Granny Wu thought highly of the girl, her approval of Bai Jiu rising another notch.
Bai Jiu didn’t dawdle. She had spent enough time in the county town and needed to head back early today. She still had quite a few things left to buy.
"Look here, Granny," Bai Jiu said, taking things out of her bamboo basket. She had added a few small items along the way, such as loose dried noodles. She didn’t bring out any eggs, since those were easily broken. However, she took out a substantial amount of meat; the weather was cold enough that buying more wouldn’t cause it to spoil. Besides, locals had a habit of eating wind-cured meat. Whatever meat they couldn’t finish would usually be hung up to air-dry for later consumption. She had also included some dried goods, like mushrooms.
Watching Bai Jiu take out item after item, Granny Wu covered her mouth with both hands, afraid she might accidentally cry out in surprise.
"Girl, I’ll take all of this. Tally it up and tell me the total," she said. Granny Wu was someone willing to spend. Good things were hard to come by, and now that she had stumbled upon them, she certainly wasn’t going to let them slip away. She wanted the entire batch.
Bai Jiu had originally intended to sell everything to Granny Wu anyway, and the items she produced were incredibly enticing. There was no fear of them being rejected.
"Alright. Twenty catties of rice, twenty of flour, twenty of meat, ten of dried noodles, and twenty of cornmeal. As for the dried goods, let’s say five yuan a bag." In modern times, buying such dried goods would certainly not be cheap, but the cost-effectiveness couldn’t be calculated the same way in this era. Thus, charging five yuan for a half-full bag of mushrooms was considered quite expensive.
After quoting the price for each item to Granny Wu, Bai Jiu did some quick mental math and provided the total.
"Granny, it comes to a total of one hundred and ninety-five yuan. See if that’s correct." She didn’t ask for ration coupons. She had already obtained a lot of coupons today, and the price she was selling at didn’t require them.
Granny Wu counted on her fingers. Although her movements looked a bit dizzying, she was actually quite fast.
"Right, your calculation is correct. You’re a smart one," Granny Wu said. After calculating the total, she grew even fonder of Bai Jiu. What an intelligent young woman. "Wait here, I’ll go get the money."
Very quickly, Granny Wu emerged with twenty ten-yuan bills.
"Girl, if you have any good items next time, bring them over as well. We’ll go by today’s prices," she offered. Who didn’t like good things? It wasn’t as if her family couldn’t afford it. Even though her son was the only one with a formal job, her family had deep pockets. If her old man hadn’t been such a disappointment, their lives would have been even better.
Bai Jiu didn’t know much about the Wu family’s background, otherwise she wouldn’t have been quite so surprised.
"Sure," Bai Jiu agreed without a second thought. This was exactly what she wanted anyway.
"So, when will you come see this old granny next?" Granny Wu wasn’t in a hurry to move the supplies to the kitchen; instead, she was more interested in setting a time for their next meeting.
Bai Jiu thought about it. There wasn’t much work in the production brigade lately; most people were just staying home for the winter. Even if there was work, it wouldn’t fall to her.
"How about in half a month?" Recently, there had been a lot going on at home. Although she didn’t want to live in the village long-term, she wouldn’t be able to leave in the short term. There were only two ways to leave the countryside: one was to marry a city dweller, and the other was to find a job in the city and transfer her household registration there. Otherwise, the city would never accept a rural person.
Finding a job wasn’t something she had considered. Life outside wasn’t easy right now either; she was better off staying in the village where she at least wouldn’t be short on food and drink. The city was different. In such a cramped place, the slightest commotion would be known by every household. It wasn’t like the twenty-first century, where people living in the same building might not see each other once in a decade.
Half a month from now would be close to the Lunar New Year, and she would need to come into town anyway to buy some holiday supplies.
"Deal, half a month it is." Hearing the set date, Granny Wu made some quick mental calculations and nodded in agreement.
However, she had her own ulterior motives. The price she paid for this grain was indeed high, but the girl’s stock was simply too abundant to pass up. By flipping the goods, Granny Wu wouldn’t earn much of a profit, but at least she wouldn’t be shortchanging her own appetite.
Having collected the money, Bai Jiu left the Wu family home, confirming her promise to return in half a month.
Once on the main road, Bai Jiu set about purchasing the items she needed to take back today. Her family wasn’t lacking in food, but they were short on household necessities. She still needed cotton, though she already had some in her spatial dimension, so she didn’t have to buy that. However, she did plan to hunt for some fabric authentic to this era. The supplies at home were truly insufficient.
Although the children were still young and could sleep in the same room as her, they wouldn’t be able to do so in a couple of years when they grew older. Since she didn’t plan on moving out of the village anytime soon, she had to start preparing for the coming years now.
Furthermore, there were those few elderly people next door. Winter had arrived, yet they were still wearing unlined clothing. It wasn’t that she was a bleeding heart, but she knew these elders would be of great use to the country in the future. Although they were currently condemned to manual labor in the countryside, they would be able to serve the nation again in two years. Therefore, she intended to keep those old folks in her village safe for the next two years.
The items she prepared for them certainly couldn’t be new, so she needed to find a place that sold second-hand clothes and quilts. For them, these worn items would be perfect.
By the time she finished her busy errands, the sun was already slanting to the west.
Finding a secluded spot, Bai Jiu stored everything from her bamboo basket into her spatial dimension, then hurried back toward the village.
Fortunately, she didn’t run into anyone on her way back and walked straight into her home. The children hadn’t returned yet, so they were likely still at Aunt Peng’s house. Knowing where they were, she felt no rush. She took the supplies out of her dimension and added the new necessities to her home. She also brought out some cooked food. After an exhausting day, she planned to treat herself and the children to a good meal. She would also send a portion over to Aunt Peng.