"Alright, then I'll have to trouble Grandpa and Grandma Weng. I won't come out myself, so I'll trouble you two to help me change it. I'll bring the things over tonight."
As for how much goods to exchange for how much grain, you can get a rough estimate by looking at what I bring over.”
They've traded so many times already, they know each other well. Although she's not a very calculating person, she still wants to get more than her fair share.
After leaving Liuxiang, she went straight to the post office, where Ye Zhen was busy at the window. She handed her a bag of fruit.
"Sister, this is for my uncle and aunt. You go about your business, I won't go up to their house."
After saying that, he winked at Ye Zhen and then walked away gracefully.
"Oh, you silly child, let me say something!"
Ye Zhen opened her mouth, watching Xiao Jiu walk away without looking back, her face full of helplessness.
"Is your sister afraid of interfering with your business?"
Hearing the old woman in front of her praising her with a smile, Ye Zhen quickly chided her with a reproachful tone.
"That's right! My sister is so thoughtful; she came to see me as soon as she got back."
Xiao Jiu went to the school after leaving the post office, hoping to see if there were any last-minute notices or anything. Unexpectedly, she ran into Yuan Yuan at the school gate.
"Oh my god, Xiao Jiu, what are you doing here?"
"Happy New Year, Sister Yuan! I never expected to run into you here. How are you feeling? Have you fully recovered?"
"Alright, apart from a scar, there's nothing seriously wrong with you now."
"How was your New Year? Did your family make things difficult for you?"
A cold glint flashed across Yuan Yuan's plain face.
"Those cowards, knowing that I'm now reckless and not afraid of death, don't dare to come and provoke me."
And I only ate my own portion, so none of them bothered me.
"Your head is throbbing from studying, so you just wanted to come to school to relax. What's wrong with you?"
"I just came from home yesterday. Come on, let's go to my sister's place for a visit."
"Just so you know where I live. If you're not comfortable at your place, you can stay with my sister temporarily."
Yuan Yuan instinctively wanted to refuse, but when she thought of the home that made her feel prickly and constantly on guard, she couldn't bring herself to say the words of refusal.
When she arrived at Liuxiang and entered the two sisters' rented room, she saw two bunk beds and then she understood why Xiaojiu had invited her like this.
"You seem to have a blind trust in me. Aren't you afraid I might be a bad person?"
Xiao Jiu laughed, "I like your decisiveness. At least you dare to take responsibility for your actions in order to escape your so-called family of origin."
She didn't run away, nor did she back down in cowardice, unlike some people who, even if you help them, will feel like you're laughing at them.
Even if you help the cowardly and insecure type who doesn't dare to resist, it won't make any difference.
Yuanyuan gave Xiaojiu a grateful look.
"Then let me tell you something good. With the help of the neighborhood committee and the police station, they created a separate book for my household registration and grain ration book. Now I live in that house, and they can't interfere with me anymore."
Xiao Jiu was genuinely happy for Yuan Yuan after hearing this, "Then... will you be living at school when school starts?"
Yuan Yuan nodded, "Absolutely! I've spent so much time fighting with my family, all for this day!"
Thinking about living at school, she asked somewhat shyly.
Do you have any spare beds in your dorm? Can I move in?
"Well, not only are there empty beds in our dorm, but I reckon there are quite a few empty beds in other dorms too, and quite a few girls have dropped out!"
As long as the dorm supervisor agrees, I'm fine with it!
"That's great! I'll tell my classmates we're cousins, otherwise... hehe, you know what I mean."
If you have your own class's dormitory but go to someone else's, your classmates will definitely gossip about you. Xiao Jiu readily agreed.
Yuan Yuan sat down with Tang Cuiju on her way home. After getting to know each other, they went home.
As soon as she left, the two sisters quickly made a spinach and egg drop soup and heated up the steamed buns and mantou they had brought from home.
When Xiao Jiu mentioned that she occasionally came back from Yuanyuan to stay overnight, Cuiju asked curiously, "When did you become so helpful?"
Xiao Jiu grinned and said, "I'm not being overly enthusiastic, I just want you two to get along well so that she can stay with us during the summer vacation."
I'm going home for summer vacation, so let her stay here. She can tutor you, Second Sister.
She has her own food, and she can cook for you and keep you company. If she gets into university, that's all good connections!
We have a long road ahead of us, and nobody can predict the future. Having more friends means having more options!
Upon hearing this, Tang Cuiju wholeheartedly agreed, "That makes sense. You're not very old, but you've thought things through quite thoroughly."
"Of course, I don't just bring just anyone home. This older sister is very domineering; she single-handedly dealt with her home, which was practically a tiger's den."
After Xiao Jiu recounted how she met Yuan Yuan, Tang Cuiju was stunned for a moment: "She really has the heart to do that!"
Stabbing yourself in the back with a knife, and almost losing your fertility, the price is far too high.
Although the process was painful, the result of the bloodshed wasn't too bad; at least she intimidated her own mother and aunt.
This will deter them from making any further advances towards her.
