Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

It is said that poor children learn to be independent early, but this does not mean that poor children lack the innocent and carefree nature of children; it simply means that they are sensible and restrain themselves.

As the Wang family's circumstances gradually improved, Wang Meiyan's natural instincts were gradually unleashed, giving her the vigor unique to her age—lively and adorable.

Ultimately, she's just a child, and this is how she should behave right now.

The next morning, while it was still dark, Wang Meiyan jumped out of bed.

She was still wearing a patched cotton-padded jacket, but underneath she had changed into a brand-new cotton shirt—which Wang Chengpeng had brought back from the county town last month.

Knowing that she was going to the city to buy New Year's goods today, she was so excited that she barely slept all night and got up very early.

After she finished washing up, she realized that she was the only one making noise in the room—who would get up so early in the middle of winter?

After thinking for a moment, Wang Meiyan finally arrived at Wang Chengpeng's room and knocked softly on the door:

"Brother, get up! Didn't we agree to go to the city to buy New Year's goods today? It's so late and you're still lying in bed."

Although Wang Meiyan's voice was soft, it was filled with undisguised joy.

Wang Chengpeng, who was woken up by the noise, was completely bewildered. He pulled the switch next to the bed, and the room immediately lit up.

6: 01!

Glancing at the watch on his left wrist, Wang Chengpeng was speechless. He whispered towards the door:
"My silly sister, don't you even look at what time it is?"

"Don't say it's unsafe to walk at night. I arranged to meet Dongzi at the village entrance at seven o'clock. Are you deliberately going to the village entrance to stand in the cold wind?"

Wang Meiyan: ...? ? ?
Little did she know there was such a twist in the story, and immediately said in a pitiful tone:
"Seven o'clock? Why don't you two lazy pigs sleep until dawn tomorrow?"

"If you don't put in some effort, by the time we get to the city, all the good stuff will have been bought up by others."

Grabbing the cotton-padded coat lying beside the bed, Wang Chengpeng quickly dressed and then pushed open the door.

"When you go outside to watch TV, remember to turn the sound off so as not to disturb everyone."

"I'll go wash my face first, and then I'll go make some breakfast for the family."

Knowing that the three of them were going to the city early to buy things, Liu Chunhua specially prepared large white steamed buns with pork filling for them in advance.

Simply steam it over a fire, and you can have a hot breakfast in less than half an hour.

Although Wang Meiyan looked unhappy, she still listened to Wang Chengpeng and obediently went to the main room to watch TV.

But when she turned on the TV, she was immediately dumbfounded.

At this point, the television screen no longer displayed any exciting programs; it was just a series of globes showing the time, making her feel drowsy—even the television programs were on break.

The little girl stared listlessly at the slowly rotating blue planet, her eyelids began to droop, and finally, unable to stay awake any longer, she lay down on the table and fell asleep. Soon after, she was breathing evenly.

It has to be said that Wang Meiyan is quite the little glutton. She was sleeping soundly when her little nose twitched slightly. Soon, she opened her eyes drowsily at the smell of steamed buns in the air.

Her legs seemed to have a mind of their own, and she strode towards the kitchen.

Upon entering the kitchen, the first thing Wang Meiyan saw was the large steamer and the white smoke rising from it.

Smelling the rich fragrance in the air, Wang Meiyan couldn't help but exclaim:

"Brother, these steamed buns smell so good, can we eat them now?"

Looking at the marks on Wang Meiyan's face from sleeping, Wang Chengpeng couldn't help but chuckle:
"All you ever think about is eating."

"The steamed buns are piping hot right out of the steamer, so we wrap them in oil paper and eat them slowly on the way."

But Wang Meiyan had no intention of obeying at all. She directly extended her hand to Wang Chengpeng, smiling broadly, and said:

"Brother, I'm not afraid of getting burned!"

Wang Chengpeng: ...? ? ?
He casually wrapped two large steamed buns in oil paper and handed them over.

"You say you're not afraid of getting burned? Fine, then just take this bun."

Although the remaining buns were also wrapped in oil paper, Wang Chengpeng thoughtfully prepared a plastic bag so they wouldn't get too hot when carried.

When the cold wind blows outside, it will reach the perfect temperature in less than a minute.

Turning around, I saw that Wang Meiyan, that gluttonous girl, hadn't even touched her food yet. She was holding an oil paper package in her hand, practicing her ambidextrous fighting skills.

After seeing this, Wang Chengpeng couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark:
"You really aren't afraid of getting burned!"

"Here, put the oil paper package in the bag, and you can eat it when it cools down a bit on the way."

