Chapter 66: The Mill

After leaving the writer’s courtyard, Zuo He wanted to help her sell things, but she persuaded him to go back. It was inconvenient to take a child with her, so it was more convenient for her to do it alone.

This time, she set up her stall in a residential area. The fresh vegetables and fish eggs immediately attracted the elderly to come and buy. The items were much fresher than those in the grocery store, and they didn’t need vouchers. Wang Qian’s stall didn’t last until noon, as her goods were quickly sold out. Each egg earned her three to five cents, and they were in high demand. The fish she had prepared in her space were also quickly snapped up. However, she saved some small fish for Zuo He’s family and planned to make fish soup for the grandmother and grandson at lunchtime.

With the money she earned in the morning, she went to a department store to buy water bottles for the three children. Unfortunately, she was disappointed to find that there were no water bottles available in the 1970s, not even military canteens. She had come with high hopes but had to return empty-handed.

Carrying a string of small fish, she returned to Zuo He’s family’s courtyard. As soon as she entered, she saw the old lady already cooking. “Grandma, you should rest. I’ll cook the meal.”

The old lady’s heart was lightened after hearing about her husband, and with the medication, she felt better. She found it difficult to lie down and rest. When she saw the large amount of items the child had brought, she felt grateful and affectionate towards the unfamiliar little girl. She was touched that the family, despite their difficult circumstances, had brought so much to help them. The old lady was even grateful to Zhang Lan and her husband, whom she had not yet met.

Seeing Wang Qian return, the old lady looked around and asked with some confusion, “Qianqian, where’s your mother? Why don’t you call her over for a meal? Look at all the things you’ve brought. I don’t know what to say as an old lady.”

The old lady’s words were sincere, but Wang Qian didn’t know where to find Zhang Lan at this moment. With a sincere smile, she said, “Grandma, my mom went to another place. She won’t be coming over for lunch. Let me represent her and visit you.”

The old lady, seeing the lively and vivid expression on the little girl’s face, didn’t dwell on it. “Alright, since your mom isn’t coming, let’s have lunch, the three of us. Grandma has already prepared the meal. You can just wait to eat.”

The old lady had prepared pickled vegetables, fried mushrooms, and cornmeal buns, probably bought in the morning.

“Grandma, eat more bitter greens. They’re good for your health,” she said.

The old lady was able to walk again, and she knew that her previous illness was caused by excessive internal heat. Therefore, eating bitter greens could help clear the remaining heat from her body.

After taking a bite of the bitter greens dipped in soybean paste, the old lady said, “Our little Qianqian is so caring. My illness has improved a lot. Tomorrow, I’ll go get some cardboard to make boxes. We can’t always rely on your family. You have your own difficulties.”

Wang Qian sensed that the old lady felt a bit guilty about accepting their help. “Grandma, don’t worry too much. Our family is doing okay. We’re just poor people helping other poor people. You stay in the city for now, and I’ll come to see you often. If there’s anything to pass on to Grandpa Zuo, get it ready, and I’ll take it over. Once things settle down on Grandpa’s side, you and Zuo He can come to our house as guests. We’ll find a way for you to meet Grandpa. Is that okay?”

The old lady was overjoyed. A child so young was already making thoughtful arrangements for them. She realized that her own grandson lacked experience compared to other children. After finishing the meal, the old lady brought out some clean clothes for her husband, including summer clothes and shoes, and handed them to Wang Qian.

“Qianqian, when you see Grandpa Zuo, tell him that everything is fine at home. We’ll go see him in a few days.”

Zuo He held her hand and said earnestly, “Sister Qianqian, when you see Grandpa, tell him that I’ll take good care of Grandma and that we miss him.”

After bidding farewell to the grandmother and grandson, Wang Qian boarded the return bus, following the others onto the bus.

Upon returning home, she sat on the kang and counted the money she had earned that day. It amounted to 20 yuan and 52 cents. This amount surprised her. At this rate, could she quickly pay off the family’s huge debt? No wonder so many people were willing to be moneylenders. It seemed that buying and selling was indeed a way to make money.

When Zhang Lan returned home from work, she walked faster than usual. Wang Qian joked, “Sister, what’s gotten into you today? Why are you in such a hurry?”

At this moment, Zhang Lan couldn’t express her urgency to go home and check if her daughter had returned. She simply smiled and said, “Sister, I need to hurry back. We’re out of grass at home, and I need to go gather some. You all take your time. I’ll head back first.”

Hastening back home, as soon as she entered, she saw her young daughter sitting on the kang, counting money with a look of excitement on her face. There were some coins scattered on the kang, and her little hands were swiftly counting them.

“Qianqian, you’re back?”

