Leaving aside the fact that Ruirui and Shushu were absolutely incapable of moving the grain.
Even she herself struggled to carry a fifty-jin grain sack, let alone transport the grain from five hundred mu of land—nearly 500,000 jin—to Bei Liao.
Therefore, she needed to find a way to transport the grain quickly and with minimal effort.
Estimating that the grain from the farm wouldn’t be delivered until evening, Fang Jinzhu took Shushu to a children’s clothing store first, buying several sets of spare clothes and nutritional supplies like milk powder for the two little ones.
Afterward, the older and younger pair drove back to the agricultural machinery sales company.
Upon inquiry, she discovered there were indeed time-saving and labor-saving mechanical arms for handling materials.
A person could operate it via a control rod to move and carry objects; with a single grab, the mechanical arm could lift at least one hundred kilograms of grain.
The price, however, wasn’t cheap.
A mechanical arm capable of lifting one hundred kilograms cost 38,000 yuan, while one for one hundred and fifty kilograms cost 48,000 yuan… and so on, with the most expensive ones reaching eighty to ninety thousand yuan.
Although expensive, it was something Fang Jinzhu had to purchase right now.
After careful consideration, she settled on a mechanical arm that could lift one hundred and fifty kilograms at a time.
Fortunately, having already collaborated once before, and with Fang Jinzhu being decisive, efficient, and polite, the manager of the agricultural machinery company not only gave her advance notice but also voluntarily provided her with the address of the mechanical arm retailer.
Fang Jinzhu didn’t let the help go unrewarded; she bought a pack of premium cigarettes and handed it to the manager before driving Shushu straight to the mechanical arm sales point.
Unexpectedly, besides selling mechanical arms, this place also had small conveyor belts!!
Restraining her eager desire to buy, Fang Jinzhu pretended to casually ask about them.
The shortest conveyor belt was four meters long and cost three thousand yuan.
Like the mechanical arms, the larger the specifications, the higher the price.
Fang Jinzhu wasn’t originally one to haggle.
But the thought that even saving one hundred yuan could buy a bag of premium rice and save dozens of Bei Liao civilians made her swallow her pride. After some persistent and gentle persuasion, she finally got the shop owner to agree to include a four-meter conveyor belt for free while keeping the mechanical arm at its original price.
However, Fang Jinzhu didn’t know how long the spacetime tunnel was, so she worried that a four-meter conveyor belt might not be long enough. She paid an extra fifteen hundred yuan to upgrade to a six-meter one and made the owner promise that she could exchange it for a larger specification at any time before she felt confident enough to place the order.
Watching the shop owner’s small truck deliver the mechanical arm and conveyor belt to the farm, Fang Jinzhu’s face, flushed from the haggling, broke into a radiant smile, her eyes sparkling with a bright sense of accomplishment.
Operating the mechanical arm wasn’t very complicated; after learning for just over half an hour, Fang Jinzhu had basically mastered it.
Leaving the mechanical arm sales point, Fang Jinzhu breathed a huge sigh of relief before taking Shushu to the supermarket to stock up on daily necessities and food for the next few days.
As soon as they entered the supermarket, Shushu instantly transformed into a toddler version of Granny Liu from Dream of the Red Chamber.
Sitting in the shopping cart, her large, dark eyes found everything incredibly novel and fascinating. The curve of her little mouth kept shifting with surprise and delight, yet she remained exceptionally well-behaved, not making any loud exclamations or causing a commotion.
Watching the bear cubs in the supermarket screaming and running around wildly, Fang Jinzhu felt even more that Shushu's sensible maturity was heartbreaking.
Seeing Shushu’s wide-eyed gaze fixed on the plush dolls on the shelf, filled with love and longing, Fang Jinzhu casually took down a soft little bunny plush toy and tucked it into Shushu’s arms. “Do you like it? If you like it, Sister will buy it for Shushu!”
The fluffy toy was placed into her arms, and Shushu's pupils instantly dilated, looking exactly like a kitten seeing a hundred dried fish snacks. "For Shushu? Really?"
