Chapter 92: Testing the Waters

The old professor spoke with earnest sincerity, and Tang Xin believed his words. If this movement continued, books would be among the first things to be destroyed. She decided to accept them first, planning to store them in the warehouse of her spatial farm. Wouldn’t it be even better to take them out again in the future? Once Tang Xin accepted the books, the elderly men seemed much more at ease, and they all sat down to eat together.

They had barely managed to stave off hunger here, and such a delicious meal was something they hadn’t tasted in a long time. One by one, they ate with tears in their eyes. Seeing this made Tang Xin very happy; at last, she felt that since coming to this era, she could finally do some good.

Watching the scene unfold, Li Sheng was also content. For him, this had been a small secret—he hadn’t even told his parents because he didn’t want his family to worry. Honestly, bringing his wife here was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, and until just before, he’d been anxious and uneasy about it.

Now, his heart was finally at ease. It was just as his mother had said: how fortunate he was to have married such a wonderful wife! Of course, what Li Sheng didn’t know was that it was his wife who had changed his fate. Originally, he had been a minor character in a book, appearing only a few times before dying unexpectedly. But Tang Xin had entered this story, and what had been mere words on a page was now being vividly acted out through her, creating new and exciting chapters.

She changed many things, especially Li Sheng’s destiny. This man, born into a difficult life but with a keen mind, would one day strive to develop the transport business and, by the 1980s and 90s, become a leading figure in logistics and transportation, not only locally but nationwide.

Of course, at this moment, the young couple knew nothing of how the future would unfold. Yet in one thing, their goals were completely aligned: to work hard for the sake of their family, so everyone could live a better life.

Before the new year, while Li Sheng was busy, Tang Xin went out alone. She had to deal with some items from the warehouse in the spatial farm, so she couldn’t take anyone else along.

In truth, there wasn’t anything she absolutely needed to buy, but if she wanted to bring out a lot of things at once, she needed to create a plausible source for them. Good things couldn’t just appear out of thin air. In fact, she’d spent a long time in the warehouse the night before, fussing over what to take out. Most of the farm products weren’t suitable for direct use, but fortunately, the upgrade packages always included plenty of good items—especially cloth, which everyone would appreciate.

Tang Xin had also accumulated quite a few processing vouchers. With the soybeans and other crops she’d grown, she could make many useful things—sauces, oil, and so on. The rice, already threshed, and processed white flour were also excellent to bring out for her family.

Arriving at the county supply and marketing cooperative, she bought two cans of malted milk. With the new year approaching, Li Sheng had received some welfare vouchers along with his wages—tickets for cloth, grain, and meat, which he had, of course, handed over to his mother for safekeeping. As for the sideline food coupons, Mrs. Fang firmly refused to take them, telling her daughter-in-law to keep them for herself.

So Tang Xin used them, planning to reward whoever in the family did well in their studies with a cup of sweet malted milk drink. All these things added up, and Tang Xin felt that just this one trip out had probably made her lose a couple of pounds from exhaustion.

“Oh, my life is truly hard,” she sighed.

To supplement her family’s nutrition while ensuring these items had a “legitimate” origin, Tang Xin racked her brains. Fortunately, Mrs. Fang was an open-minded mother-in-law—she wouldn’t pry as long as her daughter-in-law didn’t volunteer information. But matters like this were just too fantastical, and Tang Xin’s background already carried an air of mystery, so there was no way she could tell anyone, not even her husband.

Li Sheng was an astute and attentive man. He trusted his wife and was tolerant of Tang Xin, but she didn’t dare push his trust to its limits. Even though the family possessed a hidden treasure, Tang Xin couldn’t reveal her true capabilities, which left her with a lingering sense of forlorn frustration.

Next, Tang Xin wandered around the supply and marketing cooperative, buying two cans of preserves and some biscuits. Suddenly, she realized she’d been foolish! It was precisely because she didn’t want her family to question her that she had come out alone. In that case, she could make full use of her spatial ability—store everything inside, and only take them out when she was near home. Wouldn’t that solve everything?

Now, with her hands once again empty, Tang Xin was free to stroll around the county town at her leisure. After all, she still hadn’t accomplished one of her goals for this trip.

This time, Tang Xin had deliberately disguised herself. She found a quiet spot and changed into some old clothes she’d found at home—not knowing whether they belonged to her mother-in-law in her youth or were leftovers of Li Xihua’s. The garments were simple and quite tattered, with several patches. She even used a special makeup tool she’d brought—pot-bottom soot—to smudge her face, making herself look dirty and disheveled.

She had no choice; what she planned to do next was not exactly aboveboard, and it wouldn’t do to be recognized. She could always wash up with clean water in her space before returning home. She looked terrible now, but no one would recognize her.

This time, Tang Xin had brought some apples, wanting to see if she could sell them. With the new year approaching, people visiting relatives would want pastries and candies, but fruit was a real luxury. She had already checked out the department store and found that while the supply and marketing cooperative in the commune had more goods, such as new styles of leather shoes, bicycles, and radios, the busiest area was still the section for specialty foods. At this time of year, fruit was scarce.

So Tang Xin had full confidence in her apples.

She had previously considered working with Chen Liguo to sell goods, which would have been ideal. For now, Chen Liguo only sold small items while working at the cinema, making little profit but selling large quantities—so that by the end of the month his earnings were still considerable. He was trustworthy, always giving Tang Xin her commission even if she didn’t ask, and every month, Li Sheng would bring her the full amount.

Li Sheng, of course, never kept this money for himself; he always brought it home and handed it over to Tang Xin in full, which was why she never lacked for cash or ration coupons.

From this, Tang Xin could see that, though the county town was small, the purchasing power of the workers was still strong. That’s why she wanted to try her hand at selling before the new year—just a small trial to test the waters.

After all, Chen Liguo’s work in the county town brought him connections and many other conveniences that she did not have.