《Age of Reincarnation: Spatial Supermarket Brings Forth Wealth》


 Chapter 1

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    Bang¡­


    A loud bang sounded in a small supermarket located in a downtown plaza.


    Bai Xue was on her way home after work, but she had left her house key in her new supermarket which had been open for less than half a year. Just 10 minutes after she opened the door and went in to get the key, the gas in the employee lounge area exploded.


    The burning sensation disappeared in an instant, and Bai Xue lost consciousness.


    When she woke up again, the first thing she felt was cold. It was so cold that she could not help but shiver. It was pitch-black in front of her eyes, and she could hear the whistling wind and¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­ I can¡¯t take it anymore. It hurts. It hurts so much. Third Aunt, Daliang, I¡­ I can¡¯t do it¡­ I don¡¯t have any strength left!¡± A woman¡¯s voice sounded as she tried her best to give birth.


    Bai Xue was in a daze when she heard the heart-wrenching scream.


    ¡°Cuihua, you have to persevere! It will be over soon!¡± At this moment, a man said, ¡°You¡¯re giving birth. How can you stop halfway and give up?¡±


    ¡°Cuihua, you have to push harder! You¡¯re having twins again. You can¡¯t delay any longer!¡± The woman called Third Aunt said anxiously.


    Huh? What was going on? This woman was giving birth to a pair of twins no less.


    ¡°Third Aunt, I haven¡¯t eaten in days. I don¡¯t have any strength left in my body. I can¡¯t do it¡­ Boohoo¡­¡± The woman who was giving birth cried hoarsely.


    Why didn¡¯t she eat? Was she on a diet or something?


    Bai Xue felt annoyed inside.


    ¡°Daliang, is there nothing to eat at home?¡± Third Aunt asked the man.


    ¡°There¡¯s really nothing else. The children didn¡¯t eat anything today. Xue secretly went up the mountain to find food for her younger siblings. She slipped and lost consciousness, but I couldn¡¯t even get her a doctor. I¡­ I¡¯m a useless father. It¡¯s all my fault¡­¡± The man called Daliang blamed himself. It was obvious he was in pain from his voice.


    It seemed the pregnant woman was not on a diet. Instead, her useless husband was to blame for her predicament. This man was indeed useless for letting his wife and children go hungry.


    ¡°This is terrible. Does Old Madam Bai want you to die?¡± Third Aunt slapped her thigh and said indignantly, ¡°Daliang, go to my house and get some corn flour to cook some paste for your wife. How can she give birth if she doesn¡¯t have the strength?¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll go right away. Thank you, Third Aunt. Thank you so much¡­¡± The man said excitedly and ran out.


    The woman¡¯s voice moaned weakly. It sounded especially painful.


    When Bai Xue heard this, she thought she was dreaming. However, the cold wind told her that she was not dreaming. This shout was real.


    ¡°Were people able to have babies in the Netherworld? Were they ghost babies?¡± Bai Xue muttered.


    She was sure she was dead. If the gas exploded, it would be a miracle that she survived.


    The cold wind made Bai Xue snap out of her thoughts. Bai Xue was sure that she was lying on an old-fashioned heated platform bed made of bricks, but it was very cold. She was covered with a thin and hard blanket, so it was not warm at all. She was shivering from the cold. She could not lie down anymore and wanted to get up and move around.


    However, when she tried to get up, her entire body hurt as if it had fallen apart. She could not exert any strength at all.


    Ghosts should not feel pain, so she was still alive, but she was lying in a strange place. She was a little confused and did not know what had happened.


    Unable to get up, she could only try her best to pull the useless thin blanket on her body. She could not see anything even with her eyes wide open. All she could hear was the commotion coming from the other side.


    Seriously, the woman did not even turn on the lights and close the windows when she gave birth. It was so cold that it was impossible to miss. Then again, this family was unable to feed itself, so it made sense for them to have trouble paying the electricity bill.


    ¡°Cuihua, did your mother-in-law come to plunder your house again?¡± Third Aunt spoke again. Perhaps she was afraid that the pregnant woman would faint, so she found a topic to talk about.


    ¡°A few days ago, she came and said that my third brother-in-law¡¯s family is running out of food and my in-laws are on the brink of starvation. They took away all the remaining food supplies and dried vegetables we have left,¡± said the pregnant woman weakly.


    ¡°Even if Old Madam Bai was biased, how could she do this? There are so many children in your family, and you¡¯re about to give birth again. How can she be so heartless? Aren¡¯t these kids her grandchildren? Isn¡¯t Daliang her son?¡±


    The vicious Old Madam Bai was this pregnant woman¡¯s mother-in-law. She had snatched the pregnant woman¡¯s food and it was unbelievable.


    Third Aunt said indignantly, ¡°You¡¯re about to give birth, but you can¡¯t get a single bite of food or even use kerosene to light a lamp. This is really¡­¡±


    What did she mean by kerosene lamp?


    Bai Xue was shocked.


    Who would use kerosene lamps in this day and age? Shouldn¡¯t there be electric lights?


    She carefully connected the dots about everything she had heard after waking up as she sensed the pain coming from her body.


    Could it be that she was not dead? Had she been reborn?


    She continued to endure the cold and tremble as she listened to the two of them talk.


    ¡°I originally saved some kerosene to use when I was giving birth, but my mother-in-law took it away the other day¡­¡±


    As the two of them spoke, the man ran back, panting hard. He started to cook corn paste in the outer room.


    There seemed to be a few children chattering beside him.


    Bai Xue rolled her eyes in her heart.


    How could this family live like this? Also, that mother-in-law was absolutely vicious. Wait. What did the man just say? He said that Xue went up the mountain to find food for her younger siblings. She slipped and fell and lost consciousness ever since.


    Could it be that she was reborn in the body of a girl called Xue? They even shared the same character in their names!


    As Bai Xue thought about it, she reached her hands out and touched her body. Her arms and legs were thin.


    She was not that thin at all. She was originally slightly plump, but when she touched herself, she felt bony to the touch.


    Just as Bai Xue thought about her body which was as thin as a monkey, the man came in after cooking corn paste. This body was perhaps so hungry that when she smelled the food, her stomach rumbled and she automatically wanted to drool.


    ¡°Come on, Cuihua. Have a bite so that you can have the strength to give birth!¡±


    ¡°Daliang, call the children in! It¡¯s so dark outside that they can¡¯t even see! The outside room is very cold, so I¡¯m afraid the children will catch a cold. What will you do if they fall sick?¡± The pregnant woman did not forget to show concern for the other children.


    Bai Xue recalled that this family had a lot of children. She wondered how many children they had. Although Bai Xue felt uncomfortable lying on the brick bed, she could not help but think about this family.


    The cold wind was howling outside, and the air was leaking everywhere in the house. They were living in such a harsh environment, but she was not sent to the hospital to give birth and the family could not even afford to light a kerosene lamp¡­ Judging from the surroundings, she reckoned that she had been reborn in a backward time.


    ¡°Alright, you eat. I¡¯ll let the children come in and sleep!¡± The man called Daliang walked out. Soon, he brought back a few children.


    Bai Xue could not see exactly how many there were, but a few children climbed onto the bed. The man had probably told them to lie down obediently without making a sound.


    However, Bai Xue still heard the sound of swallowing. Perhaps they had been hungry for too long and were craving corn paste.


    ¡°Daliang, give the children a bite each. I¡¯ll eat the rest!¡± When the pregnant woman heard the children had come in, she wanted to share her food with them.


    Bai Xue also wanted to take a bite, but before she could react, her head hurt and she fainted.

 Chapter 2

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    Bai Xue was already in her department store when she regained consciousness.


    The supermarket was as neat as before and did not look like there was a gas explosion at all. She looked at the fresh vegetables in the vegetable area and saw that they were as green as freshly plucked vegetables.


    In the grain and oil area, there were vats of rice and flour including rice, sorghum rice, millet, oat, white flour, corn flour, buckwheat flour, and yellow rice flour.


    Vats of beans including soybeans, green beans, red beans, black beans, and peas could be found on the side.


    There were also pre packed bags of rice and flour leaning against the wall. They came in 20, 50, and 100 catty sizes.


    There were also all kinds of oil such as soybean oil, peanut oil, and sunflower oil coming in 2, 5, 10, and 50 catty-sized bottles.


    In the fresh foods area, there were all kinds of meat such as pork, beef, mutton, chicken, duck, and fish. Lean pork meat, pork belly, fatty pork meat, lard, chicken drumsticks, chicken wings, chicken breast, chicken internal organs, beef, and mutton were also clearly divided. Each had its own cold storage cabinet, and they were displayed in an orderly manner.


    Next were seasonings. She could see soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, MSG, Sichuan pepper, star anise, and salt. Some of them she neither recognized at all, nor did she know how to use them. Anyway, it was a good selection and everything was there.


    She looked at every corner of the supermarket. Even the clothes, quilts, sheets, shoes, and socks that were the most flammable items were properly displayed. There were no signs of fire at all. The only difference was that everything outside the supermarket looked blurry. She could not see the other shops and could not go out. Her consciousness could only move freely in her supermarket.


    Bai Xue subconsciously touched a vegetable. It did not pass through her hand like an apparition and she was able to pick it up.


    Just as she was feeling puzzled, many memories that did not belong to her intruded into her mind. They were clear and blurry, beautiful and painful.


    It turned out that she had really transmigrated and been reborn.


    She was reborn as this clan¡¯s eldest daughter, Bai Ruxue.


    The host was 15 years old this year and was the eldest daughter of this family. There was only one extra character in her name, Bai Ruxue. She had a pair of 12-year-old younger twin sisters, Bai Ruyun and Bai Ruxia. The twin younger brothers were 10 years old, Bai Rushan and Bai Ruchuan. If she guessed correctly, another pair of twins were born last night.


    This family certainly had a lot of children.


    She knew this era very well. Her father always told her about the time when he was young. Her father was born in 1963 and happened to be in this era when food and clothing were scarce. He always told her about the hunger and cold he suffered when he was young and how difficult it was.


    The host¡¯s father was the eldest son of the Bai family and he had already moved out of the main residence. However, the host¡¯s grandmother was biased. The host had two uncles and three aunts. The three aunts had already married and had moved to other villages. The host¡¯s father and second uncle had already moved out. Her grandmother was biased towards her third uncle, so she kept going to her two elder sons to plunder things for her youngest son. When Bai Xue first woke up, she chanced upon her mother giving birth. Sadly, Wang Cuihua was unable to give birth properly because she was hungry and weak.


    After receiving the memories from the original owner of the body, Bai Xue no longer had any strength. Her consciousness was kicked out of the interspatial supermarket.


    When she woke up again, the sky was already bright. No, correction. It was an inappropriate description since the room was still very dark.


    ¡°Big Sis, are you awake?¡± Before Bai Xue could say anything, she saw a thin and small girl leaning over the top of her head and looking at her. She looked to be about 10 years old. Her black eyes looked emotional, and her small mouth was pouting. There were still tears rolling in her eyes. Ignoring her overly thin face, she was still a pretty girl. She was her second younger sister, Bai Ruyun, one of the twin sisters.


    ¡°Big Sis, you scared me to death. Boohoo¡­¡± The little girl had been guarding Bai Xue. When she saw that she had woken up, she quickly cried out.


    Her cry attracted everyone in the room. Bai Xue watched as several little fellows ran over and scrambled to climb onto the brick platform bed.


    ¡°Big Sis, are you really awake? Do you still hurt?¡± Bai Ruxia¡¯s third sister climbed up and knelt beside Bai Xue.


    ¡°Dad, Big Sis is awake!¡± There was a little boy beside his feet. He resembled Bai Ruxia, but he looked younger than her. He was the eldest of the twin boys, Bai Rushan.


    ¡°Big Sis, you¡¯re awake. I¡¯ll get you some hot water¡­¡± Bai Ruchuan was the younger twin boy. He was standing on the ground before he hurriedly ran out to fetch water.


    ¡°Is Xue awake? Come, come, step aside. Let me see how your eldest sister is doing!¡± The man¡¯s voice sounded from outside, and the host¡¯s father walked in.


    Bai Xue found it strange. Ever since she accepted the memories of the host, she could recognize everyone, and she did not feel unfamiliar at all.


    ¡°Xue, can you sit up?¡± Bai Daliang climbed onto the brick platform bed and asked her brothers and sisters to move aside while he helped Bai Xue up. ¡°Come, drink some hot water to warm your stomach first. I¡¯ll cook some corn paste for you!¡±


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m much better. I can sit on my own. You don¡¯t have to help me!¡± She sat on her own after being helped up. Fortunately, she did not hurt her bones when she slid down the slope.


    Bai Xue took the enamel cup and gulped down a few mouthfuls of warm water. Only then did her stomach feel a little better.


    Actually, this family should not be so hungry. Five children in the family could work in the production unit and the youngest two children were already ten years old. In addition, Bai Daliang and Wang Cuihua could also work. The seven of them could earn bit by bit and save some money by the end of the year.


    They were not so poor that they could not even afford a proper blanket and would starve from time to time. Even after Wang Cuihua got pregnant, she did not stay at home and stopped working entirely.


    Old Madam Bai came over from time to time to take advantage of them. They really had no choice. If they did not give Old Madam Bai what she wanted, she would resort to stealing. If Old Madam Bai could not steal, she would snatch. She would act shamelessly and take all the food, blankets, and clothes they had at home.


    ¡°Xue, slow down. I¡¯ll get you some cornmeal paste later!¡± Bai Daliang looked at Bai Xue, who was gulping down water, and his eyes turned red.


    He had gone to the old residence yesterday to ask his mother for food but she refused to hand the food over. Third Aunt had given him some food supplies last night and he did not cook them all. He had saved some for the children to eat today.


    ¡°Dad, why don¡¯t you give them to Mom and¡­ babies. I¡¯m fine!¡± She had heard of corn paste, but she felt that she definitely could not eat it.


    Bai Xue glanced at Wang Cuihua, who was sitting on the brick platform bed in the south. Her mother had just given birth, but she did not know the gender of the two newborn children.


    The nine of them were squeezed into a mud house. It was a room with a brick platform bed running from the north to the south. The area in the middle was not spacious. The couple slept on the south brick platform bed, while she used the north brick platform bed with her siblings. On the ground, there was a large iron pot used to cook food near the entrance.


    There was a cabinet on the south side of the brick platform bed. All the family¡¯s things were kept inside including blankets folded on top of it. Once it was winter, the blankets did not need to be kept folded since the house was chilly anyway. If there was nothing to do, they would cover themselves with the blankets and sit on the brick platform bed.


    ¡°Big Sis, Mother has given birth to boy and girl twins this time!¡± Bai Ruyun was usually the most perceptive. Seeing her eldest sister did not know if her mother had given birth to a younger brother or sister, she quickly explained.


    ¡°Oh, really? Haha! I see!¡± Bai Xue rubbed her nose and replied.


    ¡°Your mother has food. I¡¯ve already cooked for you, so just eat it! Hang on! I¡¯ll bring it to you now!¡± Bai Daliang said as he walked out.


    ¡°Big Sis, go ahead and eat! Hurry up and get well. You scared us to death! Don¡¯t go to the mountain alone from now on. In the future, Chuan and I will look for food! We are men!¡± Bai Rushan was the elder brother of the boys. He patted his chest and spoke.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Big Sis. Big Bro and I will take care of the food. If Brother Zhang from the Educated Youth Section didn¡¯t carry you back, you might have frozen to death outside!¡± Bai Ruchuan also spoke.


    ¡°Good boy!¡± Bai Xue could only pat her brothers¡¯ heads in agreement.


    As for Brother Zhang from the Educated Youth Section¡­ she would repay him for saving his life in the future if she had the ability!


    Although the host had still died, he saved her life.

 Chapter 3

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    ¡°Come, Xue. Eat it while it¡¯s hot!¡± Bai Daliang brought in a bowl of corn paste with a spoon in it.


    Bai Xue took the bowl and looked at its contents. This was more like water with some corn flour added to it. It was not thick at all and was no different from drinking water.


    She looked at her sleeping mother and her new younger siblings who were either asleep or had no strength to cry, and her four younger siblings as they looked at her eagerly.


    ¡°Come on. Let¡¯s each take a bite!¡± Bai Xue pushed the corn paste in front of Bai Ruchuan.


    ¡°Big Sis, we ate last night. Hurry up and eat! You¡¯ll have the strength to recover after eating!¡± Bai Ruchuan said sensibly. Although his eyes never left the bowl, he still had no intention of taking the spoon.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Big Sis. Hurry up and eat. You¡¯ll have more strength once you¡¯ve eaten!¡± Bai Ruxia also said from the side.


    The others also nodded without any intention of eating.


    Bai Xue was very touched. Although she was reborn in this godforsaken place, her family was good. It was a blessing in disguise.


    In the end, she shared it with her younger siblings. She gave most of the food to her younger sibling and only took a small sip. Sure enough, it was indeed disgusting.


    She thought about the interspatial supermarket she had just accessed. Fortunately, she could use it. She was reborn into an era with very few resources, so she might die without the supermarket.


    In the 1960s, when resources and food were scarce, food was more precious than gold. It was really not easy to stay alive.


    If she wanted to change the family¡¯s current situation, she had to first subdue Old Madam Bai, who was also the host¡¯s grandmother. Otherwise, if she kept taking supplies from her family, it would be unsafe for her to take anything out of the interspatial supermarket.


    Just as she was thinking about it, the two babies on the south side of the brick platform bed cried in unison. Their cries were weak and soft.


    Bai Xue had no choice but to get off the brick platform bed. After delivering the corn paste, Bai Daliang went out. She did not know what he was doing, so she had to help coax the child.


    Bai Xue picked up one of them. She did not know if it was a younger brother or sister. Although the blanket was a little torn, the child was not frozen and its limbs were quite warm.


    The brick platform bed was already warm, and it was not as cold as last night.


    ¡°Yun, come over and help with the kids. If you carry them and rock them like this, they might fall asleep!¡± Bai Xue could not carry the two children alone, so she could only call her younger sister over.


    ¡°Big Sis, it¡¯s no use. They are hungry. Mother¡¯s too weak to even have breast milk. What should we do?¡± Bai Ruyun obediently walked over and picked up the child as she spoke.


    ¡°Xia, come and carry the baby. I¡¯ll go out and see if there¡¯s anything to feed the child!¡±


    The children tried their best to lower their voices, but they still woke Wang Cuihua up. When she heard the babies cry, she quickly got up. ¡°Yun, Xia, give them to me!¡±


    The two of them looked at Bai Xue, who had yet to leave. Bai Xue had no choice but to walk over. ¡°Mom, your body is still weak. I¡¯ll go out and see if I can find something for my siblings to eat! Lie down first!¡±


    ¡°Xue, are you okay? I¡¯m relieved¡­¡± Seeing her eldest daughter awake, Wang Cuihua ignored the babies and got up to hug her. Her eyes were red from crying.