Hearing Zhang Lan’s voice, Wang Qian stopped and, with an excited expression, said, “Mom, do you know how much money I earned today? It’s 20 yuan and 52 cents. Isn’t that a lot? Your daughter is amazing, right?”

Zhang Lan looked at her daughter, who was beaming with pride, and found her adorable. “Yes, my precious daughter is amazing. She can earn money even better than her parents. But this isn’t a long-term solution. If you keep buying eggs from the villagers, they might start to suspect something.”

Wang Qian hadn’t considered this issue at all. She was just focused on making money. “Mom, it’s okay. If necessary, we can go to your hometown and get some seafood to sell. Anything edible will surely make money.”

She handed all the money she had earned that day to her mother. At this rate, her daughter’s daily earnings would soon surpass what they earned in a year.

Zhang Lan started kneading dough and preparing vegetables to make buns for the children to eat in the evening. However, there wasn’t much cornmeal left in the bag, so she mixed it with the white flour her daughter had brought out. This way, the buns would be less likely to break.

“Hey, we’re having buns tonight,” Wang Zhenhe said as soon as he entered and saw his wife and daughter making buns.

Upon seeing her husband return, Zhang Lan quickly said, “Zhenhe, go grind some cornmeal. We’re all out at home.”

Upon hearing about grinding cornmeal, which she had never seen before, Wang Qian eagerly said, “Mom, I’ll go with Dad. You can continue making the buns.”

When Wang Zhenhe took out the remaining cornmeal from the cabinet, he furrowed his brow. There was only one bag of cornmeal left at home, and it was still far from autumn. “Wife, we’re running out of grain. What should we do?”

This time, he was genuinely starting to worry. The consumption of food during the house construction period had been particularly high, and in just a few days, their grain supply was running low.

“Zhenhe, let’s make do with what we have for now. We’ll figure something out when the time comes,” Zhang Lan said, knowing that there was still a bag of rice and half a bag of white flour in the space. It would probably be enough for them to eat for a while. Besides, she now had some money earned by the children, so she wasn’t too anxious. At the very least, the crops in the space were growing quickly, and they wouldn’t let the children go hungry.

Without saying anything, Wang Zhenhe picked up a bag of cornmeal and headed out. Zhang Lan asked her daughter to take a sieve and a broom, and she followed behind with a dustpan. Wang Qian didn’t quite understand the purpose of these items, but she obediently carried them.

At the mill in the production area, Wang Zhenhe led a donkey from the livestock pen and harnessed it to the millstone. He spread the cornmeal evenly on the grinding disc and started leading the donkey walking in circles to turn the millstone. Wang Qian used the broom to sweep the grain into the millstone.

The large millstone crushed the corn into flour, and Wang Zhenhe scooped some into the sieve for Wang Qian to sift back and forth in the dustpan. The fine flour fell through the mesh of the sieve into the dustpan.

The father and daughter worked together, with the coarse grains remaining in the sieve being placed back on the grinding disc for further milling.

In the mill, the only sounds were the donkey’s hooves on the ground and the swishing of the father and daughter working. One was sweeping the grain, and the other was busy sifting the flour.

“Dad, we’re here,” Mingcheng and Wang Xuan walked in from outside.

“Hey, come and take over for me. My arms are about to break,” Wang Qian said.

The arrival of the two siblings finally brought relief to Wang Qian, who had been enduring the task for half a day. Her little arms and hands were about to give out, and she could barely hold the sieve. She handed over the sieve, her arms stiff and trembling. It was truly unbearable for an ordinary person.

Wang Xuan took over her task, and Mingcheng used a bag to collect the cornmeal from the dustpan. “Bro, you guys keep going. I need some fresh air,” she said.

She still had one more thing to do. After leaving the mill, it was already dark outside, and there was no one around. She retrieved the package that she had prepared for Grandpa Zuo from the space. She had arranged to meet him at this time in the morning.

Arriving at the courtyard where they were staying, Grandpa Zuo had been waiting outside for a long time. The two of them secretly hid behind the wall, and Wang Qian handed him the package. “Grandpa Zuo, this is from Grandma Zuo. She said everything is fine at home, and she’ll come to see you in a few days.”

Grandpa Zuo tightly hugged the package, as if his loved ones were right in front of him. “My child, thank you. When they come, I’ll need your help to arrange things. We’re not familiar with the place, and I hope nothing goes wrong for the grandmother and grandson.”

Grandpa Zuo treated the seven-year-old girl as an adult, as he didn’t know anyone else and had to rely on her. However, from the way the little girl spoke and behaved, it didn’t seem like something a child would do. Perhaps it was because children from poor families matured early.