That evening, while Mo Xiaoman was getting warm water to wash Granny Mo's face and feet, Granny Han arrived carrying a stack of clothes. Fifth Auntie and her daughter-in-law also gathered around to see what was going on. Granny Han had brought two tops and two pairs of pants for Mo Xiaoman, making two full outfits. They were hand-me-downs that her youngest daughter, Han Jiaying, who was studying at a health school in the city, could no longer wear. Though called "old," the clothes didn't have a single hole. They were simply too small and short, so Granny Han had packed them away when Han Jiaying outgrew them. Every piece was washed so clean it looked faded, and since they had just been taken from the bottom of a chest, they carried the faint scent of camphor wood. For Mo Xiaoman, who had only ever worn tattered rags her whole life, these hand-me-downs were as good as brand new.
Fifth Auntie and her daughter-in-law unfolded the clothes piece by piece, clucking their tongues in admiration. There was a military-style uniform, tailored with a narrow waist and straight, properly-fitted pant legs, and an eggplant-purple floral long-sleeved shirt paired with blue work pants. The sleeves and pant legs had originally been a bit long, but Granny Han, who owned a sewing machine, had trimmed them so Mo Xiaoman could wear the outfits right away.
Granny Mo thanked Granny Han profusely, and Mo Xiaoman was also deeply grateful, mentally vowing to remember this kindness. Fifth Auntie and her daughter-in-law showered Granny Han with compliments, praising her kind and generous heart, which made Granny Han quite embarrassed. However, Granny Han was a straightforward woman with a quick wit. In just a few words, she changed the subject. The women found something amusing to talk about in the courtyard, slapping their thighs and laughing heartily. After more than half an hour, Granny Han grew worried about the elders at her own home and took her leave.
Fifth Auntie urged Mo Xiaoman to draw well water for a quick bath and try on both outfits for everyone. Everyone praised how wonderful she looked. Patting Mo Xiaoman's shoulder, Fifth Auntie said, "Fine feathers make fine birds! Our Xiao Man didn't eat or dress well before and was as inconspicuous as a little beggar. But things will be different from now on! Just you watch, once her little face and figure fill out, she'll be more beautiful than any movie star!"
Granny Mo beamed. "Of course! My Xiao Man won't be short on pretty new clothes in the future!"
Grandpa Mo nodded emphatically in agreement. "Yes, she will! I can promise you this: for New Year's and other festivals, we'll absolutely get new clothes made for her. She can pick the style herself—whatever she wants, we'll have it made!"
Mo Xiaoman pressed her lips together, her eyes crinkling into a smile as she watched everyone. It wasn't that she was shy or didn't want to speak. She was simply so moved at that moment, she feared she would burst into tears the second she opened her mouth.
'This is the kind of happiness I might have been able to fight for in my past life. But back then, I didn't have this kind of wisdom or courage!'
With no burdens on her heart, Mo Xiaoman lay in the double bed with her grandma and slept soundly and peacefully. She didn't have a single dream all night.
「The next day」
Grandpa Mo went out early in the morning with Secretary Mo and Captain Guan. He returned two hours later with Secretary Mo and, grinning from ear to ear, announced to Granny Mo and Mo Xiaoman:
"All the paperwork is complete! We just need to take inventory of the courtyard, the house, and all the things inside, then sign a document to keep on file. The captain said we can live there for now and use everything. Even if the brigade takes it back someday, they'll only charge us a few dozen yuan for wear and tear! Today's market day, so let's hurry to the commune, get our household registration settled, and buy some things we need. We can move into our very own home tonight!"
The trip from the village to the commune took forty minutes by bicycle but over an hour on foot. Grandpa Mo didn't know how to ride a bike, so he had planned to leave Granny Mo at Secretary Mo's house while he and Mo Xiaoman walked. However, Mo Xiaoman suggested,
"Grandpa, since we're settling our household registration today, we'll officially be a family of three. Why don't we bring Grandma along? We could go to the photo studio in the commune and get a family portrait taken. How about it?"
Grandpa Mo found this to be a novel idea. He nodded and said, "Good! I think that's a great idea! I'm just worried your grandma might not want to go."
Granny Mo laughed and replied, "If you two don't mind this blind old woman tagging along, then I'll go!"
"We don't mind! We don't mind!" Grandpa Mo and Mo Xiaoman exclaimed in unison.
Watching from the side, Secretary Mo and his wife were also delighted. Secretary Mo said, "Then you should all go together. We'll hitch up our oxcart and lay down a layer of dry straw. It'll be perfect for her to sit on!"
And so, on the second day of her new life, Mo Xiaoman had another new experience: riding a slow-moving oxcart to the market at the commune, over thirty kilometers away.
The cart was pulled by an old ox. Its frame was large but crudely built, typically used for hauling things like straw and firewood. The road was supposedly a provincial highway, but perhaps because this section ran entirely through rural villages, it had been neglected. It wasn't paved with asphalt, but covered in blue-white gravel. Xiao Man watched as a cyclist's wheel got caught in a patch of loose gravel, sending them tumbling down.
