So, he had actually wanted to abandon the mother and her two daughters long ago. Even if he hadn’t climbed the social ladder, he would have left them behind sooner or later.
After getting off the bus and walking a good distance, Su Erbao took out the watch and handed it to Wang Lihua.
The mother and her two daughters didn’t go to the hospital first; instead, they headed to the post office.
After mailing two letters of complaint, Su Erbao suddenly remembered the stamps that everyone collected in later times.
She hadn’t looked into it and didn’t know which stamps were popular for collecting in the future. She thought that once she had money, she would come to the post office to buy some and store them in her Storage Space, just in case they could be sold in later times.
After leaving the post office, the heavy stone in Wang Lihua’s heart finally lifted. Following Su Erbao’s directions, the three of them went to a small alley not far from the steel mill.
This was one of the two black markets in the county town.
In her previous life, she had also come here with Su Dabao.
The alley was about seventy or eighty meters long. The weather was too cold, so there weren’t many people selling things at the black market. Su Erbao followed Wang Lihua as they looked around, mostly seeing items grown by people themselves.
The three of them passed through the black market and went to a nearby public restroom.
Su Erbao took out the tattered padded jackets she had prepared earlier from her Storage Space. After changing into them, she used an eyebrow pencil to thicken Wang Lihua and Su Dabao’s eyebrows and added several marks to Wang Lihua’s face.
When they emerged from the public restroom, the mother and her two daughters had completely transformed. Wang Lihua was also carrying a sack filled with cotton.
They re-entered the alley, found a spot with fewer sellers, and squatted against the wall, waiting for customers.
By then, it was already noon, and the steel mill workers were getting off work.
It didn’t take long before people in steel mill uniforms sneaked into the alley. Everyone seemed to be avoiding the light, keeping their heads low and speaking in hushed tones.
Soon, someone approached the mother and her two daughters.
Seeing this, Wang Lihua didn’t wait for the person to speak. She quickly pulled open a small gap in the sack, revealing a bit of snow-white cotton. After the woman got a clear look, she promptly closed the sack again.
The visitor was a woman in her early forties, also wearing a steel mill uniform and a slightly worn red-checkered headscarf. She glanced left and right, then rubbed her thumb against her index and middle fingers, signaling to ask Wang Lihua how much the cotton cost.
Wang Lihua also quickly glanced around and held up two fingers, whispering softly, “No coupons needed.”
The woman thought for a moment, shook her head, and gestured for one yuan and eight jiao.
Wang Lihua didn’t agree and waved her hand.
Two yuan was already a loss, let alone one yuan and eight jiao.
Seeing that she wouldn’t sell, the woman pretended to leave, but Wang Lihua simply turned her head to the other side.
With no other choice, the woman gritted her teeth, took a step closer, and beckoned to Wang Lihua, speaking almost in a whisper, “Follow me. I’ll take it all.”
Wang Lihua’s heart leaped with joy, but she didn’t show it on her face. She stood up, picked up the sack with one hand, and took Su Erbao’s hand with the other.
Su Erbao quickly grabbed Su Dabao’s hand, and the three of them lowered their heads and followed the woman out of the alley at a brisk pace.
After winding through several turns, the four arrived at a small courtyard. The woman took out a key, unlocked the door, and ushered the three of them inside.
“Finally, we can speak loudly,” the woman said as she closed the courtyard gate, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Wang Lihua remained silent, and her two daughters huddled close to her, looking somewhat pitiful.
“How much does this cotton weigh?” the woman asked again, eager to finish the purchase quickly as she still needed to get back for her lunch break.
Wang Lihua opened the mouth of the burlap sack to show her. “Twelve jin, full weight.”
The woman grabbed a handful of cotton and examined it carefully. Finding it indeed better than the cotton requiring ration tickets at the supply and marketing cooperative, she nodded. “Wait here, I’ll go get the scale.”
Without waiting for Wang Lihua’s response, she went inside to fetch the scale. Hanging the sack on it, she weighed the cotton—twelve jin and three liang. Satisfied, she nodded again and pointed inside the house. “Help me move the cotton inside.”
Wang Lihua understood the woman was worried about the quality of the cotton at the bottom and didn’t object. She took Su Dabao and Su Erbao with her into the house and transferred the cotton to the spot the woman indicated.
Seeing that the cotton underneath was just as good as what she had seen earlier, the woman finally seemed content. She went to another room, counted out 24 yuan, and handed it to Wang Lihua.
Su Dabao tightly held Su Erbao’s hand, sensing the woman’s disdain toward them.
She recalled what Su Erbao had told her about the future and pressed her lips together.
She would work hard to ensure her mother and sister could live a good life, free from having to lower themselves like this.
Wang Lihua tucked the money away, thanked the woman, and was about to leave with her two daughters when the woman spoke again just as they reached the door.
“If you can get cotton, can you also get cotton quilts?”
Wang Lihua turned back and softly replied, “Yes, they’re thick quilts weighing twelve jin, but they cost 35 yuan each. Would you like one, sister?”
The woman’s eyes flickered, and she tried bargaining again. “30. If you can do 30, I’ll take two.”
This price actually matched Wang Lihua’s expectation, but judging by the woman’s reaction, she felt there might still be room for negotiation, so she shook her head. “Sister, you’ve seen the quality of the cotton. 30 really isn’t possible.”
She covered her mouth and coughed twice. “My husband is gone, and my two daughters and I were driven out by his family. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be doing this…”
Being a woman herself, the woman could empathize somewhat with her situation.
She glanced at the thin, frail mother and her two daughters, then stamped her foot. “Fine, 35 it is. I start work at two o’clock—just make sure you deliver them before then!”
If it weren’t for her son’s impending wedding and the urgent need for these items, she wouldn’t have spent this money at all.
But what could she do? She couldn’t just call off the wedding, could she?
Oh well, it’s a bit expensive, but consider it a good deed.
Leaving the woman’s courtyard, Wang Lihua took her daughters back to the public restroom where they had changed clothes earlier.
While no one was around, she took out two cotton quilts, slung them over her back, and headed straight back to the woman’s house.
The sooner she could sell them and get the money, the sooner she could feel at ease.
Clutching the thick stack of banknotes, Wang Lihua couldn’t suppress the smile at the corner of her lips.
In all her life, aside from the 300 yuan in compensation she had received, this was the first time she had ever had so much money on her.
Su Erbao held her hand and, looking up, noticed her smile. She grinned too. “Mom, let’s go eat at the state-run restaurant.”
At this hour, the state-run restaurant wasn’t too crowded, though every seat was already occupied. If they wanted to eat, they would have to share a table with others.
After a quick glance, only the table by the window had a man sitting there, with three empty seats left. The other tables had only one or two spots available at most.
Wang Lihua hurriedly led her two daughters over, had Su Erbao sit down first, and after warning her not to wander off, took Su Dabao to the window to buy food.