Chapter 316: The Tragedy of a Box of Fountain Pens

The sun was high in the sky when Li Ye finally dragged himself out of bed, groggy and reluctant.

He hadn't meant to oversleep—just that he'd slept too well.

The stove had burned steadily all night, clearly someone had gotten up to add coal.

The quilt and mattress smelled strongly of sunshine, likely washed and aired days ago, with a fresh cover on the quilt.

In the late night, when he'd woken up needing to urinate, he'd thought how inconvenient it was outside, freezing at minus ten degrees—only to find the chamber pot already placed in the corner.

This treatment… if two palace maids were added, would he truly become a little emperor at home?

But when he opened his door, he found both sisters waiting eagerly outside.

"Brother, here's your wash water and towel."

"Brother, here's your toothpaste—just opened."

Li Ye: "."

"Is this what you two should be doing? I'm not crippled—I've got hands and feet! Don't ever do this again—what kind of society are we in?"

Li Ye couldn't help laughing and scolding them; he truly didn't want his two little sisters living like timid guests under someone else's eaves.

He remembered how, three years ago, when the sisters had come in with Han Chunmei, they'd been so terrified after he'd glared at them once that they never dared leave her side.

After two years of improvement, the two girls had grown close to him, yet he still sensed a faint, invisible barrier between them.

What was a real sister supposed to be like?

"Brother, hand over all your pocket money, or I'll tell Mom you're spending money on video games and have a crush."

"Brother, I drowned Dad's lucky fish—later I'll say you did it. You think I'm framing you? Think about it: who'll your parents believe—you or me?"

"."

So this behavior from his sisters made Li Ye deeply uncomfortable.

But then his younger sister Li Ying giggled: "Hehe, Brother bought us fountain pens! I'm washing your face because I should!"

"Oh, fountain pens—I remember now."

Li Ye suddenly recalled something.

Because Li Zhongfa had brokered a deal with a Hong Kong foreign businessman to import instant noodle production lines, the family finally got a telephone for constant contact with the outside world.

That day, Li Ye had called home and heard his younger sister Li Ying wailing on the other end.

When he asked why, he learned her fountain pen had fallen and broken its nib—so he'd generously said, "Don't cry—I'll buy you three. One to use, two to look at."

He never imagined such a small promise had stayed with Li Ying ever since.

Li Ye washed his face quickly and said, "I bought you fountain pens—they should be in that yellow suitcase. Check if any fell off the Volga."

Both sisters shook their heads.

"No."

"No—when Sister came back, she didn't take anything off the car."

Li Ye understood—they'd come to ask him for the car keys.

So he knocked on his sister Li Yue's window, took the keys, and handed them to Li Juan: "Go get them yourself—they're in the yellow suitcase! Watch out—the two black suitcases are yours, don't touch them!"

"Oh, okay."

The two girls grabbed the keys and dashed out excitedly.

"Slam~"

The window he'd just closed opened again; Li Yue stuck her head out, face dark: "Why did you deliberately say not to touch my bags? Am I a man-eating tiger?"

Li Ye stared at his sister for several seconds before saying: "Sister, don't you get tired pretending to be so fierce?"

"."

Li Yue stared blankly at Li Ye for a long time—until Li Juan and Li Ying carried in a large sack of New Year goods—then slammed the window shut again.

"Sigh~"

Li Ye sighed softly, feeling helpless.

His sister Li Yue's nature wasn't originally so harsh; in his memories, she'd carried him across rivers, let him eat first, hugged him for warmth.

But after Li family's decline—when Grandfather Li Zhongfa and Father Li Kaicheng lost their jobs one after another—the whispers and glares from neighbors grew louder.

In just a few years, both Li Yue and Li Ye had grown hard, stubborn, even a little extreme.

But neither Grandfather Li Zhongfa nor Grandma Wu Juying had stopped them.

In that environment, submitting quietly wouldn't earn pity—only sharpness and aggression could make some people hesitate before bullying.

Grandfather, Grandma, and Father had lost their voice; Li Yue was too beautiful, and Li Ye was her fatal weakness—if she weren't fierce, who knew what might happen?

But Grandfather Li Zhongfa had been reemployed for four years now, and Li Yue's personality was slowly returning to her true self—yet reverting to how she was ten years ago? That seemed impossible.

Li Ye's change was a glitch—so now the two sisters weren't afraid of him, but still feared Li Yue.

Li Juan and Li Ying, like two little groundhogs, carried the Volga's New Year goods down in trips, then opened the yellow suitcase Li Ye mentioned—and found two full boxes of fountain pens.

"Huh? All these are fountain pens?"

"Wow, not one box—two boxes! Hahaha~"

Li Ying stared at the two full boxes—twenty pens—and rejoiced like a starving miner who'd just unearthed a basket of gold.

In early 1980s China, what gift did children most desire? A fountain pen was unquestionably among the top choices—often the only one.

For children from average families, getting a fountain pen in elementary school was rare—they mostly used pencils.

Even by middle school, they often inherited an old fountain pen from an older sibling, its nib already split.

If a child's parents worked at a unit, the child would constantly beg: "When will your pen 'go missing'?"

