Chapter 52 

The aroma of rice dumplings wafted from Gu Xiangqian’s house all day long. Those who received dumplings were so emotionally stirred, it felt like they had experienced an earthquake. When Grandma Zhou received Su Ye’s dumplings, her nose stung with emotion, and she almost teared up.

Zhou Honghan couldn’t help but think that Su Ye was a very thoughtful person.

If someone else tried to win Zhou Honghan’s favor like this, she might have grown suspicious, but not with Su Ye. Su Ye had no interest in the gossip and cliques within the compound. She had no idea what Zhou Honghan was holding in her hands.

Zhou Honghan opened a hidden compartment in her drawer, carefully peeling back layers, and pulled out two thin items. She deliberated over which one would make the most appropriate wedding gift for the young couple. Lately, the pair had been in financial straits. During the Spring Festival, didn’t Su Ye even mock Xiangqian for being poor?

Li Xianjin, on the other hand, was all smiles when he received Su Ye’s dumplings, his eyes practically squinting shut. He was pleasantly surprised that Su Ye had remembered him, feeling it was worth all the effort he had put into contacting friends and relatives to buy tea for her.

The dumplings had a subtle but deeply enticing aroma. This year, they tasted even better than usual, perhaps because food scarcity had made everyone appreciate their value even more.

As for Fang Xiulian, she openly ate her meat-filled dumplings in the compound. After all, she was the type to show off even when drying cured meats. Many people around her maintained calm expressions, chatting and laughing as usual, but deep down, they couldn’t help but secretly swallow their saliva.

Those who didn’t get to eat dumplings were consumed with envy.

Just smelling that fragrance was enough to imagine how delicious they must be. Watching from afar, they couldn’t help but feel a pang of sourness in their hearts.

—

After the Dragon Boat Festival, Su Ye called Ma Gensheng into the city and handed him part of the money from selling tea, so he could buy relief grain.

Although Ma Gensheng hadn’t set a deadline for Su Ye to pay for the tea, he estimated that with the rice harvest season approaching and government relief grain being distributed, this was the best time to buy surplus relief grain at the lowest price.

Su Ye directly tossed him a bankbook. She worried that carrying a large amount of cash would be unsafe. Like Zhou Yi, whenever she saved up a certain amount of money, she deposited it in the bank.

When Ma Gensheng received the bankbook, he was utterly bewildered. He opened it and stared at the rows of tiny entries. When he reached the final balance, he was dumbfounded—

“2,212.52 yuan!”

“Two… two thousand yuan!” Ma Gensheng was so shocked that he almost bit his tongue in confusion.

His gaze burned holes into the bankbook. This was real! In just a few days, Su Ye had earned two thousand yuan?

Ma Gensheng had yet to transport all the tea leaves from the warehouse to the city for Su Ye. Due to the busy farming season, he had only managed to deliver 1,500 jin (around 750 kg) of tea leaves in batches. Unexpectedly, Su Ye had already turned that into 2,000 yuan by selling tea leaves in just a blink of an eye.

Su Ye responded with a light “Mm.”

A grown man like Ma Gensheng was almost moved to tears by the sight of those 2,000 yuan. His admiration for Su Ye reached new heights—he practically worshipped her now. It seemed as if making 3,000 yuan was no big deal for her.

Ma Gensheng had never expected Su Ye to sell off the tea leaves so quickly. He had resigned himself to a more pessimistic outcome—selling whatever she could to trade for some grain, which would still be better than nothing. Yet, in just a few days, the funds for their village’s grain purchase were nearly complete.

With this money in hand, he could immediately organize the villagers to buy relief grain from neighboring villages. There was no doubt about it—Su Ye was their village’s savior, their benefactor!

Su Ye accompanied Ma Gensheng to the bank and transferred the money from her bankbook to the village collective account.

She asked, “Are you busy these days? I’ve secured orders from several factories for tea leaves. Next time you come, you’ll need to bring over the rest of the tea leaves. If you’re too busy, I’ll find some people to help you.”

Ma Gensheng felt bitter. It was the peak of the farming season, and the village only had two mules, which were also needed for fieldwork. He could only use the mules for hauling tea leaves during breaks in their agricultural use. While bicycles would have been more convenient, their impoverished village couldn’t possibly afford such a thing.

But since Su Ye had said so, even if it meant making sacrifices, he would deliver the tea leaves! With the village collective now having money, they could grit their teeth and spend some to rent a bicycle if needed.

Su Ye glanced at Ma Gensheng, who was dressed in patched-up clothes, his face weathered from poverty. “Forget it, I’ll find a few people to help you.”

She thought of her free labor force and decided they could assist Ma Gensheng in transporting the tea leaves over the weekend.

—

At No. 1 High School, Friday afternoon.

Su Ye was holding a piece of chalk, tutoring a group of senior high school students. After the session ended, she selected a few reliable students to help Ma Gensheng transport the tea leaves to Shanggou Village.

