"Xie Zhiqing, do you have enough firewood here?" The team leader's wife came into the house and sat on the kang and asked.

Xie Yun poured a cup of hot water for the captain's wife, added some brown sugar, and placed it on the kang table. "It's hot enough," she said. "Auntie, have some water to warm yourself up." She had stopped sending Niu Dan and Goudan after the first snowfall. The mountains were unsafe after the snow started falling, so she agreed to start again next year when the weather warmed up. She now had enough firewood in her yard to last until next summer.

The team leader's wife took it in her hand, covered it with her hands, and said, "Xie Zhiqing, someone in the village is getting married and doesn't have enough tickets, so I thought I'd ask you if I could exchange some with you."

In fact, the villagers were jealous of Xie Yun's comfortable life. Xie Yun had considered this issue at the time, so when she applied for a transfer subsidy, she specifically asked the village chief to take her with her, so that she could tell others that she was an orphan of a martyr. Anyone who wanted to harm her would have to consider whether they could bear the consequences. Later, Qin Minghao's arrival showed the villagers that she was not an orphan without care. Qin Minghao's military uniform had four pockets.

Then Uncle Wang sent her a package by mail and a registered letter, and this time no one bothered her anymore.

Xie Yun smiled and said, "Auntie, I wonder what ticket you want to exchange for?"

"I want to exchange for 3 feet of cloth coupons and 5 industrial coupons. Do you have them? If you do, I will definitely not let you suffer any loss."

"Aunt, I do have some, but I wonder what they'll exchange them for?"

"Xie Zhiqing, you can change anything you want."

Xie Yun said, "Aunt, I'll give you the ticket. Please help me exchange it for some hazelnuts and pine nuts. I don't know exactly how much I can exchange it for. Please decide for yourself. I trust you." Ever since she went to the countryside, the team leader's family has taken special care of her, and she is willing to do this favor to the team leader's wife.

Upon hearing this, the captain's wife said happily, "Don't worry, little Xie. I'll never let you suffer any loss." After that, the two chatted for a while. Xie Yun also heard from the captain's wife that grain was being sold on the county's black market, and the price was not high. This meant that Brother Qiang had indeed sold the grain at the price she had quoted. Many people should be better off, and she could send another batch in a few days.

My aunt told me that things were not going smoothly at the Youth House during that time. After them, two more women and two more men arrived. The house was completely overwhelmed, so the village leaders held a meeting and decided to build a new house. With more people came more trouble. They used to eat from a common pot, but later they started eating separately. Among the newcomers was a young woman named Wang Qing. Her family was relatively well-off, but she had a stepmother and a stepsister. Her stepmother gave her a younger brother, which established her in the family. Her stepsister, jealous of her father's kindness, secretly registered her for the Youth House, choosing the coldest place and closest time. By the time her family received the notice, it was too late to make any arrangements, so Wang Qing had to go to the countryside. Her father, feeling sorry for her, gave her a lot of money, tickets, and supplies, and promised to mail her things every month. She felt the communal meals at the Youth House were like pig food, so she decided to leave. But since she couldn't cook, she wanted to find a cooking partner.

At this time, Chen Zhaodi came out and said that she would cook for Wang Qing from now on. Chen Zhaodi's family favored boys over girls, as her name suggests. She originally went to the countryside because she couldn't get enough to eat at home. As she was getting older, her mother wanted to find her a man who could provide more money.

Chen Zhaodi didn't want to, but couldn't resist, so she decided to go to the countryside. She secretly signed up and even played the sympathy card with the Youth League Office, saying she'd be dead if her family found out. In the end, they agreed not to tell her family. She also stole her belongings, and her family didn't find out until she was on the train. So, she had to work hard on her own.

Although partnering with Wang Qing requires more work, the money that slips through Wang Qing's fingers will be much better than what she has now.

Xie Yun found these gossips very interesting and even took out some melon seeds to eat with the captain's wife. The captain's wife kept talking until the dinner was almost ready.

The next morning, the team leader's wife arrived, along with Aunt Yang from the village, carrying two bags. She introduced them, saying, "Xie, this is your Aunt Yang. Her husband Weiguo is getting married. These two bags contain pine nuts and hazelnuts."

Xie Yun quickly said, "Hello, Aunt Yang, please come in, it's cold outside." As she spoke, she asked someone to come in and sit down.

"Thank you so much, Xie Zhiqing. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't know what we would have done." Aunt Yang said gratefully after entering the house.

Xie Yun smiled and said, "Auntie Yang, you're so polite! I just happen to have some." She poured two glasses of water and placed them on the kang table. "Aunties, have some water," she said, then reached into a drawer and pulled out three feet of cloth coupons and five industrial coupons, giving them to Auntie Yang. Auntie Yang thanked her again, and the three of them sat and chatted for a while before leaving.

A few days later, Xie Yun went to the black market again, put on makeup, found Brother Qiang, and made another sale. This time, she also sold some apples and meat, bringing in over 20,000 yuan. The rules remained the same as before: grain could only be increased by 0.2 yuan per jin, but there were no restrictions on other items.

During this time, three more people came to exchange tickets. She also wanted hazelnuts and pine nuts, which she wanted to store in her space to eat later. Xie Yun now spends her days eating and drinking, reading or watching TV series, and sometimes just lying around. She lives a leisurely life.

The Youth Farm was a chaotic mess. The team leader's wife had told her about it when she came home. There wasn't enough food, not enough firewood, and there was chaos every day. Fortunately, she wasn't there, otherwise she would have been annoyed.

Just before the Chinese New Year, Xie Yun went to the county again and delivered another batch of goods to the black market. This time, she would not come back for a while, so she gave him some more money and told Brother Qiang to find him next time she came. Then she took the 40,000 yuan and left.

After changing, I went to collect my subsidy, spent my soon-to-be-expired bills, and went to the post office to mail some things to Uncle Wang's house. I brought back a large package and bought a basket of New Year's goods. I won't be going out again after this trip. I'll have to wait until next year to go out again. If the snow gets too heavy, the mountains and roads will have to be closed.

After returning home and packing up everything, I prepared all the food for the New Year. I could just take it out and stir-fry it when the time comes. The vegetables grown in the wooden trough are also ripe and ready to eat. Xie Yun took out a lot of seafood to make a seafood feast. After eating, all the seafood shells can only be recycled into the space first. If I take them out and throw them away, it will be bad if someone finds them.