Chapter Fourteen: 'Asking for Punishment'

  Fang Mo Nan could only wait patiently in the following days, mailing didn't require meeting people, so her small frame could be hidden. She was also curious about who the lucky recipient of this mail would be, even if it was 'stone sinking into the sea, without a sound', it didn't matter if she sent it again! Casting a wide net, there would always be times when a blind cat bumped into a dead mouse.

  When Fang Mo Nan was about to leave, he turned his head and waved goodbye to the post office staff. At that moment, he saw a set of 1980 "Geng Shen Hou" monkey stamps on display there. His eyes lit up instantly, and he thought to himself: Life is full of surprises. It seems I'll have to think of a way to buy it back home.

  Fang Mengnan didn't go home, Grandma was busy at home! She scratched her head and went to find Little Aunt instead. Anyway, she also knew the way, ran into the county committee compound, the old gate was mottled, with the county government's sign hanging on both sides of the door. The guardhouse door was tightly closed, not guarded at all, taking up a small and inconspicuous light, effortlessly sneaking in. Little Aunt came to resign today, shouldn't have left yet! Hope so, try her luck. Looking around, she didn't meet anyone on the road, she was having trouble! Saw a house in front with a pile of tables, chairs, and big boxes. She walked forward, trying her luck, asking someone would be fine too.

  Luckily, the person I found was my little aunt. Although her face was covered, judging from her clothes, it was definitely her. My little aunt was standing on a small ladder, holding tools and dismantling the ceiling of the house! She was covered in dust.

  "Xiao Yi" Fang Mo Nan's eyes were swollen as he shouted, "Aren't you here to quit today?"

  "Ah! Little Nannan, how did you get here?" She heard the childish voice and climbed down from the ladder, walking to Fang Mosheng's side without daring to get too close. She looked around and didn't see anyone else following him. "Your grandma is really at ease now, daring to let you come by yourself." As she spoke, she took off her face towel. "This job was arranged a few days ago, anyway it's the last time, one should have a beginning and an end. I've finished everything, and I told them not to look anymore." She explained to Fang Mosheng as he stared at the dust inside the door.

  "Shouldn't you be at home writing couplets now?" Auntie looked at her and said, she was usually very enthusiastic about writing, how did she have time to run over here today? Before she could even think about how she found her way here, Fang Mo Nan's next words startled her.

  "I'm looking for you because I have something to discuss with you. Are you free now? Do you have 10 yuan on you?"

  Auntie rummaged through her pockets and counted seven or eight bucks "What are you doing! Why do you want money! Are you up to no good?"

  "First tidy up your clothes, we'll talk while walking." Fang Mo Nan looked at the dirt on her and frowned, not pleased.

  "It can't be something serious, right?" Her aunt stood far away from her, dusting off the dirt on her body and quickly pulling her to leave.

  Fang Mo Nan followed her to the post office, only to tell her that he wanted to buy stamps. Only then did Xiao Yi's anxious heart finally calm down. As soon as she heard that they were going to buy stamps, Xiao Yi suddenly became agitated and said: "What a waste of money! I don't even write letters, why do we need to buy stamps? And it costs 6 yuan and 40 cents, which is half my monthly salary!" She shook her head and refused to enter the post office.

  Fang Mengnan saw that normal means wouldn't work, so she resorted to using her child's privilege, throwing a tantrum and being unreasonable. "If you don't buy it for me, I'll cry," she said, and then she started wailing loudly.

  Little Aunt was scared, this is really embarrassing, can't resist in the end, gave in. When they walked out of the post office, Fang Mengnan was overjoyed and bought a whole set of stamps here. Little Aunt looked like an eggplant that had been frostbitten, she thought that since her niece came back from the countryside, she wanted to buy her candy, but she didn't want it, thinking that she knew about the family's difficulties, became obedient and sensible. Who would have thought! It was really ruthless, half a month's salary gone in an instant.

  "Aunt, don't be sad anymore. Thirty years later, I'll give you 500,000." Fang Mo Nan tiptoed and patted her shoulder, but couldn't reach it, so he patted her arm instead to comfort her.

