That day, Bai Jiu had a lot to buy, so she stayed busy in the city until evening before heading back. She wasn’t the only one who had received the news.
However, she couldn’t find the books she wanted after checking several places. Ultimately, she could only try her luck at the salvage station. Hard work paid off. She finally found a few old books—not just math, but also Chinese, Russian, and other subjects. The salvage station was well-informed, too. In the past, scrap books here were only ten cents a catty. Now, they were sold by the book. Bai Jiu didn’t bother haggling. After picking them out, she paid immediately, afraid of any unexpected mishaps.
But since she was already here, she naturally had to take a good look around. She had heard that salvage stations in this era were full of treasures, so she didn’t want to miss out. Although she didn’t lack these things, who would ever complain about having too much money or adding to their family’s assets? Unfortunately, there were plenty of smart people, and her timing was off, so she truly ended up empty-handed.
Bai Jiu didn’t feel disappointed. She had bought what she wanted anyway.
She went on to buy some things for the children, like milk powder and other items with a long shelf life, packing them all into a large bundle to mail back. Inside were things not only for her maiden family but also for Aunt Peng and Qian Xiaojie. That child Gouwa would definitely love them. Although studying wasn’t the only path, it was definitely the shortest shortcut to success. She didn’t expect everyone to get into Tsinghua University, but getting into a college would be a great way out for all of them.
Bai Jiu mailed a lot of things, feeling as if her home lacked everything. Fortunately, she had money; otherwise, she wouldn’t necessarily have been able to afford all this.
"That will be forty-two yuan in total," the staff member announced the postage after weighing the package.
She had to admit, it was quite expensive.
"Here you go."
Bai Jiu pulled out four ten-yuan notes from her pocket, then added two yuan in change. The people nearby looked pained when they saw her spend such a large sum. They secretly wondered why she didn’t just send the money directly instead of spending it on mailing items.
"Received forty-two yuan. Here is your receipt. If you have any issues, you can bring this receipt back to ask," the staff member said politely, handing Bai Jiu a ticket. Seeing this attitude, Bai Jiu was somewhat reminded of the service personnel in later generations, who were just as polite and courteous.
"Thank you."
After leaving the post office, Bai Jiu saw that it was still early. She had been here for so long but had never visited the capital’s black market. She felt a bit tempted. Although she had dealt with most of the items in her space, it was still a considerable amount for a small family. She wanted to stroll around and sell some things, just for fun.
Because she wasn’t familiar with the area, Bai Jiu kept walking toward the secluded alleys. However, she found that even in these secluded alleys, there were quite a few people coming and going. Crowds were even gathering in some spots.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, just as she was getting disappointed, a middle-aged woman tugged at her clothes.
"Do you have any refined grain?" the woman asked softly.
Bai Jiu was momentarily stunned. When she got a clear look at her, she nodded. "What do you need?"
The woman was overjoyed to hear her respond.
"Enriched flour, rice, or noodles are all fine." She needed it all. Her grandson hadn’t had milk for days. Since she couldn’t afford milk powder, she could only come out and try her luck. Originally, she hadn’t paid attention to Bai Jiu, but after bumping into her in several alleys, the calculating woman approached her.
Bai Jiu didn’t expect the people in Beijing City to be so direct. She looked around; they were at an alley entrance.
"Let’s find a place with no people first." She wasn’t a fool who would believe whatever anyone said.
"Miss, how about this? My house isn’t far from here. Should we go to my place?" the middle-aged woman asked somewhat anxiously. "I know it’s a bit presumptuous to suggest this, but..." She wasn’t familiar with this area either. However, she took out her work ID. "Miss, don’t be afraid. This is my work ID. You hold onto it." She handed it straight to Bai Jiu.
Bai Jiu glanced at the ID: Beijing City Sugar Factory, Mo Shaomei. It didn’t just have her workplace, but also her name and photo. She hadn’t expected a sugar factory to be so modern as to issue work IDs with photos.
"Alright," Bai Jiu said, accepting the ID. "Lead the way."
After weaving through one alley after another, they finally arrived at a bustling area. Seeing so many people around made Bai Jiu feel much more at ease; it proved the woman hadn’t lied.
"Follow me upstairs. If anyone asks later, just say you’re my niece from my maiden family, here to see my newborn grandson," Mo Shaomei said with a smile, pulling Bai Jiu along. Just in case. Bai Jiu was familiar with this routine.
"Alright, I understand, Aunt," Bai Jiu didn’t drop the ball, generously addressing her.
Mo Shaomei smiled.
Mo Shaomei lived in a tube-shaped apartment building. The corridors were cramped, and quite a few people were going up and down. Some acquaintances would even stop to exchange a few words, but most left in a hurry.
"Who’s this?" Sure enough, when they were almost at the door, an old woman saw Mo Shaomei bringing someone over with a bamboo basket on her back and immediately stepped forward to ask. Her eyes were still peering at the bamboo basket on Bai Jiu’s back.
The woman looked mean and bitter at first glance. Bai Jiu turned her body away, preventing her from getting a clear look at the basket.
"Oh, Aunt Wu. This is my niece from my maiden family. She heard me say that Kaizhong’s wife wasn’t producing milk, so she brought some things over from the countryside to help her recover. After all, we can’t let their great-grandson go hungry, right?" Mo Shaomei introduced her generously. She even wore a look of pride on her face. Truth be told, it sounded incredibly convincing. If Bai Jiu weren’t the person in question, even she would have been fooled.
Wu Pozi looked entirely unconvinced upon hearing that she was a niece from her maiden family, sizing Bai Jiu up from head to toe. No one knew Mo Shaomei’s family situation better than she did. If it weren’t for her son having some prospects, this whole family probably wouldn’t even have enough to eat. A paralyzed man in bed—bah, what a streak of bad luck.
"Our place isn’t somewhere any random Tom, Dick, or Harry can just waltz into. Shaomei, I’m not trying to lecture you, but you need to keep a close eye when you bring people back, lest you cause trouble for others." Wu Pozi suddenly lost interest in Bai Jiu’s basket. What good things could country folks possibly have?
Bai Jiu wanted to retort but was pulled tightly by Aunt Mo.
"Yes, I’ll keep an eye out. Aunt Wu, you go back to your business, we’ll head in first." She put on an apologetic smile and led Bai Jiu away.
After entering the room, Mo Shaomei finally apologized to Bai Jiu.
"I’m sorry, Miss. It’s my fault for subjecting you to such grievances." She hadn’t expected to bump into Aunt Wu. Since they both lived on the same floor, everyone knew exactly what kind of character Aunt Wu had. It was precisely because of this that she preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Bai Jiu didn’t mind. "It’s fine." She wouldn’t be dealing with that woman much anyway.
The transaction was swift. Inside the room, there was not only the crying of a child but also the coughing of a man. Bai Jiu had no interest in other people’s family affairs. After selling her goods, she took the money and ration coupons and left.
She didn’t sell the items for a high price, and of course, she didn’t sell a lot either. Suddenly, Bai Jiu lost interest in the black market.
But to her surprise, when she headed back out, she actually bumped into a dark-faced man.