Hu Dong felt a bit awkward, lowered his head, and responded, "Oh." For the past two weeks, Mom has been preparing lots of good meat and dishes at home, hoping for Brother and Sister-in-law to come over.
But itâs been so long, and Brother hasnât been by even once.
"Xiao Dong, howâs business these past few weeks?" Lin Wan hurriedly changed the subject and asked.
"Pretty good, over twenty yuan a day. Even if I work just a few days a month, itâs more than Mom and Dadâs salary. Momâs been helping me these weeks."
"Thatâs good. Doing business is fine, but donât forget to study."
"I know."
"Itâs getting late, you should head back."
"Okay. Brother, Sister-in-law, Iâm leaving." Hu Dong felt a bit unwilling, but didnât know how to ask. In the end, he decided to let it go.
They watched him walk away before entering the courtyard.
Lin Wan didnât ask him what he was thinking. Mainly because she was afraid of bringing up something that would hurt him.
But she inadvertently noticed Han Yi lost in thought staring at those shoes.
He still longs for Momâs love in his heart, doesnât he?
Lin Wan quietly packed the shoes into his backpack.
Even though they were about to leave, the two did nothing that evening. Han Yi held her, burying his face in her neck, seemingly preoccupied.
Lin Wan silently patted his back to comfort him, wide-eyed, as if telling him stories of their own. But she waited a long time for Han Yi to speak and he said nothing.
She didnât even know when she fell asleep.
The next morning, Han Yi got up early to help Liang Hongmei with the morning market, saying a word to his mother-in-lawâs brother.
Around nine oâclock, Lin Wan rode a tricycle, taking him to the highway leading to Jun District, waiting for the mess crewâs car.
When Han Yi returned, he only carried one bag, but now he was leaving with one on his back and three in hand.
"In a while, Iâll go to the team and bring some rice and flour. Make sure to pick me up then."
"Okay, call me ahead of time when youâre coming."
"Hmm."
They didnât have to wait long before the supply vehicle arrived. Everyone on the vehicle knew Han Yi and quickly got off to help him with his luggage.
The rear of the car was filled with many sisters-in-law from Jun District. Sister-in-law Zhang wasnât there, though there were several familiar faces.
Lin Wan stepped forward to greet them.
"Lin, itâs been so long since weâve seen you. Youâve gotten prettier. Now that Captain Hanâs back with the team, when will you come over?" It was Shen Tuanâs familyâs sister-in-law who greeted Lin Wan; she knew her.
"Iâll come over during the holidays."
"Alright then, thereâll be one more person in our row of houses for chatting."
"Iâll definitely come to visit the sisters-in-law." Lin Wan exchanged pleasantries and was about to leave but then saw Sun Yu in the corner.
"Sun, youâre here too."
"Hmm." Sun Yu answered indifferently, ending the conversation there. Lin Wan didnât say any more and went to the front of the car to greet the two from the kitchen. Lin Wan now knew that the one driving was Wei Hongxing, and the one in the passenger seat was Liu Xinghua.
The back was full of women, and it was inconvenient for Han Yi to sit there, so he squeezed up front with the two of them.
After sending off Han Yi, Lin Wan rode a tricycle to Construction Road and Textile Street for a stroll.
Last time, she found a place here with a yarn shop. They donât need tickets for personal purchases, and they have quite a variety.
"Comrade, how much is this yarn?" Lin Wan picked out a color and asked.
"One yuan and six cents per jin."
"What about this one?"
"Two yuan."
Lin Wan asked about several prices, the cheapest was six mao, the most expensive was two yuan and two mao. The pure wool was indeed good.
But Lin Wan didnât plan to get the best ones, average quality would do, but it couldnât be too poor, otherwise, it wouldnât sell for a good price. She chose the ones for one yuan and eight mao: black, white, red, light purple, gray, dark blue, and yellow.