Yang Chenxing, known for being well-informed, had already heard that Teacher Su had created a set of tea gift packages. He had seen them before the Dragon Boat Festival, and his family elders loved them.

He wasn’t fond of studying but was deeply interested in anything related to making money. His fascination with earning money even made him take a slight liking to mathematics. However, with all goods under strict state control and distribution, his dream of doing business and making a fortune seemed entirely unrealistic.

Still, he found Su Ye’s way of making money intriguing. As the saying goes, “A gentleman loves wealth but acquires it through proper means.” Although the money didn’t end up in her own pocket, it genuinely helped many people. To Yang Chenxing, Teacher Su was a fascinating and resourceful person who loved to take on challenges.

When he heard the word “tea leaves,” he was the first to sign up—not only for himself but also dragging others along to join.

The delinquents, though eager to learn from Su Ye about making money, were originally skeptical. They didn’t outright reject the idea but were suspicious, wondering if Teacher Su was exploiting them. How was this supposed to teach them how to make money?

What they wanted to learn was fixing radios!

Still, if they wanted to become her apprentices, helping out a bit wasn’t a big deal. They often spent their free time running around the county, so a trip to the countryside didn’t seem too difficult. Borrowing a few bicycles also wasn’t much of a challenge. But why tea leaves?

Su Ye stroked her chin and said, “Once you bring the tea leaves back, I’ll teach you how to make money.”

Hearing this, all their doubts vanished. Once they got back, they went around begging relatives and friends to lend them bicycles. These kids might not have many practical skills, but they were masters of networking—befriending people wherever they went, from hanging out to walking dogs or organizing cockfights. By the same evening, they managed to borrow the bicycles they needed for the next day.

The group sped towards the countryside on bicycles, a grand and imposing procession that looked almost heroic.

When Ma Gensheng met these “strong laborers” at the village entrance, he was nearly blinded by the sight.

Teacher Su really was capable—when she said she’d find help, she truly delivered. And not just help—every one of them came riding a bicycle! With the rough mountain roads they’d traveled, Ma Gensheng couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor bikes, wondering how they hadn’t fallen apart along the way.

The students, who had been skeptical about Su Ye’s intentions, were stunned as soon as they entered the village. The scene before them was haunting.

Elderly villagers, so emaciated their bones jutted out sharply, looked like living skeletons. Their skin was sunken, making them appear as though they were on the brink of death. Children with disproportionately large heads and clearly visible rib bones were holding handfuls of clay and stuffing it into their mouths. The more they ate, the more their bellies swelled, resembling balloons ready to burst.

Life in the city wasn’t easy, but with tightened belts and careful saving, they could scrape by. Never had they imagined that conditions in the countryside could be so dire. Xu Le, unable to bear the sight, turned away and focused solely on discussing the tea leaves with the team leader.

Yang Chenxing, on the other hand, wasn’t fazed. He immediately understood Su Ye’s purpose in bringing them here.

Teacher Su was truly… wherever she was needed, that’s where she would go. He couldn’t help but smile.

The others had never seen such scenes before and could never have imagined that famine had left the countryside so destitute. Curiosity drove them to touch the children’s swollen bellies and oversized heads.

Ma Gensheng warmly welcomed the group into the warehouse, instructing the village adults to tie the tea leaves onto the students’ bicycles. “This time, we owe it all to your Teacher Su. She’s been a tremendous help to us. You kids are great too—just like her. Smart and kind-hearted. You’ll all have bright futures!”

Hearing Ma Gensheng’s praise of Su Ye, the group couldn’t help feeling a little proud. But the latter part of his words made their faces flush with embarrassment.

“Take it slow on the road. I’ll follow behind you,” he said.

—

The next day, Su Ye received the tea leaves the students had brought back. However, when she saw their red, rabbit-like eyes, she was startled and asked, “Did you all stay up all night? I really appreciate your help. Go home and get some rest. No need to work on the test this afternoon.”

Even at a time like this, she was still thinking about making them do tests?

One of the students weakly complained, “Teacher Su, you’re too much. Don’t ever expect me to help again. I’m not going to sleep tonight!”

When Su Ye looked at him quizzically, Yang Chenxing coughed lightly and explained, “It’s nothing. On the way back, we saw someone who had starved to death. A few of them are just too faint-hearted.”

The boys felt a swirl of emotions. On the way back, they had encountered someone who had literally starved to death. Witnessing someone’s last breath was an experience they found deeply unsettling.

Although life in the city was tough—they were enduring the harshest two years of famine, with many factories closing and workers laid off—they had never imagined that their struggles were still a luxury compared to others’ suffering.

It suddenly hit them: the days where all they worried about were graduation and jobs, rather than food and survival, were an unimaginable blessing.

Su Ye had truly gone to great (and cruel) lengths to educate them!

This trip had been an eye-opener, making them realize just how fortunate they were.