“We’re bringing it for other people—quite a few folks need it. Once we split it up, there won’t be much left.”
“I see! What were you about to go do? You’d better get going—don’t waste any time.”
Her reminder snapped them back to reality—they still had to go to the supermarket. They waved goodbye and ran off together.
They were now pros at grabbing a basket at the supermarket entrance.
Seeing other people pushing carts, they gave it a try—but it was a bit awkward and hard to control.
The basket was still the better fit!
“Once we’re taller, we can use the cart—it’d be so much more convenient.”
Xiaogu was even shorter than the shopping cart; she’d have to stand on tiptoe to push it. Xiaohe was a bit taller than the cart, but it was still a struggle.
“That’ll take a while—at least two or three years, right? Come on, let’s go. First sugar, then meat.
Oh, and today we should also buy some white flour—sometimes flour is more convenient.”
“Great! Let’s hurry then.”
They bought five jin of brown sugar and two jin of the cheapest meat—even cheaper than last time.
6.99 yuan a jin!
“Sis, the meat seems cheaper again. I remember it wasn’t this price last time.”
Lin Xiaohe nodded. “It definitely wasn’t—this is so cheap!”
Xiaogu’s initial excitement turned to hesitation. She frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with this meat, is there?”
In her memory, only sick pigs and sick chickens were sold that cheap.
Healthy animals would never be sold at such a low price.
“I don’t think so—would a store this big sell bad meat and risk ruining its reputation?” Lin Xiaohe shook her head. A place this huge, with shelves stretching as far as the eye could see and so many good things—why would they sell bad meat?
“Don’t worry, the meat’s fine. Haven’t you heard? Meat prices have dropped a lot lately—this is normal now.
This is the cheapest cut—front leg meat. All the good-looking parts are trimmed off, and it’s fatty and not pretty, so it can’t sell for much.
If you’d come on a weekend during a supermarket sale, you might’ve even gotten it for 5 yuan.”
A young woman picking out meat nearby chimed in, then moved on to look at ribs.
Lin Xiaohe took a closer look and her eyes went wide—ribs were over 20 yuan a jin!! While pork was only a few yuan!
“Sis, should we buy more? It’s so cheap—we could even eat meat like it’s rice!”
Xiaogu was itching to buy—anyone lacking oil and meat couldn’t resist the temptation. Her eyes were practically glowing green.
“Okay, let’s buy more. Today, we’ll eat until we’re stuffed.”
With prices this low, Lin Xiaohe had no reason to refuse. She waved her hand grandly and set out to buy.
They picked through and filled a big bag—it weighed 8 jin on the scale.
Xiaogu, who’d been all for buying more, suddenly hesitated. “Sis, isn’t this a bit too much?”
“It’s not too much—we can trade some with others.”
They rushed home after shopping, and only when they got back did they remember they’d meant to check fabric prices today but had forgotten. Oh well—tomorrow.
“Xiaohe, are you home? I came to check on your mom.”
Wu Xiang called out from outside.
“Coming, coming!”
Lin Xiaohe quickly responded, then whispered to her sister to hide everything. “Put it all in the cellar for now. Leave out one jin of meat—make sure it’s the fattier piece.”
“Okay.” Xiaogu nodded seriously and hurried to stash things away.
Then she called out, “Auntie, wait just a moment!”
“Alright, alright, no rush—take your time.”
Wu Xiang shook her head helplessly. It wasn’t like she was in a hurry—what was the rush?
When she saw her sister peek out from the back door, Lin Xiaohe opened the front door.
“I heard from the barefoot doctor that your parents are recovering really well! That’s wonderful news. I went up the mountain today—went a bit further than usual—and found some wild greens.
I brought you some too. It’s nothing fancy, but it’ll fill your bellies.
The kids also dug up some roots—here’s a bit of that as well.”
Wu Xiang knew Third Brother could get food through the black market, but she still couldn’t help worrying. Whenever she had a little extra, she’d bring some over.
“Oh, and let me give your mom a wash. Your uncle’s not home today—I’ll have him come by tomorrow to help your dad. The weather’s still warm, you know.
If you don’t wash for a day or two, it gets really uncomfortable. I brought hot water with me.”
Wu Xiang set the things by the door and went over to give Yuexiu a sponge bath.
Lin Xiaohe took out the wild greens and roots from the basket, then put the piece of meat they’d set aside inside.
“Yuexiu, you two just take it easy. You know what they say—a broken bone takes a hundred days to heal.
Make sure you rest properly and don’t push yourselves. If you end up with chronic issues, that’ll be even harder down the road.
Whatever troubles come, we’ll grit our teeth and get through them together. There’s no hurdle we can’t overcome.”
Wu Xiang chatted away as she helped.
“Oh, did you hear? Things over at your old place have turned upside down. Your sister-in-law sure has backbone—she took the kids and left.
For some reason, your father-in-law was uncharacteristically agreeable—gave them grain, goods, and even money.
Not like him at all. That old man’s sly as a fox—always the good guy on the surface, but lets others do the dirty work.”
The old man always played meek in public, but the neighbors all knew better—he was a mean, scheming character.
Liu Yuexiu also found it strange. Qian Sancao would never willingly give a single grain of rice.
That meant the old man had overruled everyone’s objections.
Since when was he so agreeable?
“Sister-in-law, I came to see you.”
Speak of the devil—just as they were talking about her, she appeared at the door.
“Come in, come in—what are you doing standing out there?” Liu Yuexiu got along okay with her sister-in-law. Not great, but not bad either.
But the moment Huang Hong stepped inside, she dropped to her knees. Everyone in the room was startled.
Wu Xiang shot up. “Oh my goodness! What are you doing?”
“Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law—there’s something I’ve kept inside for a long time. I never dared to speak of it, and it’s never given me a moment’s peace.
Now that I’m no longer under those two old monsters, I think you ought to know.”
The couple was terrified—what kind of earth-shattering secret could be worth her kneeling?
Liu Yuexiu quickly directed her daughters, “Xiaohe, Xiaogu—help your aunt up.”
“No—let me finish first. Third Brother—your mother didn’t run away with another man. She’s dead.
That day, I wasn’t feeling well and snuck back home to rest for a bit.
Then I heard noises coming from the main house. I don’t know where I got the nerve, but I crouched under the window and eavesdropped.
That’s when I overheard a big secret. The old man was holding three incense sticks, muttering to a spirit tablet.
Something felt wrong, so I forced myself to keep listening despite my fear.
I heard him say things like, ‘Don’t blame me—I didn’t mean it. You’re dead already—please leave me alone.’”
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