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墨書 Inktalez
Hanno was excited, looking at the badges in her hand. Unfortunately, most of them were ordinary iron badges; there wasn't a single ceramic one in sight.
"Why aren't there any ceramic ones? Those are supposed to be valuable!" Hanno sighed.
Mom Han glanced at her daughter’s forehead. "You’ve thrown all your money into this."
Mom Han picked up one of the badges nostalgically. "These badges are proof of your dad's and my youth. Even if they aren't worth much, you can't just throw them away."
Hanno nodded repeatedly, assuring her, "Something with such commemorative significance, I will definitely take good care of it..."
She muttered under her breath, "Even if they're made of iron, they must be worth something, right? How could I possibly throw them away? If I keep them for a while longer, they might even become more valuable."
Fortunately, Mom Han and Han Dad didn't hear that; otherwise, she would have gotten another knock on her forehead.
In addition to a large bag of badges, there was also a stamp album in the box, filled with stamps collected by Han Dad during his youth. Hanno flipped through it; although not particularly valuable, it held significant collectible value. The most notable were several commemorative stamps from 1986 featuring high-ranking national leaders and a stamp celebrating Halley's Comet's return.
"Why are all the stamps from 1986?" Hanno asked while holding the album.
Mom Han replied, "Because your dad developed an interest in stamp collecting that year but lost interest after just one year."
Hanno glared at her father in frustration. "Dad, why didn’t you stick with it? Why didn’t you start collecting stamps six years earlier? If you had done that, we might be millionaires by now!"
Han Dad shot her a look. "If you want to be a millionaire, why didn’t you just get born into a rich family?"
That hit home! Hanno clutched her chest and fell over dramatically. "Dad, you've hurt me!"
Mom Han laughed and playfully kicked her daughter who was sprawled on the floor. "Stop messing around and hurry up and clean up."
Hanno sat up suddenly. "Yes, ma'am!"
Inside the box, there were many items with historical significance and commemorative value. In addition to badges and stamps, there was a piggy bank filled with coins, collecting pieces from 1955 to 1992, including four complete sets of coins and several sets of commemorative coins from various years. For instance, the 1991 Arbor Day commemorative coin set, which originally cost three yuan, has now appreciated to one hundred eighty yuan for the set. Alongside the coins, there were also banknotes—one-minute, two-minute, one jiao, and two dimes—that have also increased in value since these denominations have been phased out of circulation.
Next were two old photo albums filled with pictures of Han Dad and Mom Han from their youth. Young Han Dad was handsome, while Mom Han was beautiful; they truly made a striking couple. In the earliest photos, Mom Han had thick, glossy black hair braided into a long plait that hung down to her waist, making Hanno, who had been losing hair over the years, envious. Young Han Dad wore a grass-green military uniform, one leg bent forward and his arm raised in front of his chest as if in a marching pose. Although it looked amusing now, it was once considered a standard pose for progressive youth.
"Hey? Dad never served in the military, right? Why is he wearing a military uniform?" Hanno asked curiously.
Mom Han leaned in to look at the photo and laughed. "This picture was taken when your dad participated in the Long March Song performance. He had talent in singing and dancing back then and was selected for training and performances of the Long March Song. He performed in front of people from all over the province and was quite popular among young ladies at that time!"
Hanno's eyes widened. "Dad, so you were a star during the Ming Dynasty? But what is the Long March Song?"
Forgive her for being born in the early nineties and not knowing about this classic red epic from decades ago.
Han Dad said, "Do you know how to sing 'Four Crossings of the Red River to Launch a Surprise Attack'?"
Hanno nodded. "Of course! In high school and middle school, we sang 'Ode to the Motherland' and 'Four Crossings of the Red River to Launch a Surprise Attack' during every National Day choir performance. They were must-sing songs!"
She even began humming: "…The soldiers step down with their feet, Four Crossings of the Red River to Launch a Surprise Attack. The Wu River is perilous to cross again; our troops press on toward Guiyang to threaten Kunming. The enemy abandons their armor and throws away their smoke guns; our army rushes forward triumphantly. We lure the tiger away from its mountain lair to attack Jinsha; using troops is indeed like magic…"
Han Dad interrupted her: "You sang it wrong."
Hanno grinned: "Come on, Dad, don’t be so harsh."
Ignoring his daughter's playful expression, Han Dad took it upon himself to educate her about his interests: "The Long March Song was the most classic red song from the sixties to early eighties. Composed by Chen Geng, Sheng Mao, Tang Ke, and Yu Qiugeng based on old Red Army soldiers' memories of the 25,000-mile Long March over six months, it consists of ten vivid parts with sincere emotions. These include 'Farewell,' 'Breaking Through the Blockade,' 'The Glory of the Zunyi Conference,' 'Four Crossings of the Red River to Launch a Surprise Attack,' 'Flying Over Dadu River,' 'Crossing Snowy Mountains and Grasslands,' 'Arriving at Wuqi Town,' 'Celebrating Victory,' 'Reporting Good News,' and 'The Great Reunion.' It praises the indomitable spirit of China's Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and celebrates the heroic spirit of Red Army commanders who fought bravely against adversity."
