After Song Wei and the others left, Xu Laidi was so upset her chest hurt.
Spotting Lin Zhen and Heidan slowly heading home, an idea crossed her mind, and she hurriedly chased after them.
“Comrade Lin, what do you think of me? You’re still single, right? I’m a city-raised educated youth, smart and capable—”
Lin Zhen cut her off curtly: “Scram.”
Heidan blinked. His brother’s response was perfect!
Xu Laidi froze for two seconds. “What did you just say?”
Lin Zhen’s face darkened, and his expression turned fierce, like an angry tiger.
“I said, scram. If you keep yapping, I might not be able to resist giving you a beating.”
Lin Zhen had always been easygoing, but his temper wasn’t the best. When he got angry, not only the children but even the adults around him didn’t dare to speak loudly.
Xu Laidi was stunned. Even after Lin Zhen walked far away, she hadn’t snapped out of it.
When she did, she pointed angrily at the backs of Lin Zhen and Heidan, but in the end, she didn’t dare shout. She was too afraid Lin Zhen might actually turn around and punch her.
“What’s wrong with him? Such a bad temper. Just wait, he’ll regret this someday!”
Muttering to herself, Xu Laidi stomped off in defeat.
Meanwhile, on the ox cart, Song Wei took out Lin Zhen’s shopping list and began reading it.
Looking at the messy handwriting, she couldn’t help but twitch her lips.
“Fits his rugged personality perfectly,” she thought.
The list detailed the medicines he needed, mostly traditional Chinese remedies, as well as the grain specified on his ration tickets. There were also some household items, like face towels and washbasins.
Calculating the total, Song Wei realized there should still be money left over.
Before leaving, Lin Zhen had told her to use the remaining money however she saw fit.
She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Was he suggesting she visit the black market to buy whatever she deemed useful?
When they reached the supply and marketing cooperative, it was already packed with people, surrounded three or four layers deep.
As always, the place was bustling with chaos.
Seeing the crowd, Gao Le and Zhao Su, the two men, instinctively took two steps back.
“This is insane!”
“First time here?” Song Wei asked.
The two nodded. “We came once before, but it was just as crowded. We didn’t even bother buying anything since we couldn’t push through. We thought it was because of some special event that day.”
“What do we do now? There’s no way we can get in,” Zhao Su added.
Song Wei rolled up her sleeves. “What else? Join the aunts and work your way in!”
With that, she charged forward. Despite her youth and small stature, she moved with the determination of a seasoned warrior.
Amazingly, she squeezed through the crowd and made it inside.
The other educated youths were dumbfounded.
“Song Zhiqing, wait for us!”
Scrambling, they rushed after her, following in her wake as she bulldozed a path alongside the robust village women.
Thanks to Song Wei and the aunts’ aggressive teamwork, Gao Le and the others finally managed to get inside, albeit squished and disheveled.
“I need a washbasin, face towels, and a bar of soap…”
Song Wei rattled off her shopping list at lightning speed, securing her items in about twenty minutes.
Every second inside felt like a battle of endurance.
Finally squeezing her way out, she emerged with messy hair and rumpled clothes.
Soon after, the others stumbled out too, equally disheveled but relieved to have gotten what they needed.
Even Bai Yunjiao, who usually maintained a refined appearance, looked completely unkempt.
As soon as she stepped out, she began tidying her hair and clothes.
“This place doesn’t even sell Snow Cream. Looks like I’ll have to ask my family to send some over.”
Bai Yunjiao was keenly aware of her strengths and made every effort to maintain them. Skincare was a priority for her, but working in the fields under the sun had already begun to roughen and darken her skin, much to her dismay.
The thought of ending up like Xu Laidi horrified her.
Song Wei could understand Bai Yunjiao’s concerns.
To Song Wei, life in the peaceful mountain village was a paradise compared to the brutal survival challenges of the apocalypse. But for Bai Yunjiao, who had come from a southern city, it must have felt like she’d fallen from heaven into hell.
Unlike Song Wei, who had strength and resilience, Bai Yunjiao struggled to earn even two work points a day. It seemed her family wasn’t particularly wealthy, so their support was limited.
“You should be careful,” Song Wei advised. “Some of the older village women here can be really difficult to deal with. If you’re not cautious, things might not end well.”
“End badly?” Bai Yunjiao frowned.
“Like getting into trouble,” Song Wei clarified.
Bai Yunjiao smoothed her hair and replied calmly, “I’ve never promised or asked anything from those people. They come to help me voluntarily. I’ve even turned them down in front of others. Everyone knows that.”
She wasn’t wrong. Bai Yunjiao was indeed clever.
But Song Wei knew that rural folks weren’t necessarily ignorant or foolish.
“Sometimes, unreasonable people won’t care whether you agreed or not. If they decide to ruin your reputation, you need to think about whether you can handle the fallout.”
Bai Yunjiao lowered her eyes, her expression turning thoughtful. “But what else can I do? I’m not strong like you, and I don’t know how to farm.”
Song Wei fell silent. It was indeed a difficult situation. Continuing as she was wouldn’t work either.
There had to be a solution…
As Song Wei pondered, Gao Le and Zhao Su stumbled over, looking thoroughly exhausted.
“I feel like I’ve been flattened into a pancake,” Zhao Su muttered, his legs wobbling slightly.
“But we got what we needed,” Gao Le added, his spirits quickly recovering. “So, what’s next? Should we check out the state-run restaurant? Maybe they have meat today.”
Song Wei nodded. “I still have a few things to buy. Let’s split up for now. Once we’re done, we can meet up at the restaurant.”
Everyone agreed to the plan. After saying goodbye to Aunt Xinghua and the other villagers, Song Wei headed off toward the hospital to buy medicine.
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