Reborn with a Space: Building a Fortune Amidst Famine

Chapter 18: 18 buy cotton

Wang Qiuju didn’t expect this girl could buy so much? She glanced at Hu Chunhua.

”Alright, seven jin then. I can also make cotton hats and cotton gloves.”

”Sister-in-law, each cotton seed is about one tael, about eighteen for more, seventeen for less.”

”Then eighteen it is. You don’t have a scale at home?”

”No, I’ll go get it from my mother-in-law’s place.”

”Our Aunt no longer weaves fabric, otherwise there’d be no need to buy it at the market.”

”My mother-in-law’s eyes aren’t good anymore, so she doesn’t either. But my great aunt still weaves, and her weave is dense, though it’s quite far away.”

Hu Chunhua urged Wang Qiuju to get a scale. ”Yuanyuan, we’ll head to the market in a bit. Buy the fabric, make it quickly, and don’t catch a cold.”

”Aunt, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t know what to do.” Su Yuanyuan truly thought so.

”Sigh, you’re still so young. I feel sorry for you.”

There were three kids at home as well, the youngest was about the same age as this girl, it was hard not to feel pity for her.

”Aunt, meeting you is my luck, it’s heaven’s compensation for me.”

”Silly girl, what can I help you with? I’ll certainly lend a hand where I can.”

Wang Qiuju returned, followed by an elderly lady.

”Sister-in-law, this bag has fourteen cotton seeds, and this gunny sack weighs one tael.”

It ended up being seven jin and three tael, counted as seven jin and two tael. That’s eleven yuan and one mao six, even less by one cent, which could buy several pieces of candy.

”Aunt, Qiuju, I’m heading back, still have to take this girl to the market.”

”Chunhua, I just came to tell you, my nephew is also selling fabric at the market, if you buy from him, just mention my family.”

”Alright, I’ll definitely buy from him, need quite a bit, this girl’s making quilts. For cotton clothes, buy her some patterned fabric, after all, she’s a girl, isn’t she?”

”Isn’t she? Go on, or there’ll be too many people.”

The two of them directly brought the cotton to Hu Chunhua’s home. It’s safer this way, though no one seems to have noticed anyone going to the house, the two of them had just walked through the entire village with cotton sacks, better safe than sorry.

Time was getting late. Those who usually went to the market with Hu Chunhua had already left. So it was just them, the mother and daughter, who went together.

On the way, they saw many people, even saw the old lady from Wang Laogen’s family, she snorted at them but didn’t say anything. She cared about her reputation too.

”Girl, what do you want to buy?”

”Aunt, I feel like I lack everything, but I most want to buy a saw. I’ve gathered a lot of dead wood, and using an axe or a machete is too hard, I can’t manage it. I think if I had a saw, it would be easier, less effort.”

”Alright, let’s look at the market, there should be one. I remember seeing a kind of hand saw, that would suit you.”

”Aunt, do you think I should get a small cart too?”

”Actually, you should get one, you’ll need it for moving manure to the fields later, but you don’t have manure at home.”

Hu Chunhua silently cursed Su Daqiang and his wife again, they’re really not humans, giving away manure for free without thinking, aren’t they? Why don’t they think about their daughter? They’re truly not good people, with hearts like theirs, they’d never lead a good life anywhere.

”If there’s one at the market, buy it. It can be used for autumn harvest as well, since you’re alone, no one wants to team up with you, you’ll have to do everything by yourself.”

Su Yuanyuan didn’t think that far ahead, she just thought about buying a cart because she saw others with one.

Now that she heard this, she realized she really couldn’t do without the small cart.

Hu Chunhua was right. In the future, she had to rely on herself for everything.

”This small cart comes in wood and iron, the iron one costs thirty.”

”Aunt, I want the iron one. I’m just afraid it’s too much to say.”

”Yes, you can say I’m lending you the money, my household is just like that, and no one believes what I say.

If not, you could say you borrowed it from the village leader.”

”Aunt, do you think an iron cart would be too conspicuous for me?”

”Indeed, you are still a child. But in the future, with two acres of land, without a good cart during autumn harvest, when would you get everything back?”

”We’ll discuss it later.”

”Alright, I’ll lend you my cart when the time comes.”

Su Yuanyuan didn’t refuse, it was indeed too conspicuous. They’ll talk about it later.

”Girl, you can still buy some small items.”

”Hmm, I know. Aunt, do you think when it warms up next year, I can make adobe bricks myself and let Uncle help me find people to enclose the yard during the idle time after autumn?

Just by myself, I’m scared at night, I can’t even support myself, can’t even have a dog for security.”

”That’s too exhausting.”

Su Yuanyuan gave a bitter smile, ”Aunt, who isn’t tired?”

”Yes, who isn’t? My house has molds and trowels, you can take them when the time comes.”

”Hmm, I saw wheat straw mixed in your adobe bricks, wouldn’t it be sturdier without it?”

”Silly girl, without wheat straw, the adobe bricks would crack, you must add it.”

”So that’s why? Then I can use dry grass too, right?”

”There’s a large stack of wheat straw at my place, you can use it as you need. Just load a few baskets back home yourself.”

”Aunt, can’t make adobe bricks in winter, the wheat straw can wait until later, meantime I’ll just move yellow soil into the yard when I’m free. Doing some work isn’t cold.”

”Girl, you can make adobe bricks outside, no one would take them. You don’t need to waste your efforts.”

Su Yuanyuan nodded appreciatively. She was just afraid that her hard work would be taken by others.

”Girl, in half a month, it’ll be the twelfth lunar month. Many in our village will be slaughtering pigs.”

Su Yuanyuan understood Hu Chunhua’s point. ”Aunt, I should just buy the cheapest parts that nobody wants.”

”Yes, I just want to tell you to not draw attention. If you need anything, I’ll help you buy it.”

”Aunt, what’s the cheapest?”

”Lean meat, offal.”

”Then I’ll buy one jin of lean meat, and if offal is cheap, I’ll buy it; if it’s too expensive, I’ll skip it.”

This kid is so sensible, Hu Chunhua sighed, she didn’t know how Su Daqiang and his wife thought, to abandon such a good child.

In the future, even if they want to reconcile, she would never do it, she’d make sure they couldn’t lift their heads in shame.

The two met many people from the village, greeting them. Su Yuanyuan would follow from behind to greet, and that was it.

Everyone was quite curious about this girl. With Hu Chunhua taking such care of her, there were certainly rumors, but no one said anything openly.

At the market, they finally had time to browse leisurely. Su Yuanyuan felt she lacked even more things now.

But she couldn’t buy too much at once. She knew her situation well. She was just afraid someone would covet her things.