Wang Meiyan wanted to show off, saying that she wasn't afraid of getting burned.

However, the freshly baked buns were too hot, so she eventually listened to Wang Chengpeng and helped the two of them lift the buns.

She carried a bag in each hand, each bag containing five or six snow-white treats, which only made her look even more adorable.

After removing some firewood from under the stove and adding some water to the bottom of the steamer, Wang Chengpeng said to Wang Meiyan:
"Alright, we can set off now."

Upon hearing that they could set off, Wang Meiyan immediately perked up and followed Wang Chengpeng out the door.

Wang Chengpeng had barely sat down on the bicycle when she happily followed him, muttering to herself cheerfully:

"Let's go shopping! Let's go to the city to buy things!"

Wang Chengpeng was well-prepared for this trip to buy New Year's goods. He not only prepared several bags in advance, but also hung several empty bamboo baskets on the handlebars of his vehicle.

Zhu Hong followed behind on another bicycle, which also had several empty bamboo baskets hanging on it, giving the impression that he was about to empty the state-owned store.

Although it was still dark, the two of them had ridden the village road countless times, so there was no way they would run into any problems. Before long, they arrived at the village entrance.

Hearing the two approaching, Wang Zidong quickly waved the flashlight in his hand:

"Pengzi! I'm here!"

As they got closer, Wang Chengpeng noticed that Wang Zidong was wearing a slightly worn military green cotton-padded jacket and a Lei Feng hat, and was breathing on his hands to warm them, indicating that he had been there for a while.

"I told you to come early, look how long Dong-ge has been waiting."

While muttering to herself, Wang Meiyan distributed the large meat buns she was carrying.

Each person ate two or three pieces, and quickly finished their breakfast. Only the rich aroma of meat lingered at the village entrance, which was blown away by the cold wind for quite some time before it completely dissipated.

While riding along the road, perhaps feeling that simply rushing along was rather boring, Wang Zidong found an excuse to start a conversation:
"Pengzi, I heard your family recently bought a TV?"

"It's just that we live far away now, otherwise I would definitely have to go to your house to see what it's like."

When Wang Meiyan heard someone compliment her family's television, she immediately puffed out her little chest with pride:
"Brother Dong, you're coming? Welcome, welcome." "Only my family and the village chief's family in the whole village have TVs. I won't allow anyone else to come and take the TV from me."

Hearing Wang Meiyan's words, Wang Chengpeng said somewhat speechlessly:
"This little girl, it's not like she bought the TV, what's she so smug about?"

"You know what, ever since we got a TV, she watches the news broadcast every night and has even learned a lot more words."

They chatted and laughed all the way, pedaling hard towards Shanghe City.

In the villages and towns I occasionally pass through, I can already see early risers cleaning their yards and putting up paper-cut window decorations, preparing for the upcoming Spring Festival.

Taking a deep breath, one could even smell the aroma of fried meatballs in the air, making the festive atmosphere even stronger.

The distance between Shanghe City and the village is not far, and it was too dark, so it took nearly three hours to ride there in three days.

As the city skyline appeared on the horizon, Wang Meiyan almost stood up excitedly, gazing at the exquisite buildings before her, but Wang Chengpeng pulled her back.
"Sit still! Be careful not to fall!"

After entering the city, the three went straight to the supply and marketing cooperative.

From afar, people could see the couplet with red paper and black characters at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative:

"With policies implemented, every family is happy; with the economy booming, spring is everywhere."
The horizontal scroll reads "Happy Chinese New Year," and the atmosphere here is already festive.

After finding a suitable spot, the three locked their bicycles and then entered the supply and marketing cooperative.

Although the Spring Festival has not officially started yet, the supply and marketing cooperative is already crowded with people buying New Year's goods.

Looking at the throng of people, Wang Meiyan stamped her feet in frustration and muttered angrily:
"I told you we should have come sooner!"

Faced with Wang Meiyan's complaints, Wang Chengpeng smiled and comforted her:
"Don't rush, you won't miss out on what you want to buy."

"Besides, can we really get ahead of those people living next door even if we arrive earlier?"

“Last night, Mother specifically told me to buy some nice fabric to make new clothes for everyone. Why don’t we go to the fabric store first?”

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's suggestion, Wang Zidong smiled and nodded, saying:
"Alright, let's go get the cloth first."

"The fabric sold in the city is more expensive, but the quality is better and the colors are more beautiful, so it's a hot commodity."

Upon hearing this, Wang Meiyan's eyes immediately lit up, and she happily shouted:

"Go buy fabric, go buy fabric, I want Mom to make me a pretty little dress."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Meiyan was about to rush forward, but Wang Chengpeng pulled her back and sternly warned her:

"Don't wander off. There are a lot of people here. Be careful not to get kidnapped."