  Little aunt was heartbroken and heard her words with only two words: "Deceive ghost." Obviously disbelieving.

  "Then let us wait with bated breath! Believe in me, and you shall have eternal life." Fang Mo Nan raised his hand to draw a cross on his chest, his expression solemn, his voice intentionally low, but unexpectedly it had a comedic effect.

  "You little rascal, that's not a proper thing to learn." The serious and exaggerated expression made Little Aunt laugh, and her sadness was all gone.

  In the following days, Fang Mo Nan did not accompany his grandmother to sell rice balls. Students and parents all hurriedly asked what was wrong with Mo Dang Nian's granddaughter, why she didn't come, whether she was sick or not.

  Originally, Grandma's steamed bun stall and Fang Mengnan's nursery rhymes became equally famous. Later on, Fang Mengnan would often accompany Grandma to sell steamed buns, and every day some students would come specifically to tease Fang Mengnan, trying to get her to recite meaningful nursery rhymes, which they would record. As a result, she would recall more and more of these rhymes. At this point, no one cared about the era anymore, as long as it was good and meaningful, like "Ting Dong", "Health Song", accompanied by her intentionally swaying neck, swinging hips, shaking hands and feet. It was hilarious, everyone laughed loudly, "Your granddaughter is too cute!"

  Some people said: "Mrs. Mo, just for your lovely granddaughter, I'll buy two more buns." They paid directly with a smile.

  To know that children's songs of this era basically remained in the 60s and 70s. One, two, three, four, five, go up the mountain to hit the tiger, the tiger doesn't eat people, it only eats Truman (Truman was a former US President).

  Heavenly Lord, don't let it rain, bless the child with a full belly of white rice.

  Heavenly Lord, don't make it windy, tomorrow we'll slaughter a big rooster.

  The sun rises red in the sky, shining on the poor and turning their bodies over.

  The sun is like the Communist Party, leading the people to sit on the rivers and mountains.

  Finally, there were no more nursery rhymes to recite, so Fang Mo Nan simply memorized one ancient poem every week. He chose five-character quatrains, which were easy to remember and mostly described scenery or encouraged perseverance, often written by Wang Wei. The third watch of the night, the fifth watch of the rooster's crow, was exactly when a man should be studying. My black hair doesn't know how early I started diligent study, my white hair only regrets starting too late. This way, there's no need to worry about saying anything 'unfilial' and Old Man Lin has a complete collection of ancient poems, making it easy to explain their origins.

  With Fang Mornan's hard work, Grandma was busy and happy every day, looking like she had become much younger. Seeing the small paper box filled with money every day, Fang Mornan finally felt some comfort in his heart. As Fang Mornan thought, from the initial boom to calmness, adjusting the number of steamed buns every day, eventually selling over 100 buns per day on average. After deducting costs, it was a profit of 70 or 80 yuan per month! This was indeed a high salary. Because of good relations with the locals, no thugs or hoodlums came to cause trouble.

  In the middle, Fang Mernan had Grandma use light pink fabric to make a large apron that looked like clothes. When she put it on, she looked neat and clean. Then, she asked Old Man Lin to find some water-resistant paint, and on the big apron, she painted a Q-version of a festive full-body portrait of a chef-like doll. The doll wore warm yellow clothes with a white chef's coat on top, a white chef's hat on its head, a red silk scarf around its neck, one hand holding a steaming bun, and the other hand touching its chin, tongue licking its lips, looking extremely satisfied. Next to it was a caption that read, "The flavor is extremely good." Below the painting, in large red letters, was written the character "Mo". Grandma's surname was Mo, and she sold buns, which was a perfect homophone for "mo" (steamed bun).

  Fang Mo Nan's new clothes style, I thought I had to persuade Grandma for a while, but unexpectedly, as long as it was made by her family's Nan Nan, no matter what, she put it on. Little Aunt said it looked good and festive.

  Because of this novel shape, people buy buns or not every day, but many people come to see the painting. In addition, Fang Mo Nan's hard work has attracted a crowd, and more people are happy to watch. Grandma also changed her stall time according to the living habits here, because most people here say that dinner is porridge with buns, it was an unexpected first sale!