    ¡°Alright, Mom. You just gave birth. You can¡¯t be agitated! Hurry up and lie down to rest!¡± Bai Xue helped her lie down.


    ¡°I can¡¯t lie down. I have to feed your brother and sister. The kids are so hungry that they don¡¯t have the strength to cry!¡±


    ¡°Mom, do you have breast milk?¡± asked Bai Xue.


    ¡°Well ¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright, Mom. Lie down and rest well. Leave the rest to me. I¡¯ll think of a way!¡± Bai Xue said and walked out.


    Wang Cuihua¡¯s eldest daughter always had a lot of good ideas, so she was also happy to listen to her and it was no different this time. Since Bai Ruxue said she would take care of the food, Wang Cuihua was happy to let her give it a shot. Wang Cuihua did not have any breast milk, so she was of little help anyway.


    After Bai Xue left the house, she turned around to check that her younger siblings did not follow her. She quickly entered the supermarket and looked around before taking a bag of white sugar from the shelf.


    Actually, there was milk powder in the supermarket. Although it was not baby formula, it was high-calcium milk suitable for babies as well. It was far better than letting the babies cry out in hunger.


    Otherwise, other dairy products worked as well. She also had yogurt, pure milk, and skim milk in her interspatial supermarket. However, she had not thought of how to tell her family the source of the things, so she did not dare to take them out.


    Bai Xue quickly ate a small loaf of bread, drank a bottle of yogurt, and threw the trash into the interspatial supermarket. She took the white sugar and went to find a bowl to make white sugar water. She did not dare to leave the rest of the white sugar out in the open. She could only grab a small handful, place it in a bowl, and put it in the cupboard. She carried a bowl of white sugar water and walked back inside.


    The newborn babies had not eaten anything since they were born. They must have low blood sugar by now. They had not absorbed much nutrition in their mother¡¯s stomach to begin with. It was only natural for them to have low blood sugar.


    Hypoglycemia in newborns was very dangerous. It would affect the child¡¯s brain and might cause cerebral palsy.


    Bai Xue wasted no time and quickly brought the white sugar water in. ¡°Yun, Xia, quickly put down the babies and feed them the white sugar water!¡±


    ¡°Xue, where did the white sugar water come from?¡± Wang Cuihua¡¯s eyes had turned red listening to her babies crying.


    ¡°I hid a little in advance! Mom, don¡¯t ask. Just feed the babies first.¡±


    Although it was just water, the white sugar would help with their hypoglycemia. She had put a lot of white sugar in the water.


    ¡°Okay, okay! I won¡¯t ask¡­¡± Wang Cuihua was happy and sad when she saw the two children calm down after drinking the sugar water.


    ¡°Mom, when will you start having breast milk? It¡¯s not a good idea for the babies to keep taking white sugar water like this!¡± Bai Ruyun looked at her younger siblings who had fallen asleep after drinking the white sugar water and asked with a frown.


    Bai Xue winked at Bai Ruyun, and only then did she see Wang Cuihua¡¯s red and swollen eyes. Her grandmother had taken away all the food at home.


    How could their mother have any breast milk when she didn¡¯t have anything to eat? Seriously, she had touched a sore spot.


    Immediately, Bai Ruyun squatted on the brick platform bed like a child who had done something wrong and was at a loss.


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry. You should get some rest while the babies are sleeping! I¡¯ll make you something delicious. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll have breast milk after eating it!¡± Bai Xue sat on the edge of the bed and helped Wang Cuihua lie down, covering her with a blanket.


    ¡°Xue, there¡¯s no food at home! Your grandmother is really heartless¡­ Boohoo¡­ I don¡¯t get it. You¡¯re also her biological grandchildren!¡± Wang Cuihua lay down, but she was still crying.


    The two brothers standing on the ground gritted their teeth when they heard Wang Cuihua¡¯s words, their faces filled with hatred.


    Bai Ruyun and Bai Ruxia were no better. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with loathing for their grandmother.


    ¡°Mom, you don¡¯t have to worry about this, okay? You just gave birth, so you can¡¯t get agitated anymore! If this keeps up, you¡¯ll continue to have problems breastfeeding! You just have to take good care of the babies! Dad and I will take care of everything else!¡± Bai Xue said as she called her two sisters down from the brick platform bed.


    ¡°Xue¡­¡± Wang Cuihua said sadly.


    ¡°Alright, go to sleep. When you wake up, there will be delicious food!¡± Bai Xue comforted her for a while before coaxing Wang Cuihua to sleep.

 Chapter 4

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    Bai Xue finally managed to coax Wang Cuihua to sleep. She instructed her siblings to keep an eye on her and came out of the room. She took out two eggs from the interspatial supermarket and threw them into the pot.


    Just as she was about to go out and pick up some firewood to cook the eggs, she looked up and saw the host¡¯s father, Bai Daliang, coming in with a bag of things.


    ¡°Xue, what are you doing?¡± As soon as Bai Daliang came in, he saw his eldest daughter busy and asked worriedly.


    ¡°Dad, I took out two eggs I had hidden earlier and wanted to cook them for Mom. Mom is still unable to have breast milk!¡± Bai Xue was glad that she was not impulsive enough to cook eight to ten eggs earlier. Otherwise, she would have trouble coming up with a good excuse.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cook! You just woke up from your injury and your body is still weak. Go back to your room and wait!¡± As Bai Daliang spoke, he took off the bag on his back. It was actually filled with food.


    ¡°Dad, where did you get the food?¡± Bai Xue asked curiously.


    ¡°I got it from your grandmother! Xue, go in quickly. It¡¯s cold out here!¡± Bai Daliang put down the food and went out to pick up firewood. Bai Xue went back to the house and waited. To be honest, she did not know how to use this big iron pot.


    Not long after, Bai Daliang finished cooking the two eggs in the pot and sent them in. He woke Wang Cuihua up and gave them to her. Under Bai Xue¡¯s supervision, Wang Cuihua did not have the chance to share the eggs and ate them herself. After all, breast milk for the babies was the top priority.


    Bai Daliang went out and cooked millet porridge. He originally wanted to cook cornmeal paste, but when he thought about how the children had not eaten properly for a few days, he decided to cook millet porridge instead.


    The family ate a bowl of hot millet porridge, and the two newborns drank sugar water and fell asleep.


    ¡°Daliang, didn¡¯t she say that the grain was sent to your third sister-in-law¡¯s family? Where did you get it?¡± Wang Cuihua asked as she looked at the roughly 10 catties worth of corn flour.


    ¡°With Mom¡¯s personality, how could she give food to others?¡± Bai Daliang said angrily. ¡°When I went over, the family was eating cornmeal pancakes. I was so angry that I took the rest of the corn flour back!¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Didn¡¯t they say anything?¡±


    ¡°No matter what I say, it won¡¯t work. I¡¯m taking my own family¡¯s food!¡± It was obvious that Bai Daliang did not want to say anything else and cut the conversation short.


    Bai Xue knew that this matter was definitely not over. According to the memories left behind by the original owner of the body, every time her grandmother snatched something away, it was impossible to get them back.


    To be able to get so much food back this time, something must have happened. She just did not know what it was.


    ¡°Dad, are you alright?¡± Bai Xue asked.


    ¡°What could possibly happen? Hurry up and get on the bed after you¡¯re done cleaning up. Don¡¯t you know how cold it is staying on the ground?¡± Bai Daliang¡¯s eyes flickered.


    Bai Xue was sure that something must have happened, and it was definitely not a small matter.


    Bai Daliang was actually quite worried. He knew his mother well. Although he was taking back his family¡¯s food, his mother would not let it go just like that.


    ¡°Cuihua, go back to the brick platform bed and take care of the babies. I¡¯ll hide the corn flour!¡± As Bai Daliang spoke, he picked up the corn flour and went out.


    Bai Daliang said nothing, but she knew what he was thinking. He was afraid that his mother would come and snatch it again.


    Bai Daliang had just hidden the food supplies and returned to his room when an old woman¡¯s scolding sounded outside.


    ¡°You stupid boy. How dare you steal my food? Is there any justice? Daliang, come out here!¡±


    The children in the house surrounded Bai Xue and looked at her. They seemed to be asking her what to do.


    ¡°Big Sis, I¡¯ll break Grandma¡¯s legs and kick her out!¡± Bai Ruchuan was the first to rush out.


    ¡°Chuan, sit down!¡± Bai Xue pulled him to sit down.


    ¡°Big Sis, don¡¯t stop me. Grandma has gone too far. I¡¯m going to beat her to death!¡± Bai Ruchuan¡¯s eyes were bloodshot and he was trembling with anger.


    ¡°Big Sis, I¡¯ll help Chuan. I won¡¯t let anything happen to him!¡± Bai Ruxia also wanted to crawl down.


    ¡°Xia, don¡¯t cause trouble!¡± Bai Ruyun pulled her away from the ground.


    During this period of time, Old Madam Bai was still making a commotion. The neighbors had already heard the ruckus and came out to watch them.


    ¡°Xia, Chuan, no matter what wrong Grandma has done, as her grandchildren, it¡¯s wrong to hit her. When the time comes, regardless of our reasons, people will think we¡¯re at fault!¡± Bai Xue gathered her siblings together. ¡°We¡­¡±


    As the children talked among themselves, Bai Daliang heard his mother coming over. He comforted Wang Cuihua and asked her to stay in the house to take good care of the children. He then walked out.


    When the old woman saw Bai Daliang come out, she pounced on him to beat and scratch him. She kept scolding him. ¡°Damn you, Bai Daliang. You unfilial son. It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t show your filial piety to your parents, but how could you steal our food supplies?¡±


    The more she spoke, the more agitated she became. She cried even more loudly, ¡°Everyone, come and judge. He stole his own parents¡¯ food. How could anyone be as unfilial as him? If they have babies and need food, they should have worked to get their own food. How could he snatch mine?¡±


    Bai Daliang really could not stand his mother¡¯s howling and distortion of the truth. She was clearly the one who came to snatch his wife and children¡¯s food every time, but in the end, she blamed him for being unfilial.


    Every time, he endured it because she was his mother, the mother who had given birth to him and raised him. This time, she ignored the possibility of her biological grandchildren starving to death and snatched all the food. He really could not stand it. Since she was so biased, there was no reason for him to hold back.


    Bai Daliang pushed away the old woman who was still hitting and grabbing him. ¡°Mom, are you done?¡±


    This time, he really exploded. ¡°We¡¯ve already moved out. Why do you keep coming over to plunder my family¡¯s food time and time again, ignoring the life and death of my children? I want to ask, is there a mother like you in this world? You only treat Third Younger Brother¡¯s children as your biological grandchildren. Then what about mine? Do you know that almost three lives were lost when Cuihua gave birth last night because she didn¡¯t eat for a few days? Huh?¡±


    The old woman was pushed like this and fell to the ground. This time, she poked a hornet¡¯s nest. She patted the cold ground and wailed.


    ¡°Everyone, look at him. He¡¯s attacking his own mother. Oh god. My leg is broken. Little brat, you¡¯re twisting the truth. You were the one who took the kitchen knife to snatch our family¡¯s food in the morning, and you still say that I stole it from you! You unfilial son! I¡¯m going to the commune authorities to report you!¡± As she spoke, she looked around. Perhaps someone had accompanied her here but did not dare to come out at this moment.


    When Bai Xue saw this, she gave Bai Rushan a look. Her brothers and sisters caught her drift and ran out.


    Bai Rushan knelt down when he arrived and cried, ¡°Grandma, I beg you, please stop it! You¡¯re really driving us to our death. We¡¯re also your biological grandchildren, right?¡±


    With this cry, the onlookers outside the courtyard wall sighed.


    When the old woman saw that the situation was not right, she immediately stopped crying and shouted, ¡°You little brat, what nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by driving you to your death? Aren¡¯t you perfectly fine and well? Get up and stop messing with me!¡±


    ¡°Grandma, you said my father stole your food, but I clearly remember you coming over two days ago and taking our supplies. My mother begged you to leave the supplies alone since she was saving them for when she gave birth. Don¡¯t you remember what you said? You said it was no big deal to give birth. Your eldest grandson was still hungry and waiting for food at home!¡± Bai Xue said as she walked out of the house. She had the memories belonging to the original owner of the body, so she remembered everything clearly.

 Chapter 5

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    ¡°As a precaution, my mother saved a little kerosene for fear of giving birth in the middle of the night, but it got taken away by you. We had a bit of soybean oil, and four ounces of salt in the jar, but you plundered them. My mother made new cotton shoes for my little brother, so you took them as well. You said your eldest grandson doesn¡¯t have new shoes, so my little brother isn¡¯t fit to wear them. Do you still remember these words?¡±


    Bai Xue clearly told them everything that Old Madam Bai had stolen the other day. The neighbors next to her had no choice but to believe her.


    Moreover, everyone more or less knew Old Madam Bai always went to her eldest son¡¯s house to take things. It was said to be taking things, but to put it bluntly, it was snatching. In this era, food supplies were of utmost importance!


    ¡°You¡­ you stupid girl. Don¡¯t talk nonsense! You¡¯re full of bullshit. Be careful that you won¡¯t be able to find yourself a husband in the future!¡± Old Madam Bai shouted angrily. She no longer sat on the ground and quickly stood up to pounce on Bai Xue.


    Bai Daliang quickly protected his daughter and glared at Old Madam Bai, trembling with anger.


    ¡°Grandma, you¡¯ve taken far more from our family all these years! Do you need me to remind you what you have taken?¡± Bai Xue¡¯s mouth did not stop even as she stood behind Bai Daliang.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Xue. Bring your younger siblings into the house. I¡¯ll handle this!¡± Bai Daliang did not want to expose his dirty laundry in public.


    Bai Ruchuan was watching from the side. He refused to leave and said, ¡°Last winter, when the commune slaughtered pigs, we finally got two catties of pork. Grandma, what did you say at that time? You said Third Aunt had just given birth and didn¡¯t have enough breast milk for the baby. Since she needed the nourishment, you took away all the pork. I don¡¯t get it. My mother¡¯s giving birth as well, but you seem to think she doesn¡¯t even need to eat.¡± Bai Ruchuan straightened his neck and glared. His fearless appearance was quite cute.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not forget the division of grain in autumn. My mother wanted to give us some fine grain, so she got a few catties for us. We didn¡¯t even smell it before you snatched it away!¡± Bai Ruxia said loudly with her hands on her waist.


    They did not give Bai Daliang a chance to stop them.


    Old Madam Bai was so angry that her face turned pale. ¡°Bai Daliang, is this how you teach your children? If I don¡¯t beat you to death today¡­¡± As she spoke, she was about to hit the children.


    ¡°Grandma, no matter what, we¡¯re not as bad as our third uncle¡¯s children. This year, each family can raise three chickens, but why don¡¯t we have any? Isn¡¯t it because they threw our chicks onto the roof and killed them?¡± Bai Rushan could not help but shout when he saw his sister and brother almost beaten up.


    ¡°Mom, what am I to you? Sometimes, I really wonder if I¡¯m your biological son!¡± Bai Daliang only knew after listening to his children that not only did his mother come to his house to snatch things, but she also said so many despicable things. Wang Cuihua never told him what his mother said.


    Bai Daliang would go to the old residence demanding the stolen supplies, but his mother made all kinds of excuses. He failed to get back the things each time he tried.


    His mother always came over when he was not at home. It was impossible to guard against her.


    In his mother¡¯s heart, his wife and children were not worthy of eating good food.


    When his third younger brother¡¯s wife gave birth, his mother would come to their house to snatch meat to nourish her. However, his own wife was left with nothing when it was her turn to give birth.


    It was not necessarily true that his mother favored boys over girls. Whether it was his third younger brother¡¯s daughters or sons, his mother doted on them like treasures, but his mother disregarded Bai Daliang¡¯s children.


    The neighbors listened to the children¡¯s complaints and completely believed them.


    ¡°Old Madam Bai, that¡¯s enough! Every family is short of food. Besides, Daliang¡¯s wife has just given birth. You¡¯ve already taken their supplies, but you didn¡¯t stop there and even came over to make a fuss. It¡¯s really like what the children said. Are you trying to kill them? All of them are your sons, but you are so biased!¡± A 60-year-old old lady living on the east side of the compound spoke up to defend the injustice. Usually, Bai Xue and the others called her Grandma Zhao.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You¡¯re their grandmother. How could you act like this? If my mother-in-law treated me like this, I would have already¡­¡± A woman beside her also spoke.


    A woman beside her gestured to her. Her mother-in-law was also present. ¡°Enough, enough. Be quiet!¡±


    The woman pursed her lips and shut up.


    ¡°Old Madam Zhao, what does our family matter have to do with you? Don¡¯t be a busybody! Since you¡¯re itching to help, you must have a flea problem, right? If you have an itch, you should go home and scratch it.¡± Bai Daliang¡¯s mother was now biting whoever she could. She was furious. The children used to be obedient and powerless but they were now eloquent and she could not refute them.


    ¡°You old woman, watch your mouth! Are you in the habit of eating sh*t? Nothing good ever comes out of your mouth. Not to mention that I can¡¯t stand your behavior, even the gods won¡¯t turn a blind eye to your actions! Just you wait. The heavens will teach you a lesson soon enough!¡± Grandma Zhao was furious. This crazy woman was like a mad dog.


    ¡°Say that again?¡± Old Madam Bai could not hit the children, but she pounced on Old Madam Zhao without a second thought.


    The two of them were about to fight. The people around them hurriedly came over to stop the fight.


    Bai Daliang stood there with bloodshot eyes filled with hatred.


    He had always thought that his mother only doted on his third brother a little. He did not expect his mother to say such nasty words.


    ¡°Alright, Old Madam Zhao, Old Madam Bai, stop fighting. Do you really have to?¡±


    ¡°Everyone, stop arguing and go home! It¡¯s such a cold day. Do you have nothing better to do?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m going home. How can you have the strength to fight when we¡¯re freezing to death and can¡¯t eat our fill?¡±


    Everyone spoke one after another.


    In the end, Grandma Zhao¡¯s daughter-in-law heard the commotion outside and pulled her back.


    When Old Madam Bai saw Grandma Zhao had been pulled away, she looked at Bai Daliang.