Startled by Wang Chengpeng, Wang Meiyan dared not run around anymore. Holding Wang Chengpeng's hand with one hand and Zhu Hong's hand with the other, she loudly retorted:

“Kidnappers only kidnap bad kids, but I’m a good, obedient kid.”

When Wang Meiyan said this, her face was serious but also a little timid, which made the three adults standing next to her laugh in unison—having a younger sister like this must bring a lot of joy to life.

The supply and marketing cooperative was bustling with activity, and a wide variety of goods were on display.

The four of them wasted no time and made their way through the crowded people to the fabric counter.

The sales clerk behind the counter was busy measuring blue cloth for an elderly woman, with piles of fabrics of various colors next to her—navy khaki cloth, red cotton with white flowers, plaid woolen fabric, and even a few rare pieces of Dacron.

Looking at the varieties and colors, it really does prove what Wang Zidong said: the goods here are much better than those in the town's supply and marketing cooperative.

After some research, Wang Chengpeng finally decided on the quantity he wanted to buy and immediately shouted to the salesperson:

"Comrade, bring nine feet of red checkered cloth, eight feet of navy blue khaki cloth, and eight feet of white polyester."

Seeing Wang Meiyan's anxious gaze, Wang Chengpeng pointed to the Dacron fabric placed to the side and said:
"Give us eight feet of this red and white floral cotton fabric. It would look wonderful if we made clothes out of it."

Seeing that Wang Chengpeng had called for the cloth, Wang Meiyan finally breathed a sigh of relief, but her eyes lingered on the red cloth, sparkling with delight.
"Brother, this red is so pretty! It's like...like the color of a candied hawthorn!"

After receiving the cloth coupons and money from Wang Chengpeng, the salesperson first measured the size, then quickly cut the cloth open with a "snip" of large scissors, tied it up, and the cloth was packaged.

Perhaps seeing that Wang Chengpeng was a major customer, the saleswoman praised Wang Meiyan while tying the cloth:

"Young lady, you have good taste. This is a new pattern from Shanghai, and city girls all love it."

After leaving the fabric counter, Wang Chengpeng glanced at his worn-out, faded cotton shoes and pointed to the shoe counter next to him, saying:

"How about we go take a look over there?"

Wang Meiyan had been waiting for these words for far too long, and she grabbed Wang Chengpeng's clothes, intending to walk forward.

Her eyes were fixed on a pair of bright red leather shoes on the shelf. The bright red color must have looked very nice on her feet.

With money and tickets, Wang Chengpeng can accept anything he likes.

Without saying anything, he first bought two pairs of cotton shoes for each member of his family, one pair to wear and one pair to keep as a backup, just in case.

Without hesitation, Wang Meiyan bought the leather shoes she liked.

Wang Meiyan, holding the new shoebox, smiled so broadly her eyes disappeared, and said sweetly to Wang Chengpeng:
"Brother, you're so good to me."

Just from that shout, Wang Chengpeng felt that the shoes were worth the money.

However, he couldn't show favoritism, so he went to other counters to have his parents look at the writing materials.

The liberation shoes they were wearing were quite old, and had several large holes in them.

Although my mother repaired them beautifully, it's only natural to get a new pair of shoes for the new year.

The shoe store salesperson, seeing Wang Chengpeng's generous manner, knew he was a big customer. Ignoring everyone else, she picked up a pair of dark blue canvas shoes and began enthusiastically introducing them:

"Comrade, you have a good eye! These are new Gongnong brand rubber-soled shoes from Tianjin Rubber Factory, perfect for wearing in the factory."

At this point, he turned the rubber-soled shoe, with the words "Labor is Glorious" printed in bright red on its upper, over and continued his introduction:

"Look how deep the anti-slip treads are. You won't slip even when you step into a puddle. All the workers at our city's agricultural machinery factory wear these."

Wang Meiyan, however, wasn't too fond of these work shoes, and said with a look of disdain:

"Bro, these shoes look really stiff and not very nice. I think you should buy those other shoes instead."

Looking in the direction Wang Meiyan pointed, they discovered it was a pair of snow-white shoes.

Seeing that Wang Chengpeng was interested, the salesperson immediately brought over the shoes and introduced them:
"Comrade, these are the new white sneakers from the Shanghai Warrior Shoe Factory. Young people are all wearing these now, and they'll definitely look good on you."

"These shoes aren't just good-looking; look at the soles, they're made of rubber, durable and soft." (End of Chapter)