Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Distributing Gifts

An Ning’s three words, "This is ours," were spoken loud and clear.

Of the two siblings, one was staring at the bicycle with a goofy, lovestruck grin, while the other held her head high and puffed out her chest with a hint of pride in her eyes.

"You little spendthrift! What is all this stuff you bought?"

"Didn’t you say you wouldn’t buy anything useless?!"

The moment Lin Cuihua came out, she nearly choked. ’How much must this have cost?’

Suddenly, the joy she felt from earning money on the sewing machine evaporated.

"It’s all useful."

An Ning’s unique tone and expression made Lin Cuihua’s hands itch to find some sort of tool.

"Mom, here."

An Guoming came up from behind and handed her a small dust broom, the look of someone eager to watch a show couldn’t have been more obvious on his face.

Lin Cuihua took it without thinking and spun around to give An Guoming a good whack.

"You’re no good either! You knew all along she was planning to spend money like this, and you didn’t think to stop her."

"And you even thought to hand me a weapon ahead of time? Looks to me like you’re the one who really deserves a beating!"

"Hey, hey, hey! That’s not fair! What does this have to do with me?"

Clutching his backside, An Guoming hopped away, yelping from the blow.

Standing by the door, An Ning glanced over her shoulder and commented, "Second Brother really has gotten faster. All that running is paying off."

"Little Sis, Little Sis, can I take it for a spin?"

An Guoqing had been squatting on the ground, staring at the bicycle. His hands were itching to try it, and his heart was itching even more.

Back then, a bicycle’s status was no less than that of a luxury sports car today. It was the absolute dream of every man.

And the model An Ning had bought, in particular, was the stuff of dreams.

"Sure."

An Ning stepped forward to untie the items from the back of the bike. An Sancheng, who had been quiet until now, came over to help her, giving An Ning a meaningful look.

"Dad, why are you looking at me like that?"

An Ning’s bluntness made An Sancheng chuckle in spite of himself. Holding an iron bucket in one hand, he asked, "Let me ask you, where did you get this money?"

An Sancheng was keeping a mental tally. There was the money from selling the backpacks and An Ning’s hunting earnings. Part of that went to hospital bills, and the rest was invested in the sewing machine and fabric. An Ning should have been out of money.

Even if she had a little left, it would only be the three hundred yuan from her dowry, but one look at this basket of goods and the bicycle told him that wouldn’t have been nearly enough.

An Ning didn’t answer directly, as there were too many people outside.

"We’ll talk inside."

An Sancheng didn’t press further. He did, however, remember something else and reminded her, "About that matter with Chen Mingliang, go and collect the money from him when you have a chance. But don’t go alone. Take your eldest brother or your second brother with you, understand?"

"I know. I’ll remember."

An Ning followed An Sancheng inside with the things. The villagers had mostly been interested in the bicycle, but since An Guoqing had ridden off on it, they began to disperse.

Still, one could imagine that the An family would undoubtedly be the main topic of the village gossip today.

When An Ning entered the courtyard, she saw An Guoming walking out, rubbing his backside and grimacing.

"Little Sis, I definitely took that beating for you."

’He strongly suspected that Lin Cuihua was angry, but she couldn’t bring herself to hit An Ning, so she was taking it out on him instead.’

"Heh. Second Brother, I’ve got to tell you... you deserved it."

An Ning lifted her chin smugly. After all, she had seen An Guoming hand Lin Cuihua the "murder weapon."

"You... you... you—you’ve changed, Little Sis!"

"I learned it from you."

An Ning’s retort made An Guoming laugh. It hadn’t hurt that much, so he wasn’t really angry. Grinning cheekily, he followed her into the house, curious to see what else she had bought.

Whether you were an adult or a child, everyone loved this part.

Inside, Lin Cuihua was sitting on a stool with a stern expression, though in truth, she wasn’t nearly as angry anymore.

’She had to admit, smacking her second son really did the trick.’

Her anger stemmed from her worry for An Ning. She was spending money so extravagantly; ’how would they manage in the days to come?’

An Ning gave Lin Cuihua a slightly fawning smile as she set down the wicker basket from her back and prepared to unpack.

"Dad, Mom, the money for all this... I earned it today."

"Jiang Xia and I went into business together. We set some traps, caught a wild boar, and sold it. I figured since I had the money, I should use it to improve our family’s life. Otherwise, what’s the point of earning it?"

An Ning glanced cautiously at Lin Cuihua, who shifted her gaze away, looking uncomfortable. But she didn’t object.

’If they could live a better life, who would possibly want to live a poor one?’

"That Jiang Xia kid is a good one," An Sancheng started with a word of praise, but his expression grew serious. "He’s hunted for years, so he’s quite capable."

"An Ning, it’s good that you’re strong now, but you can’t just rely on that strength and grow careless. You must be cautious about everything in the mountains. I know I can’t stop you from going, but you have to remember: be careful."

An Ning nodded solemnly.

"Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll be very careful."

An Sancheng glanced at Lin Cuihua, then said to An Ning, "Go on, show us what you bought for your mom. She’s getting shy."

"Oh, get out of here."

Lin Cuihua shot An Sancheng a look, a faint blush of embarrassment on her face.

An Ning immediately came forward, rummaged through the basket, and pulled out a jar of cold cream, handing it to Lin Cuihua.

"Mom, I bought this for your face. It smells really nice."

Lin Cuihua saw the "Friendship" brand packaging. She wanted to take it but felt too bashful. Finally, spurred on by An Ning’s pleading puppy-dog eyes, she wiped her hands clean before accepting it as if it were a treasure.

’How could she possibly not like it?’

"Just spending money recklessly. Don’t buy this again next time."

Though her words said not to buy it, her hands held the cold cream tightly.

Next, it was time for An Ning to hand out the rest of the gifts.

"Dad, Second Brother, I bought you two rubber shoes. This is the larger pair; Sister-in-law, could you hold onto these for now?"

An Sancheng acted just like Lin Cuihua, first wiping his hands on his clothes before accepting the rubber shoes.

"Everyone says these shoes are great for working in."

An Sancheng clearly couldn’t bear to put them down.

"Little Sis, I’m back!"

An Guoqing rode the bicycle into the courtyard. He quickly cleared out a space in the shed, even grabbing a large broom to sweep the spot clean before finally parking the bicycle there.

Even then, he still wasn’t quite satisfied.

"Second Brother, keep the bicycle in your room tonight."

"Eldest Brother is right. It’s better to keep it inside." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Everyone unanimously agreed with An Guoqing.

"Eldest Brother, hurry inside! I bought you rubber shoes!"

An Guoqing ran into the house. Unlike An Sancheng’s restrained delight, he immediately wanted to try them on, but Zhou Guifen stopped him.

"Wash your feet before you put them on."

"Oh? Right. You’re right, dear."

An Guoqing sat down next to Zhou Guifen, slinging the new rubber shoes—their laces tied together—around his neck like a scarf.

An Ning loved seeing everyone so happy. Next, she took out a jar of cold cream for her sister-in-law, along with white sugar, large soup bones, and other things.

Finally, only two small, flat, rectangular boxes remained.

"Second Brother, since you’ll be out selling backpacks, this is for you."

"There’s something for me, too?"

An Guoming had received a pair of rubber shoes as well; he hadn’t expected that he would get his own.