Chapter 34

After finishing her meal, Yin Xiaoman went to the cafeteria.  

In fact, the cafeteria no longer required her frequent assistance. After all, over time, she had become familiar with almost everything that needed to be learned.  

A few days of teaching and helping to guide the young soldiers was usually enough to handle most situations.  

Unless they stumbled upon some uncommon items, the staff from the Kitchen Unit would come to her to identify whether something was edible and how to prepare it.  

However, Yin Xiaoman, who had lived by the seaside until she was seven, might not necessarily recognize all these marine goods as well as Uncle Li and the others did.  

It was just that her long time spent in the Imperial Kitchen had given her an ability to draw analogies and experiment. Even if she attempted to cook unfamiliar items, the results would still taste much better than what the young soldiers could manage.  

Therefore, Yin Xiaoman didn’t go to the cafeteria every day anymore, but her relationship with the Kitchen Unit staff was especially good.  

Sometimes, when the young soldiers brought back a large haul of marine goods from their trips to the sea, they would secretly send some to her home, allowing her to make fewer trips and avoid extra effort.  

Upon hearing that she wanted to go to the county town, Wang Jun, the head of the Kitchen Unit, agreed without a second thought. He even specifically instructed her not to make the usual back-and-forth trip in the morning. He would drive a small tricycle to pick her up at her doorstep.  

After confirming the departure time with Wang Jun, Yin Xiaoman began pondering what she should buy during her trip to the county town the next day.  

Things like cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar were no-brainers—they were definitely on the list.  

As for fine grain, Wang Jun had just told her that since the county grain store had a supply task for the Military Unit, there was no need to worry about queuing or ration limits. As long as they had supply certificates or grain coupons, he could bring it back when he went to purchase it.  

However, how much fine grain they could actually get was uncertain.  

Since it was her first time going to the county town, Yin Xiaoman wasn’t entirely sure what she needed to buy. Even so, she decided to bring more money and prepare for all possibilities.  

She gathered all the money and coupons she had saved recently in her drawer. After some thought, she decided to return to the palace.  

She wanted to check her own room to see if there was anything she could trade.  

Sister-in-law Cui had mentioned to her that the seafood market mainly operated on a barter system.  

Taking advantage of the children’s afternoon nap, Yin Xiaoman returned to her own house.  

She tidied up the fabric scraps she no longer used in the chest and found a piece of fine white cloth among them.  

This was the cotton cloth distributed by the palace, meant for making undergarments for the palace staff. It was issued every quarter, and Yin Xiaoman had accumulated so much that she could hardly use it all. She tore off two pieces and placed them on the bed, preparing to take them out later.  

Just then, Yin Xiaoman suddenly heard voices outside.  

Since she had visited the palace many times, this wasn’t the first time she had overheard palace staff talking, so she didn’t pay much attention at first. But as she listened, she heard the name “Lichun.” which made her pause and focus on the conversation.  

“Do you think the Noble Consort is deliberately making things difficult for Aunt Lichun? Out of the blue, she demands fresh shrimp noodles and specifically asks her to make it? We’ve never even seen what fresh shrimp looks like—where is the Imperial Kitchen supposed to find it?”  

“Exactly! I heard the Imperial Kitchen’s procurement team has been sent out, and after searching for days, they haven’t found a trace of it. Aunt Lichun is in big trouble this time.”  

“Ah, but what can you do? She’s the Noble Consort. Once she speaks, her words can’t be taken back. Aunt Lichun is in for a hard time now.”  

The more Yin Xiaoman listened, the more wrong it sounded. She decided to stop eavesdropping and headed to the Imperial Kitchen to see if she could figure out what was going on. She whispered a silent thought to herself and then stepped directly into the Imperial Kitchen.  

To her surprise, Lichun was actually sitting in the room.  

It was well past lunchtime, and the entire Imperial Kitchen was empty. Only Lichun sat quietly in the small room, her face filled with despondence.  

Seeing her like this, Yin Xiaoman immediately understood that the girl had reached her limit.  

She had been like this since she was a child. Whenever she encountered something she couldn’t handle, she would find a corner to hide in and silently work through her frustration.  

Yin Xiaoman glanced at her and nodded subtly to herself. “Well, she’s grown up for sure. She’s facing such a difficult situation, and yet she hasn’t cried.”  

