"Where are you off to?" Aunt Xu asked, hurriedly standing up and jogging toward the courtyard gate when she saw Bai Jiu wheeling her bicycle out.
Bai Jiu paused.
"I’m going to pick up a package. My maiden family sent me some things, and the guards just came over to let me know," she replied. Since the Mid-Autumn Festival, the relationship between the two families had grown increasingly close.
In the past, she had always needed to go to the post office to retrieve her parcels. She had no idea why they had delivered it straight to the residential compound this time. Although Bai Jiu was puzzled, she didn’t ask too many questions; she just needed to go and collect it.
"I see. Is there a lot of stuff?" Hearing about a package immediately reminded Aunt Xu of the cartload of goods Bai Jiu had brought back last time. "If it’s a lot, we have a handcart at home. I can help you push it over to get your things," she offered enthusiastically.
Bai Jiu shook her head. "No need. It shouldn’t be too much; I can just bring it back on my bicycle." The last time she had brought back a lot of daily necessities; there likely wouldn’t be nearly as much this time.
"Alright, then hurry on over. If it turns out to be a lot, just come back and give me a shout. I’ll push the cart over for you."
"Will do!" Bai Jiu certainly wouldn’t reject Aunt Xu’s goodwill. "I’ll head over now."
"Go on."
When she arrived at the guardhouse, Bai Jiu stated that she was there to pick up a package. After she provided her name and filled out her information, someone inside helped bring the items out.
There wasn’t much—just two large sacks. However, they were quite heavy.
"Thank you both." Bai Jiu pulled a handful of White Rabbit creamy candies from her pocket and offered them to the two men who had helped carry her things.
"There’s no need, ma’am. Please take them back. We aren’t allowed to accept gifts here." The two men hurriedly waved their hands and took a couple of steps back.
Seeing their uniforms, Bai Jiu didn’t insist. "Alright then, thank you so much." She couldn’t ruin their discipline over a few pieces of candy.
"You’re welcome. It’s our duty."
She had to admit, the people here were quite endearing. Bai Jiu really liked the atmosphere of this place. Of course, those few troublesome people in the family residential compound didn’t count.
Having a bicycle was certainly convenient. It wasn’t long before she had brought everything home.
"That’s so much stuff! Your mother really dotes on you," Aunt Xu said with a hint of envy. Her own parents had passed away long ago, and she no longer had any elders left to worry about her.
"My mother does dote on me quite a bit." Bai Jiu smiled, feeling fortunate to have such familial love. If she hadn’t come to this world, she might never have experienced this kind of affection.
"Alright, go on inside and unpack. Don’t let any jealous neighbors see," Aunt Xu said, urging her to hurry back indoors without delaying her further.
Once back in her own home, Bai Jiu closed the front door. After untying the two large sacks, she found a letter inside. The handwriting looked like her younger brother’s, and upon opening it, she found it was indeed from Xinghua.
The letter reported that everyone was safe and sound, and it detailed their preparations. He also mentioned that he had already gone to the village to tell Aiguo and the others about the college entrance examination, and had even delivered books to them. Much of the letter’s contents had been added by Xinghua at Mother Bai’s behest, telling her to take good care of her health and reminding her to call or write home if anything happened. He also listed the items they had sent her this time, telling her not to be frugal. If she ran out, she should just call home, and they would send more. The family was doing very well, so she didn’t need to worry.
Reading the letter, Bai Jiu’s heart felt as sweet as honey.
There wasn’t a huge variety of items, but everything was of excellent quality. For instance, there was air-dried meat. Because of the Xiang Family, her maiden family didn’t lack meat. Furthermore, since everyone now had wages, had switched to better jobs, and saw a significant increase in their income, they had prepared quite a bit of air-dried meat for her. There were also salted duck eggs, as well as refined grains like rice and flour.
Although these items weren’t worth much money in Bai Jiu’s eyes, the sentiment behind them was priceless. She didn’t lack food, but these things made her feel deeply cared for and loved.
