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Upon hearing this, Taohua walked along the glass counter. Everything here seemed novel to her, but she only looked without any intention of buying.
Although she wanted a lot of things, Taohua didn’t plan to buy anything. After taking a look around, she returned to stay closely beside Nan Qiao.
“Why are you back? Didn’t find anything you liked?” Nan Qiao asked, a little puzzled.
“Nope, I don’t need anything. And my brother works really hard to earn money, waking up early and staying up late. It’s not easy for him,” Taohua said as she shook her little head.
Nan Qiao patted her head affectionately. “Taohua is such a good girl. You feel bad that your brother works so hard, don’t you?”
“Yeah, my brother works really hard. Our family used to be very poor. My eldest brother didn’t even have money to get married. It was my second brother who went to town to be an apprentice under a skilled driver, driving long distances for the factory. That’s how we earned money,” Taohua explained to Nan Qiao.
“Your second brother can drive?” Nan Qiao was a little surprised. In this era, many people might never see a car in their entire lives. Someone who could drive was incredibly rare.
“Yup! My second brother is super smart. He picks up everything quickly. Even though we’ve saved some money and built a new house, I still wish my second brother didn’t have to go out to work. I wish he could stay home every day like my eldest brother,” Taohua said, sounding a bit down.
“Why is that? You miss your second brother when he’s gone?” Nan Qiao assumed it was just a little girl being clingy with her brother.
“Well, that’s part of it, but not really. Sister Nan, I do miss him, but I’m more worried about him. I heard Uncle Xingwang in the village say that it’s really dangerous to drive long-haul trucks outside. There are often robbers who not only steal things but also kill people. I’m afraid my second brother might run into danger.”
Nan Qiao was stunned.
Before transmigrating, in modern China, there were high-definition cameras everywhere and frequent police patrols. You could even sleep in a car with the door unlocked and nothing would happen. But now it was completely different—there were no security systems, and the country was in turmoil. There were plenty of desperate criminals around.
She had been so used to 21st-century life that this sharp contrast was a bit difficult to accept all at once.
“Don’t worry. Your second brother is so capable, and with you waiting at home for him, he’s sure to come back safely,” Nan Qiao comforted her.
“Let’s not talk about my second brother anymore, Sister. I’ll go shopping with you. I rarely come to town. My mom only let me come this time because she was afraid people in the village would gossip if Second Brother reserved a spot for you,” Taohua explained.
“Really? Then next time I come to town, I’ll bring you along, alright?” Nan Qiao asked like coaxing a child.
Taohua was delighted at first but quickly looked a little disappointed and said, “School starts after summer vacation, and you’ll soon be working in the fields to earn work points. You’ll only have one or two days off a month. You should rest more instead of running around with me.”
In Nan Qiao’s understanding, kids of this age should be carefree and playful, but she couldn’t help feeling sorry seeing how mature Taohua was.
Perhaps the kids in the village had to grow up early, and Sheng’s parents weren’t the type to spoil their children. So Taohua was more understanding of her family’s hardships.
But Nan Qiao thought that children should be allowed to be willful and happy. They shouldn’t have to worry about adult problems—after all, childhood only happens once.
Rather than teaching children to compromise for others, she preferred to see them grow up happily.
Thinking of the baby products stored in her space, Nan Qiao suddenly wondered—would she ever have the chance to use them in this life?
She then noticed a counter in the corner of the supply and marketing cooperative selling meat. There wasn’t much pork, and it didn’t look fresh, but in the corner—was that a wild chicken?
Nan Qiao had never seen many wild animals, so she couldn’t be sure. But judging by the feathers, it definitely wasn’t a domestic chicken.
She had previously considered sending some rare food back home to her family.
But in this heat, any kind of meat she sent would likely spoil before it even reached Shanghai.
So now she planned to wait until winter to prepare wild game or special foods for her parents and brother in the military.
That would also give her a chance to take out some food from her storage space and let her family live a little better.
Even though her parents and brother earned decent wages, many items in this era were hard to buy even with money. And even if they were available, they were expensive and required black market dealings. Most people couldn’t afford or didn’t dare to buy them.
