"Youâre always envious of everything. Whatâs there to be envious of? If we werenât just passing through, Iâd definitely spruce up the place nicely. Once the building behind us is completed next year and our family gets an apartment through Yang Wei, come see our place. My decorating will look much nicer than hers."
Their voices grew quieter, and in the end, Sun Yu actually brought some snacks from inside for Miao Miao to eat.
Listening at the door, I chuckled and shook my head. Where thereâs women, thereâs always gossip. I havenât even done anything, and theyâre already talking about me.
Lin Wan didnât pay much mind to it. She returned to the room and frowned at the floor covered in sunflower seed shells.
After tidying up the room, Lin Wan put away the clothes she had brought in the wardrobe one by one.
There wasnât much, besides the clothes she wore, Lin Wan only brought some innerwear and heavy winter clothes for outside.
The rest were just some yarn, and five rolls of toilet paper.
Just as Lin Wan finished organizing the clothes, Wang Guihua came over again, this time bringing her some potatoes.
Two of them, small enough to fit in her palm, yet Lin Wan was still quite grateful. Every household isnât well off, and two little potatoes can make a meal.
She initially planned to visit Huang Lianzhangâs house, but with the two of them coming over, she got delayed. Seeing that it was getting late, she decided not to disturb them further.
However, Huang Lianzhangâs wife, Zhang Cuiping, came over with Pidan.
"I heard from Old Huang at noon that youâd come, didnât want to disturb you, so I didnât come earlier."
"Hello, Auntie," Pidan greeted sweetly as soon as she saw Lin Wan.
"Oh, what a sweet child," Lin Wan thought, unlike Wang Guihuaâs Miao Miao, who hadnât greeted her since she arrived.
"Please, Saozi, bring the child inside. I was going to visit your place, but got delayed by a neighbor. Iâm so thankful for your help last time," Lin Wan said as she welcomed Zhang Cuiping inside, then went to the kitchen to prepare some snacks and candies for Pidan.
Zhang Cuiping looked around Lin Wanâs tidied room and laughed, "You just got here and already made it so cozy. Obviously, youâre still newlyweds. With kids, our place is a mess every day. By the way, I brought some steamed buns I just made for you and some potatoes too."
"Youâre very thoughtful, Saozi. My family sent a lot with me when I came, weâve got all the essentials, itâs just that I didnât bring much fresh produce. Feng Zhiâs wife just gave me two little potatoes; youâve brought us too much, Han Yi and I canât finish it all."
"Weâve got plenty at home. These are all from the small market, theyâre not worth much. Villagers nearby grow them in the mountains and secretly bring them here to sell. The sunlight isnât great there, so theyâre small and sell cheap, only a penny for two pounds. No ration tickets needed. Everyone in our compound has bought quite a lot."
Oh, no wonder Zhang Guihuaâs so "generous." "You just moved, probably didnât prepare much yet. Get by for a few days, and Iâll take you to the small market up front tomorrow to see if thereâs anything else you need."
"Thereâs a market here?" That was unexpected.
"Itâs not really a market, just some local villagers secretly bringing their carts to sell produce they grow themselves, like veggies, chicken, ducks, and fish. They come every Wednesday and Friday morning, just for about an hour, sell out and leave quickly. A lot of locals also carry baskets to sell things near the courtyard gate; as long as you pay attention, youâll notice them every day."
"I see," I responded, considering that where thereâs a community, thereâs consumption. Since the countryâs reform, though it hasnât started here, itâs not far offâmaybe just a year or two. The brigade has loosened rules, allowing households to raise chickens and ducks and plant some vegetables in their yards.
But times are hard, and many households are thinking of using these to earn some extra money.