Chapter 90: Ink Jade
“These tickets should have been left by Xiao Ning.”
Granny Yan took the tickets from her daughter-in-law’s hand. Her daughter wouldn’t likely give You You such big items.
“Then, then what should we do? Send them back to Xiao Ning?”
The brigade only had a bicycle at the Brigade Leader’s house. To say Qian Hongmei wasn’t tempted by this bicycle coupon and radio coupon would be false.
Her eldest son Yan Wen was sixteen this year, eating the seventeen-year-old’s ration. In another year or two, he should also find a partner and marry a daughter-in-law.
If they had these two big items, she would dare to have the confidence to push for the Captain’s daughter.
However, tempted or not, she wasn’t so shallow-eyed as to take advantage of You You, her benefactor, a little girl.
Even the two meals yesterday of dry rice and big meat couldn’t offset even a fraction of these two tickets!
“Keep them for now. From what Da Xi meant, Xiao Ning and her brothers will likely come back together for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Then find an opportunity to return them to her.”
“Okay, listen to Mom.”
Qian Hongmei nodded without hesitation, spreading out the remaining money and ration coupons in her hand. “These things?”
“You You’s idea must be Xin Wa’s. Take them. As for Xiao Ning’s ten yuan, together with these tickets.”
……
Meanwhile, the two who had smoothly gotten off at the station walked out of the Gu City Bus Station.
Luo Shuangshuang had to rush to the department store. She still had the afternoon shift later.
Reluctantly handing her the meat given by her maternal uncle, she asked repeatedly, “Ning Bao Gai, are you sure you can handle it alone? I’m really leaving?”
“Certain and affirmed. Go quickly, or you’ll miss the canteen lunch.”
“Okay, then I’m off~”
Only after she walked far did Su Ning carry the more than fifty pounds of hind leg meat to a place with no one around and quickly store it in the space.
Taking advantage of being on Beizheng Street with some spare time, she planned to go see Little Qu Hui again.
The grain sent last time wasn’t much. The grandparents and grandson’s grain jars were probably almost empty.
Moreover, she wanted to visit the scrap station and flea market to see if she could find a batch of handy carving tools.
Since the raw jadeite at the bottom of the spring had such magical effects, she still needed to practice her carving and polishing skills.
Even if after experiments these jadeites weren’t suitable to give away, she could carve a few styles she liked and wear them alternately herself.
Thinking of this, Su Ning subconsciously reached into her pants pocket. The blue and purple jadeite uses were figured out. Today she specially brought ink jade.
If one day doesn’t work, wear it continuously for several days. There would surely be a time when she figured them all out.
Although it was a dumb method, it was the simplest and most direct.
Passing the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, she thought for a moment and turned her feet to step inside.
“Excuse me, excuse me. Sorry, comrade, in a hurry, please make way!”
Hearing this, she subconsciously sidestepped and retreated several big steps, glancing at the person covered in big and small bags still squeezing toward the counter.
Looking at her clothing and having bought so many daily necessities, she should be a new educated youth preparing to go to the countryside.
Meeting her smile mixed with apology and gratitude, Su Ning also smiled back in acknowledgment.
“Thanks, comrade!”
“Oh no, careful!”
Two voices rang out one after the other.
Sensing something wrong, she immediately turned her head and saw that in avoiding earlier, she had retreated to the corner where goods were temporarily stacked.
And the large snakeskin bags stacked overhead, who knew what they contained, were swaying unsteadily and about to smash down toward her.
“Boom~”
There was no time for any reaction at all, but strangely, the one or two sliding and falling snakeskin bags seemed to automatically dodge, brushing past her body at the extreme distance.
“Crack—”
At the same time, an almost inaudible cracking sound rang out in her pants pocket.
“Motherfucker, girl, are you okay?”
“Comrade, are you alright? Did anything hit you?”
“What happened? Whoever stacked the things here, whoever injured someone is responsible!”
“Oh my, this female comrade is really lucky. Almost got buried inside!”
With such a big commotion, the supply and marketing cooperative director rushed over immediately.
Upon discovering it was due to their work negligence that nearly caused an accident, she sincerely bowed in apology to Su Ning and the crowd, then quickly arranged for people to handle the goods.
