Both parties communicated through mental transmission, with the System automatically converting their thoughts into text. Since Wang Er Ya was illiterate, her System provided audio accompaniment.
After hearing Wang Er Ya's story, Ning Xuan learned that she was fleeing from famine, lacking both food and water, and facing the approaching winter without adequate clothing. Ning Xuan felt despair on her behalf—this was even worse than her own situation.
Ning Xuan scanned the Corn Bread Bun and unexpectedly earned one Point.
[This is what I'm eating now.]
Wang Er Ya stared at the bun that appeared in her mind, swallowing repeatedly as if she could already smell its aroma.
The refugee group was currently resting. She had taken her daughter to a spot where they could still see the others but maintained some distance.
Then the other party sent another message, saying she had water and asking if Wang Er Ya needed any. Wang Er Ya quickly nodded.
Meanwhile, Ning Xuan suddenly realized that those fleeing famine likely suffered from water shortages too, so she casually asked. Unsure whether the System counted transactions by quantity or by item, she decided to try sending both together.
Coincidentally, a child happened to be returning a drink bottle. She stopped him and offered one fen in exchange for the glass bottle. She first asked him to go home and fill it with tap water, well water, or preferably cooled boiled water—any drinkable water would do. She would pay one fen for both the bottle and the water.
Noting the boy had emerged from nearby, she assumed he lived close by. Ning Xuan waited at the entrance, watching the boy fill the bottle with tap water.
In less than a minute, the boy returned, and Ning Xuan gave him the promised one fen.
She scanned the glass bottle along with the water and earned another Point.
On the other side, seeing both bun and water—and such clear water at that—Wang Er Ya checked that no one was watching before slipping her hand inside her clothes. By touch, she fished out two copper coins.
[I know food is expensive during famine, but I don't have much money. Would two copper coins be acceptable?]
Ning Xuan agreed. The System then prompted both parties again:
[This transaction will deduct 2 Points. Confirm transaction?]
Ning Xuan and Wang Er Ya, separated by time and space, nodded simultaneously.
[Transaction successful. Traded items have been placed in the temporary Warehouse. Please retrieve promptly.]
Wang Er Ya felt the soft bun materialize in her hidden hand beneath her clothes, her face twisting into a tearful smile. She wanted to laugh but feared drawing attention; she wanted to cry but was too dehydrated for tears.
Worried the bun's scent might attract notice, she quickly tucked it away—now wasn't the time to take it out.
Then she retrieved the glass bottle. Though astonished by its exquisite craftsmanship, she didn't dare linger. Swiftly and discreetly, she poured half the water into her waterskin, then hurriedly offered it to her unconscious younger daughter.
Watching Niu Niu greedily suckle the water, Wang Er Ya felt both relief and the urge to weep.
Da Niu had been staring enviously since Niu Niu started drinking, something Wang Er Ya had noticed earlier.
When Niu Niu had drunk her fill, Wang Er Ya pulled the water away and whispered to Da Niu, "Come, Da Niu, drink a little too. Be quiet."
Da Niu nodded understandingly, then drank two greedy yet restrained sips before urging Wang Er Ya to drink.
Touched by her daughter's maturity, Wang Er Ya thought of the half bottle of water still in the Warehouse and the System that allowed one daily transaction. For the first time, she felt a flicker of hope. Gently, she persuaded Da Niu to take two more sips.
Although the children were young, including Niu Niu, perhaps because they had experienced fleeing famine early on and knew not to cry or make a fuss—or maybe they were just too weak from hunger—Niu Niu didn’t cry even when she suddenly had no more water to drink.
Only after both daughters had drunk did Wang Er Ya carefully take a few small sips, then put away the waterskin.
Then, she continued fleeing with the crowd.
When evening came, and the crowd grew noisy as people ate their dry rations, Wang Er Ya took her daughters to a corner. Secretly tearing off a small piece of steamed bun, she quickly put it into Da Niu’s mouth, urging her to stay quiet and eat fast.
Niu Niu, just over three months old and toothless, couldn’t chew on her own. So Wang Er Ya dipped a piece of bun in water and swiftly placed it in Niu Niu’s mouth.
With no food available on the escape route, Wang Er Ya had long run out of breast milk. Niu Niu had been surviving on softened coarse grains throughout the journey. Already small for her age, she was now emaciated, all skin and bones, no bigger than a kitten.
Not daring to eat much, the three of them—one adult and two children—shared only a quarter of the large steamed bun. Still, both Wang Er Ya and Da Niu felt deeply satisfied.
Fearing the bun’s aroma might attract trouble, Wang Er Ya and Da Niu grabbed some dirt after eating, put it in their mouths briefly, then spat it out.
Niu Niu was too young, so they didn’t make her eat dirt.
Some in the crowd noticed Wang Er Ya and her daughters eating dirt and felt a pang of sympathy, but no one offered help—they were all struggling to survive themselves.
It was this act of eating dirt that finally made those watching them look away.
Meanwhile, Ning Xuan, who had received two copper coins, was feeling troubled. The coins might be antiques that could be exchanged for money someday, but distant water couldn’t quench immediate thirst. She hadn’t obtained anything useful today and had even lost a few cents in the process.
Feeling frustrated, Ning Xuan decided to buy one more steamed bun. Since the weather was still warm, buying more would risk spoilage; one bun would suffice for her evening meal.
Out of curiosity, she then visited the county’s Supply and Marketing Cooperative, only to find that everything required ration tickets. She couldn’t buy a thing.
Oh well, she thought, she’d come back when she had tickets. At least it was still warm enough to sleep without a blanket.
As she browsed, however, she secretly “photographed” the cooperative’s products and uploaded them to her System. In just a short while, she earned several hundred Points—what an easy way to rack up Points!
It was only when she saw the clock hanging in the cooperative and realized it was almost time that Ning Xuan hurried to the station.
By the time Ning Xuan arrived, several Educated Youth were already waiting by the oxcart.
Besides Zhou Aiguo, there was a middle-aged man, also tall, sturdy, and dark-skinned.
“Comrade, you must be one of the Educated Youth. I’m the brigade leader of the Red Star Brigade, Zhou Jianguo.”
Ning Xuan quickly replied, “Yes, Brigade Leader, I’m Educated Youth Ning Xuan.”
About ten minutes later, right at 2 o’clock, Xu Jiajia, Zhou Zhipeng, and a few others arrived precisely on time at the meeting point.
Xu Jiajia carried only her small shoulder bag, while Zhou Zhipeng and Lu Xun were laden with many items.
Ning Xuan was extremely envious—not because the female protagonist was pampered and had people carrying her things, but because she had money to buy so much.
Thinking of her own meager belongings, Ning Xuan felt a headache coming on. Her Trading System allowed only one transaction per day, and the current problem was that the other party was fleeing famine, with no surplus useful items to trade. She was even losing out in the exchanges.
According to the System upgrade requirements, there are still 10 days left to reach Level 2, after which it will match with another Dimension. She hoped the next Dimension would be more capable, otherwise she would be in trouble.