At that thought, a pang of sorrow hit Yin Xiaoman’s heart. Teacher is gone. Lichun probably doesn’t even have a place where she feels she can cry anymore, does she?  

Yin Xiaoman began to ponder her own resources, thinking about where she could help her disciple get some fresh shrimp.  

She had been to nearly all the beaches near the military camp. While she had collected plenty of shellfish, she hadn’t seen a single shrimp.  

Uncle Li, who occasionally brought in some fish, had never once caught any shrimp as far as she knew.  

However, Yin Xiaoman was convinced that shrimp must exist. It was just that she hadn’t come across them yet.  

She decided to speak with Uncle Li when she got back and ask him to help her procure some shrimp. She didn’t mind paying extra if necessary.  

Then, a thought struck her—tomorrow’s seafood market. The realization filled her with confidence.  

It’s just a bit of shrimp, isn’t it?  

With her, a teacher raised by the seaside, what did little Lichun have to fear?

She glanced at her disciple again but left quietly without saying a word.  

The next morning, before the sky had even begun to lighten, Wang Jun arrived at Yin Xiaoman’s door with his vehicle. By that time, she had already been waiting for quite a while.  

It was her first time riding on a diesel-powered tricycle, and she found it somewhat novel at first. However, the moment the vehicle started up with a sputtering sound, she quickly realized that Shen Qingyun’s advice the previous day was indeed well-meant.  

Sitting in the rear compartment of the tricycle, black smoke mixed with the heavy smell of diesel exhaust was blown directly into her face by the wind. On top of that, the vehicle shook violently as it moved.  

Throughout the ride, Yin Xiaoman had to hold tightly onto both sides of the tricycle, afraid that one careless moment might cause Wang Jun to accidentally throw her off the vehicle.  

Fortunately, the tricycle was quite fast. According to Sister-in-law Cui, it normally took her nearly three hours to walk to the county town, but with the tricycle, it only took a little over an hour.  

Wang Jun drove the vehicle directly to the back door of the grain store and confidently led Yin Xiaoman to the director’s office.  

The director was evidently very familiar with Wang Jun. They didn’t exchange many pleasantries before the director personally escorted them to the warehouse.  

Wang Jun’s grain request was substantial—too much for the small tricycle to carry. He discussed with the director about having the grain store’s truck deliver it. While they were discussing logistics, Yin Xiaoman handed over the grain coupons and supply book she had brought with her to the grain store staff so they could pack her order.  

As Wang Jun had mentioned earlier, the amount of fine grain the store could provide was quite limited. Even with Wang Jun’s connection, the store was only able to sell her five pounds of rice and five pounds of white flour. The rice, however, was of poor quality, with much of it consisting of broken grains.  

Despite this, Yin Xiaoman was already quite satisfied. After all, having these staples gave her a good foundation to work with for other additions.  

The coarse grains were much easier to handle. Sorghum flour, cornmeal, and dried sweet potatoes were available for her to choose freely, without the rigid combinations required for ordinary citizens.  

Since the children at home disliked dried sweet potatoes and eating them caused her severe stomach acid reflux, she decided to take most of her coarse grains as cornmeal and sorghum flour.  

After leaving the grain store, the two of them headed to the grocery store.  

At the time, supply for side foods was quite scarce. Even if you had coupons, there was no guarantee that you could buy anything. That’s why people from the county often started lining up outside the grocery store before dawn to secure their purchases.  

By the time Yin Xiaoman and Wang Jun arrived, it was already past eight, nearly nine o’clock. Naturally, all the good items were long gone.  

They couldn’t even get a block of tofu.  

After circling the store, all she managed to buy, aside from some seasonings, was a handful of seaweed and a bag of fresh dried shrimp.  

Although these weren’t rare items, their quality was excellent. The seaweed was thick and plump, and the dried shrimp were large and meticulously cleaned. Yin Xiaoman was still quite satisfied with her purchases.  

However, after traveling such a long way, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed about buying so little. After some thought, she turned to Wang Jun and said: “Let’s check out the vegetable market, shall we?”  

Hearing her suggestion, Wang Jun looked surprised and said: “Sister-in-law, if the vegetables at home aren’t enough, the camp actually grows some.”  

Yin Xiaoman quickly waved her hand, cutting off Wang Jun before he could finish his sentence.  

No matter how much she might lack, she understood the principle of not taking advantage of public resources. Besides, she wasn’t in such dire straits.  

