Chapter 10

On the way, encountering people, Qiao Wei observed and understood why Yan Lei was so strange when talking about clothes.

It wasn’t just about the charm of the shakey fabric itself; it was considered a luxury. Also, it was hard to notice when in the provincial capital, but back in the town, many people were still wearing old-fashioned clothes. Some clothes even had patches on them.

Qiao Wei also saw many middle-aged and elderly women wearing old-style diagonal lapel coats.

No wonder the original owner didn’t like it here. The difference between the town and the countryside was really not that big. What the original owner yearned for was the ten-mile foreign business described by his troubled daughter-in-law’s grandmother.

From Qiao Wei’s modern perspective, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

But truly, being out of sync with the times made the original owner’s life and marriage unbearable.

In her next life, she hoped to be born at a time that suited her.

The canteen in the courtyard had a few people, but not many. It was probably because Qiao Wei woke up relatively late today, and most people had already had breakfast.

Qiao Wei went to the counter to pay for two bowls of wonton and two fried dough sticks. Wontons were 1 cent per bowl, and fried dough sticks were 3 cents each. However, she had to use grain tickets and meat tickets.

Qiao Wei’s hand paused slightly when she opened her wallet. Calculating like this, the twenty or thirty yuan in her wallet was equivalent to several thousand in the future. At this moment, she finally had a real sense of money.

The difference was that she still had to use tickets. Qiao Wei didn’t know how much to give, so she tried putting two or three on the counter. The girl who collected the money gave her a strange look and took two from them.

Qiao Wei probably had some understanding of the usage of these tickets.

The girl gave her four rough-edged paper cards, two with “Wonton 1 Bowl” printed on them and two with “Fried Dough Stick 1” printed on them. Qiao Wei took them to the master at the counter, waited for a while until the counter called her, and then went to pick up the wontons and fried dough sticks.

Wonton paired with fried dough sticks was one of the best breakfast combinations.

Compared to the large wontons commonly seen in breakfast shops in the future, there was almost no meat in the wontons here. But the skin of the wontons was rolled extremely thin, like a goldfish with a long tail. The skin fully absorbed the taste of the soup, and with a slight pinch, it melted in the mouth.

For Qiao Wei, who had relied entirely on nutrient infusions for her last meal before death, she sighed—just for this delicious wonton, living was worth it.

The mother and son enjoyed their breakfast with relish. Yan Xiang asked, “Are we going home?”

Qiao Wei swayed the plastic-woven basket. “Let’s buy groceries.”

Yan Xiang was very familiar with the farmers’ market. He led the way, shaking and jumping or making noise when other children got impatient. Parents generally ignored them, and when they got annoyed, they would give them a couple of slaps.

Qiao Wei looked at Yan Xiang, who was quietly leaning against her, and compared him with the other children. The boy was indeed well-behaved, staying calm by her side.

At this moment, as if sensing something, the boy suddenly looked up, saw Qiao Wei looking at him, and smiled at her. His bright eyes curled, and his little white teeth were clean.

This smile could easily purify an adult’s soul.

Qiao Wei ruffled his hair with force.

With her around, she wouldn’t let the cute little boy turn into some gloomy youth again.

After queuing for a while, it was her turn to buy meat. She cut a piece of meat with both fat and lean parts.

Because she came a bit late, there wasn’t much meat left. The person behind her wasn’t happy, saying, “Why buy so much? How many people are you feeding?”

Qiao Wei looked at the piece of meat, which wasn’t particularly large. It was just that without a refrigerator, she couldn’t store much, so she bought only a small amount.

She smiled. “I need to cut another piece when I get home, for the neighbor.”

She dressed beautifully, with a warm and bright smile. The people behind her, feeling annoyed, couldn’t say anything more. “Hmph.”

Qiao Wei began to have a practical understanding of the scarcity of resources in this era.