  Every day after school, Xiao Yi helps her grandmother sell steamed buns and pushes a small cart home together, ignoring the pointing and snickering at school.

  Now Fang Mo Nan has one more thing to do every night before going to sleep, giving Grandma a massage on her hands to eliminate the fatigue and injury caused by kneading dough with her hands all day. Only then can she continue working without feeling soreness in her hands the next day.

  One day more than a month later, an hour before people normally got off work, Fang Mo Nan was sitting in the corridor, holding a charcoal pen to draw the big jujube tree in the yard. The jujube tree was already full of red fruit and could be eaten now. Pomegranates were also red and green, and by Mid-Autumn Festival, they should be edible too.

  A middle-aged man stood in the courtyard, looking at the yard as if recalling something, dazed. He thought of what had just happened at home.

  "I don't care, you're going home today and having a clear talk with your mother. Don't set up a stall in front of the high school to sell buns anymore. I'm losing face because of that person. Mo Yonghui, didn't you hear what those old ladies said behind your back? They kept saying I was unfilial, which is why your mother is like this, coming out and making a scene."

  "You've really gone too far this time!" He raised his eyes and looked at her, muttering softly.

  Although the voice was small, she still heard it and suddenly became like a furious cat, her voice rising sharply, "Good! You heartless person, I've been saving money, but it's all spent on you and the kids. I'm willing to spend more myself... Ah..." She sat down on the spot, clapping her hands on the ground, crying and wailing, shouting: "Oh dear heavens! ...I'm so fed up with this life! What day can we not worry about?!" Thinking again, she felt too embarrassed, quickly stood up, pinched his ear, "You're a big shot in the factory, but you don't fear others gossiping behind your back?! If the reputation of being unfilial spreads out, do you still want to get promoted?! Haven't you heard people pointing and whispering... Ah... You have to go today, even if you don't want to. I..."

  "Mom, what are you doing?" A bright and clear boy's voice asked, looking at his parents.

  "Ah, nothing... I'm just helping your dad with his clothes!" She patted the nonexistent dust off him, still wanting to maintain her dignity as a mother in front of her son. "Your dad is going to visit your grandma's house! Are you going or not?" She walked up gently, holding a towel and wiping the sweat from her son's face.

  "I'm not going." He snatched the towel and sat back down on the low stool, sulking.

  "Huh, what's going on?" She heard that her son didn't go see his grandmother, and a hint of pride flashed across her face - this was the result of her education. "Aren't you supposed to play at school after class? It's only a few o'clock, why are you back already."

  She didn't ask, it's better. Once she asked, her son sniffled and said: "They all look down on me, don't play with me, call me the steamed bun seller's son."

  "Mo Yonghui, listen to me, take a look, are you going or not?" She seemed to have gained some kind of backbone, her fighting spirit soaring. With a loud voice, she shouted, "It's okay if we suffer a bit in the factory, they don't know the real situation, as long as we're clear in our conscience. Look, even the child is involved...". Wiping away non-existent tears from her eyes, she put on a virtuous wife and motherly appearance.

  He looked at his son's sad face, and his daughter-in-law's determined face. He shook his head helplessly and walked out. "Can't I go?"

  Having won, she also understood the old lady's temperament thoroughly. As long as her husband went to talk, it would definitely be settled. Thinking that tomorrow she wouldn't have to listen to those old women's gossip, her mood became extremely good. She said to her son: "Come on, they don't want to play with us? We're not interested in playing with them either! Mom will now go make you scallion fried eggs, before your two sisters come back."

  "Hooray!" He jumped up excitedly, "Mom, you're the best!"

  He stood in the courtyard, coming back from his memories, thinking about the rumors he had heard these days, and then thinking about the crying face of his son. He made up his mind.

  "Nan Nan, is your grandma at home?" A thick male voice sounded, rubbing her head, "How come you didn't look for your brother and sister to play when you came back from the countryside? In the past, they were always following behind you, and couldn't be driven away."

