Chapter 278: Chapter 283: Letter from Hometown

Sheng Ning shook her head and gestured for everyone to help themselves to whatever they wanted, she then took a basin and towel and went out to wash up.

When Sheng Ning returned from her bath, everything, absolutely everything, was neatly placed on the table, and everyone had only tasted a little and did not take more.

Nowadays, every household’s situation is tough; it’s not easy for any family to offer some food, so naturally, no one would shamelessly take more.

Seeing that almost nothing was missing, Sheng Ning frowned. “Why didn’t you all take any?” She was someone who did not indulge in food cravings.

If there was good food, she would eat; if not, she wouldn’t. Especially with friends she held dear, she would never sneakily enjoy good food without sharing.

Zhang Hongmei smiled, “Sheng Ning, these were brought by your family on behalf of someone else. You better keep them for yourself to enjoy slowly!”

“Yes!” Wu Youli chimed in, “When I want some, I’ll ask you for it!”

Chen Huaying, tilting her head reading a book and sounding listless, said, “I’ve already taken some, quite a lot actually. There’s no need to be polite with me! It’s just these two who didn’t take any.”

“I know!” Sheng Ning glared at her, knowing everyone in the room well.

Finally, Sheng Ning counted everything and divided it evenly into five portions. There were four people in the dormitory, one portion for each, and one portion for Liu Yilan, which was perfect.

Everyone was reluctant to accept their portion, but after seeing Sheng Ning genuinely getting upset, not merely putting on a polite act, they finally took their shares.

Everyone in the dormitory liked the idea of sharing good food when available.

“Next time I go home, I’ll definitely bring more goodies!” Wu Youli declared, patting her chest, “My mom makes delicious rice cakes!”

“And at my place too, my mom’s dumplings are incredibly fragrant,” excited Zhang Hongmei slipped into her local dialect, causing everyone to burst out laughing.

After Sheng Ning washed up and went to bed, she opened the letter Xu Qigang had given her, finding two letters inside.

She had a hunch that one was from her father and the other from her mother and An’an.

Her mother’s handwriting was graceful, fitting for a lady from a distinguished family, hard to believe it belonged to a simple rural woman.

She first opened her father’s letter, which hardly strayed from praising her good son-in-law Xu Qigang, satisfied in every aspect. Sheng Ning felt somewhat embarrassed reading it, not knowing if her father’s enthusiasm might have frightened Xu Qigang.

At the end of the letter, Mr. Sheng repeatedly urged her to visit Xu Qigang often when she was free to foster their relationship. He also insisted she should come home during the festival to finalize the marriage arrangement, to avoid losing a good potential son-in-law.

Indeed! Father was right, she should nurture the relationship more. Now it was her initiative, but later she would make it so Xu Qigang couldn’t stay away from her.

After finishing her father’s letter, she opened the one from her mother and Sheng An.

Shen Luhua stated candidly in her letter–unknown to Mr. Sheng–that her purpose in writing was to assure Sheng Ning not to feel any burden; Xu Qigang was a good man, worthy of her life’s commitment. Since she had met him, she should not miss the chance and live with regrets.

Sheng Ning clenched the letter tightly, the thin paper crumpling in her grip. Her mother was right; missing out on Xu Qigang would indeed be a lifelong regret.

In this life, she would absolutely not allow such an event to happen.

Lastly, Shen Luhua mentioned in passing at the end of her letter that Sheng Ning could marry Xu Qigang without worry, as the debt to the town mayor had been paid off.

Sheng Ning’s eyes widened in shock, re-reading it to make sure she hadn’t misread.

“Paid off? How is that possible!” This was five thousand yuan, at the end of 1983. It wasn’t the twenty-first century, nor was it merely fifty yuan.