After sorting through everything, Bai Jiu carried a piece of air-dried meat over to Aunt Xu’s house.
"You child, why did you bring meat over?" Seeing the rosy, air-dried meat, Aunt Xu’s face flushed with anxiety. "Hurry up and take it back."
"This is air-dried meat my mother sent me. You can’t get it around here, so I brought a piece over for you to taste. I don’t have much extra to give, anyway," Bai Jiu said. Now that she had brought it over, there was no way she was taking it back. Besides, her family had sent quite a lot—five or six pieces in total, each weighing three or four catties. This kind of meat kept well; even in the middle of summer, it could last for many days without spoiling.
"You silly girl, this is meat! It’s incredibly precious. How many meat coupons do we even get each month? Hurry up and take it back, you have a large family to feed." How could Aunt Xu possibly feel right accepting it?
Bai Jiu took a few steps closer to Aunt Xu and whispered in her ear, "My eldest sister-in-law works at the meat processing plant, so it’s much easier for her to buy meat than it is for others. Don’t stand on ceremony with me, Auntie. Sister Shuyi gave me quite a few good things last time, and didn’t I accept all of them?"
On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xu Shuyi had given Bai Jiu quite a few gifts, all of which Bai Jiu had accepted without the slightest hesitation.
Hearing this, Aunt Xu truly couldn’t refuse any longer; otherwise, it would seem too distant. "Alright, then I’ll accept it. Thanks to your generosity, we’ll have a meat dish today." Having just passed the holidays, their family had indeed run out of meat coupons. If they wanted to buy more meat, they would have to wait until the beginning of next month when new coupons were issued.
"Please, take it. This meat is very easy to handle—just hang it up, and it won’t spoil. When you want to eat it, just slice a piece off. You can stir-fry it or steam it," Bai Jiu said, hurriedly handing the meat over and explaining how to prepare it.
"Really? It can even be steamed?" Aunt Xu had never eaten meat like this before. She was a true native of Beijing City, and the meat here didn’t have nearly as many preparation methods. Although every household would cure meat toward the end of the year, that meat was never as fresh-tasting as this.
"Yes! Just singe the leftover hair on the outside over a fire, blanch the meat in boiling water, and then cut it into paper-thin slices. If you steam it right on top of your cooking rice, even the rice will soak up the savory flavor," Bai Jiu eagerly shared her culinary experience.
"Then, you can mix up a dipping sauce with some scallions, ginger, vinegar, and soy sauce. It’s incredibly delicious." Bai Jiu gulped slightly just talking about it.
It had been a while since she had eaten it herself. The meat in her spatial dimension was all fresh, and since it wasn’t convenient for her to take out too much meat at once, she hadn’t made a single piece of air-dried meat since arriving here. However, winter was approaching, and she would figure out a way to sneak some meat out by then. She actually really missed the braised delicacies in her spatial dimension, but unfortunately, she had no excuse to bring them out. She would have to wait until the Lunar New Year. At that time, she could make some herself and mix them with the braised food from her space—it would be absolutely incredible.
"Stop, stop, you’re making my mouth water just talking about it!" Aunt Xu was infected by Bai Jiu’s enthusiasm and visibly gulped. "Tell you what, have dinner here tonight. I’ll make the steamed meat dish you described." Having accepted such a massive chunk of meat, she felt absolutely obligated to treat them to a meal.
"Let’s skip tonight. My teacher has been eating with us these past few days," Bai Jiu naturally declined.
With just that one piece of meat, if her entire family came over, there wouldn’t be any left for Aunt Xu. Plus, Aunt Xu would have to provide the staple grains, which would put her at a loss. Of course, that was just a joke. Bai Jiu didn’t think Aunt Xu was that stingy, but one had to have some self-awareness and not take advantage of others.
"That’s perfect, then! Have him come over and share a drink with your Uncle Xu," Aunt Xu insisted.