Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

The next day, early in the morning.

Wang Feng got up early, ate breakfast, and checked the time; it was only seven in the morning.

"Jingru, I'm going out to get some fresh meat. We'll use it for lunch when we get back to Qin Family Village. Pack your things and I'll be right back."

"Okay, Brother Wang Feng, go ahead."

Wang Feng nodded, pushed his bicycle, and went out.

Upon arriving in the front yard, Yan Fugui, who was watering the flowers, asked in surprise, "Wang Feng, are you going to the countryside to buy supplies today? Why are you leaving so early?"

"Hehe, it's Jingru's mother's birthday today. Jingru and I are going back to the countryside to buy some things," Wang Feng said with a smile.

"oh."

Yan Fugui nodded lightly and said no more to Wang Feng, then went about watering the flowers.

Wang Feng didn't want to talk to Yan Fugui any longer, so he pushed his bicycle out of courtyard number 95.

Arriving at a secluded alley, Wang Feng took out three catties of fresh pork and three catties of mutton from his spatial storage, smoked a cigarette in the alley, and then returned to courtyard number 95.

When Wang Feng reached the front yard and did not see Yan Fugui's family, he quickly walked to the middle yard.

Qin Jingru had a large sack strapped to the back of her bicycle, and quite a few other things were on the ground. Upon seeing Wang Feng, she smiled and said:

"Brother Wang Feng, you're back. My bicycle is too full to fit these on the back. You can tie them to your bike."

"Um."

Wang Feng tied about thirty pounds of cornmeal to the back of the bicycle, then tied up the cloth, tobacco, and alcohol. He said goodbye to Lu Banxia, ​​locked the door, and set off with Qin Jingru.

By now, everyone in the courtyard who had to go to work was up. Aunt Hu, seeing Wang Feng and Qin Jingru's bicycles piled high, couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Jingru, where are you and Wang Feng going so early?"

Qin Jingru smiled and explained, "It's Aunt Hu. We didn't go anywhere. It's my mom's birthday today, so we went back to the countryside to bring her some things."

Aunt Hu touched the cornmeal on the back of Qin Jingru's bicycle and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, Jingru, you're not just bringing a little something, are you?"

Qin Jingru smiled sweetly: "It's nothing. Everyone's having a hard time these days. I'll take some cornmeal back with me. Alright, Aunt Hu, I can't chat with you anymore. We need to hurry up and leave, or we'll miss lunch."

"Go, go quickly, Jingru, you are so filial. I wish my daughter was as filial as you."

Aunt Hu waved her hand, looking at Qin Jingru and Wang Feng, and their bicycles full of things, her eyes reddened with envy.

She also has a daughter. When Wang Defa was still alive, he mentioned to her that Wang Feng should date her daughter. However, when she saw that Wang Feng didn't even have a job and was always hanging around like a street urchin, she didn't agree.

Not long after, she married her daughter to a steelworker. More than a year has passed, and her daughter has never come back to celebrate her birthday, let alone come back even once. The good thing is that she hasn't seen her at all.

If she had let her daughter marry Wang Feng before, Qin Jingru wouldn't have had a chance. She's now regretting it so much she could die.

Qin Jingru didn't care how envious and jealous Aunt Hu was of her. She pushed her bicycle and walked out of No. 95 courtyard with Wang Feng.

Soon, Aunt Hu spread the word throughout the compound that Qin Jingru had gone back to the countryside to celebrate her mother's birthday, bringing dozens of kilograms of cornmeal and two large cartloads of other goods.

This made everyone in the courtyard extremely envious. Many of the older women who had married off their daughters compared their daughters to Qin Jingru, but the more they compared them, the angrier they became.

Because after their daughters get married, they are lucky if they can come back to see them once a year, and they bring very little stuff, or sometimes they come empty-handed just to freeload a meal.

Qin Jingru never expected that her trip back to Qin Family Village to celebrate her mother's birthday would become the talk of the entire compound.

It will take three and a half hours to get back to Qinjiazhuang by bicycle. It's almost 7:30 now, and they won't arrive in Qinjiazhuang until 11:00.

Wang Feng and Qin Jingru chatted and laughed along the way, but they were riding their bicycles quite fast.

Finally, before 11 o'clock, the two arrived at Qinjiazhuang in Changping.

Today, Qin Jingru was dressed in a Lenin suit and women's leather shoes. With her stunning beauty, no one would guess that she was actually a girl from a farm.

She was still wearing the gold necklace that Wang Feng had given her, but it was not visible to outsiders.

Upon arriving at Qin Family Village, Qin Jingru looked towards the village entrance from afar, hoping to see if any elderly women were chatting under the big tree at the village entrance.

However, to her disappointment, there were no elderly women chatting under the big tree at the village entrance today.

Seeing Qin Jingru's disappointed expression, Wang Feng chuckled and teased, "Jingru, going to brag to the village aunties and grandmas again?"

Qin Jingru blushed slightly and quickly explained, "Brother Wang Feng, when did I ever brag? I was just chatting with the aunties and grandmas, you understand?"

"Hehe, we're just chatting. Let's go, we'll be there soon," Wang Feng said with a smile.

"By the way, Jingru, this is a tael of Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup. After you finish eating, try to put the Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup in water and have your parents drink it."

Wang Feng rode his bicycle with his right hand and took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket with his left hand, handing it to Qin Jingru. This was diluted life-giving water, which he had prepared long ago.

After all, Qin's parents are his legitimate parents-in-law, so he can't favor one over the other. Letting them drink a small amount of the Water of Life will at least help them live a long and healthy life. Moreover, if Qin's parents are in good health, Qin Jingru won't have to worry about her family's affairs so often in the future.

"Yeah, Brother Wang Feng, you're so good to me."

Qin Jingru took the small porcelain bottle and put it in her pocket, feeling very sweet inside.

She knew perfectly well that just one or two ounces of this "Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup" was worth a hundred dollars, and that was at cost price; outsiders couldn't get their hands on it.

The two rode their bicycles into the village, quickly attracting the attention of the elderly men and women of Qinjiazhuang. After all, bicycles are very rare in Qinjiazhuang. Only Qin Jingru's second uncle, the village chief, owns a second-hand bicycle, which he treasures so much that he won't let anyone touch it.

Qin Jingru greeted the elderly men and women from afar, her smile beaming from ear to ear.

Wang Feng would offer cigarettes to the old men and give candy to the old women and children, which made the people of Qin Family Village very friendly to him.

After nearly finishing distributing a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, the two finally arrived at Qin's parents' house.

"Mom and Dad, I'm home!"

As soon as Qin Jingru arrived at her doorstep, she shouted anxiously.

When Qin's parents heard their daughter's voice, they quickly came out.

"Oh my, it's Jingru and Wang Feng back! You're here, why did you bring so much stuff?"

When Qin's mother saw Qin Jingru and Wang Feng, she couldn't stop smiling and quickly came to greet them.

Qin Jingru laughed, "Mom, quickly help me unload these things from the car, they're so heavy! By the way, where's Qin Dashan? Hasn't he come back yet?"

"He's back. We ran out of alcohol at home, so he went to buy some."

Wang Feng handed Qin's father a Zhonghua cigarette and said with a smile, "Dad, have a smoke."