The failure to sell the hawthorn paste was within Su Qingran’s expectations, so she wasn’t disappointed. “Any news about the glass bottles I wanted?”
Su Junze shook his head. “I haven’t seen any in the Black Market, but I asked someone to help inquire. He said he has connections at the Glass Factory and might be able to find the small glass bottles you want. If they’re available, he’ll bring some back for you.”
“That’s great.” Su Qingran took out five yuan and handed it to him. “This is for the glass bottles. Second Brother, you hold onto it for now.”
“Alright, I’ll keep it first and return any excess to you later.” Su Junze didn’t stand on ceremony with her. The money in his small family was managed by Huang Cuicui, and he really couldn’t have taken out that much himself.
Huang Cuicui watched from the side, feeling quite pleased.
Zhao Lanzhi, however, was somewhat worried. “Ranran, if this stuff can’t be sold now, and you’re spending money on glass bottles, what if it still doesn’t sell later? Wouldn’t that money go down the drain?”
“It’s fine, I’m just testing the waters.”
Zhao Lanzhi hesitated but ultimately didn’t say anything more. Well, let Ranran give it a try. Otherwise, if she had nothing to do, she might start thinking about Lu Jingxuan again.
With that thought, spending a little money didn’t seem like such a big deal.
“Little Sister, what about this jar of jam? Didn’t you say it doesn’t keep for long?” Su Yuanfeng asked.
“Then let’s just eat it ourselves.” Su Qingran said with a smile. “We can each have a cup with water.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the children cheered. They had tasted the hawthorn jam before and loved its sweet and sour flavor.
“It’s almost mealtime, have it after dinner!” Zhao Lanzhi shot an exasperated glance at the little greedy cats and called out to everyone, “Come get the dishes!”
It turned out that not only the children enjoyed the drink; the adults also found the water mixed with hawthorn jam delicious, even better than sugar water.
Huang Cuicui smacked her lips twice. Her life was really too comfortable—she could actually drink something this good!
After dinner and a bath, Su Qingran plunged into the Space. In just two days, the Space had undergone a dramatic transformation.
The vegetables, grains, and legumes she had planted earlier had already sprouted tender yellow shoots, looking fresh and thriving.
The various fruit trees she had transplanted from the mountain, nourished by the Spiritual Spring Water, had grown sturdier and more luxuriant, with even the fruits becoming larger and fuller.
Thinking this, she picked a green-skinned pear.
This wild pear tree had originally been thin and small, with sparse leaves and small pears—she could hold two or three in one hand. They were green-skinned with many dark brown spots, not very appealing to look at. Su Qingran had tried one before; it was sour and astringent, with dry, lacking flesh and little moisture.
After two days in the Space, the dark brown spots on the pear were still there but had faded significantly. The pear had also grown larger, at least twice the size of the previous ones.
After washing it, she took a bite and her eyes lit up. It had become sweet! And it was very juicy!
It was even more delicious than the pears Zhao Lanzhi had bought from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative!
Qiao Manxue hadn’t lied to her—the Space was indeed a wonderful thing!
Su Qingran tasted the other fruits as well; without exception, they had all become sweeter, though there was no visible difference in their appearance.
…
The sun blazed overhead.
Qiao Manxue stared at the endless fields and weeds that seemed impossible to clear, feeling utterly hopeless. Her straw hat blocked most of the sunlight, yet sweat still streamed down uncontrollably, soaking her clothes and sticking them to her skin. She hated this sticky, uncomfortable feeling more than anything.
But what truly devastated her were the recent rumors circulating in Su Family Village about her and Lu Jingxuan. Even without friends in the village, she couldn’t escape the gossip.
Already ostracized as a capitalist’s daughter at the Zhiqing Point and throughout the village, she now felt like a rat scurrying through the streets, with everyone staring at her strangely. This time, she genuinely considered jumping off a cliff.
Last time hadn’t been a real suicide attempt—she knew Lu Jingxuan would pass by at that hour and deliberately sought his pity. He ultimately chose her over Su Qingran, which delighted her, but the current situation was far from what she’d envisioned.
