Lin Erhu squatted at the market, selling mushrooms while fiddling with a calculator.
Over the past few days, they had learned to recognize Arabic numerals using this calculator. Yesterday, they even bought an electronic scale and plastic bags. From now on, they would sell their mushrooms by the jin.
When dealing with small vendors who wanted to buy in bulk for resale, they still offered a wholesale discount. Though the price was lower, each basket of mushrooms only cost them one jar of salt. The faster they sold, the more they sold, and the more the siblings earned.
Grandma Liu came to the market to buy groceries and immediately spotted Lin Erhu weighing mushrooms for a customer. “Erhu, where’s your sister?”
Lin Erhu pointed at Lin Xiaoman, who was walking over carrying four baskets of mushrooms on her back. “She went back to get more mushrooms. Grandma Liu, are you here to buy more mushrooms?”
Grandma Liu turned around and gasped when she saw the baskets hanging off Lin Xiaoman. “Goodness, Xiaoman, you’re so strong!”
When Lin Xiaoman reached them, she and Lin Erhu worked together to lift the mushroom baskets off her back.
Lin Xiaoman was delighted to see Grandma Liu. “Grandma Liu, did you finish all the mushrooms at home?”
Grandma Liu shook her head. “How could I finish them? I preserved them all in salt, then froze them in the freezer to eat slowly.”
The siblings knew that the “freezer” Grandma Liu mentioned was the large cabinet used to store meat at the supermarket. They were amazed that ordinary people here could afford such things. Back in their world, even wealthy families had to store ice from the previous winter just to have a little during the summer.
“Grandma Liu, was your family one of those wealthy households from the old days?”
“Oh my, you still have such a sweet tongue.” Grandma Liu laughed at Lin Xiaoman’s remark. “Do you know why I came to see you today?”
The siblings shook their heads in unison, looking as innocent as little white rabbits.
Grandma Liu sighed. These two were too trusting. If they hadn’t been lucky enough to meet good people, they’d probably be counting money for someone who swindled them. “Do you know how much the ginseng you gave Grandma Xu a while back is worth?”
The siblings had no idea what ginseng was, but they had only ever given away one ginseng root, and it was to Grandma Xu. So that must be what she meant.
But that root wasn’t even as big as the one their father had bought for their mother, and they had no way of knowing the price difference between the two worlds. So they shook their heads again.
Grandma Liu clicked her tongue. “You two are way too honest. Giving away a ginseng root that big like it’s nothing! If Grandma Xu weren’t such an upright person, how many mushrooms would you have to sell to make up that money? She transferred ten thousand yuan to me and asked me to give it to you when I saw you.”
She grabbed Lin Xiaoman’s hand. “Come with me to the bank. I’ll withdraw the money for you.”
But Lin Xiaoman didn’t budge. Grandma Liu was about to advise her not to be too naive, or she’d get taken advantage of, when Lin Xiaoman smiled. “Grandma Liu, take me to buy a mobile phone instead. You can transfer the money to me afterward.”
Through their trips to sell mushrooms and shop here, Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu had come to realize how useful mobile phones were. Without one, they had lost many customers who didn’t carry cash.
They had already asked at phone shops. Buying a phone was easy, but they didn’t have an ID to get a SIM card.
Though it wasn’t exactly honorable, Grandma Liu was such a kind person—surely she would help them get a SIM card, right?
“Is that all? Alright. It’s inconvenient for you to sell mushrooms for cash anyway. Once you get a phone, you can print out a payment QR code and make transactions easier.”
They sold their remaining mushrooms at a discount to the vendor who usually bought from them in the morning, then followed Grandma Liu to buy a phone.
After leaving the phone store, Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu each had a new phone in hand—the same model but in different colors, a new model costing over two thousand yuan.
Before the siblings could even ask, Grandma Liu proactively helped them get two SIM cards. Considering their internet needs, she also set up an unlimited data plan for both of them.
When she learned that their home had no electricity, Grandma Liu couldn’t imagine just how remote and impoverished their village must be. In the end, she took them to a hardware store to buy a solar charging panel.
