Chapter 339: Gazing Deeply at Her Husband’s Face for a Final Farewell

Chapter 339: Taking one last long look at her husband's face

Zhou Linglan continued packing the household items. Clothes they couldn't bring with them, along with the remaining bits of grain, oil, and rice, were all sorted and set aside.

Everything that could be loaded onto the train the next day was also packed and placed separately.

Dinner consisted of stir-fried chicken gizzards with pickled beans and greens fried in lard, accompanied by a generous pot of white rice.

She also made a batch of sweet pancakes to take on the train.

Fu Yuanhang and Mu Mu returned just in time for dinner, arriving as Zhou Linglan finished cooking.

"Did you pay Uncle Aniu for the ride?" Zhou Linglan had forgotten to settle the fare before leaving.

Fu Yuanhang nodded. "Yes, it's taken care of. Mu Mu even gave him a pack of cigarettes, asking him to take us to the station early tomorrow."

"Mu Mu, how much were the cigarettes? I'll pay you back," though she winced at his extravagance, Zhou Linglan couldn’t scold him after the fact.

Mu Mu waved his hand. "No need. No one in my family smokes. Before my dad got off the train, he gave me two packs, saying they're like gold—useful when asking for favors, even better than cash. Uncle Aniu was overjoyed."

Uncle Aniu had been reluctant at first, worried Mu Mu might be carelessly handing out his family’s cigarettes. Normally, receiving even a single cigarette was a big deal—let alone a whole pack of twenty.

Mu Mu explained that his father received monthly cigarette rations, and since no one at home smoked, they were meant as thank-you gifts.

Only then did Uncle Aniu accept them gratefully, helping the two kids with everything along the way.

"Uncle Aniu is a good man. Go wash your hands for dinner." Zhou Linglan didn’t want to make things awkward—she treated Mu Mu like her own child.

When stir-frying the chicken gizzards, Zhou Linglan had added some perilla leaves and green peppers to cut the strong smell. The tangy pickled beans and gizzards became even more flavorful, so delicious that Mu Mu couldn’t stop eating.

"Auntie, you and Aunt Taozi really prove that like mother, like daughter—both of you cook so well!"

Zhou Linglan served him more food. "If you like it, eat more."

After dinner, the three of them used the cover of darkness to move the packed belongings to Xiao Meizi’s house.

Mu Mu stood silently at Xiao Meizi’s doorstep for a long time.

He wasn't rich growing up, but he'd never gone hungry.

He knew Xiao Meizi’s family was poor, but he hadn't imagined it would be this bad.

A makeshift fence enclosed the yard, and the house was built of yellow mud bricks. The roof lacked proper tiles, crudely patched with thatch and mud.

It was the worst shack Mu Mu had ever seen.

Inside, the furniture was either broken or missing parts—nothing was intact. The walls were smoke-stained, hardly better than the cattle sheds he’d seen before.

Yet everything was spotless and neatly arranged.

After setting down their things, Xiao Meizi’s grandmother couldn't thank them enough, even making Xiao Meizi kowtow to Zhou Linglan.

Fortunately, Zhou Linglan caught her before she could bow.

Mu Mu had lent Fu Yuanhang twenty dollars and still had thirty left in his pocket. Feeling the bills in his pocket, he felt awful.

The three of them had walked a short distance from the hut when Mu Mu suddenly turned and ran back.

"Go on without me. I need to say something to Xiao Meizi’s grandmother."

"Ma, you head back first. I'll go check." Fu Yuanhang was worried and followed along.

Returning to the small thatched hut, Uncle Mu tucked ten yuan into Granny Meizi's calloused hands.

"Granny, this is the pocket money I earned from working summer jobs. It didn't come from my folks. It's for Xiao Meizi's schooling. When she grows up and earns money, she can pay me back. Ah Hang and me'll come by every year."

He didn't say it was a gift—he said it was a loan.

Uncle Mu knew if he called it a handout, Granny Meizi would refuse.

They weren't looking for handouts.

Granny Meizi still insisted on refusing, but Xiao Meizi took the money and tried to return it to Uncle Mu.

