Reborn with a Space: Building a Fortune Amidst Famine

Early the next morning, as Su Yuanyuan had just finished tidying up, Hu Chunhua came over. "Yuanyuan, let’s go."

"Okay, Aunt, there’ll surely be a lot of people at the marketplace today. If we get separated, don’t worry about me, I can find my way home on my own."

"Alright, I have too many things to buy this time. I’ll stick with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law."

"Then let me help you carry some bags."

"No need, there are many of us, we can’t look after you today."

"Okay, I don’t have much to buy, just planning on getting two pounds of meat to make dumplings on the thirtieth night."

"On the twenty-fifth, the Lin Family is slaughtering a pig. You should buy from them; I heard the meat hasn’t all been reserved, and they have plenty left."

"Alright, then I’ll just buy it in the village."

When they bumped into Hu Chunhua’s mother-in-law, Su Yuanyuan greeted people one by one, to which they merely grunted in response.

She didn’t feel embarrassed; after all, getting along with others depends on fate.

She ran into Zhao Guiying again, and this time Su Yuanyuan felt less awkward.

Once they reached the marketplace, everyone dispersed.

Su Yuanyuan went about by herself, feeling quite at ease. She bought some mushrooms, thinking of stewing them with chicken and swallowing her saliva at the thought.

She also bought some wood ear mushrooms. Since there weren’t plastic bags available at this time, everything was strung with twine. She placed them directly into her basket.

She bought some dried chili peppers and a bit of Sichuan peppercorn and star anise.

After a round, she saw some vermicelli for sale and thought she could buy some. She also bought some starch there, but since there was no proper container for it, the seller reluctantly gave her a small cloth bag.

Su Yuanyuan, being thick-skinned, said many nice things.

She also wanted to buy some of the golden millet, but again ran into the issue of having no proper container.

"Girl, why not buy everything together, and then this bag will be yours."

In the end, there was an additional seven and a half pounds of millet in her basket.

She also passed by sellers offering chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Su Yuanyuan didn’t plan on buying them—it was too flashy. However, she squatted down to chat a bit and learned they would be selling chicks, ducklings, and goslings next spring.

This put her at ease, as she definitely wanted to raise some next year. Especially the ducks and geese, which could go to the reservoir to find their own food. How great would that be?

When she met some people from the village, she greeted them but didn’t care how they responded.

Stopping at a snack stall, she spotted candied gourds and peanut brittles, buying some of each, which were wrapped in reed leaves.

Now that suited the image of a child. She headed home with her basket on her back.

Her favorite used to be the peanut brittles, but since they were too sweet and she feared diabetes, she restrained herself from eating them.

Now with this body, eating more sugar wasn’t a problem.

When she got home, the clever goat was still going about its business.

With those two little goats, they couldn’t keep up with the goat milk.

So Su Yuanyuan found a basin to milk the goats, which she had no idea how to do, but the goats were willing to cooperate with her and she eventually got the hang of it.

In her space, she had two large pots purchased just for this, cleanly scrubbed, and she poured the goat milk directly into them. She could drink it or make milk candy, just thinking about it made her drool.

"I’ll make sure to feed you well. Do your best and produce more milk, I want to make milk candy."

Having resources for her whims.

Life carried on like this, the little goats were already very energetic. However, Su Yuanyuan noticed the goat wouldn’t relieve itself indoors, although there was still a slight odor, she tolerated it. She didn’t chase it out.

On the twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month, Su Yuanyuan heard the cries of pigs, broadcasting through the entire village.

After about two hours, Su Yuanyuan went to Yang Peilin’s house.

The pig wasn’t being slaughtered in the yard, so there was no need to go inside and offend people with taboos. There were quite a few buyers; Su Yuanyuan queued up at the back.

Anyway, she didn’t want fatty meat, as lean meat would suffice.

She was also just looking to make dumplings to enjoy the New Year’s Eve festival atmosphere.

No one paid her any mind, although they were all quite curious.

Everyone in the village knew about her wild boar incident, but they also knew she was out of money, and here she was buying meat? The village women felt a bit peeved.

But they also knew it was her business. It’s better to avoid trouble, and some feared interacting with her might bring bad luck.

There was a quarrel upfront due to the shortage of fatty meat. Su Yuanyuan, with her head low, truly felt helpless, regretting her decision to buy meat.

She waited another half an hour before it was her turn.

"Girl, you’re here to buy meat? Which piece do you want?" Yang Peilin asked with a smile.

"Uncle, just give me this piece," indicating a strip of tenderloin, prime meat.

"This is all lean meat," Yang Peilin hesitated, reluctant to hoodwink the small girl.

"Uncle, it’s alright, just give me this piece."

"Peilin, give her whichever piece she requests."

"Yeah, the little girl prefers lean meat."

Yang Peilin weighed the piece, totaling one pound eight ounces.

"Uncle, also include this piece for me," it was shoulder clod, exceptionally tender.

The two pieces together weighed three pounds six ounces.

"Girl, this pork is eighty cents a pound. Since it’s all lean, just give me two dollars and eighty cents, saving you eight cents."

Su Yuanyuan thanked Yang Peilin with a smile, handed over the money, carried the pieces home, one in each hand.

After she left, the person behind her started an argument with Yang Peilin.

"Why give that girl a discount and not me?"

"Fifth Sister-in-law, these are good fatty meats, and that girl got lean meat, charging her eighty cents a pound already feels embarrassing."

"How dare you, Yang Peilin, who’s looking down on whom?"

Yang Peilin, his face flushed with anger, sighed at the unreasonable stubbornness. Ultimately, he refused to give even a penny off. He’d rather hold on to it, deciding that if it didn’t sell today, he’d take it to town the next day, saving himself the headache. He resolved never to sell pork in the village again after such frustration.

Su Yuanyuan didn’t witness the ensuing commotion; she preferred avoiding potential gossip around the village.

Once home, she stored the meat in her space. Lying on the kang reading, though they say lying down ruins the eyes, sitting all day seemed even more uncomfortable.

Suddenly getting up, she recalled she hadn’t finished the shoe soles Hu Chunhua had given her; even though she bought rubber shoes, they wouldn’t be comfortable in the heat. Anyway, she was free now, slowly working, having bought a thimble, awl, and thread last time.

She had watched her grandmother make shoe soles before, and although she hadn’t done it herself, she knew the basics.

Surprisingly, by noon she had completed half a shoe sole.

The next day, she planned to stitch together the shoe uppers, saving herself from boredom.