Chapter 8 Trading a Watch for a Pot

After Tang Banxia's uproar, the women of the village finally quieted down. The men of each household breathed a collective sigh of relief. But Wen Mubai was not faring well at all.

On the third day, when he returned from work and saw the wild vegetable soup set on the table, he reached his limit. Squatting on the ground, tears streamed down his face.

Tang Banxia glanced at him, calm and collected. "Come eat."

"Woo woo~ woo woo~ how bitter my life is~"

Unmoved, Tang Banxia sat down, ladled herself a bowl of wild vegetable soup, and took a sip. She couldn't help but furrow her brows. The soup was truly unpalatable.

Acting as if nothing were amiss, she set the bowl aside, opened the suitcase left by the original owner, and took out a piece of peach pastry, eating it in a few bites.

Seeing this, Wen Mubai was even more overcome with grief. This heartless woman gave him wild vegetable soup while treating herself to something special.

Woo woo~ such a bitter fate!

He cried for quite a while. Seeing that Tang Banxia remained unmoved, he sniffled a couple of times, then had no tears left to shed, and obediently sat at the table to eat.

"Sister, I was wrong." He drank the hard-to-swallow wild vegetable soup, both yielding and flexible, "Sister, please forgive me~"

His eyes, washed by tears, were clear as crystal, full of cautiousness and an eager desire to please. Tang Banxia looked at his beautiful, delicate face, her heart softening.

She forced herself to keep a stern expression. "What did you do wrong?"

"I shouldn't have eaten things given by other women," Wen Mubai said, watching her expression and choosing his words carefully.

"You shouldn't have," Tang Banxia replied. "The villagers are kind, but if you were elsewhere, someone might have given you a beating, and you'd deserve it."

Wen Mubai smiled apologetically, though inwardly he was unconvinced.

Seeing his meek and obedient demeanor, Tang Banxia let her tone soften. "I'll let it go this time. If it happens again, I won't even let you have wild vegetable soup."

"Understood~" he said, choking up.

His behavior gave Tang Banxia a headache. A boy, pretty and prone to tears, with a big appetite but unable to lift a finger in a fight—how did he ever grow up?

Fortunately, the people of Guyue Village feared his identity as a martyr's descendant. Otherwise, he'd have been beaten eight times a day.

"Enough, don't be sad. There are some peach pastries left in the cupboard. Take them and eat." Tang Banxia stroked his soft, smooth cheek, expertly applying the carrot-and-stick approach.

Wen Mubai's eyes brightened. "Sister, you're so kind."

Tang Banxia sighed inwardly—so easy to coax.

She liked these shallow, pretty boys, so easy to manage.

After eating his fill, Wen Mubai showed a satisfied look and nestled on the bed for a nap.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a holy glow upon his face. Tang Banxia swallowed discreetly, then sat beside him naturally. "Xiaobai, you’ve grown thinner these days."

She placed her hand on his fair cheek. "Let’s skip work this afternoon. I'll take you to the commune, and we'll buy an iron pot."

A glint flashed in Wen Mubai's eyes, but when he opened them again, he was just a gentle, obedient little rabbit, rubbing his face against Tang Banxia’s hand. "I’ll listen to you, sister."

Tang Banxia was satisfied. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Good boy."

"Sister~" Wen Mubai blushed.

In the afternoon, Tang Banxia took a couple of ounces of brown sugar to Captain Hu’s house, asked for leave, and borrowed a bicycle.

Guyue Village was under Changshan Commune; it took an hour by bike to reach the commune.

By the time they arrived, Wen Mubai, frail as he was, was drenched in sweat, and Tang Banxia’s cheeks were flushed from the sun.

"Xiaobai, watch the bike. I'll buy us two popsicles."

Wen Mubai nodded obediently. "I want a creamy one."

"Alright."

Creamy popsicles cost five cents, mung bean ones two and a half. Tang Banxia wasn’t stingy, bought two creamy popsicles, split them with Wen Mubai, wiped her mouth, and said, "Let’s go, first to the post office."

She mailed a letter home, then they headed to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Their pot was still borrowed from the village, costing a tenth of a cent in rent each day. But as the weather warmed, each household needed their pot daily, making it less convenient to rent.

Yesterday, she’d found a watch coupon tucked in the original owner's quilt, and thought to find someone to exchange it for an iron pot.

As for ‘someone’, she already had a candidate in mind.

Locking the bicycle, they entered the supply and marketing cooperative. Most of the goods were practical items for rural families.

Even the cloth was sturdy, durable, and dirt-resistant.

At the cloth counter, Tang Banxia glanced at Wen Mubai’s patched clothes, checked her cloth coupons, counted out half, and bought several yards of fabric, intending to make Wen Mubai some new clothes. She also planned a few undergarments for herself—the originals had some, but she had a strong aversion to wearing things that weren’t her own.

She bought salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, and finally, under Wen Mubai’s pleading gaze, two pounds of steamed cake before stopping.

Even after stopping, she didn’t leave. Ignoring the salesperson’s disdainful looks, she wandered the store with Wen Mubai.

Only when she saw a woman with a large mole on her forehead enter did her eyes light up, and she subtly approached.

After the woman spoke with the salesperson and left disappointed, Tang Banxia hurriedly pulled Wen Mubai along. "Big sister, big sister!"

