Today’s goods were even more sought-after than yesterday’s—all returning customers.
They’d come early to line up and save spots. Before the stall owner even arrived, a crowd of customers had already formed a circle around the stall, waiting in an orderly line.
The neighboring stall owners were green with envy. How come they couldn’t get business like that?
The business was so good it was almost enviable.
Latecomers took one look at the crowd around the stall and knew they’d probably miss out again—slapping their thighs in regret.
They’d come too late. If only they’d gotten here earlier!
The eggs from yesterday—when steamed into egg custard with a little lard and salt—were so good that even the adults were drooling, not just the kids.
Nothing else needed—just fresh and delicious.
Even the kids who always complained about a fishy taste in steamed eggs had finished a whole big bowl and still wanted more.
So naturally, they’d come early today, hoping to stock up before the stall got too busy.
Still, they were a step too late.
It wasn’t even 7:30 yet, and so many people were already waiting.
Looked like tomorrow she’d have to come at 6:30.
The moment the two sisters arrived with their goods, everything was snatched up. All that was left were the two girls staring blankly at the money.
“Huh?”
“Huh?!”
Both let out the same bewildered sound.
“Sis, did we sell out a bit too fast today? We hadn’t even laid out the goods and they were already gone.”
“Yeah—why is business so good today?”
Lin Xiaohe didn’t get it either. They’d never had trouble selling, but business had never been this brisk.
Since they couldn’t figure it out, they let it go.
“Come on—let’s go shopping.”
In the morning, they’d buy what they needed for Yuya and for themselves. They’d figure out the afternoon later.
After a round of shopping, they were about to head back when they passed the grain and oil shop and Chen Fang called out to them.
“Xiaohe, wait—do you still have those chestnuts from yesterday? I’d like to buy some.”
“We might have some—I’m not entirely sure. I’ll only know for sure tomorrow.”
“Okay—if you do, be sure to save some for me.”
The chestnuts from yesterday were incredibly tasty—perfect for braising with local chicken. The aroma was indescribable.
So fragrant it made your head spin.
They hadn’t even bothered cooking dinner last night—just had a big bowl of chestnut chicken stew each, and it was delicious.
If there were more, she wanted to buy some. Chestnuts were great in any stew, and you could stir-fry them too.
Stir-fried chestnuts in the shell were also wonderfully fragrant.
“Sure—if we have any, I’ll bring some for you.”
It wasn’t a big deal—Lin Xiaohe made a mental note.
As it happened, she’d already asked Yuya to gather chestnuts today.
“Oh—I saw chestnuts at the supermarket today for 13.80 a jin. Let’s call it 14. Bring me an extra couple of jin—what we had last night wasn’t nearly enough.”
Lin Xiaohe was shocked—that expensive?!
“Okay—how much do you want at most, Auntie?”
“About ten jin.”
After they settled on that, Lin Xiaohe hurried home with her sister.
“Xiaogu, tidy things up a bit at home and keep an eye on the place. I’m going to the educated youth compound to drop off this soap for Sister Wu Zhiqing, and I’ll ask about our lessons too.”
“Okay.”
Lin Xiaohe tucked the soap into her pocket and ran off to the compound.
Since there was no fieldwork now, the educated youth mostly stayed at the compound except when they went up the mountain for firewood.
“Xiaohe, here to see your Sister Wu again!” A round-faced female educated youth spotted her and smiled.
“Yeah—Sister Lin Hong, is Sister Wu in?”
“She’s in—in her room.”
“Thanks, Sister Lin Hong.” Lin Xiaohe slipped inside.
“Sister Wu, here’s the soap.” She lowered her voice and pulled it out.
“!!! You got it so fast!” Wu Lingling grinned with delight. “That’s wonderful—how much do I owe you?”
“How much do you usually pay at the supply store?” Lin Xiaohe had never even seen this stuff, so she had no idea.
“Usually around 2 yuan a bar. I’ll give you 4 yuan.”
Wu Lingling unbuttoned her shirt and pulled out 4 yuan from inside.
“Here—don’t lose it.”
“I won’t, I won’t. Sister Wu, is there anything else you want?”
It occurred to her that helping villagers bring things in was actually a great idea—especially the educated youth and families with members working in the city.
They all had money but no access to goods—so it would be easy to turn that into cash.
“Hehe—could you get me some good food? I feel like I’ve lost ten pounds lately. I don’t think I’ve had meat in over half a year.”
“Sure—if I find any, I’ll bring it over. Oh—is the literacy class at the compound still running? Xiaogu and I want to learn a few characters.”
“You’re too late—it stopped a while ago. When people can barely feed themselves, who has the energy to learn characters? The brigade didn’t think it was worth giving out work points for it, so they called it off.”
The literacy class used to meet for a little while after work in the evenings, earning a couple work points a day. For the educated youth, it was a decent supplement.
“But if you want to learn, you can come to me.
I’ve got nothing much to do these days anyway. And since you help me bring things, I’ll teach you—consider it thanks.”
“Then we won’t be shy—thank you, Sister Wu Zhiqing. If there’s anything you want, just ask me to bring it—no need to hold back.”
“Oh, don’t overestimate my modesty.” Wu Lingling grinned. “I’ve got thick skin—if I want something, I’ll definitely bother you.”
“Hehe—I’ll be going now, Sister Wu.”
“Go ahead. Oh—one more thing. Your aunt’s family at the compound has been getting harassed.
Those two old folks from your family keep coming over—especially your grandma. Shameless as can be, always picking fights and saying awful things. Even I couldn’t take it and yelled at her a few times.”
The brigade leader had come by several times—but the moment he left, they’d come right back. Wu Lingling had never seen people so shameless.
What did the daughter-in-law owe them? Why did they have to keep hounding her, pushing her to the brink?
In a famine year like this, were they trying to drive her to death?
How could anyone be so cruel? She couldn’t understand it.
Lin Xiaohe had no idea about any of this. She’d been too busy lately and hadn’t had time to gather village gossip. Unless someone told her directly, she’d know nothing.
“I’ll stay a little longer then. I saw the door was locked and no one was home. I’ll wait until they come back and see how things are.”
The brigade leader couldn’t really step in too firmly—in the end, it was a family matter and they had to resolve it themselves. He could only turn a blind eye.
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