Stepping off the ox cart, Sun Linglong looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Auntie Zhang. I used you to teach Auntie Liu a lesson."
"You still have that childish temper." Auntie Zhang laughed, entirely unbothered. "I still remember when you were little, Auntie Liu's little stone cried and threw a tantrum trying to grab your egg. You got so angry you ran straight into Auntie Liu's house and turned their whole family upside down."
Sun Linglong sheepishly scratched the back of her head.
It seemed that really had happened.
"Alright, don't you think I know what you were planning? Without me playing along, do you think you could have tricked Auntie Liu so easily?"
"Off you go and tend to your business."
Sun Linglong bid farewell to Auntie Zhang, basket on her arm, and wound her way through several turns to arrive at the pharmacy.
"What are you looking to buy?"
The shopkeeper was a man in his forties, gentle, cultured, and refined, with a rich scent of traditional Chinese herbs clinging to him.
This was Wu Jinyan, the owner of the town's only pharmacy.
Although traditional Chinese medicine was currently under strict crackdowns, wild herbs still held value and had been preserved.
Wu Jinyan's ancestors had practiced traditional medicine for generations, and by his time he was the tenth-line successor.
Yet in this era, he could not fully display his skills and had to make a living simply running the herbal shop.
"Manager Wu, I'd like to ask if you buy Solomon's seal."
Sun Linglong moved the sack of rice aside, revealing the thoroughly washed wild Solomon's seal inside.
Wu Jinyan's eyes lit up. This Solomon's seal was at least twenty years old!
"You're quite something, young lady, knowing your wild Solomon's seal."
Wu Jinyan's words were full of praise.
Sun Linglong gave a bitter smile. She was merely relying on having lived an extra lifetime; after her eldest and second sisters went mad, she had searched far and wide for miracle cures, which was how she came to understand these medicinal herbs.
Wu Jinyan weighed all the Solomon's seal.
"There are ten catties in total here. I'll give you five yuan a catty, fifty yuan in all. What do you think?"
Wu Jinyan did not try to cheat her just because she was an unfamiliar face.
Sun Linglong was quite satisfied with this price.
One had to know that fifty yuan was no small sum; her whole family toiling bitterly for a month only earned a dozen or so yuan.
Wu Jinyan fished five large-denomination bills from his pocket and handed them to Sun Linglong. "Little sister, if you get your hands on good stock like this again, come find me. I'll take it all."
Sun Linglong nodded in agreement, took four of the large bills, wrapped them tightly layer upon layer, and tucked them into a pocket she had sewn into the inside of her trousers.
She planned to use the remaining bill to buy some rice.
Arriving at the grain shop, Sun Linglong suddenly remembered she seemed to have forgotten her ration coupons.
Yet the last bit of rice at home had been used up by her; if she didn't buy some back today, her family would be drinking northwest wind.
Sun Linglong thought for a moment, found a secluded corner, and used the cloth covering her basket to wrap around the lower half of her face, leaving only her eyes and smooth forehead exposed.
She knew where the black market was located.
Sun Linglong made her way there.
The black market was tucked into a small alleyway, with several people standing guard on the perimeter.
Sun Linglong took a deep breath and prepared to go in.
She had barely taken two steps forward when someone grabbed her.
"Little sister, what are you doing?"
Turning her head to see that it was her second brother, Sun Linglong let out a sigh of relief.
Pulled by Sun Youyong into a corner, she yanked the cloth off her face, her expression full of surprise.
"Second Brother, are you finished selling?"
Sun Youyong looked solemn. "Little sister, do you have any idea how dangerous the black market is?"
Sun Linglong stammered, looking down at the tips of her shoes.
"There's no grain left at home, and I don't have any ration coupons, so..."
"If there's no grain, your second brother is here. Would I let you go hungry?"
Sun Youyong turned sideways to reveal a back basket filled to the brim with a sack of rice.
