Sister Li lived in a small courtyard house with two floors. It was clear that her family’s financial situation wasn’t too bad. Since Bai Jiu was also interested in making a connection, she dropped her outward guard.
Sister Li sighed.
"This matter has to start from last year," Sister Li said. In truth, she didn’t really want to bring it up, but she found the young woman before her quite agreeable, so she didn’t mind sharing what had happened.
The lumber factory’s family residential area was quite famous in the county, and people used to come by to barter. However, with so many residents in the district, the area was a mixed bag. The country folks who came to trade ended up suffering at the hands of some truly black-hearted individuals. These scoundrels would invite people into their homes, immediately rob them of their goods, and then report them to the authorities. For a time, an untold number of people were arrested. Alas.
Hearing this, Bai Jiu broke into a cold sweat.
"Aren’t they afraid of retaliation?" Bai Jiu asked aloud.
"Retaliation? Anyone who went in ended up getting a bullet to the head. How could they retaliate?" Sister Li rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the ceiling.
If those people hadn’t caused such a ruckus, life over the past two years wouldn’t have been so bitter. In fact, Bai Jiu was the first stranger to enter the area in two years. The incident back then had blown up so much that anyone with even a little inside knowledge wouldn’t dare step foot in their territory. It was simply too cursed.
Even though the factory workers had money, whenever they went to the black market to buy things, the merchants would refuse to sell to them if they recognized or found out they were from the lumber factory. And there was no point asking how they knew; the underworld had its own ways of gathering intelligence. For the people in the black market, finding out someone’s background was merely a matter of time.
"Then, Sister Li, why did you pull me in here?" Bai Jiu secretly located a suitable weapon inside her spatial dimension. As long as the woman in front of her made a suspicious move, she would definitely strike first.
"Don’t worry, sis. I’m not one of those black-hearted scumbags. Those people aren’t even afraid of karma. Hmph, they’re just a bunch of shameless wretches," Sister Li said, feeling thoroughly indignant upon seeing Bai Jiu’s nervous demeanor. "Rest assured, it’s just me at home. I definitely won’t do anything to hurt you. I just saw a stranger walking by and wanted to try my luck, especially since you were carrying a large bamboo basket."
Sister Li rubbed her hands together nervously, terrified that Bai Jiu would run away. After all, aside from the supply and marketing cooperative, they truly had nowhere else to buy groceries. The county town’s supplies were limited and certainly wouldn’t be prioritized for factory workers like them. It was a matter of first come, first served, but she just couldn’t ever manage to snatch anything up.
Bai Jiu hadn’t been afraid initially, but after hearing all of this, she did feel a bit apprehensive. "Sister Li, you might be mistaken. I’m not here to trade," she said, not wanting to cause any trouble here. It was better to change locations. What rotten luck—how did she end up choosing such a place?
"You can’t just leave me to die! I’m completely out of options. I have a large family to feed, and we’re truly out of food. We don’t even have any coarse grains left. If you don’t believe me, come take a look." Seeing Bai Jiu’s reaction, Li Cuixia grew anxious. If she couldn’t barter for something to eat soon, her family was really going to starve to death.
"Sister Li..."
"Don’t be afraid. The kitchen isn’t deep inside; it’s right out here. Go on in and look if you don’t believe me." Without another word, Sister Li pulled Bai Jiu straight toward her kitchen.
It was completely empty inside. Forget about food—even the storage containers for the grain had grown moldy.
Bai Jiu felt conflicted. Primarily, she was afraid of being reported. She didn’t want to die; she still had two little cuties waiting for her at home.
"See? I didn’t lie to you. Have a little mercy and trade something with me," Sister Li pleaded. She was a smooth talker, carefully avoiding the word ’buy’ and only saying ’trade’.
Ultimately, Bai Jiu decided to give it a try. "Then how do you want to trade, Sister Li?"
Hearing this, Sister Li jumped up in joy. "Oh my, that’s wonderful! That’s just wonderful! I don’t have much else, but I do have plenty of ration coupons and money. Let’s see what we can trade for." With that, she pulled out a thick stack of coupons and several ten-yuan bills from her pocket.
Bai Jiu thought Sister Li was really showing off. But looking at her expression, she didn’t seem to be doing it on purpose. Whatever.
"I have twenty catties of rice, twenty catties of cornmeal, and five catties of meat. That’s all I have." She didn’t dare take out any more; her bamboo basket was only so big, and producing this much was already pushing it. "See what you’d like, Sister Li."
Bai Jiu decided that if there were a next time, she would definitely flex right back at her. It was just that her basket was a bit small. If it were larger...
Sister Li’s attention was completely captivated by the goods Bai Jiu presented; she didn’t hear a word Bai Jiu said. "Good stuff, what good stuff!" For two whole years, her family hadn’t eaten anything decent. Finally, she was seeing refined grains and meat.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford to buy things, but by the time she made it to the supply cooperative, everything would already be sold out. Getting up early was useless. If she hadn’t been resting at home today instead of going to work, she probably would have missed this golden opportunity entirely. Throwing caution to the wind, Sister Li shoved all the money and coupons in her hands straight to Bai Jiu and immediately began inspecting the goods.
Every grain of rice was plump, the cornmeal was finely milled, and the rich scent of the meat made her gulp.
Bai Jiu looked at the money and coupons in her hands, utterly speechless. "Sister Li, this isn’t enough."
