Early the next morning, Qin Ruan was getting ready to head out.
“Auntie, I want to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a few things. How do I get there?”
Shen Jianing quickly replied, “Then ride the bicycle. Do you know how?”
“Yes, I do. I’ll ride over.”
“Mm. Once you leave the family compound, just head north and you’ll see it.”
“Okay, Auntie. I’m off.”
With that, Qin Ruan wheeled the bicycle out and left.
When she arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, the first thing she bought was four tins of malted milk powder.
Then she noticed someone purchasing Moutai liquor, so she turned to the sales clerk.
“Hello, how much is the Moutai?”
“Moutai? No ration coupon needed. It’s eight yuan a bottle.”
“Then could you check how many bottles you have left? I’ll take all of them.”
Qin Ruan’s straightforwardness and generous purchase startled the young saleswoman.
“Excuse me? You want all of them?”
“That’s right. Please check how many are left.”
“Of course. Please wait a moment.”
The saleswoman hurried into the stockroom.
A few minutes later, she returned.
“I’m sorry for the wait. We currently have six bottles of Moutai left. Would you like all six?”
“Yes. I’ll take them all.”
“Certainly.”
The saleswoman carried the six bottles to the counter, and Qin Ruan counted out forty-eight yuan to pay for them.
After verifying the payment, the saleswoman smiled and asked if she needed anything else.
“No, that’s all for now. Thank you.”
“All right. If you ever need anything else, feel free to come find me. My surname is Fang.”
“Great, Xiao Fang. If I need anything in the future, I’ll come directly to you.”
Qin Ruan was very pleased with the saleswoman’s attitude.
She decided she could look for her again the next time she came.
In this era, sales clerks could earn bonuses based on the goods they sold.
That was why salespeople in the 1980s were generally much more courteous than those in the 1970s.
Carrying the four tins of malted milk powder and the six bottles of Moutai, she rode her bicycle back toward the military family compound.
When she reached a wooded area with no one around, she stopped, looked around to make sure she was alone, and opened the System Marketplace.
She searched for pastries typical of 1983 and exchanged 150 points for an assortment.
The familiar system notification sounded.
【Host purchased pastries for 150 points. Remaining points: 14,000.】
Qin Ruan found the marketplace rather convenient.
Every time she spent points, it automatically displayed her remaining balance.
With 14,000 points left, it was equivalent to 1,400 yuan—a considerable sum of money in this era.
She had already planned the explanation for where the pastries came from.
If anyone asked, she’d simply say she had bought them at the supply and marketing cooperative after meeting a newly hired sales clerk who was promoting them. She’d say she bought them on the spot because they might not be available again next time.
Satisfied with her plan, Qin Ruan happily pedaled her bicycle home.
She now had liquor, malted milk powder, and pastries.
Those gifts should be more than sufficient.
Once she got home, she planned to borrow some tea leaves from her uncle as well.
That way, when she visited the Shen family, they wouldn’t think the Qin family treated Shen Jianing poorly or failed to value her.
After all, the Qin family hadn’t attended Qin Ruofeng and Shen Jianing’s wedding.
Everyone understood the circumstances.
Although Qin Ruofeng had been adopted into the Qin family, Hu Yufen had still reserved part of the family property for him.
This time, she had only given him two bracelets, but when she grew old, part of the remaining estate would also go to Qin Ruofeng, while the larger share would eventually belong to Qin Ruan.
Since the Qin family hadn’t attended the couple’s wedding, this visit called for especially generous gifts.
Only then would the Shen family see that the Qin family truly respected Shen Jianing rather than looking down on her.
It had to be said that Qin Ruan had thought every detail through with remarkable care.
This time, when Qin Ruan returned, the front basket of her bicycle was filled with pastries and tins of malted milk powder, while six bottles of Moutai were tied securely to the rear rack.
She pedaled home as fast as she could the entire way, afraid someone might recognize her carrying so many valuable goods and attract unwanted attention.
Fortunately, she rode quickly enough that no one got a good look at her. It wasn’t until she pushed her bicycle into the courtyard that anyone saw what she had bought.
