Chapter 7: A Modest Savings

After more than half an hour on the road, the tractor finally rumbled its way to the outskirts of the county town. Jiang Yuxiu let out a sigh of relief, gripping the handrail tightly and not daring to let go, afraid the jolts would send her flying.

“Brother Yan, aren’t we going into town?” she asked.

“It’s a hassle to drive the tractor into town and turn around. I’ll take the pheasants and hares in first and leave the wild boar here for now. You stay put and don’t wander off. Wait for me to come back.” Yan Rushan swiftly lifted the dry grass, took the pheasants and hares in hand, and admonished her repeatedly.

Zhong Yuxiu nodded in understanding, watching him leave. She rested her elbows on her knees, her chin propped in her hands. She didn’t know how long she’d waited before she saw Yan Rushan return, this time accompanied by two tall men. One of them pushed a wheelbarrow with a large scale on it, about one and a half meters long.

“Brother Yan.”

“Get down. These comrades will weigh and load the goods.”

At his signal, Zhong Yuxiu jumped down from the tractor and asked, “Brother Yan, who are they?”

“We’ll talk about it later.” Yan Rushan waved her off and directed the two men to unload the wild boar and tie it up with rope. The lead man weighed it on the big scale and said, “Comrade Yan, the wild boar weighs three hundred and fifty pounds. At current prices, Grade One meat is eighty cents a pound, Grade Four is forty-five. Wild boar is lean, so I’ll give you fifty-one cents a pound. How’s that?”

“Comrade Zhou, that’s a fair price. But I want some grain too—any kind, coarse or fine, deducted from the cash,” Yan Rushan replied calmly.

Comrade Zhou’s spirits were high, a smile in his eyes. “Of course! Comrade Yan, come with me to settle accounts. As for this young comrade...” He glanced at Zhong Yuxiu a couple of times, unsure for a moment.

“She’ll stay here and watch the tractor. We’ll be back soon.”

Zhong Yuxiu kept quiet, listening to their conversation. However she listened, it was clear Yan Rushan was protecting her, not wanting her involved in the transaction.

With arrangements made, Yan Rushan stepped up to Zhong Yuxiu. “I’ll be right back after I get the goods. Stay here and don’t wander off.”

“All right.” Unfamiliar with the county, and with the tractor—the pride of the entire brigade—she certainly wouldn’t go anywhere.

His instructions given, Yan Rushan left with the two men, and Zhong Yuxiu was alone again. Seeing the area was sparsely populated, she chose not to climb back onto the tractor but sat in the grass behind it, letting her spiritual power enter the space in her ring. The things inside were of no use for now. What might be useful were those high-tech documents she’d collected during her last fast transmigration to an interstellar world, where she’d become a senior researcher.

There were materials ranging from civilian machinery to advanced weaponry.

For now, she dared not reveal anything. A girl raised in comfort in the city, with no particular skills, suddenly producing items far beyond her apparent worth would be lucky to escape imprisonment, if not death.

She would wait quietly for the college entrance exams.

When Yan Rushan returned, he didn’t see her at first. He circled the tractor and finally found her, so lost in thought she didn’t even notice his approach. “Comrade Zhong.”

Zhong Yuxiu started and snapped back to herself. “Ah? Brother Yan, you’re back.” She looked somewhat disheveled.

“Mm.” Yan Rushan placed a large cloth bag on the tractor. “Ten pounds of fine grain. The money and ration coupons are inside—count them.”

“No need. Brother Yan, you’ve helped me so much already. How could I not trust you?” Zhong Yuxiu looked him over. “Brother Yan, is something troubling you?”

He nodded slightly, climbed into the driver’s seat, and motioned for her to get on. It was time to go.

Zhong Yuxiu hurried up. “Brother Yan, tell me what happened.”

“There’s a strict crackdown in town. Don’t come to the county for the next month. The grain at the educated youth spot is enough for now.”

“A crackdown? Is it on private transactions? Or the black market?” She recalled bits and pieces Yan Rushan had mentioned before. The black market was technically forbidden, but with the county’s shortages, it had to exist. That meant officials occasionally conducted surprise inspections.

Private transactions were just as risky—if discovered and reported, both parties would be detained and branded with the stigma of their era, despised and rejected.

“They’re checking everything.”

Seeing Yan Rushan’s calm gaze, clearly accustomed to such situations, Yuxiu nodded. “Then I won’t come for a while. I have enough for half a year. The grain is barely enough, but I can stretch it with some wild greens.”

“Come back when things quiet down.” He would never give up this supply line. No one could predict what might happen next—having money and grain brought peace of mind.

“I’ve really troubled you, Brother Yan, making you take such risks.” It was clear Yan Rushan was indeed looking out for her.

Yan Rushan started the tractor and turned back. He glanced down at her and pressed a small paper packet into her hand, leaving her puzzled.

“What’s this?”

“Fever medicine. Don’t let anyone catch on when you get back.”

“Understood.” Zhong Yuxiu slipped it into her pocket, actually storing it in her space ring. She might not need it now, but who knew about the future? Medicine was valuable.

In this era, poverty and backwardness made medicine a rare treasure.

They chatted idly as the tractor rattled back. When they finally reached the educated youth spot, Zhong Yuxiu hurried off, carrying her grain. After the bumpy ride, her backside was numb. Even with her feet on solid ground, she still felt the rumble beneath her.

“Go rest first. I’ll return the tractor,” Yan Rushan said before driving off.

Watching him go, Zhong Yuxiu turned to the educated youth quarters. Most of the others were still out working, and the place was quiet. She went straight to her room, shut the door, opened the bag, and set aside the cash and coupons, stowing half the grain in her storage ring.

She left some grain beside her, then counted the coupons—one wild boar had sold for at least one hundred seventy-five yuan. With the pheasants and hares, she had just over two hundred, not counting the value of the grain and tickets. The tickets included thirty pounds of grain coupons, five pounds of meat coupons, two soap coupons, and two shampoo powder coupons.

All in all, she now had two hundred fifty in savings. She finally felt secure—money and grain eased her worries.

Storing her cash away, she took the fine grain to the kitchen. There, a small cellar held the rations for everyone at the educated youth spot. Zhong Yuxiu put her share inside.

“Not staying in your room—what are you up to?” a voice startled her.

She turned to see Yan Rushan standing at the door. Relieved, she replied, “You scared me! I was just putting the grain in the cellar. Everyone here takes care of me—of course, any fine grain should be shared. You’re back so soon? Did the brigade leader say anything?”

“He asked about your illness. I said you just have a fever from a chill, your temperature was high, but you’ve had medicine and an injection. A couple of doses and you’ll be fine.” Yan Rushan glanced at the cellar. “You should keep the fine grain for yourself—it won’t last long anyway.”

Better to save it for special occasions.

“It’ll be gone soon enough,” she said, her eyes brightening with sudden inspiration. “Why don’t we make dumplings? There’s plenty of wild greens in season—let’s make wild green dumplings.”

Yan Rushan’s expression remained cool, as if she hadn’t caught his meaning at all.