At around six o’clock, Lin Guoqiang and Lin Wenhua returned home together.
“Dad! Grandpa!”
“Guess who we are!”
Lin Zhizuo and Lin Zhiyou were the first to rush over, asking with grins on their faces.
Eldest Brother Lin Wenhua resembled Lin Guoqiang somewhat around the eyes and brows, though he looked more like Wu Cuicui overall and had a gentler, more scholarly appearance. He lowered his head to glance at his two sons and tugged lightly at their cheeks.
“Zhizuo, Zhiyou, stop fooling around.”
Wu Cuicui and Zhang Xiaohong came out of the kitchen carrying dishes.
“You’re back? Perfect, dinner’s ready.”
“Go wash your hands and eat.”
Holding one child in each hand, Lin Wanwan led the two little ones to the bathroom and washed their hands with soap.
While they were eating, Lin Guoqiang pulled a letter from inside his jacket.
“It’s a letter from Second Brother.”
“Open it and let’s see.”
Everyone’s attention turned toward him, and Lin Wanwan looked over as well.
Lin Guoqiang opened the envelope. Inside were a letter, a photograph, and a stack of ration coupons.
“Second Brother said that he and his wife knew Wanwan was being sent to the countryside. They can’t really help much, so they mailed back some money and ration coupons. His wife is already two months pregnant, so they probably won’t be coming home this year.”
Wu Cuicui clicked her tongue.
“How long has that Second Brother been away from home? I’m practically forgetting I even gave birth to a son like him!”
“He’s not staying away on purpose. At least he still remembers his little sister. Look at all these national grain coupons he sent back.”
Lin Guoqiang tried to defend his second son.
Wu Cuicui shot him a glance sharp enough to cut flesh. Lin Guoqiang immediately lost his nerve.
“Oh? Second Brother still remembers his sister. What about you, her father?”
“…”
Lin Guoqiang sighed inwardly.
He should never have spoken up for Second Brother.
“I selected three places this afternoon. One is a bit closer, but I heard the village is extremely poor. The other two are farther away, but the conditions are better. In one of those places, I even have an old army comrade. If Wanwan goes there, I can ask him to look after her.”
“We absolutely can’t send her somewhere too poor.”
Wu Cuicui frowned.
“Where are the other two places?”
“Huai City and Yanghe City. My comrade is in Yanghe City.”
Lin Wanwan listened attentively.
Both Huai City and Yanghe City were in the north, truly far away from where they lived.
“I’ll go to Yanghe City.”
Holding her chopsticks, she poked lightly at the rice in her bowl.
The places Father Lin had chosen must have been carefully considered. Since they had connections, there was no reason not to make use of them. Lin Wanwan had no intention of making herself suffer unnecessarily.
Besides, in this era, being a sent-down female educated youth could be dangerous. Many places had reported incidents involving local hooligans or even local cadres assaulting female educated youths.
With someone looking out for her, Lin Wanwan would not have to worry as much about such things happening.
“Then Yanghe City it is. Make sure you talk things through with your comrade. Don’t let anyone bully our daughter!”
Although Wu Cuicui thought the place was a little too far away and hated the thought of her daughter being so distant from her, she also knew Lin Guoqiang had already done everything he could.
“Don’t worry. She’s my daughter. How could I not care?”
Looking at Father Lin and Mother Lin worrying over her, Lin Wanwan felt overwhelmed with emotion.
Her eyes stung.
Her nose burned.
Large tears began falling uncontrollably down her cheeks.
The moment she started crying, the entire family panicked.
“Wanwan, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
Wu Cuicui hurriedly pulled a handkerchief from her pocket.
Lin Wanwan lowered her head, her eyes cast downward.
Tears fell like beads from a broken string.
She barely made any sound while crying, only the occasional sob escaping from her throat.
Like a wounded kitten hiding in a corner, quietly licking its own wounds.
Pitiful and adorable at the same time.
Wu Cuicui’s heart ached for her.
She carefully wiped away the tears while gently patting her back.
“My poor Wanwan. Don’t cry, don’t cry. Then we won’t send you to the countryside!”
“Auntie, don’t cry! If something hurts, Zhiyou will blow on it for you!”
