C20 Chapter 20

Liu Mingde took the money Lee Aimin handed over and counted it. These days, two thousand dollars was no small amount—twenty thick bundles of bills—and it took him a while.

“Alright, it’s all here.” Liu Mingde passed the money to Liu Wenmei.

Liu Wenmei took it and set it in the basket—though in reality, it was already tucked away in her hidden space.

“Sir, carrying that much cash isn’t safe. How about after we buy the grain, we give you a ride back?” Lee Aidang said, watching Liu Wenmei casually drop the money into the basket. His eye twitched.

“Mr. Lee, no need. It’s safe right here. Once we get the grain, we can go together and let the depot know—that’s all,” Liu Wenmei said. After their brief time together, she felt the Lee brothers were trustworthy, but with her hidden space, she still turned down his kindness.

The three of them went to the grain depot. Lee Aidang found a friend and bought 660 pounds of grain. Liu Wenmei and her grandpa still wanted to look around town, so they left the grain at the depot with Lee Aidang’s friend, planning to pick it up when they were ready to head back.

Lee Aidang’s friend didn’t hesitate and agreed right away. After saying goodbye to Lee Aidang, the grandpa and granddaughter headed toward the general store.

“Mei… we’ve got grain and money now, don’t we?” Liu Mingde whispered excitedly the moment they stepped out of the grain depot.

“That’s right, Grandpa. We’ve got both,” Liu Wenmei said firmly, watching his hands tremble a little.

Liu Mingde let out a long breath. He still remembered what Huang Guihua had told him—his granddaughter had run out of snacks. Now that they had money, he could finally buy without worrying. “Mei, come on. Grandpa’s gonna get you something good.”

Watching the little old man up ahead, chest out and striding like he owned the place, Liu Wenmei smiled.

She hurried a few steps to catch up, and the two of them walked into the general store together. The county general store was one big room, with everything kept behind the counters. A few clerks sat out front—some knitting, some chatting. When they came in, the clerks only glanced at them, then went right back to whatever they were doing.

Compared to the supermarkets she remembered—packed with every kind of product—this place had only a small selection on the counter, mostly basic necessities.

From what Wenmei recalled, store clerks were considered a pretty desirable job back then. The ones who got hired often acted high and mighty, barely giving customers the time of day.

Liu Mingde was used to it. He walked up to the counter and said to the clerk, “Comrade, half a pound of candy, half a pound of White Rabbit, one pound of egg cakes, two pounds of salt, and four boxes of matches.”

He wanted to buy more, but he didn’t have enough ration coupons. He handed over the cash and coupons. The clerk passed the money, coupons, receipt, and goods to another clerk.

Only after the clerk confirmed everything matched did Liu Mingde take Wenmei over to pick up their items.

Wenmei had these things in her memory, but seeing them in person still made her want to laugh. Compared to later times, the whole process of buying something was way too complicated.

Just as Liu Mingde reached to take the goods, the clerk who’d been knitting lowered her voice and muttered, “Country bumpkin—so picky for someone broke.”

Liu Mingde paused, then smiled and accepted the items anyway, not forgetting to say, “Thanks, comrade.”

Wenmei’s gaze turned cold as she shot back, “The Chairman said working people are the most honorable. If folks like us didn’t grow the grain, would you even have the food you’re living off of?”

The clerk clearly hadn’t expected anyone to talk back. She glanced at her coworkers, her face tightening, but she couldn’t exactly slap the label of “looking down on working people” on herself. She raised her voice and said, “Hey, watch your mouth, young lady. I wasn’t talking about you.”

If someone made a fuss about them looking down on working people, they could get dragged into another round of “re-education.” Better to keep things quiet.

“As long as you weren’t,” Liu Mingde said, putting on a stern face on purpose as he pulled Wenmei along and left.

“Besides the co-op,” Liu Mingde said, giving Liu Wenmei a thumbs-up, “Mei, you’re the real deal.”

“Grandpa, you all spoiled them,” Liu Wenmei said. Even after calling out the clerk, she still felt a little down.