Chapter 19 - 19 0019 Entering the County Town Again 3_1

Chapter 19: Chapter 0019: Entering the County Town Again 3_1 Chapter 19: Chapter 0019: Entering the County Town Again 3_1 “Such a good thing?” Aunt Feng couldn’t believe it. “Just lucky, I guess.” Feng Qingxue evaded with ambiguity, unwilling to elaborate, “Auntie, could you watch Qingyun for me so she doesn’t wander off and get taken by someone? I’m going out again to get some food; otherwise, we won’t make it through this winter.” Hearing Feng Qingxue say this, Aunt Feng didn’t feel it was appropriate to press further. “Go ahead, you can leave Qingyun with me without worry.” Upon nearing the county town, Feng Qingxue moved the original items in her basket into her space, then extracted a bag of flour and a bag of cornmeal from the space. Not wanting to attract attention, she took nothing else. Upon further thought, Feng Qingxue also took out thirty eggs and two kilograms of soybean oil. The oil in her space was stored in large plastic tubs or sand jars – for bulk quantities, these containers were used. Smaller quantities were stored in pottery jars, small plastic tubs, and glass bottles. Feng Qingxue, eyeing a bargain, had gathered many inexpensive containers for storage purposes. The plastic tubs and glass bottles were inconvenient to remove, but she managed to find a pottery jar of soybean oil tucked away in a corner. She had originally planned to take some meat out – her space contained a lot of it, but considering the houses in town were quite close together and the smell of stewed meat could easily waft into others’ nostrils, inviting trouble, she decided to just take out the eggs and oil instead. Upon reaching the county town, she didn’t go anywhere else, proceeding directly to Red Army Bridge. There were a fair few people hanging around the bridge and its surrounding areas of Red Army Bridge, scattered here and there, ignoring each other while glancing around nervously. Some huddled in twos or threes, speaking briefly before parting ways; others watched for any danger from afar. The gaunt and poorly dressed Feng Qingxue was clearly not a black market enforcer, so no one stopped her from approaching the bridge. Noticing Feng Qingxue’s seemingly heavy basket, a sixty-year-old lady of refined demeanor approached her straight away. Adorned in clean old clothes, she had a malnourished look and a basket strapped to her back. She greeted her in a low voice. “Miss, do you have any grains to sell? Coarse or fine, I’ll take it all. I have items to trade with you.” Feng Qingxue had been looking at her in a daze. Upon hearing this, she replied quietly, “I’m sorry, grandma, I’m actually waiting for someone. If she doesn’t want all the grains I’ve brought, then I’ll trade with you. Is that acceptable?” Having always been respectful of the elderly, she felt deeply for the older woman who was reluctantly dealing with the black market to get food. Fortunately, Feng Qingxue had plenty of supplies in her space. The old woman gratefully agreed and shuffled away to wait. After looking around for a while, Feng Qingxue noticed the old lady who had warned her last night had been waiting for a while over there, and she hurriedly walked over. “Grandma, you’re here.” Similar to the refined old woman from earlier, this old lady also had a bamboo basket covered with a piece of ragged cloth. “Miss, let’s find another place to trade. There are too many prying eyes here.” This was the first thing the old lady said upon seeing Feng Qingxue. Feng Qingxue understood completely. So, they left the area, one following the other. A dozen or so minutes later, the two met up again, but did not trade straight away. They switched locations again, this time to a place where no one was around. “Grandma, how much do you want?” “Miss, how much do you have?” The first thing they said when they were ready to trade was this, which they both said simultaneously, their words overlapping. Feng Qingxue couldn’t help but smile, and the old lady laughed as well.