    ¡°Bai Daliang, you unfilial son. Quickly go in and return my food!¡± She screamed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll say it one last time! The food is mine and it¡¯s impossible to give it to you! Don¡¯t even think about taking anything from my house in the future! We give you 200 catties of food every year out of filial piety, but you¡¯re still not satisfied. You even snatched away my wife¡¯s and children¡¯s food supplies when we needed them the most. Don¡¯t forget that I¡¯m not your only son. I¡¯ve already done my duty to you. Don¡¯t even think of squeezing more from me!¡± After saying this firmly, Bai Daliang turned around and returned to his room.


    Bai Xue and her siblings followed behind him.


    Bai Dailiang used to be the most obedient child and easy to control, but he had gone against her. Old Madam Bai simply sat on the ground and wailed, cursing and shouting.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you, you unfilial son! How dare you hit your mother and snatch her food. You ingrate, you¡¯re worse than an animal¡­¡±


    Bai Daliang clenched his fists tightly and did his utmost to control himself. He walked in step by step. At this moment, a loud shout sounded from behind, ¡°Bai Daliang, you animal, how dare you hit your mother?¡±


    Following the voice, Bai Xue quickly turned around and saw her third uncle, Bai Dahe, running over with a wooden stick in his hand.


    ¡°Dad, watch out¡­¡± She only had time to shout these three words before Bai Dahe¡¯s wooden stick smashed straight into the back of Bai Daliang¡¯s head.


    In an instant, blood gushed out of Bai Daliang¡¯s head. Bai Daliang only had time to look behind him before he closed his eyes and fell to the ground.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± Bai Xue was the first to react. She ran over to support Bai Daliang, but she could not support the 1.8-meter-tall man at all and fell to the ground with him.


    Looking at the blood flowing out from her father, her hands trembled uncontrollably.

 Chapter 6

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    Bai Ruchuan saw his eldest sister trembling as she sat beside their father, who was lying in a pool of blood.


    ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m going to kill you¡­¡± It was unknown whether the small figure was frightened or angry, but he could not help but tremble. He picked up the wooden stick that Bai Dahe had thrown on the ground and ran over.


    ¡°Chuan¡­¡± Bai Xue shouted, her voice trembling slightly. She could not stop Bai Ruchuan since he had gone berserk.


    ¡°You two, hurry up and bring Daliang into the house. I¡¯ll go to the captain¡¯s house to borrow an ox cart and send him to the town hospital!¡± An Quanzi usually got along well with Daliang and was Grandma Zhao¡¯s only son. He ran over and shouted at the surrounding crowd.


    ¡°Uncle Quanzi¡­¡± Bai Xue forced herself to calm down.


    ¡°Child, don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯m here! Get someone to carry your father into the house and wait. I will go and borrow the ox cart! I¡¯ll be back soon!¡± An Quanzi quickly ran out.


    Hearing the commotion, Wang Cuihua could not stay inside any longer and staggered out. She had done as Bai Daliang said and did not come out no matter how noisy she was.


    When she heard someone mention the hospital and someone injured, she could not stay inside anymore. She ran out and saw her man lying in a pool of blood.


    ¡°Daliang¡­¡± She ran over like a lunatic. She looked at Bai Daliang, who was bleeding profusely but did not dare to touch him. She cried heart-wrenchingly.


    In this age and time, it was hard for people to get well considering the living conditions and technology.


    ¡°Cuihua, hurry up and move aside. Carry Daliang back to the house and wait! Quanzi has gone to borrow an ox cart!¡± The neighbors who had yet to leave came up to help.


    At this moment, a man who looked very similar to Bai Daliang rushed out from the crowd. He was a man in his thirties. Bai Xue searched her memory and recognized him. He was the host¡¯s second uncle, Bai Dajiang, who had also been chased out of the residence to live independently.


    ¡°I need two volunteers to help carry my brother into the house!¡± Bai Dajiang was sweating profusely from running in the cold weather. There was only one reason. When his family requested for housing, they were assigned to the west end of the village, which was further away. He had just returned from chopping firewood on the mountain when he heard that something had happened here, so he quickly ran over.


    Wang Cuihua had just given birth and was weak, so she fainted altogether.


    The people around them went forward and helped Bai Xue carry Bai Daliang and Wang Cuihua into the house and put them on the brick platform bed.


    The back of Bai Daliang¡¯s head was injured, so he could only lie prone. Bai Xue found a patched shirt and tore off a piece to bandage the wound.


    Bai Xue knew that this was unhygienic and not good for the wound, but her father was bleeding non-stop. There was no new cloth or disinfectant at home, so she could only do this for now.


    The two babies were also crying at the side as Bai Ruyun and Bai Ruxia carried them. The babies had not eaten their mother¡¯s milk to begin with, so they could not sleep well. Even though they had sugar water, it was not enough to stave off hunger.


    This time, everything was in chaos.


    Bai Rushan and his brother had beaten Bai Dahe to a pulp. They knew that they could not hit him in the head, so Bai Ruchuan used Bai Dahe¡¯s stick to hit Bai Dahe¡¯s thigh a few times. Meanwhile, Bai Rushan ran over from behind and started punching and kicking him.


    Old Madam Bai was already scared silly. She sat on the ground with a pool of liquid under her.


    In the end, Bai Dahe¡¯s wife, Li Guihua, ran out to stop the siblings and struggled to pull Bai Dahe up.


    They were useless and only cared about covering their heads and fleeing like rats after they were beaten up by mere children.


    ¡°Mom, Mom, let¡¯s go quickly. Let¡¯s go while no one is paying attention!¡± Li Guihua was a fierce and scheming person. Seeing the situation was not good, she quickly supported her man and pushed Old Madam Bai who was sitting on the ground foolishly.


    ¡°I¡­ is he going to die?¡± Old Madam Bai came back to her senses and asked in a daze.


    ¡°Mom, who cares if he dies? Let¡¯s leave first. Otherwise, if Big Brother really dies, Dahe will become a murderer!¡± Li Guihua said anxiously as she supported Bai Dahe.


    Bai Dahe had already placed all his weight on his wife. Li Guihua was only 1.7 meters tall and almost unable to support him.


    She was not very strong since she hardly ate enough, so she nearly passed out trying to support her husband.


    ¡°Alright, alright then! Let¡¯s go!¡± When Old Madam Bai heard her precious son would become a murderer, she quickly got up. She did not care that her cotton pants had been frozen by the urine. She got up and helped Bai Dahe out. She did not care if Bai Dahe was limping since his life was more important.


    In the house, the neighbors helped carry Bai Daliang and Wang Cuihua in before they left, leaving Bai Dajiang and Bai Xue behind.


    Because the house was really too small, it was really inconvenient to have two newborn babies there.


    ¡°Xue, do you have money? It will definitely cost a lot to send your father to the hospital!¡± Bai Dajiang looked at the family worriedly. He looked at the two crying babies and asked Bai Xue, who was busy making white sugar water for the two babies.


    Bai Xue could not attend to Bai Daliang and Wang Cuihua yet and could only feed the two babies white sugar water first. She let her two sisters each carry one child and let her two brothers get firewood to boil hot water.


    ¡°Second Uncle, my father said that he has $2. Is that enough?¡± Bai Xue asked Bai Dajiang as she gave the babies sugar water.


    She had only heard that money was very valuable in this era, but she did not know the details. She did not know if $2 was considered a lot of money at this time.


    Although she had accepted the host¡¯s memories, the host had never been to town until she was 15 years old. She could not find any relevant information in her memories, so she could only ask Bai Dajiang.


    Moreover, she had only heard from Bai Daliang that he wanted to buy food in town with the $2 in his possession. She did not know where the money was located.


    ¡°Sigh¡­ How can $2 be enough? How can you even think of going to the hospital with less than $10? Although your father¡¯s wound doesn¡¯t look very deep, he hasn¡¯t woken up yet! I will think of a way to get the money! You stay at home and take care of your younger siblings!¡± Bai Dajiang covered Bai Daliang with a blanket and walked out.


    Bai Daliang was lying on the bed. He turned his head to the side to breathe. He still did not seem to have woken up.


    Bai Xue did not stop him. In her memory, her second uncle was a simple and honest man. He only accepted his fate and worked diligently. No matter how Old Madam Bai made a fuss, he did not say anything. His wife had a meek personality, so Old Madam Bai always pushed her around. The three children in the family often went hungry. She only knew how to cry without fighting back.


    ¡°Yun, Xia, give the babies white sugar water. I¡¯ll go out and take a look!¡±


    Bai Xue handed the white sugar water to her two sisters so that they could feed the babies. She looked at her parents lying on the bed and shook her head before walking out. She had to make arrangements for this family first. Otherwise, she might not be able to come back today after sending Bai Daliang to the town hospital. She did not want the two babies to starve to death.


    Other people all became princesses when they transmigrated and were reborn. At the very least, they became the legitimate daughters of powerful prime ministers and were doted on. In comparison, she had transmigrated to an era with scarce resources and people went hungry. Before she had the time to get accustomed to this, she encountered lots of problems and could only take care of them.


    ¡°Shan, Chuan, go get some more firewood. I want to cook some rice paste for the two babies to drink!¡± Bai Xue looked at her two brothers who were busy making fire. She could only cook some rice into rice paste to feed the children.


    She could not even take out milk now.


    ¡°Big Sis, we¡¯ll go now!¡± They had hit their third uncle earlier, but finally calmed down and realized they had done something wrong. They did not dare to look up and ran out as soon as Bai Xue gave her orders.


    However, in their hearts, they knew if history repeated itself, they would still beat Bai Dahe up mercilessly.

 Chapter 7

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    Bai Xue took out a handful of rice from the interspatial supermarket while Bai Rushan and Bai Ruchuan went to get firewood. It was just about four ounces worth. She did not dare to take out too much because Chaoyang Commune did not grow rice. Only corn, sorghum rice, and yellow millet were readily available. Also, there was not much wheat around here either.


    In an era when people could not eat their fill, everyone wanted to take more food. They did not care about the texture of their grain. Their only concern was its cost. They preferred to exchange work credits for coarse grain so that they could have more food in their stomachs since it was cheaper.


    Bai Xue placed the rice in the cupboard and took out two eggs. There was still some grain that her father had brought back from Old Madam Bai earlier. They were all coarse grains and corn stubble, but it was enough for her four younger siblings. She took out two eggs for Wang Cuihua to nourish her body and rice for the newborn babies. She cooked 3 to 4 ounces of rice to make a few servings of rice soup for the babies. The rice could also help to give Wang Cuihua some nourishment.


    As soon as she was done, her two younger brothers came in with firewood, followed by Uncle Quanzi living in the east of the compound.


    ¡°Xue, I borrowed an ox cart. Hurry up and send your father to the town¡¯s hospital!¡± An Quanzi panted as he spoke. It was obvious that he had run all the way here.


    ¡°My father is on the bed. Uncle Quanzi, come in quickly!¡± Bai Xue did not dare to delay and quickly let him into the house.


    ¡°Why did everyone leave?¡± An Quanzi saw that there was no one else in the room and was a little worried that he could not carry Bai Daliang alone.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Uncle Quanzi, we can manage!¡± Bai Rushan followed him in and immediately climbed onto the brick platform bed to carry his father.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Uncle. The three of us can carry him! Let¡¯s go!¡± Bai Xue also went forward. An Quanzi did not say anything else and quickly turned Bai Daliang over carefully. He tried his best not to touch his wounds and carried him up. He still had some strength. Although they hardly had enough to eat, he did not need the help of the three children to carry him out.


    Bai Xue quickly carried the blanket out and laid it on the ox cart so that Bai Daliang would not freeze to death on the way to town.


    After settling her father in on the ox cart, she returned to the room and explained everything to her younger siblings.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Big Sis. I¡¯ll make rice soup for the babies! I will be sure to add white sugar! You can count on me. Just bring Dad to the hospital!¡± Bai Rushan patted his chest confidently.


    ¡°Big Sis, hurry up and go! We¡¯ll take care of things here!¡± Bai Ruyun placed her sleeping baby sister on the brick platform bed after she was done feeding the sugar water. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of Mom too!¡±


    ¡°Alright! You guys have to be more alert! If Grandma, Third Uncle, and Third Aunt come over, don¡¯t open the door!¡± Bai Xue was still worried and said before walking out.


    In her previous life, how could a 13-year-old child cook and take care of a newborn baby?


    However, children in this era matured early. There was a saying that children from poor families took charge early.


    An Quanzi pulled the ox cart and Bai Xue followed beside it. The two of them walked towards town. On the way, they encountered villagers from the Fifth Battalion of the Chaoyang Commune from time to time and people would stop to ask about her father.


    In just an hour, the news spread throughout the entire village.


    ¡°Xue, sit on the cart and help support your father!¡± An Quanzi said as he pulled the ox cart.


    ¡°Uncle Quanzi, the ox can walk faster with one less person¡¯s weight. I¡¯ll support Dad next to the ox cart!¡± In fact, Bai Xue was too cold to sit on the ox cart, so it would help for her to walk.


    She looked at her old cotton clothes and pants which were not warm at all, as well as the gray cotton shoes which were not much thicker than a single layer of shoes¡¯ lining.


    She really wanted to take out the down jacket and cotton snow shoes from the interspatial supermarket space to wear!


    ¡°You¡¯re such a sensible child! If you¡¯re tired, go up and sit down! It¡¯s freezing cold here. How can a young lady like you stand the cold and hunger?¡± The breath An Quanzi exhaled frosted his eyebrows.


    Bai Xue thought that it was a good thing that she found an opportunity to eat bread and drink milk. Otherwise, she would really be cold and hungry.


    Although the original owner of this body was born and raised in this era, Bai Xue was not brought up in this harsh environment!


    ¡°Xue! Quanzi!¡± Just as the ox-cart was about to leave the village, Bai Dajiang caught up from behind, panting from running.


    ¡°Second Uncle¡­¡± Actually, Bai Xue did not want to say a word. The moment she opened her mouth, cold air poured into her mouth, making her feel uncomfortable.


    ¡°I went to the captain¡¯s house to trade in my work credits. Xue, I have $10! Please take it first. If it¡¯s not enough, I¡¯ll think of a way!¡± As he spoke, he placed the crumpled $10 bill in Bai Xue¡¯s hand.


    Bai Xue looked at her second uncle. He was desperately helping her. She thought about her third uncle, who had injured her father. They were all brothers with the same parents, but their difference was poles apart!


    One work credit was only worth about $0.05, so $10 was worth 200 work credits. A strong laborer could at most earn 10 work credits a day. $10 was worth 20 days of hard labor. Moreover, at the end of the year, people typically exchanged work credits for food. It was hard for people to have any leftover work credits to exchange for money!


    This meant Second Uncle¡¯s family would have to go without enough food. It was unrealistic to buy food from the supplies cooperative because the supplies cooperative also needed food stamps to buy food.


    ¡°Brother Quanzi, help me send my brother to town first. I¡¯ll go back and try to get more money before meeting you at the hospital. I¡¯m afraid that $10 isn¡¯t enough!¡± Bai Dajiang gave the money to Bai Xue and said to An Quanzi.


    ¡°Alright! Dajiang, go to my house and tell my family about this. There should be $2 to $3 at home!¡± An Quanzi agreed readily.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± Bai Dajiang spoke as he turned to leave.


    ¡°Second Uncle, it¡¯s fine! I can handle it myself!¡± Bai Xue whispered. She had plenty of supplies in the interspatial supermarket. When the time came, she would definitely have a way. It was unnecessary for her to borrow money.


    She was afraid that her second aunt would be unwilling. Although they would be the ones paying back the money, she was also afraid that the couple would have conflicts.


    Bai Xue was already 30 years old at heart and had a lot of things on her mind.


    ¡°What can you possibly do? Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take care of it. The important thing is that your father recovers!¡± Bai Dajiang patted Bai Xue¡¯s back and turned to leave.


    There was no peace at the Bai family¡¯s old residence either. Bai Dahe was screaming in pain. His father, Bai Dadan, held his walking stick and gave him a good beating.


    ¡°You¡¯re worse than an animal! He¡¯s your biological brother. How could you attack him? I¡¯ll beat you to death today! Cough, cough, cough¡­¡± He coughed a few times in anger.


    ¡°Old man, don¡¯t hit him! The two little brats, Rushan and Ruchuan, have already beaten him black and blue, yet you still hit him! Do you want him to die?¡± Old Madam Bai roared wildly.


    Bai Dahe¡¯s wife, Li Guihua, stood at the side, not daring to say a word.


    The three children sat on the brick bed as if nothing had happened and watched silently.


    ¡°Mom¡­ Mom¡­ Help! Dad is going to beat me to death!¡± Bai Dahe heard Old Madam Bai speaking up to help him and quickly hid behind her.


    ¡°It¡¯s all Daliang¡¯s fault! If he hadn¡¯t come to snatch our food with a kitchen knife, Dahe wouldn¡¯t have hit his brother, right?¡± Old Madam Bai looked at the old man carefully and said.


    Old Master Bai usually did not lose his temper, but when he did, Old Madam Bai was still very afraid of him.


    ¡°Hmph! Steal our food? Do I need to say more? Hurry up and hand over all the money we have at home! Send it to the hospital!¡± Old Master Bai said coldly.


    ¡°Old man! How can we still have money at home? We traded work credits for $10 from the battalion and already spent everything! We have two kids in the household that have to attend school. How can we have spare money!¡± When the old woman heard she had to hand over the money, she immediately lost it.


    ¡°The money for the two children¡¯s studies comes from Daliang. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know that you went to his family to make trouble and made his children drop out of school and took the school fees! Hurry up and hand over the money. Otherwise, don¡¯t blame me for hitting you too!¡± Old Master Bai raised his walking stick.


    ¡°Fine, fine, fine! You can have it! This unfilial son. Not only does he want to snatch food, but now I also have to hand over my money thanks to him!¡± The old woman was terrified when she saw the walking stick. She muttered and went to rummage through the brick platform bed cabinet. She reluctantly took out a tattered cloth bag and poured out all the money inside.


    There wasn¡¯t much money, not even $2.


    Old Master Bai did not believe it, but there was nothing he could do. He had seen it with his own eyes. He had no choice but to tell Li Guihua to send the $1.85 to Bai Daliang¡¯s place.


    Little did he know that Old Madam Bai had hidden the bulk of the money adding up to $10 elsewhere.

 Chapter 8

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    On the way to the hospital, Bai Daliang woke up and vomited a few times. The wound had stopped bleeding but was oozing blood again. Bai Xue knew he had a concussion. She asked An Quanzi to drive the ox cart slower and try to go more smoothly.


    ¡°Xue¡­ I¡¯m fine! You don¡¯t have to take me to the hospital!¡± Bai Daliang said with difficulty as he lay on the ox cart.


    The pain from the back of his head made his breathing quicken several times.


