Qin Ruan asked the system again, “Can I exchange this for money?”
The system replied, [Yes. You can exchange points for money, but the conversion rate is different. Ten points equals one yuan.]
Qin Ruan thought, Wow, I’m really going to get rich.
She carefully looked through the dazzling array of products in the mall. It had everything—medicine, alcohol, and all kinds of modern goods.
“Wow, this mall is amazing.”
The system answered, [Yes, Host~]
Qin Ruan was overjoyed. This is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! I can become a wealthy person in this era!
“Has little Ruan come back yet?” An elderly voice filled with warmth and affection sounded from the courtyard.
Qin Ruan knew it was the original owner’s grandmother and immediately replied, “I’m home, Grandma. I’ll start cooking right away.”
“Oh, good, good. It’s enough that you’re back. There’s no rush to cook.”
Qin Ruan stepped outside and saw her elderly grandmother carrying a basket of tea leaves.
“Grandma, I picked tea leaves today too. Teach me how to roast them later, okay?”
“Of course. My Ruanruan has grown up.”
Qin Ruan smiled. “Grandma, you’re the best.”
Her grandmother laughed. “Come on, let’s go cook.”
“Sure! Grandma, you tend the fire, and I’ll do the cooking.”
The firewood crackled in the earthen stove. Hu Yufen sat in front of the stove adding wood to the fire, the warm glow illuminating the wrinkles on her face.
Qin Ruan chopped bok choy on the cutting board. The knife tapped rhythmically against the wood as she occasionally glanced at her grandmother, feeling completely at peace.
“Grandma, do you think the meals in Uncle’s military unit are cooked in huge iron pots?” Qin Ruan asked casually while continuing to chop vegetables, neatly arranging the bright green leaves in a porcelain bowl.
Hu Yufen smiled and pushed a few dry branches into the stove. Sparks shot upward. “Your uncle once wrote that a company of over a hundred soldiers used cooking pots bigger than our water vat.” She paused, her cloudy eyes curving into a smile. “When we go there, we’ll get to see them with our own eyes.”
Just then, the voice of the village accountant came from outside the gate.
“Hu Yufen, there’s a letter from the military!”
Hu Yufen immediately stood up. Though age had slowed her legs, she moved as quickly as she could.
Qin Ruan followed her out, curious to see what it was about.
Hu Yufen opened the envelope, narrowed her eyes, and slowly read the letter aloud, tracing each word with her finger.
“Mom, Jianing is pregnant. The doctor says the baby is stable. If you have time, bring Ruan with you and stay with us at the military base for a while…”
Her eyesight wasn’t what it used to be, so she had to hold the paper close.
As she read, her voice began to tremble. She looked up at Qin Ruan, her eyes shining with joy.
“Your aunt is pregnant! We’re going to have a little grandchild!”
Qin Ruan felt genuinely happy and quickly helped her grandmother sit down.
“That’s wonderful, Grandma. Should we start packing and go visit them?”
Hu Yufen held the letter tightly, the smile on her face gradually taking on a thoughtful look. She took Qin Ruan’s hand and said, “Yes. This is a perfect chance for you to spend some time at the military base. The young men there are all strong, healthy, and have excellent backgrounds. If you happen to like one of them…”
Qin Ruan blushed and hurriedly interrupted, “Grandma, taking care of Aunt is the important thing!”
Hu Yufen patted her hand and smiled like a sly old fox.
“They’re not mutually exclusive. Taking care of her is important, and finding a husband is important too. Look at your uncle—he met your aunt in the military, and everything worked out perfectly.”
After dinner, Qin Ruan packed the dried tea leaves into a cloth bag. She glanced at the space mall and noticed it even had modern prenatal supplements. She wanted to buy some to nourish her aunt, but unfortunately, she didn’t have enough points yet.
Hu Yufen took out some old cloth she had saved at the bottom of a chest and sat under the lamp mending a cloth bag. As she sewed, she muttered, “We need to bring your aunt some of our homemade tea leaves, and the old rock sugar your grandfather left behind. Pregnant women love sweet things…”
Watching her grandmother’s figure under the lamplight, Qin Ruan quietly slipped the warm jade pendant into the inner pocket of her clothes.
