"Yunfang has arrived, just in time. Hongjun sent another letter for you; it reached the brigade a couple of days ago." Uncle Shen sat cross-legged on the kang, rolling a cigarette. Upon seeing Shen Yunfang entering, he handed over the letter that was beside him.
Shen Yunfang shyly accepted it. This was the third letter she had received from her fiancé since she had traveled back in time.
At first, she had been somewhat eager, but upon opening it, she found only a few terse lines. They boiled down to him saying he was fine, training was busy, asking if she was well, and suggesting she write to him if there were any difficulties. Of course, there was also the unfailing addition of five yuan.
She went home and flipped through the letters she had written before, only to find that the content was much of the same, just those few repetitive phrases over and over. So, she had lowered her expectations upon receiving letters.
She wasn't sure if it was typical for fiancés to write like this in this era, or if Li Hongjun was just exceptionally shy.
This time, she didn't rush to read it, instead slipping the letter into her jacket pocket directly.
After exchanging a few lukewarm words with Uncle Shen inside the house, she learned that she could only continue herding sheep for one more year. Once she turned sixteen, she'd be considered an adult. In the countryside, girls of that age could get married, so the brigade would no longer take care of her.
In other words, she could herd sheep for another year before having to work in the fields like everyone else, earning work points.
"Come, time to eat," Aunt Shen called from the kitchen, "Yunxiu, stop lying around, hurry up and help me bring the food to the house. Xiaoli, Shuxin, quickly call all the kids back, it's mealtime."
Shen Yunxiu was practically a princess at home, never lifting a finger. While her mother was sweating bullets cooking, she managed to lounge on the kang without a care. It was an enviable ability.
As for the children of Shen Zhijie and Shen Zhiwen's families, they had disappeared somewhere to play. Only around mealtime could they be seen.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yunfang quickly got off the kang to set the table, then went to the kitchen to help with serving dishes, enduring Aunt Shen's endless nagging.
The Shen family's young masters and young ladies would always arrive fashionably late once all the dishes were laid out.
"What use is it giving birth to you all? Always waiting for me to wait on you, and not one of you offers to help." That's just how older women are—constantly nagging. "Where have you all been playing, getting so dirty? Your mother doesn't even manage you. Go wash your hands quick."
"Enough, let's speak less and eat," Uncle Shen, also tired of the nagging, picked up his chopsticks and started to eat.
If the entire Shen family gathered together, there were no few mouths to feed—a total of twelve individuals, old and young, plus Shen Yunfang made thirteen. They couldn't all fit on the kang to eat, so they split into two tables, one on the kang and one below.
You had to say the Shens' meals were quite good: stewed cabbage and potato slices, braised dried eggplant, a big pot of sauerkraut with vermicelli, a plate of bean buns, and a small dish of white sugar.
As soon as Shen Yunxiu sat at the table, she promptly dragged the sugar to her side, shooting a challenging glance at Shen Yunfang, clearly intending to monopolize it.
Shen Yunfang didn't stoop to argue with a child; she could enjoy her meal just fine without the white sugar.
But Shuxin, the second brother's wife, wouldn't let it slide. She didn't care whether others ate or not, but her son was only two years old. He was the one person who couldn't do without his share.
"Yunxiu, give your nephew a bit of sugar, will you? The child is young and won't eat without sugar to dip."
"If he doesn't like to eat, then don't eat. Spoiling from a young age will not bode well for the future." Shen Yunxiu had always been bossy at home; without a second thought, she blurted out this response.
Shuxin immediately frowned at the remark.
"Yunxiu, what are you saying? Don't you have any sense of being an aunt?" Aunt Shen didn't have the same ferocity as her daughter and quickly tried to make amends. "Shuxin, your sister-in-law spoke thoughtlessly; don't take it to heart. You know where the sugar jar is at home; go scoop some out for Xiaotao yourself."
Shuxin's face remained expressionless, but she swallowed the words she was about to say, put down her chopsticks, and stood up to fetch the sugar from the kitchen.
Upon hearing that their younger brother was getting sugar, the three brothers of the eldest Shen Ninghao's family also became restless, clamoring for sugar as well, but Wang Li, the eldest daughter-in-law, was preoccupied with her own meal and didn't stop the children.
In the end, Aunt Shen had no choice but to hand over the family's sugar jar to Shuxin, who dispensed a bit to everyone, only then could they settle down to eat quietly.
Of course, Shen Yunfang also got a small share.
Shen Yunfang wasn't particularly fond of sweets; her family also bought sugar. Usually, when she drank porridge, she liked to scoop in a spoonful of sugar. But today's dishes really appealed to her palate. She picked up several more chopsticks of the dried eggplant, secretly deciding to grow more vegetables the next spring. She planned to sun-dry them in the fall so she would have plenty to eat come winter.