Chapter 55: Putting on Airs
“Little Lin, how are you feeling?” Big Sister Gao was genuinely concerned about Lin Wan.
Lin Wan gave a weak smile. “I’m fine, Big Sister! It’s just that my head really is a bit dizzy!”
Big Sister Gao wanted to pour her some water, but since they had rushed over in such a hurry, they didn’t even have an enamel mug with them.
“Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll head home and bring back some things for you!”
Lin Wan quickly held her back, looking a bit embarrassed. “Big Sister Gao, to be honest… it’s actually not that severe. I was just… just so furious that I wanted to teach Xu Hui a lesson.”
“So she won’t keep targeting me at every turn!”
“This is already the third time!”
“If I let her off lightly again this time, and she gets away with just a casual apology, who knows how she’ll try to harm me next time!”
Seeing that Lin Wan wasn’t treating her like an outsider at all, Big Sister Gao felt extremely pleased. She was no fool. Judging by Section Chief Tang’s attitude toward Lin Wan, it was impossible for Lin Wan to be completely without a background like Xu Hui had claimed. Not to mention, her husband was a military officer. Could she, Gao Huilan, not see through Section Chief Tang’s intentions when he told her to keep Lin Wan’s file confidential?
She harbored the exact same selfish motives as Section Chief Tang!
Big Sister Gao chimed in with shared indignation, “Exactly! We absolutely cannot let her off lightly. We must make her pay a price and face disciplinary action!”
“Even I couldn’t stand watching it anymore!”
“She’s far too arrogant, using Director Xu’s influence to bully her comrades!”
Lin Wan smiled shyly, looking exactly like a young girl who had done something wrong and expected a scolding, only to be taken aback by the unexpected protection. That mix of astonishment and delight flared up in her eyes, melting Big Sister Gao’s heart instantly.
There was no helping it. The girl was beautiful, generous, and not a skinflint. Her smile was sweet, unlike Xu Hui, who had looked down her nose at everyone from the moment she entered the unit just because of Director Xu’s influence. Bah!
“Big Sister Gao, could you go find the doctor and tell them I feel extremely unwell? Have the doctor issue every single nutritional subsidy quota they can!”
“I don’t actually need these quotas. My partner buys plenty of milk powder and brown sugar for me.”
Saying this, Lin Wan put on a look of sheer annoyance. “He gives me far too much, claiming it’s all welfare benefits issued by the military. I don’t even know if it’s true or if he’s pulling my leg.”
“But my family is a blended household with a lot of people. If I bring the items out to eat, I have to share them. But sharing… to be honest, I have no objections to showing filial piety to my stepfather or looking after my biological younger brother. My husband wouldn’t say anything either. But…”
Hearing this, Big Sister Gao’s eyes lit up instantly, looking brighter than a flashlight in the dark of night!
“I understand!”
“This big sister understands!”
“Little Lin, I truly treat you like my own younger sister!”
“Let me tell you, you must absolutely never bring those things out to share. Giving a pint of rice breeds gratitude, but giving a bushel breeds an enemy. If they get used to taking your food and items in the future, they’ll take it for granted. If you stop giving or give less later on, they’ll just resent you in their hearts!”
Lin Wan quickly agreed, “Yes, yes, yes, my mom said the exact same thing.”
Big Sister Gao struck while the iron was hot. “Wanwan, how many cans of milk powder do you have over there?”
Lin Wan replied, “I have three cans.”
She had bought bagged milk powder and a bunch of empty tins. She could just open the bags and transfer the powder into the tins beforehand. There was no helping it—modern bagged milk powder had printed trademarks on the packaging, so there was absolutely no way she could circulate it in the 1960s.
Big Sister Gao said with a trace of embarrassment, “Let me ask a favor of you. Could you spare one can for me?”
“To be honest, my brother’s wife just gave birth, but she doesn’t produce enough breast milk.”
“The baby cries from hunger every single day, and they can only stave it off with rice water. It’s truly pitiful!”
Lin Wan said with a smile, “Sure! I wouldn’t spare it for anyone else, but I will definitely let you have it, Big Sister!”
“If you need more in the future, I’ll just send a telegram to my partner. Items that are extremely difficult for us to secure aren’t hard for them at all.”
Big Sister Gao was incredibly grateful.
“Oh my, thank you so much, younger sister. You truly are my own flesh-and-blood sister!”
“If you ever need anything in the future, just tell me. As long as it’s within my power, leave it to me!”