    ¡°Enough, Dad! Don¡¯t move! The wound on the back of your head is bleeding again!¡± Bai Xue comforted Bai Daliang, who wanted to get up.


    ¡°How could your third uncle be so¡­ so cruel¡­¡± Bai Daliang said in pain. Bai Xue¡¯s face was full of pain and disappointment.


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t think so much! Do you know Second Uncle gave me $10 for your treatment? You still have a good brother! Who cares about our third uncle? We can just treat him as a stranger in the future!¡± Bai Xue did not mean to agitate her father, but she could not suppress it.


    ¡°Xue, I¡¯ve $2 in my pocket!¡± When Bai Daliang heard his second brother had sent him $10, he knew that he must have borrowed it from somewhere, so he told Bai Xue, ¡°Let¡¯s just disinfect the wound at the hospital. Don¡¯t spend your second uncle¡¯s money! He might have borrowed it from somewhere, so he still has to return it!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Bai Xue was freezing, but she did not dare to show it and make Bai Daliang worry. She could only suppress her trembling chin as she spoke. For now, she would agree no matter what he said. When they reached the hospital, he would have no choice but and accept proper treatment.


    ¡°Daliang, don¡¯t talk anymore. Just go to the town hospital and get treatment!¡± An Quanzi was leading the ox cart as he turned around and said.


    Bai Xue and the others sent them to the Pingyang Town Hospital. The hospital was especially old-fashioned with red brick and wooden windows. The lower half of the wall was painted with blue paint. They parked the ox cart at the entrance of the hospital. When the old man at the entrance saw that the back of Bai Daliang¡¯s head was covered in blood, he immediately ran in and called for a doctor.


    A woman in her early forties and two nurses came out. There were only a few people in the hospital. As long as they could survive in this era, no one was willing to come to the hospital to see a doctor. The main reason was that they did not have money.


    An Quanzi helped carry him in and brought him to the operating theater to treat Bai Daliang¡¯s wound.


    Bai Xue and An Quanzi¡¯s hands and feet were already freezing. They stood outside the operating theater and waited.


    ¡°Xue, there¡¯s hot water in the hospital. I¡¯ll get you some to warm you up!¡± An Quanzi looked at Bai Xue, who was pale and trembling. He really could not bear to see her like this.


    ¡°Uncle Quanzi, we didn¡¯t bring any cups or anything!¡± Bai Xue knew that in this era, she had to bring her own resources when she went out. When she went out, she had to look for the captain to ask for recommendation letters, bring dry rations, water bottles, and so on. Without food stamps, she would not be able to eat in the state-run restaurant. The supplies were very scarce.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s a canteen in the hospital. I will go and take a look!¡± As he spoke, he turned around and went to find hot water.


    Taking advantage of the fact no one was around, Bai Xue sneakily took out a piece of bread from the interspatial supermarket and finished it in one gulp, and choked uncontrollably. She could not eat steamed cornbread and other coarse grains since they made her throat scratchy.


    There was also a cooked food area in the interspatial supermarket with all kinds of ready-made food. However, she could only drool when she saw it. If she took it out, the taste would be too strong. In this era where she could only eat meat a few times a year, she would definitely draw unwanted attention when she took out a roasted chicken.


    Only bread could be eaten discreetly since it did not smell too strong, and it would not leave traces of oil around her mouth.


    Just as she finished a loaf of bread and her stomach felt better, the door to the operating theater opened.


    ¡°Young lady, are you related to the injured man?¡±


    Bai Xue looked over. It turned out to be the female doctor from before. The nurse seemed to have called her Doctor Zhao.


    ¡°Doctor, it¡¯s my father inside. Is my father alright?¡± Bai Xue wiped her mouth and face with her sleeve and asked in a childish tone typical of a 15-year-old.


    ¡°Although the wound on the back of your father¡¯s head isn¡¯t deep, he still needs a few stitches! He also has a slight concussion, so it¡¯s not suitable for him to move. He has to be hospitalized! How did he get injured?¡± The nurse inside was treating Bai Daliang¡¯s wound, and Dr. Zhao came out to understand the situation.


    ¡°He¡­ He accidentally fell!¡± Bai Xue hesitated and did not tell the truth.


    Doctor Zhao looked at Bai Xue and did not expose her lie. She said, ¡°Do you have enough money on you? Go and pay $20 first! You¡¯ll make up for the difference if necessary!¡± After saying that, she wanted to turn around and enter the operating theater.


    ¡°Um¡­ Doctor, I only brought $10 with me when I came out. Can I pay $10 first?¡± Bai Xue stopped Doctor Zhao, who was about to enter. She touched her head and asked in embarrassment. It turned out that it was the same in this era and entering the hospital was like burning money.


    One work credit was only $0.05, so $20 was almost two months¡¯ worth of work credits. If the family lost so many work credits, they would definitely not have enough to eat at the end of the year. They would have to borrow money or food supplies sooner or later.


    This was the first time in her two lifetimes that she had been so embarrassed. She had never put anything on credit in her life. To be precise, she was never short of money.


    Doctor Zhao turned around and sized up Bai Xue. She thought about the clothes the casualty was wearing and knew that their family was definitely not rich. However, she was only a doctor. She could treat illnesses and save people, but she could not stop poverty.


    She said, ¡°$10 is definitely not enough. Go and pay first! If it¡¯s not enough, then you should borrow it asap. Your father has to be hospitalized, so it will cost at least $20!¡±


    With that, she entered the operating theater.


    Bai Xue had no choice but to hand over the $10 her second uncle had given her to the cashier. She looked around and went into deep thought.


    Although she had supplies in her hands, she did not know how to turn them into money.


    She walked back to the cashier. It was a young lady in her early twenties.


    ¡°Miss, I have a question for you?¡± Bai Xue leaned against the glass window and looked in to talk to the nurse at the cashier.


    ¡°Go ahead! What¡¯s the matter?¡± The nurse replied indifferently, but Bai Xue did not take it to heart.


    ¡°You see, my father is injured and hospitalized, but my family is in a difficult financial situation. We can¡¯t fork out much money to pay the medical fees. Can I use food to cover it?¡± Bai Xue voiced her thoughts.


    She really had no other choice now. In the past, when her father told her about this era, he would always mention the black market. However, it was cold and snowing. She had no idea where to find the black market.


    ¡°Hang on. Give me a minute!¡± The nurse¡¯s eyes lit up when she heard Bai Xue say that she would pay for the medical fees with food. She stood up and walked out, not forgetting to remind Bai Xue to wait for her.


    When Bai Xue saw the expression on her face, she understood how important food was to people in this era. The nurse probably wanted to buy the food supplies from Bai Xue with her cash.


    Even though the nurse did not even know what food supplies Bai Xue possessed, she seemed excited.


    Soon, the nurse came out and grabbed Bai Xue¡¯s hand anxiously. She deliberately lowered her voice as she spoke and pulled Bai Xue to an empty spot. ¡°Let¡¯s talk over there!¡±


    Bai Xue followed without saying anything, waiting for the nurse to speak.


    ¡°You just mentioned you want to use food to pay for the medical fees, right? How much food do you have? It¡¯s the same if I buy it from you! I can pay you money for it!¡± The nurse pulled Bai Xue to a corner and asked.


    ¡°Miss, I have 10¡­ 10 catties of corn flour and sorghum rice each. Those are my family¡¯s rations. Dad is injured, and he is the pillar of the family. Our family doesn¡¯t have money to treat his illness, so we can only trade with our rations!¡± Bai Xue lowered her head and said sadly.

 Chapter 9

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    The moment the nurse heard that there was so much food, she quickly answered without even caring if it were coarse or fine grains.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you sell the food to me? I¡¯ll give you double the money! The corn flour costs $0.12 per catty at the cooperative, so I¡¯ll pay you $0.25 each. As for sorghum rice, it has a market value of $0.20 per cattie. I¡¯ll give you $0.50 per cattie. What do you think?¡±


    Bai Xue knew the nurse was referring to the prices of the food using food stamps. Without the food stamp, it would definitely be a high price to buy food on the black market and not everyone could afford it.


    However, she urgently needed money now. She had no choice but to agree to the nurse¡¯s prices.


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll bring the food to you later! Please prepare the money!¡± Bai Xue turned around as she spoke.


    She calculated 10 catties of cornmeal and sorghum rice each being only worth $2.50 and $5 respectively. This was not enough for the medical fees! Second Uncle said he would borrow more money, but no one knew when he would get here. She might as well sell something to this nurse while she was at it! She turned around and looked at the nurse mysteriously.


    ¡°I still have a bottle of scented moisturizing cream. I got it from a relative living in a big city and you can¡¯t buy it here. Are you interested?¡±


    She sold those old-fashioned skin creams in the supermarket for roughly $10 a box.


    In this era, it was a rare product and could not be found in remote areas.


    When the young nurse heard this, she immediately nodded and said that she wanted it.


    ¡°The scented moisturizing cream is very hard to come by. When my relatives sent it over, they said that it was very difficult to buy it. It costs at least $5!¡± Bai Xue asked for the sky.


    $5 was indeed a large sum of money given 20 catties of food only cost $7.50.


    The young nurse was in a dilemma for a while. She only earned $28 a month, which was not as much as the doctor¡¯s salary of $48 a month.


    If she spent $5 on scented moisturizing cream, she would not have much left from her salary this month. It was justifiable to buy food, but if she spent so much money on scented moisturizing cream, her mother would scold her to death and might even hit her.


    The nurse¡¯s name was Chen Qiyue. She was already 20 years old this year and was not married yet. She lived with her parents and had to hand over her monthly salary to her mother. Her mother would only give her $2 to $3 to spend. She had a lot of money on hand today since she had just received her salary and did not have the chance to hand it over to her mother.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to buy it, I¡¯ll ask someone else. I¡¯ve never used my scented moisturizing cream a single time before!¡± Bai Xue saw her hesitation and immediately added.


    ¡°I¡¯ll buy it! I¡¯ll buy it! Bring everything here, and I¡¯ll prepare the money for you!¡± Chen Qiyue made up her mind.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go get the stuff now!¡± Bai Xue turned around and ran away.


    She had to hurry up and get things done before her father came out of the operating theater. As for Uncle Quanzi, who went to the canteen to find hot water, she did not have time for him now. If he found hot water, he would probably return to the entrance of the operating theater and wait!


    Bai Xue ran out of the hospital in one breath. She looked around for a while and saw a small alley opposite. She quickly ran over. It was cold and not many people were out walking. She entered the alley and walked for a while. She hid in the corner of the wall and started to take things out of the interspatial supermarket.


    Corn noodles and sorghum rice were sold in large wooden barrels, but she was not sure about using plastic bags in this era. She did not dare to take the risk, so she found a small cloth bag used for the down jacket to store the rice noodles. A small cloth bag could only hold five catties of grain. She filled four bags and went to the cosmetics area to take the scented moisturizing cream.


    She checked the box to see if there was anything that could not appear in this era. She carefully checked that there was nothing wrong before leaving with everything.


    After a while, her body, which had just recovered, started shivering again.


    She hurriedly ran back to the hospital with her things. The old man was still sitting at the door. When he saw Bai Xue coming back with her things not long after she ran out, he only took a glance before looking away and ignoring her.


    She managed to make it to the cashier before long. Since there was no one paying at this time, she quickly handed the things to Chen Qiyue.


    ¡°Please check your things! It¡¯s definitely the right weight!¡± Bai Xue said as she placed the four bags of food in Chen Qiyue¡¯s hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s good!¡± Chen Qiyue carefully took all the grains to her cabinet and hid them before coming out. She was afraid that someone would see them.


    ¡°Here¡¯s your scented moisturizing cream!¡± Bai Xue handed the scented moisturizing cream in her hand to her.


    Chen Qiyue opened the box and saw that it was indeed unused. She leaned over and took a sniff. A fragrance wafted over. She liked it very much. It was much more fragrant than Snow Cream.


    ¡°Okay, perfect! I¡¯ll give you the money now!¡± As she spoke, she took out $12.50 from her pocket and handed it to Bai Xue.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay another $10 for the treatment. Just give me $2.50! Don¡¯t forget to add the money to Bai Daliang¡¯s billing records!¡± After saying that, she took the $2.50 from Chen Qiyue.


    ¡°Alright! By the way, my name is Chen Qiyue! Don¡¯t forget me if you have anything good in the future!¡± The young nurse, Chen Qiyue, did not forget to tell Bai Xue her name. She hoped Bai Xue would remember her the next time Bai Xue had something good to sell.


    She liked this scented moisturizing cream a lot. It was worth getting scolded by her mother for it.


    ¡°Sure thing! My name is Bai Ruxue! If I have anything else to sell in the future, I won¡¯t forget you!¡± Bai Xue smiled mysteriously and said her name to show her sincerity before leaving.


    She had been delayed for a long time. Her father was probably coming out soon.


    Sure enough, when she went to the operating theater, she was told that her father had been sent back to the ward.


    It was just a matter of a few stitches. It would definitely be fast!


    When she found the ward, the staff had already put him on IV drip and Uncle Quanzi was accompanying him.


    ¡°Hi, Dad, Uncle Quanzi!¡± Bai Xue greeted the two of them and walked in. There were four beds in the ward, but the other three beds were empty.


    ¡°Xue, you¡¯re finally here. Where did you go? Your father kept urging me to go out and look for you. I was just about to go out!¡± An Quanzi heard Bai Xue¡¯s voice and looked up. Seeing she had returned, he quickly spoke.


    ¡°I went to pay the fees, but I lost my way, so I took some time!¡± Bai Xue¡¯s embarrassment looked very convincing to them.


    She walked over to the bed and looked at the pale Bai Daliang. ¡°Dad, are you feeling better?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it doesn¡¯t hurt anymore! Xue, Uncle Quanzi found hot water for you. Hurry up and drink a few mouthfuls to warm up!¡± Bai Daliang did not forget to show some concern about his daughter¡¯s health.


    ¡°Alright! Have a good rest, Dad! I¡¯ll go buy you some food later!¡± Bai Xue picked up the enamel cup on the table beside the bed and drank a few mouthfuls of warm water.


    Originally, she was a little obsessed with cleanliness and would never use other people¡¯s things. In this era, those things were not important anymore. She would rather not starve to death.


    ¡°Xue, can you accompany your father alone? I still have to go back and return the ox cart. This ox is very important to the battalion. I don¡¯t want it to get sick or anything!¡± An Quanzi waited for her to drink a few mouthfuls of water before saying.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Uncle Quanzi. I¡¯ll be fine by myself, but don¡¯t leave yet! I want to buy you something to eat. You can leave after eating!¡± Bai Xue hurriedly turned around and was about to leave.

 Chapter 10

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    ¡°Xue, I¡¯m fine now. Let¡¯s go home too! How much does it cost to stay here? I¡¯m really okay!¡± When Bai Daliang heard this, he wanted to go home and sat up.


    ¡°Dad, the doctor said that you shouldn¡¯t move. You should stay in the hospital and get an IV drip! Listen to me and stop moving around. It didn¡¯t cost much. The treatment was less than $10 in total!¡± Bai Xue had no choice but to lie.


    ¡°Daliang,stop moving around! The most important thing is to treat your injuries and recover! When you¡¯re discharged from the hospital, I¡¯ll borrow an ox cart from the battalion to pick you up!¡± An Quanzi persuaded Bai Daliang from the side.


    ¡°I¡¯m really¡­¡± Just as Bai Daliang was about to say that he was really fine and wanted to sit up, he felt dizzy and lay back down.


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t move around! Just let the IV drip do its job, okay? Uncle Quanzi, watch my dad! I¡¯m going out to buy food. I¡¯ll be back soon!¡± Bai Xue said as she ran. She disappeared out of sight before they could react.


    An Quanzi originally wanted to refuse her kind offer and just eat when he got home. Since she had already run away, he could only stay and watch Bai Daliang as he took his IV drip.


    ¡°Quanzi, was it really less than $10?¡± Bai Daliang asked An Quanzi suspiciously.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I went to find hot water just now. Since Xue said that it was less than $10, she probably meant it! Otherwise, if Xue doesn¡¯t have any money on her, how can she buy food?¡± An Quanzi analyzed for him.


    When Bai Daliang heard this, he felt a little better and stopped worrying about it. Since they had already paid, it would be a waste of money if he went home and did not stay in the hospital.


    After Bai Xue came out of the hospital, it was already past lunchtime. The canteen was already closed, so she could only try her luck outside.


    She had seen a state-owned restaurant on the way here and roughly knew the location, so she walked quickly toward it.


    On the way, when there was no one around, she took out two catties of white flour and two eggs from the interspatial supermarket.


    Just as she had expected, when she arrived at the state-owned restaurant, it was already past mealtime. There was only a woman in her thirties wiping the table.


    She walked in with her things. The waiter only looked up and lowered his head and continued with his work.


    ¡°It¡¯s past lunchtime!¡±


    Bai Xue knew that the waiter of this era would definitely have good reason to be cocky, so she did not take it to heart. Besides, even if she was on time, she could not afford to eat here. She only had $2.50 in cash and did not even have food stamps.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, can I borrow the kitchen for a while? I¡¯ll use my own food! Is that okay? I¡¯ll just use some of your seasoning. How about I give you $0.20 for it?¡± Actually, $0.20 was enough to eat a big bowl of plain noodles.


    The waitress looked Bai Xue up and down and then looked at the things in her hand. ¡°We can¡¯t let you do that. You can¡¯t use the kitchen!¡±


    She looked like someone owed her a million dollars as she spoke.


    ¡°Why do you want to use the kitchen?¡± At this moment, a middle-aged uncle walked out of the kitchen. He was slightly plump and his face was rosy. It was obvious that he had never been hungry.


    ¡°I want to borrow the kitchen to make three bowls of noodles¡­¡± Bai Xue looked at the middle-aged man and replied.


    The chef from the state-run restaurant walked out of the kitchen and narrowed his eyes. He was right. It was the smell of white flour.


    He could smell the distinct fragrance of white flour from the kitchen. He walked out to take a look and saw the scene just now.


    He had been a chef for half his life and was especially sensitive to the taste of food.


    ¡°Bring it in! I¡¯ll make it for you!¡± He seemed very nice and laid back.


    The waitress who was wiping the table was stunned. Chef Wang was surprisingly accommodating. He was usually hot-tempered and scolded people all the time.


    Bai Xue glanced at the shocked waitress and then looked at the middle-aged man staring at the flour in her hand. She instantly knew why the chef acted this way.


    She was not afraid and followed the chef into the kitchen.


    ¡°Is that 2 catties of white flour?¡± Chef Wang asked as soon as he entered the kitchen.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Uncle, I just need three bowls of noodles. If there are leftovers, you can have it!¡± Bai Xue said tactfully.


