At this point, Xia Xianxian truly couldn’t hold it together anymore.
She immediately became anxious!
“Mother, how can that be? I’m not doing this out of greed for things from home; what kind of person would that make me!”
After saying this, her throat choked up slightly.
She just wanted to get some old, expired items to trade for food—why was it so difficult!
“I really just missed home!”
“Besides, besides, I just moved to a new place and haven’t been sleeping well at night. I wanted to take an old pillow towel that I’m used to using at home to sleep with.”
“Yes, yes, I’m just fussy about my bed. Mother, please don’t make me a new one; the one I’m using in Xiahe Village is already new!”
Xia Xianxian was so anxious that she was babbling incoherently. She hoped she wouldn’t fail to get the old things and end up being saddled with a new pillow towel instead!
She really wasn’t in need; they only issued so many fabric coupons a year. If she made a pillow towel, she would be short elsewhere.
Xia Xianxian felt that she, this “bargain” daughter, couldn’t afford to accept these gifts yet.
“Mother~”
Xia Xianxian shook Lin Jiafeng’s hand, her eyes wide, trying to make Lin Jiafeng see her sincerity in them!
Lin Jiafeng asked hesitantly, “You really don’t need them?”
“I really don’t!”
Xia Xianxian said decisively.
Seeing that Lin Jiafeng seemed to believe what she said, Xia Xianxian hurriedly began to change the subject.
“By the way, Mother. Remember to drink that package of brown sugar I brought; don’t be reluctant to use it and let it go bad.”
Lin Jiafeng looked at Xia Xianxian amusedly. Why was this child talking such nonsense today?
“How could sugar go bad? Sugar can be kept for many years. You can’t just eat up all the good things at once; we still have to live our lives, don’t we?”
Looking at the completely indifferent Lin Jiafeng, Xia Xianxian was truly worried.
Expired things couldn’t be eaten. Even if it weren’t for her mission, Xia Xianxian was now genuinely wanting to take this package of expired brown sugar away from the Xia family.
“Mother, please don’t disbelieve me.”
Xia Xianxian straightened her body and looked at Lin Jiafeng with a serious face.
“Mother, the books all say that expired brown sugar is toxic. In serious cases, it can be life-threatening.”
Seeing that Lin Jiafeng was still unmoved, she moved closer, took Lin Jiafeng’s hand, and looked at her earnestly.
“This is really true. I used to think that eating expired things didn’t matter either.”
“But I only found out after chatting with Wenzhou these past two days that a distant relative of Aunt Li, his neighbor, actually got sick from eating expired brown sugar.”
Xia Xianxian spoke very convincingly, and Lin Jiafeng couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious.
“That distant relative of hers was also reluctant to waste it. She kept the half-package of brown sugar at home, putting it away and taking it out repeatedly. In the end, because the old person in the family was having a birthday and there really wasn’t anything good to serve, she finally took it out and poured a little bit for everyone.”
“But look at the result—the whole family had diarrhea. For several days straight, they were so weak they couldn’t even speak. The elder was older, so it was even more serious. She had to lie at home for a long time before she recovered!”
“Mother, let’s not be like them. Not only does eating expired sugar make you feel miserable, but it also delays work, doesn’t it?”
Hearing this, Lin Jiafeng’s eyes flickered. Yes, if it delayed work, that would be a big problem!
“Well, our family still has half a package of brown sugar bought the year before last. At the time, we had to wait in a long queue to buy it, and many people behind us didn’t even get any.”
“Oh, I remember that. Is that so? We still have some at home!”
“Ah! Last year, when your sister-in-law married into the family, we took it out to drink once. The sugar in our home should be fine.”
The more she spoke, the more certain Lin Jiafeng became, and her expression shifted from the earlier tension and hesitation to composure.
“That won’t do, Mother. Let’s take it out and check. If it’s really spoiled, this is not something to joke about.”
Lin Jiafeng waved her hand at Xia Xianxian.
“It’s fine.”
How could Xia Xianxian just let it go? It had been such a long time; it must be expired.
She directly grabbed Lin Jiafeng’s hand and pulled her outside.
“Mother, please take me to see it. If it’s really spoiled, I’ll find a way to get some more sugar for the family later.”
Lin Jiafeng couldn’t refuse, so she had to follow her out, muttering as she walked: “You child, spending your days worrying about nothing.”
Clang!
The pure wood bolt of the cabinet door was pulled out.
Xia Xianxian stood to the side, staring intently at the black-painted wooden cabinet.
Creeak~ Creeak~
The sound grew from low to high. The creeak~ creeak~ was very long, yet it felt as if only a moment had passed. The sound made Xia Xianxian’s heart drum.
Finally, Xia Xianxian was about to see this legendary half-package of expired brown sugar.
The brown sugar had been hidden by Lin Jiafeng in the deepest part of the cabinet. Although it was daytime, there were no lights on in the room, and the cabinet door was half-covered. Xia Xianxian just felt that Lin Jiafeng was like someone searching for treasure in a cave; no one but her knew where the treasure was hidden.
The oil-paper package was opened, and Xia Xianxian immediately began to check it. From the appearance, the brown sugar had no obvious mold and no signs of insects.
“Look, what did I tell you? Our family’s stash is perfectly fine! That relative of your neighbor’s must have left it for who knows how many years, or perhaps she wasn’t careful and didn’t store it properly, which is how it got ruined.”
Lin Jiafeng, standing to the side, was overjoyed, her voice much lighter than before.
No, this wasn’t right. The system had clearly pinpointed that the brown sugar was expired. Given the situation at the Xia family home, apart from the one she brought today, it was impossible for there to be any other brown sugar.
Xia Xianxian was still worried in her heart, but her mouth had already begun to echo Lin Jiafeng.
“Yes, yes, Mother, it’s good that it’s fine. It wasn’t easy to buy this stuff; it would be a shame if it were spoiled and couldn’t be used.”
“Alright, let’s go out since it’s fine. Calculating the time, it’s about time to set the table.”
The half-package of brown sugar in her hand felt like a lead weight; it was heavy and made her heart feel suffocated.
“&%…School…#@…”
Xia Aidang’s howling voice drifted in from the main room.
“Tsk, what kind of trouble is that brat causing at school again? Little Meng is still in the main room; he’s not even afraid of losing face.”
This cry actually bought Xia Xianxian some time.
Lin Jiafeng was frowning and cursing under her breath, “If that brat dares to skip school again, see if I don’t break his legs!”
“Eh?”
Xia Xianxian’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Mother, look!”
“This… there’s nothing wrong with this.”
Lin Jiafeng looked at the brown sugar block shoved in front of her with a dazed expression.
“The color! The color is wrong. I remember the one I brought had a reddish-brown color, but this one is a bit burnt-looking.”
Lin Jiafeng thought about the brown sugar she had seen in the past; the color of this piece did seem a bit off.
After only a moment of hesitation.
Lin Jiafeng said to Xia Xianxian, “It must have been in the cabinet for too long; it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Seeing that Lin Jiafeng was still unwilling to give up this long-preserved piece of expired brown sugar, Xia Xianxian picked it up and held it to her nose to sniff it.
Lin Jiafeng looked on with expectation.
The words Xia Xianxian was about to say were pressed back in her throat when she saw Lin Jiafeng’s face.
“Mother, this really cannot be eaten.”
Sighing lightly, the oil-paper package appeared before Lin Jiafeng’s eyes once more.