Chapter 32

Time flew by, and before long, the leaves turned yellow and fell.

Throughout the summer, Xu Di hadn’t sold much.

As autumn arrived, Xu Di was revitalized. She decided to return to her old trade.

The first weekend after the National Day holiday, Xu Di left early in the morning.

Recently, there were always aunts and grandmothers coming over to chat, and they would indirectly inquire about her situation, wanting to introduce her to someone.

While Xu Di didn’t reject blind dates or marriage, she really didn’t have the mood for it now, the roosters and eggs in her space were about to overflow.

“Mom, what’s wrong with Xu Di, she went out so early on a weekend?”

“Oh, it’s because people have been coming to me lately talking about Xu Di’s personal matters, she doesn’t want to listen, so she’s avoiding them.”

Xu’s mother thought about it, time really flew by, Xu Di was already eighteen years old.

“Really? I was wondering why she wasn’t at home resting on a weekend.

Mom, you can’t be in a hurry about Xu Di’s marriage. She has a formal job now, she’s good-looking, efficient, and good at handling social interactions. We need to choose carefully, everything needs to be suitable.”

Sister-in-law thought her younger sister-in-law Xu Di was really good, there wasn’t anyone suitable in her family, otherwise, she would have wanted to keep the good thing for herself. Unfortunately, the eligible men in her aunts’ and uncles’ families weren’t good enough for Xu Di.

“I’m not in a hurry, we’ll see when there’s someone suitable. She’s not that old, she can stay at home for another two years.”

Xu’s mother thought that a woman’s happiest days were when she was at home.

Of course, she was an exception.

But Xu Di was different.

Their family was close-knit, they lived in a spacious house, everyone in the family spoiled her, she could stay at home for a few more years and have an easy time.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted about Xu Di’s marriage in the kitchen, they felt that there was no one around who was good enough for their daughter.

Xu Di, who had left home, felt her ears burning, she felt like someone was gossiping about her.

She took the bus to a place that was far from both her home and her work, just in case. Although she had disguised herself, nothing was absolute, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Xu Di wore one of her brother’s old clothes, a checkered headscarf, and a mask was essential.

She put straw in her basket, and the eggs were placed on top of the straw to prevent them from breaking.

She had a worn-out burlap sack, which contained three large roosters, all tied up by Xu Di, even their beaks were wrapped with cloth strips, the roosters in her space crowed very loudly.

There was a hospital nearby, with people coming and going.

Xu Di carried her things, found a corner where she could see the people passing by.

“Ma’am, do you want some eggs? Do you want a rooster?”

Seeing that there was no red armband, Xu Di came out from the corner and stopped a middle-aged woman who looked like a cadre.

“Eggs, how much are they?”

“Six cents each, they’re all big and good.” Xu Di took an egg out of her pocket.

“They’re really big, how many do you have?”

The woman’s family had someone sick, they needed nutrition.

“Ma’am, come over here.”

Xu Di gave her a look, they understood each other, and they went to the corner one after the other.

“Ma’am, all the eggs in this basket are this big, they’re all fresh.”

Xu Di lifted the cloth covering the basket to show the woman.

“They are good, give me thirty. What about the roosters, didn’t you say you had roosters?”

“Here they are, the roosters are all seven or eight pounds. They crowed too loudly, so I tied their beaks.”

Xu Di opened the burlap sack, three roosters with glossy feathers were tied up in the sack, they were still struggling.

“These roosters are so good, their feathers are so shiny!”

The woman reached out and picked up one, it was indeed seven or eight pounds.

“Ma’am, to be honest, these chickens eat well. The kids in the village dig earthworms to feed them every day, they’re waiting for them to grow bigger so they can exchange them for more money.”

Xu Di told a half-truth, making it seem like these chickens were raised collectively by a village.

“How much are these chickens?”

“Four yuan each, seven yuan for two.”

Xu Di thought, those chickens in the grocery stores, weighing three or four pounds, were still sold for two yuan each, and they needed coupons.

“Okay, give me two.”