  Fang Mo Nan lifted his head to one side, saving himself from being trampled on. Upon closer inspection, he saw a honest-looking man in his thirties, who was not his big uncle. He looked much younger than he did in Fang Mo Nan's memories, with an average build, wearing a grey short-sleeved shirt, black trousers and a pair of black cloth shoes.

  "Grandma is in the house!" Fang Mo Nan said coldly.

  Her big uncle didn't think she was as close to him as usual, just thinking that the child was small and hadn't seen each other for a while, forgot about herself, and didn't care. Knowing that her mother was in the house, he got up and stepped across the threshold into the room.

  Grandma was making dough in the house when she heard what sounded like her son's voice. She excitedly rushed out of the house and asked, "How did you come? Does your wife know?" As she spoke, she picked up a small stool from against the wall and had him sit down, then went to pour him a cup of water. He held the cup in a daze, staring off into space, while Grandma sat down with her own cup.

  "She knew." The big uncle shook his head and said with some sadness.

  Then there was a long silence, Fang Mo Nan looked at him with a heart that sank to the bottom of the valley, as expected.

  He looked at his grandmother's happy appearance, it had been a long time since he saw her like this, seemingly not since his father passed away. He took a deep breath, muttered to himself, and finally spoke up: "Mom, I heard you set up a stall at the high school entrance."

  Grandma burst out laughing, it turned out to be this matter. Seeing him not speaking for a long time, she thought something bad had happened. "You also know, I've been arranging it for half a month, I'm telling you, but earning..." Before the word "money" came out, he was abruptly interrupted.

  "Let's withdraw..." He said in a low and depressed tone.

  "What did you say? I didn't hear." Grandma stared at him in surprise, holding the cup of water that was trembling, and not even feeling the scalding on her hand.

  "Mother, just withdraw! Do you want all the neighbors to say that I'm unfilial?" He said with his head hung low.

  "You're so filial, humph... everyone knows you are. They've been back from the countryside for almost two months now, and he hasn't even come to visit Grandma once. This is a deliberate provocation." Fang Mo'nan thought to herself, anxiously looking at Grandma, who had also heard rumors before, but those were just from unrelated people, whereas this was from a family member, with much greater destructive power, and she didn't know if Grandma could withstand it. She looked at her worriedly.

  "Unfilial, what do you care about what they say? I can eat and sleep on my own. While I'm still young and have the energy, I'll work for a few years, won't that also reduce your burden? Your father passed away early, I didn't have a job, although there was some condolence money, it wasn't even enough to buy a bag of flour. Besides, in two more years, your younger sister will be married off." Grandma explained.

  He listened to this and still wanted to do it, "This is an act of undermining the socialist foundation!" Another big hat was pressed down. In the early years, the old man almost got criticized and struggled because of his ancestors' affairs, but fortunately, his ancestors had ruined the family, so he escaped a disaster.

  "Haha... your old thoughts are really ancient!" Fang Mo Nan laughed and said, "Let's see what other tricks you have up your sleeve."

  "Haha... then there's no need to worry, I've already asked your little sister. The newspapers and radio have said it too, the policy allows it, what's there to be afraid of!" Grandma said with a smile. "Besides, in the past we were all sneaking around, now we can do it openly and honestly. I'm not stealing or robbing, why can't I?"

  "Daughter, we're old now, and what others say doesn't matter to us. But you should also think about your grandsons and granddaughters! The little ones don't understand things and just follow blindly, saying all sorts of things. You'd better think about it too! I'm leaving first." He didn't finish speaking, leaving the old man to imagine for himself.

  It's really a fatal blow! Grandma can tolerate everything else, but when it comes to her grandson and granddaughter, that's a different story. Although the grandson and granddaughter are not close to her, even during holidays, they only come to pay their respects, without even eating a meal. But Fang Mo Nan knows that in her heart, she still loves her grandson the most. In her past life, Grandma thought about her grandson and granddaughter until her death. Now, what is Grandma's decision? She can't make up her mind either, she doesn't know whether Grandma will choose between her career and her grandson.

  Grandma stared blankly in the direction her son had left, sitting there, maintaining the posture of holding water, until Little Aunt came back.