Chapter 13: Ahhhh! Y-y-you… aren’t you dead…?

After leaving Qiao-jie’s house, Shen Mo’er and Shen Shaoyuan carried their sack and bamboo mat back to find Uncle Liu. They loaded their things onto his donkey cart and asked him to keep an eye on them. Then they headed to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Admittedly, they had money but no ration coupons. Still, there were always some goods in the co-op that didn’t require coupons.

Besides, even if they weren’t buying anything, just looking around was refreshing enough.

The co-op was quite large—six rooms lined up along the street, each with sparkling glass windows that looked quite grand compared to the drab little single-story houses surrounding them.

On the outer wall was a big slogan painted in yellow oil paint: “Develop the economy, ensure supply, be self-reliant, and work hard in adversity.”

Shen Mo’er had long since gotten used to slogans painted on walls. The wall of the brigade office next to her house had one too—”Always follow the Party, serve the people.” What really caught her interest was the row of shiny glass windows. She stared at them for quite a while and made up her mind to install windows like those in her new house later.

Inside the co-op, goods were displayed in dazzling variety. As Shen Mo’er walked along, she’d see something novel, think about it for a second, and then be able to dig through the original owner’s memories to figure out what it was.

The front section was all daily essentials—fresh and tempting, sure, but not so irresistible that she’d lose her composure. That changed when she walked toward the back and saw the legendary “Three Big Items”—a wristwatch, a bicycle, and a sewing machine. Shen Mo’er was instantly rooted to the spot.

She did have a sundial with a jade base, the jade of exquisite quality and the craftsmanship top-notch. It had been one of her favorite possessions. But no matter how fine the material, it was still only for telling time. Compared to a wristwatch, it was just an ornate but impractical toy.

You could wear a wristwatch on your hand and check the time anytime, anywhere—how convenient!

And then there were bicycles. The brigade leader, Zhou Mancang, had one. Just a few pedal strokes and he’d be moving faster than a donkey cart. It was his essential mode of transport for trips to and from the commune. Forget Shen Mo’er—the entire Yangliu Brigade envied him.

As for sewing machines, just a few foot pumps and you could sew clothes with ease. How amazing and clever!

Shen Mo’er was green with envy, but her empty pockets left her sighing wistfully.

“Ah!”

Shen Mo’er almost thought she had sighed out loud—until she turned around and saw her father looking at the items with the same longing, helpless eyes.

Well, if this were still Daliang, and if Daliang hadn’t been devastated by war, her father could have just pleaded to her imperial uncle for whatever he fancied.

Now? They had to rely on themselves, just like that slogan said: self-reliance, hard struggle.

“When we have money, we’ll buy all the ‘Three Big’ and ‘Three Small’ items!” Shen Mo’er reassured her father.

The shop assistant behind the counter immediately laughed. “Little comrade, you’ve got ambition.”

Shen Mo’er grinned. “We’ll greet the 1970s with revolutionary and productive victories! Our lives will only get better. We’ll all have bicycles one day!”

“Wonderful, wonderful. If everyone could own a bicycle, how great would life be?” The shop assistant was amused. She waved Shen Mo’er over and whispered, “I have a defective thermos flask here. Just a bit of cosmetic damage to the exterior, but the inner lining is fine—it works perfectly. Want it?”

Shen Mo’er’s eyes lit up. Normally you’d need an industrial coupon to buy a thermos flask, but not for defective items. Those usually got snatched up internally by the staff before even hitting the shelves. Buying one was basically making a profit.

“Yes, of course I want it!” Shen Mo’er beamed. “We’re in dire need of a thermos. Just the other night, I caught a chill and couldn’t even get a sip of hot water. Big Sis, this is truly a lifesaver!”

The shop assistant had only mentioned it in passing because she thought the little girl seemed fun and she happened to have an extra thermos. Now hearing this, she felt she’d made the right call—this little girl would now have hot water at night!

Shen Mo’er paid 6.5 yuan and got a brand-new thermos, with only a slight dent on the metal casing.

She was very pleased and thanked the shop assistant again. Then they headed to the food counter and bought a bag of salt and some fruit candy that didn’t require ration tickets. Just as they were about to leave—goods bought, store browsed—they heard a commotion by the fabric counter.

“No way! I remember clearly you said defective fabric would be on sale today! Are you hiding it for someone with connections? This is a public co-op! Everyone has the right to buy! Take it out!”

“Where did this shrew come from? Talking nonsense! If you want to buy fabric, show me your ration coupons! No coupons? What, you planning to rob me?!”

“Pah! Isn’t this a people’s co-op? Why are you hiding defective fabric? You trying to make under-the-table deals? Are you serving the people or serving a select few?!”

“You nasty girl, you’re just here to cause trouble, aren’t you? You—you—you wait, I’ll slap you!”

As Shen Mo’er walked over, she saw the shop assistant lunge halfway over the counter, hand raised to slap the young woman on the other side—but the girl was quick. She grabbed the assistant’s hair and—smack smack—slapped her twice first.

The crowd watching was stunned. Everyone’s mouths hung open in shock.

Shen Mo’er even heard a middle-aged man nearby suck in a breath.

