Chapter 173: Eldest Uncle’s Letter

Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Eldest Uncle’s Letter

"We’ve all decided to start looking for a suitable storefront to rent in town. I know the town well, so I’ll go tomorrow. Nuannuan, want to come with Mom?" Zhang Minzhen asked Gu Nuan Nuan casually before bed.

"Yes, I’m going," Gu Nuan Nuan answered firmly. ’Of course I’m going! Usually, when I go to town, I head straight for school and never get a chance to really look around. Come to think of it, I haven’t properly browsed the shops in town since I was reborn.’

"I knew you’d want to go. Now, get some sleep." As Zhang Minzhen spoke, she closed her eyes, then murmured softly, "Oh, right, I asked an old colleague from the supply co-op to help me buy some floral fabric with minor flaws. I’ll pick it up tomorrow and make you a new dress. Your two summer outfits are getting a little small..." Her voice slowly faded as her eyes remained shut, her breathing gradually evening out...

Gu Nuan Nuan chuckled softly, her heart aching for her mother. ’Mom has been so tired lately.’

The next day, before dawn, Gu Nuan Nuan heard the faint sounds of her mother getting out of bed and groggily opened her eyes.

"You can sleep a little longer. Mom is going to make breakfast. I’ll call you when it’s ready." Seeing that she was awake, Zhang Minzhen gave her a gentle smile and whispered.

"Mmm."

...

Gu Nuan Nuan was a little surprised as she watched her mother bike straight toward the main gate of her uncle’s former workplace. "Mom, why are we here?"

"Your uncle asked me to. I’m delivering some meat buns, and besides, it’s safer to park the bike here." By the time she finished speaking, they had reached the main gate. Zhang Minzhen chuckled, stopped the bicycle, and took down two of the three oil-paper parcels hanging from the handlebars. She called out to the gatekeeper, an old man washing rice and vegetables under a faucet near the entrance, "Uncle Tao!"

"Oh, it’s you! What brings you here today? Is this your daughter? She’s gotten so big, and so pretty! I haven’t seen your older brother in a few days. I heard he quit to start his own little business. Is that true? Why didn’t you all try to talk some sense into him? That was such a secure job! People are desperate for a position like that, and he just up and quit."

"Nuannuan, call him Grandpa Tao," Zhang Minzhen prompted, and Gu Nuan Nuan did so obediently. "Good girl." Uncle Tao grinned heartily, his smile revealing a couple of missing teeth.

Zhang Minzhen smiled and handed over the two still-warm oil-paper parcels. "My older brother didn’t quit, he just took a year of unpaid leave. You happened to be away at the time, so we didn’t get a chance to tell you. We’re planning on starting a meat bun business, and we’re short-staffed. Here, these are the buns we made ourselves. We’re hoping to make a living off them now. I made them fresh this morning. My brother specifically told me yesterday not to forget to bring you a few so you could give them a try."

"That’s right, I had to go home for a family emergency. Your brother always says that, as if I don’t know he’s just looking out for me since I’m here all by myself. He always remembers me when he gets something nice." Uncle Tao put down the pot he was holding, wiped his hands on his clothes, and accepted the two oil-paper parcels. He immediately opened one and saw five big meat buns packed inside. He shook his head. "You brought me so many. How can I possibly eat all of these by myself? I’ll just take one parcel, that’s more than enough."

"It’s a happy coincidence then. You can just have these for breakfast instead of cooking. My older brother was very specific that both parcels are for you. You know his temper. He seems easygoing, but he can give you a real earful when he gets angry. I don’t want to go back and ask for trouble."

Zhang Minzhen smiled. "Who knows, we might be opening our shop in town as early as next month. My older brother has been looking forward to being able to have a drink with you then."

"Haha! He just gets loud sometimes. He’s all bark and no bite. Would he really lose his temper with his own family? I was a lot like him back in the day. I was so loud at home that my own son would scurry away like a mouse from a cat the moment he saw me."

Uncle Tao chuckled, the wrinkles on his face softening as he recalled the past. So many years had flown by in an instant, yet it all seemed like yesterday. After a moment of wistful sighs, he asked expectantly, "That would be wonderful if you open a shop in town! I’ve also been looking forward to having a drink with your older brother. When will you be here?"

"That’s why I’m here today, to look for a suitable storefront."

"You go and look first. Don’t worry if you don’t find anything right away; I’ll help you ask around." As he spoke, Uncle Tao grabbed a meat bun and took a huge bite. He nodded again and again. "Mmmph, this bun is delicious! If you ask me, this business of yours is guaranteed to be a hit."

"Let’s hope your good words bring us luck." Zhang Minzhen pushed the bicycle toward the shed. "Uncle Tao, I’m leaving my bike here. I probably won’t be back to pick it up until evening."

"Go on, you can pick it up anytime. If you don’t go back home for lunch, just come over here and eat. I can whip up a couple of simple dishes; it’ll be cleaner than eating out, and it would be nice to have the company."

"No, thank you. For the past few days, this kid Nuannuan has been clamoring for noodles from Lao Liu’s place. I’ve already planned on taking her there for lunch," Zhang Minzhen said with a smile, declining the offer as she parked the bicycle.

"Lao Liu’s noodles were indeed excellent back in the day. In that case, you should take the child to try them. I heard his son is running the shop now, though. I wonder if the taste is still the same."

Uncle Tao nodded with a smile. Chewing on a bun, he said to Gu Nuan Nuan, "Go inside and open the middle drawer of the desk. There’s a letter for your uncle inside. Actually, there are two of them in there. Can you recognize your uncle’s name? Be careful not to grab the wrong one. With my memory lately, I’m afraid if you don’t take it now, I’ll forget, and who knows when you’ll pass by here again."

"Yes, Grandpa Tao, I can recognize my uncle’s name." Gu Nuan Nuan went inside. The room was small but very neat, containing only a bed, a rectangular desk with a drawer, and a tall chest of drawers. She did as she was told and pulled open the middle drawer of the desk. Sure enough, she immediately saw two letters set aside in a corner. The one on top had no return address or name in the bottom right corner. Instead, written boldly in the center with energetic, flowing strokes were the three words: "To Zhang Wei Qiang."

Gu Nuan Nuan froze, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.

’How could she ever mistake that handwriting on the envelope? It was more familiar to her than anything.’

In an instant, a million thoughts raced through Gu Nuan Nuan’s mind...