Chapter 29: Giving Gifts

Because of the pregnancy, Liu Yinyin found many things inconvenient to do. Otherwise, their household situation wouldn’t be as difficult as it was now.

Since the days were longer in this season, by the time Gu Cheng returned, it wasn’t completely dark yet.

Hearing movement outside, Liu Yinyin stepped out.

Gu Cheng had brought back a massive haul of grain this time!

Fifty pounds of refined flour, fifty pounds of rice, a hundred pounds of cornmeal, twenty pounds of millet, twenty pounds of buckwheat flour, twenty pounds of corn grits, and twenty pounds of brown rice.

Two packs of brown sugar, five pounds of rapeseed oil, twenty feet of fabric, five pounds of cotton, two cans of lychee preserves, two boxes of fermented rice cakes, and a bag of small apples.

Wow! He had bought so many things—did he use up all their ration coupons?

No, even though Liu Yinyin had never bought food with ration coupons before, she knew that in this era, purchasing such a large amount of fine grains wasn’t easy.

This man must have found another way to obtain food.

Liu Yinyin was pleasantly surprised. “You managed to buy so much fine grain?”

Rural folks generally had more food than city dwellers, but they mostly ate coarse grains.

A pound of rice could be exchanged for three pounds of cornmeal, so filling their stomachs was the priority.

Having lived here for so long, Liu Yinyin had already gotten used to eating coarse grains.

While moving things inside, Gu Cheng glanced at her and said, “You’re pregnant—you should eat more fine grains.”

He wasn’t a rigid person; since they had the means, he naturally wanted their household to eat better.

Besides, according to tradition, when Yinyin gave birth, they would need to host a banquet and distribute steamed buns or red eggs to the villagers for good fortune.

So, he figured he might as well buy everything at once.

Gu Cheng reassured her, “Eat as much as you want. Once I start working, I’ll receive monthly food subsidies—it’ll be enough for us.”

Once his job was secured, he would receive state-allocated grain every month along with his salary… supporting a family wouldn’t be an issue at all.

Liu Yinyin: “…”

Hearing him say that, why did she suddenly feel like she had married a golden goose?

Thinking about the coming years, a thought struck Liu Yinyin, and she quickly said, “Buy as much grain as you can—whatever amount, just buy it. Money is not a problem.”

For her, having food was more reassuring than having money.

Gu Cheng was surprised. “It’s still not enough?”

He had a big appetite, but there were only two of them in the house—how much could they possibly consume? This amount of food was definitely sufficient.

Liu Yinyin blinked and vaguely replied, “I just like stockpiling food. Having a full storage makes me feel secure.”

If they stored more grain at home, she could secretly take out supplies from her system later. That way, they could survive two or three difficult years without trouble.

But then again, they both had families. If hard times really came, they couldn’t just hoard food for themselves and ignore their relatives.

Gu Cheng chuckled. “Alright.”

At this moment, he had no idea that his wife, Liu Yinyin, was about to become an extreme hoarder of food.

Feeling delighted, Liu Yinyin added, “Keeping all this food in the kitchen is too conspicuous. If only we had a cellar.”

Soon, their sweet potatoes would be harvested. If they had a cellar, they could store them for a longer period.

Gu Cheng immediately said, “After the autumn harvest, I’ll ask my elder brother and the others to help dig a cellar. I’ll also dig a well so we’ll have easier access to water.”

Liu Yinyin was overjoyed—how could this man be so good?

However…

“When you start working, will you be living in the county?” Liu Yinyin asked. She wanted to stay in the village, which was why she was eager to improve their home.

But she remembered Gu Cheng mentioning that his workplace would provide housing. Living in the county would be more convenient for him.

“You don’t want to go, do you?” Gu Cheng asked in return.

Liu Yinyin sighed. “I don’t, but my parents… I haven’t figured out how to explain it to them.”

In truth, she thought she could stay in the village while Gu Cheng lived in the county and only came back on holidays.

But if she really did that, she was afraid Jiang Cuihua and the others would blame her for being stubborn and immature.

Gu Cheng spoke casually, “If you want to live in the village, then we’ll stay here. I told you—I can live anywhere. I’ll talk to my parents about it.”

Living in the village had its advantages. Liu Yinyin’s parents and brothers were here, so if anything happened, they could lend a hand.

Liu Yinyin was curious. “What will you say? And won’t it be inconvenient for you to commute from the village for work?”

The county town wasn’t far, but walking there still took an hour. Going back and forth every day would be quite a waste of time.

Gu Cheng said, “It’s not a hassle, and it’s not that far. Once I buy a bicycle, it’ll actually be quite convenient.”

A bicycle!

Having a bicycle would indeed make things much easier.

Liu Yinyin couldn’t help but smile. Since Gu Cheng said he would buy one, she believed he could get it.

Gu Cheng moved the grain into the kitchen.

Liu Yinyin, smiling, walked over to him and handed him a towel. “Our family’s conditions are pretty good now. You should take better care of yourself, too.”

This man treated her and the child well, but he wasn’t attentive to his own needs. He only had two sets of shirts and vests for changing, and they were almost worn out from washing.

Gu Cheng wiped his sweat, smiled, and said nothing. Men lived roughly—it was enough as long as they had food to eat.

After moving the grain, he still needed to return the ox cart. Suddenly, something came to mind, and he said to Liu Yinyin, “I’ll go return the ox cart to the team. In the meantime, you can prepare four items—I’ll take them to my in-laws. Last time I came back in a hurry and didn’t have time to buy anything, which isn’t proper etiquette.”

Besides, the Liu family had taken good care of Liu Yinyin these past few months. It was only right to show some appreciation.

Sending gifts to her maiden family was something Liu Yinyin would never refuse. Her family had always been kind to her.

Looking at the food on the table, she counted on her fingers and said, “One pack of brown sugar, one box of fermented rice cakes, plus five pounds of refined flour and five pounds of rice. How about that?”

In these times, gifting food was the most practical choice.

The Liu family wasn’t lacking in coarse grains, so sending some fine grains would help supplement her parents’ nutrition.

Although… chances were that her parents would be reluctant to eat them, since there were still several children in the family. But as long as their goodwill was expressed, that was enough.

Gu Cheng said, “Everything else is fine, but keep the brown sugar. I bought it for you.”

Liu Yinyin pouted. “…Then let’s replace it with two cans of preserves. I’m not craving sweets anyway, and we still have some small apples.”

Canned food was an absolute delicacy in these times, no less valuable than brown sugar.

Gu Cheng nodded in agreement.

As Liu Yinyin found something to pack the food in, she said, “When you have time, take some things to your parents too. I… can’t go with you since it’s inconvenient for me.”

People should treat each other with mutual respect. Since Gu Cheng was good to her parents, Liu Yinyin couldn’t be biased either. After all, they were his biological parents—it was only right to fulfill his responsibilities.

As long as they weren’t living under the same roof, she was willing to maintain a peaceful facade.

A glimmer of light flashed in Gu Cheng’s eyes. “Alright, I’ll go as soon as I’m done with everything.”