Fortunately, the rubber tires on the cart had recently been inflated, and with a thick layer of dry straw for cushioning, the ride wasn't overly bumpy. It was certainly no match for the comfort of a car, though. Occasionally, a passing truck or bus would kick up a cloud of dust that completely engulfed them, leaving them coughing and struggling to breathe…
Seeing the blissful looks on Grandpa and Grandma Mo's faces even amid the clouds of dust, Mo Xiaoman didn't dare utter a single word of complaint. 'After all, she never had the chance to enjoy even this kind of treatment in her past life!'
In case Mo Xiaoman got thirsty on the road, Grandpa had taken the bamboo canteen he always carried into the mountains and filled it with cool, boiled water from Secretary Mo's house. When her grandpa wasn't looking, Mo Xiaoman secretly added a little water from the Spiritual Spring. When she drank, she urged her Grandpa and Grandma to have some too. Grandpa refused, wanting to save the water for the two of them, but Mo Xiaoman was stubborn and insisted he take a few sips. The family of three bickered playfully over the water all the way, their journey filled with laughter and warmth.
After what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived at the commune.
At the entrance to the market street, Grandpa shouted for the old ox to stop. He unhitched the cart and led the ox down an embankment to a grassy area about the size of a soccer field. It seemed to be a designated spot for villagers to tie up their animals, as Mo Xiaoman could see several wooden posts set up along the edge. Grandpa tied the ox's rope to a post, leaving it to graze. He then walked back up the embankment and, along with Xiao Man, helped support Granny Mo as they made their way to the police station to sort out the household registration.
After taking a few steps, Mo Xiaoman glanced back at the dozen or so oxen and horses tied here and there across the field. No one was guarding them, yet their owners had all left without a second thought. She couldn't help but sigh in admiration. 'This was one good thing about the seventies. Public safety was never a problem. You could leave your animals out like this and not worry about thieves at all!'
'In another five or six years, things would change. Ten years from now, cattle rustling gangs would start appearing in the countryside. They'd break into your own pens and brazenly lead away all your livestock! The markets would be crawling with pickpockets. If you weren't careful, your bag would be slashed open with a razor blade, and your money and belongings would vanish into thin air. If you didn't pay to have your bicycle watched, even putting three locks on it would be useless!'
When they reached the police station, there was thankfully no one else there on business. In an office with propaganda posters on the walls, a young public security officer wearing a large, peaked cap sat behind a desk. 'Unlike later eras, people back then called all police 'Public Security' officers. Their uniforms were unique, too: blue trousers with a pure white shirt and even a white peaked cap, all accented with a bright red cap insignia and collar tabs. It gave them a very approachable look.'
With no need to wait in line, Grandpa had Mo Xiaoman and Granny Mo wait by the door while he took the brigade certificate from his pocket and went inside. A few moments later, the process was complete.
Mo Xiaoman noticed her grandpa wasn't holding anything and asked, surprised, "It's all done? Didn't the police station give you a booklet or something?"
"A booklet? What would I need a booklet for?"
Mo Xiaoman paused, unsure how to explain. After a moment, she said, "You know, a household registration book. If we have a book, we know our registrations are all together!"
"Oh, that's what you meant! Silly girl, you don't understand how things work," Grandpa laughed. "Everyone in the entire brigade is listed in one large register. Each family gets a page, and the three of us are now registered together on our own page. I saw it clearly with my own eyes, so don't you worry!"
Mo Xiaoman was speechless. 'So in this era, they didn't have individual registration books for each family to hold onto. The whole brigade shared one large register!'
But regardless, her household registration was now with her Grandpa and Grandma. She was finally free from the control and influence of Mo Guoqiang and Liu Fengying.
All three of them, young and old, were overjoyed. The photo studio was located diagonally across from the police station, so they supported one another as they walked over and had two photographs taken.
One was a family portrait. The other was a solo photo of Mo Xiaoman that Granny Mo insisted on, even telling the photographer to be sure to note the date it was taken.
Mo Xiaoman felt a little awkward but didn't refuse.
Granny Mo said with a smile, "From now on, we'll take a picture every year. When our Xiao Man is twenty or thirty, it will be so interesting for her to look back on them!"
Grandpa nodded as well. "Yes, yes! We must. Our Xiao Man will get taller every year, so of course we have to take a picture every year!"
"It's expensive," Mo Xiaoman murmured.
She then pressed her lips tightly shut, as if every word were precious. In reality, she was on the verge of tears again. 'People who truly love you are so different. Grandpa and Grandma weren't worried about the cost; they just wanted me to have these photos to remember my happy childhood years. In my previous life, when Liu Fengying had taken me to get a picture, it was with a heart full of malice and schemes!'