    ¡°No need! I wouldn¡¯t mind having some noodles though. Come, I¡¯ll help you make it!¡± He took the two eggs and noodles from Bai Xue and started to busy himself.


    Bai Xue did not stand on the ceremony. Seeing how diligent he was, he must have something to ask of her.


    After he was done cooking, three steaming bowls of meat, oil, and white noodles were ready! There was even a piece of egg on it.


    Since Bai Xue only took out two eggs, Chef Wang divided the two eggs into three parts.


    ¡°The noodles are ready! There¡¯s still some noodles left¡­¡±


    ¡°Uncle, thank you for helping with the noodles. I won¡¯t take the remaining flour back! Thank you for your help today! Here is the money I promised! Please take it!¡± Bai Xue took out the $0.05 from Chen Qiyue and handed two coins to Chef Wang.


    ¡°I won¡¯t take the money. If you don¡¯t mind, I have a question for you!¡± Chef Wang looked at Bai Xue and said hesitantly.


    ¡°Uncle, ask away! I¡¯ll try my best to answer you!¡± Bai Xue was still in a hurry to bring the noodles back for his father to eat, so she quickly replied.


    ¡°Can you get your hands on more grain? It doesn¡¯t matter if they are coarse or fine grain!¡± Chef Wang whispered in Bai Xue¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Uncle, I¡¯m just a little girl¡­¡± Before Bai Xue could reject him, Chef Wang spoke again.


    ¡°You took out two catties of white flour and eggs to make noodles and generously gave the remaining flour to others, so I¡¯m sure you have the connections to do it! Young lady, I¡¯m really desperate and I can pay generously! Let¡¯s calculate it according to the black market price! $1.20 for 2 catties of coarse grain, $1.50 for 5 catties of fine grain!¡±


    Bai Xue took a deep look at Chef Wang. Seeing his eyes were filled with sincerity, she asked, ¡°How much do you need?¡±


    Hearing Bai Xue¡¯s question, a trace of disbelief flashed across Chef Wang¡¯s eyes. He immediately said, ¡°I need 50 catties of grain. Do you have it?¡±


    Bai Xue heaved a sigh of relief when she heard this. It was only 50 catties of grain, so she could easily take it from the interspatial supermarket. Moreover, she needed money now. Since this uncle wanted to give it to her at the black market price, she was in luck!


    ¡°50 catties of yellow millet at $1.50 per catty then! I¡¯ll send it to you tonight!¡± Bai Xue agreed readily.


    The two of them spoke in low voices, afraid that someone would hear them.


    ¡°Good! That¡¯s great! I¡¯ll be waiting for you at the entrance of the restaurant when it gets dark!¡± Chef Wang was as excited as a child.


    There were not many people on the street when it was nightfall, so it was not dangerous to trade at the entrance of the state-run restaurant.


    It turned out that he had a lot of siblings. Although he lived a good life as a chef in a state-owned restaurant, he was the eldest in the family. Not long ago, his parents and brothers moved over along with their families. They said that they were about to starve to death because they could not eat. He just had enough to support his wife and children. It was impossible for him to support so many people. He did have money, but the food was not easy to come by. Now, he was running out of food supplies and did not have enough space to sleep. These few days, he had been so worried that his hair had turned white.


    Desperate times call for desperate measures. Fortunately, he found a person who could get food and solved the current predicament. He naturally walked her out the door happily.


    50 catties of yellow millet meant he could give each of his four younger brothers 10 catties each. 10 catties would go to his parents as well. After he received the food stamps for the month, he would have no problem surviving!

 Chapter 11

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    ¡°Okay! You have to prepare a rice bag for me!¡± Bai Xue said candidly.


    It was a big problem that she did not have bags in her hands. She had only had plastic bags in the interspatial supermarket and did not dare to take them out. In the future, if she wanted to sell more things, she had to prepare some sacks and cotton bags commonly used in this era.


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Chef Wang looked at Bai Xue strangely and immediately agreed.


    In comparison to the grain, it was nothing to prepare a rice bag.


    He immediately went to find a white cotton bag that could hold 25 catties of grain.


    ¡°Take this bag. I¡¯ll find three aluminum lunch boxes for you to pack the noodles! Just send them over when you come over tonight!¡± After saying this, he turned around and took out three large aluminum lunch boxes from the shelf and helped Bai Xue pack the noodles.


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle. I¡¯ll go back now. I have to eat the noodles while they¡¯re still hot!¡± Bai Xue thanked him and placed the three lunch boxes into the cotton bag before carefully carrying them out.


    ¡°Walk slowly. Careful not to spill the soup! My surname is Wang. You can call me Uncle Wang in the future!¡± Chef Wang shouted from behind Bai Xue. His surname was Wang, and his first name was Cheng. He was from Pingyang Town and had six children at home. His eldest child was two to three years older than Bai Xue at best.


    When Bai Xue walked out of the kitchen, the waitress was still wiping and sweeping. She caught Bai Xue looking at her, but she said nothing.


    Chef Wang had already followed her out. Moreover, she had heard Chef Wang telling her to address him casually as Uncle Wang in the future. She did not dare to offend the chef.


    When Bai Xue walked out of the restaurant, a gust of cold wind blew into her face, making her shiver.


    ¡°I have to think of a way to take out the cotton clothes from the supermarket so that I can wear them.¡±


    Her supermarket had old-fashioned cotton clothes and pants that were a little similar to this era, but the material was definitely better and looked nicer than this era. There were all kinds of colors, unlike the fashion in this era which was either black, white, or gray. It was rare to see clothes with more colors. Most of the clothes consisted of blue working clothes.


    She jogged back to the hospital. When she walked into the ward, she saw the nurse removing the needles from Bai Daliang. He was sleeping soundly.


    ¡°Are you done with the IV drip?¡± She put down the noodles and rubbed her face with her hands to keep warm.


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m done! Xue, why are you gone for so long? Are you cold?¡± An Quanzi walked over and handed her a cup of hot water.


    The moment she took the hot water, the heat from her palm warmed Bai Xue¡¯s entire body. She hurriedly took a few sips. It was a little hot but she could not care less. The damn weather was simply too cold.


    ¡°When I went to the state-owned restaurant, it was already past mealtime. I begged the chef to make me three bowls of noodles, so it took a while! Uncle Quanzi, eat it while it¡¯s hot!¡± Bai Xue caught her breath and quickly took out the lunch box from the cloth bag.


    An Quanzi did not stand on the ceremony. Since she had already bought it for him, he would eat it. He picked up a lunch box and opened it. When he saw the noodles inside, he was dumbfounded and did not dare to pick up his chopsticks to eat.


    When Xue told him that she had bought noodles, he thought it was corn noodles, so he did not think too much about it. He could occasionally make noodles with corn flour at home as well. Although it did not have the exact same texture as white noodles and did not have much oil and salt, it was still delicious.


    He never thought that the noodles Bai Xue mentioned would be white noodles.


    He had never eaten such a generous serving of white noodles complete with eggs on them.


    It was not that they did not have white flour. When it was time for food distribution, their family would use work credits to exchange for some white flour. However, they would only use it to make dumplings for a meal during the Chinese New Year. The rest would be used to make glue for shoemaking. It was impossible to have any leftovers to make noodles to eat.


    ¡°Xue, quickly wake your father up and let him eat it while it¡¯s hot! I think your father¡¯s injuries will recover quickly after eating this bowl of noodles!¡± An Quanzi had never eaten white noodles before, let alone Bai Daliang. Bai Daliang¡¯s mother was biased to begin with, so he definitely would not have a chance to eat good food.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Bai Xue also knew noodles would not taste good if left for too long, so she went over to wake up her father.


    ¡°Dad, Dad, eat first before you sleep!¡± She did not dare to use too much strength and pushed him gently.


    Bai Daliang slowly woke up. The wound was at the back of his head, so he could only lie on his side. Bai Xue had to carry the lunch box and chopsticks to his head. The moment she opened the lunch box, the fragrance of white noodles stimulated Bai Daliang so hard that his eyes widened in astonishment. The dizziness and discomfort dissipated slightly.


    ¡°Xue, are those white noodles? Where did you buy it? They are not cheap, right?¡± The first thing he asked was the price.


    ¡°Dad, I bought them from a state-owned restaurant. Eat it while it¡¯s hot! Come on. Let me feed you!¡± Bai Xue did not want to explain further and only spoke vaguely.


    Bai Daliang refused to let the matter slide. ¡°Xue, the state-run restaurant needs food stamps. Where did you get food stamps to buy these noodles? You can¡¯t do anything stupid, understand?¡±


    Bai Xue did not know what he was talking about, but she was touched that he was so worried about her.


    Although she was touched, it was a real problem now. She did not know how to explain and tried her best to think of a way. She looked around and did not know how to answer.


    ¡°Xue, did you spend money on food stamps?¡± An Quanzi asked. He was staring at the noodles and had not eaten yet.


    ¡°I heard my father mention going out without any food. He was so hungry that he could not take it anymore. He went to the state-run restaurant and spent a lot of money to buy food stamps for a meal!¡± An Quanzi continued to explain.


    ¡°No¡­ No, I did the chef a favor. He sold me three bowls of noodles without asking me for food stamps! Hurry up and eat it. It¡¯s getting cold!¡± As she spoke, she picked up the noodles and placed some by her father¡¯s mouth.


    Bai Xue could not say she had spent money to get the noodles since they knew exactly how much money she had on her.


    ¡°Xue, hurry up and eat your food. My hands are fine, so I can help myself!¡± Bai Daliang stopped asking questions and said he could eat just fine. Bai Xue did not insist. She had never served anyone before, so it was better for him to eat it himself!


    ¡°Dad, eat slowly!¡± After saying that, she picked up the remaining lunch box, opened it, and started eating.


    To be honest, the noodles were not very delicious. Among all the noodles she had eaten, this was the worst. Although there was meat and oil in it, there was not much. Also, there was very little salt. However, she ate it very happily because she had a taste of hunger after coming to this era.


    She then looked at Bai Daliang and An Quanzi. The two of them ate very slowly and sampled every mouthful with great care. It was as if the food in front of them was not noodles but gold and they could not bear to eat it.


    ¡°Uncle Quanzi, hurry up and eat it all! Don¡¯t even think about leaving it for your family. Not to mention that the noodles won¡¯t taste good after being left for too long, I even have to return the lunch box to them!¡± Bai Xue knew An Quanzi could not bear to eat the food and wanted to bring the noodles back for his kids.


    He had two daughters and a son. The eldest daughter was 16, the second son was 14, and the youngest daughter was 12. Usually, they did not have anything good to eat, so it was normal for them to think of their children when they ate noodles.


    ¡°Okay then. Got it. I¡¯ll start now!¡± An Quanzi said with a trembling voice.


    Bai Xue clearly saw a teardrop trickling into the noodles.


    Bai Xue thought to herself, ¡°Was it really necessary? It¡¯s just below-average noodles.¡±


    When she turned to look, she noticed her father¡¯s eyes had turned red as well.


    It did not end there. When the nurse came in unknowingly, she stood by the bed and stared at their noodles without blinking. Bai Xue held back her laughter and asked, ¡°Nurse, what can we do for you?¡±


    Nurse Xiaolan came back to her senses. It was not that she could not afford to eat noodles, but she had not eaten them for a long time. She was a glutton and could not move her feet when she saw food.


    ¡°Um¡­ This is an anti-inflammatory medicine, and this is a painkiller. The patient has to take one pill each after meals!¡± She put down two pills with a red face and went out.


    In this era, people were short on resources, so even medicine was dispensed tablet by tablet.

 Chapter 12

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    ¡°Dad, I can¡¯t finish it. If you don¡¯t mind, you can eat the rest of my noodles!¡± Bai Xue could not eat anymore after eating half of it. The original owner of the body had a small appetite and it was a generous serving of noodles, so she could not finish it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all. Just pour it into my bowl!¡± Bai Daliang was still eating his own noodles. Actually, he could sit up, but the doctor said not to sit up first or move around since he had a concussion. He could only lie on his side and eat with difficulty. However, it did not make the noodles any less scrumptious.


    However, it made sense. In this era, no one would despise it. As long as the soil did not get into the food until it was unfit for consumption, it made no sense to have a problem eating some leftover white noodles.


    Bai Xue poured half a lunch box of noodles into Bai Daliang¡¯s bowl. After waiting for a while, An Quanzi and Bai Daliang finished their noodles. She took the lunch boxes and washed them.


    On the way back, she took out a handful of old-fashioned paper candy from the interspatial supermarket.


    ¡°Uncle Quanzi, when you get back, can you give this candy to Liangliang and the kids?¡± She returned to the ward and handed the candy to An Quanzi.


    There were not many. There were only six pieces of candy, and each of the kids could get two. At this time, each piece of candy cost roughly $0.01. She did not dare to take out more, but she really wanted to thank Uncle Quanzi for helping to send her father to the hospital. It was reasonable to give him a few pieces of candy.


    ¡°No, don¡¯t. I can¡¯t take it. When we get back, just give them to Yun, Chuan, and the others! I can¡¯t accept it!¡± An Quanzi waved his hand and refused to take the candy.


    After eating a large lunch box of white noodles, it was too much to take other people¡¯s candy. He touched his bulging stomach and could not accept it.


    Bai Xue looked at him and sighed in her heart. Most people in this era were still simple and honest.


    ¡°Uncle Quanzi, I¡¯ve bought my younger brother and sister¡¯s candy as well. These are intended for your kids. You can bring them back for the kids to eat. Since we are in hard times, I only managed to get a few pieces. I hope you don¡¯t mind!¡± Bai Xue forced the candies into An Quanzi¡¯s hand.


    Since she had already said so much, An Quanzi could not refuse. Hence, he took the candy and carefully placed it in his pocket.


    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll bring it to them! Take good care of your father! I¡¯ll go back and return the ox cart first! Your second uncle should be coming over later. Get him to send a word. When your father is discharged, I¡¯ll come and pick you up!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Uncle, take care on the road! I¡¯ll keep an eye on Dad, so don¡¯t worry! Help me go home and tell my mother that my father is fine. He¡¯ll be back in two days!¡± Bai Xue spoke like an adult.


    ¡°Quanzi, can you get your wife to check on mine? She just gave birth to two children, but I got into this accident. She can¡¯t even do her confinement in peace¡­ Sigh¡­¡± Bai Daliang lay on the bed and sighed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Daliang. Rest well and don¡¯t worry about your family! I¡¯ll be leaving then!¡± An Quanzi put on his thick winter hat with ear flaps and walked out.


    Bai Daliang was still looking at the door and sighing.


    ¡°Dad, sleep for a while! The more you sleep, the faster your wound will heal. When your concussion is not so serious, we can go home and recuperate. You brought back food supplies this morning, as well as the white sugar and two eggs I hid. Mom and my siblings will be fine!¡± Bai Xue comforted him.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Xue, you should rest for a while too!¡± Bai Daliang had a lot to say, but he could not say anything. He was a dumb person to begin with.


    ¡°Alright then. Dad, go to sleep. Don¡¯t worry about me!¡±


    When Bai Xue looked out the window, it was already dark since it was winter and the sun set early. It was probably past 3 o¡¯clock. Second Uncle should be here soon. She had to find an opportunity to prepare 50 catties of yellow millet for Uncle Wang. She had made plans to meet him after dark and it was almost time.


    The black market price of fine grain was $1.50. She needed money now, so she could only take out fine grain to trade with him. In any case, yellow millet was not really considered fine grain to her.


    Bai Xue accompanied Bai Daliang for a while. Seeing that he had fallen asleep, she gently got up and walked out.


    She still had to go to the hospital canteen to order food. It was fine if they did not eat at night, but Second Uncle had walked over from so far away. He would be cold and hungry by the time he got here, and it was almost dark. He would definitely have to spend the night here, so she had to prepare food for him.


    To be honest, after seeing Third Uncle¡¯s behavior and looking at Second Uncle, she made up her mind to treat him well.


    When Bai Xue arrived at the canteen, there were a few people ordering food.


    ¡°Comrade, I need to reserve a meal for three!¡± Bai Xue walked forward and said to the younger man working in the canteen.


    ¡°That¡¯s $2.20 food stamps each!¡± The young man said calmly.


    Bai Xue was stunned when she heard that. She did not realize she had to use food stamps here as well. She only had $2.50 in her hand and did not have any food stamps.


    ¡°Comrade, can¡¯t we order food without a food stamp?¡± Bai Xue asked cautiously.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but you have to bring your own food supplies. This way we won¡¯t charge you for the ingredients, but you have to pay $0.50 each for preparing them.¡±


    Bai Xue looked at the large bowl used for the food. It was indeed quite big, enough for three people.


    ¡°Then what are the dishes?¡± Bai Xue wanted to order.


    ¡°Tonight¡¯s dishes are cabbage stewed with potatoes!¡± The canteen staff became impatient.


    Bai Xue was stunned again. Only one dish was available. She was still thinking about what to order.


    Seeing that the other party did not look too good, she did not ask further and quietly left.


    Bai Xue had to take out some more food and send it to the canteen for preparation. She had to buy some food for the three of them to eat at night. She could not go to the state-run restaurant. The moment she took out the white flour at lunchtime, the chef promptly noticed it. She had to keep a low profile and not draw attention.


    According to the canteen staff, an adult ate roughly 3.5 ounces of rice. She used to cook, but she had never seriously weighed the rice before cooking, so she simply did as she was told. If each adult usually ate 3.5 ounces of rice, she probably could not finish it. She simply weighed half a catty of rice from the interspatial supermarket and took out another cloth bag intended for down jackets.


    Bai Xue looked at the half a catty worth of sorghum rice in her hand. She did not dare to take out fine grains and could only make do with this.


    In the future, if she had the chance, she had to make some cloth bags. They would surely come in handy for her. The down jacket¡¯s fabric bag certainly did not look like something that existed in this era.


    Bai Xue turned around and went back. ¡°Comrade, here¡¯s half a catty of sorghum rice. I¡¯ll buy another bowl of vegetables!¡± Bai Xue handed half a catty of sorghum rice to the waiter and gave him $0.50.


    ¡°Alright. Come and collect the food in an hour!¡± After saying that, the young waiter turned around and went back to work.


    After delivering the food to the canteen, Bai Xue returned to the ward. Other than Bai Daliang, there was no one else in the ward, so she went to lie on another bed and closed her eyes. Her consciousness entered the interspatial supermarket. After weighing out 50 catties of yellow millet, she realized that she could not carry so much food.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? What should I do?¡± Bai Xue muttered subconsciously.


    The next second, she realized that her body was physically standing in the interspatial supermarket. She was so startled that she hurriedly shouted and immediately returned to her lying position in the ward.


