Chapter 22 Saved Another Sum

Chapter 22 More Money Saved

Zhou Nan couldn't really stop him from going, but with her back aching these past few days, she genuinely couldn't carry him. She told An Zhixia, "Don't spoil him too much. The little guy is heavy. If you can't carry him, just let your fourth brother take him later. Don't push yourself."

Her backaches were from carrying the child; it was more exhausting than any manual labor. These past few days, she hadn't dared to pick him up casually.

An Zhixia could only agree.

They weren't walking but riding bicycles.

Zhou Nan rode her own, An Zhiang carried her, and little Wen Qing sat on her lap, held securely. It wasn't tiring at all.

Only An Meiyun was home. As the perpetrator who had intentionally abducted the little one in her previous life, An Zhixia certainly wouldn't trust leaving Wen Qing in her care.

Even if An Meiyun hadn't yet formulated a plan to abduct the child, she had often bullied children behind others' backs in her past life.

An Zhixia suspected that An Wenqing's somewhat timid nature might have been due to An Meiyun secretly frightening him.

The department store wasn't very close; it took them about 40 minutes to ride there.

On the way, An Zhiang told An Zhixia about the Gao family's fate. Learning that after being subjected to criticism sessions, they would also be sent for reform through labor, she felt relieved.

Although the two Gao children weren't implicated, with parents like that, she believed their future lives wouldn't be easy.

In the 1970s, besides collective criticism sessions, there were also self-criticism meetings. As children of "bad elements," they would become regular attendees of these criticism sessions, especially those focused on ideological education and self-reflection, which would be enough to make them miserable.

An Zhiang spent ten fen to park the bicycle at the entrance, then took An Wenqing from her, effortlessly swinging him up onto his shoulders.

Judging by how smoothly he did it, he must have done this often before.

An Wenqing hurriedly wrapped his hands around An Zhiang's head, while An Zhiang reached up to hold his arms. Only then did they enter the department store together.

They had started late, and with the time spent on the road, it was already noon. The department store wasn't too crowded.

Zhou Nan took her directly to the second floor where clothes and shoes were sold. "Zhixia, take a look and see if there's anything you like. Pick a couple more pieces for changing. Mom will go over to the fabric section first to buy some fine cotton fabric to make you a couple of undergarments to wear when we get back."

The "small clothes" Zhou Nan referred to were undergarments. An Zhixia agreed, and only then did Zhou Nan leave.

The fabric section was on the second floor near the edge, with bundles of yarn stacked nearby. It wasn't far from where they were; a shout would be heard.

An Zhixia carefully looked at the clothes in the department store. There were quite a few styles, including pretty, fresh-looking dresses, as well as simple shirts and trousers.

As a girl, An Zhixia naturally liked dresses, but she was also realistic. In her current physical state, wearing a dress definitely wouldn't look good, so she turned her attention to shirts and trousers.

An Zhixia quickly picked two pairs of black trousers and a worker-blue shirt—a color that was more stain-resistant.

Then, she also chose a blue-and-white striped shirt, essentially putting together two outfits, along with a pair of cloth shoes.

Zhou Nan bought several pieces of fabric, tied them up with string, and carried them under her arm. When she returned and saw that An Zhixia had picked out clothes, she took a look and said, "Zhixia has good taste. These two outfits both look very nice, though they might be a bit big on you. Mom will alter them for you when we get home before you wear them."

In reality, the clothes An Zhixia had chosen were quite ordinary. She knew nothing would look good on her right now, so she didn't pick anything particularly striking.

Clothes in the 1970s weren't like later generations with complete size ranges; they could easily be too big or too small. If you really liked something but it didn't fit, you had to buy it and alter it yourself. After all, very few women in this era didn't know how to sew.

"By the way, why not pick out a dress too? Girls should look even prettier in dresses. My Zhixia should also dress herself up beautifully. Mom brought all the fabric coupons we have at home today, so don't worry about saving them."

An Jingzhi was currently the principal of a high school. The private school that the An family had founded during the Republican era had now become a public school and had expanded several times over.

Because it had never been run for profit, after the founding of the PRC, the An family was even commended for it. Having also devoted their family fortune to support the revolution, An Jingzhi had remained in the position of principal ever since, with a salary and benefits that were quite good.

The eldest son of the An family had also achieved some success in the military. His daughter-in-law, who had been a student taught by An Jingzhi, was now a teacher at an elementary school.

The second son worked at the same school as An Jingzhi and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, was expected to succeed him in his position. The third son was still an intern doctor, but both sons were unmarried, and their salaries were very good. The ration coupons issued by their work units every month were completely unnecessary for them and were all given to Zhou Nan.

Therefore, the An family's circumstances were quite comfortable; at the very least, they didn't have to worry about food and clothing.

An Zhixia, however, declined. "Mom, with my body like this, a dress wouldn't look good either. Let's focus on getting healthier first. For now, I'll just buy a couple of pieces to have something to change into. Once I've gained some weight after a while, we can come back and buy more."

Zhou Nan also understood that An Zhixia made sense, especially with her calling her "Mom," which instantly made her eyes well up.

"Alright, alright, we'll do as you say. Mom will save the remaining money and coupons for you. When we get back, Mom will make delicious food every day to nourish you. Once you've regained your health after a while, Mom will bring you back again." Zhou Nan was still very comforted. Even though raised in the countryside, her daughter hadn't been brought up to be petty or shortsighted.

As for her appearance, there were no ugly people in their family. Her daughter's features were regular too—it was just that she was too thin and her skin wasn't great. With some care, it would only be a matter of time before she recovered.

An Zhiang came over from the other side with An Wenqing on his shoulders. An Wenqing was holding a rattle drum in one hand, occasionally making a "dong dong" sound.

"Have you picked out what you want? Today, I'll pay. Mom can provide the coupons."

Zhou Nan didn't yet know about An Zhiang asking his brothers for money. She glared at him irritably and said, "You still ask me for pocket money yourself. Where would you get the money to pay?"

An Zhiang said matter-of-factly, "Second Brother and Third Brother gave it to me. Since I came out to accompany Little Sister shopping, shouldn't those busy brothers contribute some money?"

"Always full of excuses." Zhou Nan laughed but didn't think Second and Third Brother would have given him much. "Whatever Second and Third Brother gave you, hand it over to your little sister later as pocket money. She just returned, not like you all who have saved up some pocket money. Besides, she doesn't have anything at home. Having a bit of money on hand will make it easier when she needs to spend. Today, Mom will pay for the clothes. Your father still draws a salary; our family has money to spend."

"That works too." An Zhiang's eyes shifted; wasn't this saving money again?

Even though it wasn't for him, but for his sister, he was still very happy.