"Don't worry, I'm not a blabbermouth, I won't tell anyone," Yan Xiaonan nodded.
"Wait at home this afternoon. I'll have Chen'er bring you some handwritten books and magazines. They belong to my grandfather, and my dad told me to take them with me." Ye Chenming spoke even more softly.
Yan Xiaonan hesitated. If it was Ye Chenming's grandfather's book, it must be a very valuable book. Would it be inappropriate for her to accept it rashly?
Ye Chenming seemed to see Yan Xiaonan's hesitation and said directly, "Don't worry, I'm just lending it to you. The educated youth settlement isn't safe either, so it's best to keep it with you."
Yan Xiaonan felt relieved. That was good. As long as she was careful and copied down the book to read, she knew that copying was a good habit.
Also, I should treat the Ye siblings better in the future, and not let them down for their trust and the kindness of lending me the books.
Back in the main room, Grandma Yan looked at Ye Chenming with a smile. This child, he said five minutes, but three five-minute intervals have already passed.
Yan Xiaoqiang was wary of Ye Chenming. What did this kid want with his daughter? Was he trying to deceive her?
Cuihua was the most honest of them all, and she kept stuffing candy into the pockets of Ye Chenming and his sister. With the new year coming, everyone should have a happy and joyful New Year.
Bei Nan and the others ran over: "Nan Nan, Ye Chenming, let's go pay our respects for the New Year."
The little ones had all run out, leaving only Grandma and a few others in the main room. Everyone was gathered around the kang (heated brick bed), eating melon seeds and chatting, each saying their own thing, all talking about how life was getting better and better.
Southeast smiled wryly. News from Mushroom Village was too isolated. But it was for the best. It was better to live a peaceful and quiet life behind closed doors.
"Grandma, I'm going back to work the day after tomorrow. Xuemei will come back with me and come back when she gives birth."
Last night, Dongnan and Xuemei discussed it and Xuemei didn't want to leave Dongnan for too long, since she still had several months before giving birth.
Southeast felt particularly lonely and isolated being alone outside. Unlike when he was in school, he couldn't say many things to avoid trouble, so he simply kept quiet.
At this moment, he especially missed his family and Xuemei. If Xuemei were here, at least there would be someone to nag him. Strangely, he used to find Xuemei's nagging annoying, but now he misses her. Sigh, he's just looking for trouble.
Cuihua was a little reluctant to let her go: "Xuemei, why don't you stay a few more days? I'll grind the rice into flour and make some rice cakes before you leave."
Cuihua's rice cakes are always devoured by everyone as soon as she makes them; Xuemei is absolutely obsessed with rice cakes.
Tang Xiaoling jumped up and said, "Mom, I'll go grind the flour right now. My sister-in-law is leaving tomorrow anyway, so there's plenty of time to make it today."
Yan Xiaoqiang didn't say anything, but he got up and went to the cellar to get rice. There was only rice in the kitchen, so he wouldn't get any later.
Every time Mom made rice cakes, besides Grandma and Nan Nan, she always gave them to Xue Mei first, which made Yan Xiaoqiang's neck grow an inch longer. Thinking of this, Dongnan's lips curled up.
Southwest also likes to eat rice cakes, so he quickly went to the yard to wash and dry the stone mill, and moved it to the main room. He even prepared a large winnowing basket for storing rice flour. When Cuihua saw this, she thought, "Okay, let's make rice cakes today."
Grandma Yan asked Southeast to get sausages and pork, as well as pickled bok choy from home, canned food given by Daqiang, and 20 jin of rice. It wasn't that she didn't want to give more, but Southeast couldn't carry that much by himself.
Xuemei also went back into the house and packed her personal belongings into a small package, along with the malted milk powder that her grandmother had given her. Nannan had said that if the baby eats well now, he will be nutritious and healthy in the future.
But why does Nan Nan make herself walk two thousand steps every day? Well, Nan Nan is Fu Bao, so she must have a reason for what she says, so just listen to her.
Xuemei's mindset was very strange. If she stayed here, she would miss Dongnan, but if she really had to leave with Dongnan, she would be very reluctant. Everyone says that there is no place like home, and this is her blessed home.
While they were grinding flour, Cuihua deftly started kneading dough, making flatbreads, steamed buns, and boiling eggs. She was going to give them to Dongnan to take on the road tomorrow. The family's eggs were running low. There was nothing they could do; they only had three hens, but one egg per person per day was simply not enough.
They didn't dare to approach the Zhao brothers either. If something had already happened to them, going to them would be like an old man eating poison—it would be suicide.
While Bei Nan was out visiting relatives and friends for the New Year, she was talking to Ye Chenming about eggs: "Ye Chenming, do you want to eat eggs? I know there's a black market in town, but it seems like there's a code. Should we go ask about it?"
Ye Chenming pondered for a moment: "Bei Nan, does that black market have a back door for escaping?"
Bei Nan shook her head: "I don't know. I'll ask Mao Tou tomorrow; he should know."
"Now that we've found out, let's try to get some mountain produce to exchange for rice and eggs," Ye Chenming said, thinking of the fruits in the mountains.
Bei Nan shook her head: "That will have to wait until spring. You can exchange some sweet potatoes for it."
Ye Chenming, recalling how nauseous he and Ye Chen'er felt after eating sweet potatoes, nodded resolutely.
The next day, after breakfast, Dongnan and Xuemei boarded the oxcart with two large bags. The old ox at Uncle San's house was getting older and older. It could still go around town, but it couldn't carry too much stuff. So, Xuemei and the luggage got on the oxcart, while Dongnan walked below.
Bei Nan, ostensibly to see off his elder brother and sister-in-law, also walked beside Dong Nan. Dong Nan then handed over the New Year's money and sweets he was going to send to his second uncle's two children to Bei Nan, asking him to go to the post office to mail them.
He also took this opportunity to give a long lecture to Bei Nan, rambling on and on, which can be summarized in seven words: stay at home and don't go out.
Once Dongnan and Xuemei got on the bus, Beinan went to find Maotou. Sending money and candy to those ingrates was out of the question.
Maotou was peering out of the state-run canteen, wondering who this guy had tricked into treating him to a meal today.
Seeing Bei Nan, he quickly ran over: "Bei Nan, what brings you here today? Come on, Xiao Sanjiao is treating us to dinner today, let's go together."
"Who is Little Triangle?" Bei Nan didn't know.
"It's the guy you fought with. He has triangular eyes, so we all call him Little Triangle," Mao Tou said with a smile.
These guys are really nasty.
"Maotou, I'm not going to dinner. I have a question for you. Do you know anything about the black market?" Bei Nan whispered in Maotou's ear.
Upon hearing this, Mao Tou quickly looked around and whispered in Bei Nan's ear, "If you want to get involved in the black market, I'll take you there."
Bei Nan rolled his eyes around, then nodded and said, "Okay."
The two agreed on a time and place, and Bei Nan planned to go to the black market to investigate the situation the next day.
Ye Chenming returned to the educated youth settlement, wrapped the books he had brought in a piece of clothing, and asked Ye Chen'er to deliver them to Yan Xiaonan at the Yan family home.
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