See? See?! Staying on good terms with Little Lin naturally yielded immense benefits!
“Big Sister, how many months old is your nephew?” Infant milk powder was divided into stages, and Lin Wan didn’t dare get it wrong. Otherwise, what if the baby didn’t get enough nutrition? She couldn’t deliberately hoodwink people just because materials were scarce in the 1960s.
“Just one month old!” That was precisely why Big Sister Gao was so worried.
Lin Wan: “I’ll head home tonight and bring it to you tomorrow! I’ll bring that milk powder to you tomorrow.”
Big Sister Gao said joyfully, “Excellent, excellent, excellent!”
“Thank you so much, Comrade Lin Wan!”
Lin Wan added, “Big Sister, I also have plenty of brown sugar, white sugar, and silver ear mushrooms over there. If you need any, I’ll bring them along for you tomorrow!”
“But you can’t tell anyone else, okay!”
Big Sister Gao nodded vigorously. Of course she wouldn’t say a word! She was going to hold onto this golden thigh with a death grip!
Lin Wan smiled. Another customer secured!
“Big Sister, you should head home now. I’m perfectly fine here. I’ll lie down for a bit longer and then go look for my mom. We’ll meet at the hospital tomorrow!” Lin Wan winked at Big Sister Gao.
Big Sister Gao hesitated for a moment but agreed, “Alright, I’ll take my leave first!” She had to hurry back to her mother’s house to deliver this wonderful news.
Comrade Lin Wan hadn’t mentioned money, but she knew what to do. She would pay according to black market prices. She absolutely could not let Comrade Lin Wan suffer a loss.
Big Sister Gao was so excited she lost her composure, only remembering after she walked out of the hospital that she hadn’t gone to the doctor to get the nutritional coupons yet. She trotted straight back to the doctor’s office and had them issue every single coupon Lin Wan was eligible for.
Oh my! Comrade Lin Wan truly is a spectacular comrade!
When she returned to her mother’s house and related the matter, both her sister-in-law and her own mother showered her with praise, saying the household truly couldn’t do without her.
Big Sister Gao handed the nutritional coupons to her sister-in-law. “Have Third Brother buy these for you to eat!”
Her sister-in-law was deeply moved. “Big Sister, thank you. This colleague of yours is a truly good person.”
Big Sister Gao lifted her chin proudly. “Of course. I told her how pitiful you were and how pitiful the baby was, and she was almost moved to tears on the spot. She immediately told me to take the coupons.”
“And she didn’t even ask for a single cent for these quotas!”
Mother Gao said, “Make sure to bring her some things later to express our gratitude. Take some of the large pickled mustards I made, some pickled greens, as well as some sweet potato fermented black beans and chili paste. Bring a bit of everything for her!”
“Something as difficult to secure as milk powder, yet she was willing to let us have it. She truly is righteous and kind.” Her family wasn’t wealthy either and couldn’t produce anything truly grand. Mother Gao even felt a bit ashamed.
Big Sister Gao agreed with a smile, “Alright!” She scooped up her little nephew and kissed his cheek. “Our family’s precious boy has milk to drink now! No need to go hungry anymore!”
At the hospital.
Director Xu left and returned. This time, he wasn’t alone. He brought Xu Hui’s mother and his own wife along, but he didn’t bring Xu Hui. Director Xu was terrified that Xu Hui would ruin things.
“Little Lin, how are you feeling?”
“I am truly deeply sorry for making you suffer. This auntie apologizes to you on behalf of our Huihui.”
“These are some nutritional items bought for you…” A middle-aged female comrade set a mesh shopping bag full of goods right by Lin Wan’s pillow.
Director Xu smiled and introduced them, “Comrade Lin Wan, this is my eldest sister-in-law, Xu Hui’s mother, Comrade Wang Sufen. And this is my wife, Comrade Li Aihua.”
Haggling with a young girl was something he, a grown man, couldn’t pull off.
Besides, who would negotiate compensation the very moment they were hospitalized? Naturally, she had to stay in the hospital until they couldn’t take it anymore before coming to discuss terms! After all, she wasn’t the one in a hurry!
“Blegh!“
Lin Wan dry-heaved, nearly vomiting right onto Wang Sufen’s feet.
A nurse just happened to pass by and walked inside. Seeing how distressed Lin Wan looked, she chided Director Xu and the others, “The patient has a severe concussion and needs absolute rest! Once you’ve finished visiting, leave immediately. Don’t speak to the patient, it disrupts her rest!”
Director Xu and the others: “!!!”