After all, the Revolutionary Committee didn’t care how long you’d saved up or that it was a one-time splurge—if you got caught, you wouldn’t even get the chance to explain. Losing your job or getting paraded around the streets was the least of it—you could go to jail!
Since deciding to send food home once it got colder, Nan Qiao began paying closer attention to food at the counter.
“Taohua, are there any wild animals in the mountains nearby?” Nan Qiao quietly asked.
“Sure! There are wild boars, roe deer, and smaller ones like hares and pheasants. But they’re not easy to catch,” Taohua said while curiously glancing around.
“Do we have to turn over any game we catch to the village?” Nan Qiao asked again.
Taohua seemed to catch her drift. She turned to Nan Qiao and said, “Sister, do you want to go hunting? You can ask my second brother to help! He’s amazing at setting traps and often brought home pheasants and rabbits to improve our meals. They were delicious!”
“But larger animals like boars and deer have to be turned in to the village production team for the team leader or village chief to distribute. Pheasants and rabbits don’t have much meat, so when villagers catch them, they usually eat them secretly. No one really says anything.”
“But you still have to be careful of snitches, like that scoundrel Er Gouzi in the village. He’s a bitter old bachelor who can’t stand others doing well. If he doesn’t get free food, he’ll report you,” Taohua said with a look of disgust.
“Er Gouzi?” Nan Qiao asked, noting Taohua’s rare expression of contempt.
“He’s a good-for-nothing in the village, in his thirties, still unmarried. I heard the aunties say he and his mother have been trying to find him a ‘educated youth’ wife, so they’ve delayed it all these years. He’s ugly, doesn’t work hard, and just wanders around during mealtime. If he smells good food, he’ll stand outside people’s homes and won’t leave. If you don’t give him any, he’ll curse you. My mom said when I was little, he came to our house once. We were poor then and didn’t even have enough to eat. But he stood at our door yelling until my second brother beat him up. He hasn’t come near us since,” Taohua ranted.
Listening to Taohua’s chatter, Nan Qiao could imagine just how detestable that man was. But seeing her all puffed up in anger was strangely adorable. So Nan Qiao pulled a White Rabbit candy from her pocket and popped it into Taohua’s mouth when she wasn’t paying attention.
“A little girl should always have something sweet. Let’s not let upsetting people bother us.”
Tasting the sweet candy, Taohua immediately forgot all about that rascal. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Nan Qiao, thinking, Pretty Sister Nan Qiao gave me candy again. She’s so nice. Other than Mom, Dad, and Second Brother, she’s the best to me! Once Sister starts working, I’ll definitely help her out!
Nan Qiao and Taohua hadn’t expected Shen Nian to look so determined—as if she were on a mission to clean out the entire supply and marketing cooperative.
Shen Nian, on the other hand, was surprised that the two of them had spent so long inside and still came out empty-handed.
“Qiaoqiao, you two didn’t buy anything? Doesn’t that make me look like I just throw money around?” Shen Nian looked at the big and small packages in her hands and for the first time began to doubt herself. She didn’t want to be seen by the villagers as some foolish rich girl who threw money around.
“I already have several bags of luggage. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to carry everything, so I didn’t buy more. Besides, what you bought is all for daily use, not just snacks,” Nan Qiao glanced at the packages Shen Nian carried. Other than two bags of biscuits and candy, the rest were items like thermoses and enamel mugs.
Hmm… although these are usually the kind of fancy and expensive items people buy only when getting married—and most wouldn’t consider them practical—at least they’re useful. Enamel mugs and thermoses aren’t a waste. Nan Qiao comforted herself with that logic.
“Exactly! I bought them because they look good and are useful too. If I had brought more ration coupons, I would’ve bought even more!”
“I still need a basin and a wok. Qiaoqiao, if we’re cooking for ourselves in the future, we’ll need to get kitchen knives and everything. But I don’t know if I still have enough industrial coupons—I’ll have to check when we get back…”
As they chatted, the three of them walked toward the entrance of the cooperative. Even after leaving, Shen Nian kept mumbling about what else she might need to buy.
“There should be a knife in my luggage. I remember my mom said she packed one for me before I left,” Nan Qiao said aloud, though she was actually thinking that thank goodness she’d bought a few handmade forged kitchen knives back then. If she pulled out a modern knife now, there’d be no way to explain it.
