Rebirth: The Courtyard Bride Is Cool and Radiant

Chapter 218: Chapter 218: Too Late for Regrets

Yunyi’s reassignment to Hua’an Farm Reclamation was soon finalized.

She had already informed the people there that she would not be able to report until after the village had distributed the grain.

The distribution of grain in the village wouldn’t start until after the delivery of the public grain. Most of the commune members not working these days were on the mountain preparing firewood for the winter.

A few days ago, Yunyi found a good spot in the deep mountains, not only suitable for drying cured meat but also with a natural cave perfect for smoking meat.

She was thinking of making a trip there in the next few days to hang the cured meat.

She didn’t worry about someone finding the place. After all, very few dared to venture deep into the mountains.

Fearing that wild animals might be attracted by the scent and cause damage, she had specially made plenty of Beast Repellent Powder to scatter around the area when she went there.

Yunyi had asked the Branch Secretary and the brigade leader to keep her transfer to Hua’an Farm Reclamation a secret for now.

They really hadn’t expected Yunyi to move so quickly.

The brigade leader, Qiao Yougen, had intended to have a talk with Yunyi after the public grain was delivered, planning to reassign her to the village health clinic.

But before he could act, she had already been reassigned to Hua’an Farm Reclamation.

Since they offered a salary, he had no reason to ask her to stay and had to let go of the idea.

After learning about Yunyi’s departure, the Branch Secretary felt a pang of regret, understanding that for a capable person like Chu Zhiqing, leaving was only a matter of time.

Before heading to the mountains, Yunyi planned to make a trip to the county first, as she had spent the past few days learning how to fry dry goods with the older women in the village.

Both smoking meat and drying cured meat required time. She planned to send some fried dry goods first and then, before the New Year, send some cured and smoked meat as festival gifts.

Today she was going to the county to send the fried dry goods. Next time, she could send the cured meat directly from the commune. Sending packages separately meant she wouldn’t have to worry about a large parcel causing trouble.

Carrying a basket on her back, when she reached the entrance of the village and saw many people waiting for the oxcart, she took a side path to avoid the village entrance.

After walking for a while, she took out her bicycle from the storage space and headed towards the county town.

She had packed full bags of various fried dry goods and dried mushrooms for the Wei Family, Hua Family, and Gu Family, as she had received parcels from these families in the previous days. Although the items were not numerous, they were thoughtfully chosen, and naturally, she needed to reciprocate.

She rode fast, and when she reached the outskirts of the county town, she found a secluded spot to tie the three bags she was going to send onto the rear seat of her bike.

Then she headed straight for the post and telecommunications office.

The woman in charge of mailing saw what Yunyi wanted to send and kindly reminded her, ”Young lady, fried dry goods are heavy, and the postage isn’t cheap.”

Yunyi nodded with a smile, ”Ma’am, I know. I’ve received quite a few things from relatives since going down to the countryside. I’ve got to show my gratitude.”

The woman nodded in agreement, ”Indeed, it’s good to give and take.”

After sending the packages and seeing that there was still time, Yunyi went to the department store and bought some of the current popular biscuits, glutinous rice sticks, and several bottles of Xinhuaide bottled white liquor.

She found some defective but ticketless wool yarn, taking two pounds of both ginger yellow and light green, and bought some salt and soy sauce before leaving the department store.

After stowing her purchases, she strolled along, considering a visit to the recycling station.

Passing an alleyway, she saw a man with a vacant stare squatting in a corner, with a small wooden box in front of him.

Though she had already passed by, as she was about to look away, she spotted something poking out from beside the wooden box and paused.

She cautiously approached and tentatively asked, ”Comrade, may I take a look at what’s inside this wooden box?”

The man lifted his head when he heard someone talking to him. Realizing what Yunyi had said, he responded with some excitement, ”Yes, you may.”

As he spoke, he opened the wooden box.

His wife was sick and urgently needed money to save her life, but the family really couldn’t come up with enough. He had no choice but to take out the heirloom wood carving tools to trade for some money.

But no one was interested, and he was feeling quite desperate.

When Yunyi saw the contents, her eyes lit up. This was a complete set of carving tools, and it was clear they had been meticulously maintained!

”Comrade, these items...”

The man didn’t wait for Yunyi to finish speaking and interjected, ”I’m not selling these items separately. If you want them, take the whole set.”

Delighted with the response she wanted, Yunyi was overjoyed.

Looking at the wooden box on the ground and then at the anxious expression on the man’s face, she understood why he had made such a statement. ”How much for the whole set?”

The man, seeing that Yunyi hadn’t made discouraging remarks like others before her, nor was she looking to buy just one or two pieces, said, ”Take the whole set. It’s fine if you pay a little less.”

He touched the wooden box as he spoke, ”These have been passed down from my ancestors, and I don’t want them to be separated.”