"Stop—" Hanno quickly interjected to halt Han Dad's lengthy explanation. "Dad, I get it already; you don't need to go on."
Han Dad pouted slightly, clearly unhappy that he hadn't fully shared his enthusiasm for his favorite topic.
Hanno hurriedly packed the three boxes and moved them under his bed, covering them with the bed board and mattress. After coming out, he said to Han Dad and Mom Han, "We're not cooking tonight! Let's eat out, my treat."
Mom Han was reluctant to go out. "It's so cold outside, what are we going to eat?"
"How about hot pot? It's been a while since we've had it, and we can never replicate the taste of a hot pot restaurant at home," Hanno suggested.
Both Han Dad and Mom Han were tempted; enjoying hot pot in winter was a real treat!
"We'll change our clothes first. You tidy up the living room," Mom Han said as she pulled Han Dad back to their room, casually instructing Hanno.
"Understood!" Hanno picked up several bags of old clothes from the living room floor and tossed them into his room, thinking about when he would have time to donate these old clothes. He casually closed the door behind him to wait for his parents, which is why he didn't see the large bag containing military coats, woolen coats, and cotton jackets crash onto the Porcelain Jar. The Porcelain Jar shook slightly before the bag of clothes vanished without a trace.
……
A cold wave swept through another world as well. Li Yishu and Li Zhoule huddled under their blankets. Even with the covers, they couldn't fend off the cold. Unfortunately, all their thick blankets had been pawned, leaving only two thin quilts patched up with numerous stitches. Their clothes were also thin, and together they couldn't withstand the sudden chill.
Li Yishu's ears suddenly perked up, and uncertainly he said, "Sister, I think I heard a sound coming from the storage room. Could it be that a deity is sending us something?"
Li Zhoule didn't hear any sound, but she hoped her brother was right. She held onto a glimmer of hope that the Deity knew their current situation and might send them some warm clothing.
"I'll go take a look," Li Zhoule said as she got out of bed, shivering from the cold wind.
"I'll go too." Li Yishu lifted the blanket and also shivered from the chill. The two siblings leaned on each other as they entered the storage room and immediately spotted a large package that had fallen next to the Porcelain Jar.
"What a big package!" Li Yishu exclaimed as he rushed over in three steps and two strides to unwrap it. The contents inside dazzled his eyes.
"Sister," Li Yishu called out excitedly, "the deity has answered our prayers! They've sent us warm clothing!"
Li Zhoule hurried over and took out a thick garment made of an unknown fabric for Li Yishu to wear, while she picked out another one for herself.
"It's so warm!" Li Yishu sighed contentedly.
Li Zhoule felt equally satisfied. Just as Li Yishu had said, the long garment was excellent at blocking the cold. She felt warmth enveloping her body, no longer fearing the chill. The two garments were long enough to reach their ankles, providing warmth not only for the upper body but also for the lower body. After taking them off, they could even be used as blankets.
"Is this fabric unique to immortals?" Li Yishu asked, fondling the material with delight.
"Naturally. I've never seen or heard of such fabric before," Li Zhoule replied—though it was simply cashmere felt, a material unknown in ancient times.
Looking back into the bag, she found a cotton coat that could rival a thick quilt and three cotton jackets. The fabric appeared ordinary but seemed quite warm.
Li Yishu thought of her companions; now that she was warm, they were still freezing.
"Sister, these three cotton jackets must have been prepared by the immortals for Brother Wen and his friends, right?" Li Yishu said as she touched the jackets. "There are exactly three! The immortals must have seen us and understood our situation with Brother Wen's family, so they sent them warm clothing."
Li Zhoule considered this possibility and found it very likely; after all, how coincidental was it to have exactly three? She took out her military coat, repacked the three cotton jackets carefully, and said to Li Yishu, "Take these jackets to Brother Wen and his friends. They must be suffering from the cold too. I hope they haven't caught a cold."
With warm clothes to wear, Li Yishu couldn't wait to rush outside. Concerned about her companions getting sick, she grabbed the package and dashed out of the house.
"Is it snowing?!!" Li Yishu exclaimed in astonishment as she looked up at the swirling snowflakes. Although small, they were indeed snowflakes—no wonder it was so cold! The village was located in the southwestern region where winters were generally warmer than in the north, and it rarely snowed. Yet after experiencing floods and droughts, it was surprising to see snow in winter as well. Was this a good omen or a bad one?
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