"You already said it’s just a lousy cotton pad, what’s so good about it?"
Shen Mianmian gave him a glare.
In that era, there were no physiology classes in middle school, and the internet wasn’t developed. People like Lu Siyuan had absolutely no knowledge about physiology.
If she had to explain sanitary pads to Lu Siyuan, she probably needed to explain human anatomy as well.
"Yeah! It’s just a lousy cotton pad, what are you cherishing so much? I’m not stealing yours." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Didn’t you just try to take it?"
"That’s because you wouldn’t let me see."
"A lousy cotton pad, what’s so good about it?"
"A lousy cotton pad, what are you hiding?"
The two of them went back and forth over the cotton pad, starting an argument that circled back to where it began; eventually, both realized they were being somewhat childish.
It seemed like, indeed, there was nothing worth arguing about.
They both snorted coldly, ignoring each other.
As Lu Siyuan was driving the cart, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He also found it strange—Brother He treated Shen Mianmian too well, either giving or buying her things. He could understand it when the purchases were useful, but now, what was the use of this lousy cotton pad?
The girl was guarding it as if it were a treasured pearl, which was infuriating.
He had never seen her guard anything so fiercely, not even when he got into a fight with Du Xiaohui.
The country roads were bumpy, and there was a television on the cart. Lu Siyuan had to drive the ox cart slower than usual.
Seeing Shen Mianmian constantly pressing down on the bag of cotton pads, he jeered, "Don’t just protect your lousy cotton pad, help steady the TV too."
It would be bad if it broke before they got home.
Shen Mianmian rolled her eyes and perfunctorily placed her hand on the television’s cardboard box, angering Lu Siyuan to no end.
Since he didn’t want to flaunt his wealth, as they approached the village, Lu Siyuan covered the television box with a sack. Even when they encountered acquaintances entering the village, no one noticed anything.
A black-and-white television set was thus quietly brought home.
Grandfather Lu found out that Lu Siyuan had bought a TV and was somewhat distressed about the money, but more than that, he was happy.
His grandson, at such a young age, could earn money by his own abilities; this was very comforting to him.
Everyone understood without saying it aloud that they should not let Gao Changchun and his wife know about the television set, or it would lead to a whole slew of issues. As a result, Lu Siyuan moved the TV into Grandfather Lu’s room.
That way, Grandfather could also lie in bed and watch TV at night.
"Grandpa, take a day off today. Don’t weave bamboo baskets, come inside and watch TV for a while," Lu Siyuan pulled Grandfather Lu into the room, then called Shen Mianmian and Xiaocui in too, "Come on, let’s all enjoy ourselves today and just watch TV."
"Move the TV into your room!"
Since Grandfather Lu was getting old and his room had a certain smell, he was worried that the young people wouldn’t be accustomed to it.
Seeing through his concerns, Shen Mianmian said sweetly, "Grandpa, it’s better to keep the TV in your room. If it’s in Siyuan’s room, he’ll end up watching TV until midnight every day, which will affect his studies."
Hearing this, Grandfather Lu dropped the subject of moving the TV.
Black-and-white TVs of that era came with two antennas at the back to receive signals. If the picture quality was poor, one simply needed to twist the antenna until it gradually became clear. It was Lu Siyuan’s first time handling such a TV, and he was very careful when adjusting the antenna.
That afternoon, they switched between several channels. Whenever the picture wasn’t clear, everyone would ask Lu Siyuan to adjust the antenna, and though he would roll his eyes, he did it diligently every time.