The Mother by Pearl S. Buck

Some seven days after that day a letter carrier who carried letters in a bag upon his shoulder passed by, a new thing in these later days, for in old days there were no such men, and to the folk of this hamlet it was ever a magic miracle that letters could be come by like this, but so they were, nevertheless. And now this man took a letter from his bag and held it and he stared at the mother and he said, "Are you the wife of one surnamed Li?"

Then she knew her letter had come and she said, "I am that one," and he said, "Then this is yours and it is from your man, wherever he is, for his name is written there. " So he gave her the letter.