The place had neither antiques nor valuable wooden boxes.
Song Wei wasn’t expecting to find treasures anyway. She rummaged through the piles of books and newspapers and eventually picked a stack of clean, old newspapers and a few books.
Her luck wasn’t bad—she found a few books on traditional Chinese medicine buried under the dust. Additionally, she grabbed some elementary to middle school textbooks in language and math for Heidan. At his age, it was high time for him to start learning to read and write.
After bundling everything up neatly, she carried them outside. The old man watching over the scrap station shuffled up to take a look.
“Six cents will do,” he said lazily.
Song Wei handed him the money without haggling, politely thanked him, and left.
Since she was already in town, she decided to stop by the black market.
She wandered through the market and bought three pairs of socks, three pounds of cotton, and a dozen eggs. Just as she was considering whether to look for grains, she suddenly heard a commotion outside the black market.
“Catch the speculators! Run, everyone!”
A loud, booming voice sent the crowd into a frenzy. Those experienced quickly packed their goods and fled, while others panicked, abandoning their wares and running aimlessly.
Song Wei wasn’t going to stay either. She bolted, but her bad luck soon caught up with her—she ran straight into a group lying in wait.
“Stop right there!”
She wasn’t the only one trapped; a few others also found themselves cornered. Those who could immediately turned and ran back the way they came.
Song Wei, however, narrowed her eyes, took a deep breath, and leaped. Despite carrying items, she moved like a monkey—agile and quick. Scaling the wall with ease, she slipped away under the stunned gazes of the group.
“Catch me? Keep dreaming,” she muttered under her breath.
After vaulting the wall, she discarded her disguise while running. By the time she walked out of an alley, her pace was leisurely, as if she had merely been out for a stroll.
Song Wei made her way to the supply and marketing cooperative. She pushed her way through the crowd and managed to buy thick fabric for making shoes, yarn, and some snacks.
As she squeezed her way out of the cooperative, she once again encountered the men hunting for speculators. One of them even locked eyes with her.
Song Wei stared back calmly, showing no sign of guilt or panic. The man quickly shifted his gaze and didn’t bother her.
After all, she had just walked out of the cooperative—a legitimate customer.
With a spring in her step, Song Wei headed to the state-run restaurant.
“Sister, what dishes are available today?” she asked sweetly as she approached one of the staff members.
Slipping two pieces of egg cake into the woman’s hand, she continued, “Can you let me know?”
The woman’s face lit up, clearly delighted by the treat and Song Wei’s flattery.
“You came just in time,” she said enthusiastically. “We’ve got some leftover oil residue buns and beef stew today. The other day, a cow from XX Brigade accidentally fell and died. Our chef managed to get half of it. You’re lucky!”
Song Wei’s eyes sparkled. “Thank you, big sister! Could I trouble you to help me with one more thing?”
With a combination of egg cakes and candies as bribes, Song Wei convinced the woman to use her employee privileges to secure some oil residue buns, a few steamed buns, and a portion of beef stew.
The restaurant was packed with people who had clearly gotten word about the beef stew. If Song Wei had queued up, she probably wouldn’t have gotten any by the time her turn came.
The staff member, pleased with the treats and flattery, agreed and secretly helped her out in a quiet corner.
By the time Song Wei left, she could hear disappointed murmurs inside: the beef stew had sold out.
Quickening her pace, she grinned. “Just in time.”
On her way home, she hitched a ride on a bullock cart. As before, she handed the driver a fluffy, white steamed bun.
The old man beamed, his toothless grin deepening the wrinkles on his face.
“This is too much! These buns aren’t cheap, you know.”
Song Wei smiled sweetly. “Consider it my fare, Grandpa.”
The old man chuckled. “Alright then, I guess I’m the one taking advantage here. This bun is sweet!”
The other passengers on the cart stared enviously at the old man. Their longing gazes practically bored holes into the bun.
In this era, few could afford to use such high-quality flour to make white steamed buns.
“Song Wei, you’re living the high life,” someone remarked.
Song Wei’s expression turned bashful. “Oh, it’s nothing. My brother’s in the army, you see.”
At the mention of her brother being a soldier, the passengers’ admiration deepened.
In this era, being a soldier was a highly respected and enviable profession.
Back in the village, Heidan’s elder brother Lin Zhen was also a soldier. However, Lin Zhen had been away for several years. If not for the regular remittances he sent home, rumors might have spread that he’d died in service.
Meanwhile, in the faraway city of Haishi, the Song family was in turmoil.
After confirming multiple times that Song Jing hadn’t sent any money home, Song Father erupted in anger.
“That ungrateful son!”
He paced back and forth, cursing Song Jing repeatedly.
Beside him, his wife feigned concern while subtly sowing discord.
“Maybe it’s because of Weiwei. I blame myself—she must still resent me. Perhaps she wrote to Song Jing and said something to turn him against us. If only…”
“Dad, Mom, this is my fault,” interrupted a young woman about Song Wei’s age, her eyes red with feigned guilt.
“If I hadn’t taken her job and gone to the countryside in her place, maybe none of this would’ve happened. She has every right to hate me. But what did she tell my brother? What if he never comes back to us again?”
“He wouldn’t dare!” Song Father roared. “These two ungrateful wretches! I’ll write to them right now and demand an apology!”
After he stormed off, the expressions on the mother and daughter’s faces shifted to ones of smug satisfaction.
“Didn’t expect that little wench to act so quickly,” Song Wei’s stepmother muttered, her eyes glinting with anger and frustration. That was their ten yuan a month!
Song Tian, the younger woman, scowled. Without Song Jing’s monthly remittance, their standard of living would inevitably drop. After all, even drinking water in the city cost money.
Still, the thought of Song Wei suffering in the countryside was enough to bring a twisted sense of comfort to both women.
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