“I’m just curious since it’s my first time here. I just wanted to take a look—it’s not because we’re lacking anything. If you think it’s inappropriate, we can skip it.” she said.  

“What’s inappropriate about it? I’ll take you there now.” Wang Jun replied.  

Relieved by her explanation, Wang Jun visibly relaxed. “I just think the vegetables here in the town are overpriced and not worth it. And don’t be fooled by the fact that this is the county town—the variety of vegetables here isn’t necessarily better than what we have in the camp. Plus, they’re not fresh. You’ll see for yourself; a lot of the leaves are wilted or rotten.”  

As they chatted, the two of them walked to the vegetable market.  

Sure enough, just as Wang Jun had said, there wasn’t much left to buy.  

Even common vegetables like cabbage and radishes were the leftovers—misshapen, cracked, and picked over.  

The more Yin Xiaoman looked, the more disappointed she felt.  

Fortunately, just as they were about to leave, her eyes caught sight of a few scattered burlap sacks in a corner behind the counter. On the ground near the sacks, a few potatoes and pumpkins had rolled out.  

However, it was clear that these potatoes and pumpkins had been stored for quite some time—their skins were starting to wilt.  

“How much for these?” Yin Xiaoman asked as she stepped forward to inquire about the price.  

Before she could get an answer, Wang Jun quickly stopped her. “Sister-in-law, these aren’t fresh. Don’t waste your money. The camp grows these too—they’ll be ready in about a month. I’ll bring some over to your house when they’re harvested.”  

This time, however, Yin Xiaoman was particularly stubborn. She smiled and said to Wang Jun: “The kids love these. I’ll just buy a little so they can enjoy them.” Without waiting for his response, she approached the sales clerk herself to ask about the price.  

Wang Jun couldn’t quite understand how potatoes and pumpkins could be something to “eat for fun.” but he knew full well how much the entire camp admired Yin Xiaoman for her love and care for the two children.  

He had been stationed in the camp for many years, and back when Da Bao’s father was still around, he had occasionally brought the kids to play at the mess hall.  

Anyone with eyes could see the stark contrast between how those two children lived in the past and how they lived now.  

So, when Yin Xiaoman mentioned the children, Wang Jun found himself unable to say another word of protest.  

The pumpkins and potatoes had indeed been stored for quite a while, and they weren’t particularly valuable vegetables to begin with. Moreover, seeing Wang Jun standing nearby in his military uniform, the sales clerk was more than happy to give Yin Xiaoman a discount.  

In the end, Yin Xiaoman got an entire burlap sack full of pumpkins and potatoes for just one yuan.  

She was thoroughly pleased, while Wang Jun stood off to the side, grimacing as if it pained him to see her spend money this way.  

When Yin Xiaoman came out again, she suggested visiting the small market where seafood was sold.  

Wang Jun, hearing this, did not show any sign of surprise. Clearly, he had experienced such situations many times before.  

He simply said to Yin Xiaoman: “Sister-in-law, why didn’t you mention this earlier? If you had said so, we should have gone there first when we arrived. It’s quite late now, and that market is probably already over. People who are really there to buy usually go before daybreak.”  

Upon hearing this, Yin Xiaoman felt deeply regretful.  

If it had been in the past, whether or not she went would not have mattered much. After all, she knew Wang Jun and the others often came to the county town to shop, so she could have arranged to go with them next time.  

But yesterday, upon hearing about the matter of the “Beginning of Spring.” she felt it was imperative to help her little disciple in any way she could.  

Although she said nothing, her disappointment was clearly written on her face.  

Seeing her expression, Wang Jun thought for a moment before saying: “Alright, I’ll take you there to have a look. At least you can get familiar with the location. Worst case, you can come again next time.”  

He then added: “But, Sister-in-law, I need to let you know in advance that I can’t accompany you into that place.”  

He tugged at his military uniform and said: “…It’s inappropriate. I’ll drop you off at the entrance of the alley and wait for you nearby. When you’re done, come find me.”  

How could Yin Xiaoman not agree to this?  

When they arrived, she realized the so-called seafood market was located in a very narrow alley.  

On both sides of the alley were old residential houses, crammed together so tightly that even sunlight couldn’t penetrate.  

It was already around nine or ten in the morning, and while the sun was shining brightly outside, inside the alley, it felt dark, damp, and cold.  

