The issue with Xu Laidi wasn’t easy to resolve.
Reporting the matter to the Public Security Bureau was no use and even led to threats from the Liu family, who claimed they would also report her for embezzling their family heirloom.
Xu Laidi was left with no way to defend herself and stumbled home in a daze. Once back, she did nothing but cry and refused to do anything else.
But Song Wei had no time to dwell on Xu Laidi’s troubles. She had a more important matter to attend to—Song Jing was leaving.
She packed large bags of items for him, even including a jar of wine infused with wild ginseng.
The wild ginseng Song Wei had brought back was over 300 years old. After being carefully prepared by Old Ji, it was turned into medicinal wine.
“Brother, take these things back with you. When you run out, write me a letter. With the large mountains behind Ping’an Brigade, I can always find more good things to eat without much trouble.”
Her confidence made the claim sound entirely reasonable.
Still worried, Song Jing reminded her to take care of herself.
Song Wei nodded. “Got it, got it. I’m strong, remember?”
Recalling how his sister had once killed a fully grown wild boar with her bare hands, Song Jing stopped talking.
His sister was indeed stronger than him.
“This smoked wild boar leg—take it with you too,” she added.
The leg, which she had received during the village’s distribution, had been saved and prepared with a special marinade, smoked specifically for her brother.
Song Jing looked at her as if she were moving house and said, his voice tinged with exasperation, “Keep it for yourself. The army provides food; I won’t go hungry.”
“Not going hungry is different from eating well. Take the leg. There’s plenty of wild game in the mountains; I can always catch more if I want some.”
“There’s too much stuff. I can’t carry it all,” he said with a sigh. “The train isn’t safe either. Carrying so much will make me a target.”
Song Wei frowned at the heap of supplies she had painstakingly prepared.
“You’re right,” she muttered. “That much is like putting up a sign saying, ‘Come rob me.’ Better not take the risk.”
Relieved that she was reconsidering, Song Jing was about to suggest leaving most of it behind when she said, “Let’s just ship it instead.”
Song Jing: …
His sister was determined to send him the supplies. While exasperated, he couldn’t help but feel touched.
His sister was so kind.
It’s just… someone else would end up benefiting too.
In the midst of helping to pack the items, Lin Zhen suddenly sneezed.
“Am I catching a cold?” he wondered, touching his face. But except for his injured leg, everything else felt fine.
Song Jing left.
Song Wei and Lin Zhen escorted him to the train station.
As the train slowly began to move, Song Jing leaned out of the window to wave goodbye.
“Take care of yourself. I’ll come to visit as soon as I have leave!”
Song Wei nodded and shouted back, “I will!”
Afterward, she sniffled and realized her eyes were misting up. She was reluctant to part with her kind brother.
Lin Zhen reached around her from behind, patting her shoulder in a restrained but comforting manner. She could feel his silent support.
Since they were already in the city, which was much livelier than the town, Song Wei decided to make the most of the trip.
“There’s no way we’re leaving without buying something!” she declared.
Her sadness passed quickly, and soon she was dragging Lin Zhen to the department store.
The department store was far better stocked than the local supply and marketing cooperative.
“Comrade, how much is this scarf?”
“How about this bottle of wine?”
“And this cotton coat…”
The store was divided into sections, each with its own sales clerk. Unlike modern supermarkets, customers couldn’t just grab items themselves; they had to ask clerks for assistance.
Song Wei roamed the store enthusiastically, exiting each section with her hands full of goods.
When she saw the price of scarves, she decided to buy different yarns instead, intending to knit her own scarves. She also picked out sturdy cotton coats for both Lin Zhen and Heidan, knowing they didn’t have many.
“Try this one on,” she said, holding up a black coat for Lin Zhen.
The coat looked plain, but when Lin Zhen put it on, the fit elevated its appearance.
“This one’s perfect,” Song Wei said, her eyes lighting up.
“It’s for me?” Lin Zhen was taken aback. “That’s expensive.”
Though he protested, he couldn’t hide his grin, revealing his teeth in a boyish smile that softened his usually fierce expression.
“I have money, and it’s just two coats,” Song Wei said nonchalantly. “If I run out, I’ll earn more. It’s not a big deal.”
She noticed two red strings adorned with small wooden sign.
The small wooden sign were purely decorative, with intricate carvings on one side.
“I’ll take these back for the two little cubs,” she said.
These were hair ties for girls, Song Wei thought that since the two wolf cubs were now part of the family, it was only right to bring them some gifts.
Lin Zhen stared a red cotton coat and asked the salesperson to take it down while Song Wei was choosing biscuits.
“Song Wei, come over and try this on.”
Song Wei turned her head to look at him, her bright black eyes full of life.
“What?”
“I still have three cotton-padded jackets, which are enough for this winter.”
Lin Zhen replied, “Just try it on.”
Song Wei gave him a glance and finally nodded, agreeing to try it on.
The coat wasn’t a bright red; it was more like burgundy, a darker shade.
When she put it on, it highlighted her fair complexion, making her cheeks appear even rosier. She looked stunning.
Lin Zhen felt his heartbeat go haywire—it was racing uncontrollably!
“Looks good,” he muttered.
His gaze fixed on Song Wei, but he couldn’t muster more than those two simple words, his ears flushing red with embarrassment.
Song Wei smiled, and with that smile, her beauty seemed to brighten even further.
Onlookers couldn’t help but feel envious. They loved the color of the coat too, but its price was high, and not everyone could pull off such a bold shade.
“I want one just like hers,” a woman said, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw how good Song Wei looked in it.
The shop assistant responded, “I’m sorry, but that’s the last one.”
The woman’s eyes shifted. “She hasn’t paid yet, has she? I want the one she’s wearing.”
Song Wei: “…”
She was still wearing it!
Lin Zhen didn’t say much. He simply turned to the shop assistant and said, “We’ll take it. Write up the receipt.”
The woman was unwilling to let it go. “I said I wanted it first! Be reasonable!”
Lin Zhen cast a single glance at her.
The woman immediately stepped back, startled. When Lin Zhen wasn’t smiling, his face carried a naturally intimidating aura, with a faint hostility between his brows.
He didn’t say a word, but his demeanor seemed to silently declare: So what if I’m unreasonable?
Before the woman could react, Lin Zhen had already taken Song Wei to settle the bill.
The woman came to her senses and became angry and embarrassed. She stomped her foot in frustration, her face flushed, but she didn’t dare to cause trouble.
She knew that if she did, she’d only end up losing.
Song Wei nudged his waist with her elbow. “Impressive.”
Lin Zhen smiled. “If I can’t even stand up for you, how could I call myself your boyfriend?”
During this trip to the department store, the two of them bought quite a few things, using up a lot of their tickets.
At one point, Lin Zhen stopped by a counter selling watches and lingered over one. He thought it would look great on Song Wei, but unfortunately, he didn’t have a watch coupon.
After returning to town, Song Wei did not forget another thing she had to do.
Buy a large Jar.
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