Over this period, she’d saved up more than a dozen check-in opportunities. Coming to the county today was specifically for checking in. Su Yun was really curious about what she’d get—opening mystery boxes was just too addictive!
She’d also consumed quite a bit of the items in her storage grid recently.
The two braised chickens she’d checked in at Jing City had been eaten in bits and pieces over several trips up the mountain to gather pig feed. She’d also eaten a few of the boxed meals checked in on the train—she now had several empty aluminum mess tins to use.
The mushroom-and-cabbage buns from the Jing City state-run restaurant were gone too, though she still had a few of the meat buns she’d bought in the county last time.
The basket of yellow apricots and green dates were also finished, leaving only the empty basket.
She’d been eating well lately and was still growing. She often had leg cramps at night, and eating fruit helped supplement her vitamins.
She also had a bowl of malted milk every morning. Since she didn’t have milk to supplement calcium, malted milk was the best substitute.
Milk powder was extremely hard to come by in this era—usually only available at hospitals, sold to certain infants and critically ill patients.
Milk powder coupons were only held by a few high-ranking officials, used to supplement the health of heroes who had made great contributions to the country.
For anyone else, without strong connections, it was absolutely impossible to get—not even on the black market.
If Su Yun wanted any, she’d have to try checking in at the hospital.
The county hospital happened to be nearby, just a few steps away. Su Yun went straight to the hospital entrance first.
[Check-in successful! Located at Qingfeng County People’s Hospital]
[Congratulations, host! You have received: 10 tablets of fever reducer]
The fever reducer came in small plastic bags—two tablets per bag, five bags connected together, with the words “Analgin” printed on them.
Su Yun didn’t mind. Medicine was scarce in this era. Many village clinics didn’t even have a few fever tablets on hand. This could come in handy in an emergency!
She kept checking in!
Today, she was determined to get some milk powder. Over the past few nights, her calves and toes had been cramping so badly she couldn’t sleep.
Su Yun had experienced the same thing when she was a teenager growing in her previous life.
She’d gone to the hospital for a check-up, and the doctor said it was a calcium deficiency. She was prescribed calcium tablets, and her grandmother had made her bone broth every day and ordered fresh milk. Only then did the pain gradually subside.
Now, with the limited conditions, milk powder was the only supplement she could possibly get through the check-in system.
She couldn’t buy calcium tablets, and bone broth wasn’t something she could have regularly. How miserable!
Su Yun was weeping inside T＿T
[Check-in successful! Located at Qingfeng County People’s Hospital]
[Congratulations, host! You have received: 1 small medicine kit]
[Check-in successful! Located at Qingfeng County People’s Hospital]
[Congratulations, host! You have received: 1 can of milk powder]
Her luck was pretty good—she’d gotten it on the third try. Su Yun had been prepared to use up all her check-in opportunities, so this was a pleasant surprise! She hopped up and down with joy, her pretty little face flushing pink with happiness, making her look even more delicate.
Leaving the hospital, Su Yun continued strolling down the street.
She kept checking in until she’d used up all her opportunities, then headed to the supply cooperative. She bought herself a mirror, and picked up sewing kits and pastries for An Qin and Liu Huan as she’d promised.
Su Yun put everything into her basket. She didn’t need to buy much today, so she’d only brought a hand-basket, with a piece of coarse homespun cloth Liu Huan had given her draped over it.
It was around 10 a.m. now. The donkey cart would be heading back around 11:30, so Su Yun hurried over to the state-run restaurant.
Today, she was the first one there—the other educated youth hadn’t arrived yet. It was still early, and the dining hall was empty except for the cashier.
Su Yun quickly went up to order. Glancing at the menu on the blackboard, she was in luck—chicken noodle soup was available today!
She didn’t have any meat coupons left, so she couldn’t order meat dishes. She ordered a bowl of chicken noodle soup, 10 scallion oil pancakes at 0.1 yuan each, and 10 fried dough sticks at 0.05 yuan each.
Today, they even had tea eggs—0.1 yuan each—and Su Yun bought 20 of them directly.
While no one had come in yet and the cashier had her back turned to this spot, Su Yun took out the basket that had held the green dates and placed it under the table. She put all the pancakes, fried dough sticks, and tea eggs into the basket and stored it in her storage grid.
She’d just finished her check-ins and had no storage slots left. Out here, this was the only way—she’d reorganize everything when she got back.
She was halfway through her bowl of noodles when Gu Beihai walked in, carrying a military-green satchel. It looked somewhat like a modern gym bag—large-capacity and bulging, clearly stuffed full of things.
He ordered two catties of dumplings at the counter, then strode over and set his bag on the stool across from Su Yun, heading to the pickup window to wait for his dumplings.
Su Yun was stunned!
This guy was a bottomless pit!
Two catties referred to the weight of the dumplings alone—and they’d absorb water during cooking!
Last time, she’d ordered half a catty of dumplings and that was already a big bowl…
Sure enough, within two minutes, he came back carrying an enormous sea bowl—no, not a bowl, more like a soup basin—piled high.
Gu Beihai sat down, noticed the look of shock on Su Yun’s delicate little face, and raised a handsome eyebrow.
“You have to eat a lot to grow tall, you know, kid?”
Su Yun suspected he was making a dig at her, and she had proof!
“Just growing tall without any muscle to go with it?”
She pursed her lips but couldn’t help firing back.
“Are you comparing me to Li Jianjun?”
Gu Beihai fixed his gaze on her, his dark eyes like an unfathomable abyss. For a moment, Su Yun sensed danger and immediately backed down.
“No, no—you’re the better type, refined and scholarly, hehe…”
What she really meant: you’re a weak, frail pretty boy, hehe!
A wise man knows when to yield. Su Yun was fine with backing down—after all, what she said wasn’t insincere. She genuinely didn’t find Li Jianjun’s muscle-bound type appealing.
Su Yun lowered her head and pretended to focus on her meal, not engaging further.
For some reason, Gu Beihai felt oddly pleased. Though he ate with elegant movements, his speed was impressive.
They’d just finished eating, and Su Yun was wiping her mouth with a handkerchief, when Zhao Jiayan and Li Feng finally arrived.
Needless to say, Tao Yining definitely wasn’t coming—she was probably out “doing business” again. She was really dedicated. She finally had a rare trip to the county, and she still wouldn’t treat herself to a decent meal?
Su Yun, a laid-back salted fish type, couldn’t understand Tao Yining’s workaholic mentality.
Zhao Jiayan and Li Feng had been good buddies since school days and had come to the countryside together. They were very close, and both came from well-off families without money troubles.
Every time they came to the state-run restaurant, they’d order a few dishes to share. One paid this time, the other next—they didn’t keep strict tabs.
Su Yun and Gu Beihai waited for the two of them to finish eating, then they all headed to where the donkey cart was parked.
Tao Yining had wrapped up earlier than usual today and was already sitting on the cart waiting. Everyone else had also arrived, just waiting for the few of them.
Since there was still a bit of time before the agreed departure, no one made any complaints.
The ride back was more relaxed than the morning trip. Aunt Cuihua and another auntie had stayed at relatives’ homes for lunch and would catch the evening cart back.
The group tacitly kept quiet, minimizing their presence, and listened silently to the aunties’ gossip along the way.
Su Yun found it quite entertaining. Having grown up in an age of information overload, life without a phone was incredibly dull.
She often missed all the video games, novels, variety shows, and celebrity gossip from her past life.
Now, when she went up the mountain, she brought that thick botany book with her and would identify plants after gathering pig feed.
Her only source of entertainment was watching the village drama. She’d even made friends with the village’s “gossip king” by trading fruit drops.