“Auntie, don’t cry. Crying makes you look less pretty!”
The two little boys crowded around her as well, rubbing her face with their tiny hands and trying to comfort her in childish voices.
Lin Wanwan felt terribly embarrassed.
How had she ended up crying?
She tried to stop herself.
Unfortunately, the tears only flowed harder than before.
“I-I’m fine…”
She sniffled twice, feeling a little embarrassed.
“I just… I just think Mom and Dad are so good to me…”
“Silly girl. If we don’t treat you well, who else would we treat well?”
Wu Cuicui soothed her gently.
“You’re already this grown-up and still crying. Your two little nephews are going to laugh at you.”
The two boys immediately protested in unison.
“We’re not laughing at Auntie!”
“Grandma, don’t say that! What if Auntie stops liking us?”
The two little boys instantly made Lin Wanwan laugh.
There were still tears in her eyes.
“Crying and laughing at the same time. What kind of appearance is that?”
Wu Cuicui poked her forehead.
“Alright, alright. Eat your dinner properly.”
Sniffling, Lin Wanwan picked up her bowl and chopsticks again and resumed eating at a leisurely pace.
The meal was lavish.
The milky-white fish soup released a pleasant aroma. One sip revealed a wonderfully fresh taste without the slightest fishy odor.
Madam Wu’s cooking skills were exceptionally good. Even a simple stir-fried vegetable dish tasted delicious. The vegetables were tender and fresh.
Besides the vegetables, there was braised chicken with potatoes. The potatoes had been stewed until soft and tender, making them especially good with rice.
Lin Wanwan wanted another bowl after finishing one.
Unfortunately, she was already full.
She could only sit in her chair rubbing her little belly while digesting.
After eating so much, the discomfort in her chest seemed to become even stronger.
That damn side effect of transmigration!
After dinner, Lin Wenhua and Zhang Xiaohong stayed for a while longer.
Only after darkness had fully fallen did they leave with the twins.
“Wanwan, Mom has heated water for you. Go take a bath.”
Wu Cuicui’s voice came from the bathroom.
Lin Wanwan answered and opened the wardrobe.
Only then did she discover that it contained many little dresses.
Perhaps they would be called bulaji dresses in this era.
There were five or six puff-sleeved dresses, each one beautiful.
Even by modern standards, the designs looked attractive.
No wonder people said fashion was cyclical.
The bell-bottom pants hanging beside them were still extremely popular in later generations.
What girl did not like pretty clothes?
Lin Wanwan silently admired them for a while before taking out a pale white floral-patterned set of pajamas.
Two buckets of mixed hot water had already been prepared in the bathroom.
A bottle of Bee Flower shampoo and a bar of soap sat on the sink.
Body wash did not yet exist in this era.
She was not used to using soap, so she simply took out her usual rose-scented body wash from the supermarket inside the mall.
She washed her hair first, then took a bath.
After shampooing, she applied hair oil and wrapped her hair in a dry towel.
Once she had finished bathing and changed into clean clothes, she put away the body wash and stepped out of the bathroom.
“Mom, I’m done.”
“Alright. Remember to use the hair dryer and dry your hair properly.”
Wu Cuicui continued nagging.
“The last time you didn’t dry it and went straight to sit in front of the fan, you caught a cold!”
Lin Wanwan responded obediently in a soft voice.
“Okay~ I know~”
Following her memories, she retrieved the hair dryer from the cabinet in the living room.
The hair dryer of this era was very compact.
Made of metal, it looked almost like a pistol and was surprisingly cute.
After drying her hair until it was half dry, Lin Wanwan returned to her room and locked the door.
She took out some body lotion from the mall and carefully applied it to her arms and legs.
She loved beauty.
After finishing with the body lotion, she took out moisturizing face cream and hand cream as well.
This body was only sixteen years old.
Other skincare products were unnecessary for now.
A simple moisturizer was enough.
Lin Wanwan blinked and looked at the beautiful young girl reflected in the mirror.
Fresh from her bath, her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Her skin was as smooth as a peeled egg.
Not a single pore was visible.
She reached out and pinched her cheek, smiling narcissistically at herself.
Sure enough, youth was the best skincare product.
Being young was wonderful~