She bought some vegetables and wanted to buy fruits. But she had already woken up a bit late, went to the courtyard to eat, delayed time, and then lined up to buy meat. When she wanted to buy fruits, they were already sold out.

She had no choice but to give up, silently reminding herself that resources were scarce in this era. She couldn’t wake up too late in the morning, or else she wouldn’t be able to buy good things.

Carrying her bags and leading Yan Xiang, they slowly walked back.

Actually, it was good to come out like this and take a walk. Memories about this town were gradually unfolding and becoming real—from a movie scene to the present reality.

As they walked, Qiao Wei saw the supply and marketing cooperative’s storefront.

Qiao Wei, who came from a future with an abundance of goods, always felt that giving just a piece of meat as a thank-you gift was embarrassing. Although she knew that meat was indeed a precious commodity in this era, she still felt that the gift was too thin.

After all, Captain Zhao’s family took care of Yan Xiang for several days, and they took good care of her.

In the future, who would help take care of someone else’s child? It’s not like they’re relatives. In fact, in the future, people wouldn’t even know the last names of their neighbors.

Qiao Wei decided to go to the store. The store was quite spacious, but when she walked in, she quickly realized there was not much to see.

There really wasn’t anything worth buying. The variety of goods was too limited; she didn’t even spot a single can of fruit.

Finally, Qiao Wei decided to buy brown sugar. She remembered her mother telling her that drinking brown sugar water in childhood was a good thing in those days.

Fortunately, she had some various coupons when she went out, including sugar coupons.

Not sure how much to buy, she humbly asked the saleswoman. Seeing Qiao Wei and Yan Xiang dressed as military dependents, the saleswoman said, “Take three cents’ worth.”

So Qiao Wei bought three cents’ worth of brown sugar, wrapped it in oiled paper, placed a pink sheet on top, and tied it up with plastic string.

It was only after tying it up that she noticed Yan Xiang’s eyes sparkling.

Qiao Wei chuckled, checked her wallet, took out a one-cent steel coin, and placed it on the counter, saying, “Give the child a taste.”

The saleswoman smiled and cut a small piece of the brown sugar on the counter, putting it in Yan Xiang’s mouth. Yan Xiang went home happily with Qiao Wei.

Back home, Qiao Wei put down her own vegetables and took out two pieces of meat from the basket. When she bought it, the butcher cut it into two pieces—one fatty and one lean.

Qiao Wei vaguely remembered that in this era, people seemed to think that fatty meat was better than lean meat, but she wasn’t sure. She asked Yan Xiang, “Is fatty meat better or lean meat?”

Yan Xiang didn’t hesitate: “Fatty meat is better; fatty meat is fragrant.”

While shaking her head, she added, “No one likes to buy lean meat.”

Qiao Wei said, “Alright, let’s give the fatty piece to Captain Zhao and Aunt Yang, thanking them for taking care of Xiang Xiang.”

Yan Xiang nodded vigorously and said, “Hmm!”

So Qiao Wei took the meat and brown sugar, and once again, with Yan Xiang, went out.

Captain Zhao’s house wasn’t far away—just a few steps.

The courtyard gate was open. Qiao Wei didn’t go in directly but stood at the entrance and shouted, “Is anyone home?”

Someone responded, and a person came out of the house. In their thirties, with hair tied at the back, a slender figure, and a yellowish complexion.

It looks like someone from the countryside.

Not surprising, many of Yan Lei’s comrades, including him, came from poor rural backgrounds. Relying on their courage and patriotism, they earned their current ranks.

The military received better treatment than workers, all because of the guiding ideology that “shedding blood is more important than sweating.”

Many people in the future only know about the Korean War but don’t realize that after the founding of the country, due to geopolitical reasons, there were ongoing conflicts, big and small.

As the saying on the internet goes, there’s no peaceful time; others are carrying your burden for you.

“Sister-in-law,” Qiao Wei sweetly called out, entering the courtyard with Yan Xiang.

