When Village Chief Wang led his men inside, they happened to see the educated youths leaving with bags in hand—clearly, they had bought quite a few things.  

“Those educated youths sure have money…” someone muttered with a sour expression.  

Village Chief Wang frowned and scolded, “Stop talking nonsense. If they have money, it’s because their families have capable people who earn it.”  

“Ah, Chief, I was just saying…”  

The chief let it go at that and walked up to the counter. “Hello, boss. We’re here to look at rice and flour.”  

Su Ling politely introduced, “We have premium rice and white flour here, both priced at fifty cents per pound. The older rice is twenty cents per pound. For the first three days of opening, there’s a discount—twelve percent off.”  

Village Chief Wang smiled and thanked her first, then turned and called out, “Those who didn’t get any porridge earlier and have money on them, come buy first.”  

A dozen or so men stepped forward.  

They usually carried a bit of money with them, and seeing that the rice looked good, they took out some cash to buy a little.  

“What’s your surname, boss?” Village Chief Wang moved to the side and asked.  

“My surname is Su,” Su Ling replied.  

The chief nodded with a smile. “Alright, Boss Su. I heard from my family that you’ll be restocking later?”  

“Yes, tomorrow we’ll have rice and cornmeal delivered, as well as frozen meat—chicken, pork, and mutton,” Su Ling explained. “Later on, there’ll be other goods, depending on what the village needs.”  

Village Chief Wang then looked at the instant noodles and rubber shoes, asking about each before lowering his voice to ask, “Do you sell kerosene here? Do you need ration coupons?”  

Su Ling: “The kerosene will take a little longer. Also, everything here is sold without requiring coupons.”  

The chief now had a clearer picture. He didn’t ask further since his own family had already bought rice, so he bid farewell and prepared to leave.  

As for the rubber shoes, he would’ve liked to buy them, but he couldn’t afford them.  

After the first group left, Old Man Wang walked up to Su Ling.  

“Boss Su, do you sell malted milk powder here?”  

Su Ling asked, “For a child to drink?”  

Old Man Wang quickly nodded. “Yes, for a little one—just a month old.”  

Su Ling glanced at the checkout counter. “We have infant formula, five yuan per can. Would you like that?”  

Wang Baoguo’s eyes reddened—there was milk powder!  

Goudan could be saved!  

Old Man Wang suddenly smacked Wang Baoguo. “You fool, get the money!”  

Wang Baoguo hurriedly pulled out crumpled bills from his inner pocket, counted out five yuan, and handed it to Su Ling, then stood nervously outside the counter, waiting.  

Su Ling promptly placed the order, pretending to retrieve it from below before handing over a can.  

Old Man Wang was startled by the size of the metal can—he hadn’t expected it to be so big.  

“Here’s a measuring spoon,” Su Ling added, passing over a small plastic scoop. “Do you need anything else?”  

Wang Baoguo suddenly burst into tears, clutching the can of milk powder as he rushed out of the store—he had to hurry home to deliver it.  

Old Man Wang and the others also said their goodbyes and quickly left for home.  

Su Ling sat back down, and Hua Hua jumped onto her lap.  

“Hua Hua, is this all the people in Dawang Village?”  

It felt a bit hard to earn money this way.  

“No, and the shop’s business isn’t limited. Nearby villages and even towns farther away can all be potential customers.”  

Hearing this, Su Ling felt reassured.  

…

The first thing Wang Baoguo did when he returned home was to see his wife. He pried open the can of milk powder and prepared a bowl for the baby. 

Zhao Xing stopped him and told him about the ginseng.  

Wang Baoguo wiped his tears and said hoarsely, “Thank Baozhu for me. I’ll go write an IOU right away. Don’t worry—just rest and recover. Tomorrow, I’ll buy you a chicken to nourish you.”  

Zhao Xing shook her head and held him back. “Times are hard, and there’s no work in winter. Don’t spend recklessly.”  

