Hearing Shen Jianing’s suggestion, Qin Ruan was more than willing, but Hu Yufen frowned and shook her head.
“Forget it. Let’s not.”
“Grandma, let Uncle come back with us to help bring everything over. It’ll be much easier that way. If it’s just the two of us, I’m afraid the chickens and ducks might get lost.”
“But will your uncle be able to get leave?” Hu Yufen asked. “If we bring it up and the army won’t approve it, what then?”
“That’s easy,” Qin Ruan replied. “When Uncle comes home later, we’ll just ask him.”
“All right, then.”
“He should be able to get leave,” Shen Jianing chimed in. “After all, Ruofeng hasn’t been back home in so many years.”
“But if he goes back with us,” Hu Yufen asked, “what about your meals, Jianing?”
“Mom, don’t worry about me. If necessary, I’ll just stay at my parents’ house for a few days.”
Shen Jianing wasn’t concerned at all. Over the past two days, she had truly felt how kindly her mother-in-law treated her.
“Then let’s settle on that for now,” Hu Yufen said. “We’ll ask Ruofeng when he gets back.”
“All right. You two sit and rest. I’ll carry these things inside first.”
With that, Qin Ruan began moving the Moutai and the other gifts into the house, leaving them there until the weekend when they would visit the Shen family.
As she worked, she quietly opened the System Marketplace.
“System,” Qin Ruan asked, “how much can a bottle of 1983 Moutai sell for in the marketplace now?”
The latest year available in the marketplace is 2020. A bottle of 1983 Moutai should be worth quite a lot. I’ll check for you.
Less than a minute later, the system notification sounded.
【Host, the inquiry is complete. As of 2020, a bottle of 1983 Moutai sells for $40,000 in the marketplace.】
“What did you say? Forty thousand… per bottle?”
【Yes, Host. $40,000 per bottle. However, if you sell it through the marketplace, the $40,000 sale price will be converted into 40,000 points.】
“What? Why? Didn’t the tea sell for 15,000 points?”
【Host, you remembered incorrectly. The tea was worth 15,000 points, equivalent to $1,500 per jin, or $150 per liang.】
“How could it only be worth $1,500 per jin?”
【That is the market price for the tea. Moutai, however, has collectible value. For collectible items worth over ten thousand, the marketplace converts the full selling price directly into the same number of points.】
Qin Ruan suddenly felt as though the sky had fallen.
How much money could I make from this?
Then she thought about it again.
Buying a bottle for eight yuan and selling it for the equivalent of 40,000 points…
That was still an incredible profit.
(Author’s note: In the marketplace, the exchange rate is 10 points = 1 yuan.)
Qin Ruan cooked lunch as usual.
She simply stir-fried one meat dish and one vegetable dish, and everyone ate them with steamed rice.
“Sister-in-law,” Qin Ruan asked, “is this vegetable garden all we have? Is there a backyard too?”
“No backyard,” Shen Jianing replied. “All the vegetables are grown in the front yard. See? The left side is the vegetable patch, and the right side is where we hang laundry and relax.”
Suddenly, Qin Ruan turned to Hu Yufen.
“Grandma, when we go back home, let’s dig up a wild grapevine from the mountains. We can plant it here and build a trellis. Then in the summer, whenever we want grapes, we can just pick them fresh.”
“Sure,” Hu Yufen laughed. “As long as you don’t mind all the work.”
“I don’t mind at all. If it’s for something delicious, what’s a little effort?”
Hearing that, Shen Jianing thought it made perfect sense.
Wild grapes grew naturally in the mountains. Whether you found them depended entirely on luck, but they had a pleasantly sweet-and-tart flavor that was mouthwatering just to think about.
Now that she was pregnant, Shen Jianing craved sour and sweet foods even more.
“Ruanruan, your cooking is delicious. It’s sweet and tangy and really whets the appetite. I felt like I was about to have morning sickness, but after eating your food, I don’t feel nauseous anymore.”
“Auntie, if there’s ever anything you’re craving, just tell me and I’ll make it for you. How about cold noodles for dinner? I’ll knead some dough in a little while and hand-pull the noodles myself. Tonight I’ll make cold noodles for everyone.”
“What’s cold noodles?” Shen Jianing asked curiously.
“It’s noodles that’s been rinsed in cold water, so they’re nice and cool. They’re tangy and really appetizing. Then you add shredded cucumber, bean sprouts, and shredded radish.
“And top it off with our homemade chili oil—bright red and fragrant. Pour it over the noodles… wow, it’s absolutely perfect!”
Just hearing Qin Ruan describe it made Shen Jianing’s mouth water.
Hu Yufen, on the other hand, thought the young girl had been coming up with more and more new ideas lately.
“All right, we’ll do as you say. However you make it tonight, that’s how we’ll eat it.”
“That’s the spirit! Just leave everything to me—you won’t be disappointed.”
As she spoke, Qin Ruan confidently patted her chest.
“Auntie, Grandma, I’m going to take a nap. After you finish eating, just leave the dishes there. I’ll wash them later.”
“No need, no need,” her grandmother said, waving her hand. “Go get some rest.”
“Okay, then I’m off.”
With that, Qin Ruan headed back to her room.
As soon as she lay down, she felt sleepy. It seemed like she had forgotten something, but in the end, drowsiness won out over everything else.
Even in her dreams, Qin Ruan found herself arguing with the system—this time about reward points.
By the time Qin Ruofeng returned home, Qin Ruan still hadn’t woken up.
Curious, he asked his wife, Shen Jianing,
“Honey, is Ruanruan still asleep, or did she go out somewhere?”
Shen Jianing immediately put a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet.
“Ruanruan’s still asleep. She went to take a nap. She looked completely exhausted.”
“All right then. I’ll make dinner tonight,” Qin Ruofeng said naturally.
“No,” Shen Jianing quickly stopped him. “She already said she’d make cold noodles tonight and told us not to help.”
“Cold noodles? What’s that? Is it good?”
After asking, Qin Ruofeng turned to his mother.
“Mom, have you ever had it?”
Hu Yufen shook her head.
“No. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of it.”
“But from the way she described it,” Shen Jianing said dreamily, “I think it’ll be delicious.”
“Then what are we waiting for? It’s already getting late. Go wake her up! If she keeps sleeping, how’s she going to sleep tonight?”
As he spoke, Qin Ruofeng walked toward Qin Ruan’s room and knocked loudly on the door.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Qin Ruan instantly woke up.
Realizing she had probably overslept, she glanced out the window and saw that the sky was already beginning to grow dim.
“Oh no… I overslept!”
She hurried out of bed and opened the door.
“Uncle, you’re already back?”
“Of course I am. Just look outside.”
“Hehe…”
Qin Ruan laughed awkwardly.
“I’ll go make dinner now. We’re having cold noodles tonight.”
“Good. Hurry up. I’m starving,” Qin Ruofeng urged.
“Yes, sir!”
With that, Qin Ruan darted toward the kitchen as if she were escaping.
“Do you need any help?” Shen Jianing asked as she came over.
“No, no, Auntie. Just wait outside. I can handle everything myself.”
Qin Ruan first prepared the dough, then began stretching it into long, thin strands of noodles.
Watching from nearby, Shen Jianing stared in amazement.
“You actually pulled those noodles by hand?”
“That’s right, Auntie. You just stretch them like this. Hand-pulled noodles taste much better—they’re chewier and have a much nicer texture.”
“That’s incredible!”
A single lump of dough transformed into countless thin strands of noodles beneath Qin Ruan’s skillful hands.