Quite a Lot of Stuff
“Hmm,” she responded. Lin Chuan seemed so serious, like a little old man despite being in his twenties and about the same age as her. But he was kind-hearted, otherwise, he wouldn’t have saved her.
She was indeed exhausted. Although she wanted to check her large backpack, suspecting it had also undergone some change, there was no light or flashlight available, so she had to give up.
Lying on the kang, she tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling asleep. The next morning, she was awakened by the sound of firewood being carried and the fire being lit. Remembering that she had travelled into the period novel, she quickly sat up and looked around, realizing she was still there.
The small warm room was very dark, with only a tiny window, making it impossible to tell the time. She raised her hand to look at her watch and saw it was only five in the morning. She had never woken up this early before.
Putting on her down jacket, she carefully walked out and saw Lin’s mother stoking the fire in the kitchen. Feeling a bit awkward, she greeted, “Good morning, Auntie.”
“How did you sleep? Is your head still hurting?”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Just then, Lin Chuan entered, carrying an old-looking wooden bucket filled with water. She quickly stepped aside, feeling out of place.
“If you’re still not feeling well, go rest in the room. Breakfast will be ready soon.”
“Okay.” She agreed but didn’t move, waiting for Lin Chuan to leave before quietly asking Lin’s mother where the toilet was.
Lin’s mother took her to the toilet, and when they returned, Lin Chuan had placed a basin on the stove wall and said, “Wash your face.”
“Thank you,” she replied, feeling a bit cold towards him. If she hadn’t read the book, she might have suspected that Lin Chuan wasn’t very welcoming. However, the book described him as someone who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, which was evident since he had carried her down from the mountain.
After washing her face, she joined the Lin family for breakfast. It was the same cornmeal porridge with some pickles from last night. She didn’t have much of an appetite and didn’t eat much.
In the morning, the Lin family members all went to the village team to work and earn work points. Everything would have to wait until the village captain, Lin Dong He, had time to come over in the evening.
As for her, she was left alone in the Lin family house.
Instead of feeling uneasy, she felt relieved to be left alone. In the small room, she opened her large backpack and discovered some changes. She had brought two down jackets and three sets of sweaters and cotton pants, which had slightly altered colours to blend in better with the era. The three spring outfits were still stylish for this time, though.
Next, she checked her underwear. Knowing she would be away for a year, she had packed five or six sets of underwear and bras, which seemed unchanged in style and colour.
Su Su was most concerned about her wallet. Traveling alone, money was crucial. If her money remained the same as before, she might break down in tears. But when she pulled out the wallet hidden inside and opened it, she was stunned. What had been a modestly filled wallet was now bulging, spilling out a large number of small bills.
There were no hundred-yuan notes, only denominations typical of this era. Although the book was set in a fictional time, it mimicked the late 1970s to early 1980s, so there were no large denomination bills, with ten yuan being the largest.
Her original two thousand yuan in hundred-yuan notes had been converted into smaller ten-yuan notes, making it very cramped inside.
She took out the money and counted it, realizing there was less—what had been over two thousand yuan was now a little over a thousand. Where did the missing thousand go? She opened the wallet’s inner pocket and found it stuffed with various ration tickets, about twenty or thirty in total. There were fabric tickets, industrial tickets, grain tickets, shoe tickets, and even several milk powder tickets.
What was this? Was she supposed to settle down and start a family here?
Rolling her eyes to the sky, she thought, just because she enjoyed the simplicity of people in period novels didn’t mean she wanted to live here.
Continuing to check her backpack, she found that aside from these practical items, her toiletries had also changed to period packaging. But upon opening them, they still contained the same products as before.
Her first aid kit was also intact, which she could use right away.
She removed the homemade plaster Lin’s family had applied, washed the area with water, disinfected it, and re-bandaged herself. Luckily, she had the foresight to bring some common medications, ensuring she wouldn’t have to worry about minor illnesses or injuries for a while.
Uncomfortable wearing the same clothes for two days, she changed into a long, loose sweater and used Lin’s family’s basin to wash her previous clothes.
By the time she hung them out to dry, her hands were nearly frozen. It wasn’t supposed to be the middle of winter yet—why was it so cold?
After washing her clothes and checking her backpack, Su Su closed it and set it aside, holding twenty yuan and two ration tickets to thank the Lin family for their care. She also wanted to stay with them because she didn’t feel safe going elsewhere.
As she was pondering this, she heard light footsteps and then the door opened. A boy of about eleven or twelve walked in, carrying a patchwork school bag slung over his shoulder. He looked a bit shy when he saw Su Su, rubbed his hands together, and said, “Mom asked me to come back and check on you. If you need anything, just tell me. My big brother will bring you lunch later.”
“I’m fine, thank you. By the way, my name is Su Su. What’s yours?” According to the book, the male supporting character had three younger brothers; this should be the youngest.
“My name is Lin Jiang. If you’re okay, I’ll go now.” He said, taking a sip of water before turning to leave.
“Have you had lunch? It’s almost noon. Didn’t you come home to eat?” Su Su asked, though she knew that this little boy would grow up to be a notorious troublemaker, in and out of jail three times. Right now, he didn’t show any signs of that future.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Wait a moment.” Su Su ran back into the room, opened her large backpack, and took out a bag of cakes. Originally, she had packed a variety of snacks, but now they had all transformed into period-appropriate cakes, peach crisps, and roasted fruits, with nothing left but two boxes of chocolates.
She handed the cake to Lin Jiang, who looked at it in surprise and quickly waved his hands, saying, “You city folks eat such fancy things. I don’t need it.” But his throat visibly moved, showing his craving.
How did a well-mannered child end up on such a path? Without thinking, Su Su shoved the cake into his hands and said, “Hurry back, don’t you have classes?”
Lin Jiang hesitated for a moment before finally putting the cake aside and running off. Su Su tried to chase after him but had to stop because of the pain in her leg. This family was poor, but their pride was strong. It would be difficult to use the items she brought to help them. She still wanted to stay with them, so what should she do?
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