When Grandma Liu returned, her face was glowing with joy. Unusually, before going to bed, she made a cup of brown sugar water each for Feng Wan and Shen Mingzhu and brought it over.
“You’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow. I spoke to my son tonight, and he’ll come tomorrow to take your things to the train station. He’ll arrange for them to be delivered to the rural brigade where you’re going, so you won’t have to lug around all those heavy bags.”
“Really, Grandma Liu? You’re so kind. The two of us must have had our ancestors’ graves smoking in our past lives to have met someone as wonderful as you in this one. After we leave, you must take good care of yourself.”
“Alright, alright, you’re such a sweet talker, honey dripping from your lips. Go to sleep now. I just came over for this.” Grandma Liu stood up to leave but paused as she opened the door. “Xiao Feng, my youngest son said to leave an address. You’ve done a great deed, and the higher-ups will reward you for it.”
Feng Wan’s eyes lit up, but then she spoke with a hint of worry. “Grandma Liu, I didn’t really do much. After all, we’re going to an unfamiliar place in the countryside. We’re not concerned about money or ration coupons, but… if only we could have something to rely on, so we won’t be bullied.”
Upon hearing this, Grandma Liu’s gaze swept over Feng Wan for a moment. She thought to herself, This girl’s mind is as full of holes as a beehive. She doesn’t bring it up herself, leaving it to an old woman like me to mention it. What a little rascal.
“Alright, I understand, old woman that I am.”
Feng Wan saw her off without saying anything else. She waved to Shen Mingzhu behind her, and the two huddled together to sleep.
The next morning, just after breakfast, several people arrived at the house. Grandma Liu told the girls to keep what they needed to carry with them and had the rest taken away.
“I passed on what you mentioned to my youngest son. Don’t worry. Once you arrive in the countryside, it should take about half a month for a letter to reach you from here.”
“Ah, thank you, Grandma Liu. There’s nothing else to do today, so I plan to take Mingzhu out for a stroll.”
Grandma Liu waved them off. The two girls were eighteen or nineteen years old, about to go to a strange place. They must be feeling anxious and worried. Watching them leave, she thought for a moment and then went out herself.
Well, considering Feng Wan brought such a big credit to my two sons, I’ll make another trip. The textile factory’s so-called logistics director had embezzled a huge sum of public funds and privately engaged in speculation on the black market. For such a significant achievement, aside from the protective item Feng Wan requested, money and ration coupons certainly couldn’t be lacking.
No matter the circumstances, having money in hand keeps the heart from panicking.
After Feng Wan and Shen Mingzhu left, they went straight to the supply and marketing cooperative. Feng Wan gave Shen Mingzhu a hundred yuan and some ration coupons. “See if there’s anything you need to buy. We’re leaving tomorrow, and we don’t have much. If you find something missing, just buy it.”
“Sister, what about you?”
“I’m going to the post office. You go ahead and look around.” With that, she left. Shen Mingzhu had no choice but to wander around the supply and marketing cooperative with the money and coupons in hand. Her palms were sweating as she clutched the money—it was the first time in her life she had ever held so much.
When Feng Wan rushed to the post office, she withdrew two thousand yuan directly from the Shen family’s savings account. The clerk at the window kept staring at her and nearly called for the supervisor. In those days, monthly wages were only twenty or thirty yuan, yet she had withdrawn two thousand in one go.
“Comrade, please hurry, this is the money to buy a job for my brother, and they need it right now.”
Her voice was loud enough, making it understandable—nowadays, securing a job through purchase was incredibly difficult, so of course, one had to act quickly.
Soon, Feng Wan withdrew two thousand yuan. As she stepped outside, she pretended to stash it in her pocket but instead tossed it directly into her Spatial Dimension. Reaching a corner, she retrieved her bicycle from the Spatial Dimension and headed to another post office to withdraw more money, naturally using the same excuse.
All morning, she dashed all over the eastern part of the city, finally managing to withdraw all the money from the Shen family’s savings account.
By the time she returned, she was drenched in sweat. Shen Mingzhu was waiting at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, clutching a small bag. Seeing Feng Wan finally return, she hurried over.
“Sister, where have you been? I’ve been waiting here for so long, and I didn’t see you at the post office either.”
“Oh, I ran into an elderly lady who wasn’t feeling well after leaving the post office, so I took her to the hospital. I waited a while for her family to arrive, which is why I’m late. Look, I even ran back here.” Having spent so many years as a workhorse in modern society, she could now spin lies effortlessly without even needing to think about what to say.
Truly, the words flowed right out of her mouth!
At noon, the two sisters treated themselves to a hearty meal at the state-run restaurant. After leaving the restaurant, Feng Wan took Shen Mingzhu to the department store. It was mid-November, and Heilongjiang Province would soon enter the deep winter hibernation period, when many goods would become hard to come by.
They had previously bought plenty of food and clothing, but now Feng Wan wanted to stock up on daily necessities. Buying a good amount now would make it less surprising later when she retrieved items from her Spatial Dimension.
The department store was well-stocked. At the counter selling snowflake cream, Feng Wan immediately bought ten jars, along with clam oil and hand cream for chapped skin. She also picked up four or five red, green, and yellow headscarves.
After browsing other sections, she ended up with another large bundle of purchases. Noticing some resting chairs near the store entrance, Feng Wan asked Shen Mingzhu to wait there while she went out again. She spent over two hours darting around the southern part of the city, thoroughly emptying the savings of the logistics director’s household.
Only then did she find Shen Mingzhu, and the two returned home together.