On the old street, lined on both sides with shops full of retro charm, Yu Nian’an carried the basket of vegetables along the road. She walked past a block of old tube-style apartments before finally spotting the food factory sign that Aunt Chunxing had mentioned.
Looking through the factory gate, the compound was fairly large, suggesting it was a factory of some scale.
She approached the security room at the gate, where an elderly man was sitting, sipping from an enamel cup.
Yu Nian’an knocked on the metal door. “Hello, Grandpa, I’m here to deliver something!”
“Huh? Deliver something? For whom?”
The old man looked up and, seeing Yu Nian’an was a stranger, blurted out the question, which caught her off guard.
Wasn’t it just supposed to be left at the gate?
Aunt Chunxing hadn’t said what her son’s name was, but it should be Yu, right?
Yu Nian’an quickly explained, “I’m delivering vegetables for the child of a village aunt. I honestly forgot the exact name, but I know the surname is Yu.”
She then handed over the basket of vegetables.
The old man looked inside and recognized the basket. Looking back at Yu Nian’an, his expression softened considerably. “Ah, it’s from Yu Weimin’s family. Just leave it here.”
As they were speaking, someone came out of the factory and headed toward the security room.
“Grandpa Xu, hasn’t my mom come today?”
Yu Nian’an glanced at him, his face vaguely familiar. She wondered where she had seen him before. The next second, the security guard chuckled and said, “What a coincidence! Weimin, your mom didn’t come today, so this young lady delivered the vegetables for her.”
“Didn’t come?”
Yu Weimin looked a little surprised.
Yu Nian’an immediately realized this must be Aunt Chunxing’s son. No wonder he looked familiar; mother and son bore a strong resemblance.
“You…”
“Aunt Chunxing…”
Both spoke at the same time.
Yu Weimin, hearing her mention his mother’s name, immediately stopped talking and gestured for her to go first.
“Aunt Chunxing was busy today and couldn’t come, so she asked me to bring the vegetables to you,” Yu Nian’an explained confidently.
Yu Weimin didn’t doubt her at all. He thanked her, picked up the basket, and motioned for her to wait there for a moment.
He said there were some things he also wanted her to take back, then turned and went into the tube-style apartment building ahead.
Yu Nian’an only glanced briefly and immediately felt a bit stifled ten households per floor, shared toilets and bathrooms; probably anyone sneezing at home could be heard by the neighbors.
Looking at it this way, her own little courtyard really was better.
Yu Weimin returned quickly, carrying the basket again, now seemingly filled with more items.
“Miss, I’ll trouble you again to take these to my parents. And while you’re at it, let them know I’ll be back at the end of the month for a visit.”
As Yu Nian’an took the basket, Yu Weimin reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small oil-paper-wrapped package.
“This is for you thank you for your help today.”
Yu Nian’an took it, but through the oil paper she couldn’t tell what it was, so she freed one hand and unwrapped it. Inside were several palm-sized round biscuits.
“These are?”
“These are a new product our factory developed recently. They haven’t been selling well, so we just gave them out as employee perks. But don’t worry they’re not bad, just not aesthetically perfect.”
Yu Weimin scratched his head a little embarrassedly.
Yu Nian’an politely said, “Not at all. Such a thoughtful gift I feel a little embarrassed to accept it.”
“Even if it’s fancy, it’s meant to be eaten. Just take it, there aren’t many. I’m a grown man, I don’t care much for these kinds of things anyway.”
Seeing this, Yu Nian’an didn’t insist any further. She tucked the basket and the oil-paper package into her pockets, thinking of the errands she still had, and got ready to leave.
Yu Weimin walked with her for a short distance.
Along the way, she suddenly remembered him mentioning that the biscuits weren’t selling. In this day and age, biscuits were in high demand how could they possibly not sell?
She glanced around, saw few people nearby, and lowered her voice to ask.
Hearing her question, Yu Weimin’s face showed a trace of helplessness. “Those biscuits are all made from high-quality ingredients, so the cost is high. The selling price had to be set accordingly, but in our county, very few people can actually afford them.”
“Then why not ship them to the city?”
“Ah, the fuel and transport costs for a truck going back and forth… and once in the city, we’d have to handle procedures, find sales channels. All that adds up to a hefty expense. Besides, the biscuits are very fragile if the truck bumps along the way, they’ll break and look unappealing. Our manager thought it over and decided it’s not worth it. We didn’t make many anyway, so we just distributed them to everyone as perks. After this, we won’t produce them anymore.”
“I see,” Nian’an nodded in understanding.
By now, they had walked a fair distance. Since Yu Weimin still had work at the factory, he didn’t accompany her further. After bidding her goodbye, he turned back.
Yu Nian’an slung the basket over her arm, took out one of the biscuits from the oil-paper package, and bit into it.
It was a bit dry, but the taste was decent an early version of calcium-fortified milk biscuits.
Before entering this world, she had loved tinkering with food, so she naturally knew what ingredients were used: milk, flour, eggs, sugar all relatively expensive items in this era. No wonder they didn’t sell well. Price it low, and the profit margin is too small; price it high, and ordinary families won’t spend money on it at all.
She rewrapped the remaining biscuits. Then a sudden idea sparked in her mind, a new plan but it still needed testing.
She lifted her feet and headed toward the county supply and marketing cooperative.
By now, some people had already left the co-op, so it wasn’t too crowded. After wandering around, she realized that although she had brought money, she’d forgotten something crucial: the vouchers.
What a miscalculation. She had been hoping to buy everything her household was lacking on this trip.
She wandered in front of these goods for a long time but didn’t see much she could actually buy. Instead, she caught the attention of the shop assistant, who was eyeing her suspiciously, as if she were a thief.
Yu Nian’an had no choice but to leave and, standing at the doorway, tried to think of another way to buy the items she needed.
Just as she was hesitating, a familiar voice reached her ears.
“Comrade Yu, what a coincidence.”
It was Lin Zhi, with Ye Xiao and Gu Shen by her side.
Yu Nian’an politely nodded to them in acknowledgment.
Lin Zhi walked over, glanced at her basket, and looked a little curious. “Have you finished buying everything?”
“Not even started yet…” Yu Nian’an replied, her expression complicated.
“Ah?”
Seeing her puzzled look, Yu Nian’an thought for a moment and explained that she hadn’t brought any vouchers.
Lin Zhi looked a bit troubled. She had only brought a few vouchers this trip, and had just used them all. However, a few days ago when she collected grain from the commune, she still had one grain voucher left. She was thinking of giving it to Yu Nian’an for temporary use.
Before she could act, Gu Shen spoke up first.
“What do you need to buy?”
Since that brief “thank you” earlier, this was the first proper time Yu Nian’an heard Gu Shen speak. Surprised, she looked at him and, without thinking, listed all the items she had planned to buy: “Oil, salt… and if possible, some flour too.”