Chapter 62: Exchange Again (Part 1)

Previously, I was blinded by favouritism towards Li Lijuan and Ma Yumei, neglecting Zhao Xiulan.

Li Lijuan suffered greatly during this meal. She was already extremely hungry since she hadn’t eaten anything for lunch, and now, not only was she forbidden from eating, but she also had to smell the tempting aroma of the food and watch Zhao Xiulan and others eat.

Unable to bear it, she angrily returned to her room and blamed Zhao Xiulan for her grievances.

In the following days, Li Lijuan became a bit more obedient. She went out to work every day and could earn four or five work points. After returning, she didn’t complain much about how tough and tiring it was.

After working at home for a few days, Zhao Xiulan suggested going out to beg for food again.

Naturally, Zhao Weiguo didn’t object. Unlike Li Lijuan, Zhao Xiulan could always bring back food when she went out begging, while Li Lijuan resorted to stealing.

Early in the morning, Zhao Xiulan got up and went to see Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen in the county town.

Last time, Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen had fainted from hunger, but now that they had food to eat, their complexion had improved a lot.

Before, their faces were very pale, but now they had a bit of colour.

Zhao Xiulan brought them all good things: fine grains, cured meat, sausages, and eggs, which were enough to nourish Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen.

Uncle Chen sighed that they hadn’t experienced such days in many years. If it weren’t for Zhao Xiulan, they might not have had anything to eat.

Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen were very grateful to Zhao Xiulan.

Seeing that Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen were living well, Zhao Xiulan felt relieved.

Just as Zhao Xiulan was about to leave, a middle-aged man came to Uncle Chen’s house, about the same age as Uncle Chen. Although his hair was grey and his clothes were worn out, he had an extraordinary aura.

It was clear that he used to come from a well-off family.

When Aunt Chen saw the old man coming, she hurriedly invited him in.

Then she explained to Zhao Xiulan, “Xiulan, this is your Uncle Chen’s old classmate. Since he has no food at home, I thought I’d share some of the food I got with him. He has to get through these tough times. If he doesn’t get any food, he’ll starve to death.”

Aunt Chen sighed and sympathised. Perhaps because she had experienced similar hardships herself, she couldn’t bear to see people around her in such dire straits.

But giving food to this old man, she also wanted to inform Zhao Xiulan, after all, the food was given by Zhao Xiulan, and she needed to inform her.

The old man saw Zhao Xiulan and greeted her, and Zhao Xiulan responded.

“Auntie, since I’ve given you the food, it’s up to you to decide who to give it to,” Zhao Xiulan said. She also sympathised with people in such situations and helped as much as she could, even if it was just a little food.

Seeing Zhao Xiulan’s response, Uncle Chen, Aunt Chen, and the old man were all very happy and grateful that Zhao Xiulan agreed.

The old man looked at Zhao Xiulan and couldn’t help but ask, “Girl, thank you. But can I ask, can I exchange some food with you? I have a lot of good things hidden away from before. But those jewellery and treasures, it’s risky to exchange them on the black market, and few people who don’t understand jewellery aren’t willing to exchange. If you can get food here, can you help me exchange some? As long as it’s food, it’s fine.”

(End of Chapter 62)