The mole-faced woman turned back. "Girl, are you calling me?"

Tang Banxia came up to her, straightforward, "Big sister, I heard you’re looking for a watch coupon?"

The woman caught the implication. "You have one?"

Tang Banxia nodded.

Instantly excited, the woman grabbed Tang Banxia’s arm. "Girl, come, let’s talk somewhere cool."

Tang Banxia obediently followed her to a secluded corner.

"What do you want?" the woman asked bluntly.

Tang Banxia was equally direct. "I want an iron pot, and the rest exchanged for coupons, any kind."

Unlike modern times, coupons were essential for everything; she wasn’t short on money, but lacked coupons.

The woman scrutinized Tang Banxia. "Alright. Wait here for an hour."

This girl’s bearing, appearance, and even her clothes were all exceptional, so she likely wasn’t here to fool her. Her son was anxious to marry, so she had to trust the girl just this once.

"Okay."

The woman hurried away, leaving Tang Banxia and Wen Mubai alone.

Wen Mubai looked at Tang Banxia curiously. "Sister, how did you know she needed a watch coupon?"

Tang Banxia sat on a clean stone slab and patted the other side. "Sit down, I’ll tell you."

Wen Mubai sat.

Tang Banxia explained, "It’s simple. I met her before—she was also looking for a watch coupon."

When the original owner first arrived in the countryside, she was persuaded by Liu Liyun to spend money at the cooperative and happened to meet this woman. Combined with the novel’s heroine Song Qing’s experience, finding her wasn’t hard, especially since the mole on her forehead was so distinctive.

"Sister, you’re amazing." Wen Mubai had the perfect credentials for being pampered.

Tang Banxia scratched his palm. "Save those words for tonight."

"Sister~"

Tang Banxia felt pleased. No wonder so many rich women in her previous life liked to keep pretty boys.

Question the rich women, understand the rich women, become the rich woman, surpass the rich woman.

Pretty boys are irresistible!

They waited until the sun was slanting west before the woman returned, breathless. "I’ve got everything. Where’s the coupon?"

Tang Banxia didn’t hesitate, taking out a watch coupon. "Here, a Plum Blossom brand, a big name."

It was a gift from the original owner’s brother for her eighteenth birthday, but before she could buy the watch, disaster struck the family.

After confirming it, the woman beckoned a young man nearby to bring over the items.

"Girl, I won’t cheat you. This Plum Blossom coupon sells for thirty-one units on the market. This iron pot, as you see, is twenty-six inches, quite large and expensive, worth seven yuan."

She opened her handkerchief, showing her goods. "I also have two thermos coupons and one flashlight coupon—these are rare, worth two yuan. The rest I’ll make up with cash, is that alright?"

Her family needed to arrange a wedding, and she simply couldn’t spare any other coupons.

Tang Banxia shook her head. "Big sister, I only want coupons."

The woman frowned, troubled.

The young man interjected, "Can we substitute with goods?"

"What goods?" Wen Mubai asked.

"Defective cloth and cotton—I can get both." The young man spoke, his face showing pride. "I’m a worker at the county textile factory. These things aren’t hard for me."

Tang Banxia was deeply tempted, but kept a poker face. "How much can you get?"

"How much do you want?" he countered.

Tang Banxia raised an eyebrow—what a bold claim. "All the remaining cash exchanged for cotton and defective cloth."

Twenty-one yuan was no small sum.

The young man’s face twitched. "At most, seventy pounds of cotton, and two bolts of defective cloth."

Only because his fiancée’s father was head of logistics could he get so much; as a mere workshop worker, he’d never have such access otherwise.

"Alright, fourteen yuan for all that," Tang Banxia agreed.

It was summer, so cotton wasn’t expensive, plus the coupon made it ten cents a pound—seventy pounds for seven yuan, and defective cloth, which was more valuable and rare, three and a half yuan per bolt.

The woman nodded; the girl was reasonable. For the remaining seven yuan, the woman gritted her teeth. "I have a new pair of rain boots at home, plus three toilet paper coupons and five pounds of oil coupons—will that do?"

"That’s enough," Tang Banxia nodded.

At last, everything was assembled. The woman breathed a sigh of relief, feeling utterly exhausted. Getting a daughter-in-law was no easy feat.

"Son, go fetch the goods. I’ll wait here," she instructed, fearing someone would run off.

The young man nodded and left.

Tang Banxia had no objections; the watch coupon was of little use to her. With so much in exchange, she was the one worried they'd run off.

The young man was swift—just two hours later, he returned pushing a cart. "Comrade, everything you wanted is here. Here’s the scale—do you want to weigh it?"

Tang Banxia signaled Wen Mubai, who instantly understood.

Tang Banxia and the woman exchanged coupons.

In the end, the woman and her son took the watch coupon and left with an empty cart, while Tang Banxia and Wen Mubai were laden with goods.

They returned home in darkness. Wen Mubai went to return the bike, and Tang Banxia made dumpling soup for dinner.

After eating and washing up, they went to bed.

"Sister, you’re amazing~"

As he spoke, his hand slipped under Tang Banxia’s clothes, caressing her...

After their exertions, Tang Banxia slept soundly, but Wen Mubai quietly got up, tiptoed out, and scaled the wall...