Sorry, My Beloved Is The Motherland - Chapter 7 - Shopping Is Better Than Dating

“Um… if I have questions in the future, can you still teach me?”

When Ning Fu was preparing to put him in his place, she didn’t expect it to end with such a peaceful resolution. She smiled and said, “Of course.”

Although it was clear that Du Qingquan was trying hard to control his expression, his wide grin still revealed his current mood.

Even after Ning Fu left with the complete set of high school chemistry textbooks, he continued to gaze in the direction of the courtyard gate.

Someone playfully smacked Du Qingquan on the butt with a twig and teased, “Your Teacher Xiao Ning has left, stop staring! Be careful, or you might not be able to pull your eyes away!”

Du Qingquan snapped out of his daze, grabbed the twig from the male educated youth, and turned to leave.

“Wow! You won’t even let anyone else touch the twig she used?!”

Du Qingquan suddenly felt the twig in his hand was burning hot. Just as he was about to toss it aside by the door, he looked up and saw Gao Han standing at the entrance of the dormitory.

Gao Han looked despondent, and it was unclear how long he had been standing there.

Thinking that Ning Fu had borrowed the books from him for Gao Han’s sake, Du Qingquan couldn’t help but glance at Gao Han a couple more times. Tsk.

In fact, Gao Han had come out when Ning Fu and Du Qingquan made their bet. He had initially thought that Ning Fu was there to see him.

He stood at a distance, watching the crowd, realizing that no one had noticed him. He felt a bit disappointed but also couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Ning Fu made his heart feel chaotic.

He suddenly didn’t know what attitude to adopt when facing her.

Fortunately, fortunately, Ning Fu wasn’t there to see him…

Why didn’t Ning Fu come to see him? Was it really as she said, that she would no longer pester him, no longer like him…

Two conflicting thoughts churned in his mind, filled with anxiety and indecision. At the same time, Gao Han heard how everyone was cheering and praising Ning Fu’s intelligence and knowledge.

He also heard Cui Guofu mention that Ning Fu was going to the town’s post office, presumably to write back to her parents. Ning Fu’s parents were both in the city, and it was said that her father was a leader in the military. They must be trying to bring her back to the city. Given her family’s connections, this shouldn’t be difficult.

He then recalled the way Du Qingquan had looked at him, as if even that bookworm was disdainful, questioning why he would reject such an outstanding girl.

Gao Han felt dizzy and had to reach out to steady himself against the door frame. The people coming and going seemed to be looking at him with sympathetic yet contemptuous eyes, their voices full of mockery—

He wasn’t worthy of Ning Fu!

He couldn’t stand this!

Gao Han suddenly let out a loud roar and bolted out of the courtyard.

The remaining educated youths in the courtyard looked at each other in bewilderment and unanimously decided to keep their distance from him in the future.

[Ding—

The host has obtained the item: High School Chemistry (Volume 1) (Volume 2)

Current backpack contents: Complete set of high school math textbooks (hand-copied), complete set of high school chemistry textbooks (limited time), Tula Gaqi sandy sweet potatoes x1kg, nationwide soap coupons x2

Remaining slots: 6/10]

Sitting on the swaying minibus, Ning Fu checked her possessions in her mind. The functionality of this backpack was somewhat strange. The two special titles she had previously obtained, “Flower of the Grassland” and “Animal Affinity,” did not appear in it. Instead, everything in her army-green shoulder bag was fully displayed.

What use was this? Didn’t she already know what was in her own bag? Why did it need to be specially displayed in the system? Moreover, her shoulder bag could certainly hold more than just ten items.

The system remained silent, and without a user manual for the backpack, Ning Fu had to explore its functions on her own.

With a thought, Ning Fu gave a command in her mind based on her guess, and the backpack, which currently held two jin of sweet potatoes, suddenly felt much lighter.

T/N: The term “jin” (斤) is a traditional Chinese unit of weight. One jin is equivalent to approximately 0.5 kilograms or 1.1 pounds. Therefore, 2 jin would be approximately 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds.

She immediately opened the backpack and found that the sweet potatoes were still there, but their weight felt as light as a feather.

The sweet potatoes in the backpack then disappeared. She gave another command in her mind, and this time, the sweet potatoes reappeared in the backpack, still feeling as light as a feather.