    Only then did she understand that she could not do much after entering the interspatial supermarket using her consciousness, nor could she stay for long. If she wanted to move heavy things, she had to enter physically.


    Just as she was about to stand up and go back into the supermarket, her second uncle appeared at the door covered in frost.


    ¡°Hi, Second Uncle¡­¡± Bai Xue hurriedly stood up to welcome him.


    ¡°Is your father alright?¡± Bai Dajiang asked before he could take off his hat to warm himself up.


    ¡°My dad¡¯s fine now. He had a few stitches on the back of his head. He just fell asleep after getting an IV drip.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good!¡± Bai Dajiang said as he walked in.

 Chapter 13

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    ¡°Second Uncle, quickly sit down and take a break! I¡¯ll pour you some hot water!¡± Fortunately, Uncle Quanzi borrowed a large tea mug and a pot of hot water.


    It was 30 miles from Chaoyang Commune¡¯s Fifth Battalion to Pingyang Town. It would take more than three hours to walk fast alone. It was winter, and they did not wear warm clothes or eat well, so it was pure torture to make the trip.


    Bai Xue followed the ox-cart all the way, and the soles of her feet were still hurting. She swore that she did not want to walk anymore.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Second Uncle sat on the other bed. He took the hot water that Bai Xue poured for him and held the blanket to warm himself.


    ¡°Xue, is it not enough? I asked around and gathered some money. Take it! Here¡¯s $5!¡± He took out a bunch of notes from his pocket and handed them to Bai Xue. ¡°I only had $2 of spare cash at home. I went to your Uncle Quanzi¡¯s house to borrow $2. Chuan gave me $1.85. He said that it was sent by your third aunt!¡±


    ¡°Did Third Aunt give money? I¡¯m surprised she did it.¡± Bai Xue asked in disbelief.


    ¡°Xue, it¡¯s inappropriate for me to make comments about some things. Whatever it is, your third aunt is still an elder. If you speak ill of her in public, it will affect your reputation and reputation is very important to girls!¡± Bai Dajiang whispered.


    ¡°Second Uncle, we¡¯re about to starve to death. What¡¯s the use of having a reputation? If they dare to snatch our food again in the future, I won¡¯t hold back! This time, Third Uncle attacked my father, so this isn¡¯t over yet. I¡¯ll settle the score with them after my mother finishes her confinement!¡± Bai Xue said fiercely.


    ¡°The most important thing is that your father is fine!¡± Bai Dajiang drank a cup of hot water and felt more comfortable.


    ¡°Second Uncle, you can return this money to them later! You can also return the money Third Aunt sent over! Does she think we¡¯ll forgive them just because of the money? We have enough for the medical fees, so you don¡¯t have to borrow from others anymore! Second Uncle, I¡¯ll return your money as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°Is there enough for the hospital fees? That¡¯s great! There¡¯s no hurry to return my money. I simply used my work credits to get the money. In that case, I will go back first!¡±


    ¡°Second Uncle, it¡¯s too dangerous for you to travel at night. Stay for the night! There are empty beds here! Besides, I¡¯ve already ordered food for you from the canteen. It¡¯ll be ready soon!¡± Bai Xue also stood up to stop him.


    ¡°Why did you order food for me? I can eat at home!¡±


    ¡°Second Uncle, it¡¯s dangerous to travel at night and it¡¯s so cold. It¡¯s better to travel when the sun is out. It¡¯s safer and warmer! Alright, sit and rest! I¡¯ll go and see if the food is ready!¡±


    Bai Xue pushed her uncle back onto the bed and ran out, not giving Bai Dajiang a chance to refuse.


    After a while, she arrived at the canteen. The food was indeed ready. The rice was in a lunch box, and the dish was in a big bowl. Looking at the cabbage stewed with potatoes without any oil, Bai Xue complained, ¡°It¡¯s really cabbage stewed with potatoes and nothing else!¡±


    ¡°This lunch box and bowl have to be sent back later. I need a deposit of $0.10! I¡¯ll return the money to you when it¡¯s sent back!¡± It was still the young male waiter from before. His tone was still indifferent as he extended his hand to Bai Xue.


    ¡°Okay! Thank you!¡± Bai Xue took out a dollar and handed it to him. After he gave her back $0.90 change, she stacked the three lunch boxes together before taking them away.


    It took her two trips to bring the food to the hospital ward.


    ¡°Xue, wake your father up for dinner!¡± Bai Dajiang looked intently at the sorghum rice.


    He could not remember how long it had been since he had eaten cooked rice without water.


    He was always worried about whether he had enough grain to last until the autumn harvest.


    Coupled with his mother¡¯s exploitation, the children were hungry every day.


    ¡°My father just ate not long ago.¡±


    ¡°Are you eating? How¡¯s the injured man?¡± Before Bai Xue could finish speaking, Doctor Zhao walked in.


    ¡°Doctor Zhao, my father hasn¡¯t woken up yet!¡± Bai Xue quickly went up to her and replied.


    ¡°How long has he been asleep?¡± Doctor Zhao walked over to check on Bai Daliang.


    ¡°Almost two hours!¡± Bai Xue followed behind.


    ¡°Wake him up. Sit him down and see if he gets dizzy!¡±


    Bai Xue did as she was told and woke up Bai Daliang.


    ¡°Dad, the doctor wants you to sit up and check you! Sit up slowly! I¡¯ll help you!¡± She slowly helped Bai Daliang, who was still in a daze, sit up.


    ¡°How is it? Do you feel dizzy? Are you feeling unwell in any way?¡± Doctor Zhao opened Bai Daliang¡¯s eyelids and asked him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not dizzy. It¡¯s just that my wound hurts a little!¡± Bai Daliang answered Doctor Zhao honestly.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s not that serious. Take anti-inflammatory medicine and painkillers after dinner tonight! I¡¯ll check on you again tomorrow. If there¡¯s no problem, you can go home and recuperate!¡± Doctor Zhao glanced at the food and did not say anything. She did not mention the medical fees again and left after giving some instructions.


    ¡°Dad, you can sit up now. I just came back from getting food from the canteen. Eat it while it¡¯s still hot!¡± Bai Xue said as she held onto Bai Daliang.


    ¡°I¡¯m good. We can go home tomorrow!¡± Bai Daliang was much happier after hearing Doctor Zhao¡¯s words.


    The meal ended with Bai Daliang and Bai Xue wolfing down the food.


    Bai Xue really could not eat this coarse grain. Moreover, there was no oil or salt in the dishes.


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯ll go to the state-run restaurant to return the lunch boxes!¡± After Bai Xue finished packing, she returned the lunch box from the canteen and said to Bai Daliang, ¡°Second Uncle can keep an eye on you!¡±


    ¡°Let your second uncle accompany you to return it! I¡¯m fine here. You¡¯re a girl. It¡¯s already dark. How can you go out alone?!¡± When Bai Daliang heard Bai Xue was going to the state-run restaurant, he immediately stopped her.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Dad. It¡¯s not far from the state-owned restaurant. I can do it alone! You need someone to keep an eye on you. What if you get dizzy and fall? I¡¯ll be back immediately!¡± Bai Xue did not wait for her father to stop her and hurriedly ran away.


    Bai Dajiang paused before running after her, but she was nowhere to be seen.


    Bai Xue ran as fast as she could. She only slowed down after leaving the hospital for a while, afraid that her second uncle would chase after her.


    Although she had been to the state-run restaurant during the day, the roads were slippery and covered in snow at night, so she still walked carefully.


    When she was close to the state-owned restaurant, she turned into an alley and entered the supermarket to retrieve 25 catties of yellow millet.


    This was the good thing about this era. When it was dark, there was basically no one on the road. Not many houses were lit. Even if they did not sleep, they stayed in the dark. They either did not have kerosene lamps or wanted to save the oil.


    She struggled to approach the state-run restaurant with 50 catties of food on her back. She vaguely saw a person pacing back and forth. He seemed to be anxious.


    Bai Xue knew that it must be Uncle Wang. She shouted softly,


    ¡°Hey!¡± Wang Cheng immediately looked over when he heard her voice. Seeing that she was struggling to carry the food, he hurriedly ran over to take it from her.


    ¡°Uncle Wang, there are 50 catties of yellow millet. Please check it. Also, I want to return the lunch boxes.¡±


    ¡°Good, good!¡± Wang Cheng disregarded the lunch boxes. He quickly opened it and looked at the food. He stretched his hand into the bag and sighed as he looked at the golden yellow millet.


    ¡°The grains look good. There¡¯s no problem with the food! Let me pay you!¡± As he spoke, he took out $75 from his pocket and gave it to Bai Xue.


    ¡°Here¡¯s $75! Please check it!¡±


    Bai Xue took the money and did a rough count. In this era, the largest note was $10. Wang Cheng gave her seven $10 bills and one $5 note and they were all quite new.


    ¡°Uncle Wang, there¡¯s no problem with the money! I¡¯m leaving! Here are the lunch boxes!¡± Bai Xue placed the lunch boxes in Wang Cheng¡¯s hand and turned to leave.


    If she did not leave, it would be dangerous. She was selling food, and it was at the black market price. She would get into trouble if she got caught.

 Chapter 14

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    ¡°Hang on¡­¡± Wang Cheng called out to her from behind.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Bai Xue turned around in confusion.


    ¡°Can you still get food? I¡¯m talking about the future! My family is very big, and there¡¯s not enough food every month! If you have more food supplies, ¡­ can you¡­ can you sell me some every month? I¡¯ll buy it at the black market price. It¡¯s fine even if it¡¯s a small amount of food! Fine grain and coarse grain both work for me!¡±


    ¡°Uncle Wang, if it¡¯s convenient, let¡¯s find a place to talk! Put the food away first! It¡¯s dangerous!¡± Bai Xue looked around and said.


    ¡°Okay, okay! Sure thing!¡± When Wang Cheng heard that there was hope, he immediately carried the food and turned to open the door of the state-run restaurant.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk in the kitchen. Let me hide the food in the kitchen!¡± With that, he led the way in.


    Bai Xue was not afraid and followed him in. It was dark in the middle of winter and she could not see anything. She vaguely saw Wang Cheng¡¯s figure and carefully walked all the way to the kitchen.


    Wang Chen found half a stick of candle and lit it up. Only then did the room light up.


    ¡°Take a seat and make yourself comfortable. Uncle will put the food away first!¡± Wang Cheng said and walked to the other side, leaving Bai Xue to size up the half-used candle.


    She seemed to remember wedding products in the cosmetics area of her supermarket, and there were Double Happiness red candles inside.


    The candles were almost as thick as a baby¡¯s arm, unlike the red candle in front of her, which was only as thick as an adult¡¯s thumb.


    Bai Xue was waiting for Wang Cheng with nothing to do, so she entered the interspatial supermarket using her mind to check. Sure enough, she saw Double Happiness red candles in the cosmetics area. There were only sixteen candles on the shelf.


    Speaking of which, it was strange that Bai Xue still could not open the door of the warehouse. It was as if it was completely bolted shut. Perhaps she could not access the warehouse at all.


    Bai Xue felt regretful. It seemed that she could not sell the supplies in the interspatial supermarket freely. After all, this era of scarcity of supplies would take over 20 years to end. She had to save it for her family.


    Fortunately, there was a lot of rice and grains. All the rice and noodles added up to more than 5,000 catties.


    ¡°Come, drink some hot water to warm yourself up!¡± Just as she was thinking about this, Wang Cheng put down the food and walked over with a teapot of hot water.


    Bai Xue took the cup and held it in her hand, waiting for Wang Cheng to speak.


    ¡°What do you think? Can you do it?¡± Wang Cheng asked candidly.


    ¡°Uncle Wang, I can still sell a few dozen catties of grain every month, but you can¡¯t be picky about whether they¡¯re coarse or fine grains! I¡¯ll sell it to you at the prices you¡¯ve mentioned! I still have something to ask you!¡± Bai Xue said after thinking for a while.


    When Wang Cheng heard she could sell dozens of catties of food a month, his eyes immediately lit up. Although his salary was limited, he still had his family and relatives. If they chipped in to pay, they could afford the grain just fine.


    He immediately said, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you need my help with, I¡¯ll definitely help you!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that¡­ I still have some white wine in my hands. If you have the connections, can you help me sell them?¡± Bai Xue knew that the chef of the state-run restaurant must have some connections before she spoke. She was new here and did not dare to act recklessly alone.


    After doing the Math, she decided the food supplies were very important and limited in number, so she could not sell them freely. Her younger siblings at home were too thin and weak, and they still lacked nutrition. She had to feed them well and give them nourishing food. However, the wine in the interspatial supermarket could be sold since it was not a necessity! She could always trade the wine for money.


    ¡°What did you say? Do you have white wine?¡± Wang Cheng thought that he had heard wrongly and asked again. He looked at her without blinking, afraid that he had heard wrongly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I don¡¯t know what the black market price is for white wine! If it¡¯s possible, I would like to trade them for stamps as well. Food, meat, industrial, and fabric stamps are all acceptable.¡± Bai Xue explained that she wanted to sell it at the black market price! She also added she needed stamps. In fact, what she lacked the most at the moment was a stamp to get a bicycle.


    If she were to continue selling things, she would definitely run to Pingyang Town often. However, if she walked, she was afraid that she would die halfway.


    Sadly, she was short of money and could not do anything about it.


    If not for the fact that she was short of money to spend, she would not have wanted to sell the food. The supermarket sold yellow millet for a few dollars a catty. Now, it could only fetch $1.50 in the black market. It was not worth it to sell it like this.


    ¡°I was really right about you! You¡¯re indeed resourceful! Cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, and tea are all in high demand, but you can actually sell them! Don¡¯t worry, leave this to me. I guarantee that I can sell them for a good price! I¡¯m sure we can trade them for stamps!¡± Wang Cheng patted his chest as he spoke.


    He knew a few big shots in Pingyang Town who came to the state-run restaurant for meals. They liked to drink the most. There was definitely a big market for alcohol.


    ¡°Uncle Wang, can you help me check? I¡¯ll bring a few catties next time! I can even get some cigarettes, sugar, and tea! Can you help me ask around?¡± Bai Xue did not ask how much they could fetch this time.


    There were all kinds of branded cigarettes in her interspatial supermarket. Although there were brand names on the filter, it did not stop her from selling them. She could just cut off the filter and sell them.


    At most, the price would be lower.


    ¡°Do you even have cigarettes? I¡¯m a little curious about who you are. Your clothes are ordinary and even worn out, but you¡¯re offering fine grains, smoke, wine, sugar, and tea.¡± Wang Cheng finally could not hold back his curiosity and asked.


    ¡°Uncle Wang, curiosity killed the cat! I can¡¯t let you know who I am! It¡¯s best not to investigate. This way you can eat your fill while I make my money quietly and we can both get what we want. If anything happens, I believe you¡¯ll be in a worse state than me!¡± Bai Xue approached Wang Cheng and continued with a sharp gaze, ¡°Someone has my back, but as for you¡­¡±


    Wang Cheng could understand what she was saying even without finishing her sentence.


    He looked at Bai Xue, whose temperament and eyes were incomparably sharp. The little girl in front of him did not look like she was in her teens at all. Instead, she looked like a wily old fox who had been through a lot in the business world!


    Bai Xue looked at the frightened Wang Cheng and stopped. She softened her expression and said, ¡°Uncle Wang, who doesn¡¯t like a win-win deal, right? If you help me sell the stuff, I¡¯ll give you 10% of the profit!¡±


    ¡°Okay! Got it!¡± Wang Cheng looked at the completely different Bai Xue. After a long time, he finally recalled the 10% cut she offered. He nodded vigorously and agreed!


    ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal. Remember to keep it a secret! You can¡¯t even tell your family! I¡¯ll go back first!¡± Bai Xue stood up and disappeared in front of Wang Cheng without looking back.


    Wang Cheng sat in the kitchen for a long time, thinking about what had just happened. An excellent deal just fell into his lap!


    Bai Xue walked out of the state-owned restaurant and quickly entered the interspatial supermarket. After waiting for a while, there was no movement outside.


    She was relieved. After all, they were just strangers who met by chance, so they had no reason to trust each other. However, she had made the right bet. Uncle Wang was a man of his word. She told him not to investigate her and he did not try to follow her out.


    She left the interspatial supermarket and ran back to the hospital.


    As soon as she reached the door, Bai Dajiang walked out. After asking, she found out that Bai Daliang was worried about her and asked him to come out to look for her.


    Bai Xue exhaled. That was close.


    She followed Bai Dajiang back to the ward. Nothing happened that night as she spent her second night in this world in the hospital.

 Chapter 15

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    Bai Xue woke her up at dawn. It was so cold that she could not sleep. Although the hospital had a blanket, it was too thin to keep her warm. She could not sleep at all, so she sat up and looked at her father and second uncle as they slept soundly.


    They had long adapted to the cold, so the temperature in the ward was considerably warmer than at home. They naturally slept well.


    Bai Xue could not sleep, so she went out to take a look.


    She wandered to the canteen. As expected, the canteen was already open. Although there were few patients, the medical staff ate in the canteen of the hospital. Therefore, it was normal for the canteen to be open early.


    Bai Xue walked in. It was still the same young man from yesterday. He mentioned there was steamed cornbread available for breakfast, but she still had to use her food supplies to trade for breakfast since she had no food stamps.


    Bai Xue used coarse grains to exchange for five steamed cornbread, three bowls of piping hot porridge, and a small plate of pickled vegetables.


    When she brought breakfast back, her father and second uncle were already up.


    ¡°Xue, why did you get up so early to buy breakfast? Why did you buy so much? I can be discharged today. Your uncle and I could have eaten when we got home. You could have bought a single portion for yourself!¡± said Bai Daliang.


    ¡°Dad, you¡¯re a patient. You have to eat more to recover faster. If you don¡¯t eat, your wounds won¡¯t heal. You still have to spend more money then, right? Second Uncle came all the way here to deliver money to us, how could we let him go without breakfast? Alright, eat while it¡¯s hot! After eating, I still want to go shopping at the supplies cooperative before the ox cart comes to pick us up! This is my first time in Pingyang Town, how can I not go shopping at the supplies cooperative?¡± Bai Xue said as she handed chopsticks to her father and second uncle.


    Bai Daliang always did what his eldest daughter wanted. Bai Xue knew the host¡¯s personality was very similar to hers. Bai Xue¡¯s own father did the same back in modern times.


    In her memory, Bai Daliang hardly had any outbursts, but she took care of them each time. Other people¡¯s words were useless. Even her mother, Wang Cuihua, could not do anything about it.


    ¡°Why are we going to the supplies cooperative? We don¡¯t have money on hand. We can¡¯t buy anything!¡± Bai Daliang said as he took a bite of the steamed cornbread in his hand. He was eating happily. His family could not bear to eat dry food.


