Chapter 9: Found a Treasure

Uncle Chen’s house was not far from Chen Manman’s. At this time, Uncle Chen, Aunt Chen, cousin, and cousin-in-law were all working in the fields. After the family split, Grandpa Chen and Grandma Chen no longer worked in the fields to earn work points; they were both inside the house now.

“Manman is here~ Oh! Dahu and Erhu are here too! Quick, let Great-Grandma hug you!” Grandma Chen said as she got down from the kang (heated bed) and picked up the two little ones.

“Dahu, Erhu, call people,” Chen Manman reminded the two kids.

“Great-Grandpa, Great-Grandma~” The two soft and cute little ones said sweetly, and instantly Grandpa and Grandma Chen’s faces bloomed with smiles like flowers.

“Grandpa, Grandma, I’m going back to the county; can you look after Dahu and Erhu for me?” Manman said as she took a few eggs out of her basket.

“You child, why do you want eggs? Take them back! We cherish Dahu and Erhu! No need for this!” Grandma Chen said without even looking at the eggs. Grandpa Chen sat on the edge of the kang, puffing on his pipe but said nothing.

“Grandma, these eggs are for your health, please accept them! I probably won’t be back until the afternoon,” Manman coaxed.

Among all the grandchildren, Grandma Chen liked Chen Manman the most. Manman had always been delicate and sweet. “Alright~ then you go!” Grandma agreed.

“Okay, Grandpa, Grandma, I’m leaving!”

Just as she was about to leave the yard, someone came over, “Manman, are you going to the county?” It was her uncle’s daughter—Chen Xiaoli, a few months older than Manman.

Chen Manman looked at the girl with a pressed nose bridge and fairly neat features and said lightly, “To buy some nutritional supplements for Dahu and Erhu.” She knew from reading that this cousin liked to compete with the original owner about everything—even marriage partners.

“Manman~ Let’s go together! I want to buy some cloth to make clothes for Gu Zhiqing.” Back when Manman married Lin Shuhe, Chen Xiaoli was determined to find a sent-down youth from the city as well and had her eye on Gu Fang. They planned to marry after the autumn harvest.

“If you want to go, go yourself; we’re not going the same way!” Manman said and turned away.

Every day, a bullock cart went to the county, leaving in the morning and returning in the afternoon. With the busy farming season, few people went to the county.

Manman gave the bullock cart driver a dime and got on. “Grandpa Niu, when do we leave?”

Grandpa Niu’s dry voice came back, “In a little while.”

After getting on, Manman saw a shy six or seven-year-old girl sitting in the corner.

Manman looked at the girl and casually asked, “Little sister, are you going to the county alone?”

The little girl didn’t speak but looked at Grandpa Niu.

“That’s the Chen family girl. This is Xinxin. A few days ago, I found her in the county, all alone, rummaging through trash to eat. I couldn’t bear it, so I brought her back. She might have been abducted and lost. She’s a bit scared of strangers. I’ve kept her close these days, hoping to get lucky and find someone who knows her,” Grandpa Niu explained simply.

Manman hated human traffickers the most. The original owner in the book was also abducted and later died tragically. “Grandpa, does she still remember her parents’ faces?”

Grandpa Niu sighed, “No, she only knows her name is Xinxin. She’s probably been abducted for years.” He had no children of his own and would raise Xinxin if her family couldn’t be found.

“Grandpa, I’ll help keep an eye out too!” Manman said firmly.

Before the bullock cart set off, Chen Xiaoli came rushing over, “Wait for me!”

Along the way, Chen Xiaoli kept bombarding Manman: “Manman, your skirt is so pretty, where did you buy it? Was it expensive?”

“Manman, how did you braid your hair? It looks nice.”

“Manman, what are you buying in the county?”

“Manman, lend me five yuan!”

Manman was almost speechless and coldly said, “Xiaoli, I’m a bit sleepy, I’ll take a nap.” Then she closed her eyes pretending to rest.

Chen Xiaoli thought, “… It’s just being pretty. What’s so great about that! Tch!”

The bullock cart slowly crept for two hours before finally arriving at the county. Manman stood up, “Grandpa Niu, you don’t need to wait for me in the afternoon, I’ll go back by myself.”

“Alright!” Grandpa Niu didn’t say more.

As soon as Manman was about to leave, Chen Xiaoli quickly chased after her, “Manman, where are you going? I want to go with you!” She had been to the county before but figured following Manman might get her some perks since her cousin was generous.

Manman sighed inwardly, how was she supposed to sneak out the bicycle with her following?

“The supply and marketing cooperative is over there. Don’t follow me!” Manman said fiercely, glaring at Chen Xiaoli, then quickly walked toward the crowd and disappeared down the street.

Chen Xiaoli stomped her foot, “Tch! Makes me want to follow you even more!” She cursed all the way toward the supply and marketing cooperative.

—-

Meanwhile, Manman slipped away and arrived at the scrap recycling station, wanting to rummage around a bit. After all, she had traveled through time—how could she not come to a scrap station!

An old man was guarding the entrance. After a brief inquiry, Manman learned that the price there was a dime per catty.

Entering the station, the smell of rust hit her. Looking at piles of scrap forming small mountains, Manman’s eyes lit up.

She first went to the pile of books and newspapers to sift through, pulling out a bunch of recent newspapers—kept those.

High school textbooks for all three years? Definitely had to keep those!

Her sharp eyes found a yellowed, worn book wrapped in oiled cloth. Carefully recognizing it, it was The Qing Nang Book! If she remembered right, this was a work by the divine doctor Hua Tuo, said to have long been lost. Could she really be this lucky?

Manman felt dizzy. The Qing Nang Book was lost in the modern era—a priceless treasure! Who would have thought it was buried in a 1970s scrap station.

She had to keep it and donate it to the country someday; it couldn’t be used in her hands right now.

Moving on to another pile of scrap, she found old items and antiques, then unearthed a pair of green gourd pendants and a pair of jade bracelets.

Made a killing!

Manman stuffed everything into a big sack and brought it to the old man at the door, startling him, “Girl! That’s a lot you picked!”

“Hehe… Grandpa, I liked everything I saw. I just couldn’t help it and took it all,” Manman said with an embarrassed expression.

“Alright! Let’s weigh it!”

It weighed a full 82 jin (about 41 kg)!

Manman quickly paid and lifted the sack to leave.

The old man at the door stared in astonishment. Young people these days really were extravagant!

Taking advantage of the alley being empty, Manman slipped the sack into her spatial space.

It was just noon. Manman planned to try the food at the state-run restaurant of this era.

The state-run restaurant was truly a state-owned enterprise. At mealtime, there were quite a few people. Square tables seated many, mostly workers and cadres in dark blue work uniforms.

The menu had: rice, noodles, meat pies, dumplings, steamed buns, tofu, stir-fried dishes, soup, braised pork, and some pickled vegetables. The dishes were simple. Manman ordered noodles and a plate of stir-fried green peppers with meat.

“Oh! Chen Manman!” A young man in work clothes came over from the opposite table, looking at her with a face full of joy.