Chapter 20 - 20 0020 Entering the County Town Again 4_1

Chapter 20: Chapter 0020: Entering the County Town Again 4_1 Chapter 20: Chapter 0020: Entering the County Town Again 4_1 Feng Qingxue extended her hand, inviting the old woman to speak first. The old woman did not refuse and said straightforwardly, “My dear, you are a good girl, I won’t hide it from you. My family is struggling these days. The meager forty to fifty yuans we have scraped together is why I am here. Please see how much grain I can buy with this. We need both fine and coarse grains, as our whole family is relying on these high-priced grains to survive.” Listening to the old woman, Feng Qingxue’s heart ached. She respected and pitied the people of this era, as her grandparents were living through these times as well. “Ma’am, let’s be honest. I’m not considering the market price of grain since I do not have any scales to weigh. Hence, I’m giving you all the grains I have, for the money you have,” Qingxue said. Feng Qingxue opened her bag, revealing two bags of grain inside. Although the cloth bags didn’t hold that much grain, they were about 13 to 14 pounds each, bringing the total to over 26 pounds. Gauging by the current grain prices, it was quite costly. Tears welled up in the old woman’s eyes. She clearly realized that she couldn’t afford so much grain without at least a hundred yuan. “My dear, thank you...thank you...” she said. The old woman bowed deeply in gratitude, hastily taking out a hanky from her chest and unwrapping it to reveal a stack of money. There were ten yuan bills, as well as smaller denominations, totaling forty-eight yuan, fifty cents, and seven fen. Feng Qingxue took the money and poured the grains from her bag into the container the old woman had brought with her. The old woman also noticed the eggs and cooking oil in the bag. She moved her lips slightly, but ultimately remained silent. She then bowed to Feng Qingxue, lifted the bamboo basket and hurried away. Feng Qingxue was concerned about the elderly woman waiting at the Red Army Bridge. She thought that the woman had a demeanor very similar to that of her own grandmother. She filled two to three more bags with both fine and coarse grains and returned to the Red Army Bridge. The elderly woman hadn’t managed to buy any grains yet. Seeing Feng Qingxue, she quickened her strides up to her, whispering, “My dear...” “Let’s go.” Feng Qingxue didn’t ask her what price she could offer for the grains. She said this word and turned to leave. A moment later, the elderly woman caught up to her, surprise and happiness painted on her face. In a corner where no one was paying attention, the elderly woman asked, “My dear, are you willing to exchange your grains with me?” “What do you have for exchange?”, Feng Qingxue asked with a smile. At this moment, Feng Qingxue thought to herself, as long as it wouldn’t harm her, she might as well try to help. After all, money and possessions were temporary. But this old woman resembled her grandmother so much. Seeing her felt like seeing her own grandmother. The old woman pulled out a small black cloth bag from her sleeve and handed it to Feng Qingxue. When Feng Qingxue untied the bag, she was taken aback by the shimmering light of two gold bracelets, each as wide as a finger. They were beautifully crafted with ruby inlays, nearly identical. “Ma’am...” Feng Qingxue gasped in surprise. “Take it, my dear. It’s very kind of you to be willing to exchange food with me.”, the old woman said. Feng Qingxue swiftly drew the bag closed, “Ma’am, this is too precious.” “No matter how precious, it was only so in the past. Now, we can neither eat nor drink it.”, the old woman laughed bitterly, her words harmonizing with her grim expression, “My dear, I won’t lie to you. Although the bank purchases gold to fund national construction, they only buy the gold. It would be a waste to remove the gems as they are the work of renowned craftsmen of the old times. But most importantly, I dare not go to the bank.”