    ¡°It costs nothing to take a look and it¡¯ll broaden my horizons! Dad, I still have some money left. Let me see what I can buy for Mom! It¡¯s her confinement period, so it¡¯s really hard for her! When we came out, she fainted and was unconscious! When my third aunt was in confinement, Grandma snatched two catties of pork from us during her confinement period for nourishment, but Mom can¡¯t even eat a full meal when it¡¯s her turn!¡± Bai Xue brought up Wang Cuihua¡¯s grievances.


    They were both daughters-in-law, but this mother-in-law was too biased.


    ¡°Huh? Did she faint?¡± Bai Daliang asked anxiously when he heard that Wang Cuihua had fainted.


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be anxious. Mom is just too weak after giving birth. I asked Shan and Yun to cook for Mom. There are still two eggs. Mom should be fine!¡±


    ¡°Alright! How much money do you have left? We¡¯ll buy some good food for your mother. When I get back, I¡¯ll trade in my work credits for money with the captain to return it to your second uncle! We have to nourish her back to health! When I recover, I¡¯ll go up the mountain and try my luck. I¡¯ll try and catch a pheasant or a hare to nourish your mother¡¯s body!¡± Bai Daliang said guiltily. He knew his mother¡¯s personality, but it was hard for him to be sandwiched in the middle. If he came down hard on his mother, he would be criticized by others.


    ¡°Alright, Dad, I understand.¡± Bai Xue nodded. Her eyes lit up. If people hunted in the mountain, perhaps she could use this as a cover for her source of meat.


    Moreover, she had already thought it through. She would give her second uncle food in exchange for cash. Her second uncle did not even have enough work credit to feed his family. Even if they returned the cash, he could not buy food without food stamps. It might be a better idea to find some excuse and take out food from her interspatial supermarket and give her second uncle food instead.


    Bai Xue saw that her father only ate one piece of steamed cornbread and refused to eat the other no matter what. She had no choice but to drop it. Seeing her second uncle was the same, she simply put their steamed cornbread into their pockets. She cleaned up the dishes and sent them back to the canteen before rushing to the supplies cooperative.


    The supplies cooperative was not far from the hospital and was located in a different direction from the state-owned restaurant.


    Bai Xue went to the supplies cooperative curiously. In front of her was a red brick house that was only about 200 square meters. When she walked in, the space inside was very big. There was a glass counter around it, and behind the counter stood salespeople.


    There were salespeople in charge of all kinds of items, and a few people were buying things inside.


    She walked around and looked around, but the salesperson did not take the initiative to talk to her.


    She looked around and did not see anyone selling bicycles. She was a little curious and asked the salesperson, ¡°Miss, where are the bicycles?¡±


    The salesperson selling fabric sized her up and said haughtily, ¡°This is just a small town. How can we have bicycles to sell? Do you want to buy bicycles?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m just asking!¡± Bai Xue did not expect that the supplies cooperative in town did not sell bicycles, so she answered in embarrassment.


    ¡°Tsk, why ask if you can¡¯t afford it?¡± The saleswoman muttered and lowered her head to knit.


    ¡°Is there any cloth here that doesn¡¯t need stamps?¡± Bai Xue knew the salespeople of this era were all like this, so she did not take it to heart and asked again.


    ¡°Are you talking about defective fabric? If we had defective fabric for sale, do you think the place would be so quiet? Of course, not!¡±


    Although the sales woman¡¯s attitude was not good, she still answered Bai Xue¡¯s questions candidly.


    Bai Xue was a little disappointed. She did not have any cloth from this era in the interspatial supermarket. Her idea of making a few sets of bedding could only be put on hold for now.


    She had to use stamps for almost everything. She was having a headache from shopping. She watched as people came and went with their shopping. Bai Xue looked at the various counters like an idiot without buying anything and left with her tail between her legs before long.


    She knew that the salespeople must be gossiping about her.


    She thought about how to use the things in the interspatial supermarket. She racked her brain and kept thinking about this on the way back to the hospital.


    Just as she was about to reach the hospital, an idea flashed through her mind.


    She did not enter the hospital. Instead, she walked past the hospital and strolled around town which was straight from the 60s.


    It was almost noon when she returned.


    In her hand was a cloth bag containing three catties of white flour, two catties of yellow millet, 3.5 ounces of brown sugar, one catty of pork belly, a Double Happiness red candle the size of a baby¡¯s arm, and an old-fashioned paper bag of sugar.


    She did not dare to take out more for fear of scaring her father.


    When she walked into the ward, her second uncle had already returned to the village to borrow an ox cart. Only her father was there waiting for his IV drip to finish.


    ¡°Dad, I¡¯m back!¡± she called out.


    ¡°Xue, what took you so long?¡± Bai Daliang looked up at her as he lay in bed.


    ¡°Sigh. I met an old lady on the way to the supplies cooperative. She slipped and had trouble standing up. Since no one else was around, I had no choice but to go up and help her up. The old lady hurt her back, so I could only be a good Samaritan and sent her home. I¡¯m so tired!¡± Bai Xue said solemnly.


    ¡°Is she alright?¡± When Bai Daliang heard this, he was worried about the old lady.


    ¡°She should be fine now. She just needs to lie in bed and rest for a few days! When I sent her back, her son happened to be back. He was extremely worried and even gave me some things to thank me for the help when he found out about it. I said no, but he insisted. See? Look at all this stuff!¡± Only then did Bai Xue lift the cloth bag in her hand.


    She had gone to the state-run restaurant to ask Uncle Wang for this cloth bag.


    She had to make cloth bags as soon as possible. She had let the chef think that she was someone with a powerful backer. It made no sense for her to keep asking for cloth bags!

 Chapter 16

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    ¡°Child, if you want to help someone, then help them. How can you accept their things?¡± Bai Daliang said disapprovingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said too, but they said it¡¯s just a small token of appreciation. They don¡¯t lack these things. Also, they asked me to come and visit his mother every couple of days. He said he¡¯s often not at home and is worried about his mother¡¯s safety! They said that he¡¯ll give me $10 a month!¡± Bai Xue put on an act.


    ¡°Huh? He just needs you to check in on his mother every couple of days without doing anything. Why is he giving you so much money?¡± Bai Daliang was about to sit up.


    ¡°Dad, didn¡¯t I tell you? He has the money! Besides, I have to come every two days. It¡¯s 30 miles from home, so it¡¯s not easy to walk back and forth.¡±


    ¡°When the time comes, I can make the trip for you, right? Tell me where the old lady is living! I will come over to take a look!¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t, Dad! She might be a family member of a high-ranking official. He probably only asked since I saved her today. They probably don¡¯t let random people into their place, right?¡± Bai Xue knew her father would say this and already came up with an excuse.


    ¡°Is that so? Then are you okay with this? We don¡¯t really have to take the job!¡± Bai Daliang looked at his thin daughter and said worriedly.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Dad! I can even handle farm work, so walking is no big deal, right? It¡¯s $10. Once I have the money, my younger siblings won¡¯t have to suffer from hunger and cold, right? I don¡¯t mind making the trip even if it¡¯s long. I¡¯m your eldest daughter, so I have to take care of them! Besides, I¡¯ve already agreed to this!¡± Bai Xue suddenly felt she was praiseworthy.


    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault for being useless and making you suffer!¡± Bai Daliang began to blame himself again.


    ¡°Alright, Dad. I¡¯m sure things will get better in the future. This is how the socioeconomic environment is now. No one can help it, right?¡±


    Bai Daliang did not quite understand the word ¡°socioeconomic environment¡±, but the big words and promises his daughter made suddenly made his mood lift.


    Second Uncle drove the ox car over. When he got there, it was already past one o¡¯clock. Bai Daliang was also done with the IV drip. Doctor Zhao came in, gave them two bottles of medicine, and told Bai Xue to settle the hospital fees.


    ¡°Qiyue, my father is going to be discharged from the hospital. Can you settle the bill for me?¡± Bai Xue asked as if they were close friends.


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll help you settle it immediately!¡± Chen Qiyue smiled widely when she saw that it was Bai Xue.


    The scented moisturizing cream she bought for $5 was very good and smelled nice.


    Her already-married sister came home to visit and loved the scented moisturizing cream and kept begging for it. She felt extremely smug about it.


    In the past, it was always her sister who showed off. This time, Chen Qiyue could finally do it.


    Moreover, the 20 catties of grain she bought back were very high quality and many times better than the usual grain supply. Therefore, her mother did not say anything about her spending $5 on scented moisturizing cream. She even praised her for being smart and resourceful.


    Actually, her family was not short of money. Her father was the head of the milk powder factory, but in this era, there was a general lack of clothes and food. Even if they had money, a lot of things were scarce.


    ¡°Xue, the hospital bills add up to $17.84. I¡¯ll return the rest of the money to you!¡± Chen Qiyue said after calculating for a while.


    ¡°Okay!¡± Bai Xue replied politely.


    Soon, Chen Qiyue returned the change, but before Bai Xue could turn around, she spoke mysteriously.


    ¡°Xue, do you have anything else to sell? If you do, I¡¯m interested in buying them. The scented moisturizing cream was awesome and I loved it!¡±


    Bai Xue thought for a moment and did not agree immediately. Chen Qiyue had seen her father and knew where Bai Xue was from, so it was not safe to sell things to her.


    Before she could say anything, Chen Qiyue interrupted and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know your identity has to be kept secret! I understand! I won¡¯t even tell anyone who I bought the stuff from!¡±


    ¡°Alright, if I do get my hands on anything good, I will tell you about it!¡± Bai Xue finally agreed.


    ¡°Alright! I have money, so remember to show me what you have, including food supplies!¡± said Chen Qiyue happily.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll get going then!¡± Bai Xue turned around and returned to the ward.


    Bai Daliang was ready to go and Bai Dajiang had prepared the ox cart by placing their blanket on it. Bai Xue supported her father and walked out slowly with the things she had taken from the supermarket, afraid that Bai Dajiang would fall.


    When they passed by the cashier, Chen Qiyue smiled and waved at her. Bai Xue also waved back politely.


    On the way back, Bai Xue did not walk beside the ox cart anymore. She sat down beside her father, so she could cover herself with the blanket. However, the blanket was not warm, and she was still freezing the entire way.


    When they reached home and entered the courtyard, a few small children ran out.


    ¡°Dad, Big Sis, you¡¯re back. Dad, are you alright?¡± Bai Ruyun, the oldest among them, spoke first.


    ¡°Dad, are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Big Sis, are you cold?¡±


    The little ones asked one after another.


    ¡°Alright, alright, don¡¯t ask anymore. Hurry up and let Dad in. His head is still injured! He has to recuperate well!¡± Bai Xue used her hand to pull the four little ones aside to make room for Bai Daliang and walked into the house.


    ¡°Big Sis, let me hold Father!¡± Bai Ruxia pushed Bai Xue aside and held onto Bai Daliang.


    ¡°Big Sis, let me carry it for you!¡± Bai Rushan took the bag from Bai Xue.


    Bai Xue also passed the bag to Bai Rushan.


    The group of people walked into the house. Bai Xue turned around and saw Bai Dajiang driving the ox cart out.


    ¡°Second Uncle, let¡¯s go inside and warm up before returning the ox cart!¡± Bai Xue stopped and shouted.


    ¡°I should return the ox cart as soon as possible! I don¡¯t want anything to go wrong!¡± Bai Dajiang did not stop as he drove the cart out.


    ¡°Then come to our house for dinner later!¡± Bai Xue shouted again.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we already eat? I¡¯ll pass. Hurry up and enter the house, Xue. It was so cold on our way home!¡± As he spoke, the ox wheels crunched on the snow as they walked toward the battalion.


    Bai Xue did not insist. She quickly turned around and ran into the house.


    When Bai Xue entered the house, Wang Cuihua was crying while looking at her man¡¯s head.


    ¡°Mom, stop crying! You just gave birth, so you shouldn¡¯t get emotional!¡± Bai Xue hurried forward to comfort her


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Mom. Your body is weak. You just woke up after fainting. If you cry like this, the two eggs you ate will go to waste, right? If you don¡¯t recover, the babies can¡¯t have any breast milk!¡± Bai Ruxia was a straightforward person, so she spoke candidly.


    ¡°Alright¡­ I won¡¯t cry anymore. It¡¯s good that your father is back! I¡¯m just glad he¡¯s back!¡± Wang Cuihua quickly wiped her tears.


    ¡°Cuihua, how are you? I heard from Xue that you fainted. I¡¯m so worried!¡± asked Bai Daliang as his children helped him to the bed.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I just saw you lying on the ground with blood all over your head. I fainted out of anxiety¡­¡± The couple chatted between themselves.


    Bai Xue did not join in their conversation. She turned around and took out a packet of candy from the cloth bag that Bai Rushan was holding and distributed them to her younger siblings.


    ¡°Come on. I have candy for you. Two each. Come and get them!¡±


    As soon as Bai Xue said this, the four little ones immediately ran over happily. However, they did not compete and waited obediently for their eldest sister to hand out the candy.


    The two younger sisters were 13 years old, and the two younger brothers were 10 years old. The four of them were originally studying, and the two girls were about to enter junior high school, but their grandmother made them stop school and took the money. Now, they had started to work as well. Although children at their age loved candy, they were very sensible and never asked for them.

 Chapter 17

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    ¡°Big Sis, does Pingyang Town sell candy?¡± Bai Ruchuan, who was the first to get the candy, looked at the two old-fashioned paper-wrapped candies in his hand. He was so happy that he almost drooled, but he could not bear to eat it.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Other than candy, there¡¯s still a lot of delicious food. I¡¯ll buy it for you when I have money!¡± Bai Xue said sadly.


    ¡°Big Sis, we¡¯re not children anymore. If we have money, we should spend them on the babies!¡± Although Bai Ruchuan¡¯s eyes were filled with desire, he still spoke sensibly.


    ¡°You¡¯re all children! Come on, Shan, Yun, Xia, eat up!¡± Bai Xue said and distributed two pieces of candy to each of them.


    She took two more candies and opened the packaging. She walked to the bed and placed one in each of her parents¡¯ mouths before Bai Daliang and Wang Cuihua could react.


    ¡°Xue, I don¡¯t eat candy. You eat it yourself!¡± Bai Daliang wanted to take it out of his mouth.


    ¡°I won¡¯t eat either! You kids can have it!¡± Wang Cuihua was the same.


    ¡°Both of you have low sugar. Don¡¯t spit it out! Make sure you eat them! Dad, your wound will heal faster if you eat the candy. Mom, it will help with the breast milk!¡± Bai Xue ordered.


    The two of them stopped spitting out the candy.


    Bai Daliang still remembered what Bai Xue had said. If he did not eat well, his wounds would recover slowly, and he would have to spend more money later.


    Wang Cuihua¡¯s biggest worry now was that she did not have enough milk. When she heard it would help her produce breast milk, she promptly stopped fighting.


    Bai Xue took another one and popped it into her mouth. The sweetness in her mouth instantly lifted her mood.


    She looked at the children, who were happily chewing on sweets.


    Bai Xue sighed. The people in this era were easily satisfied. All it took was a full meal and a piece of candy to make them happy.


    ¡°Alright, who¡¯s going to help me with the fire? I¡¯ll make you soup with dough balls using white flour!¡± Bai Xue looked at the happy family wanting to make them happier.


    ¡°Me, me, me! Big Sis, I¡¯ll start the fire!¡± Bai Ruchuan was the first to stand up and volunteer when he heard she was going to cook.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help to start a fire too!¡± Bai Rushan ran out to take some firewood.


    ¡°Big Sis, we¡¯ll help you!¡± The four little ones were overjoyed. They did not ask how she had the supplies to make the food.


    It might not have occurred to the children to ask, but it did not slip Wang Cuihua.


    ¡°Huh? Where did this white flour come from?¡±


    ¡°Dad, tell her what happened. I¡¯m going to cook first!¡± Bai Xue left Bai Daliang to explain and happily walked out with the cloth bag.


    ¡°Daliang, what¡¯s going on?¡± Wang Cuihua looked at Bai Daliang.


    There were two newborn babies sleeping between the two of them. Over the past two days, they had rice soup with sugar, so they slept especially quietly and did not cry or make a fuss.


    ¡°You see. Xue saved an old lady who fell in Pingyang Town and sent her home. In order to thank her, the family gave her a lot of food supplies including candy. They even gave her a job. She has to go to town and visit the old lady every couple of days and they will pay her $10 a month!¡± Bai Daliang explained his understanding to Wang Cuihua.


    Wang Cuihua did not have much of a reaction at first, but she became happy when she heard the rest.


    ¡°Good people will always be rewarded. Perfect. Xue doesn¡¯t have to slog every day. It¡¯s great!¡±


    ¡°Recommendation letters are hard to come by! It¡¯s fine for now since there¡¯s nothing to do in the winter, but it won¡¯t be easy after the spring planting season.¡± Bai Daliang sighed.


    ¡°When the time comes, bring her to the captain¡¯s house and talk to him. The captain is a good person. He won¡¯t make things difficult for the child.¡± The couple discussed.


    On Bai Xue¡¯s side, the boys had already brought in the firewood. Bai Xue took out two basins and poured the white flour into them. She only poured half a catty of white flour into one of them while the other basin contained about a catty and a half. She put away the rest and took out a catty of streaky pork and placed it in the cupboard along with the other things.


    ¡°Big Sis, it¡¯s not safe to put it in the cupboard!¡± The meticulous Bai Ruyun immediately reminded her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry! They won¡¯t dare to come over for the time being!¡± Bai Xue said as she took out a kitchen knife.


    ¡°Big Sis, this is pork! I can¡¯t believe you have pork!¡± Other than Bai Ruyun, the other three were already drooling around the pork.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ll make you pork and dough balls with soup tonight! Get up first and stop blocking my way!¡± Bai Xue held a knife and split half a catty of pork that was almost frozen into two.


    ¡°Yun, chop this half into minced pork! We¡¯re going to make dumplings for our mother!¡±


    She knew there was a custom of making dumplings for pregnant women after giving birth and it was good for the bones.


    ¡°Got it, Big Sis!¡±


    Bai Ruyun was very obedient. She took the kitchen knife and began to chop the stuffing.


    The three sisters worked quickly and were very deft at cooking.


    They worked quickly. Before long, the food was ready. They had never eaten so well in their lives.


    She used pork filling to make dumplings. Pork and dough balls with soup looked absolutely tantalizing.


    ¡°Alright. The soup¡¯s ready! You guys go and put it on the table!¡± After Bai Xue was done with her work, she quickly found a big basin for the soup.


