Ever since transmigrating here, she hadn’t eaten such a proper, filling meal in a long time.
After dinner, Miao Miaomiao even felt a bit stuffed, so she went out to sit under the big tree in front of the yard to cool off.
“Psst, psst…”
From the other side of the fence came a few soft hissing sounds, as if someone were calling her.
Miao Miaomiao turned her head and saw Huzi lurking sneakily outside. She found it strange. “Huzi, what are you sneaking around out there for? The gate isn’t even closed. Come in.”
Seeing her beckon, Huzi finally slipped in shyly. “Hehe, I was afraid Aunt Ying would scold me…”
Zhang Cuiying had always been a shadow in his heart. Huzi was especially afraid of this aunt—she looked terrifying whenever she scolded people.
Miao Miaomiao knew her mother’s temperament well and smiled with pursed lips. “Go on, what is it? You looking for me?”
Huzi scratched his head awkwardly and said with an ingratiating smile, “Big Sister Daniu, it’s like this—your mushroom soup tonight was really too delicious. My grandma… no, I mean I… wanted to come ask for some to take back and cook.”
Miao Miaomiao glanced toward the kitchen and said, “No, the ones I picked today haven’t been dried yet. They can’t be eaten now.”
“Ah? Oh…”
Hearing that, Huzi lowered his head in disappointment. He wondered if Big Sister Daniu was just making excuses—maybe she didn’t want to give him any at all.
Thinking this, his heart felt a little heavy.
“But if you want to eat them, I can take you to pick some tomorrow morning.”
Miao Miaomiao looked at him and added this at just the right moment.
“Really?”
Huzi immediately lifted his head, his eyes sparkling.
That was great. If he picked mushrooms, his family would have something tasty for dinner again.
“Sure. I can also teach you how to cook them,” Miao Miaomiao said, then paused. Her eyes rolled slightly as an idea came to her. She motioned for Huzi to lean closer and whispered, “Huzi, you’re the king of kids in this village—do you have any connections to help me trade out some dried goods?”
“Trade” meant sell—this was village terminology. Out of superstition, villagers never dared to say the word “sell.”
As soon as Huzi heard this, he dramatically covered his mouth. “Big Sister Daniu, that’s profiteering!”
In this era, private buying and selling was considered profiteering. At best, one would be criticized and struggled against; at worst, sentenced.
But in poor mountain villages like theirs, many people secretly did it anyway—otherwise, how could they support a whole family with just those few work points?
“Stop pretending. Don’t think I don’t know—you’re so familiar with the black market you could wander it with your eyes closed, right?”
Miao Miaomiao knew all this perfectly well. The reason she asked Huzi was because she knew he and his little uncle were doing these things too.
Huzi’s small eyes froze for a moment, and he immediately understood what she meant. “Hehe, alright, Sister, I’ll help you with it.”
After hesitating briefly, he added, “But these mountain goods aren’t grain after all—they might not trade for much money.”
“I know that.”
Miao Miaomiao had long understood that this business wouldn’t last. She was only doing it to scrape together some travel money to go to the city.
Now that she was a widow with no job, she was basically freeloading at home. Zhang Cuiying couldn’t even be bothered to hide the eye-rolls—how could she possibly give her money to go to the city?
So she had to earn it herself.
Huzi moved quickly. The next day, after she took him to pick bamboo fungus and taught him how to identify and cook it, his family soon began quietly drying bamboo fungus to sell as well.
Miao Miaomiao tacitly understood everything—when it came to making money, it was safer when everyone earned together.
Huzi was also very righteous. He helped her sell the dried goods and only charged a small transportation fee, not taking advantage of her.
Miao Miaomiao was responsible for picking—after picking, she dried them; if she couldn’t dry them, she roasted them. She slowly stockpiled them, and every time she filled a large sack, she would sneak it out to sell on a dark, windy night.
To avoid arousing suspicion at home, every time she brought some back, she showed part of it and hid part of it. There was always a big bamboo tray laid out drying in the yard, but at night she would constantly rotate things, doing it so discreetly that no one noticed.
Occasionally during the day, she also followed Miao Tianli to the fields to earn work points—this made for better cover.
Days passed quickly. In less than half a month, she had actually saved up more than ten yuan.
During this time, Miao Miaomiao also went to the village committee once to make a phone call.
“Hello…”
She held the receiver, her heart still a little nervous. “Hello, comrade… may I ask… is Comrade Huo Qichuan there?”
“……”
There was another long stretch of silence.
Miao Miaomiao’s heart clenched, and her palms broke out in cold sweat.
There’s no such person again, right?
Her heart sank heavily, and her whole mood dimmed.
“…He’s not here. What do you need him for?”
To her surprise, the person on the other end answered!
Miao Miaomiao’s spirits lifted instantly. She gripped the receiver tightly and said, “I’m looking for him…”
But when the words reached her lips, she couldn’t say anything more.
What was she looking for him for anyway?
What was she to him now?
No—between them, there was really nothing. They weren’t even friends.
Yet for some reason, there was a strange, stubborn attachment in her heart.
She pondered for a moment before slowly speaking. “Well… I wanted to tell him that I’m no longer in Qingshan Village. I’ve moved back to Green Water Village. The address is ##￥￥#￥…”
The other end listened quietly.
After she finished giving the address, the voice replied coldly, “Okay,” and then hung up.
Miao Miaomiao put down the phone, suddenly feeling an endless emptiness in her chest.
…
Tonight was another delivery night. In half a month, this was already her third shipment.
She had to hurry—mountain goods were all about seasonality. After another month, once the rainy season passed, there would be no more bamboo fungus to pick.
But for some reason, her eyelids twitched wildly tonight, and she had a vague feeling that something was going to happen.
Maybe she was just overthinking it.
Miao Miaomiao rubbed her eyebrows and continued carrying the sack out of the house.
Out of the corner of her eye, she seemed to see a piece of clothing flutter past in a nearby corner. When she rubbed her eyes and looked again, there was nothing there.
Was I seeing things?
Miao Miaomiao paused and went back into the room. Not long after, she came out with a red headscarf draped over her head.
A sign of good fortune—this should work now, right?
After preparing herself, she continued carrying the sack outside.
To avoid trouble, even though Huzi lived just a few steps away as a neighbor, they arranged to meet by the small pond nearby to exchange goods—it was safer that way.
The moon hung high above the treetops.
Huzi had already been waiting by the pond for a long time. When he saw Miao Miaomiao arrive, he waved hurriedly. “Sis, why are you so late? I still need to hurry back to listen to the radio.”
“Oh, Huzi, not bad—your family even bought a radio now.”
Miao Miaomiao smiled and teased him.
In that era, although radios weren’t as expensive as bicycles, they were still rare commodities—over thirty yuan apiece.
“Hehe…” Huzi waved his hands shyly. “It’s all thanks to you helping me make money, Sis.”
“Who’s helping who make money?”
Suddenly, many torches lit up along the small path.
When Miao Miaomiao saw them, she cried inwardly, Not good—run!
“Huh?” Huzi hadn’t even reacted yet when the people were already right in front of them.
Miao Qingqing walked over with the instructor, pointing at them. “Instructor Zhao, it’s them. They’re secretly reselling goods—profiteering!”