Starting a new chapter in life

Jingyan grabbed the finger that was touching her forehead and said with a smile, "Third sister, Zhijun gets all sorts of coupons in his monthly allowance in the army. It's just the two of us in Jiang City. He usually eats and lives in the army. Next spring, I'll go back to work in the army canteen. I'll eat breakfast at home every day, and the rest of the time I'll eat in the canteen. It won't cost much. His allowance coupons and food rations are enough for me."

Besides, I've already set aside what I need for later. These are all I can spare. Ronggang and Rongqiang are young and need extra nutrition, so we can't let them go hungry, right? I only have two milk powder coupons here, and my fourth sister doesn't need them either. You can keep them to buy milk powder for the children. I know you're not short of money, but coupons are never enough, right?

As for Zhijun, he's even more generous than I am. I've mentioned this to him before, and he agreed. He meant that tickets have expiration dates, and it's a waste to let them expire. Using them is better than throwing them away. What do you think, Third Sister?

Jingxian looked at Jinghuan: "Have you met her man? Is he that kind of person?"

Jinghuan smiled and nodded: "Fifth sister's husband is very good. Apart from not being able to accompany her often, there is nothing wrong with him. Her in-laws are also very good. Look at this watch I have, it was a gift from her mother-in-law when I got married. When Jingyan got married, her mother-in-law couldn't buy her a watch because she couldn't get the tickets. They didn't make up for it until she left for Jiang City. They value Jingyan very much."

Jingxian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and said with a smile, "Alright, I'll take the ticket. Please tell my fifth brother-in-law thank you when you get back. When Rongqiang is a bit stronger and has more time, I'll bring the two kids to Jiang City to see you."

Jing Yan smiled and nodded, "We'll probably only be here for about three years, and then we'll go to Yangzhou. Right now, I don't have any other way to contact you besides my address. Third Sister, will there be any changes on your end?"

Jingxian shook his head: "We're not sure either. Your brother-in-law was assigned here after his military service, and he shouldn't be leaving Chiayi anytime soon."

"That's good. If I change locations in the future, I'll send messages to you and Fourth Sister. If you don't receive my message, you can get it from Fourth Sister. We sisters can't lose touch." Jing Yan smiled.

When Li Sijun came back that evening, he told them that he had bought the train tickets for the morning of the day after tomorrow. The company was going to deliver grain during this period, and he had already arranged with the company to take them to Jiamusi Railway Station. Jinghuan felt sorry for her older sister, so she took advantage of the remaining day to clean the house again. Jingxian was very satisfied, while Jingyan was resting.

No matter how much the sisters bickered on weekdays, when it was time to truly part, their hearts were filled with reluctance. Jingxian, with tears in her eyes, held onto each of them tightly, unwilling to let go. Jinghuan, even more easily moved, had tears streaming down her face. Jingyan, though reluctant, perhaps had the hardest heart; aside from a slight pang of sadness, she was alright.

Seeing her two older sisters crying endlessly, she could only ask, "Third sister, are you reluctant to let us leave, or are you reluctant to see fourth sister do the work for you so well?"

Jingxian was in the middle of a heated argument, and this sentence immediately broke his composure: "You're the best at talking." He wiped away his tears and sniffed: "Alright, I'll come back to my hometown to see you when I have time. Jingyan is not far from us, but it's hard to see her. Let's keep in touch often, and not go years without a letter home like before."

Jinghuan readily agreed, "Third Sister, don't worry, I will write to you often."

Despite their reluctance, they couldn't resist parting. Li Sijun led the three of them away. Jingxian stood at the door, holding Rongqiang's hand, watching them leave. As they got on the tractor, Jingyan turned back to look at her third sister and silently said in her heart, "We'll see each other often in the future."

Once on the train, the rest of the journey was much easier. After getting off, Peng Chunhai tied the two bags of flour together and slung them over his right shoulder. Jing Yan was responsible for the bag of flour and dried goods, while Jing Huan carried the luggage that had been with them the whole way. They squeezed onto the bus, and after a long and difficult journey, they finally arrived home, feeling as if their entire soul was trembling.

Jing Huan lay down next to Jing Yan and said listlessly, "Before we take this grain back, we need to write home and ask my older brother to come and pick us up at the station. Otherwise, it will be too tiring for the two of us to do it."

Jingyan, also lying there with sore muscles, smiled and said, "This is a sweet burden, all of it is fine grains."