She also taught them the basics of using a phone, such as how to top up credit and how to go online. Most importantly, she first installed scam-prevention software on their devices.
Seeing how fascinated the siblings were, Grandma Liu warned them, “It’s fine to play around with it a bit, but don’t overdo it. If you strain your eyes and become nearsighted, you’ll have to wear glasses.”
They knew what nearsightedness meant—Lin Erhu certainly didn’t want to end up like Teacher Lü, bumping into poles and apologizing to them.
After bidding farewell to Grandma Liu, the siblings bought more hotpot ingredients, planning to have hotpot again that night. The weather had turned cold over the past few days, and nothing was more comforting than a hotpot meal.
As soon as they got home, they heard the door to the inner room being slammed repeatedly. A woman’s voice called out, “Xiaoman, Erhu, why are the doors shut in broad daylight? What delicious food are you hiding in there?”
Seeing the door rattling under the pounding, the siblings felt a chill of fear. They decided they needed to rebuild the collapsed courtyard wall as soon as possible—otherwise, anyone could just walk right in.
With so much food and supplies hidden in the house, it would be too easy for someone to steal from them.
And if someone happened to come while they were returning through the cabinet from the other side, they might mistake them for monsters.
They quickly stashed today’s purchases inside the chest and locked it. Only then did Lin Xiaoman open the door—just as a hand swung toward her face, nearly slapping her.
Lin Xiaoman dodged to the side to avoid it. “Aunt Wang, are you here to break down the door?” she asked, irritated.
Aunt Wang, in her forties, also lived in the western part of the village. Her husband was Lin Dashan, and they had two sons: the eldest, Lin Jinhu, and the youngest, Lin Jinkui.
Lin Jinhu took after his father—honest and hardworking, quietly toiling away without complaint. Lin Jinkui, on the other hand, was lazy, greedy, and slick, just like Aunt Wang. People often saw Lin Dashan and Lin Jinhu heading to the fields while Aunt Wang and Lin Jinkui stayed home secretly cooking up something good.
Over the years, the family had saved little money. When their house collapsed last year, they couldn’t afford to rebuild in the eastern part of the village, so they moved into an abandoned old house instead.
Aunt Wang sniffed the air, convinced she smelled something delicious. With a fake smile, she said, “So you were hiding in here snacking on something, huh? Keeping it all to yourselves?”
Lin Xiaoman nudged her out into the courtyard and replied with an equally fake smile, “We’re eating our own food. Why would we need to sneak it?”
“If you weren’t sneaking, why did you bolt the door so tightly? I called for ages, and no one came to open up.”
“There are too many stray cats in the village. If I don’t keep the door locked, they might come and steal things.”
Aunt Wang realized Lin Xiaoman was subtly insulting her. Annoyed, she remembered why she had come and forced a smile again. “Xiaoman, I came today to ask where you bought your salt. I want to buy some more.”
Lin Xiaoman shook her head firmly. “Aunt Wang, don’t get me in trouble. Selling private salt means prison time. I’m not doing that.”
“Ha!” Aunt Wang sneered. “If you’re not selling salt, why are you hoarding so much at home? Trading salt for mushrooms—doesn’t that count as selling private salt?”
Without a hint of guilt, Lin Xiaoman nodded confidently. “I’m not selling salt. I just bought too much before and couldn’t finish it, so I’m trading it for mushrooms. No matter who you ask, I’m not selling private salt.”
Seeing that she couldn’t intimidate Lin Xiaoman into giving in, Aunt Wang softened her tone. “Don’t be scared. I’m not trying to hurt you. I just think we should all make money together. Your brothers Jinhu and Jinkui are getting old, and I’ve been worrying about their marriages. I want to earn some money to find them wives. Just tell me the truth, and I promise I won’t tell anyone. I’ll even give you a cut.”
Lin Xiaoman shook her head again. “Aunt Wang, if you want salt, go up the mountain and pick mushrooms. I’ll still be trading for a few more days, but once the salt runs out, there won’t be any left to trade.”
“Hmph! You’re so stingy!” Seeing that she couldn’t get anywhere with Lin Xiaoman, Aunt Wang shot her a vicious glare and stormed off.