CHAPTER 449: CHAPTER 449: LETTER FROM THE GONG FAMILY

"Dad, there’s a letter." Renee spotted the mailman coming and bounced out to get the letter.

Ever since learning about Zhao Gang and their scores, especially after the admission scores came out, Renee eagerly anticipated receiving an admission letter.

Before receiving the notification, she absolutely couldn’t relax, knowing that anything could happen at the last minute.

What if someone who didn’t do well in the exams, and dislikes Cai Ming and them, found an opportunity to steal and destroy their admission letter?

Although the likelihood of this isn’t high, Renee still couldn’t relax, so every time she saw the mailman appear, she was delighted.

The mailman delivering letters here to Zhao Gang wasn’t new, but he was curious about the constant comings and goings in the yard.

Even if a skilled doctor like Zhan Jing lived here, it shouldn’t be so lively, especially close to the New Year. If it wasn’t serious, who would come here to see a doctor? It felt a bit ominous.

The mailman didn’t feel comfortable going inside, so he stood on tiptoe, looking in, "Why so busy?"

"Collecting herbs. My dad and they went to Beijing before and found out that herbs sell well there." Renee didn’t believe such a big commotion wouldn’t spread around.

Maybe the news didn’t spread very widely, but who was the mailman? He often delivered letters; how could he not know this?

"Is that so." Of course, the mailman knew, but what could he do about it?

Since last year, when the supply and marketing cooperative couldn’t purchase as many herbs, the surrounding villages were somewhat dissatisfied, and the Red Flag Brigade’s relationship with them wasn’t as close as before. It wasn’t that the surrounding villages stopped interacting with the Red Flag Brigade; rather, the brigade members felt their incomes reduced significantly after they shared the herb-collecting information.

This time, having such a good opportunity, even if the news spread, the Red Flag Brigade kept it controlled and didn’t allow herbs from surrounding villages to be transported in.

The mailman knew why the Red Flag Brigade acted this way; after all, it required upfront investment, and how much money did Zhao Gang and his team have to buy up the village’s herbs?

The mailman had a salary, so he didn’t need to worry about these issues much. But people couldn’t resist the fact that Zhao Gang and their purchase price, minus transportation costs, was higher than that of the supply and marketing cooperative; how could that not be enticing?

Even the mailman and others, knowing the herbs could be sold in Beijing, wondered if they could sell off some of their home stock, even at the cooperative’s price.

Renee watched the mailman’s expressions change constantly, realizing he might be thinking about seeking some backdoor route.

Renee and her family didn’t go out to gather information. Mainly, the villagers were so enthusiastic these days, bringing in their home stocks, and Zhan Jing checked the quality with everyone, because these were being sold to pharmacies. If the goods weren’t good enough this time, could they cooperate again in the future?

If selling to the cooperative, there was no need for such hard work; as long as the goods passed, it was fine. But to earn more money, people were willing to work hard.

Every day began with checking the quality of the herbs, then weighing them, issuing receipts, and paying. In short, they were extremely busy, and who was selling herbs now wasn’t a concern.

Renee thought about how last time Li Jian Country said they could live in the house, and after discussing secretly with Zhao Gang and other adults, although she didn’t know the specifics, it seemed they wanted to say they had to buy up the village’s stock if they were purchasing herbs.

If Li Jian Country really said that, then whether to buy the mailman’s stock was unclear. These days, money was flowing out rapidly, and Renee didn’t dare to ask if they still had money.

Zhao Xuran noticed Renee took a long time to get the letter, so he went out to check and found her still with the mailman, "Is it the admission notice?"

"No, it should be a letter from the Gong Family." Renee looked at the letter, which didn’t seem like it was from Gong Zhuang, and she wasn’t sure who it was from.

Ever since they returned from the funeral, there hadn’t been much contact with the Gong Family, except for some with Gong Zhuang.

Through communication with Gong Zhuang, Renee knew the Gong Family’s situation wasn’t good; even Gong Zheng wasn’t doing well and hadn’t accomplished anything. Their days were worse, and they wouldn’t send a letter to Gong Tao if worried about him thriving in the northeast; they’d cry.

A letter from the Gong Family then wasn’t from Gong Zhuang, leaving Renee wondering why the distant relatives suddenly sent a letter.

This made Zhao Xuran genuinely worried. Every letter from the Gong Family brought no good news, either asking for money or ginseng. Would it be another Gong family member found a way, connections requiring ginseng, and now they wanted Uncle Gong to mail it?

"You should go find Uncle Gong." Anyway, buying herbs wasn’t something quickly settled, and people needed a break, "I’ll take Uncle to see my dad."

Zhao Xuran knew the mailman had quite a high status now; whether their admission letters would be delivered early or intercepted depended on the mailman, so he couldn’t be offended.

Renee ran into the house holding the letter, "Dad, Mom, a letter from the Gong Family."

Gong Tao was sorting herbs into a basket when he heard his daughter mention a letter from the Gong Family; his first thought was it was from Gong Zhuang, "Put it on the kang."

He had mentioned to Gong Zhuang about their college entrance exams last time; his brother’s letter now should be to inquire about the scores.

"It’s not Third Uncle; it’s probably from Grandma or Gong Qiang." Renee handed the letter to Gong Tao.

What? It’s not a letter from Gong Zhuang but from those who hadn’t written in a long time; Gong Tao’s first thought was it’s like a weasel paying respect to a chicken, surely with bad intentions.

Had the mailman not just walked in, Gong Tao might have sworn, "Let me go in to read the letter."

He hoped it wasn’t anything major. Zhang Lan’s health should be fine. Although Gong Qiang’s brothers hadn’t achieved much, and Xiaoyu was always wandering outside, not enough to anger Zhang Lan to death, showed her health was quite good.

Anyway, as long as Zhang Lan’s health wasn’t an issue, Gong Tao didn’t need to worry.

Upon hearing the Gong Family’s letter, Cai Meina felt uneasy. After so many comfortable years, Zhang Lan, the old witch, eagerly sprang up again.

Although Cai Meina was busy working, her mind was already flying to their room, wondering what Zhang Lan wrote. Could it be that this mother-in-law was unwell and wanted them to return?

While Cai Meina was unwilling to return, she knew well that if something really happened, it wouldn’t look good if she, the daughter-in-law, didn’t go back, "Hopefully everything’s fine, hopefully everything’s fine."

"Mom, bad people live long," Renee said, unkindly categorizing Zhang Lan as a bad person, holding Cai Meina’s arm.

"Oh, you." Cai Meina laughed. Yes, Zhang Lan was absolutely afraid of death; she wouldn’t leave this world without living well and seeing her beloved grandchildren achieve something.

Cai Meina didn’t forget to remind Renee, "But don’t tell your dad." No matter how they conflicted with the Gong Family, Zhang Lan was still Gong Tao’s mom, and Gong Qiang and they were his brothers.

Please, she understood that reasoning; she wouldn’t make such a foolish mistake.