"Really! Shushu can also pick one for her brother."
Hearing this, Shushu couldn't help but swing her dangling little legs back and forth in excitement. Her small face flushed bright red from sheer joy. "No need…"
She shook her head repeatedly. "Sister, Shushu and… brother can play together. Don't buy more, buy cheap ones, okay?"
Hearing this, Fang Jinzhu felt a pang in her heart.
The little one had developed a stress response from hunger, believing that all money should be spent on food and that buying anything else was wasteful.
She sniffled and decisively took another puppy plushie from the shelf.
"Alright, Sister will listen to Shushu. We'll only buy these two for now. In the future, when no one worries about going hungry anymore, Sister will buy all the plushies here for Shushu and her brother, okay?"
Fang Jinzhu didn't know that her casual promise had planted a beautiful and hopeful seed in the little one's heart.
Because Sister had truly filled her belly with food, Shushu believed that anything Sister said would surely come true.
One adult and one child returned to the Farm with a trunk full of supplies.
Vegetables hardly needed to be bought, as late summer and early autumn were seasons of abundant produce, and the Farm had everything they needed.
Most of what Fang Jinzhu bought were easy-to-cook foods.
After all, she was alone, and the next few days would surely be filled with nonstop work.
Dried noodles, instant noodles, and ham sausages were essential. With a quick fried egg and some greens tossed in, it would make a delicious meal.
In addition, she bought several pounds of pork and some easy-to-cook chicken drumsticks.
Steaming a pot of rice, stir-frying some greens with shredded pork, or stewing chicken drumsticks with mushrooms would also be incredibly fragrant and satisfying.
There were plenty of livestock and poultry on the Farm, so why spend money buying meat?
Because she couldn't bring herself to kill them!
Machines were indeed efficient. As soon as the Wuling Mini Truck drove into the Farm, they saw workers already loading grain into the large trucks.
Fang Jinzhu had informed the farm machinery owner in advance, asking him to contact the Farm workers to help her receive the mechanical arm and conveyor belt.
Seeing her return, the workers informed her that both items had already been unloaded outside the chicken coop.
After smiling and seeing the trucks off the Farm, Fang Jinzhu took Shushu back to the dormitory.
Once all the food and daily necessities were put away, Fang Jinzhu brought Shushu to the office.
General Chu must be anxiously waiting for her reply, so she needed to send a letter first to inform him that the grain was secured.
Bei Liao, General's Mansion.
Chu Ye and the others, along with little Ruirui, had been guarding the Dou Cang without leaving for a moment.
"Aye, those things surely aren't worth much…"
Chu Old Madam paced anxiously back and forth, pulling out the jade hairpin she had been keeping close to her chest. "Even if they can be exchanged for some food, it would only be a drop in the bucket. Why not let Ruirui take this hairpin of mine to Miss Jinzhu?"
Chu Ye shook his head, trying his best to steady his voice. "Mother, don't worry. Let's wait a little longer…"
This hairpin was the last piece of dowry his maternal grandmother had given his mother. Unless absolutely necessary, it must not be touched.
Moreover, even if this hairpin was more valuable than the calligraphy and paintings, the grain it could exchange for would only sustain Bei Liao temporarily.
The thought of placing the livelihood of an entire city's soldiers and civilians on the shoulders of a girl he had never met filled him with guilt and unease.
Chu Ye's hands behind his back clenched slightly, a sharp and resolute glint flashing in his eyes.
If Miss Jinzhu's side proved unworkable, he would immediately lead the fifty thousand soldiers and civilians back to the capital.
Even if he were branded a traitor and condemned for eternity, he would not stand by and watch the people under his command starve to death!!
"Little Uncle—"
Suddenly, Shushu's ethereal voice drifted over.
Chu Ye's heart skipped a beat, his gaze fixed on the small gate tightening abruptly.
After a few breaths, Shushu finally emerged from the small gate, holding a letter as she ran out.