“What are you spacing out for? Looking for Lu Jingxuan?” Zhang Ping sneered from nearby. She’d been covertly observing Qiao Manxue for days, but the latter had been unusually subdued, barely leaving home except for fieldwork, leaving Zhang Ping with no opportunities.
To her surprise, rumors about Qiao Manxue and Lu Jingxuan had spread throughout Su Family Village without any intervention on her part. Zhang Ping grew anxious—with gossip raging, the two would likely avoid each other even more. How could she ever prove their affair?
Qiao Manxue seethed with irritation. Zhang Ping clung to her like a stubborn burr, impossible to shake off—it was disgusting! She regretted ever acknowledging Liao Donggen.
“Comrade Zhang, don’t spout nonsense! Comrade Lu and I are completely innocent. I’ll sue you for slander if you’re not careful!” Slander charges carried heavy penalties in those days, but Zhang Ping remained unruffled, convinced the pair were guilty despite lacking evidence.
“Who are you fooling? The entire Su Family Village knows you’re together. What’s the point denying it?”
“You… Rumors cease with the wise. These villagers lack education, but you’re an Educated Youth from the city. Are you as ignorant as them?”
Zhang Ping let out a derisive chuckle. “Oh? So Comrade Qiao looks down on Su Family Village’s residents, thinking they’re just backward country folk?” She raised her voice, drawing glances from nearby laborers—many of whom were local villagers.
“Comrade Zhang, what did you say just now?” someone asked.
“Comrade Qiao said Su Family Village’s residents are uneducated country people,” Zhang Ping announced.
Qiao Manxue paled. “Zhang Ping, how dare you! I never said that!”
“You said it yourself—don’t try denying it! Comrade Xi heard it too, right?” Zhang Ping turned to Xi Jiani, who nodded confirmation.
“Comrade Qiao did say that.”
“Comrade Qiao, that’s unfair. We country folks might lack schooling, but does that make us ignorant?”
“Exactly! A capitalist’s daughter looking down on us? Ridiculous!”
“Someone like her belongs in the Cowshed with the other bad elements!”
[…]
Listening to the ridicule from those around her, Qiao Manxue nearly ground her silver teeth to dust. She turned a pleading gaze toward Liao Donggen, who had always been obedient to her in the past, only to see him avert his eyes with a flicker of unease.
Damn them! They were all spineless scum who shifted with the wind!
Just wait—once she restored her status, she would make every last one of these beasts disappear!
Her fingernails dug deeply into her palms, yet Qiao Manxue remained completely unaware of the pain.
Zhang Ping felt immensely gratified watching her in this state.
She and Liao Donggen had grown up together, and their families had even arranged a marriage engagement for them. She had always considered herself Liao Donggen’s fiancée, originally thinking they could marry after moving to the countryside and rely on each other. But everything changed after they met Qiao Manxue.
They had initially planned to register their marriage this year, but ever since Qiao Manxue arrived, Liao Donggen had been evasive, constantly putting off the registration. On top of that, he was always hovering around Qiao Manxue—clearly, his affections had shifted!
Zhang Ping resented Qiao Manxue, and she resented Liao Donggen. One was a woman who clung to a man despite knowing he had a fiancée; the other was a man who, despite having a fiancée, fawned over another woman. Neither of them was any good!
The most ridiculous part was that after Qiao Manxue’s identity as a capitalist’s daughter was exposed, Liao Donggen actually came to Zhang Ping and suggested they register their marriage. Did he think she was some kind of trash collector?
“Comrade Qiao has long since cut ties with her family. How can she still be considered a capitalist’s daughter? Besides, since she was able to come to the countryside as an Educated Youth, it proves there’s nothing wrong with her,” a man in a tank top explained on her behalf, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Someone sneered, “Su Hetai, you’re not thinking of courting Comrade Qiao and making her your wife, are you?”
Su Hetai admitted quite frankly, “Yes, I am. I just don’t know if Comrade Qiao would consider me.”
Qiao Manxue hung her head, trembling with rage. How dare a nearly forty-year-old widower harbor such ambitions for her!
No, she had to think of a solution. She couldn’t go on like this any longer.
…