Ning Fu raised an eyebrow slightly.

In this light, the backpack’s functionality wasn’t entirely useless. Being able to store items from this world in the system backpack meant she could carry many large items, including those whose size and weight exceeded her physical capacity.

She had another hypothesis.

…If the backpack was similar to those in games, then when the tasks in this world were completed, could the items from this world in her backpack leave with her?!

Ning Fu felt a surge of excitement.

In the past, whenever Ning Fu traveled to alternate worlds as a supporting character, she always came and went with nothing, leaving behind everything she had gained in those worlds when she departed.

But this time, her collecting habit could finally be satisfied!

After getting off the bus, Cui Guofu said to Ning Fu, “Let’s split up. You go to the post office to mail your letter, and I’ll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy the things we need.”

The position of procurement officer was the most enviable role in the Livestock Station and even the entire Tula Gaqi. Tula Gaqi was remote, and although the station had its own supply and marketing cooperative, the quantity and variety of goods were limited compared to those in the town. Cui Guofu carried the long-held expectations of everyone at the station.

—In addition to bringing back essential medicines for the station’s health team and supplies for the livestock, his pockets were also filled with various ration coupons for cloth, sugar, and matches. He had quite a lot to bring back!

At the post office, there was a long line of people waiting to send telegrams. Ning Fu was at another counter affixing stamps, with the smell of ink floating in the air.

She used a borrowed pen to write her home address on the envelope.

The original owner’s handwriting wasn’t particularly beautiful, but it was neat and tidy.

She was the only child in her family. This time, her mother had specifically written to express her hope that she could return to the city, with words full of earnest longing. Everyone knew that going to the countryside was to endure hardship. Given her family background and being an only child, she didn’t have to take this path.

Now, some educated youths had already started returning to the city. Her mother didn’t dare to mention Gao Han, only saying that she missed her and tentatively asking if she was willing to come back.

As long as she wanted to, her family would find a way to bring her back.

In a book, a minor character always serves the main characters’ stories. No one knows that in the parts of the story not touched by the author’s pen, even a minor character was someone cherished and hoped for by others.

When Ning Fu came out of the post office after mailing the letter, Cui Guofu still hadn’t finished his shopping.

The bus they needed to catch had a stop near the supply and marketing cooperative, so Ning Fu had to wait outside the cooperative.

Through the bustling crowd in front of the counter, Cui Guofu saw Ning Fu standing outside and shouted, “Ning Fu, Ning Fu, come in quickly!”

Seeing Ning Fu walking in slowly, he grabbed her and pulled her to the counter. “What are you wandering around outside for? There are no wolves here, what are you dawdling for!”

A rare look of discomfort appeared on Ning Fu’s face.

The shelves were filled with a dazzling array of goods.

The country’s most difficult times had passed, and material wealth was gradually increasing. Although most daily necessities still required ration coupons for purchase, both the variety and quality had significantly improved.

This supply and marketing cooperative was quite large, with quotations and slogans hanging on the walls. The cement floor was swept clean, and the room had a mixed smell of soy sauce and white sugar, which wasn’t pleasant but added to the atmosphere. The sales counter was higher than an adult’s waist, and several children were weaving through the crowd, pressing their foreheads and noses against the glass of the counter, staring longingly at the packages of White Rabbit candies and toy car models inside.

These were the top luxury items of their childhood. Just being able to come and look at them with the adults could make them happy for an entire day. They knew exactly which toy car had been moved and which package of candy had been bought.

The shelf directly in front of Ning Fu was filled with daily necessities.

Her gaze traced along the rolls of elastic bands and army-green shoelaces, past the new enamel mugs with images of workers and farmers, and finally landed on the top shelf, where bars of soap were displayed.

Everything was in the authentic late 1970s style, displayed fully and neatly.

She wanted to buy it all… all of it!!!

—Her indecisiveness combined with her collecting habit was acting up at a very inopportune time.

—Yes, it was out in the open now, no more pretending. Even someone as strong as Ning Fu had a single, fatal weakness.

“Comrade Xiao Ning, do you want to take anything back? Hurry up, our bus will be here soon!”

Ning Fu asked the shop assistant, “How many types of soap do you have?”

She had two soap coupons in her backpack, sent by her parents from the city.

