Chapter 34: Arrangements
“Swish swish~ swish swish”
The river water gently sang, accompanied by the frog croaks and cicada chirps between the fields and trees, blending into the symphony exclusive to the night.
Deep in the vast reed marsh downstream of the Li River, a relatively flat area trampled out by people was bustling at this moment.
A group of people silently and soundlessly conducted their business at the simple stalls laid out on the ground.
Zhang Ze, who had accidentally discovered this place, paid two mao for entry fee and then took Mao Jinqian to browse from start to finish.
Any grain on the stalls, no matter how little, was snatched up by others as soon as it appeared.
Perhaps because of the mountain city, wild game was not uncommon, so it didn’t sell as quickly.
The two spent four yuan to buy less than five jin of wild chicken, and also bought about ten wild duck eggs.
As for other things like clothes and shoes, industrial goods and such, they weren’t that scarce, so they didn’t look much, picked up their things, and quickly left via the path they came.
……
At the same time, Su Ning, who hadn’t gone far after leaving the Qu family residence, suddenly remembered something and slapped her forehead hard, “Good thing I haven’t gone too far!”
She jogged all the way back to the Qu family residence, only to find Little Qu Hui still holding the blue-glazed porcelain bowl with a small chip in both hands, standing dazed and unhappy at the threshold.
“Phew~ Little Qu Hui, why didn’t you close the door and go back inside?”
“Sister!”
Hearing the voice, he looked up with a face full of surprise. Seeing the person who had returned, Qu Hui happily jumped up, not minding the boiled water splashed on him.
“Little Qu Hui, is there a ladder at home?”
“Yes, sister, wait a moment~”
Huang Shufen in the main hall was anxiously uneasy about the two bags of steamed buns and buns that she had forcibly stuffed to her as gifts. Hearing the familiar voice, she quickly grabbed them and hurried out.
“Ning Ning, this won’t do, you quickly take the things back…”
“Granny, I need the ladder, very urgently!”
“Ah, okay, wait a moment, granny will get it for you right now!”
Su Ning obediently nodded as she took the things handed over, and while the person turned hurriedly to fetch the ladder, she silently put the two bags back on the table inside the room.
The old woman and the child soon carried the ladder out.
Considering her small frame, Huang Shufen didn’t take the long ladder used for the roof, but the short wooden ladder usually placed in the backyard for hanging melon vines.
“Ning Ning, see if this height works?”
The short ladder looked to be over one meter but less than two meters, completely sufficient, and not heavy—she should be able to carry it alone.
Su Ning took the ladder, unceremoniously passing her head through the middle to shoulder the whole thing, and urgently bid farewell to the grandparent and grandchild for the second time.
“Hey, Ning Ning, that’s not easy to walk with, how about granny escorts you? Where are you going?”
“No need, no need, I can manage, granny. I’m in a hurry, I’m off now!”
“Be careful, take it slow, Ning Ning!”
Seeing her face full of urgency, probably something really urgent and perhaps not convenient for an old woman like her to follow, Huang Shufen no longer insisted and could only watch worriedly while giving a few instructions.
After the person vanished into the darkness and walked far away, she closed the door and recalled the girl’s empty hands when she left.
Huang Shufen led her grandson quickly into the room, and sure enough, saw the things she had offered placed quietly back on the table.
Only then did she realize why the person was in such a hurry, running with a ladder on her shoulder like being chased by a dog.
She felt both amused and exasperated yet deeply touched, “This girl! Come here, child.”
“Granny~”
“Eat!”
“Hiss~ Steamed buns made of wheat flour? Large meat buns?”
Qu Hui, stuffed with one in each hand by his grandmother, was stunned, incredulously pinching them hard. They were soft, fluffy, and still warm: real!
Stroking his little face, Huang Shufen’s bloodshot eyes welled up with tears, yet she still smiled, “Child, you must always remember those who have shown us kindness, those who have been good to us!”
“Mm, I know. When I grow up, I will definitely repay them.”
……
Using the ladder, she easily climbed back to her room at the guesthouse. After putting the ladder back into the space later, Su Ning stretched lazily and collapsed onto the bed.
After about ten minutes, the numbness and weakness in her legs improved a lot, and she slowly got up.
“Splash~”
She poured half a basin of hot water into the enamel basin on the rack by the door, took out a towel, toothpaste, and toothbrush from the luggage bag containing washing items, and prepared a full set of change of clothes from inside out.
Hugging the full load, she opened the door and headed to the shared bathroom and toilet on the second floor.
After carefully ensuring the stall door was locked, she slipped into the Peach Blossom Spring Courtyard with her things and took a thorough, refreshing bath.
……
“Brother Zhang, Brother Mao?”
With her hair still damp from wiping, the basin holding her freshly washed clothes, she had just come out of the toilet when she saw the two men standing blankly at her room door, hands full.
She quickly stepped forward to open the door, set the basin down, and turned to take the lunchboxes and dish bowls from their hands, placing them on the only small table in the room.
“Ning Ning, you must be starving? Quick, try the brothers’ cooking!”
“Stewed pheasant, wild duck eggs stir-fried with scallions, smells pretty good.”
Looking unexpectedly at the steaming meal, Su Ning raised an eyebrow in some confusion, “Where did the pheasant and duck eggs come from?”
“The state-run restaurants outside were all closed, and the guesthouse had hardly any dishes left, only these meals. Luckily we got lucky and traded for a pheasant and duck eggs there.”
There probably referred to the black market in Gu City.
Understanding, she nodded and asked no more. The three began eating and chatting about tomorrow’s matters and subsequent arrangements.
From the full leather bag of house proofs left by her maternal grandfather, she had singled out those for Xiangnan before departure and studied them carefully with Grandpa Fu.
Besides the two buildings in Star City, there was one large and one small independent courtyard in Gu City.
In Yong County and Yazi Town under Gu City’s jurisdiction, now renamed Hongqi Commune, there was a bungalow each, and the rest was the Su Family Ancestral Home in the Third Production Brigade.
And a few years later, Grandpa Fu’s sent-down place was in the First Production Brigade under Hongqi Commune in Yong County.
Fortunately, Gu City wasn’t far from Yong County, with plenty of route buses between the two places, one every hour on average, arriving in less than two hours.
“So Ning Ning, you mean one of us goes to the transport team in Yong County, and one to Hongqi Commune?”
“Yes. What do you two think, Brother Zhang, Brother Mao?”
This meant having each of them take on two jobs, drawing double salary!
Zhang Ze and Mao Jinqian looked at each other, feeling it would be too hot to handle if they really did that.
They were supposed to secretly protect her safety, and there would be many things later to follow her arrangements, but with both openly having their own jobs, how would the protection proceed? And what about later matters?
“No, this would be taking advantage of you for nothing, Ning Ning?”
“Yeah, yeah. Ning Ning, how about this: there’s no danger in Gu City now, so Brother Zhang and I can take turns protecting you openly and secretly.
The other one can find some casual work while resting.”
