Chapter 2 - 2

Chapter 2 Space AppearanceShe stared blankly at the ceiling, her hand unconsciously stroking the faded red string beads on her wrist.Suddenly, she found herself in a white expanse. When she could see clearly, there was a small thatched hut not far away, a well next to it, and a few patches of black soil. This... was the space?"Is anyone there?" she shouted, but there was no response."Hahaha... I have a cheat code now too."After the initial excitement subsided, she looked around and thought, "Hmm! Her space is a bit simple! But it's still pretty good.""Hmm... Could this well be the legendaryspiritual spring water?" She couldn't help but cup her hands and take a sip. It was cool and sweet, and she didn't find anything special about it for the time being, but she felt much better.There was nothing like the "marrow cleansing" or "bone-strengthening" described in novels.Forget it, I can't ask for too much.This black soil shouldn't be left empty and wasted. We need to plant some seeds. In these times, food is scarce. If we plant it all, we won't have to worry about going hungry.She wondered if this space had a food preservation function. She wanted to try it out."Go out..." She returned to the outer room.She went to the kitchen to get a thermos and poured a cup of hot water. "Go in..." She entered the space, put the hot water inside, and planned to check the state of the water in a while.She noticed that the red string on her hand had disappeared, and a small red mole had appeared on her wrist. That's good, at least she won't lose it.She was going to the countryside in three days, and planned to go out and see if she could buy some seeds.She opened the drawer, took out the box where she used to save money. Inside were many loose bills; she counted them—thirty-two yuan and eight jiao, two yellowed grain coupons, and a light pink sugar coupon crumpled in her hand, printed with the words "One Liang" on it. There were three in total, the corners lightly tied together with red yarn, as if afraid of losing them. She stuffed them all into her small backpack; she might need them later.When Yun Ting went out, she didn't encounter a single person. As she walked out, the street in front of her looked like an old photograph steeped in bygone days: on the earthen yellow brick walls, the red slogan "Grasp Revolution and Promote Production" had faded to light pink. She looked around curiously.The pedestrians on the street hurried along, all dressed in drab gray clothes. Everyone was very thin, but their faces were beaming with smiles and they looked quite energetic. Thinking about the days of the apocalypse, she now cherished the simple pleasure of being able to stroll along the street.Following my memory of the location of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, I arrived at its entrance. The signboard prominently displayed the words " Supply and MarketingCooperative," along with slogans such as "Develop the economy, ensure supply" and "Serve the people."Looking at the first counter, the saleswoman, Xiao Juan, glanced up, smiled, and greeted her, "Yun Ting, here to see your sister?"Yun Ting's older sister, Yun Shu, has a good personality and is well-liked. The sales staff at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative all know that she is Yun Shu's younger sister."Sister Juan, aren't you busy?""Hey, I'm not busy at this time." As she spoke, she deftly knitted.There weren't many people at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative at the moment. As soon as Xiao Juan spoke, Yun Shu on the other side noticed that her younger sister had arrived." Ting Ting, what brings you here? What do you want to buy? I'll get it for you." Yun Shu waved to her, gesturing for her to come over.Yun Ting politely greeted the sales clerks."Oh my, Ting Ting is so good. If she were my daughter, I'd be laughing in my sleep." Saleswoman Aunt Wang joked with a smile."Aunt Wang, that won't do, my mom will fight you to the death," Yun Ting said playfully."Haha..." The scene erupted in laughter.Just then, a customer arrived, and Aunt Wang got busy.Aunt Wang, wearing a blue cotton shirt, took the grain coupons and small bills from the customer. She wiped her fingertips on her apron, straightened the coupons, and clipped them into the teeth of the metal clip. With a gentle flick of her wrist, the clip slid "whoosh" towards the cashier at the end of the counter, the metal sparking like fireflies as it rubbed against the wire."Two jin of cornmeal, three and a half liang of sugar coupons." She shouted into the inner room. Sister Li at the cashier heard the noise, reached out and grabbed the clip that slid over, and looked down to check the denominations of the coupons: the grain coupons were light brown, one jin and two pieces, and the sugar coupons were light pink, half liang and seven pieces, which were just enough when stacked together.The beads bounced and rattled on the abacus. Sister Li handed over the amount due, then put the change and the receipt into the same clip. With a flick of her wrist, the clip slid back along the wire and wobbled as it stopped next to Aunt Wang. The coins rattled against the receipt.Yun Ting found this way of collecting money quite interesting, as it was the first time she had seen it." Ting Ting, is there anything else you want to buy? Mom and I have prepared everything for your trip to the countryside.""Sister, I just wanted to go out for a stroll. I still have some candy coupons and pastry coupons, and I'd like to buy some."As she spoke, she took out the tickets and money and handed them to her sister."Take it back. If you want to eat it, I'll buy it for you. Why do you need to spend money?" Yun Shu rolled her eyes at her, stopping her from taking the money."Sis, this ticket will expire if you don't use it."Yun Shu took it and saw that it was indeed true. "I'll take the ticket, but you can take the money back."Unfortunately, Yun Ting had no choice but to take the money back.With her older sister there, she certainly wouldn't let her spend money on herself, so she didn't buy anything else. After chatting with her sister for a while, she was about to go home.She saved some candy for her sister, and the other sales clerks each received two fruit candies. They all praised her for being so kind.Yun Shu initially said she didn't want it, but Yun Ting grabbed two handfuls and put them in front of her before running away."Hey, why are you running? Be careful not to fall." Yun Shu said to her younger sister with a smile." Ting Ting is worried that you'll give the candy back to her! Oh, I really envy your sisterly relationship!" Saleswoman Zhang Yan sighed. She also has an older sister, but their relationship is not good. Seeing Yun Shu and her sister, she felt particularly envious.Yun Shu smiled, knowing her situation, and didn't say much, otherwise it would seem like she was showing off. She did indeed have a good younger sister.Oh dear! I'm worried my sister will get suspicious. She didn't ask about the seeds earlier, so where am I supposed to find them now?She wandered around and saw an old woman wearing a headscarf carrying a basket sneaking into an alley. Her eyes lit up and she quickly followed. That must be the black market.Seeing that the old lady was stopped, paid the money, and went inside, she quickly followed."Stop! Buy or sell?""Buy," she whispered."A dime."She took out a dime and handed it over, and the other person let her in.The old man squatting on the ground lifted the tarpaulin, revealing a bamboo basket filled with eggs covered in straw. Each egg was wrapped in coarse straw paper, and when touched, they made a soft "click" sound.On the stone slab diagonally opposite, a woman in a blue cloth shirt was gathering an enamel basin into her bosom. The basin contained fresh green beans, and she was holding a thin hemp rope between her fingers. Five or six aluminum lunch boxes were tied to the end of the rope. "Want to change the cloth? It's dacron from Shanghai, not through the Supply and Marketing Cooperative."As she walked along, she saw vendors selling grain, meat, and apples.She went to the old woman selling grain and asked, "Auntie, how much is this rice?"These haven't shed their shells yet; she can use them to plant.The old woman glanced around and lowered her voice, "Two jin of grain coupons for one jin, or... cash is fine too, eight cents a jin.""Okay, give me three jin!" Yun Ting handed over the money.