The Delicate Darling with Her Rough Man

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Xu Wenwan Has Returned

After a heavy rain, a full week of sunny days followed.

The grain was basically all sun-dried.

These past few days, Gu Jiaojiao had been running up the mountain every day. She was exceptionally enthusiastic about stockpiling food.

In just one week, she had nearly filled her family’s cellar to the brim.

A couple of days ago, Leng Yuan went to the County Town to mail a manuscript, and Gu Jiaojiao had asked him to see if there were any earthenware jars or large vats for sale.

Leng Yuan was quite resourceful. He found a source that didn’t require ration tickets, but the prices were incredibly steep.

He bought two large vats, each with a capacity of about two hundred pounds. They were eight yuan each, for a total of sixteen yuan.

He also bought two larger vats that could hold over three hundred pounds, which were ten yuan each, costing twenty yuan.

The four vats cost thirty-six yuan.

There were also seven or eight earthenware jars of various sizes, holding anywhere from thirty to fifty pounds.

In total, he spent seventy yuan.

This was an absolute fortune.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Leng Yuan arranged for the delivery to be made via a small path, with the items completely hidden under a layer of straw.

After dark, they were brought in through the back door. The delivery men were used to this; they departed again under the cover of night.

Thankfully, no one saw them. Otherwise, their family would have become the latest subject of village gossip.

Although the items were expensive, they were worth it.

With these containers, Gu Jiaojiao could process the mushrooms she brought back from the mountain, drying some and pickling others.

She knew the villagers also made soybean paste, so she planned to make some as well.

Besides these, Gu Jiaojiao also pickled a large vat of sour bamboo shoots.

And sour long beans.

The bamboo shoots were dug up from the mountain.

The long beans were grown in their private plot.

Each person was allotted a small private plot of land where they could grow their own vegetables.

Since many families didn’t have enough to eat, most villagers used their private plots to grow staple crops.

Things like corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and soybeans would provide a small harvest. In addition, they would also plant some cabbage and radishes to pickle for the winter.

Leng Yuan hadn’t planted any of those.

So, Gu Jiaojiao decided to go to Aunt Zhao to buy some cabbage and radishes.

Gu Jiaojiao woke up early one morning to find that Leng Yuan had already left.

His school had started, and since they didn’t have a bicycle, Leng Yuan had to take the five a.m. ox-cart to the town commune.

Gu Jiaojiao had still been asleep then, and her husband couldn’t bear to wake her.

When she got up, she found a meal still warm in the pot.

Leng Yuan had a good habit: whenever he got up early, he would cook a meal and keep it warm for her.

Gu Jiaojiao was very pleased with this.

After eating and cleaning up, she headed to Aunt Zhao’s house.

The Qingshan Team was divided into an upper slope and a lower slope, with over a hundred households on each. In total, the team had nearly three hundred households, making it a large village.

Aunt Zhao’s family lived on the upper slope.

It took Gu Jiaojiao half an hour to walk to Aunt Zhao’s house.

Aunt Zhao was sitting in her courtyard washing clothes for her large family. She was very happy to see Gu Jiaojiao and immediately had her take a seat.

Gu Jiaojiao didn’t stand on ceremony. She sat on a stool in the courtyard and explained her purpose. ”Auntie, we didn’t plant any cabbage or radishes in our private plot. I want to pickle some vegetables, so I was hoping to buy some from you.”

Hearing this, Aunt Zhao immediately replied, ”Why buy them? I can just send some over for you.”

Gu Jiaojiao quickly refused. ”Auntie, I need quite a lot. If you give them to me, you won’t have enough for yourself. Besides, I also need to give some as gifts.”

”I’d like to buy two hundred pounds of cabbage, one hundred pounds of carrots, and two hundred pounds of daikon radishes at market price. Do you think you have that much?”

Aunt Zhao was a frugal and thrifty woman.

She had planted a lot of cabbage this year, and seeing that Gu Jiaojiao really did need a large amount, she agreed to sell them to her.

”Alright. I’ll get the cabbage and radishes ready today, and I’ll have Tie Zhu deliver them to you this afternoon.”

”But I don’t have that many daikon radishes and carrots—only about fifty pounds of each.”

She also needed to pickle some vegetables for the winter.

Gu Jiaojiao was already prepared for this. ”Auntie, just give me however much you have,” she said. ”As for the rest, if you know any other aunties you’re on good terms with, perhaps you could introduce me.”

Gu Jiaojiao hadn’t been in the countryside for long and had a bad reputation, so everyone did their best to stay far away from her.

After all this time, her relationship with the Zhao family was the only decent one she had.

Aunt Zhao readily agreed.

”Okay, I’ll ask around for you. I’ll have Tie Zhu deliver everything to you then.”

The Zhao family also owned a flatbed cart.

In the entire Qingshan Team, only the Zhao family, Old Chen’s family, the village party secretary’s family, and the team leader’s family had one.

After settling the matter, Gu Jiaojiao rested a little while longer at Aunt Zhao’s house before heading back.

Just as she left Aunt Zhao’s house, she saw Old Chen driving his ox-cart toward her from a distance.

Gu Jiaojiao found it strange. Normally, the ox-cart only went to the County Town during the off-season. But right now, it was the busy farming season, and many people who had harvested their soybeans were lining up, waiting to use Old Chen’s ox to turn their millstones.

Logically, the ox-cart shouldn’t be going to the County Town at this time.

Gu Jiaojiao was only briefly puzzled and was about to leave.

Just then, the ox-cart reached the main road and passed right in front of her.

From about ten meters away, Gu Jiaojiao got a clear look at the person on the cart. The moment she recognized the person’s face, she was struck by a feeling of destiny.

The village chief’s daughter, Xu Wenwan, was back.