The shop assistant’s response was disheartening: “There are three kinds.” Too busy to say more, the assistant took down all three types for Ning Fu to see. One was the La Mei brand, with gold-embossed plum blossoms on the packaging. The other two featured the Huangshan Welcoming Pine and silhouettes of workers, farmers, and soldiers.

Ning Fu felt like a cat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck, her whole body stiffening. Indecisiveness was like a constant internal struggle, never truly reaching a resolution. Choosing the white rose meant forsaking the cinnabar mole; choosing the red rose meant missing out on the white moonlight.

T/N: The phrase “朱砂痣” (zhūshā zhì) literally translates to “cinnabar mole” and is a metaphor from Chinese literature. It represents a cherished but unattainable love or desire. In the context of the translation, it contrasts with “白月光” (bái yuèguāng), which means “white moonlight,” symbolizing an idealized and pure love.

—Who would have thought that the one thing capable of causing a mental breakdown for Ning Fu, the top figure in the female supporting character division of the Quick Transmigration Bureau, would be in the dilemma of choosing two out of three soap packages?!

At the last moment, Cui Guofu grabbed two bars of soap from the counter, pulled the tightly held coupons from Ning Fu’s hand, handed them to the shop assistant, and dragged her off to catch the bus.

Ning Fu finally had a moment to look at the soap in her hands after getting on the bus.

They were the ones with the Welcoming Pine and the silhouettes of workers, farmers, and soldiers.

She was still missing the one with the gold-embossed plum blossom packaging.

Her heart itched more than if it were being scratched by a cat.

Finally, as the minibus roared and spewed black smoke, and the scenery outside began to recede, Ning Fu managed to regain her composure.

Under Cui Guofu’s astonished gaze, she carefully placed the two bars of soap into her backpack. Suppressing her restless desire, Ning Fu took a deep breath.

There was still plenty of time; she would have the chance to buy that La Mei brand soap eventually.

Five days later, in B City.

“Old Ning! Old Ning! Jiao Jiao has sent a letter—”

Dr. Wei from the 336th Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, with an agility uncommon for a middle-aged woman, rushed into the house, half running and half stumbling.

The soldier sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper didn’t even lift his eyes. “Got it.”

Dr. Wei—Ning Fu’s mother—happily waved the envelope in her hand. “Aren’t you going to read it? If you don’t, I’ll open it myself!”

The soldier with a general’s star on his shoulder—Ning Fu’s father—responded indifferently with a grunt, appearing genuinely uninterested. However, the newspaper in his hands remained unturned for quite a while.

Ning Boyuan had hoped his daughter would join the military. Instead, this disappointing child chased after Gao Han to Inner Mongolia, making him so angry that he almost wanted to sever their father-daughter relationship.

When had the Ning family ever produced someone so preoccupied with love and unable to distinguish priorities!

After a long while with no movement, Ning Fu’s father finally closed the newspaper impatiently. “What did she write?”

General Ning’s stern demeanor didn’t last much longer.

—He saw the expression on his wife’s face, a mix of crying and laughing, with tears streaming down but without much sorrow.

“Jiao Jiao… Jiao Jiao, that silly child…”

Seeing that his wife was still too choked up to speak, Ning Boyuan snorted and then snatched the letter from her hand.

He read the letter twice, then folded it neatly.

“Why are you crying? If she doesn’t want to come back, then let her stay there and toughen up,” Ning Boyuan said. “She’s still very immature! But it’s better than before.”

Wei Yuhua—Ning Fu’s mother—cried even harder.

“You, you just keep being stubborn! Jiao Jiao suddenly became so sensible; she must have endured so much hardship there—”

“…Dear Mom and Dad (if Dad is also reading this letter), everything is fine here in Tula Gaqi.

Regarding the matter of returning to the city, I have thought it over deeply and decided to stay here. I will take the college entrance exam. If I pass, that would be great. If not, I will stay in Tula Gaqi, on the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, and continue to work and study…

Please forgive my stubbornness, but as the revolutionary martyr Qu Qiubai once said—

Originally, life is only once, and it is precious to everyone. However, if one’s life is integrated into the masses, if one is doing something for this world every day, then one is always growing. Although aging, illness, and death are still unavoidable, his cause—the cause of the masses—is immortal. He will experience ‘eternal youth’.”