That matter had once been deeply painful, humiliating, and detestable for Cheng Hui.
It had also caused many misunderstandings between her and Gao Yuan.
He thought she was still hung up on her ex-boyfriend.
And she misunderstood that Gao Yuan also believed the daughter wasn’t his.
It wasn’t until later when their daughter went missing, and he desperately searched for her, even going so far as to seek revenge at any cost, that she realized how much he truly loved their daughter.
This lifetime, she wanted to share this joy with him earlier!
Cheng Hui spread out the letter paper and wrote:
“I’m pregnant, currently seven months along. The baby is due around spring. We don’t know if it’s a boy or girl yet, so please choose one name for each.”
Having the man name the child would definitely make his feelings toward this baby different.
In her previous life, Cheng Hui hadn’t let him choose the names. This time, she’d give him the opportunity!
“Also, please stop sending money home. I haven’t been able to use any of it. Next time you write back, just put the money directly in the envelope and mail it to the Educated Youth Spot. Due to some circumstances, I’m currently staying there.”
Gao Yuan used to send money via “telegraphic transfer” through Postal Savings. He would go to Postal Savings to wire the money, and a few days later, Cheng Hui would receive a remittance slip delivered specially by the postman. She would then go to Postal Savings to withdraw the money.
This process always allowed Widow Zhu to notice.
From now on, having him put the money directly in the envelope would be somewhat more discreet.
As for why she was staying at the Educated Youth Spot, she decided not to write the truth to avoid worrying Gao Yuan.
Holding the pen, Cheng Hui thought about all the misunderstandings between them in her previous life. She felt like she had ten thousand words to write, but in the end, she only wrote one sentence:
“Training must be hard, please take care of yourself. The baby and I are waiting for your safe return.”
Then she decisively bought three stamps, affixed them, and mailed the letters.
After leaving the post office, she and Gao Zhi went to the nearby Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
They were in luck today—the cooperative had just received two trays of Caozi Cakes that didn’t require ration coupons, priced at 4 mao per jin.
Cheng Hui bought one jin and gave two pieces to Gao Zhi.
“Wow! So this is Caozi Cake? It’s really delicious!” Gao Zhi exclaimed.
Cheng Hui had actually been starving for quite some time—she probably hadn’t eaten anything for over a day.
But she still found the Caozi Cake rough and scratchy on her throat, almost making her cough.
“It’s alright,” she said.
This comment immediately drew dissatisfaction from the delivery woman. The thirty-something woman with red-rimmed eyes shot her a glare: “If it’s not good, why are you eating it so fast? If you want better food, do you even have the money to buy it?”
“You!” Gao Zhi swallowed what was in her mouth and was about to pounce on the woman.
She was quite the little spitfire—she’d never lost a fight with another woman!
Cheng Hui quickly pulled her back. She looked at the speaking woman’s red eyes and haggard appearance, then at the Caozi Cakes she had delivered, and suddenly smiled.
She had been worrying about where to get her next meal, and here was the solution!
“You’re from the Commune Food Factory, right? I heard your food factory only knows how to make Caozi Cakes, and because the quality is so poor, it’s been reported by the masses and is about to be shut down?” she said.
The woman’s expression immediately darkened further. She blurted out: “How did you know that?”
The factory director had just told them about this yesterday! Had the news already spread?
Looking again at the pregnant woman opposite her—though her clothes were ordinary, her face and demeanor were definitely not common, unlike someone from the countryside.
Or perhaps she had some influential relative? Maybe even someone in charge of this matter?
Cheng Hui’s smile widened, appearing profound and mysterious.
The woman’s expression instantly changed, switching faces in a second as she rushed over to fawn: “Comrade, do you have relatives in leadership positions? Can they handle matters at our food factory? Could you go back and plead with them for us?
“Our food factory is really struggling!
“It’s not that we don’t want to make good Caozi Cakes – what’s so difficult about that? The problem is we don’t have the raw materials!
“According to the recipe, we should use 100 eggs per batch, but we can only manage with 10 eggs! No one could make anything tasty under these conditions!”
The woman choked up as she spoke: “The higher-ups say if our factory closes, no other factory will take us, and we’ll be laid off!
“You rural folks – even if you don’t earn enough wages for a year, you still get 360 jin of ration grain to survive. But us city dwellers – if we have no money, they won’t sell us grain, and we’ll starve to death!”
Gao Zhi, who had been secretly gloating earlier, suddenly felt that city people were worse off than her… but something still felt off.
“Comrade, can you save us?” The woman looked at Cheng Hui with hope.
It wasn’t that she had gone mad begging random strangers – she was truly at the end of her rope, preferring to try every possibility rather than miss any opportunity!
Cheng Hui pondered: “It’s not impossible…”
The woman, who had hardly held any hope, suddenly had eyes shining like searchlights: “What? You can really save us?”
“But not for free,” Cheng Hui said.
The woman paused, then nodded vigorously: “Understood, understood! Don’t worry, as long as—”
“Stop, it’s too early to discuss that. We’ll talk after your factory is saved,” Cheng Hui interrupted her.
The woman had initially suspected she might be a scammer taking money without delivering, but hearing this completely reassured her!
If she was willing to deliver first and collect payment later, what was there to fear?
“Let’s go, take me to your factory,” Cheng Hui said.
“Okay, okay, okay!” The woman said eagerly.
As Cheng Hui was about to leave, she remembered something and turned back to the clothing section of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Pointing at the only style of Lei Feng Hat available, she asked: “How much for this?”
“Two yuan each,” the salesclerk replied.
“Quite expensive,” Cheng Hui said. “I’ll take two.”
She then asked about the only available wool scarf and glove set: “How much for these? Do they require tickets?”
The salesclerk’s eyes immediately lit up: “Two yuan per set, but they require Wool Tickets.”
From her expression, Cheng Hui knew there was more to come.
Sure enough, the salesclerk pulled out another similar scarf and glove set from under the counter: “Look at this one – thicker than that one, made with better wool, and no tickets needed! Only 1.8 yuan per set.”
Cheng Hui instantly understood – these were knitted by the salesclerk herself.
“Three yuan for two sets,” she said.
The price was actually a bit high – one yuan per set would have been more appropriate for these few ounces of scarf and gloves.
But letting the salesclerk make some profit would make her more cooperative next time she needed something!
Sure enough, the deal went through smoothly. The salesclerk was all smiles, her gaze toward Cheng Hui noticeably warmer.
Cheng Hui sweetly complimented her on her shiny black hair and beautiful braid, making the woman’s smile widen even further.
After leaving the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, Gao Zhi still felt somewhat dazed.
She was wearing the new hat and new scarf, the warmth making her face flush…
She could hardly believe the hat, scarf, and gloves were gifts for her – they cost 3.5 yuan altogether.
But she didn’t dare ask, afraid that Cheng Hui might just be lending them to her temporarily. If she had misunderstood, it would be so embarrassing.
The woman watched Cheng Hui’s “extravagant spending” and felt even more confident in her! She couldn’t resist probing for more information about her.