Children today can't understand how important a fountain pen—something with zero entertainment value—was to a primary or middle schooler.

Just watch 1980s films: when a father returned home after years away, what did he bring his child? Mostly pencils and fountain pens.

Children were wise—they wouldn't ask for "a doll," "a toy gun," or "a Big White Rabbit candy"—they'd ask for a fountain pen.

Because the consequence might be… Mom has a rolling pin—want to try it?

So now, seeing two full boxes of fountain pens, Li Juan and Li Ying's hearts pounded with excitement—imagine telling their friends! They'd be green with envy.

Li Ying stared at the pen in her hand: "Sister, my box is Hero—what's yours? Golden Star?"

Li Juan snatched it instantly: "What do you mean 'your box'? Is that yours? Give it here!"

"."

Li Ying froze, then finally blurted: "But there are two boxes—one for you, one for me… why are you more unreasonable than a bandit?"

Li Juan's eyebrows shot up: "Who are you calling a bandit?"

"."

Li Ying panted heavily but didn't dare reach for the pen back.

She was still small, half a head shorter than Li Juan, and Li Juan was "good at wrestling"—she knew better than to fight a losing battle.

"Hmph~"

Seeing Li Ying back down, Li Juan pulled out one pen and handed it to her.

"Why do you need so many pens? One isn't enough? This is Golden Star 703—do you know how expensive it is? You'll just get it stolen at school!"

"I keep it in my pocket during breaks—who'd steal it?"

"You think you can keep a whole box in your pocket?"

"Then don't worry about it."

Seeing Li Ying's face longer than a donkey's, Li Juan suddenly returned the whole box.

"Here—hide it well!"

"Yes yes yes yes, hehe."

Li Ying, who'd only dared hope for a few extra pens, couldn't believe she'd gotten them all back—she clutched the box tightly to her chest, beaming.

Li Ye watched from afar, finding their squabble amusing.

Li Juan and Li Ying were somewhat like him and Li Yue.

He and Li Yue had been despised and excluded because of Grandfather Li Zhongfa's downfall.

Li Juan and Li Ying were shunned by relatives because they came with Han Chunmei.

When people look at you with prejudice, reasoning won't work—you either become unreasonable, crafty, or give up.

Eldest sister Li Juan was somewhat like Li Yue; youngest sister Li Ying, Li Ye always felt, wasn't stupid—she was clever.

For example, yesterday and today, when she spoke to Li Ye, she explained things more clearly than Li Juan ever did.

Clever Li Ying played with her box of pens for a long time, touching each one, then slipped away to her room—when she returned, the pen box was gone.

Li Ye thought Li Juan had finally stopped bullying her—but when Han Chunmei returned that night, he realized he was wrong.

After dinner, Han Chunmei snapped at Li Ying: "What grade are you in? Why do you need so many pens? Hand them over—I'll keep them safe. Don't worry, you won't lose one. Now go get them."

Li Ying blinked: "Mom, I'll give them to you later."

But Han Chunmei was stern: "Now. Right now."

Li Ying nearly cried, then shuffled to the wardrobe, strained to shove it aside, and pulled out the pen box from behind.

She had to hide them—these ten pens would last her years. Li Juan was already in high school and far outperformed her—when she took one, what could you do?

Now that they were in Han Chunmei's hands, she'd be lucky to get six back.

As Han Chunmei said: "You're failing—using a dip pen is a waste. Giving you new pencils is generous. If you're in the bottom three again, you'll get pencil stubs."

But just as Li Ying pulled out the box and tried to push the wardrobe back, Han Chunmei stepped forward, blocked her, and reached behind the wardrobe—pulling out a laundry detergent bag.

Inside the bag was a stack of bills—five jiao, one jiao, five fen—colorful and bright.

Li Ying froze—truly stunned.

Now, recalling Li Juan's expression when she returned the pen box that afternoon, she suddenly realized how cunning it had been.

"How come there's only this much?"

Han Chunmei held the detergent bag and eyed her two daughters suspiciously.

Li Juan scratched her head, feeling her estimates had been off.

Li Ying suddenly burst into tears: "What are you doing? It's all gone! Everything's gone!"

For a child to save money, they must be stingy, must pretend to be poor—allowance spent long ago,

if you say you've saved money, will you get any new allowance?

But Li Ying's wailing was so heart-wrenching it left Li Kaibian on the defensive.

"Forget it. Saving pocket money isn't easy for a child."

"I'm not upset about her spending," Han Chunmei said. "I won't let her develop a habit of valuing money too much.

Don't you know? Her teacher says she's been running a business at school—first just candy bars, last month she started selling clothes too, speculating and profiteering.

If she gets hooked on business, how will her studies ever improve? We must cut the root of this!"

"."

Li Ye studied his tear-streaked little sister closely—he'd underestimated her. How old was she? Already trading for profit?

But precisely because he looked closely, Li Ye caught a fleeting, hidden glance from Li Ying.

Her eyes drifted to the big bed where Li Kaibian and Han Chunmei slept; beneath one leg of the bed lay a thin wooden board.

With Li Ye's exceptional vision, he could tell the board had been moved recently.

(End of Chapter)