Yan Xiang was polite. “Aunt Yang.”

“Hey.” Aunt Yang wiped her hands with an apron and responded, “Xiao Qiao, you’re back. Have you two had breakfast? Shall I make some noodles for you?”

“No need; we’ve already eaten,” Qiao Wei said.

Yan Xiang’s loud voice added, “Aunt Yang, we had wonton soup in the main courtyard.”

“Had wonton soup?” Aunt Yang smiled and glanced at Qiao Wei.

This glance puzzled Qiao Wei.

She couldn’t ask what that glance meant. Leaving her doubts behind, she moved on and handed the meat and brown sugar to Aunt Yang.

“What’s this?” Aunt Yang asked.

“It’s brown sugar,” Qiao Wei said. “I had some bad luck, fell ill in the provincial capital, was delirious with fever, and didn’t have time to buy anything before coming back. I just bought this from the supply and marketing cooperative. I brought it over for the kids to drink.”

Aunt Yang pushed it away, saying, “What are you doing?”

“I’m not at home, and Xiang Xiang has troubled you for several days. This is just a little something I bought; please don’t mind,” Qiao Wei said.

Aunt Yang scolded her, “Look at you, being so polite with us.”

After accepting the gratitude, she grabbed Qiao Wei and said, “Have a drink of water.”

Qiao Wei stayed, sitting with her at the small table under the eaves.

In this era, homes wouldn’t have any drinks; drinking water meant plain, boiled water.

Taking advantage of the situation, Qiao Wei observed the courtyard and the house. Captain Zhao’s courtyard was a bit larger, with some vegetables growing. However, his house was different from Qiao Wei’s because of the larger family; they added two more rooms themselves. The haphazard construction made the layout look chaotic.

But the yard was well-kept, with several types of small greens growing lush and green. It was evident that someone in the family was good at gardening.

“How did the relatives leave?” Aunt Yang asked with concern.

In this era, neighbors almost had no privacy. Fortunately, everyone had their own courtyard, not those large communal yards, so they wouldn’t eavesdrop on each other.

But when old ladies like Aunt Yang met, they would inevitably ask about such things—it was human nature.

The relationship between Aunt Yang and the original host wasn’t particularly good. She was a rural woman, and the original host considered herself an intellectual. Although their husbands hoped the two could get along, they had no common language.

The original host entrusted her child to Aunt Yang before leaving, and Aunt Yang couldn’t refuse due to the friendship between their husbands. But saying that they were close would be an overstatement.

However, today, with Qiao Wei bringing gifts, courtesy prevailed. Aunt Yang became warmer toward her. Qiao Wei, for the sake of her future life, needed to smooth over the matter of the original host’s elopement. She repeated the story about the driver she had made up, emphasizing that she hadn’t had time to tell people that she was a military spouse, and they hadn’t asked.

Aunt Yang, straightening her back, slammed the table. “Dare to look down on us!”

Qiao Wei said, “I didn’t have time to tell people that I’m a military spouse. Most importantly, they didn’t ask.”

The key figure in this matter is Aunt Yang. If Qiao Wei can deceive Aunt Yang, the matter can be smoothed over.

Qiao Wei can then replace Qiao Weiwei and start a new life.

Aunt Yang, coming from the countryside, clearly looks like a rural person. Having been looked down upon by city folks a few times when she came to town, she can empathize with such situations. As expected, she was deceived, angrily muttering in the local dialect.

“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Let’s just not associate in the future; we were distant relatives to begin with.” Qiao Wei glanced around. “Where’s your daughter, Xiaolin?”

As soon as Xiaolin, the female lead, was mentioned, Aunt Yang opened up, “Have you met my Xiaolin? How is she? This girl is not bad, right?”

Aunt Yang’s tone was filled with pride, expressing her fondness for her non-blood-related niece.

The female lead indeed has a protagonist aura.