Doctor Reborn as a Peasant Girl? Time to Get Rich

Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Picking Up Grain

Bai Erzhu hurriedly said, ”Actually, you never know. I might just stumble upon some food on this trip to town.”

Seeing his dead serious expression, which didn’t look like he was lying, Old Mrs. Bai quickly asked, ”What’s this all about? Hurry up and tell me.”

Bai Erzhu leaned close to Old Mrs. Bai’s ear, deliberately lowering his voice. ”Ma, when I was working in the fields today, I stepped into the bushes to relieve myself and overheard two traders from the city talking. They said Xu’s Bun Shop in town is having its grand opening tomorrow. They’ve prepared a hundred steamed buns and are holding an eating contest for five people. Whoever eats the most wins a bag of flour.”

”Ma, that’s a whole bag of flour! How long would that feed our family?” Bai Erzhu was grinning from ear to ear, as if the bag of flour had already been delivered to the Bai Family’s doorstep.

Old Mrs. Bai looked incredulous. ”Is there really such a good deal in the world? They let you eat buns for free, and then they give you a bag of flour? Has the owner of that Xu’s Bun Shop lost his mind?”

Bai Erzhu said, ”He hasn’t lost his mind. There are conditions to enter the contest. It’s not like just anyone can participate—you have to pay an entry fee first.”

Old Mrs. Bai asked, ”How much?”

Bai Erzhu held out one hand. ”Not much. Fifty cents.”

Old Mrs. Bai did the math in her head and asked doubtfully, ”Fifty cents is enough to buy ten big buns. Will they give the money back after the contest?”

Bai Erzhu laughed. ”Of course! If you win, not only do you get the fifty cents back, but you also get a free bag of white flour. What a great deal!”

When he put it that way, it really did sound like a great deal. Old Mrs. Bai nodded. ”Fine. You can go to town tomorrow. But you absolutely must carry that flour back. Our family hasn’t tasted a steamed bun in ages.”

Bai Erzhu chuckled and quickly held his hand out to Old Mrs. Bai. ”The money?”

Old Mrs. Bai went back into the room to get the money, and Bai Erzhu hurried in after her. He watched as his mother took a handful of copper coins from a locked wooden box and began counting them out one by one. He grinned and added, ”Ma, give me sixty cents. I’ll keep the extra on me just in case. I promise I won’t waste it.”

Old Mrs. Bai’s mind was completely set on that bag of white flour. ’Ten cents isn’t that much,’ she thought. ’I might as well give it to him.’ So, she simply counted out sixty cents and gave them to him.

In the kitchen, Liu was scooping two handfuls of rice from the jar to wash when her husband squeezed in. She quickly asked, ”What was all that winking and gesturing about just now?”

Bai Dazhu glanced behind him. Seeing that no one had followed, he lowered his voice. ”When you’re done cooking the porridge, hide a bowl of the thickest part. We can eat it later tonight if we get hungry.”

Liu froze, her eyes widening. ”If Ma finds out, we’ll be in huge trouble.”

’All day it was just thin porridge and boiled greens, with not a drop of oil. By the middle of the night, she was always starving. If they could really hide some food to eat later, that would be wonderful.’

Bai Dazhu let out a low laugh. ”You silly woman. It’s your turn to cook today. Just add an extra handful of rice. After it’s cooked, hide a bowl while no one’s looking. Who’s going to know?”

A smile slowly spread across Liu’s face. ”That’s true... Alright, I’ll do as you say.” The unhappiness she’d felt earlier about being assigned to make dinner vanished into thin air.

Seeing Bai Dazhu turn to leave, she quickly called out, ”Hey! Didn’t you say you were going to help me? Where are you going now?”

Without even turning his head, Bai Dazhu replied, ”Do you really need my help for such a small task? Just handle it yourself. I’m going to take a nap. The sun was scorching at noon, and with all the mosquitoes and flies, I didn’t get any good sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open now. Remember to come get me when dinner’s ready.”