The old lady was so pleased she felt like she could take care of the kids with even more vigor.
Marrying this daughter-in-law had truly brought a gold mine into the family.
“What are you so happy about?”
Her real old friend had come to visit.
“Hehe—lots of good things, too many to tell you all at once.
Come, come—let me show you something.” She led her inside. “I saved a share just for you.”
“What kind of good thing is worth saving just for me?” Wang Yufeng wasn’t impressed at first—until she saw what was in front of her.
“!! Meat! Sugar! Tell me honestly—where did you get this? I went to the black market just a couple days ago and couldn’t find anything this good.”
“Don’t worry about that—just take it.”
Old Cai waved her hand with a flourish.
“Tsk—you’re really putting on airs with me, aren’t you? Fine, fine—I won’t ask. But be careful. Even if the authorities aren’t cracking down hard now, who knows what they’ll do tomorrow—they change their minds every day.”
Wang Yufeng couldn’t help but add a word of caution.
“Don’t worry—it’s safe. I’m not the type to run around blindly.” Cai Juhua rolled her eyes with a hint of pride. “Do I look like I don’t know my limits? My family’s doing well—I’m not about to take stupid risks.”
“Alright—as long as you know what you’re doing. I won’t say more. Let me see the kids—how are they doing?”
“Great—chubby and well-behaved. Have you heard them cry at all since you got here?”
When it came to her two grandsons, Old Cai could go on forever—her face was practically splitting with pride.
“Wonderful—let me take a look!”
“Look, look—they’re awake right now.”
The two old ladies spent the whole afternoon fussing over the babies. Meanwhile, Lin Xiaohe was busy.
She took her sister to find Yuya—she wanted to know how things were going.
The first thing she saw was Yuya smiling—she let out a huge sigh of relief.
“Is the sick person in your village better?”
“Not fully recovered yet, but the fever’s broken. If the fever’s gone, they should be okay—no more worries.”
“That’s good. Here’s your village’s share—take it back and distribute it. Oh, and I got your spicy sticks today too. But go easy on them—I hear eating too many makes you get heaty.”
“Okay, I got it—I’ll hold back this time. I’ll only eat a little at a time—I won’t finish them all at once.”
If she ran out this time, she might not get more. She had to control herself.
“Do you still need the same amount tomorrow?”
“Yes—same amount. And add some chestnuts too—about 20 jin a day.
We’ll trade them for one and a half jin of lard, or one pack of salt, or 5 jin of fine rice.”
Yuya’s eyes lit up—chestnuts were easy to find in the mountains now, and this extra daily income meant life would be even better.
“Great—I’ll tell everyone. Oh, Grandpa asked me to let you know—eggs will probably be down in a couple days.
Every household still has eggs right now, saved up from before. Once those are all traded to you, there won’t be any more.”
“I know—I figured as much. Just let me know when you run out.”
Lin Xiaohe had expected it. There’d only be eggs every day for a few more days—after that, it’d be once every several days.
The mainstay would still be wild greens and seasonal fresh mountain goods.
“Good—I was worried you’d be upset.” Yuya scratched her head awkwardly.
“Why would I be upset? I knew it all along. Besides, it’s not like you did anything wrong—why would I be upset?”
Lin Xiaohe ruffled the girl’s hair. “You should head back—your family’s probably waiting.”
“Okay—I’ll go now.”
The mountain air was colder than back home—the wind sent a chill through them.
“Sis, let’s wear an extra layer when we come here tomorrow—I’m feeling cold.”
“Good idea—I was just thinking the same. We’ll dress warmer tomorrow—can’t afford to get sick. The temperature here is much lower than back home.”
They drew some water from the pool and hurried home.
They still had to make another trip to the other side that afternoon—wouldn’t want to be late.
“Sis, we sure are busy every day, huh?” Busy, but happy.
Busy meant money, busy meant good food.
She’d be busy for the rest of her life if she had to!
“It’ll ease up in a while—once Mom and Dad are better, we won’t be so busy.”
“Hehe—once they’re better, life will be even better.”
Thinking of the good days ahead, Xiaogu couldn’t stop grinning. Hehe!
“Alright, stop grinning—let’s hurry home.”
They set the water down by the cooking area, gathered a few things, and headed back over.
“Let’s stop by the grain and oil shop first. If Uncle Zhang’s not busy, we’ll ask about that little cart—where to buy one.
We need one too—it’d make things so much easier. We’ve been carrying so much back and forth lately, it’s a pain. That cart would be a lifesaver.”
The shop was quiet, the sun not too strong—Yuan Zhiqiang was hiding behind the counter scrolling through Douyin.
“Uncle, what are you doing?”
“Nothing much—taking a break since there are no customers. You two here to buy something?”
“Hehe—we’re actually here to ask you something. Uncle, where did you get that little cart you use for hauling goods?
We want one too—we’ve got too much stuff to carry back and forth.
With that cart, we can move everything in one trip—super convenient.”
“Ah, that? Hmm—hard to say where to buy one. I got mine with a bulk order—they delivered it.
Let me think… Oh, right—the safety supply store up ahead might have them.
Go ask there—keep walking straight, there’s a shop with several shelf units out front. It’s small, but they’ve got just about everything.”
“Thanks, Uncle—we’ll go check it out.”
Lin Xiaohe took her sister’s hand and started walking. It wasn’t far—just easy to miss since the shop was tiny and they always had a destination in mind.
“Sis, is this it? I think so.”
“Probably—let’s ask the owner.”
“Boss, do you sell those little hauling carts? We want to buy one.”
“Yes—lots of styles. Come on in.”
The owner quickly welcomed them.
“Here, here—there are several types. What kind do you want? Price range? Let me show you around.”
Business was slow—she wasn’t about to let a customer slip away.
“We want something that can carry heavy loads—around one or two hundred yuan.”
“Then you’ve got plenty of options. This one’s pretty good—cheap and sturdy, just not the best-looking.
The blue ones over there are nicer, but pricier—over 200.”
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