Uncle Mu’s eyes were dark and bright as he looked at Xiao Meizi seriously:

"If you're worried, write me an IOU. Ah Hang knows—no matter how much money I have, I’ll spend it all. Lending it out is the only way I can save any.

I’ll come back every summer or winter to lend you a little more. After a few years, maybe I’ll have enough saved up to get married!"

Xiao Meizi, Granny Meizi, and Fu Yuanhang: "..."

What could Fu Yuanhang say? He could only nod awkwardly. "He earns pocket money working part-time at Aunt Taozi’s factory. His brother and parents also give him an allowance, but he spends most of it."

Xiao Meizi looked into Uncle Mu’s sincere eyes, thinking of how her grandmother saved every egg to sell at the supply co-op just to afford her schooling.

She could go without, but Granny was getting older—she needed the eggs for nourishment.

Xiao Meizi clutched the money. "Then... should I write you an IOU?"

Uncle Mu grinned and nodded. "Go ahead! I’m in no hurry. The longer you save it for me, the better. You know what?

Aunt Taozi’s factory hires workers, and many positions prioritize high school graduates. The monthly wages are a decent wage! So don’t rush to pay me back. Use it for what you need—books and school supplies cost money too. After you graduate and land work, you can repay me then."

With tears shining in her eyes, Xiao Meizi smiled and nodded softly. "Okay."

...

Backpedaling, Uncle Mu held the IOU up to the moonlight and flicked it.

"This little girl’s handwriting is quite nice. Why does it look familiar? Huh, it's a lot like yours. Not bad - she's got skills!"

"I’ll pay you back when we get home," Fu Yuanhang said softly.

"Why? It’s my money I lent out," Uncle Mu asked, puzzled.

"How will you explain it to Auntie Zhong?" Fu Yuanhang countered.

Uncle Mu slung an arm around his neck. "You kidding me? My dad’s rainy day fund—how would Auntie Zhong know? She doesn’t even know about the money my brother gives me. She thinks I spend all my allowance.

Don’t let her tight-fisted ways fool you—sometimes she's kinda scatterbrained. She'll give my dad an allowance, then forget and give him more when he asks. How else do you think he saves up?"

His family was something else. Fu Yuanhang chuckled softly. "Fine."

Uncle Mu rarely serious, but now... "Ah Hang, before coming to Xiao Meizi’s house, I really didn’t know people could live like this. My dad’s relatives aren’t well-off either, but at least they have solid roofs over their heads. That ramshackle place... I'd never seen the like."

Fu Yuanhang gazed at the distant mountains. "A lot of people in the village live this way—maybe in slightly better houses. If not for my brother and sister-in-law, I’d be barely scraping by too."

Uncle Mu tightened his arm: "Aww, look who's playing pitiful—who was it that casually spent dozens of kuai buying clothes for Aunt Taozi?"

Fu Yuanhang smiled but didn’t respond to Uncle Mu’s remark.

What Aunt Taozi did for them couldn’t be measured in money.

...

That evening, they still had to pack and try to bring as little as possible.

There was some leftover grain, and Zhou Linglan asked Fu Yuanhang to take it to the barn out back.

But no matter how much Fu Yuanhang knocked, there was no response.

Instead, a neighbor from nearby called out: "No need to knock, the people inside left early this morning."

"Left?" Teacher Cao had been reassigned—wasn’t he forbidden from leaving Qinglian Village?

He went back and told Zhou Linglan the news.

Zhou Linglan said nothing in reply, only instructing him to deliver what was left to Xiao Meizi.

Early the next morning, the three of them climbed onto Uncle A Niu’s tractor to head to the station.

Before leaving, Zhou Linglan took Fu Yuanhang to stand before Fu Lei's photograph.

She placed a note with their address and contact information beneath the inkstone Fu Lei had loved most in life, studying her husband's face for one final farewell.

Once on the road, Zhou Linglan gazed fixedly at the small mountain village where she had lived for nearly thirty years, now growing ever more distant, unable to tear her eyes away even when it had faded completely from view...