Early the next morning, Bai Xue got up and used the leftover chicken soup from the night before to cook a pot of sorghum porridge, and the whole family had another hearty meal.
"Xiao Xue, if we keep eating like this, will the little bit of grain we have last until the relief grain arrives after the New Year?" Bai Daliang couldn't hold back his question.
"Dad, the younger ones are too thin and malnourished. If we don't feed them well to strengthen their bodies, they might fall ill one day, and that would cost money too, right? Besides, Mom is still recovering after childbirth, and her milk supply has just improved a little. If we don't keep her well-fed, what will the two babies eat? Even if we had the money for formula, we don't have the ration stamps to buy any! Plus, we don't have the money anyway! Don't worry, I'll figure something out about the grain problem!"
"You're still just a kid, what solution could you possibly have? It's not okay; I'll go to the team leader and see if we can borrow some grain!" Bai Daliang worried.
The grain they've eaten over these few days could have lasted ten more days if they were thrifty, but what his eldest daughter said wasn't wrong either. He was worried sick; grain is more precious than gold now—what can be done?
"Who has spare grain at a time like this? Dad, don't go, don't put the team leader in a tough spot! Every household is struggling to get enough to eat, and if everyone came to the team leader to borrow grain like you, what would happen then?"
"Sigh..." Bai Daliang let out a long sigh.
"Alright, Dad, Mom, today is the day to visit Grandma in town. I'm heading out now!" Bai Xue said, heading towards the door.
"Xiao Xue, are you alright going alone? Let your second uncle go with you," Bai Daliang called after her.
"I'm fine on my own! Second Uncle is busy gathering firewood every day; he doesn't have time! Don't worry, Dad!" Bai Xue called out as she stepped out of the inner room.
"Big Sis, I'll go with you!" Bai Ruchuan jumped off the northern kang and ran after her.
"Don't go; if you're not afraid of the cold, gather some firewood. It's almost gone!" Bai Xue instructed.
"Alright then!" Bai Ruchuan gave up on the idea of going with her.
Bai Xue finally broke free from everyone and set off on her journey alone, traveling light.
Once out of the village, she couldn't wait to find a hidden spot to enter the supermarket.
She took a pack of Yunyan cigarettes, removed the outer packaging, and put it in a bag. Then she found a jar for pickling vegetables off the kitchen supplies shelf and filled it with ten pounds of white liquor. She also took a small bag of loose tea leaves.
In the clothing section, she found a pair of thermal pants, took off her clothes, wore the thermal pants underneath her old clothes, and also found a thermal sweater to wear underneath. Then she put on a pair of black snow boots before leaving the space, heading toward Pingyang Town.
After walking for more than two hours, she was so exhausted that she wanted to curse. She had never exerted so much physically, and her body, undernourished as it was, was already running on empty.
She finally arrived at the State-Owned Restaurant. It was just after ten in the morning, not yet lunchtime, so there weren't many people around.
Once inside, the same waitress as before was there. Seeing Bai Xue this time, she wasn't as dismissive and quickly went into the kitchen to call out Chef Wang.
"Lass, you're here! Come, come, drink a cup of hot water to warm up!" Chef Wang came out with a beaming smile, personally poured her a cup of hot water, and led her to sit at the table near the counter.
The waitress stayed by the kitchen door, watching them. Thankfully, Bai Xue didn't directly bring out the items; she had stored everything neatly in her space.
"Uncle Wang, I'm here to see you!" Bai Xue hinted to Wang Cheng with a look.
Wang Cheng understood instantly and glanced back at the waitress.
The waitress immediately returned to the kitchen, giving them privacy.
At the State-Owned Restaurant in Pingyang Town, Wang Cheng still held some influence.
"Lass, I have a few people wanting to buy cigarettes and liquor. How much did you bring?" Wang Cheng whispered.
"How much do they want to buy?" Bai Xue asked.
"They didn't specify; they just left the money as a pre-order. How about selling the liquor at ten yuan per jin?" Wang Cheng asked. He could earn a commission, so he preferred to sell it a bit more expensively.
In a supply and marketing cooperative, one jin could be bought for fifty cents, but now it was twenty times that price.
However, Bai Xue's loose white liquor was definitely better than what was available during that era.
"Alright! You set the price, uncle! I brought ten packs of cigarettes from the Capital City; they're very precious. Sold at ten yuan per pack! I brought ten jin of liquor and two jin of tea leaves!" Bai Xue said, as if those items meant nothing to her.
Wang Cheng couldn't remain calm upon hearing this.
What? She brought ten packs of cigarettes, meaning he could earn ten yuan, ten jin of liquor for another ten yuan profit, and two jin of tea leaves?
"How should we price the tea leaves?" Wang Cheng's voice rose in excitement, believing the waitress wouldn't dare eavesdrop.
"Ten yuan per two liang of tea leaves!" Bai Xue said without batting an eye.
Tea leaves were precious, and hers were of excellent quality. Not to mention the Pingyang Town supply and marketing cooperative, even the county cooperative couldn't offer them. So, ten yuan for two liang wasn't expensive at all.
"Good, great!" Wang Cheng kept nodding, saying good, good! He calculated in his mind that two jin of tea would equate to two hundred yuan, allowing him to earn twenty yuan. He'd could make forty yuan from this deal, more than his monthly salary of thirty-eight yuan. What was the background of this girl? She seemed poorly dressed, yet Wang Cheng glanced down to see her wearing brand new snow boots. His heart skipped a beat, thinking maybe this girl was in disguise, and her family had a significant backing. Could this be his future breadwinner? She could supply him with grain and let him earn money!
"Wait here for a bit; it's almost lunchtime. Before people arrive, I'll quickly bring you the items!" Bai Xue got up and left as she said this.
"Chef Wang, who is that little girl visiting you again?" The waitress, Jiang Meili, twenty-two and keen to keep her hard-earned job, dared not offend the chef carelessly for fear of dismissal—only emerged after Bai Xue had gone.
"She's my niece! Why? Do you have an issue with her visiting me here?" Wang Cheng asked calmly.
"No, no, just asking! I'll go tidy up the kitchen!" Jiang Meili, the waitress, quickly excused herself.
Bai Xue came back shortly, bringing the cigarettes, liquor, and tea. She carried a cloth bag she had borrowed from Wang Cheng last time, making sure to leave a candle the size of a baby's arm back in the space, not daring to bring it out.
"Uncle Wang, I've brought the goods; make sure to store them safely!" Bai Xue entered the restaurant, where Wang Cheng was still waiting for her at the table. She quickly handed the items over.
Ten jin of liquor was quite heavy.
"Alright, sure! Uncle will store them properly; you wait a moment!" Wang Cheng took the items and walked out, leaving Bai Xue to sit down and sip the water he had poured for her earlier.
A while later, Wang Cheng returned, panting but empty-handed.
"Lass, I'll first give you the money for the cigarettes and liquor. I hadn't mentioned the tea because I didn't know you would bring it, so how about I pay you for it next time?"
"Sure, no problem!" Bai Xue, understanding the principle of trust, agreed readily.
"Here are five jin of grain stamps, forty yuan in industrial vouchers, one jin of sugar tickets, ten feet of cloth vouchers, and two cans of milk powder tickets! This is all Uncle could gather, plus these two hundred yuan!"
Saying so, he handed out the money and tickets.