Jinghuan's eyes lit up: "That's right, it's all refined grains. We used to only eat refined grains a few times a year, but now we've been eating them almost every day. The Great Northern Wilderness is great, there's no shortage of food."

"The advantages of a vast land with a sparse population."

The two sisters drifted off to sleep as they talked, while Peng Chunhai was already snoring on his bed in the small house. He was the one who was most tired from the journey.

When they opened their eyes again, it was already night. The group really didn't want to cook. Jinghuan thought for a moment, scooped out two spoonfuls of flour, stirred it, and made a pot of dumpling soup. She picked two frost-bitten spinach leaves from the yard, added two eggs, and it actually tasted pretty good.

After finishing dinner, the group tidied up a bit and went to bed. The next day, they started a thorough cleaning. After being away from home for more than half a month, the house was covered in a layer of dust, and the vegetable seedlings in the yard had all wilted, with only a few spinach plants lying lazily in the ground.

The two sisters tidied up the house, while Peng Chunhai tidied the yard. After two days of work, the house was finally looking brand new. The vegetable garden in the yard had been cleaned up and turned over. Jing Huan looked at the front and back yards and said to Jing Yan, "You haven't bought coal here yet. If the remaining coal in the storage room really burns, can it last for a week?"

"I'll go find Zhijun later and tell him we're back. It's getting colder and colder, so I'll ask him to help me book train tickets. Once that's done, I'll go find Sister Gao to inquire about buying coal."

“Okay, it’s good that you know what’s going on. It’s the end of October, and in previous years the first snow would be falling soon. We really should go back. The vegetable garden at home hasn’t been harvested yet. Go ask around and see if you can get tickets as soon as possible.” Jinghuan finished speaking and took money out of her pocket.

Jingyan pressed her hand back: "When I asked you to come and help me settle in, we agreed that I would pay for your round-trip tickets. What are you doing now? We're sisters, why are you being so distant with me?"

Jinghuan awkwardly put the money back in her pocket: "Alright, I know you're just trying to be kind to me, so I'll accept your kind offer. But Jingyan, you need to change your temper. When you say something good, it sounds a bit different. You'll suffer if you keep doing that. A kind word warms the heart for three winter months, but a harsh word chills the heart for six summer months."

Before, we sisters knew each other's personalities well and didn't hold grudges. But out here, nobody wants to know you deeply; everyone just wants to hear sweet talk. Don't take it lightly. You're all new here, and without someone to help you, you can't just speak without thinking or using tact and offend people.

Jingyan was aware of her own flaws; to put it nicely, she was straightforward, but to put it bluntly, she was a bit slow-witted. So she nodded obediently, "I'll remember, Fourth Sister."

Jingyan went to the military base and explained at the gate that she wanted to see He Zhijun. The guard quickly helped her find him. When He Zhijun saw Jingyan, he had a big smile on his face, which showed that he was in a good mood. Jingyan couldn't help but smile and her eyes narrowed when she saw him like this.

"You came back yesterday? You must be exhausted from the journey. Did you miss me after being away from home for so long?"

"Hmm...yes, Fourth Sister and Brother-in-law are helping with the cleaning at home. I came to see you because I missed you and wanted to let you know I'm back. Also, could you please ask the logistics department if they could help buy two return tickets for Fourth Sister and Brother-in-law? Fourth Sister said that the first snow usually falls at the end of October or the beginning of November, and the vegetable garden hasn't been harvested yet, so she's a little anxious. If they can buy tickets, she'll choose the nearest one."

After I see you, I need to go to the community center to find Sister Gao. We need to buy coal and firewood for starting a fire at home. We just arrived and haven't explored the purchasing channels yet, so I'll need her to show me around. This will make things easier next year.

He Zhijun said apologetically, "It's all because my rank isn't high enough. Otherwise, as a military dependent, you wouldn't have to worry about these things. Jingyan, give me another three years. Whether I can get promoted or not, we'll go back to Yangzhou. Then I can help you with the family matters, and you won't have to be so tired."

Jing Yan smiled and said, "What are you thinking? I'm not that fragile. This is just normal preparation. You should focus on your work now. Right now, it's not difficult for me to do anything on my own. But when you become a father and you're still so busy with work that you don't have time to take care of me and the child, then I'll start complaining."

