After persisting with work for a few more days, the rest day finally arrived.
Coincidentally, the day before the break, she received a letter from her scumbag father—the money had been wired, and the package had been sent. Ning Xuan wasted no time and headed to the Commune as soon as the rest day began.
Ning Xuan first went to buy gloves, purchasing two pairs directly—one to return to Huang Xiaomei and one to keep for herself.
Then, she went to the post office to collect the money and the package. Taking a deep breath, Ning Xuan felt a wave of relief—finally, she had money!
Three hundred yuan, and the package was quite large. It seemed her stepmother hadn’t dared to play too many tricks.
And indeed, that was the case. Wu Yumei figured that since she had to take this loss, she might as well make the most of it.
From the day she started preparing the items, Wu Yumei made a big show of exchanging coupons with everyone she could find. Every time she bought something, she would "exhibit" it around the family compound.
In just two short days, word spread from the family compound to the machinery factory and the cotton mill—everyone in both Ning Kang and Wu Yumei’s social circles knew that Wu Yumei was going to great lengths to gather supplies for Ning Xuan’s life in the countryside.
Some people scoffed, but many felt that Wu Yumei, as a stepmother, had gone above and beyond.
In the end, Wu Yumei actually managed to gain some goodwill from the effort.
But even if Ning Xuan found out, it didn’t matter. As long as she got the tangible benefits, that was all that counted.
After collecting the package, Ning Xuan also inquired at the post office about buying stamps.
She didn’t come across any of the legendary, highly valuable stamps from later eras, but the numbered stamps still had collectible value. Though they weren’t worth enough to buy a house, they could still turn a profit.
And in Ning Xuan’s eyes, everything was so cheap now. She bought as many as she could, which puzzled the postal worker.
Ning Xuan explained that she was an Educated Youth sent to the countryside and would need to write letters to her family and friends. It would be inconvenient to come back every time she needed stamps, so she was stocking up in advance. She also mentioned buying some for others, so they weren’t all for her own use.
The postal worker was no longer surprised, especially since Ning Xuan had just picked up a package, making it all seem perfectly reasonable.
After leaving the post office, Ning Xuan had too much to carry and no time to go shopping, so she went straight to wait for the ox cart back to the brigade.
But now she had a legitimate reason to take things out from her Warehouse.
Not everyone had returned to the Educated Youth Center yet, but along the way, many people saw Ning Xuan dragging her large package.
The girls’ dormitory was empty—on such a rare day off, they had gone out to enjoy a nice meal before coming back.
Ning Xuan had plenty of good stuff in her Warehouse, so she didn’t feel the need to join them.
Taking advantage of the empty room, she unpacked the items from the package and secretly transferred quite a few things from her Warehouse.
The package contained an 8-jin cotton quilt and two sets of cotton-padded clothes. In Ning Xuan’s opinion, the clothes were a bit tacky, but she didn’t mind. The most important thing was that she had gotten the money and coupons.
From her Warehouse, she brought out a thermos, a military-style canteen, a drinking cup, soap and shampoo with plastic cases, two towels, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a mouth-rinsing cup, sponge cakes, summer and autumn clothes, and more.
She took the opportunity to bring out everything she planned to use openly.
Ning Xuan already had a toothbrush, but she didn’t have toothpaste or a rinsing cup. Until now, she had been brushing her teeth with clear water and plant ash, then cupping water directly from the washbasin with her hands.
Finally, she could openly use a full set of toiletries.
Checking the time and taking advantage of the fact that no one had returned yet, Ning Xuan took out the luxurious boxed meal prepared by Lin Yuhan and quickly ate it.
Eating large mouthfuls of meat and rice was truly satisfying, and even the vegetables were deliciously glistening with oil.
After finishing the entire large portion of the boxed meal, Ning Xuan sighed at how noticeably her appetite had grown. Back in modern times, she used to have a small appetite and would complain about greasy food.
Having been in the 1970s for less than a month, she now dreamed of craving meat.
Recently, after connecting to the modern dimension, her meals had significantly improved. However, with daily farm work, her appetite had become exceptionally good. Apart from coarse grains, which she still couldn't stomach, she no longer minded fatty meats or chicken skin, eating them with great relish.
After finishing her meal, Ning Xuan quickly opened the door to air out the room and went to brush her teeth.
In the family compound of An City's Machinery Factory, Ning Lan was acting coquettishly with Wu Yumei.
"Mom, I already told you I want to buy a Bulaji dress. All my colleagues have bought one, and the new styles are so pretty."
Thinking about her daughter's recent expenses, Wu Yumei felt a headache coming on. "You're working now—if you want to buy it, save up your own money. Your dad and I already paid for your job placement. You should be more sensible at your age."
Ning Lan was displeased. "Isn't there Ning Xuan's Educated Youth subsidy? What's wrong with giving me a share of those over two hundred yuan?"
Since Ning Lan hadn't returned home recently and was unaware that the family had sent things to Ning Xuan, Wu Yumei explained the situation.
Ning Lan's expression immediately darkened. "She's in the countryside receiving food rations—what does she need money for? How could she possibly need 300 yuan? Mom! How could you just give it to her? What about my Bulaji dress?"
Wu Yumei wasn't happy about Ning Xuan taking advantage either, but she understood priorities. Compared to her husband and his job, a few hundred yuan was insignificant.
"You already have plenty of clothes. You really need to change your habits—you can't keep spending so recklessly. With a monthly salary of over twenty yuan, the family hasn't even asked you to contribute, yet you still can't make ends meet."
"The family paid for your job, and we haven't asked you to repay it. You need to be more careful. If your dad realizes you're spending so extravagantly while his own biological daughter is suffering in the countryside, who knows what he might do."
Hearing this, Ning Lan immediately stopped making a fuss.
Over the years, with Ning Xuan being invisible in the household and Ning Lan herself being sweet-tongued, she had come to see herself as Ning Kang's real daughter, believing she was much more favored than Ning Xuan.
What Wu Yumei didn't mention was that Ning Lan's younger brother would also need money in the future. Though he was still young and it wasn't urgent, they truly couldn't allow Ning Lan to continue spending so recklessly.
Yes, Ning Kang and Wu Yumei later had a son.
When Ning Xuan was six years old, her biological mother passed away. Not long after, Ning Kang remarried, and two years later, they had a son named Ning Hui.
Ning Xuan and Ning Hui were eight years apart.
It was because of this son that Wu Yumei felt she had firmly established her position in the family and treated Ning Xuan even worse.
Ning Kang, naturally, felt the same. For the sake of his son, he turned a blind eye to some of Wu Yumei's actions.
Their young son was away during summer vacation, visiting his maternal grandparents, so he wasn't home during this time.
Ning Lan failed to get money from Wu Yumei. Though she stopped making a scene, she grew even more resentful toward Ning Xuan, believing that if not for Ning Xuan, she wouldn't have missed out on buying the new dress and showing off in front of her colleagues.
It must be said that Ning Lan had been corrupted by her mother—not only selfish and self-serving, but also vicious in her thoughts.