Just as Wang Jun had said, the market had long dispersed. The entire alley was deserted, with hardly anyone in sight. Even the houses on both sides had their doors tightly shut, as if the alley were uninhabited.  

Yin Xiaoman walked from one end of the alley to the other. Apart from the sound of her own footsteps, she heard nothing else. As the saying goes, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment. Yin Xiaoman was extremely disheartened by this trip.  

However, just as she was heading back and was about to reach the alley entrance, someone suddenly patted her from behind.  

Completely unprepared, Yin Xiaoman was so startled that she nearly screamed. But then, from her side and slightly behind her, she heard a soft “shh.”  

She quickly closed her mouth and turned her head.  

It was then that she noticed, at the window of a nearby residence she had just passed, a head sticking out.

The window was set into the outer earthen wall, positioned rather high, and it was quite small. From the outside, all that could be seen was a patch of darkness inside, revealing nothing else.  

At that moment, a boy who looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old was leaning out of the window, half his body sticking out.  

It seemed that he was the one who had patted her shoulder earlier.  

Seeing her turn her head, the boy didn’t waste any words. He simply tilted his chin toward the bamboo basket in her hand and asked: “What’s in it?”  

This was a trick Cui Yan had specifically taught Yin Xiaoman the night before, right before bedtime.  

Cui Yan explained that those who came to trade would always carry a basket and should casually lift the cloth covering the top slightly to reveal the item they wanted to exchange. This way, if anyone was interested, they would initiate a conversation.  

Today, since Yin Xiaoman had only brought fabric, she simply folded the fabric neatly and placed it inside the basket.  

“Fabric.” she answered honestly.  

Hearing this, the boy’s face showed a hint of disappointment. After thinking for a moment, he still seemed unwilling to give up and asked again: “Nothing else? Any food?”  

Yin Xiaoman’s heart stirred slightly at his question.  

She didn’t answer immediately but instead asked in return: “What do you have to trade?”  

The boy studied her carefully, as if deliberating whether she could be trusted. After a brief pause, he finally said to her: “Come inside.”  

With that, he pulled his head back from the window.  

A few minutes later, the creaky wooden door opened a crack, and the boy gestured for Yin Xiaoman to come in.  

Yin Xiaoman hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to step inside.  

This was a residential house, and the people living here were fixed occupants. If anything happened, the police would easily be able to trace it back to this place.  

Moreover, Wang Jun was not far away. If she stayed inside for too long, he would undoubtedly come looking for her immediately.  

And in the worst-case scenario, she still had her personal space to retreat into.  

Because of this, Yin Xiaoman wasn’t particularly worried about her safety.  

On the contrary, Yin Xiaoman felt that compared to someone like herself, coming from outside and with an unclear identity, it was the boy who was taking the bigger risk.  

Seeing her enter his territory, the boy visibly relaxed. The wary look in his eyes had diminished significantly.  

“I’ve got fresh ribbonfish, scallops, kelp, and some crabs here, but I’ll only trade for food. I don’t want fabric.” he said.  

“Do you have shrimp? I’ll trade eggs for it.” Yin Xiaoman asked cautiously.  

At the mention of eggs, the boy’s eyes lit up instantly. “How many do you have?”  

“I need to see the goods first. Show me your shrimp.” Yin Xiaoman said guardedly.  

The boy hesitated for a moment before admitting honestly: “The shrimp aren’t great. There are no big ones, only some smaller ones we were planning to keep for ourselves.”  

“Take them out and let me see.” Yin Xiaoman said, quietly letting out a breath of relief.  

As long as there were shrimp, who cared about their size at this point?  

She had confidence in Lichun’s cooking skills. As long as the shrimp were fresh, Lichun could bring out their best flavor. The size didn’t matter at all.  

The boy quickly brought out a metal bucket from inside the house. It was half-filled with water, and as he moved, droplets splashed out here and there.  

He placed the bucket in front of Yin Xiaoman and said: “These are all I’ve got.”  

Yin Xiaoman leaned over to take a look and was immediately rendered speechless. She didn’t even feel like saying a word.  

She figured the boy must have some sort of misunderstanding about shrimp sizes. These bamboo shrimp, each barely longer than her finger, were apparently so “small” in his eyes that he didn’t even want to trade them?  

Just how big did the shrimp he considered “large” have to be?  

“If you want large shrimp, come back in a few days. For today, this is all I’ve got.” the boy added, his tone filled with regret.  