"In the future, I'll be the one going to the black market. You are not allowed to come, you hear me?"
Sun Linglong gave a low murmur of assent.
Looking at the obedient and well-behaved Sun Linglong, Sun Youyong sighed. "Little sister, I know you want to do your part for the family, but in our eyes, your safety matters most."
"I don't want you taking risks for our sake, understand?"
Sun Linglong nodded.
The heavy topic was brushed past by the two of them, and Sun Youyong pulled out a thick money pouch.
He handed the pouch to Sun Linglong. "Little sister, guess how much money your second brother made today?"
"Two hundred?"
Sun Youyong shook his head.
Weighing the heft of the money pouch in her hand, Sun Linglong eagerly opened it.
Sun Linglong had never seen so much money in her life.
She counted them—there were actually thirty-five large-denomination bills!
"Second Brother, how on earth did you sell them for so much?"
"I was smart, that's how. I ran into someone with an out-of-town accent, so I carried the Solomon's seal over and asked him. That fellow came from Haishi and knew his stuff; he spotted the quality of the Solomon's seal right away and gave me seven yuan a catty."
"Second Brother, you're amazing!"
"Stop praising me. I'm heading home while there are still few people about, you see to your own shopping."
Sun Youyong didn't take the money back.
All this Solomon's seal had been found by his little sister; he had merely helped out by selling it.
Before Sun Linglong could hand the money back to him, Sun Youyong strode away at a fast clip with his back basket.
Oh well, she'd talk to him when she got home.
Now that they had rice, Sun Linglong felt a good deal more at ease.
She was planning to buy some meat when she happened to pass by the post office.
Wen Ruocheng and Ji Wenrou were tugging and pulling at each other.
Sun Linglong slowed her pace.
"Brother Ruocheng, I chose to go down to the countryside just for my sister, so why do my parents still not love me? What am I supposed to do now that they've washed their hands of me?"
Ji Wenrou wept and wailed, looking utterly desolate.
She had been thoroughly convinced that after she went to the countryside in her sister's place, her family would be grateful for her sacrifice and mail her some money.
Yet when she asked at the post office, there was nothing.
Ji Wenrou was not reconciled.
Why was it that growing up, her parents only ever liked her sister?
They always made her give way to her sister.
Well, she refused. She was going to fight and scramble for what she wanted.
Since her family showed no affection, she wouldn't be burdened with righteousness!
A flash of ruthlessness was hidden deep in Ji Wenrou's eyes.
She admitted her motive in going to the countryside wasn't entirely pure, but she had genuinely helped her family, hadn't she?
Did her family want to burn the bridge after crossing the river?
Not a chance!
Wen Ruocheng was irritated as well.
Although he had received the parcel sent from home, the contents of the letter inside hadn't left him very satisfied.
Fortunately, his family had sent him five hundred yuan, which was enough for him to live quite comfortably in Taohua Village.
"Brother Ruocheng, what are you thinking about?"
Wen Ruocheng snapped out of it. "Nothing. Don't worry, Yourou, I'm here for everything."
Ji Wenrou's eyes brimmed with adoration, her gaze seemingly holding only the figure of Wen Ruocheng.
The two of them gazed at each other, an ambiguous atmosphere wrapping around them.
"Yourou, let's go eat at the State-run Restaurant."
With money in hand, Wen Ruocheng felt considerably more at ease.
Wen Ruocheng was feeling confident now.
Sun Linglong knew Wen Ruocheng's expression all too well; it was plain that his family had sent him some good things.
How could she possibly let him live in comfort?
He deserved to die ten thousand times over and it still wouldn't be enough!
Sun Linglong quietly tailed the two of them. Seeing them step into the State-run Restaurant, she followed them right inside.
"Give me a bowl of egg noodles."
Hearing the familiar voice, Wen Ruocheng looked over, his eyes brightening.
"What a coincidence. Comrade Sun, we really do have a connection. How about we share a table?"