    The white flour dough was soft and fluffy. Half a catty of pork belly was cut into pieces and thrown into the pot to stir-fry with seasoning until the oil from the meat oozed out. She then added seasoning and water and brought them to a boil. She made white flour dough and pulled them into small round lumps before throwing them into the soup to boil.


    The siblings, who had never eaten like this before, were about to drool.


    When the meal was served, the siblings had already set up the brick platform bed table and placed bowls and chopsticks on it.


    ¡°Mom, I made dumplings for you! They are filled completely with pork, so it¡¯s good for your bones, especially post-pregnancy. Eat more!¡± Bai Xue placed a large bowl of dumplings in front of Wang Cuihua.


    In fact, if there were cabbages at home, she could have made more dumplings and the whole family could have eaten them. However, thanks to Old Madam Bai, all the cabbages and potatoes planted on the family¡¯s land were taken. Other than pickles, there were only two catties of soybeans left at home since she had carefully hidden them and kept them.


    ¡°How can I eat so much? You guys eat too!¡± Wang Cuihua pushed the bowl of dumplings toward them.


    ¡°Mom! Just eat it! We¡¯re also eating white noodles! There¡¯s also quite a bit of meat inside! Big Sis put half a catty of meat inside! Stop feeling bad about it, okay?¡± Bai Ruyun was more composed and grown up than Bai Ruxia. When Bai Xue was cutting the meat, she kept saying that it was enough!


    ¡°Good girl! If I give you something to eat, just eat it! Eat as much as you can! I won¡¯t let you go hungry again!¡± Bai Xue patted her head, feeling sorry for her.


    She scooped a large bowl of dough balls with soup for everyone. Actually, it would be even better if there were diced kidney beans. She had them in the supermarket, but unfortunately, she had no excuse to take them out.


    Everyone held the dough balls with soup in front of them and savored its fragrant scent intently. Only Bai Ruchuan ate it ravenously, ignoring the heat.


    ¡°Chuan, eat slowly! It¡¯s hot! There¡¯s still some in the basin. If it¡¯s not enough, you can have it all!¡± Bai Xue looked at Bai Ruchuan and felt both amused and sad. As she spoke, she picked up a dumpling for Wang Cuihua and put one in each of their bowls. ¡°Try one first. I¡¯ll think of a way to make delicious food for you when I go to town!¡±


    Throughout the entire process, Bai Daliang looked at his eldest daughter without saying a word. His eyes were slightly red, and he could sense his throat choking.


    As a father, he did not have the ability to feed the children well. He was eating noodles and dough balls with soup made of white flour because of his eldest daughter. He could not help but feel awkward.

 Chapter 18

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    ¡°Dad, what are you looking at? Hurry up and eat!¡± Bai Xue knew what he was thinking, so she did not expose him and asked him to eat quickly with a smile.


    ¡°Uh huh! I will! I¡¯ll eat it immediately! This food is very fragrant. I can tell it¡¯s delicious just by smelling it!¡± When his daughter said that, Bai Daliang quickly picked up his chopsticks and ate.


    The family ate in full swing. From time to time, they would raise their heads and blow their lips since the soup was too hot.


    Wang Cuihua also ate a lot of dumplings. For the sake of the two newborn babies, she had to eat them. She made sure she finished all the dumplings after one was distributed to everyone else. The two newborns were also full and sleeping soundly.


    In the end, everyone was stuffed. Their stomachs were round and they felt a little uncomfortable sitting down.


    There was nothing left on the table except empty bowls and basins. The bowls and basins had been licked clean.


    ¡°I¡¯m so full! I¡¯ve never eaten so full before. It feels so comfortable. I can¡¯t even open my eyes!¡± Bai Ruxia narrowed her eyes and rubbed her stomach in satisfaction. Beside her, Bai Ruyun felt the same way. The four little ones sat on the north brick platform bed in one position.


    ¡°Big Sis, this is the first time I¡¯ve ever had my fill and it feels awesome!¡± Bai Ruchuan added.


    ¡°In the future, I¡¯ll try my best not to let you guys feel hungry again! As the saying goes, food security is very important!¡± The original owner of the body had finished the fifth grade of primary school and was considered half a cultured person in this era. Therefore, Bai Xue was not afraid of being exposed.


    Moreover, her memory told her that the host¡¯s personality was very similar to hers. She did not have to hide anything and could just be herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting a food coma as well!¡± Bai Rushan also spoke, his face filled with satisfaction.


    ¡°You can¡¯t sleep now! The four of you have to put firewood into the heater and wash the dishes! Your eldest sister is tired. Let her rest!¡± Bai Daliang¡¯s head was no longer dizzy, and his wound did not hurt as much. He had eaten his fill and was in good spirits as he teased the two babies. When he heard the children talking, he interrupted with a smile.


    ¡°We know, Dad! We won¡¯t let Big Sis work! Don¡¯t worry!¡± Bai Rushan replied.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wash the dishes now!¡± Bai Ruyun climbed down to put on her shoes.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to clean up the outer room!¡± Bai Ruxia followed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll put in more firewood for the heating!¡± Bai Rushan said.


    ¡°What¡­ what can I do?¡± said the last boy as he snapped out of his food coma.


    ¡°Help your brother with the heater!¡± Wang Cuihua looked at Bai Ruchuan¡¯s cute little face and ordered.


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯m on it!¡± He quickly put on his shoes and ran out.


    Since the other kids were given all the work, she had nothing to do. She climbed onto the brick platform bed and played with the babies next to her father.


    ¡°Mom, have you come up with names yet?¡± She suddenly thought of this and asked Wang Cuihua.


    Wang Cuihua looked at the children gently and smiled in satisfaction. ¡°How can I have time to think of a name? A lot of things happened when I gave birth, so I completely forgot about it!¡±


    ¡°Dad, have you thought about their names?¡± Bai Xue turned to look at Bai Daliang, who was putting his finger into the baby¡¯s hand and teasing it.


    ¡°Not yet. Why don¡¯t you come up with names?¡± Bai Daliang said leisurely.


    ¡°How can I?¡± Bai Xue waved her hand.


    ¡°Why not? You¡¯re their big sister!¡± Wang Cuihua patted her shoulder lightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know who¡¯s who. Who¡¯s the older one?¡±


    ¡°The boy is the sixth child in the family, and the girl is the youngest!¡± Wang Cuihua tucked the baby beside her in.


    Bai Xue followed the direction of her mother¡¯s hand. Her mother¡¯s hand was calloused and rough. She made a mental note to bring out a box of scented moisturizing cream for her mother to use when she had the chance.


    ¡°My brothers¡¯ names are all mountains and rivers. Why don¡¯t we call my sixth little brother ¡®Feng¡¯? How does Bai Rufeng sound to you? The word ¡®Feng¡¯ is also a part of a mountain. The peak of a mountain means the highest point!¡± Bai Xue explained to her parents.


    ¡°Good! That¡¯s good! Let¡¯s call him Feng! Bai Rufeng! It has a nice ring to it too!¡± Bai Daliang immediately agreed.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! You¡¯re so smart!¡± Wang Cuihua¡¯s mood dropped as she spoke. ¡°If only the children could study!¡±


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll send my younger siblings to school after the new year!¡± Bai Xue had already thought it through. If it were not for their evil grandmother, they would still be in school. Her younger siblings¡¯ school fees only added up to roughly $2 each. She could afford to pay $8 if they spent their money wisely.


    But their grandmother¡­


    ¡°Xue, I want you to go to school too!¡± Wang Cuihua wiped her tears again.


    Perhaps the people in confinement were more emotional and would cry non-stop.


    ¡°I¡¯m already 15 years old. I have the ability to share the burden of my family, so I should let my younger siblings study. I can afford to send them to school now that I can earn $10 a month!¡± Bai Xue thought to herself that she had studied enough. She had studied until she was a graduate student in her previous life and did not want to study anymore.


    When the college entrance examination resumed, she should have no problem getting into a university.


    ¡°It¡¯s been hard on you! Sigh! We¡¯re your parents, but we can¡¯t give you more!¡± Wang Cuihua¡¯s low spirits also affected Bai Daliang. The two of them sighed together.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, you two. What¡¯s so good about studying? I¡¯ve already graduated from primary school. Look, I can even come up with good names for the babies. As for education, I don¡¯t have to know everything, right? This is good enough for me! The most important thing is to earn money to fill my stomach!¡± Bai Xue could not stand the two of them sighing like this, so she said loudly.


    ¡°Dad, Mom, Big Sis! I don¡¯t want to study! I want to earn money to support my family!¡± Bai Rushan, who had come in with firewood, immediately expressed his stance when he heard his elder sister¡¯s words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to study either. What¡¯s so good about studying? I might as well cut grass for the pigs. At least I still get to earn two work credits a day!¡± Bai Ruchuan followed behind!


    ¡°Be quiet! You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying. You¡¯re just kids, so you belong in school! Two credits are nothing! You can earn more money after studying!¡± Bai Xue pretended to be angry as she said to her two younger brothers.


    The two of them did not dare to speak anymore and went to do their own work.


    Since her parents were busy working, the younger siblings were all raised by the host. The four of them listened to their elder sister more than their parents.


    ¡°Alright! Stop arguing about this! It¡¯s time to think of a name for the youngest baby!¡± Bai Xue changed the heavy and boring topic.


    ¡°Xue¡­¡± Wang Cuihua still wanted to say something.


    ¡°Mom, how about we name her Bai Rucai? As in rainbow colors! We have snow, clouds, and rosy sunset clouds in our names, but no rainbow yet. What do you think?¡± Bai Xue interrupted her with a smile.


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s call her Bai Rucai! My eldest daughter is so smart! ! Even I couldn¡¯t come up with such a good name!¡± Bai Daliang spoke first to ease the atmosphere.


    Wang Cuihua was no longer sad. Her eldest daughter knew what she was doing. No one could stop her from doing what she wanted to do. Fortunately, she did not have to work so hard in the future. She was happy for her no matter what.


    ¡°Alright! As you wish!¡± In the end, Wang Cuihua compromised and said that she would listen to Bai Ruxue.


    ¡°Mom, don¡¯t worry! I¡¯m your daughter! No one¡¯s going to push me around!¡± Bai Xue hugged her mother¡¯s neck and said comfortingly.


    ¡°You always put yourself ahead of others. Please think for yourself more in the future! I feel so bad about you!¡± Wang Cuihua was about to cry again.


    Bai Xue held her forehead. Women in confinement were so emotional!

 Chapter 19

    Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations


    The next day, Bai Xue woke up at dawn. The brick platform bed was warm from the heating. Although the blanket was thin, she slept comfortably.


    ¡°Big Sis¡­¡± Bai Ruyun felt it the moment the elder sister beside her got up. She sat up with sleepy eyes, followed by Bai Ruxia. The two boys also sat up.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to make breakfast. If you guys are tired, sleep for a while more!¡± Bai Xue did not even dare to take off her clothes when she slept, afraid of the cold.


    She just had to lift the blanket and put on her shoes.


    ¡°Big Sis, I¡¯ll help you!¡± Bai Ruyun quickly put on her cotton clothes and pants and followed her to the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sleepy. Big Sis, let me sleep for a while more!¡± Bai Ruxia was not so diligent. She could not even open her eyes and lay back down under the blanket.


    Although the two of them were twins, the older sister was still more sensible and diligent than the younger sister.


    ¡°Xue, you two should go back to bed and sleep for a while too! Daddy will make breakfast!¡± Bai Daliang woke up when he heard the commotion.


    ¡°Dad, you have a wound on your head. You need to take care of yourself! We¡¯ll do it! Don¡¯t work in the fields either!¡± She still had a plan. If Bai Daliang was seen working in the fields, it would be difficult for her to carry out her plan.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop insisting that you¡¯re fine. You have to recuperate for at least two months!¡± Bai Xue interrupted him.


    ¡°How can we do that? It¡¯s almost the new year. The planting season will begin after the new year. How can I get work credits if I don¡¯t work?¡± Bai Daliang was anxious.


    There was less than half a month before the new year. After the new year, the spring wind would blow and they would have to go to work. They would dig corn roots, fertilize the land, and prepare for planting in spring.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about anything else. I definitely won¡¯t let you go hungry. Just lie on the bed and recuperate. At the same time, help take care of the babies and let Mom finish her confinement. This might be the last time she gets pregnant. If she doesn¡¯t do it properly, she might suffer long-term ailments in the future!¡±


    ¡°Erm¡­¡± Bai Daliang was accustomed to working. He was not used to lying on the brick bed to recuperate and not doing anything.


    ¡°Dad, if you want to stop Grandma and Third Uncle¡¯s family from pestering you, you have to listen to me. Trust me. Once they know that you¡¯re working in the fields, they¡¯ll immediately barge into our house to snatch food!¡± Bai Xue made it clear.


    Bai Daliang instantly understood what his daughter meant. She wanted him to pretend to be sick.


    ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll listen to you!¡± Bai Daliang struggled for a moment and said.


    ¡°Alright, the wound on your head hasn¡¯t healed yet. Quickly lie down and sleep again! We¡¯re going to make breakfast!¡± Seeing her father understood, Bai Xue did not say anything else and quickly walked out.


    Just as she took out a catty of yellow millet from the cupboard, Bai Rushan followed them out.


    ¡°Big Sis, what are you going to make? Are you making porridge? I¡¯ll go get some firewood and start a fire!¡±


    ¡°Alright! Add some water to the pot and boil it! I will cook millet porridge!¡± Bai Xue took a basin and washed a catty of millet before pouring it into the big iron pot.


    They made thick sticky millet porridge with brown sugar for breakfast and everyone in the family got to eat it.


    The family was enjoying their meal when the door was pushed open. Old Madam Bai¡¯s loud voice sounded.


    ¡°Daliang! My dear son, are you alright? I was so worried!¡±


    The entire family was dumbfounded. There was thick brown sugar millet porridge on the table, and everyone had it in their bowls. No matter what they said, they could not make any excuses about them.


    ¡°Big Sis, what should we do? Grandma will definitely come after our supplies¡­¡± Bai Ruyun¡¯s face turned pale.


    The others felt the same way. Wang Cuihua looked worried.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I¡¯ll handle it. Chuan, go and get the captain.¡± Bai Xue asked Bai Ruchuan to call the captain before Old Madam Bai stepped into the room.


    Bai Ruchuan put down his bowl and chopsticks and ran out. He bumped into Old Madam Bai at the door of the inner room.


    ¡°Hey, you little brat, are you trying to kill your own grandmother?¡± Old Madam Bai screamed, but Bai Ruchuan kept running.


    Old Madam Bai did not care about the collision and quickly walked in.


    ¡°Daliang, are you alright? You worried me to death!¡± As she spoke, she sat at the spot where Bai Ruchuan had been sitting at the table. Her eyes did not forget to wander back and forth looking for something.


    ¡°Mom¡­ Why are you here so early in the morning?¡± Bai Daliang said unhappily.


    ¡°I was just worried about you. I ran over as soon as I woke up. Oh my. This is quite the spread! This millet porridge is as thick as dry rice! My life is so hard that I can¡¯t even afford to have soupy millet soup¡­¡± She sighed and picked up Bai Ruchuan¡¯s bowl.


    Old Madam Bai would do anything to get what she wanted be it plunder or act.


    Seeing this, Bai Xue quickly took away the remaining millet porridge in the basin and gave her younger siblings a look, telling them to eat quickly!


    The little ones did not disappoint her and quickly scooped up the porridge in their bowls.


    ¡°You good-for-nothing, why did you take the porridge away? I¡¯m not full yet! Daliang, don¡¯t you care that she has no respect for her elders? Hurry up and get her to bring the porridge over!¡± When Old Madam Bai saw this, she quickly finished the porridge in her bowl and shouted.


    ¡°Grandma, my mom is still in confinement. I still have to feed my mom with the remaining porridge! If she doesn¡¯t have any breast milk, are you going to buy them milk powder?¡± Bai Xue was so disgusted by this old woman that her words were not polite at all.


    ¡°What does that have to do with me? I¡¯m your father¡¯s biological mother. There¡¯s no reason for him not to feed me!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not forget you kicked my father out a long time ago and he has done his duty as a son. As a mother-in-law, it¡¯s unreasonable for you to snatch food from a daughter-in-law who is still in confinement!¡± Bai Xue retorted.


    ¡°You good-for-nothing, who permitted you to speak? Shut up! Daliang, aren¡¯t you going to discipline your daughter? If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll teach her a lesson for you!¡± Old Madam Bai said as she stood up.


    ¡°Mom, you can eat my bowl of porridge. We have to save the rest for Cuihua! She doesn¡¯t even have any breast milk yet!¡± Bai Daliang said angrily.


    ¡°Give it to me!¡± When Old Madam Bai heard this, she immediately reached out and took the porridge in front of Bai Daliang.


    Bai Xue looked at her father disappointedly for caving in and picked up the bowl to eat. She did not even serve her father porridge. She even gestured for her mother to eat quickly! If they did not eat quickly, it would all end up in her grandmother¡¯s mouth.


    Wang Cuihua lowered her head and ate her food. Old Madam Bai was unhappy when she saw this.


    ¡°Your man has no food to eat. How could you still have the cheek to eat? Give your porridge to Bai Daliang! Can¡¯t you see that he¡¯s injured?¡±


    ¡°Mom, Cuihua is in confinement. How can she not eat? I¡¯m not hungry. I¡¯m done!¡± Bai Daliang immediately spoke up for Wang Cuihua.


    Bai Xue glared at Bai Daliang. He had forgotten how his mother treated him the other day. Now, he had even given her porridge.


    ¡°Grandma, I have some questions for you then. Who injured my father? Since you mentioned he has to go with no food, can I ask who took his food from him? I also have to ask, how are we going to resolve the matter of Third Uncle hitting my father?¡± Bai Xue did not care if she was her grandmother or not. The woman treated them badly, so she was not going to play nice.


    She might have heard something and come over to see what was going on. The family in the west of the compound were bad people. The people in the family must have smelled the fragrance of their food last night and said something to Old Madam Bai.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t your father fine now? What¡¯s there to resolve? Isn¡¯t it normal for biological brothers to fight? What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Old Madam Bai took a bite of the porridge guiltily. Her eyes were wandering as she shouted and scolded to hide her emotions.


    ¡°Grandma, how did you conclude that he¡¯s fine now? He can¡¯t get off the bed yet. He gets dizzy when he moves! Third Uncle gave my dad a concussion, did you know that? Moreover, he needed stitches on his wound and still has to remove the stitches seven days later! The medical fees cost $10! He won¡¯t be able to work for two to three months!¡± Bai Xue felt sorry about the money, but she could not tell the truth.