Chapter 5: A Promissory Note

Chapter 5: A Promissory Note

Sewn into the back of the pocket were a promissory note and a black-and-white photograph!

The person who sewed this item into the cotton jacket was very meticulous. It was wrapped tightly in waterproof oilpaper, so even if the original owner had washed the jacket, the contents inside would likely have remained dry.

The promissory note clearly stated the borrower's name, date of birth, detailed home address, and immediate relatives. It also mentioned when and for what reason the borrower had taken a loan of two hundred yuan from Comrade Su Donghan, with a two-year repayment period. The note stated that after two years, the total repayment, including interest, would be 205 yuan. Both parties' signatures served as the token, and the repayment could be made by someone other than the borrower as long as the note and token were presented.

In addition to the signatures of the lender and borrower, two witnesses had also signed and pressed their red fingerprints on the note.

Clearly, the person who wrote this promissory note was very meticulous.

The date on the promissory note was over three years ago, not long before the original owner went to the countryside.

Su Taotao tried to recall; it seemed that this episode was not mentioned in the book. Probably, even after the original owner returned to the city, she never discovered the promissory note sewn into her jacket. Because Su Taotao made different choices after entering the story, the plot had deviated significantly. Except for the objectively existing people or events, the original plot had little reference value now.

Su Taotao took a look at the photo and couldn't help but smile. Genetics was truly a remarkable field of study. The original owner's fox-like eyes were inherited from her father. Even without meeting him in person, it was easy to identify who the lender, Su Donghan, was—the biological father of "Su Taotao."

The book barely mentioned her family, just saying they didn’t get along.

The borrower's address on the promissory note was in the county where Qinglian Commune was located, only about ten kilometers away from the village where Su Taotao was stationed as part of the rural re-education program.

The fact that Su Taotao was stationed here and had this promissory note sewn into her jacket might not be a coincidence. It was likely arranged by her father, Su Donghan. The so-called "strained relationship with her family" might have been the original owner's perspective. Her family probably still cared about her, but in those days, it was common to have many children. Su Taotao had two older brothers and a younger sister, making her the most easily overlooked middle child.

Perhaps Su Donghan or her mother didn't tell the original owner about this promissory note because they knew she was extravagant. By the time of real need, they wouldn't be able to help from afar, so they had preemptively set this "safety net" in place, which might solve urgent problems at critical moments.

It was truly a thoughtful arrangement.

Su Taotao carefully put away the promissory note and the photo. With only thirteen yuan and eighty-five cents left to her name, she would likely need to use this "safety net" soon. Even if she didn't need it, she had to nourish Chenchen, who was in his developmental years. Such a smart child shouldn't waste his talents.

As she continued cleaning up, Su Taotao found a letter from her childhood friend addressed to the original owner.

She skimmed through it. The handwriting and prose were both beautiful. Although the word "love" was never mentioned, the affection overflowed in every line, brimming with genuine emotions. No wonder the original owner couldn’t stop thinking about him all these years.

Su Taotao thought for a moment, then found a matchbox, struck a match, and set the letter on fire.

Back then, people were very strict about keeping men and women separate. If someone discovered the letter, she wouldn't be able to explain herself even with ten mouths. She had no intention of experiencing a pig cage dunking.

Her body, having been soaked in cold water, was weak. After cleaning for a while, she was exhausted.

Feeling around under her pillow, she pulled out her watch. It was already past ten o'clock at night. Staying up this late was considered staying up too late by the standards of the time.

Su Taotao fought off her drowsiness, changed the bedsheet, and used an old piece of clothing as a pillowcase before lying back down. Before sleeping, she thought, disoriented, that the watch was one of the betrothal gifts from Fu Zhengtu. Although they couldn't afford all the traditional wedding gifts like a sewing machine, bicycle, radio, and watch, it was still considered a decent match in the countryside.

