She waited until the compound’s dinner was ready before anyone came back.
“Er Ya Jie, where have you been?”
Er Ya jumped at the sudden figure, stumbling back a few steps.
“Oh my god, you scared me! Xiaohe, what are you doing here?”
“Waiting for you. Where did you go?”
“We went up the mountain to gather firewood—left early this morning.”
Er Ya pointed at the big pile of firewood they’d dragged back. “We just moved out and didn’t have any wood. Winter’s coming, and we’ll need a ton—so we figured we’d stock up now.
It rains a lot in winter, and if we wait till then, it’ll be too late.”
“True. Come on, let’s talk inside.” She pulled them into the next room.
“I heard people from the old house keep coming to harass you?”
“It’s manageable. She doesn’t dare go too far—just comes to shout a few insults.”
Huang Hong rolled her eyes helplessly. There wasn’t much she could do about the old woman—she was too old, and if anything happened to her, the blame would fall on her.
At most, they’d yell back at each other.
They were too busy every day to waste time on her. Life still had to go on—there was always work to do.
No time to tangle with her. Every day was hustle and bustle.
“Er Ya Jie, come with me—I’ve got something for you.”
“Perfect—Er Ya, take that firewood at the door to Xiaohe’s place. Xiaohe, you and Xiaogu don’t need to go up the mountain anymore.
I’ll gather extra while I’m at it. Winter’s cold—you’ll need plenty of wood to get through.”
Every family’s quilts were as thin as paper—how could they survive the winter?
They’d have to rely on burning wood to stay warm.
Shut the doors tight, leave a crack in the window.
Light a fire in the open space—that was the only way not to freeze.
Winter required a mountain of firewood.
“Thanks, Auntie. Xiaogu and I don’t dare go up the mountain—we only pick up what we can find in the groves.”
“Don’t mention it—it’s nothing.”
After a bit more chatting, Lin Xiaohe pulled Er Ya Jie home.
“Er Ya Jie, how have you been lately? Can you get enough to eat?”
“Pretty good! We collect firewood in the morning, dig for roots in the afternoon. Sometimes we find wild greens up the mountain. Mixed with the grain you gave us, we can eat something every day.”
The family pulled together—no matter how much work there was, it felt sweet.
“So what are you giving me anyway?”
“Hehe—it’s a secret. You’ll see when we get there.”
Living at the pond was convenient—everything was close.
A few steps and they were there.
“Here—take this. And this too.”
As the pile in her hands grew, Er Ya started refusing. “No, no—I can’t take all this. What is it anyway?”
“One bag is meat, the other is rice. Eat without worry—I’ve got you covered. You won’t go hungry!”
Auntie and her cousins had always been good to them. Now that they had the means to give back, it was only right.
What was that saying again? Right, right—”a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring.”
“I can’t take this. My mom told me the other day—you don’t owe us anything, and you’re not exactly well-off yourselves. We can’t keep taking your things.”
Hearing how precious these items were, Er Ya waved her hands frantically. “I can’t take them. I really can’t.”
“Do you still consider us family or not? If you do, just take it. If not, I’ll be mad!” Lin Xiaohe pretended to pout in anger. “You used to share even a half-mouthful of roots with me. Now that I can share back, what’s wrong with that? Take it—or I’ll get mad.”
“Okay, okay—I’ll take it.” Er Ya hugged the heavy bundle and scurried home, trying not to be seen.
“What’s all that you’re carrying?” Da Ya saw her sneaking around and knew there had to be good stuff. She pulled her inside quickly—they couldn’t let anyone, especially anyone close to the old house, see.
“Xiaohe gave it to me. I said no, no—but she said I was treating her like a stranger.
There’s a big piece of meat and several jin of grain.”
Da Ya barely listened—she started unwrapping it.
Clamping a hand over her mouth, she gasped in shock. “That much meat!”
“Right? I thought it was just a couple liang—but this has got to be two or three jin!”
“What are you two whispering about? I smell meat.”
“Xiaohe gave us meat. I know you told me not to accept, Mom, but she insisted. I couldn’t say no.”
Huang Hong sighed. “Since you’ve already brought it home, we’ll keep it. Let’s see if we have anything worth giving back.”
Da Ya’s eyes flickered. “Mom, would you dare go to the black market?”
“What do you mean?” Huang Hong didn’t follow.
“Think about it, Mom—Xiaohe’s family needs cash right now. They can get goods. We take the goods from them, take them somewhere else, and mark them up.
That way, Xiaohe’s family gets cash, and we make a little profit too. What do you think, Mom?”
Da Ya grew more excited as she thought it through. If her mom wouldn’t do it, she’d go to Xiaohe herself.
She couldn’t keep relying on handouts—Xiaohe’s family had their own struggles.
Huang Hong gritted her teeth. “Alright—I’ll do it!”
In a good year, she could work harder in the fields and gather more greens—life was bearable.
But this year was too harsh. Without thinking outside the box, survival was tough.
Still, her hands trembled with nervousness.
Huang Hong kept psyching herself up, telling herself not to be afraid.
Da Ya had already run to the ancestral hall to discuss it with Xiaohe.
Lin Xiaohe was cooking.
“What?! You want Auntie to sell things?”
“Yeah—I want her to take some goods from you and sell them. Charge us the regular price—don’t give us a deal.
My mom will probably be scared at first, so she can start by lurking around the factory housing complex.
Those people have money and are willing to spend. We can mark things up and still make a profit.
We’ll add a little to your price—I’m sure we can move the goods and make something. What do you think, Xiaohe? Can we do it?”
“Can we? Of course we can!” This was brilliant—Da Ya Jie was so smart.
“It’s settled then. Bring Auntie to my place tomorrow night to pick up the goods.
You’ll have to leave before dawn—if anyone in the village sees you, it’ll be trouble.”
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