As for Yuan Yuan's biological father and younger brother, they are no longer needed. Getting into university may be her only way out of this family.
In light of this, Cuiju's attitude toward the original garden unconsciously became more sincere.
After all, it's incredibly difficult for a girl to get into university; only those who have gone through it truly know the hardships.
Not long after Tang Cuiju left for work in the afternoon, Xiao Jiu took the opportunity to deliver five catties of millet, five catties of brown rice, two large fat chickens, and three catties of eggs to the Weng family elders.
"This chicken is frozen and hasn't thawed yet. We don't have any pork; we can't get any for the time being. That's all we have. Can you ask them to provide what they think is appropriate?"
After finishing, he didn't forget to ask, "How's the food for you two?"
"No, we haven't finished eating yet. We'll come back to get it after the Lantern Festival."
Xiao Jiu nodded without saying anything, then glanced at the folding cot in the yard. "Is that yours?"
"Yes, they occasionally dry things there in the sun, so what?"
Xiao Jiu chuckled, "Nothing much, the sun's nice today, can I lie down for a bit?"
The elderly couple waved their hands at her, both amused and exasperated, saying, "Use it as you like, just put it back where it was when you're done."
Grandma Weng also said with a smile, "This is such a good age to have plenty to eat and drink. She's so young, yet she already knows how to enjoy life."
Xiao Jiu put her bedding outside to air it before leaving in the morning.
The sun was shining brightly today, and after so much sunshine, she simply took it down and spread it on the wire bed.
She could sunbathe on one side and air out her bedding on the other, and even take a nap while sandwiched in between – it couldn't be more wonderful.
The only downside to basking in the sun was that it was too bright, so she had to find a handkerchief to cover her head.
Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep without a care in the world.
When Zhou Yue found the Weng family in Liuxiang, he immediately saw that familiar figure lying in the courtyard.
Even though she was covered by the blanket, when she lay on her side, the hair ornament he had seen before was revealed, and he immediately smiled and walked over.
Grandma Weng was sitting in the corner sewing shoe soles when she saw a tall man in a military overcoat walk in. She immediately frowned and stood up.
Seeing that he was heading straight towards the liquor store, I asked, "Comrade, who are you looking for?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue turned his head and noticed the old woman sitting in the corner. He immediately turned around politely and bowed to her.
"Happy New Year, Grandma. I'm a relative of Jiu'er. I had nothing to do today, so I came to visit her."
Upon hearing that he was Xiaojiu's relative, she immediately waved to him.
"Come sit down, that little one, he knows how to enjoy himself, he's sleeping soundly!"
"You can leave what you're carrying at their house first. Look, it's the one with the door half open."
After Zhou Yue washed his face and walked over, the old lady couldn't help but ask, "A soldier?"
Zhou Yue nodded, "Yes, I went to military academy."
"You have potential. Have you eaten?"
Zhou Yue had originally planned to come here for a free meal, but the little ingrate was sleeping soundly. However, in front of outsiders, he still replied without thinking.
"Have you eaten? How are you feeling, sir? And Grandpa?"
People of this era are naturally less wary of soldiers, especially since Zhou Yue has an upright appearance and is a relative of the kind-hearted Xiao Jiu. His favorability towards him skyrockets, and in less than an hour, Zhou Yue has learned everything about the Weng family in Liuxiang.
Just when he thought the conversation was about to end, the person on the bed finally stirred because the sun was about to set and the temperature was dropping. She pulled off the handkerchief covering her head, yawned inelegantly, stretched her arms and legs, and lazily sat up from the wire bed.
"You can really sleep!" The sudden voice startled her, and when she turned her head and saw Zhou Yue, her eyes lit up instantly.
"Brother Yue, when did you get here? Oh dear, why didn't you wake me up!"
"Your brother can't bear to see you sleeping so soundly. Alright, the sun's setting, hurry up and bring the bedding inside."
The old lady was sensible and carried her small stool back into the house. Zhou Yue also brought her another stool over.
Only then did I help Xiaojiu tidy up the bedding and the set that was drying on the line. After tidying everything up, it was already four o'clock when I got back to the house.
Seeing that Zhou Yue had finished all the water she had poured for him, she remembered to ask, "Haven't you eaten yet?"
Zhou Yue checked the time. "It's okay, we'll eat together when Sister Ju comes back."
Although it's common for soldiers to go hungry for one or two meals, or even two or three days, they can't be treated like that under her watchful eye.
They immediately lit a fire and boiled water. Even if the food wasn't particularly good, a bowl of steaming hot noodles would be enough.
While Zhou Yue wasn't looking, she took out a piece of chicken breast and stir-fried it with shiitake mushrooms to make a shiitake mushroom and chicken stew.
Making noodles fresh is too much trouble, so I just took out a pound of alkaline noodles. Knowing he eats a lot, I cooked half a pound of noodles first and put them in an enamel basin to serve him.
"Eat first, I'll make you another bowl. We'll talk after you're full. By the way, have you booked the guesthouse?"
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