Thanking those around who cared and asked, rejecting the supply and marketing cooperative director’s suggestion to go to the hospital, Su Ning walked out of the crowd with an inexplicable expression.
No one knew that when danger struck, she who looked scared silly actually felt an indescribable peace and stability inside.
Just… that indescribable feeling.
“Comrade, are you okay? What do you want to buy?”
The salesperson had seen the whole scene clearly. It was also her sudden reminder.
Seeing the not-very-old girl still looking a bit dazed and stunned, thinking she was too scared to recover, she unusually spoke mildly, lowering her voice a few tones to ask, “Comrade?”
“Oh, I’m fine, Sister. Thanks. Do you still have malt extract and biscuits in iron boxes?”
“Yes, yes, we have them. How much?”
“One box of malt extract, one box of biscuits, also one jin of twisted dough sticks, two jin of chicken cake, and one pack of brown sugar.”
Taking out money and ration coupons, picking up the items, Su Ning endured the fiery gaze on her back and quickly walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative.
She didn’t know why, but she had a gut feeling that being safe and the strange feeling in her heart were all related to that ink jade.
Right now, she urgently wanted to verify if this idea of hers was correct.
Arriving at a quiet, empty alley, she pressed against the wall behind the corner and flashed into the space.
Quickly placing the items in her hand on the stone table in the courtyard, she took out the ink jade from her pants pocket and examined it carefully.
She saw that the originally smooth surface of the ink jade had abruptly cracked open, and its luster was no longer moist and transparent, appearing somewhat dull.
Her fingertip touched the crack. “The ancients said ink jade can ward off evil and protect safety…”
The passed-down ink jade was usually made into protective jade tokens or pendants.
Whether other protective ink jade worked, she didn’t know, but these ink jades from the bottom of the spring… they really could ward off evil and avert disaster.
Unconsciously rubbing the jade in her hand: This ink jade was quite suitable to give to close relatives and friends.
After all, jade has spirit, and ink jade averting disaster and protecting safety was consensus. Even if something really happened, there wouldn’t be other associations.
“Pretty good.”
In more than a month, it should be enough time for her to learn simple jade token carving and polishing.
Just wondering if this piece of ink jade’s disaster-averting function was one-time, or if it cracked once per avert until completely shattered?
She pinched the ink jade up to her eyes with two fingers. Judging by the crack size and slightly dimmed luster, the latter guess was more likely.
Exactly how many times would be clear later.
Putting the ink jade back in her pocket, Su Ning turned and went to the underground storage room.
This time for the Qu family residence, she not only packed a bag of twenty jin of rice, but also some peanuts, mung beans, and soybeans.
Yesterday’s ‘good luck’ from Treasure Mountain relying on purple jade was all placed in the kitchen. She picked a big wild pheasant and a fat rabbit, plus that full back basket of wild duck eggs. These should be enough.
They were old and young. If they didn’t eat some nutritious things, she really feared that future scene would replay, gone before the longed-for person returned.
Taking out a back basket and stuffing everything inside, Su Ning shouldered the back basket and left the space.
……
Last time it was dark and the road hard to remember, but with super strong memory, she still smoothly found the Qu family residence.
“Sister Ning!”
Qu Hui who ran to open the door saw her and his eyes lit up brightly. “Granny, it’s Sister Ning!”
“Ning Ning is here?!”
Huang Shufen, still in the room tending to the old man, immediately set him aside, flung her hand, and hurriedly went out the room door.
Already in the yard, chatting with Little Qu Hui while setting down the back basket that was painfully tight on her shoulders.
“Coming is coming, why bring so many things again?”
Huang Shufen saw her taking out items one by one from the back basket. Her smiling face immediately turned serious. “Ning Ning, no, this won’t do!”
The little girl had just been in Gu City for how long? Her salary probably wasn’t enough to cover these things. She, an old woman, didn’t have the face to accept them once or twice.
After she left last time, her old companion discussed it with her. Although deep down they really wanted things to be as she said, very likely the son was still missing without news.
These things were just using his name to better aid them.
If it was really like that, they two couldn’t pretend not to know and accept. Wouldn’t that be deceiving such a kind-hearted girl?
“Ning Ning, don’t say more. We already know.”
