The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 169 - 168: New Neighbors
It was half a month before his family back home received the money.
Gao Cuiyun looked at the letter the mailman handed her. When he told her it was from Beijing City, she knew it had to be from Little Chen.
When she tore open the envelope, she discovered it contained not just a letter, but also a money order.
Gao Cuiyun stared at the number on it, dazed. She thought she must be seeing things.
She hurried into the house with the money order.
"Xiao Yang, look at this. Does it say 300?"
Xiao Yang took the money order and stared at it, stunned for a moment. Then he jumped for joy. "Mom, it’s 300 yuan! My brother sent us 300 yuan!"
The money order felt scorching hot in Gao Cuiyun’s hand, and her eyes slowly welled up with tears.
Xiao Yang urged her, "Mom, hurry up and see what he wrote in the letter!"
Gao Cuiyun wiped the corners of her eyes, quickly opened the letter, and after a quick glance, handed it to Xiao Yang.
"Xiao Yang, read it aloud."
Xiao Yang took it and began to read the letter aloud.
"Mom, it’s Little Chen. I’m in Beijing City now, selling clothes with Third Uncle. The people here are so rich; they don’t think twice about the price of clothes. My third uncle and aunt are really good to me. They bought me several new sets of clothes, and I have the best of everything. I even get to eat meat every day. Today, Third Uncle paid me and Uncle Shitou our wages—a full 300 yuan. I’ve sent it all back to you. I don’t need anything here in Beijing City and have no opportunity to spend money. When you get this 300 yuan, please don’t be afraid to spend it, because I’ll earn more. It’s getting cold back home now, so please use this money to have two sets of cotton-padded clothes made for yourself and my younger brothers. Also, buy a stove. That way, you won’t be too cold to even get out of bed this winter. Buy some nice food, too, and build up your strength. Don’t worry about me, everything is fine. Little Chen."
By the time Xiao Yang finished reading, Gao Cuiyun was sobbing uncontrollably. Xiao Yang and Ziming’s eyes also stung with tears. Their big brother had already planned everything out for them.
Gao Cuiyun looked at the letter again, and through her tears, she began to laugh.
’It feels like life is getting more and more hopeful.’
Xiao Yang asked Gao Cuiyun, "Mom, so, are we going to buy all that?"
Gao Cuiyun nodded. "Yes. We’ll do as your brother says. Let’s buy some meat and have dumplings."
He Ziming exclaimed, "That’s great! I want to eat dumplings!"
Gao Cuiyun looked at her two children there with her, then thought of Little Chen in Beijing City, and a warmth spread through her heart.
He Lang bought another tricycle. With Little Chen and Shitou watching the market stall, he could start selling on his own, weaving through the streets and alleys.
This way, they moved their inventory even faster.
When Xue Yue came home that day, Daya told her a new family had moved in next door. It seemed they had children, because Daya could hear a child crying.
The house next door must have been empty before, because ever since Xue Yue and her family moved in, she had never seen anyone coming or going.
Sure enough, not long after Xue Yue got home, a woman came over carrying a bowl of fried cakes.
The woman looked to be in her thirties, with a round face and a slightly chubby build. Her eyes swept across the courtyard before she smiled at Xue Yue. "I’m your new neighbor, I just moved in today. My name is Li Lanying. Back home, we have a tradition of eating fried cakes when we move, so I brought some over for you to try."
Xue Yue invited her in. "My name is Xue Yue."
Xue Yue went to the kitchen to get a bowl, asking Li Lanying to transfer the fried cakes into it.
Li Lanying glanced around the room. "Your house is really nice."
Xue Yue just smiled.
Li Lanying didn’t stay long. She took her bowl and left.
After she left, she stood in the alley and glanced back at the main gate a few more times before heading home, looking pensive.
Xue Yue brought the fried cakes inside, picked one up to examine it, and took a bite. It was quite good; the red bean paste filling was smooth, and it was still warm.
She didn’t think much of the matter.
Xue Xingzhou and Zhang Qian were moving soon, and Xue Yue went to see the new house they had bought.
It was a standalone courtyard house with five rooms in the main building and two in the west wing. The courtyard wasn’t huge, but it was spacious enough for three to five people to live comfortably.
"If you’re moving here, what about Uncle Zheng?"
"Dad said he’ll come and stay for a few days whenever he misses us. There’s a room for him here, anyway. But the main reason is my condition; it’s not practical for me to be traveling so far every day."
Xue Yue nodded. "That’s true."
Xue Yue asked how Zhang Qian had been feeling lately. "I’m doing great! I have a feeling it’s going to be a well-behaved little girl, just like your Ruanruan."
Xue Yue shook her head. "You can’t be sure. You’re only a few months along."
Zhang Qian insisted it was a girl, claiming girls were better behaved.
"Alright, whatever you say!" ’The pregnant lady gets the final word.’
When Xue Yue got back to her own house, she found Li Lanying in the courtyard with two children, talking to Daya.
The older child was a bit bigger than Shiyi, while the younger one looked like a toddler who had just started walking.
Daya was holding Shiyi’s hand tightly, looking a little flustered. As soon as she saw Xue Yue, she quickly called out, "Auntie, you’re back!"
Li Lanying turned to face Xue Yue and said with a smile, "Oh, so she’s not your daughter?"
Xue Yue looked at her. "Can I help you with something?"
Li Lanying paused for a beat, then quickly explained why she was there.
"I was thinking of sending my oldest to school. I came out the other morning and saw your kid with a schoolbag, so I just wanted to ask if there’s a school around here."
Xue Yue nodded. "Yes, there is. My daughter is in preschool. The school isn’t far from here. You can ask for directions outside."
Li Lanying smiled. "That’s convenient. Is the tuition expensive?"
"It’s reasonable. Sixty yuan a semester, which includes lunch. Of course, you can opt out of the meal plan, and it will be cheaper."
"It’s that expensive?" Li Lanying asked in surprise.
’I can’t believe preschool costs this much,’ she thought. ’Back home, it was only one or two yuan.’
She gave an awkward laugh. "I’d better go back and discuss it with his father first. By the way, my husband is attending university here. He just passed the entrance exam this year, so we followed him."
Speaking of her husband getting into university, Li Lanying’s face lit up. "My husband is from the city, too. He was sent to our village as an educated youth. When the college entrance exams were reinstated last year, he wasn’t prepared, but he finally passed this year. He’s at the Foreign Language University. Do you know it?"
Xue Yue was taken aback for a moment. ’He’s at the Foreign Language University, too?’
Daya piped up, "My auntie goes to the Foreign Language University! But she got in last year."
Li Lanying stared at Xue Yue. "You’re a university student, too?"
Xue Yue nodded.
"Wow, then you and my husband are at the same school! Our two families must be fated to meet. Is your husband a university student, too?"
Xue Yue shook her head. "No, my husband isn’t."
"Oh."
Seeing that Xue Yue had nothing more to say, Li Lanying announced she should be heading back. Xue Yue saw them to the door and closed it behind them.
After returning inside, she said to Daya, "From now on, when we aren’t home, don’t open the door for strangers."
Daya nodded. "I didn’t open it for her. I must have forgotten to bolt the door from the inside, so she just let herself in."
Xue Yue frowned. "Then it was probably my fault. I must have forgotten to tell you to lock it when I left."
It wasn’t that Xue Yue was being overly anxious. It was just that she had only met the woman once and they were hardly familiar. With only Daya and Shiyi at home, she didn’t feel comfortable having a stranger just walk in.