“I’ll take all of these. How many eggs do you want?” Yin Xiaoman asked, suppressing her excitement and keeping her tone calm.  

“Whatever you think is fair.” the boy replied, kicking the bucket lightly with his foot. There was a trace of frustration in his eyes, clearly upset that the shrimp weren’t fetching a better trade.  

“You name your price. If it’s reasonable, we’ll trade.” Yin Xiaoman said.  

This was Yin Xiaoman’s first time here, so how could she know the standard for bartering? She had no choice but to toss the decision back to the boy.  

“Well… five?” the boy hesitantly suggested.  

After speaking, he quickly added, as if afraid Yin Xiaoman might back out: “I can also throw in a bag of kelp. My kelp is very good.”  

Yin Xiaoman glanced at the shrimp in the bucket. Estimating that, without the water, the bucket still held over two catties of shrimp, she considered the offer. Not to mention, the boy was even throwing in a bag of kelp.  

Just earlier, she had paid twenty-five cents for a single bag of kelp at the grocery store!  

No wonder Cui Sister-in-law had insisted she visit this seafood market.  

At this moment, Yin Xiaoman could only regret that she didn’t have more eggs stored in her residence space—she only had twenty. But since she only carried a bamboo basket, taking out a few eggs was manageable. Pulling out grain, however, would be too conspicuous.  

She handed all the eggs to the boy and walked out of the alley with a bucket full of seafood.  

Inside the bucket were four ribbonfish wider than her palm, two groupers, shrimp, and the promised kelp.  

Just before stepping out, she hesitated and looked back at the basin of scallops by the boy’s feet. Gritting her teeth, she turned around and walked back.  

“One yuan. All these scallops.” she said quickly.  

The boy looked at her in shock, as though he couldn’t understand why this woman was so foolish. But he didn’t hesitate to agree.  

Yin Xiaoman knew full well that this deal wasn’t the most rational. Scallops weren’t particularly rare—one could occasionally find a few while scavenging along the shore.  

But—she had never seen scallops this large before! And so many of them at once!  

She didn’t count them, but with a quick glance, there had to be at least twenty, maybe thirty.  

Since she had bartered for such a large haul, the boy offered to help her carry everything to the main street. However, she politely declined.  

As the boy opened the door, his cold demeanor finally gave way to a cheerful smile. He grinned at her and said: “Big Sister, my surname is Tao, and this is my home. If you need anything in the future, you can send someone ahead to leave me a message. I’ll prepare it for you in advance.”  

His voice was sweet and obedient, completely different from the cautious and aloof tone he had used earlier.  

Yin Xiaoman couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden transformation.  

After leaving the Tao family’s house, she turned a corner and, ensuring that no one was paying attention, quickly transferred all the seafood into the storage room in her space. She left only a grouper and a few scallops in the bamboo basket.  

When she emerged carrying such a small amount, Wang Jun immediately assumed that the market had already dispersed. To comfort her, he spent the entire journey back offering words of encouragement, completely unaware that Yin Xiaoman, sitting silently in the back of the truck, was so elated she could hardly contain her excitement.  

After touring the county and factoring in the travel time, Yin Xiaoman didn’t return home until the afternoon.  

By then, the two children, who had already taken their midday nap, came running out of the house upon hearing her arrival. One of them obediently brought her water, while the other rushed into the kitchen to fetch the food that had been kept warm in the pot.  

Although the meal was just leftovers from the previous night, which Yin Xiaoman herself had prepared, the fact that the children had taken care to scoop the food into a separate small bowl for her, ensuring she didn’t have to eat directly from the leftovers, made her feel rather pleased.  

Given her good mood after acquiring what she had been hoping for at the market, she ruffled both children’s hair affectionately and promised: “Go light the charcoal stove. I’ll roast some potatoes and pumpkin for you.”  

…  

Later that evening, after work, Shen Qingyun finally gave in to Engineer Ning’s request. Officially, Ning claimed he wanted to check on little Yin’s recovery, but in truth, he was eager to join them for a meal. Shen Qingyun brought both Engineer Ning and Elder Hua home with him.  

However, before they even got close to the front door, a tantalizing aroma they had never encountered before wafted through the air.  

The scent was indescribably unique—sweet and fragrant, with a hint of burnt malt sugar. It was so enticing that it immediately made their mouths water uncontrollably.