The woman really liked these roosters, it was rare to come across them, they were still alive, she could keep them at home for a few more days.

“Alright, two roosters for seven yuan, thirty eggs for one yuan and eight cents, a total of eight yuan and eight cents, thank you, ma’am.”

She quoted the price, packed the eggs and roosters, and the woman carried the bag herself.

In the 1970s, plastic bags hadn’t appeared yet.

People bought things, they all carried their own baskets, and used oil paper to wrap things.

“Eight yuan and eight cents, count it.”

The woman handed over a wad of money, Xu Di took it and quickly counted it.

“Just right, not too much, not too little. Ma’am, hold your things.”

Xu Di handed the things to the woman and watched her leave the corner.

A good start, the first transaction was a big customer, Xu Di was delighted.

Xu Di continued to wait, she had fifty tied-up roosters in her space.

She was lucky today, in the morning, Xu Di had sold over thirty roosters in different places.

Looking at the position of the sun, it was almost two o’clock now.

Xu Di was hungry, she found a public toilet, took off her headscarf and jacket, she immediately looked like a different person.

Xu Di had deliberately worn gray pants and a floral shirt when she came out in the morning. She wore a black jacket over it, one that her brother didn’t want anymore, it wasn’t noticeable at all.

After leaving the public toilet, Xu Di found a sheltered place and took out the buns from her space.

She had deliberately bought them from the state-owned restaurant when she came out in the morning, in case she missed mealtime and couldn’t find a place to eat.

She ate two big buns and drank half a pot of water, she sat down and rested for a while.

Xu Di decided to change places again, she couldn’t sell anymore in this area.

She walked one stop away, to another family compound, she first found a public toilet, disguised herself, Xu Di carried her basket and bag, and started looking for customers again.

At this time, there weren’t many people in the family compound, just some old men and women.

Xu Di asked a few people, she only sold over a dozen eggs, and she didn’t sell a single rooster.

Feeling that it wasn’t working, she changed places again, this time she sold dozens of eggs and three roosters.

“It’s her, she’s engaging in speculation and profiteering, selling eggs and roosters.”

Before Xu Di could restock, she was reported, and the red armbands came.

She couldn’t care about anything else, she ran as fast as she could.

Xu Di wasn’t familiar with this area, she could only run into the alleyways, looking for a chance to enter her space.

Xu Di ran desperately in front, several people chased after her desperately.

“Stop, stop right there, don’t run…”

She would be crazy not to run, Xu Di felt that if she did this a few more times, she could participate in a marathon.

“You little rascal, I told you to stop, did you hear me, you’re still running, wait until I catch you, I’ll teach you a lesson.”

Xu Di felt someone running beside her, the footsteps behind her increased.

“Don’t look back, run.”

Xu Di was pulled by the arm, she sped up, she couldn’t keep up.

“Come with me, this way.”

Xu Di was running so hard that her brain was oxygen-deprived, she lost her judgment and followed the stranger into a hidden doorway.

“Rest, it’s okay, we’re safe.”

Xu Di felt her heart beating very fast, it was about to jump out of her chest.

“I didn’t expect you to be such a good runner.”

Xu Di calmed down for a while before looking up at the person who had run away with her.

He was fifteen or sixteen years old, not short, but quite thin, like a stick.

“Thank you, otherwise, I might not have been able to escape.”

“It’s okay, we’re in the same boat, we should help each other.”

The boy was in puberty, his voice was a bit hoarse.

“Sister, what are you dealing in?”

The boy opened his bag, inside were some dried vegetables, grains, and two chickens, probably collected from the countryside.

“Eggs and roosters.”

“Sister, you’re amazing, these two things are very hard to get. I’ve been doing this for two or three years, and I don’t always get them.”

The boy looked envious, he wished he had such good goods.

“Do you want some? Next weekend at noon, wait for me at the park east of Liberation Road.”

“Sister, are you serious, you’re not lying?”

“Believe it or not.” Xu Di waved her hand and left.

This was a sudden inspiration, if she had the chance to meet him again, her plan could basically be implemented.