“That’s great! Otherwise, it would’ve been a real problem to light a fire without a kitchen knife,” Shen Nian exaggerated dramatically.
“But speaking of which—you’re so eager to cook, do you actually know how to?” Nan Qiao asked with a bit of skepticism. Shen Nian, who had been rummaging through her bag, suddenly froze.
She replied with a hint of hesitation, “I… I guess I kind of do?”
“‘I guess’? ‘Kind of’? What kind of answer is that…”
“Oh come on, Qiaoqiao, even if I don’t know, I can learn!” Shen Nian whined playfully.
“So you don’t know at all!” Nan Qiao was nearly speechless. She had assumed that since Shen Nian was going all out buying pots and knives and planning to cook for herself, she must at least know how to make a few basic dishes.
She hadn’t expected that Shen Nian was planning to learn from scratch.
“Well, not completely clueless… I can boil noodles, steam rice, and maybe make pancakes… I just don’t know how to stir-fry…” Shen Nian mumbled in grievance.
“Oh, well, that’s not too bad…” Nan Qiao was slightly relieved. At least she wasn’t totally helpless. Even though they’d each be cooking their own meals in the shared courtyard, there would inevitably be times they’d cook together. Nan Qiao didn’t want to work in the fields all day and then come back to cook for others on top of that.
She already had enough to deal with on her own. If she didn’t feel like cooking, she could always rely on the food stored in her space.
But if she took on someone else’s meals too, she wouldn’t have a choice but to cook. She didn’t want that—not even for a friend.
Before transmigrating into the book, Nan Qiao had lived alone for years. Other than fashion and styling, cooking was one of her few hobbies.
So when it came to cooking for herself, the only thing she worried about was… making a fire!
She had always used modern gas stoves with a twist-and-click. Lighting a fire had never been part of this rich girl’s life.
The only fire she’d ever lit might have been scented candles…
Thinking of this, Nan Qiao sighed softly. Let’s leave that problem for the future. One step at a time.
The supply and marketing cooperative was the largest in town. By the time the three of them finished shopping and came out, it was already eleven o’clock. Nan Qiao suggested, “It’s about time. Why don’t we head over to the state-run restaurant?”
She remembered that Sheng Yanchuan had said they’d meet there for lunch. Judging by the time, it was probably just right.
Shen Nian and Taohua both responded in unison, “Sure!”
It took them another twenty minutes to reach the restaurant. With no buses or taxis, walking or riding a bicycle were the only options.
That was what Si Yuexi had complained about the most—everything had to be done on foot. But she had to admit, people in this era were seriously good at walking.
Just look at little Taohua—after walking for almost half an hour, she wasn’t even out of breath.
Nan Qiao was itching to buy a bike. Thinking about the ladies’ bicycle stored in her space made her want it even more.
Not to mention the G63 she had in there… oh, how she missed it…
Her urge to buy a bicycle surged again but was ultimately suppressed. She had just arrived—no need to stand out too much. Better to wait until she had a better feel for the place.
The three arrived at the state-run restaurant. Since most work units hadn’t gotten off yet, the place was relatively empty.
Nan Qiao looked at the prominent sign inside: “No Beating or Scolding Customers.” She couldn’t help but chuckle. She used to think it was a joke—who knew she’d get to see it in person?
Nan Qiao let Taohua pick any table to sit at and asked, “Taohua, what do you want to eat? Big sister will buy it for you.”
“Sis, use my money instead,” Taohua said as she reached into her pocket.
But before she could take it out, Nan Qiao stopped her. “Keep it safe. It’s not safe for a little girl to carry that much money around. I’ll pay.”
“Then… then I’ll just have plain noodles…” Realizing it might be dangerous, Taohua didn’t insist. She requested the cheapest dish.
“Plain noodles? This is a rare trip to the state-run restaurant. Just wait—I’ll pick something good,” Nan Qiao said as she pulled Shen Nian over to the cashier.
Nan Qiao was quite intrigued by the braised pork and steamed buns—how could she not try the classics while she was here?
“Is there anything you can’t eat?” she asked Shen Nian while looking at the menu on the wall.
“Nope. I can eat everything.”
With that, Nan Qiao finally let loose a bit.