The sky had just brightened, and chimneys from every household curled with cooking smoke. Jiang Qiuyue carried a bamboo basket on her back. When Aunt Niu next door saw her, she immediately asked, “Qiuyue, are you heading to town again?”  

The original host had made a habit of going to town on the first of every month to collect money. She never explained what it was for, but everyone knew.  

Jiang Qiuyue smiled and replied, “Yes.” Aunt Niu lived next to the Lin family and had often advised the original host to be more cautious. But the original host never listened and even blamed Aunt Niu for meddling.  

Watching Jiang Qiuyue’s retreating figure, Aunt Niu shook her head and went home, saying to her husband, “That Qiuyue hasn’t changed a bit. Yesterday, I thought she’d come to her senses, but now she’s off to fetch money for the Lin family again. How foolish! Wang Chunhua never treated Lin Dazhu as her own son, let alone Qiuyue and her two children.”  

“Mind your own business and cook breakfast. Their affairs have nothing to do with us. You’ve advised her plenty before—did Jiang Qiuyue ever listen?” Niu Dali washed his face, his stomach growling.  

Aunt Niu sighed helplessly and went back to making breakfast. She wasn’t like that wicked mother-in-law Wang Chunhua, who only knew how to torment her daughter-in-law with chores.  

By now, Jiang Qiuyue had already left the village.  

The walk from Taohua Village to town took about an hour. But after just ten minutes, Jiang Qiuyue was exhausted.  

She didn’t blame herself—it was the original host’s body that was simply too weak.  

As she paused to rest, she heard the rumbling of a tractor behind her and quickly waved. “Youren, are you heading into town?”  

The tractor’s trailer was empty. When Wang Youren confirmed he was, Jiang Qiuyue asked if he could give her a ride.  

“Of course! Sis-in-law, you’re going to town, right?” Wang Youren was a little curious. He’d run into Jiang Qiuyue before and offered her a ride, but she always refused, barely daring to look at him.  

The tractor belonged to the village, and as long as it was on his way, he was happy to give folks a lift. Especially the aunties and sisters-in-law—when they praised him, it increased his chances of getting set up on blind dates.  

“Hang on tight, sis-in-law, we’re about to move!” Wang Youren shouted.  

Though the ride was bumpy, it was much faster than walking. In just twenty minutes, they arrived in town.  

Jiang Qiuyue asked Wang Youren when he’d be heading back.  

“Probably around one in the afternoon,” he said.  

“Can I wait for you here then?” Jiang Qiuyue wanted to fill her basket, but the thought of carrying it all back herself was exhausting. “When you return, I’ll give you some sponge cake as thanks!”  

Wang Youren stared at Jiang Qiuyue’s bright, sparkling eyes and scratched his head in a daze. “Sure, but come back early. I might leave ahead of schedule.” He thought to himself that Sister Lin was acting strange today—chatty, but her smile was quite nice.  

Jiang Qiuyue first went to collect the registered mail, exchanging it for cash, grain coupons, and meat coupons.  

In this era, twenty yuan was a huge sum. An average rural family might not earn that much in three months.  

Before heading to the supply and marketing cooperative, Jiang Qiuyue stopped by the state-run restaurant. She ordered a bowl of shredded pork noodles for two mao.  

Since it was a state-run establishment, the portions were generous. A heaping bowl of noodles floated with scallions in a rich bone broth. The first sip awakened her taste buds with a deep, savory aroma—thick, flavorful, and utterly satisfying.  

By the time she reached the supply and marketing cooperative, it was already 9:30. The place was a little over a hundred square meters, and a quick glance told Jiang Qiuyue it only carried basic daily necessities—pitifully few items.  

She had already planned her purchases. With the weather getting hotter, cloth shoes were too stuffy, so she first spent 2.5 yuan on a pair of sandals. For cooking, she needed oil—soybean oil cost 0.78 yuan per jin, and she bought one yuan’s worth. Ten jin of rice and ten jin of flour totaled 2.9 yuan. She also wanted meat, but she’d arrived too late—only lean cuts and some bones remained. Two jin of meat and two jin of marrow bones cost two yuan. Salt, soy sauce, and other miscellaneous items added another two yuan.  

By the time her basket was full, she’d spent 10.4 yuan in total. Combined with the two mao spent on noodles earlier, more than half of her twenty yuan was gone.  

Money really didn’t stretch far these days. Thankfully, she’d had the foresight to write to her husband asking for more living expenses—otherwise, how could she possibly improve her health? Jiang Qiuyue sighed inwardly.  

She had also wanted to buy some skincare products. The original host’s skin was dry and weathered from constant exposure to wind and sun, but the town’s supply and marketing cooperative didn’t carry any.  

The sales clerk said the city might have some, but products like snow cream were in high demand and not always available.

Hearing this, Jiang Qiuyue gave up on the idea of buying it herself. She’d wait until her husband sent more money before bringing up the snow cream again.  

At noon, she bought five large meat buns from the state-run restaurant. She ate two herself and gave one to Wang Youren when she met him.  

She planned to come shopping often, and if she didn’t offer some perks, no one would be willing to give her a ride every time.  

The meat buns cost 0.15 yuan each and were stuffed with filling. Though Wang Youren was practically drooling, he still refused. “Sis-in-law, the tractor isn’t mine. If I see anyone from the village, I’ll give them a ride. You’ve already promised me sponge cake—keep the bun for your family.”  

“I brought some for Beibei and Nanan,” Jiang Qiuyue said, hopping onto the tractor. “If you don’t take it, I’ll feel bad asking you next time. Don’t stand on ceremony—just give me a shout when you’re heading to town or the city again.”  

She felt like she was the one benefiting. Carrying a basket weighing twenty or thirty jin for an hour would have exhausted her.  

People should treat themselves well. If you can spend money to save effort, why suffer?  

Spending Lin Dazhu’s money didn’t make Jiang Qiuyue feel guilty at all—the original host had borne him two children. And it wasn’t like she was hoarding the food; she’d brought meat buns for the kids.  

Seeing Jiang Qiuyue settled in, Wang Youren thought to himself how generous she was. He’d never had a meat bun before—he’d take it home to share with his parents.  

But he wouldn’t take it for free. He decided to bring some vegetables from his family’s garden to Jiang Qiuyue later.  

By the time Jiang Qiuyue got home, the Lin family had already eaten lunch and gone back to work.  

Lin Beibei and Lin Nannan sat on the doorstep, their eyes red. Jiang Qiuyue immediately sensed something was wrong. She pulled the two children inside and asked what had happened.  

At the sight of their mother, Lin Beibei could no longer hold back his tears. Pea-sized drops rolled down his cheeks. “Mom, why did you take so long? Auntie and Grandma wouldn’t let us eat lunch. They pushed me and Nannan… wuwu… my pants got torn!”  

Lin Nannan clutched her brother’s hand tightly, her head hanging low.