Charles Thompson remembers that before David Clark joined the army, he was quite a mischievous child—not only would he never bring him cigarettes or alcohol, but he would also sneak off to buy cigarettes for himself from time to time. If it weren’t for him and his wife helping to keep an eye on things, the little bit of compensation the factory gave each month wouldn’t have been enough for David Clark and his sister to live on. Now, David Clark could suddenly give him two cartons of cigarettes and two bottles of liquor, and it seemed he had even quit smoking himself. Truly, a prodigal son returning is worth more than gold.

“Brother, did you bring me a gift?” Emily Clark saw David Clark giving things to Charles Thompson and couldn’t help but feel a little envious. Even though she knew it was unlikely, she still couldn’t resist asking.

“I did.” David Clark replied. While Susan Cooper was busy heating up the dishes, he took the opportunity to hand out the gifts.

“Little Emily, take this piece of printed fabric.” David Clark took out the piece of fabric that Director Bolton from the Red Star Factory had bought for him and handed it to Emily Clark. “Go ask Auntie Cooper if it’s enough to make two shirts—one for you and one for Grace Thompson.”

“Wow, it’s Dacron!” Emily Clark exclaimed joyfully. She couldn’t wait to shake out the fabric and hold it up against herself. “Auntie Cooper, come look! My brother bought Dacron for me and Grace Thompson!”

Susan Cooper had already gone out to cook, but when she heard Emily Clark’s shout, she ran back into the room. She touched the fabric, then estimated its length and nodded. “Yes, this is really good fabric. There’s enough for two shirts and even some left over. You can alternate them and wear them for years.”

“My brother said, one for me and one for Grace Thompson.” Emily Clark corrected.

“Why give one to Grace Thompson? She already has clothes to wear.” Susan Cooper said, then turned to David Clark: “You only get a little over ten yuan a month as an allowance. It’s not easy to save up for a piece of fabric. Just let Little Emily keep it all.”

“Auntie, this is also a token of my appreciation. You used to make clothes for me and Little Emily. What’s the harm in me giving a shirt to Grace Thompson? Grace Thompson is my little sister too.” David Clark really had a sweet tongue. As soon as he called her “little sister,” Grace Thompson, who was standing to the side, blushed instantly.

Susan Cooper looked at Charles Thompson for guidance, waiting for the head of the household to speak. Charles Thompson nodded and said to Grace Thompson, “Grace Thompson, aren’t you going to thank Little David?”

Grace Thompson had already been eyeing the fabric with envy. When she heard her father agree, she couldn’t help but smile. However, she couldn’t bring herself to thank David Clark directly. She just gave him a shy smile, tossed her long braid, and slipped out.

“Hehe, this child, she knows how to be shy now.” Susan Cooper said with a hint of reproach.

“Hmm… everyone has a gift except you. Auntie, I’m sorry.” David Clark said to Susan Cooper. In truth, there really wasn’t anything in his box that he could give her.

“We’re all family, why say such things? The gifts you gave to your Uncle Thompson and Grace Thompson are as good as giving them to me.” Susan Cooper said. Two cartons of cigarettes, two bottles of liquor, plus a piece of fabric for Grace Thompson—that was quite a generous gift. Susan Cooper certainly wasn’t going to worry about whether she got something herself. Now, she was just thinking about how she could look after the Clark siblings a bit more in the future to repay this kindness. She didn’t count the things she’d done for the Clark siblings over the past few years; she felt that was simply her duty.

Chapter 008: Little Sister Takes Charge

After eating at the Thompson household, Emily Clark took David Clark back to their own home. While David Clark was in the army, Emily Clark had been living at the Thompson house, taking over the bed of Grace Thompson’s younger brother, Thomas Thompson, who in turn stayed at the Clark house. Now that David Clark was back, Emily Clark naturally had to move back home, and David Clark was now an adult, able to take charge of his own life.

The Clark siblings’ home was in the last row of the Hanhua Machinery Factory’s family housing. There were two single-story rooms, each a little over ten square meters, with a door in between so the rooms could connect. Like everyone else, they had built a small kitchen and a little storage room for firewood outside. The kitchen and storage room were made from steel pipes, angle iron, and tar paper—materials all taken from the workshop. This was called “living off the factory,” and every household did it, so it wasn’t really considered wrong.

Thomas Thompson had already packed up his things and was waiting for David Clark to come and hand over the room. Emily Clark told David Clark that Thomas Thompson was now 14, in his second year at the county middle school. His grades were average, but he was very honest, just like his father.

“Thomas Thompson, sorry for kicking you out.” David Clark walked up to Thomas Thompson, reached out his hand, and wanted to shake hands.

Thomas Thompson was a bit surprised, his face turning a little red. Maybe he’d never experienced such an adult gesture before, or maybe he just hadn’t expected David Clark to greet him like this. When David Clark left for the army, Thomas Thompson was only 12, still a little kid. Of course, he was still a little kid now.

“Little David…brother, the key is on the table. I’m leaving.” Thomas Thompson said awkwardly. He had always called David Clark just “Little David,” but now, seeing David Clark looking a bit more grown up, he felt embarrassed and forced himself to add “brother” after the name.

“Don’t go yet, this is for you.” David Clark took out a handful of spent bullet casings and handed them to Thomas Thompson as a gift.