Juxiang was still at home watching the children. Su Qing greeted her and went out carrying a basket on her back. The original owner often went to town with a basket to buy things, and no one in the Wang family dared to say anything.
The Hongxing Production Team was quite far from town. After walking for a while, she was already out of breath. She took a big gulp of Spirit Spring Water and felt somewhat better. The dirt road was bumpy and difficult to walk on, but she was lucky enough to hitch a ride on an ox cart heading to town halfway.
Sitting on the ox cart, Su Qing breathed a sigh of relief. If she had to walk all the way to town, her legs would surely have given out.
When they arrived in town, she gave the old man driving the cart an apple as a thank-you. The apples from her Space were sweet, fragrant, and beautiful. The old man’s eyes lit up, and after a few polite refusals, he quickly accepted it.
Finding a secluded spot, she entered her Space.
The vegetables and fruits in the black soil grew very quickly. While vegetables weren’t scarce this season, fruits were not only rare but also expensive. She walked to the orchard, picked a basketful of apples and bananas, covered them with a black cloth, and left the Space.
After asking for directions to the hospital, she headed there with her small, hurried steps.
Although she had a lot of money, she had previously taken out the deposit slip to keep up appearances. For now, she didn’t want to touch that money, just in case.
She set the basket on the ground and crouched in a corner, lifting a corner of the black cloth covering the basket. Before long, someone was drawn to it.
“Auntie, where did you get these apples and bananas? They look so fresh!”
“Ah, my son sent them from the army. I couldn’t finish them all, so I thought I’d bring some to my old friends in town. I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older, but I even got lost. I’m so tired, I’m just resting here for a bit.”
As she spoke, Su Qing sized up the young man who had asked.
“Wow, that’s a lot of stuff. Carrying it all back won’t be easy. Auntie, um, would you be willing to sell some?”
Su Qing widened her eyes in feigned shock. “Young man, that wouldn’t do! If we get caught, it’d be terrible. I’m a bit scared!”
The young man grew anxious. His wife was pregnant and needed nutrition—how could he let this opportunity slip away?
“Auntie, my wife is pregnant. Could you please help me out? Such good stuff isn’t even sold at the supply and marketing cooperative. Could you name a price?”
Su Qing pretended to hesitate but eventually sold him three pounds of bananas and ten large apples, earning three yuan and seventy cents, along with two pounds of meat coupons. Later, using the same method, she made another thirteen yuan before packing up and leaving.
Good products naturally attracted buyers. She had picked a lot when she entered her Space, otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to earn so much money.
After putting away her earnings, she headed straight to the supply and marketing cooperative. She pushed her way to the front and bought five bars of soap, six towels, three pounds of sponge cakes, one pound of White Rabbit Milk Candy, two pounds of regular fruit candies, ten pounds of wheat flour, twenty pounds of rice, and some dried shrimp and kelp.
After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, she went to the meat stall. The good cuts of meat were sold early, and by the time she arrived, there weren’t many left. With five yuan and four pounds of meat coupons in hand, she bought two pounds of pork belly, one pound of pork ribs, and two pig’s trotters. Before leaving, she spotted a bundle of large intestines on the ground and decisively bought them as well.
On the way back, she wasn’t as lucky. After walking for half an hour, she hadn’t seen a single ox cart. Su Qing was exhausted and drank half a bottle of Spirit Spring Water. After regaining her strength, she continued walking home.
Finally arriving at Hongxing Village, she saw Juxiang standing far away at the village entrance. Spotting her, Juxiang quickly ran over. With a thought, Su Qing transferred all the purchased items into the backpack basket.
“Grandma, why are you back so late? Are you tired? Maybe next time someone from home should accompany you!”
Juxiang dared say this because the old lady had given her a smile when leaving in the morning. Previously, Grandma never allowed anyone to follow when she went out, but Juxiang worried about her advanced age and potential accidents on the road.
Yet she immediately regretted speaking up, already bracing for a scolding.
“Hmm, noted.”
Su Qing handed over the backpack basket, which Juxiang naturally accepted. Before she could hoist it up, Su Qing gripped the basket’s edge, pulled out an oil-paper package, unwrapped it, and retrieved a Dried Plum Vegetable Cake.
“Eat quickly. There are several more cakes—save them for your younger sisters later.”
Juxiang’s eyes widened in shock. In the past, any special treats from Grandma always went to Uncle, younger brothers, or little nephews. The girls never received anything.
“What’re you staring at? Don’t want it? I’ll feed it to the dogs!”
“I’ll eat it, Grandma.”
The cake was still warm in her hand, its aroma stirring hunger pangs that made her stomach growl loudly.
Hoisting the basket, she broke the cake in half and secretly tucked away one portion while Su Qing seemed distracted. Yet Su Qing appeared to have eyes in the back of her head, observing every move her granddaughter made.
Upon reaching home, Juxiang directly carried the basket to Su Qing’s room and closed the door for the old lady. The rest of the Wang family paid no mind to this routine.
But Juxiang was intensely nervous, darting back to her room and bolting the door shut. At the doorstep, Grandma had given her the entire packet of cakes, instructing her to share them with her younger sisters.
This unprecedented special treatment made her heart pound like thunder.
“Second Sister, what’s wrong?”
“Your face is so red—did Grandma hit you? I told you not to go to the village entrance. Grandma always goes to and from town alone—when has she ever let us meet her?”
“Second Sister, does it hurt?”
“Grandma is so mean.”
…
Juxiang listened as her younger sisters clamored around her, complaining about Grandma. The youngest, Wang Duoduo, even shook her tiny fist and cursed Grandma. Anxious, Juxiang swatted down Wang Guiying’s small fist.
“Duoduo, how could you! Grandma is our elder—you mustn’t speak of her that way.” After scolding her sister, Wang Juxiang continued, “Grandma didn’t hit me. She brought us delicious food—look, vegetable cakes with minced meat inside! They’re incredibly fragrant. Eat them quickly before anyone finds out.”
Fengzhi glanced skeptically but then watched as her second sister unfolded the oil-paper wrapper, revealing glistening, oily cakes that made their stomachs rumble.
Wang Duoduo stared wide-eyed at the cakes in her sister’s hand, swallowing saliva greedily. Her grubby little hand unconsciously reached toward them.
There were six cakes total. Wang Juxiang gave one to each sister. Wang Zhiying took a bite immediately and, noticing Wang Juxiang hadn’t eaten, assumed she had none. She offered her own cake toward Juxiang’s mouth.
“Second Sister, have some of mine. Grandma must have bought too few.”
“No need, I’ve already eaten. You girls eat, and drink some water afterward. Keep your mouths shut tight, don’t let anyone find out.”
“Mhm! I was wrong to scold her earlier—Grandma isn’t that bad after all, hehehe…”
The girls’ room was small and cramped, with half the space taken up by the heated brick bed. Wang Juxiang wrapped the half-eaten flatbread in oiled paper and tucked it beneath her pillow.