Chapter 57: An Unexpected Encounter with Liu Xiuhua

After listening to Tong Xueyan’s account, Tong Lingxian felt both fortunate and terrified.

Those people hadn’t just been cunning toward them; they had also handled everything afterward with extreme care. They left themselves plenty of backup plans and even meticulously concealed their tracks.

No wonder no one had been able to find them. With such thorough cover-ups, it would have been strange not to be misled.

If the Tong family hadn’t coincidentally run into someone who had been there that day, their whereabouts might have remained unknown forever. Even Xiao Jing and Ruoruo would have been misled in the same way.

Tong Lingxian suddenly realized something was off. If that was the case, then in a roundabout way, it actually proved how lucky they were.

Even though misfortune had struck, luck had always been on their side.

First, Xixi fell ill but managed to pull through. Then the Brigade Leader helped them both openly and secretly. Now, their In-laws and Xueyan had come to support them. All of this counted as good news.

It also proved that the people on the other side weren’t truly all-powerful; there were still gaps in their control.

And as long as there were gaps, they would eventually find an opening to strike back. It was only a matter of time.

After everyone finished talking, it was already very late. The kerosene lamp was extinguished, and Tong Xueyan placed the items she had brought on the table.

A large stack of Great Unity bills, various cloth ration tickets, and some baby supplies, including malted milk, clothes, socks, shoes, and the like.

“This is all I could bring today,” Tong Xueyan said. “Granduncle, Grandaunt, time was tight tonight, so I only brought these for now. Most of the things are already in the house. I’ll bring the rest tomorrow night.”

Tong Lingxian thanked her. “We’ll manage. Xueyan, we really appreciate your kindness. Just having money and ration tickets already solves a big part of our current difficulties.”

“That’s nothing,” Tong Xueyan replied. “My place isn’t fully sorted out yet. Once it’s ready tomorrow, I’ll let Xixi move over and sleep with me.”

She gently set down the sleeping Fang Mingxi from her arms, then bid everyone farewell.

Since it was already late, Tong Lingxian and Fang Bo Song returned to bed, their hearts filled with excitement.

There had been too many surprises today. First, their In-Laws arrived, and now Xueyan was helping them too. At the very least, they no longer had to worry about Xixi going cold or hungry in the future.

Fang Mingxi woke up right on time at six in the morning. Grandpa, Grandma, and both sets of grandparents were still asleep, and it was still pitch dark outside.

She opened her interface, entered the Little Black Room, changed her outfit, and headed to the Hongqi Town black market.

There weren’t many people in town today. After paying the entry fee, Fang Mingxi slung her basket on her back and walked to her usual spot.

As soon as she entered the alley, she noticed someone already occupying her regular place. Her gaze flickered, and she simply turned and sat down across from that person instead.

Fang Mingxi laid out the fresh vegetables she had brought. Her expression was calm, but out of the corner of her eye, she was quietly observing the person opposite her.

It was He Xi’s grandmother.

Fang Mingxi had been coming to the black market to sell things for several months now, yet this was the first time she had encountered someone from He Xi’s side. She had thought they wouldn’t show up, but here they were today.

Although the memory fragments didn’t reveal how He Xi first made her fortune, Fang Mingxi could roughly guess.

Either she sold goods at the black market, or she stumbled upon antiques, valuables, or met some benefactor.

For months, Fang Mingxi had been keeping her guard up, watching closely to see how He Xi would rise to wealth, but she had never encountered anything relevant.

Now, she suddenly ran into Liu Xiuhua. Judging by how skilled she looked, she must have been coming here often; it was just that the two of them had never crossed paths before.

Not long after Fang Mingxi set up her stall, customers began stopping by. Soon after, people also started browsing Liu Xiuhua’s stall across from her.

Both stalls sold similar vegetables, but Liu Xiuhua’s had more variety; besides cabbage, there were scallions and wild greens.

Her prices were cheaper too, and the vegetables were very fresh and clean, clearly washed with care.

Fang Mingxi’s selection was smaller, but her vegetables were much bigger.

They were just as fresh, with dirt still clinging to the roots, as if they had just been dug up from the field.

Especially the cabbages. Each one was huge, nearly weighing over a jin. Even if they were slightly more expensive than outside, buying one could last several meals.

The customer at Fang Mingxi’s stall bought several cabbages at once and walked off carrying them.

The person browsing Liu Xiuhua’s stall glanced over at Fang Mingxi’s cabbages, hesitated, then reluctantly put down the much smaller cabbage in his hands.

He walked over and squatted in front of Fang Mingxi’s stall, slowly picking through the cabbages.

“How much for your cabbage?”

Fang Mingxi handed him a piece of straw. “Three fen per jin. No ration tickets needed. Pick whichever one you like.”

“Three fen? That’s one fen more expensive than outside,” the man muttered, flipping through a few cabbages and feeling the price was a bit steep.

He glanced back at Liu Xiuhua’s stall, comparing the two. In the end, he resigned himself and chose Fang Mingxi’s cabbages.

“Don’t try to cheat me,” he said. “I’ve got a good feel for weight. These two cabbages are at most two jin and three liang. How about I give you six fen?”

“Sure, no problem,” Fang Mingxi replied.

She accepted the one-jiao coin and gave him four fen in change.

The deal was done.

Out of the corner of her eye, Fang Mingxi noticed Liu Xiuhua staring in their direction, unable to hide the disappointment in her eyes.

Fang Mingxi lowered her gaze, about to look away, when her body suddenly stiffened.

Inside Liu Xiuhua’s basket was something she found very familiar.

She remembered the first time she came to the black market to sell ginseng, when Sister Yu mentioned that her neighbor had bought some ginseng. The seller didn’t seem to be from Maple Leaf Brigade.

At the time, Fang Mingxi had wondered, since He Xi was supposed to be a lucky child, how could the ginseng not have come from them? Surely he would have found some, no matter what.

Now that she saw it, He Xi really had found ginseng.

Several roots were casually tossed into the basket, their thin fibers already looking a bit dried out.

Strange.

Even a lucky child had things that wouldn’t sell?

Fang Mingxi looked away suspiciously and lowered her head to continue tidying her cabbages.

Just as Fang Mingxi had guessed, Liu Xiuhua was indeed feeling frustrated.

She had only come to the black market a handful of times over the past few months. Several times, she tried selling through the supply and marketing cooperative, but never found the right opportunity.

Even the clerk she knew couldn’t help much. Though he said he would keep an eye out, no news ever came.

The last time she came to the black market, she hadn’t managed to sell the ginseng. This time, she had hoped to use the chance to sell it again, but still, no one showed any interest.

She had even placed the ginseng right on top so passersby would notice it immediately.

So why wasn’t anyone buying?

Liu Xiuhua stared at the three ginseng roots, now shriveled and clearly losing moisture, and sighed inwardly.

She had confidently promised she would sell them and even told Xixi they would buy tasty food afterward. But after several trips to town, she still hadn’t found a buyer.

Those three roots were worth several hundred yuan. Letting them rot in her hands would be such a waste.

Her thoughts drifted.

Maybe she should ask the Brigade Leader for a recommendation letter and try going to the county town?

There were more people there. If the supply cooperative still didn’t want them, she could go straight to the hospital.

She refused to believe she wouldn’t be able to sell them at the hospital entrance.