And so it was settled.
When Da Ya got home, she found her mother still pacing nervously.
“Mom, stop worrying. I’ll go with you.
We won’t head straight to the black market—we’ll start by circling the factory housing complexes in the county. Should be easy to move the goods.
Let’s have lunch first, then head up the mountain this afternoon to gather more firewood. Once you start selling, you’ll have to flip your schedule—no time for wood. Let’s stock up these couple days.”
“Good idea—let me make something to eat.”
They still had firewood to gather in the afternoon, so lunch couldn’t be too skimpy—otherwise, they’d be too weak to work.
Huang Hong gritted her teeth and made a dry meal—a couple handfuls of dried wild greens, two handfuls of rice, and one sweet potato.
It was a rare full meal for the three of them.
In the afternoon, they shouldered their tools and went up the mountain for firewood.
Lin Xiaohe wasn’t idle either—after lunch, she took her sister back to the other side.
She handed over the goods to Yuya and her grandfather, and in return, took a bulging sack of chestnuts.
It was so heavy it nearly yanked her off balance.
“How much is in there?!”
“We didn’t weigh it—definitely over 20 jin.” Yuya hadn’t even gone home that morning—she’d spent the whole time on chestnuts.
Her grandpa brought her lunch, and they never weighed it. She just knew it was at least 20 jin—she’d barely been able to drag it.
“Alright—I’ll take this. I’ll bring your spicy sticks tomorrow.”
They’d bought a lot today and hadn’t made it to the snack shop.
“Great—I’ll be waiting tomorrow!”
The last batch was almost gone, no matter how sparingly she ate. She just couldn’t help herself—it was too delicious, almost dizzyingly fragrant.
“Okay—I’ll bring them tomorrow.”
She dragged the chestnuts home and set some aside for themselves.
The rest she’d take to Aunt Fang’s.
“Sis, what about the chicken? Are we killing it ourselves?” Xiaogu was a little scared—at her age, she’d never killed anything before.
“I don’t dare either… Let’s ask Granny Zhao—she lives close.”
At their age, none of them had ever killed a chicken—it was truly daunting.
“Okay—I’ll go see if Granny Zhao’s home. If she is, I’ll bring her over.”
Xiaugu dashed off. Lin Xiaohe shook her head with a helpless smile and started tidying up.
Anything that needed hiding went into the cellar.
The little cellar was carrying more than its share of weight—it was practically bursting.
“Xiaohe, I’ve finished your clothes. Just a few more stitches to close it up. You two try them on—see if anything needs adjusting.”
Wu Xiang had brought the clothes over at noon when no one was around, and she’d brought her needle and thread too.
If anything needed fixing, she’d do it on the spot. If not, she’d just close the seams and leave them here.
“Coming! Auntie, hang on.”
Lin Xiaohe quickly finished tidying up and hurried to open the door.
“Auntie, why are you running over at noon? You’re putting yourself out too much.”
“It’s nothing. Come on—where’s Xiaogu? You both need to try these on.”
“Xiaogu went out—she’ll be back soon. Let me try mine first.”
The jacket was thick and sturdy—it took effort just to get her hand in the sleeve.
She twirled around in it, beaming. “This feels so comfortable—it’ll be so warm in winter!”
“Right? You brought plenty of cotton, so I stuffed it all in—super warm.”
Wu Xiang was pleased too. “Oh, Xiaohe—there’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“Do you have any extra cotton? If you do, could you sell me some? I want to make winter clothes for my kids too.
The days are getting colder, but our clothes are getting thinner by the day.”
“Sure—no problem. How much do you need, Auntie?”
“At least two or three jin—otherwise I can’t make two padded jackets.”
“Okay—I’ll go get it.”
She’d only brought over the fabric and cotton for her and her sister’s clothes last time.
The rest was still stuffed in the cellar—that poor cellar had been holding way too much.
“Auntie, hang on—I’ll go grab it.”
She squeezed into the packed cellar and pulled out the cotton.
She split it in half and bagged it.
“Auntie, see if that’s enough.”
Wu Xiang got so excited she nearly jumped. “That’s plenty—enough for two jackets and two pairs of shoes, easy.”
“Xiaohe, hold on—I didn’t bring any money. Let me run home and get it.”
“No rush—you can bring it whenever you have time.”
“No way—money should be settled on the spot. Can’t put it off. I’ll go get it.”
Wu Xiang insisted on going home.
She dashed inside, grabbed the money, and ran back out.
“Where are you going?” Lin Deshan called after her, but got no answer.
“Never mind me—I’ll be right back.” Wu Xiang couldn’t be bothered to explain. She ran all the way.
“You’re something else!” Lin Deshan shook his head helplessly.
Wu Xiang didn’t care—she jogged all the way back.
“Here, Xiaohe—I brought the money. Keep it safe.”
She pressed it into Xiaohe’s hands, picked up her needle and thread, and went back to sewing.
“This one fits fine, right? If it does, I’ll close it up. The weather’s still decent—hang it outside for a couple days to air out.
Then pack it away. When winter comes, it’ll be warm and not damp at all.”
She was confident in her sewing skills.
Just as she finished the last few stitches, Xiaogu came back with Granny Zhao in tow.
“Xiaohe, where’s the chicken? I’ll handle it.”
“Granny Zhao, hang on—I’ll go get it.”
The chicken had been tossed in the corner of the back yard. Lin Xiaohe hurried over and brought it out.
“Granny Zhao, sorry to put you through this—you had to come all the way.”
“Don’t be silly—it’s no trouble. Got any hot water? You need hot water to kill a chicken.”
As Granny Zhao prepared the chicken, she marveled at how well this family was doing now. Their luck had really turned—eating chicken on an ordinary day like this.
And such a fat chicken too—where could you even find one like this these days?
The old lady was an old hand at killing chickens. Quick and nimble, she slit the throat and caught the blood in a bowl in no time.
Chicken blood was good stuff—couldn’t waste it.
Lin Xiaohe had already put water on to boil.
The moment the chicken was prepped, she plunged it into the hot water.
A good soak made plucking the feathers much easier.
“You kids don’t need to get your hands dirty—this stuff is messy. Go play—I’ll be done in a bit.”
Granny Zhao shooed them away.
Wu Xiang called Xiaogu over to try on her clothes while watching the action.
“Granny Zhao, you’re the best at this. Come New Year’s, when we kill chickens, we’ll have to trouble you again.”
“What trouble? Just holler when you need me.”
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