When Shen Jianing saw Qin Ruan wheeling the bicycle inside, she was stunned by the pile of purchases.
“Ruanruan, what on earth did you buy? Why did you get so much?”
“Auntie, it’s just some liquor, some pastries, and a few tins of malted milk powder. Later I’ll need to borrow some tea leaves from you and Uncle so we can take them to your parents’ house. We don’t have any extra tea here.”
“Of course, of course. Your uncle and I hardly drink tea anyway. You can take it all.”
“Great! Thank you, Auntie.”
Qin Ruan’s playful, affectionate tone made Shen Jianing blush a little.
“All right, all right. We’re family. There’s no need to be so polite.”
After that, Qin Ruan turned to her grandmother.
“Grandma, let’s go back to our hometown in a few days. Then, when Auntie is close to giving birth, we’ll come back again.”
Shen Jianing was taken completely by surprise by Qin Ruan’s sudden change of plans.
“Ruanruan, that’s not what you said before. Didn’t you agree to stay here?”
Hu Yufen also chimed in.
“That’s right. You already promised you’d stay.”
“Grandma, Auntie, I want to go back and bring some more tea leaves. We should also bring the chickens and ducks here. If we leave them at home, wouldn’t that just be a waste?”
Only then did Hu Yufen remember that they had left the chickens behind, asking only a neighbor to feed them.
“Oh, that’s right! We still have several chickens. We should bring them over. Jianing can eat them during her postpartum confinement—or even now.”
“Exactly,” Qin Ruan agreed. “And Grandma, it’s almost mushroom season. We can gather some wild mushrooms and bring them back. They’ll be perfect for making soup.”
Hu Yufen looked at her suspiciously.
“Ruanruan, don’t fool me. How could there be mushrooms in May?”
“Auntie, in Yunnan, mushroom season starts in May. Once the rainy season begins, mushrooms start popping up all over the mountains.”
Shen Jianing wasn’t sure what to think and turned toward Hu Yufen.
Feeling her daughter-in-law’s gaze, Hu Yufen finally spoke.
“Jianing, I think we should go back. We’ll bring the ducks over, and we’ll also bring more tea leaves. It’ll make gift-giving easier for you two. Our family’s tea is homemade, high quality, doesn’t cost us anything, and tastes wonderful.”
Hearing her mother-in-law say that, Shen Jianing sighed inwardly.
She realized the decision had already been made.
“Auntie,” Qin Ruan said with a smile, “we’re only going back for a short trip. It’s not like we aren’t coming back. Once we’ve finished everything, we’ll return.”
“So… when are you leaving?”
“We’re definitely not leaving today.”
Qin Ruan burst into laughter after saying that.
Her cheerful expression made Shen Jianing laugh as well.
Hu Yufen spoke up.
“Then we’ll leave after we’ve visited your parents. That way we can go early and come back early.”
“Sounds good. We’ll do as Grandma says,” Qin Ruan replied with repeated nods.
“All right then, Mom. When Ruofeng comes home later, let him know.”
“I will. Once we get back, we’ll bring the ducks over directly. It’ll be much more convenient. We’ll have him build a coop for them here in the courtyard.”
Shen Jianing looked surprised.
“He knows how to build a coop?”
Hu Yufen smiled.
“What farm boy doesn’t? Ruofeng knows how to do just about everything.”
“What about cooking?”
“Of course he can cook too. His cooking just doesn’t taste very good.”
Shen Jianing laughed.
“No wonder he never cooks for me.”
Privately, though, she decided that once he got home, she’d ask him to cook for her one evening so she could finally taste his cooking herself.
“Auntie, what are you thinking about?”
Qin Ruan suddenly leaned over beside Shen Jianing and asked.
“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering whether you should bring anything back with you when you return home.”
“Auntie, we’re going back to bring things here, not to stay for long. Besides, everything we need is already at home.”
“That’s right,” Hu Yufen added. “Let’s bring all the grain and food supplies over too.”
Qin Ruan nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Shen Jianing still looked worried.
“But will it be convenient to carry all of that? The trains are so crowded. You’ll be bringing ducks and grain too. Maybe Ruofeng should take some leave and accompany you back.”