Everyone in the little courtyard had gotten used to Yun Ting coming back from the mountains with wild chickens or rabbits.
At first, they thought she was just lucky, but by now, everyone knew—she had some real skill.
Lu Jiayan and Zhou Yang occasionally managed to bring back wild game too.
Yan Zheng often went up the mountain as well, but Lu Jiayan and Zhou Yang didn’t go with him.
Yun Ting could already guess why the male lead and the second male lead didn’t get along.
Two tigers cannot share one mountain.
Whenever she had free time, Yun Ting tinkered with mushroom meat sauce, mostly in her space.
After all, just to be safe, she couldn’t explain to anyone where she got so much meat and porcini mushrooms.
And with Yang Qingqing around, she had to be extra careful—if Yang Qingqing noticed anything unusual, it wouldn’t be fun.
This day, she had a break again! Yun Ting set off early with her backpack. This time, apart from Li Zhaodi, everyone went to town, but Wang Xue didn’t join them; she went with Wang Lijuan instead, chatting and laughing.
“When did those two become so close?” Yun Ting wondered aloud.
Yang Qingqing shook her head; she rarely paid attention to others.
As usual, they took the tractor at the village entrance. This time, they didn’t run into Auntie Meihua. The other women they met were friendly, chatting amicably, and no one was rude. The journey to town passed peacefully.
“I’m going to the post office. You can do your own thing if you have business,” Yun Ting told Yang Qingqing, waving before dashing off.
Yang Qingqing watched her bouncy figure hopping away and shook her head helplessly. How did she always have so much energy?
At the post office, Yun Ting first checked for letters. Sure enough, there were two letters and a package. She glanced at the address and saw it was from her second brother.
“Thanks, comrade…” Yun Ting said, taking the letters and package, and stepping aside to open the letter in a corner. Inside, along with the letter, were two “Great Unity” certificates and several military money notes. She pocketed the money and then read the letter.
Her brother wrote that she had been through a lot, that working in the countryside was tiring, and that she should learn to slack off a little. If she needed anything, she could write to him, and he would send money. He told her not to skimp on food, said he would visit during his vacation, and reminded her not to date anyone in the countryside.
Yun Ting couldn’t help laughing. Her second brother’s personality seemed amusing, and she looked forward to his visit.
She quickly wrote a reply on the prepared stationery, telling him she had sent him canned mushroom meat sauce, reminding him to eat well, take care of his health, and be safe on missions. She sent the letter along with the sauce.
There was also a letter from Li Wanting. Yun Ting replied to her as well, sending two bottles of mushroom meat sauce.
She sent six bottles to her family, asking her mother to share some with her eldest sister. Next time, she would make more to send back.
After finishing all this, she suddenly remembered the stamps she had bought—she would keep them as a memento, even if they couldn’t be exchanged for money.
“Wait, comrade…” a post office worker called out.
“Is there a problem?” Yun Ting asked, puzzled.
“Well… your mushroom sauce… could I get some next time?” the worker asked sheepishly.
“I’m out of stock here,” Yun Ting said, seeing the worker’s visible disappointment.
“Then… could you bring some next time you come to town?”
“Really? Thank you so much! I’ll wait.”
“Aren’t you worried it won’t taste good?”
“Hehe, I just smelled it—it’s so fragrant, the lid can’t even contain it. How bad could it taste? Actually, I wanted to try it for my grandfather. He hasn’t had much appetite lately, so I thought I’d see if he’d like it.”
“I’ll bring some next time I come to town.”
“Thank you! My name is Wen Jing. If you come and I’m not here, just leave it with my colleagues.”
“Got it, I’m off now.” Yun Ting thought it was always good to make friends, especially with someone working at the post office. Multiple connections could come in handy.
She found a quiet alley, entered her space, and opened the package from her second brother. It was all food: malted milk, White Rabbit candies, canned fruits, sticky rice bars, milk biscuits…
Her brother must have worried that his sister wouldn’t have enough to eat in the countryside.
Feeling cared for by her brother felt really nice.
After storing away her emotions, she changed into old clothes, altered her appearance, and prepared some rice, apples, and this time also red dates.
This time, she didn’t plan to go to the black market. She thought Yang Qingqing might be there and wanted to avoid her, so she went to the factory’s staff quarters instead.
The blue-clad lady she had traded with last time, Zhou Yulan, worked at the textile factory. Yun Ting planned to visit her there.
She asked a passerby for directions to the textile factory staff quarters. People in this era were generally kind and helpful—unlike in the future, when strangers were often wary of being scammed.
Carrying her backpack covered with a cloth, Yun Ting didn’t bring out too many things, waiting to act according to the situation.
After about ten minutes, she arrived at the textile factory staff quarters. Three older women were chatting and immediately noticed Yun Ting, eyeing her backpack.
“Hello, ladies. I’m looking for Sister Zhou Yulan. Do you know where she lives? Here, some candy for you,” Yun Ting said, handing each woman two hard candies. The women smiled broadly.
“Oh my, young lady, you’re too polite…” one woman said, though her hands were already grabbing the candies.
“Who are you to Yulan? Do you have business with her?” one woman asked, eyeing her backpack.
“Oh, I’m her distant cousin. My mother asked me to deliver some things, all homegrown. It’s my first time here, so I don’t know her address!”
“I’ll take you there!” another woman said warmly.
“Thank you so much.”
The woman guided Yun Ting through the staff quarters, subtly eyeing what she carried. In this era, everyone knew sending things as a distant relative was just a cover—people understood scarcity and that families rarely had extras to send out.
Yun Ting played dumb. “Oh, it’s just some homegrown stuff, nothing special,” she said with a laugh.
The woman couldn’t get more info and stopped asking.
“Yulan… you have a guest,” the woman called as they approached a building.
“Who is it?” Zhou Yulan, on the second floor, looked down and froze briefly before recognizing Yun Ting.
“Cousin! My mother sent me to see you.” Yun Ting spoke quickly, fearing her story wouldn’t match.
“Oh… cousin! Why so late? I’ve been waiting for days. Come up quickly.”
The older woman didn’t leave, following Yun Ting up to the second floor.
“Yulan, don’t forget to share any good things with your aunt!” the older woman whispered.
“Don’t worry! Auntie, you come in and have some water too.”