’s face, she decided to join him. 

She moved the other table over, setting out the leftover porridge, flatbreads, pickled vegetables, and the eggplant from the canteen, which had no oil at all. 

She poured a bowl of porridge for Meng Yuanzheng, placed the meat in his bowl, and helped him sit up properly. 

She felt a bit awkward feeding him in front of others, but Meng Yuanzheng insisted that he could eat by himself. 

The old man remarked that sharing food was important, and he wanted to try the eggplant from Lin Miaoyin’s meal. 

The eggplant had just been boiled in water with some salt and sauce, and couldn’t compare to the old man’s food, which clearly came from a well-off household. 

Lin Miaoyin hesitated. 

“Miaoyin, share some with Grandpa,” Meng Yuanzheng said. 

Jianhua added, “My grandfather really likes this.” 

Hearing this, Lin Miaoyin used clean chopsticks to pick some and give it to him. The old man urged them to try his food as well. After both of them took a few bites, he was satisfied. 

While eating, the old man sighed. “When I was young, a meal like this was something we only had on holidays.” 

Jianhua timely added, “My grandfather is a veteran of the Red Army.” 

Lin Miaoyin and Meng Yuanzheng immediately felt a deep respect. 

The old man liked to talk while eating and often asked people to chat with him. He seemed to enjoy Meng Yuanzheng’s company. 

Lin Miaoyin was eating her flatbread and porridge when a piece of meat fell into her bowl. It was from the meal she had just gotten from the canteen. 

When she looked up, she saw Meng Yuanzheng talking to the old man, looking as if nothing had happened. 

She quietly ate the meat, feeling a bit sweet in her heart. 

After they finished eating, she fetched hot water for Meng Yuanzheng to wash up, then helped him to the bathroom. After the doctor’s evening rounds, they got ready to sleep. 

Lin Miaoyin opened the net bag and took out the bedding she brought to lay on the floor. Thankfully, it was summer, so it wasn’t too cold. It was bearable. 

Jianhua seemed used to staying at the hospital overnight. He threw his mat on the ground, tossed a blanket over his shoulders, and was done. 

… 

They had been in the hospital for three or four days, and they had gotten familiar with the old man. Zhenhua came during the day to keep watch, while Jianhua came at night. 

Both were his grandsons. His last name was Zhu, and he was a former Red Army soldier. Now that he was older, he often had pains in his body. His son and daughter-in-law worked in government offices and were busy, so they couldn’t always be around. Worried about him being alone at home, his grandsons would take him to the hospital whenever he felt unwell. 

He was very interested in Meng Yuanzheng. The two of them talked about all sorts of things, sometimes even getting Zhenhua interested enough to listen in. 

During this time, people from the county revolutionary committee had also come to commend Meng Yuanzheng. They pinned a red flower on him, rewarded him with 100 yuan, and gave him 100 jin of grain tickets. 

Lin Miaoyin understood that 100 yuan was equivalent to several thousand yuan from her previous life. Currently, the grain tickets quota for residents in the city was 24 jin per person per month, so those 100 jin of grain tickets. would last them several months. 

The medical expenses were also covered by the county revolutionary committee, and they even mentioned that Meng Yuanzheng would be featured in the newspaper. 

However, Meng Yuanzheng said that the one who first noticed the mountain was about to collapse wasn’t himself, but his wife. Even Zhu Wanqin had noticed it. Although he had entered the mine, the credit couldn’t be his alone. 

Moreover, if it hadn’t been for his wife stopping the person in charge and the others from entering and causing trouble, the consequences might have been much more serious. 

This made everyone even more touched, so they decided to commend both Lin Miaoyin and Zhu Wanqin, and they would be featured in the newspaper together. However, neither of them would receive any rewards. 

Lin Miaoyin never expected that Meng Yuanzheng was so loyal and righteous, and she smiled so widely that her mouth almost crooked. 

Old Zhu laughed heartily, saying that he was lucky to be in the same hospital room as a hero and that he would definitely brag about it once he went home. 

The day before they were scheduled to leave the hospital and return home, Lin Miaoyin decided to visit the county’s department store to buy some things. It was rare to be here, and now that she had enough money, with the county revolutionary committee even sending a car to take them home, it would be a waste not to buy something. 

She had already made up her mind: the money had been earned with Meng Yuanzheng’s life, and it had to be spent on him. He must be very bored lying down every day, so she could start preparing for his college entrance exam by buying him some study materials and books to pass the time. 

There were so many things she wanted to buy: a bicycle, a sewing machine—both costing one or two hundred yuan—but she didn’t have enough money for those yet. A radio should be cheaper, but since their house didn’t have electricity, buying one would be pointless. 

After telling Meng Yuanzheng her plan, she set off with her black backpack. It was the same bag Meng Yuanzheng had brought to Houtouwan Brigade. It was sturdy and large. 

She asked someone for directions to the department store and walked for about half an hour before arriving. 

The store wasn’t large, and there weren’t many people. The salesperson, noticing Lin Miaoyin’s simple, rural appearance, didn’t even look up. 

Lin Miaoyin walked in and began browsing. 

There were so many things she wanted to buy: mirrors, snow cream, socks, sewing kits, gloves, soap, toothpaste, and so on. She filled a large bag, but everything was inexpensive, and she only spent about three yuan at the checkout. 

After packing her items, she was about to head to the bookstore. Passing by an alley, she encountered a woman pushing a cart and stopped to ask for directions. 

“Auntie, do you know where the nearest bookstore is?” 

The older woman stopped, her head wrapped in a scarf, leaving only a pair of sharp eyes to scrutinize her. 

“Are you looking to buy some books?” the woman asked in a local dialect. 

Why would I go to a bookstore and not buy books? Lin Miaoyin was a bit confused and replied, “Uh, yes.” 

The woman took another look at her and said, “Follow me.” 

At first, Lin Miaoyin wanted to ask for directions and figure it out on her own, but seeing the woman quickly push a cart and start walking, she had no choice but to follow. 

They passed through an alley, twisting and turning, and it began to feel like they had entered a slum. The houses were low and rundown, with roofs that blocked most of the sunlight. 

As she walked deeper into the darkness, doubt started to rise in Lin Miaoyin’s mind. Was she walking into some kind of trap, perhaps a human trafficker? 

She wanted to turn back, but realized she couldn’t remember the way anymore and didn’t know if the woman had any accomplices. 

Noticing she had stopped, the woman also paused and turned her head, coldly saying, “We’re almost there.”