For all these goods, thirty-something yuan simply wouldn’t cut it. She planned to sell the rice for two yuan a catty, the cornmeal for two yuan, and the meat for two yuan as well. Even with the coupons, this little bit of money fell short. It wasn’t that she was being greedy; her goods were genuinely worth that much. It was true that the price she had given Zhou Daqing yesterday was cheaper, but that was because she hadn’t understood the market. Now that she knew the going rates, she certainly wasn’t going to shortchange herself.
Seeing Sister Li acting as if she were possessed, completely deaf to her words, Bai Jiu had no choice but to step forward and physically stop her. "Don’t be so hasty, Sister Li. The money isn’t right. Look..." Bai Jiu reached out and snatched the bags back from Sister Li’s grasp.
Only then did Sister Li snap out of her daze. Perhaps it really had been too long since she had seen such high-quality goods. "Oh, I’m so sorry! It’s my fault, all my fault," she apologized. She was a reasonable woman and knew she had gotten too carried away. "Tell me how much I owe you, and I’ll go get it."
"Twenty catties of rice at two yuan a catty. Twenty catties of cornmeal, also at two yuan a catty. As for the meat, I’ll give it to you for two yuan a catty as well. That’s the price with coupons; without them, it would be at least half again as expensive." She wasn’t a saint, and there were plenty of poor people in this world.
Hearing the prices, Sister Li did frown. However, she knew these rates were comparable to the black market, and it was her own misfortune that she couldn’t ever buy anything there. Even if it required coupons, she was still coming out ahead.
"Alright, we’ll do as you say. I’ll go get the rest of the money and coupons for you." Sister Li turned and hurried out of the kitchen, quickly entering the main house.
Bai Jiu didn’t follow her inside. Barely two or three minutes later, Sister Li walked back out holding a small pouch.
"Here’s sixty yuan, along with some coupons that are about to expire. You know how it is, I don’t have many current-season coupons left either. See if this is enough." She handed all the money and coupons over.
Bai Jiu took them and counted carefully. She barely glanced at the coupons; they were just a bonus anyway. "Alright, everything is correct. I’ll be taking my leave now, Sister Li."
She felt that this wasn’t a place to linger. For some reason, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong here.
Upon hearing that she was leaving, Sister Li’s hands paused. "Wait a moment. I’ll walk out with you." If she didn’t escort the young woman out, she was worried those old busybodies would come looking for trouble.
Bai Jiu initially wanted to decline, but seeing the serious expression on Sister Li’s face, she nodded. "Then thank you, Sister Li."
After leaving the lumber factory’s family quarters, Bai Jiu broke into another cold sweat. She definitely wouldn’t be returning to a place like this. Sister Li had told her to come back next time, but forget it—she was done delivering. Making this money had been a bit too terrifying.
Walking faster and faster, Bai Ling couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching her from behind. It wasn’t until she gradually saw pedestrians on the road that Bai Jiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, she bumped directly into someone.
"Granny, are you alright?" As soon as Bai Jiu collided with the person, she hurried forward to help up the woman she had knocked over. Upon getting a clear look, she felt a surge of belated fear. "Granny, are you hurt anywhere? If you’re hurt, let’s go to the hospital."
The old woman seemed to have been startled as well, taking a good moment to catch her breath. "I’m fine, I’m fine. No need for the hospital." She hadn’t even fallen to the ground since the young lady had caught her, so why would she need a hospital? "Why are you in such a hurry?" The old woman glanced behind her but didn’t see anyone chasing her.
Bai Jiu took a deep breath. "I was just lost in thought and didn’t notice you for a moment, Granny. I’m so sorry."
"You young people nowadays... Alright, if you have things to do, go on ahead. I’m fine." Hearing that she had been preoccupied with her thoughts, the old woman didn’t press the matter further. After all, unless it was something important, who would be so distracted while walking?
"Are you really alright, Granny?" Bai Jiu was still a bit worried. "How about I walk you home?" She felt rather guilty, especially since she noticed the old woman’s leg seemed to be injured. She didn’t know if she was the one who had caused it with the collision.
The old woman initially wanted to decline, but just then, a sharp pain shot up from her leg. "Then I’ll have to trouble you. I live right over there by the bus terminal."
Following the direction the old woman was pointing, Bai Jiu finally realized just how far she had walked. "It’s the least I can do."
Guiding her along the path she pointed out, Bai Jiu quickly escorted the old woman home.
Shortly after they entered the house, a man walked in.
"Who are you?" he demanded loudly the moment he saw Bai Jiu in his home.
After bringing her home, the old woman had gone to pour her a glass of water. Bai Jiu had originally intended to leave, but the old woman repeatedly urged her to stay. Seeing that the elderly woman was alone, she genuinely felt a bit uneasy about leaving her, so she stayed.
"You must be Uncle Wu," Bai Jiu said, standing up to address the man who had just walked in.
During their walk, Bai Jiu had already asked all about the old woman’s family. This man’s features bore a thirty percent resemblance to Granny Wu, so she guessed he was likely her son.
"Who are you? Why are you in my house?" Wu Shao Yuan had been somewhat worried about his mother, so he had rushed back the moment his meeting ended. He never expected to find a stranger in his home.
Just then, Granny Wu walked out, leaning against the wall for support. "Shao Yuan, you’re back! This is Bai Jiu, a kindhearted girl who just escorted me home." Granny Wu’s face broke into a wide smile upon seeing her son.