Chapter 147: Long-Distance Call
After sending the package in town, Ning Xiyue noticed two people lining up to use the public phone nearby. Since it was still early and her mother hadn’t gotten off work yet, she decided to queue up as well.
She calculated that the special mushroom sauce she had mailed home earlier should have arrived by now, so she needed to call and check.
Long-distance calls cost 1.1 yuan per minute, and answering cost 0.5 yuan, which was expensive. The two people before her—one receiving a call, the other making one—both wrapped things up in about a minute.
Ning Xiyue observed how they crammed as much as possible into that one minute. Every word carried information, nothing was wasted, and they spoke extremely fast—so fast they occasionally stumbled over their words, but still managed to finish within the one-minute window.
The person making the call impressed her even more. They finished exactly on time, hanging up neither a second early nor late.
Ning Xiyue knew she could never be that precise.
When the two left, she was the only one remaining. She handed the note with the contact name, address, and number to the staff member at the counter.
“Hello, comrade, I’d like to make a call to this number.”
The staff connected the line and passed her the phone.
“Hello, Yue County Textile Factory.”
Hearing that familiar voice, Ning Xiyue’s heart leapt with joy. “Mom, it’s me—Xiyue!”
“Yueyue!” Yun Xiulan exclaimed happily when she heard her daughter’s voice. Then, anxiety and worry quickly followed. “Yueyue, nothing’s wrong, is there? Tell me what’s going on.”
She remembered telling her daughter to call if anything ever happened, so now that she was receiving a call, she couldn’t help but worry that something serious had occurred.
“Mom, don’t worry. My brother and I are both doing well. I just missed you and wanted to check in. Oh, and did you receive the mushroom sauce I sent? I made it myself. You and Dad must try it. Today, I also mailed you some small things I made. Their uses and instructions are written in the letter.”
Although Ning Xiyue wasn’t short on money, the cost of the call pained her—1.1 yuan per minute was no joke. She subconsciously mimicked the fast talker before her, speeding up her pace to 1.5 times her usual speaking speed. She even stumbled over her words a few times but still couldn’t match that comrade’s “2x speed.”
Listening to her daughter rattle off like a machine gun, stumbling here and there, Yun Xiulan smiled fondly on the other end, half amused and half exasperated.
“You silly child, there’s no rush. I’ll wire you some money—don’t forget to pick it up at the post office. Speak slowly.”
Unfortunately, Ning Xiyue had already finished saying everything she wanted. Worried her mom might not have caught it all, she slowed down deliberately. “Mom, you don’t need to send money for now. I’ve finished talking. Did you hear everything clearly?”
“I heard it all. Your dad and I received the mushroom sauce. It’s delicious! We eat it every morning. Especially your dad—he loves it. He complains if he goes a day without it.”
Yun Xiulan beamed with happiness. Knowing her daughter was thinking of them made her feel warm inside. From the tone of her letters, she could tell her daughter was living well and happily in the countryside.
“That’s great. I’ll bring more home when I visit for the New Year. There are lots of mushrooms on the mountains here.”
Just then, the staffer gave her a stern look and reminded her that it had already been two minutes.
Ning Xiyue quickly calculated—2.2 yuan, enough to buy 2.5 jin (about 1.25 kg) of pork at the supply co-op.
“Mom, I’ll stop here. I can’t afford the phone bill. I’m hanging up now!”
“Alright, take care of yourself over there.”
“Got it. Don’t worry about me. I’m hanging up.”
With that, Ning Xiyue immediately hung up, making sure not to waste even a second. If she went over three minutes, she’d be charged for another full minute.
Back then, making a phone call was like burning money—time was literally money, and every second cost more than gold.
Still, the brief conversation was worth it. Knowing that her parents were enjoying the mushroom sauce gave her peace of mind.
Since it was getting late, Ning Xiyue paid the bill and rode her bicycle back toward the village.
At the village entrance, she ran into the Wu family—Wu Laogen, Li Cuihua, and their son Wu Dazhuang—who had just been released. All three looked drained and dispirited.
People chatting under the big willow tree started mocking them as soon as they saw them.
“Well, if it isn’t the family of a traitor! What’s the matter, your traitorous daughter isn’t coming back?”
One aunt even waved her hand dramatically as if to ward off the “stench.”
“A family of bad people—serves you right. How did they even let you out? We’d better stay far away before you bring us trouble.”
The sneers and insults from the villagers didn’t elicit a single word of protest. The Wu family just lowered their heads even further.
When one of the aunts noticed Ning Xiyue coming, she greeted her, “Xiyue, you’re back!”
At that, Li Cuihua’s head snapped up. Seeing Ning Xiyue riding toward them, she suddenly ran forward and threw herself into the road, arms spread wide to block her way.
Gasps erupted from the villagers under the willow tree.
Ning Xiyue slammed on the brakes, stopping just in front of Li Cuihua. Her eyes were cold as she stared down at her. “Are you trying to die?”
Gone was Li Cuihua’s usual arrogance. She dropped to her knees, crying and kowtowing. “Comrade Ning, please, please save our Xiuli. Please speak to the Public Security Bureau for us. It was all a misunderstanding. I’m begging you—have mercy.”
Ning Xiyue shifted slightly, looking at her as if she were insane.
“What does Wu Xiuli’s arrest have to do with me? It’s not like I told her to endanger national security. If you want to beg, go beg the public security comrades. See if anyone who endangers national security can be released to harm the country and its people.”
Her words struck a chord with the villagers under the willow tree. A dangerous element like that should never be released to harm them again—their safety had to come first.
“Wu Xiuli must never be released. We don’t want a traitor in our brigade!”
“That’s right, Li Cuihua. Stop dreaming. You’d better worry about yourselves first. Didn’t the captain say he was going to expel your family from the team?”
Realizing the situation, Wu Laogen and Wu Dazhuang rushed forward, each grabbing Li Cuihua by an arm and dragging her aside. Wu Dazhuang even clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her.
Wu Laogen nodded and bowed repeatedly to Ning Xiyue, smiling obsequiously. “Sorry, Comrade Ning. Please don’t hold it against us. It’s our fault. Li Cuihua’s not right in the head—she’s talking nonsense. Please ignore her.”
“Yes, yes, please ignore my mother. She’s mentally ill. Sorry, Comrade Ning. Sorry, everyone. We didn’t mean to upset you. We’ll leave now.”
Wu Dazhuang bowed repeatedly to the villagers as he spoke. Then he and his father dragged Li Cuihua away as quickly as they could.
Faintly, their angry scolding of Li Cuihua could still be heard as they left.
“Do you want to go back to prison? Are you trying to destroy our whole family? That damned Wu Xiuli has already ruined us—how dare you even bring her up? I should kill you now before you drag us down with her!”
“Mom, I’m begging you, behave yourself. Our family can’t take any more of this. If we’re expelled from the brigade, we’ll starve to death.”
Soon after, Li Cuihua’s sobbing cries echoed behind them.
Only after the three had gone did the villagers under the willow tree finally breathe a sigh of relief and return to their conversations.
Ning Xiyue stayed a little longer, chatting with the aunts for a few minutes before heading home.