The moment her fingertips touched the jade, the image of that cold, sharp-eyed man flashed through her mind. She quickly shook her head, forcing those inappropriate thoughts away.
“Ruanruan, what are you daydreaming about?” Hu Yufen called out.
Qin Ruan snapped back to reality and walked over with a smile.
“Nothing, Grandma. I’ll help you thread the needle.”
Moonlight streamed through the window into the earthen house, illuminating the grandmother and granddaughter sitting close together. Amid the warmth of everyday life lay their anticipation of the journey ahead, along with the deep, unspoken love Hu Yufen held for her granddaughter.
At the first light of dawn, Qin Ruan carried a bamboo basket into the vegetable garden.
The morning dew soaked the hems of her pants, but she didn’t mind. Squatting in the field, she quickly pulled up bok choy and lettuce. Every fresh, tender leaf carried the scent of earth, each one vibrant and full.
“Ruanruan, slow down! Leave some for us to eat!” Hu Yufen called from the edge of the garden, holding a cloth sack. Her voice was filled with concern. “The sun isn’t even up yet. Don’t catch a chill.”
Qin Ruan straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and smiled as she held up a bunch of bok choy.
“Grandma, if we just leave these vegetables here, they’ll go to waste. We might as well sell them for some money so we can buy more things when we visit Uncle at the military base.”
She didn’t mention the system marketplace. Instead, she simply said she would take the vegetables to town and ask someone to sell them. Hu Yufen didn’t question her and only helped pack the vegetables into the basket.
By noon, more than half the garden had been harvested, and the basket was filled to the brim.
Using the excuse of going to town to find a buyer, Qin Ruan returned to her room, closed the door, and with a thought listed all the vegetables on the system marketplace.
“1983 Homegrown Organic Vegetables—No Chemical Fertilizers or Pesticides.”
Less than ten minutes after listing them, the system notifications began sounding one after another.
[Ding! Bok choy sold. Earned 3 points per plant. Total earned: 126 points.]
[Ding! Lettuce sold. Earned 4 points per plant. Total earned: 92 points.]
[Ding! Current point balance: 218 points.]
Qin Ruan’s eyes lit up. She immediately exchanged 200 points for 20 yuan at the rate of 10 points to 1 yuan, leaving herself with 18 points for emergencies.
Adding the 3 points she had earned yesterday, she now had 21 points remaining.
Then she remembered telling her grandmother she was going out to sell vegetables. But in those days, every household grew its own vegetables, so no one would actually buy them.
After thinking for a moment, Qin Ruan quietly went to the house of a familiar neighbor.
“Auntie, could I buy some of the vegetables from your garden?”
“Ruanruan, if you want some vegetables, just pick whatever you need,” Aunt Wang replied. “They’re not worth much anyway. Our family is tired of eating them.”
“Auntie, I’ll fill one basket, and I’ll give you two yuan.”
As she spoke, Qin Ruan began selecting vegetables. She wasn’t picky about the variety—she simply picked more of whatever was growing in abundance.
Soon, she had filled an entire basket. She stuffed the two yuan into Aunt Wang’s hand, then turned and ran off.
“That child…” Aunt Wang looked at the money in her hand and couldn’t help smiling happily.
Qin Ruan carried the basket to a secluded spot behind her own house.
Then she listed everything on the system marketplace.
Again, everything sold within a little over ten minutes.
This time, she earned even more points.
[Ding! Bok choy sold. Earned 3 points per plant. Total earned: 221 points.]
[Ding! Lettuce sold. Earned 4 points per plant. Total earned: 88 points.]
This time, she earned a total of 309 points.
Qin Ruan immediately began shopping in the marketplace.
She found two cans of malted milk powder, spending 120 points.
“Malted milk powder is hard to buy even in the city. Aunt will definitely love it,” Qin Ruan murmured as she tucked the cans into her cloth bag before carefully putting away the cash.