“Spending on my wife’s health isn’t reckless.” Wang Baoguo tucked the blanket around her. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay it all back. Where’s Mingzhu?”  

“Mingzhu and Baozhu are in the kitchen. Mother said we should cook a pot of rice to replenish our energy.” Zhao Xing smiled. “The two little girls have been staring at the pot eagerly.”  

Wang Baoguo nodded. “They should eat well. Also, tomorrow, my brother and I will go to your father’s house. Today was too conspicuous.”  

Their father-in-law’s family probably didn’t have much grain left either.  

Originally, they were supposed to go today, but since the shop was in the village, there were likely still villagers who hadn’t bought anything yet. By tomorrow, though, it shouldn’t be a problem.  

Zhao Xing sighed in relief. Once the milk had cooled slightly, she began feeding the baby.  

….

Meanwhile, Wang Dagen, who had bought a pound of old rice, returned home full of resentment. He kicked the door violently, making loud banging noises.

“Wang Zhaodi! Are you deaf?! Can’t you open the door for your father?!”  

Wang Zhaodi had been sweeping the floor when she was suddenly shoved outside and fell.  

She didn’t dare make a sound. Trembling, she scrambled to the door and unlatched it.  

When Wang Dagen saw it was her, he kicked her immediately. “I went out to find food, and you can’t even open the damn door fast enough?!”  

Wang Zhaodi cowered in fear, biting her lips hard to stop herself from crying.  

“Did you get food?” Liu Guihua’s eyes lit up as she stared at the bag in Wang Dagen’s hand. “I saw the neighbors with the same kind of bag.”  

Wang Dagen scowled. “All you think about is eating. I almost died on that damn mountain!”  

“Hmph, I’m carrying your son. What’s wrong with eating more?” Liu Guihua snatched the bag, glanced inside, and smacked her lips. “Just this much? Didn’t they give you extra? You didn’t even ask?”  

“Ask my ass! You think I can afford to offend someone who runs a shop?”  

Wang Dagen kicked a chair aside and sat down, then glared at the shivering Wang Zhaodi, his anger flaring again.  

“What are you standing there for?! Don’t you know to fetch hot water for your father to soak his feet?!”  

“No, cook porridge first. I’m hungry.” Liu Guihua scooped out a small portion of rice into a bowl. “Just cook this much. We’ll eat first, then you can have the rest. Go.”  

Wang Zhaodi’s frostbitten, swollen hands carefully held the bowl as she went to the kitchen. Silently, she sat by the stove and lit the fire, hoping to dry her damp clothes in the warmth.  

Her patched cotton jacket was stiff with age, her thin pants offered no warmth, and her shoes had holes, exposing her frostbitten toes.  

She was so cold.  

“Is it done yet?!” A displeased voice called from the main room.  

“I—I’m cooking it now!”  

Wang Zhaodi answered nervously, quickly adding the rice and water to the pot. Staring at the white grains, she licked her chapped lips longingly.  

Just then, a head popped into the small kitchen—Wang Tianci, the boy next door.  

Wang Tianci grinned at her. “My family’s eating dry rice today! What about yours?”  

Wang Zhaodi lowered her head. She wouldn’t get to eat anything.  

“Are you starting first grade with Wang Baozhu next year? My mom says Baozhu’s smart and her family dotes on her, so she gets to go to school early. You’re already nine and they’re only letting you go now. By the time you two are in first grade, I’ll be in second!”  

With that, Wang Tianci skipped away happily.  

Wang Zhaodi’s dull eyes suddenly reddened.  

She forced herself not to think too much. But just as she stood to check the pot, her vision darkened.  

She collapsed, her forehead hitting the ground and bleeding.  

…

Back in the grocery store, Su Ling heard another notification.  

[Ding—]  

[The supporting female character has been reborn. The world has begun to operate.]  

Su Ling: ???  

Just how many worlds have merged into this one?!