"Okay, I'll try my best. I'll go to the logistics department to ask around later. I'll find some time during my break to send the tickets back to you. We've just arrived here and have a lot of preparation work and data collection to do, so we probably won't be able to find time to rest anytime soon. Just prepare your necessities and get some rest. Have a warm and cozy winter. Your cafeteria probably won't be quiet next year either."

Jingyan reached out and touched his face: "No matter how busy you are, you have to take care of your health. It would be a loss if your health collapsed. Look at you, you've already lost weight in less than a month."

He Zhijun pulled her hand down and held it in his palm: "I'll be careful. Once this busy period is over, I'll gradually gain weight. Don't worry."

Jingyan took out fifty yuan from her pocket and handed it to He Zhijun: "Here, for the train ticket."

He Zhijun pressed her hand down: "I have some pocket money here that you can use."

“Keep that money on you for spending money. It’s embarrassing if everyone else has money and you have empty pockets. Whether you spend it or not, just keep it as a spare change. Use this and keep the rest for spending money.” Jingyan stuffed the money into his hand.

He Zhijun happily took the money and put it in his pocket, then patted it childishly, saying, "Thank you, wife."

The two chatted for a while and didn't take up any more of He Zhijun's time. After leaving the army, Jing Yan went directly to the community street office. Gao Mei was very happy to see her: "Xiao Zhang is back! Oh my, have you been working hard these days? You've gotten much darker and thinner than when you first came here."

“Sister Gao, I was helping my third sister with the autumn harvest. I brought back some mountain produce from her place. When you have time, come visit me and grab a handful of mountain produce to take home and have a taste.” Jing Yan replied with a smile.

"That's great! I'll be on vacation soon. Did you come to see me today because you need something?"

“Yes, winter is just around the corner, and my family hasn’t bought coal and firewood yet. I was thinking of coming over to ask Sister Gao if she could take me there. If I find the right place this year, I’ll know when to buy them,” Jing Yan said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll tell my colleagues and then I'll take you there. This is part of our street office's job. The sooner we go, the sooner we can buy it. Since you don't have any grain connections here, we can only buy expensive coal."

Jingyan took out He Zhijun's grain ration certificate from her pocket and handed it to Sister Gao: "This is my husband's grain ration certificate. He told me before that he would ask the logistics department of the army to transfer his ration to Hongqi Community. Do you see if it has been transferred now? Where should I go to collect rice, flour and cooking oil every month, and on what day? I can find out all of this at once, so that I don't have to bother Sister Gao every time."

Gao Mei took the document and looked at the military region seal on it with some envy. "Wait for me a moment and I'll check. If it's here before mid-October, then you'll be able to catch this round of subsidized coal. Although it's only two tons, five tons a year is more than enough for your stove. Every little bit helps."

As she spoke, she flipped through the ledgers, easily finding the information starting from October 10th: "There really is one. The Thirteenth Unit transferred the relationship. Come on, I'll take you to buy coal and firewood. I'll tell you the rest on the way."

As she led Jingyan along, she explained, "Here, the dates for receiving supplies are from the 1st to the 4th of each month. You can choose any day during these days and come to the door on the right side of the street office with your supply certificate to queue up. Give the certificate to the clerk at the window, and she will give you a slip. You sign the receipt, then take the slip to the door of the large room next to the entrance and hand it over. The clerk there will then distribute the supplies to you according to the quota. That completes the process."

I just checked. Based on your husband's rank, you'll receive five jin of soybean oil, ten jin of wheat flour, and ten jin of rice per month. There will also be some extra benefits during holidays, but these benefits are uncertain and will be based on the receipts. Of course, if the supply of these grains and oils is insufficient, you'll have to buy them yourself from the supply and marketing cooperative with your own money and coupons.

Jingyan nodded earnestly: "I remember, thank you, Sister Gao."

"It's nothing. Look, this place is only open for three or four months from the end of October to the end of the year, specifically to supply coal. There are coal mines nearby, which is why we have this special place for buying and selling. Other cities don't have this convenience." Sister Gao said this with quite a bit of pride.

Jingyan nodded and followed Sister Gao. Sister Gao led her to speak with the person in charge: "This is Xiao Zhang, who just moved to our community not long ago. Her husband is from the military unit that recently moved here. The military unit has temporarily placed his food ration in our community, so she is now one of our residents. I brought her here today to buy coal, and she can come by herself from now on."

The person in charge nodded to Jing Yan: "Let me see the supply certificate."