RYEY – Chapter 77 Fertile Water Doesn’t Flow to Outsiders’ Fields

“Cheng Qiao, go to the back and burn firewood, we don’t need you here.”

Mother Li shooed Cheng Qiao to the stove to tend the fire. Burning wood was warm and easy, and it definitely wouldn’t harm the little grandchild in her belly.

Auntie Wang, always acting like she knew everything, gave Mother Li a knowing look. With all the dowry Cheng Qiao had brought into the Li family, Li Huan’s mother really should treat her better.

“Li Huan’s mother, you’re truly blessed. Such a beautiful and obedient daughter-in-law. If only one of my boys could marry someone like Comrade Cheng!”

Mother Li smiled and comforted her: “Your Xiangyang and Xiangdang are much more sensible than our Huan. They’ll surely bring you good daughters-in-law.”

Auntie Wang narrowed her eyes with a pleased grin. Her eldest was already seeing someone, though he seemed unhappy with the match. And indeed, that girl couldn’t compare to Comrade Cheng. Best to find another family.

At the village entrance, Lele waited. There were no buildings for shelter here, and the cold wind whipped from all directions, nearly freezing her stiff. She waited and waited, but Qiu Min never came.

Lele pouted, stomping her feet against the frozen ground. It was getting late. By now, it was clear Qiu Min wouldn’t appear, so she hunched her shoulders against the wind and ran home.

Cheng Qiao had already pulled an old-fashioned hot-water bottle from her space and filled it. When Lele came back, she pressed it into her hands. Looking at the green hot-water bottle, all the complaints in Lele’s belly melted away.

“Second Sister-in-law, this hot-water bottle is expensive and needs an industrial ticket. How did you get it?”

“Your second brother gave it to me.”

“Oh, so it was a gift from Second Brother. Then… Second Sister-in-law, could I hold it for a while longer? My hands are really cold.”

“Of course. In fact, just keep it.”

“No way, Second Brother would be upset.”

“He won’t. Worst case, he’ll just buy another one.”

“This…”

“Mother’s already heated the kang. Go lie down for a bit. When dinner’s ready, we’ll call you.”

Lele was indeed frozen to the bone. Hugging the hot-water bottle, she lay on the kang. Warmth seeped into her body, slowly relaxing her stiff hands and feet. Before long, she had fallen fast asleep.

Auntie Wang, who had been paying close attention to the Li family’s affairs, couldn’t help but click her tongue when she saw Cheng Qiao give such a fine hot-water bottle to Lele. Silly girl, how could she be so generous? If only she were her own daughter-in-law.

Thanks to the hot-water bottle, Lele no longer froze while waiting at the village entrance. At last, Qiu Min arrived, pedaling her bicycle into Xiangyang Village. Seeing Lele waiting there, she immediately knew the girl was waiting for her.

“Lele, you’ve been waiting for me, haven’t you?”

“Sister Qiu Min, I waited for you all day yesterday. Look at my face—redder than a monkey’s backside from the cold.”

“I’m sorry, I really couldn’t get away. I only managed a two-hour leave, plus lunch break. My time’s tight. Here, give this letter to Cheng Qiao. I have to run.”

Qiu Min thrust a tightly sealed envelope into Lele’s hands, then dashed off at astonishing speed. Lele blinked, then carefully tucked the letter away and ran home.

Cheng Qiao took the letter straight to her room. After reading it through, she finally let out a sigh of relief. She decided to discuss with Li Huan that evening when they should finalize this deal.

When Li Huan returned, Cheng Qiao handed him the letter. He read it several times before understanding its meaning, staring at Cheng Qiao in disbelief. The great man was right—women could truly hold up half the sky.

“What’s wrong?”

Cheng Qiao asked, feigning a little pride.

“Wife, you’ve really found us a big fish this time. Who knew that Qiu Min was hiding her capabilities so well?”

“Of course. The textile factory wanted to hand out year-end benefits, things like soap and toothpaste. But they didn’t have enough ration tickets, so they came to Qiu Min for help.”

Li Huan glanced at the washstand in the corner, where one soap dish held a bar of scented soap and another a bar of laundry soap. With a trace of worry, he asked: “Wife, they want two thousand bars of soap. Do you really have that much?”

“Of course. Qiu Min said the factory plans to give each worker two bars. At the supply store, one bar sells for forty cents plus a soap ticket. We can sell to her for thirty-six cents a bar. Two thousand bars means seven hundred twenty yuan.”

“Wife, you’re giving her a four-cent discount per bar. She’ll make a killing. She can resell at forty cents, pocket the tickets, then have Skinny Monkey offload them on the black market.”

“Mhm. But you have to leave a little sweetness for the other party. Four cents a bar still nets us eighty yuan profit. That’s as much as four months of Qiu Min’s wages. With the tickets on top, they’ll surely have a bountiful New Year.”

“Wife, then tomorrow we’ll go to the county house, bring out the soap, and let Qiu Min inspect and pay.”

Cheng Qiao nodded. Ever since she knew she’d be doing business with Qiu Min, she’d been steadily pulling out soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other goods from her supply shop. Each time the shop restocked automatically, she’d move more out.

“Honey, once we finish the courtyard wall, I’ll start handling some goods too. Earn a bit extra for New Year.”

“Li Huan, I’ve got rice, flour, pork, fish, milk powder, even oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar—all at wholesale prices for you.”

Cheng Qiao knew Li Huan’s temperament. He didn’t want to rely solely on her to get rich, so she offered him this suggestion. Better to buy from her, a steady supplier, than risk going outside.

At first, Li Huan shook his head. Wouldn’t that just mean money going from her left hand to her right? He’d look like he was living off his wife.

But Cheng Qiao patiently persuaded him: whether he bought from others or from her, it was still buying. As the saying went, fertile water shouldn’t flow into outsiders’ fields. He needed to change his perspective.

After thinking it over all night, Li Huan suddenly understood. As long as the family was warm and stable, face wasn’t worth clinging to.

Still, he set himself one rule: if he took goods from Cheng Qiao, he would always pay in full. The money he gave her would never be touched again.

“Wife, I agree. First, get me five thousand jin of white rice and flour, ten thousand jin of cornmeal, plus some pork, white sugar, and brown sugar. The rest you can decide. Any difficulty?”

“When do you need it? If it’s urgent, I can disappear for a while now. If not, I’ll handle it tonight.”

No real difficulty—just needed some time. And disappearing for a while meant Li Huan would have to cover for her.

“Tonight then. We’re heading to the county tomorrow anyway. But wife, Uncle Ye said your pregnancy is a little unstable. Riding a bicycle might not be safe. I’ll borrow Uncle Niu’s ox cart.”

“Alright, that works. We can bring back more goods too.”