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This year, Zhao Meirong and Hu Qihua seemed to have aged backward by a decade! On the third day of the Lunar New Year, in addition to the usual festive gifts, they brought two bottles of wine in colorful paper boxes for the children's grandmother and Grandfather's family, along with a chicken, a fish, and five pounds of lamb.
Grandfather remarked that this wine was truly exceptional—fragrant, smooth, and without any harsh aftereffects. It was the best wine he had ever tasted in his life. The old man had rarely seen such fresh cucumbers in his lifetime.
On the fifth day, Zhao Meirong couldn't wait to return to her maternal family. Not only her brother's wife but even her own mother was puzzled: "Didn’t you just come two days ago? Why are you back again? Is something going on at home?"
Zhao Meirong hurried inside, grabbing her sister-in-law with one hand and her mother with the other. "Let me tell you, yesterday Sister-in-law Ruo Yun came to visit! She’s quite tall and fair-skinned, speaks softly, and has a smile that lights up her face..."
Her sister-in-law's curiosity ignited. "Sister, when did this start? You never mentioned it before!"
Their grandmother got straight to the point: "How much 'meeting gift' did you give her? You can't be stingy!"
Zhao Meirong puffed up with pride. "In our place, the 'meeting gift' is usually 600, but I gave her 800! At first, she hesitated to accept it. When I told her that if she didn't take it, I wouldn't feel right about it, she finally accepted."
Xiao Hu and Xiao Feng were oblivious to the situation; they only mentioned later that 'that sister' had given them each 50 yuan. She said she worked in some oil and electricity company—it's a formal job!"
Hu Ruoyun's aunt was also pleased. "Sister, for the past two years, we've only heard you talk about who is getting engaged or married around Hu Ruoyun's age. Now you can finally relax!"
But then she worriedly added, "You say she's a formal worker? What about our Hu Ruoyun... in the future..."
This comment made Zhao Meirong lose her confidence. Their grandmother chimed in, "It's surprising how sensible she is; she gave so much money to her younger siblings on her first visit!"
Zhao Meirong seemed to have made up her mind. "When I get back, I'll discuss building a new house with her father; we can't delay any longer!"
The aunt quickly agreed. "Yes, once we build a new house, we can talk about marriage. Sister, if you don't have enough money for the house, we still have over two thousand saved; you can use it first!" Then she turned to Hu Ruoyun's grandmother: "Mom, could you let my sister use some of your money too?"
Due to their third sister borrowing money and causing chaos among several families, Zhao Meirong didn't want their own issues to create more trouble. After struggling internally for a while, she finally stammered out, "We have enough money... Hu Ruoyun seems to have earned some from writing; neither her father nor I can read well, but Mei Feng looked at the bankbook and said there’s over ten thousand..."
Originally, Hu Ruoyun was supposed to return to school on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year after the break ended; she told her parents: "I’ll graduate this year; the school is strict about attendance—I need to catch up during the holiday."
This year was both uplifting and smooth for Hu Qihua and Zhao Meirong. They thought to themselves: Let it be; it won't hinder us from showing off and enjoying ourselves...
As they packed up their things, bags filled with fried snacks, meatballs, sweet cakes, and twisted dough sticks, Zhao Meirong asked, "Can you finish all this? Don't let it go to waste; that would be such a pity."
Xiao Feng chimed in, "My sister Mona can still eat some."
Zhao Meirong's face lit up with joy. "Great! Great! Pack more, pack more..."
Although it was the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, some students had already returned to school early. More than ten college hopefuls had come back voluntarily to start their six-month sprint before the college entrance exams. Hu Ruoyun's classmate, Tong Caiying, was among them.
Hu Ruoyun arrived at noon, settled into her dormitory, and grabbed a quick bite before heading out in the afternoon to the Gaoqiao Town Post Office.
Mao Na had to work her regular shift; even if no one came for business, she couldn't leave Hu Ruoyun there for too long.
Upon entering the service hall, they found someone making a long-distance call. They exchanged glances, and Mao Na couldn't hide her delight as she handed over a set of keys and gestured towards the backyard.
Understanding her cue, Hu Ruoyun took the keys and headed to the back yard. She first unlocked the iron gate and secured it behind her before using another key to open Mao Na's dorm room door.
Even though she had only spent one night there before, it felt so familiar and welcoming. Hu Ruoyun flopped onto Mao Na's small bed and inhaled deeply the faint scent of hair from the pillow.
After biking over twenty miles against the cold Lunar New Year wind since morning, she felt a bit tired and soon drifted off to sleep.
She didn't know how long she had been asleep when she suddenly felt a tickling sensation on her face. Groggily opening her eyes, she saw a handsome face leaning over her, with strands of hair falling onto her cheeks.
It was Mao Na. As soon as work ended, she hurriedly locked the door and rushed to the backyard. Finding her room unlocked, she tiptoed inside and discovered Hu Ruoyun sleeping on her bed.
Not wanting to disturb him, she leaned down to closely observe this younger brother who was three years her junior and had just turned eighteen. In terms of looks, he was leagues ahead of Qiu; in terms of family background, he was worlds apart from Qiu... Yet why was she so captivated by him? He looked so pleasing that it bordered on obsession.
Before the Spring Festival, when she returned from the county town and laid everything out for her parents, her father remained neutral as always: "As long as you're willing and won't regret or feel wronged, I have no objections!"
Her mother was much more cautious. The incident with Xiao Qiu had hurt her daughter’s feelings; although she had complaints, she couldn't express them directly. Carefully choosing her words, she raised several concerns: "Xiao Hu is a good person and quite smart, but you are a formal employee of the Postal System. If he gets into college, that's great; but what if he doesn't? Whether he works in agriculture or goes out for labor jobs, if he can't get into the system, there will always be a qualitative gap between you two! Even if you end up together in the future, what kind of life will you have? Have you thought about this long-term?"
She admitted that these were considerations she hadn't thought through herself and couldn't argue against her mother’s points but still responded with silence to assert her wishes.
Interestingly enough, her younger brother Mao Jie—whom she'd always seen as just a kid—said something unexpected: "Mom, I don't know if my sister will be happy with Hu Ruoyun, but if she ends up with Qiu for sure she won't be!"
Thus, their mother temporarily compromised and agreed for her daughter to date Hu Ruoyun for now but privately warned: "Until it's absolutely necessary, keep some distance... Girls shouldn't mislead themselves!"
Mao Na felt both embarrassed and incredibly sweet at those words.
At least now their relationship could proceed openly without any secrecy.
In that moment, with this boy sprawled comfortably on her bed, she felt no sense of impropriety whatsoever.
When Hu Ruoyun woke up suddenly and met Mao Na's gaze just inches away from his own, both were momentarily stunned.
Neither knew who initiated it first; their lips met in a kiss for the very first time.
She placed her hands on his shoulders, and he cradled her face.
"This is my first kiss!" she exclaimed.
"It's my first time too!" he replied.
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