The shop assistant was also dumbfounded, clearly not expecting to be attacked first. After a brief moment of stunned silence, she let out a shrill scream and started swinging her arms wildly. The young woman didn’t back down, either, yelling and scratching in return.

“Whoa, who is this girl? So gutsy, actually dares to fight a shop assistant in the co-op!” the middle-aged man muttered.

Co-op shop assistants were one of the “Eight Big Work Units.” Normally, everyone had to smile and flatter them just to buy anything, and they still acted all high and mighty. Now someone had the nerve to brawl with them on their own turf? Either that girl had nerves of steel… or wasn’t quite right in the head.

“Pfft, you must not know. That’s Liu Jihong from Songshu Brigade. Oh wait, she changed her name recently—now she’s Liu Yinshuang. She used to be really quiet, but early this year, she fell while picking mushrooms and must’ve knocked something loose upstairs. She hasn’t been normal since coming back from the hospital—always making a fuss. Just a few days ago, she fought her mom because her brother got an egg and she didn’t,” said a middle-aged woman.

“So it’s her!”

Many people’s expressions lit up with realization.

Naturally, the co-op staff couldn’t just let the fight go on. Soon, shop assistants from other counters rushed over to break it up, and the co-op manager arrived shortly after.

The two fighters were separated. Before the manager could even speak, Liu Yinshuang shouted, “Director Qian! Just tell me—didn’t you receive three bolts of defective fabric yesterday? After the internal purchases, weren’t there three left? Two navy blue, one off-white? Weren’t they supposed to be sold today?”

Director Qian: “…”

He wanted to say no, but the girl had described the inventory down to the last detail—as if she had done an audit herself. What could he say?

Others had originally thought Liu Yinshuang was just making a fuss, but now they were half-convinced by her precise information.

In reality, defective fabric wasn’t plentiful and didn’t require coupons. It was usually quietly divided among the staff or their relatives. Everyone knew the unspoken rules and typically turned a blind eye—until someone made a scene.

A few sharp individuals in the crowd joined in: “Director Qian, do you have it or not? She’s being pretty specific—it doesn’t sound fake.”

Director Qian was caught. He couldn’t say no—the girl clearly knew the details. But saying yes would mean admitting fault, and make the staffer look bad, which made the whole co-op look bad.

But leaders don’t get to be leaders without brains. After a pause, Director Qian said, “We did receive three bolts of defective fabric. The quantity was small, so we were still discussing how to sell it. That’s why Comrade Xiao Yuan didn’t put it out right away. However, since there’s so much interest, I’ll make a decision here—Xiao Yuan, take the fabric out now. It’s first come, first served.”

Liu Yinshuang instantly doubled down, slapping the counter. “Right! Bring it out!”

Shop assistant Xiao Yuan protested, “Why should we sell it? She hit someone!”

Director Qian’s face darkened. “If a customer has concerns, you can explain properly. Fighting? Are we even running a co-op anymore?”

Seeing the leader upset, Xiao Yuan didn’t dare argue further. With an angry face, she brought out a bolt of navy blue fabric. One end had uneven dye, probably the defect. But in times of shortage, nobody cared. And it didn’t require ration tickets—making it a better deal than regular fabric.

Everyone watching had stars in their eyes and couldn’t help smiling widely.

“I want a bolt. Not this color though—I want off-white!”

Liu Yinshuang’s voice rang out again, loud and clear.

Xiao Yuan: “…”

The others: “…”

The audacity! Only three bolts total and she’s asking for one all to herself?

Director Qian’s mouth twitched but explained calmly, “Comrade, fabric is limited. To be fair, we’re capping it at ten feet per person.”

Liu Yinshuang curled her lip. “Ten feet? That’s barely enough for one outfit. Tch. Fine, I want the off-white one, not this dull navy blue.” She was even picky.

Xiao Yuan was livid, but with the director standing right there, she couldn’t lash out. Holding back her rage, she brought out the off-white bolt, measured ten feet in a flash, snipped it off with her scissors, and practically flung it at Liu Yinshuang.

Liu Yinshuang paid, rolled up her ten feet of fabric, and turned to leave.

People instinctively made way for her. Once she left the counter, they surged forward.

“I want ten feet of the navy.”

“Give me ten feet of the off-white.”

“Me too! I want some!”

Liu Yinshuang walked proudly, muttering, “All of you should be grateful to me. Hmph. The people’s co-op not serving the people, trying to pull shady deals? I’ll report you someday!”

Director Qian: “…”

He hadn’t realized this was the now-infamous Liu Yinshuang from the Songshu Brigade, but he could tell she wasn’t normal. People like her—who were either ready to fight or report you—were never easy to deal with.

So even though he heard her, he pretended he didn’t.

Liu Yinshuang strode out confidently. But when she casually glanced up, her eyes met Shen Mo’er’s in the crowd.

Her expression froze.

She stared at Shen Mo’er for a few seconds. Her gaze shifted from blank, to confused, then rapidly to horrified. “Ahhhh! Y-y-you—aren’t you dead?!”

Shen Mo’er blinked in confusion.

Liu Yinshuang’s terror deepened. “You—you—you died! You clearly died! Ahhhhh! A ghost—!”

She bolted out the door like lightning, running so fast she turned into a black speck.

Shen Mo’er: “…”