Originally, the original owner had set her sights on Fu Zhengtu when he came back on leave and had used some unsavory means to marry into the Fu family successfully. In reality, neither Fu Zhengtu nor the Fu family had mistreated the original owner or spoken ill of her.

The original owner had thought that marriage would allow her to leave with Fu Zhengtu, but something went wrong, and she wouldn't be able to join him for another three years.

She couldn't wait that long and, by a twist of fate, entered this world. She wondered if she’d wake up back in the twenty-first century.

As it turned out, when Su Taotao woke up, she was still Su Taotao in the 1970s. She couldn't go back.

She used to have a habit of insomnia from staying up late, but now her sleep quality was excellent.

In the early morning, as she pushed open the door, smoke was rising from the kitchen. She took a deep breath of the crisp morning air and greeted the tiny, adorable Chenchen with a warm, bright smile, "Good morning, Chenchen!"

Chenchen, not yet two years old, was developing slower than most children and was still unsteady on his feet. He was wobbling around with a gourd ladle, trying to give water to the chicks. When Su Taotao called out to him, he almost spilled the water.

He stared at her, wide-eyed and confused, unsure of what to make of this new morning routine. For a moment, he was stunned and couldn't respond.

Even Chenchen, and Fu Yuanhang, who had just returned from digging earthworms and was feeding the chicks, had his brows furrowed like earthworms. To him, Su Taotao hadn’t been right since she was pulled from the water.

This version of her looked even scarier, like she had something up her sleeve.

Fu Yuanhang shuddered as a thought struck him, and he looked at her in horror. Her sudden kindness towards Chenchen made him wonder if she was planning to sell him!

Little did Su Taotao know that her simple "good morning" had set off Fu Yuanhang’s wild imagination. She was in a great mood after a full night’s sleep and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of such a cute little kid.

Su Taotao walked over with a smile, crouched down in front of Chenchen, and looked him in the eye, pointing at his small gourd-shaped scoop. "Chenchen, what are you doing with that?"

Yep, that was the look and smile of the Big Bad Wolf in grandma’s clothes!

Fu Yuanhang felt he had uncovered the truth and shouted at Chenchen, "Chenchen, come here quick, the chicks are thirsty!"

Hearing his uncle’s call, Chenchen didn’t think twice and slowly waddled over.

Su Taotao felt a pang of regret. She was so close to giving Chenchen’s chubby cheeks a pinch. She hadn’t even guided him to call her "mom" yet. She wondered if he could speak properly already.

No rush, she’d take her time.

Su Taotao didn’t disturb the two as they fed the chicks. Instead, she strolled around the small yard with her hands behind her back.

The house was a typical farmhouse, with a main building that had four rooms. Opposite the house stood the kitchen and bathroom, both built with blue bricks and black tiles, looking relatively new. In between, a spacious open yard stretched out, with a water pump in the center, surrounded by a small cement pool where you could wash things. On either side of the door grew a bamboo plant. One side of the wall was fenced with bamboo to raise chicks, with various farm tools hanging, while on the other side was a small vegetable patch with coriander, garlic, and green onions. Next to that was a simple clothes drying rack made of two wooden forks and a bamboo pole, with a few clothes hanging on it.

The house looked old, but when she woke up yesterday, she thought it looked like a house in need of repair. From the outside today, it looked quite sturdy, with new and clean tiles on the roof that shouldn’t leak. There were no safety concerns.

The key point was how clean it was, a clear sign that the owner was hardworking and loved cleanliness. All in all, the living conditions were much better than she had expected.

Most importantly, the bathroom had a squat toilet, built at Su Taotao’s insistence when she married Fu Zhengtu. She didn’t have to use that smelly outhouse everyone talked about!

This was perhaps the only thing the original owner had done that made her truly happy.

Just as she was admiring the place, something unexpected happened. A figure rushed in like a whirlwind. Without a word, the door slammed shut.

Su Taotao blinked and looked at the two children who were happily feeding the chicks, questioning with her eyes: "Who’s that? What’s going on here?"