Director Yang saw An Ning’s lively demeanor and smiled happily.
“You two eat first. I already had breakfast at home.”
“Gurgle, gurgle,” Director Hong rubbed his belly, a little embarrassed.
“This morning was so rushed. When I bought breakfast just now, the pickled vegetable buns I like weren’t ready yet. I thought I’d get two more on the way back, just to have something before getting to the station.”
“Uncle Hong, there’s so much good food and I can’t finish it all alone. Let’s eat together.”
She handed a cup of soybean milk and a fried dough stick to Director Yang.
In this era, there was no such thing as “too full to eat.”
Families had rationed food; being half-full was already a luxury. Most people didn’t even eat breakfast.
So the breakfast brought by the two directors couldn’t be eaten by An Ning alone. She knew Director Yang had to avoid impropriety—he couldn’t sit and eat with any man except his own partner.
Soon, the breakfast brought by the two was devoured by the three of them.
Patting their full bellies, they all laughed. It had been a long time since they’d eaten so much.
The two men worked steadily, earning a decent salary each month, but with elders above and children below, every penny had to be spent wisely.
Moreover, in this era, food was rationed. Both their families had four or five children. They’d rather go hungry themselves than let the kids starve. And at their positions, sometimes there were unavoidable expenses.
After eating their fill, Director Hong handed An Ning the money he had taken from the Jiang family last night, along with the letter of severed relations.
“Girl, this is what I got last night when I had them sign the letter of severed relations, plus 2,000 yuan. Keep it safe.”
“Girl, don’t leave the money out. Do you want me to deposit it in the bank for you?”
“Uncle Feng, no need. I need it for now as pocket money. If I put it in the bank, I might not even afford my meals.”
“Alright then. Be careful, girl. I’ll head to work now. You stay in the hospital for a couple of days, no rush to leave.”
“Okay, Uncle, you go handle your work. I’m not in a hurry to leave. My health isn’t great, so I’ll focus on recuperating.” After bidding farewell to the two men, Director Hong left.
Director Yang smiled. “Girl, you’re thinking right. You’re still young and will recover quickly.”
“Girl, since you can’t go back to the Jiang family, what are your plans now?”
“Aunt Yang, I want to go see my biological parents. They don’t know Jiang Sisi isn’t their real daughter. They must be worried sick.”
“Also, if I go back, I’ll have my real family. After cutting ties with the Jiang family, there’s nothing for me in Hucheng.”
“Besides, as a girl staying here, who knows what schemes Jiang Xiang might pull? Even though they paid 2,000 yuan, I don’t trust them to be satisfied.”
Director Yang nodded. She agreed with An Ning. The An family weren’t the kind to be trifled with. If An Ning stayed in Hucheng, who knew what trouble might arise.
The safest option now was for her to return to her biological parents.
“Girl, your parents’ situation is unclear. Are they easy to get along with? If not, you can go there as a sent-down youth.”
“As long as your household registration hasn’t been transferred to your parents, you still have options—they wouldn’t dare harm you.”
“Aunt Yang, that’s exactly what I’m thinking. I’ll stay in the hospital for two more days, then go to register at the sent-down youth office.”
“I’ve heard that if you register voluntarily, you can even choose the location yourself. I want to hold that initiative in my hands.”
“Do you know where your parents live?”
“Yes, Director Yang. They mentioned when they went to pick up Jiang Sisi that they were going to Shuikou Town, Wuli Village, Laian County, An Province.”
That was the village where An Ning’s parents lived, according to the original record. A few days ago, the Jiang family had gone there as well.
An Ning knew this, not from the Jiang family, but from the original records.
“Girl, having the address makes it easy. Rest up in the hospital. I’ll handle your registration at the sent-down youth office and make sure you’re placed in Wuli Village, Shuikou Town.”
“It’s not far from Hucheng—just four to five hours by bus. It’s an ideal location to be sent down.”
An Ning was pleased. She had worried the youth office might give her trouble, but with Director Yang handling it, it would be safe. Plus, she needed to rest during the day and act at night.
“Rest for now. I’ll come check on you this afternoon with good news.”
“Thank you, Aunt Yang. I really don’t know what I would do without you.”
“No need to thank me. This is what I’m supposed to do. Just rest, and I’ll visit you this afternoon.”
“Alright, Aunt Yang, take care. You don’t need to bring lunch—I’ll eat outside.” An Ning smiled.
“Girl, eating outside requires ration tickets. Here, I’ll give you one. No meat tickets though, so no braised pork.”
An Ning felt touched. Even strangers giving her a ration ticket was generous. Meat tickets were out of reach for now.
She had collected plenty of tickets from the Jiang family last night. Later, when she went to buy things, it would be hard to purchase items back in the countryside.
Also, the items Tuanzi had just organized from the Jiang family included many tickets usable only in Hucheng. Outside, they’d be useless.
An Ning changed into the clothes Director Yang bought yesterday—a red plaid shirt and black pants.
She braided her hair into two pigtails, looking every bit a young woman of the 1970s.
Though the outfit wasn’t a modern style, it still made her look neat and spirited.
At 1.65 meters, she wasn’t short. In a time when people often couldn’t eat enough, she was relatively tall.
She was thin. At the Jiang family, her meals had always been just a bowl of porridge and a bun—sometimes only half a bun. Her nominal older brothers had eggs every day and could enjoy braised meat every few days.
Before, she had thought her parents were biased toward boys, but now she realized she wasn’t their biological daughter.v