Chapter 5: Going Out to the Street

Qin Xian was alert: "Who's going to make it?"

"Of course, I am."

Qin Xian: "Make it first, then we'll talk."

Li Yingtang was displeased. He actually didn't believe her! If she sold them for money, he wouldn't get a share!

She busied herself for nearly an hour.

Li Yingtang was frozen to the bone and had to climb down from the tree. Seeing that Qin Xian had already bagged the hawthorn berries, she stepped forward and grabbed a handful. They were all round and fragrant, and she was just about to offer some praise.

A faint quacking sound drifted over.

"I set a trap by the lake; something must have taken the bait." Li Yingtang turned and bolted toward the lake.

Qin Xian couldn't help but urge: "Be careful not to fall."

Li Yingtang’s eyes brightened: "Are you worried about me?"

Qin Xian:...Silence.

By the trap, Li Yingtang impatiently brushed aside the dry grass. A grayish-brown wild duck was caught by the foot, flapping its wings in an attempt to fly up.

She squatted down, yanked the duck out, and held it high to show off: "Ah Xian, look, it's so fat. Let's make hot pot tomorrow. I'll catch it, you kill it—men and women working together, the work doesn't feel tiring." She suddenly lowered her voice: "Ducky, look closely at the person killing you; it’s him, not me."

Qin Xian had sharp hearing; he twitched his eye at her words. She was making him do the dirty work—what kind of wife was this? He heard her add: "If there's a duck, there must be duck eggs. Let's not rush off; let's follow its tracks and look around."

Qin Xian said meaningfully: "You know quite a lot. You don't seem like a girl from an ordinary family."

Li Yingtang tilted her head: "Huh? This makes me not ordinary? Isn't this just common sense?" She figured he was just a bookworm who didn't know anything.

Having finished her studies and started working at a young age, he must have spent all his time studying.

Qin Xian: "..."

Before long, Li Yingtang discovered a duck nest in a grass hollow pressed down by snow.

She counted them—there were nine in total.

She said happily: "We’re really lucky to have gathered so much in one night. Fry an egg for me when you make noodles tomorrow."

Qin Xian’s face darkened: "Fry? Who's frying for whom?"

Li Yingtang immediately catered to his mood: "You’re the head of the household, my pillar of support, and a top student. The capable should do more work, right?"

Qin Xian: "..." She certainly knew how to say the right things.

But in the end, it was still him having to wait on her.

Back at their dwelling.

The two buried the persimmons and hawthorn berries in the snow for storage and locked the caught duck in the kitchen.

"Where should we put the duck eggs? Will they freeze and go bad?"

"There's a cardboard box under the bed; put some grass in it to cushion them."

Li Yingtang rubbed her frozen hands: "I'm a bit sleepy and want to rest. Are you sleeping with me?"

She had observed that there were quite a few rooms in this place.

There were beds, but not enough bedding.

Qin Xian’s pupils dilated: "How can we live together when we aren't married? I’ll stay in the infirmary."

"When are we getting married? It’s the same if we get on the bus first and buy the ticket later."

Qin Xian: "...What? You think marriage is playing house? This isn't something to rush."

Li Yingtang was in a rush. If he went back to his hometown one day, her cover would be blown.

Without an identity, what would she do?

Would he kick her out?

"I'm worried you'll catch a cold. If you get sick, who will I rely on? Or are you afraid I have ulterior motives? Don't worry, I absolutely won't touch you without your permission."

Qin Xian: "..." What kind of talk was that? Wasn't she the one who would be at a disadvantage? "This matter is not up for discussion."

Li Yingtang secretly curled her lip, mimicking his serious tone under her breath: *This matter is not up for discussion.* Who was discussing it with you?

"What are you muttering about?"

"Nothing. I'm going to wash up." Li Yingtang unceremoniously used his spare toothbrush. When she spat out the foam, she met his eyes. Before he could ask, she laughed: "Found it in your box, hehe."

A thought flashed through Qin Xian’s mind. He suspected that when she closed the door and drew the curtains, she had rummaged through his box, thereby learning his private information.

Li Yingtang worried he would press her further, so she yawned after rinsing: "So sleepy. If you aren't staying, I'm going to sleep." She washed up hastily, dove under the covers, and pulled them over her head. The rustling sounds reached his ears and soon faded away.

She quietly poked her head out. It was pitch black; the light was off. Had he left?

He really left?

He didn't touch her?

He was quite the gentleman.

She liked him even more.

Smelling the faint scent of soap on the bedding and recalling the day's events, she tossed and turned until the small hours before finally falling into a deep sleep.

She was woken up by a knocking on the door.

"Li Yingtang, get up."

Li Yingtang opened her eyes. The room was pitch black. Looking through the glass window, the moonlight was faint.

Damn it!

He was taking advantage of her affection to do whatever he wanted.

"Are we going to be thieves, getting up in the middle of the night?"

There was a moment of silence outside, then the young man’s cold, clear voice came: "Aren't we going to town?"

"...Ah? It's the middle of the night, isn't it too early?"

"Are you going or not?"

"I'm sleepy, I want to sleep." Li Yingtang buried her head for five minutes, but she couldn't fall back asleep no matter what. She put on her clothes and shoes and went out.

The young man was already gone.

Thinking of her fierce tone just now, she knocked on the door of the infirmary next door with trepidation: "Ah Xian, are you angry with me? I wasn't targeting you. I was just groggy from sleep; I wouldn't have spoken so harshly if I hadn't been half-asleep. Sorry. You’re still taking me with you, right? I’m new here and don't know the way. If I get kidnapped by bad guys on the road, you won't have a wife anymore."

Actually, she could go by herself; she could just ask for directions. She just didn't know if the money from the persimmons would be enough to buy a new cotton-padded jacket.

If he didn't go, who would she extort?

A soft sigh came from inside: "The kitchen is making food."

Li Yingtang felt ashamed. She had scolded him, yet he was still cooking for her.

She really hadn't picked the wrong person to extort.

She strode into the room. The young man was frying the duck eggs they had caught last night, and there was a vegetable pancake on the side.

Just the smell made her appetite grow.

She didn't hold back on the praise: "You're so capable. Meeting you is the blessing I cultivated in my past life."

"Just eat your food."

Li Yingtang: "..." He didn't like hearing that?

After the meal, Qin Xian cleaned the kitchen. Li Yingtang peeked at him while stuffing persimmons into a sack. Under his cold, clear gaze, she said softly: "I don't have a job, I'm living off you and eating your food. I want to do what I can to lighten your burden, and selling persimmons is the most suitable thing right now."

Qin Xian didn't speak.

Li Yingtang took that as his tacit consent. She picked out the best persimmons, pushed out the single-wheeled cart stored in the warehouse, put the bags on it, and pushed her luck by having him push the cart.

Facing the cold wind, they walked south until dawn, finally seeing the market.

With street vendors and people coming and going, it was quite lively.

Li Yingtang was stunned as she looked at the words "Changkou Township Farmers' Market" on the simple sign.

It had taken three hours to walk to the township.

How far away must the city be?

Qin Xian glanced at her: "If you had come ten minutes earlier, there wouldn't be so many people." She really knew how to dawdle.

Brushing her teeth and washing her face slowly, eating and chewing slowly.

She didn't even pack the persimmons early when she planned to sell them.

Li Yingtang pondered for a moment and immediately had an idea: "Wait for me here for a second." She went into the vegetable market to check the prices.

The price of frozen persimmons was uniform: ten cents each, and most of them didn't look as good as hers.

Candied hawthorns were twenty cents a skewer, and a palm-sized piece of hawthorn cake was thirty-five cents.

Vegetables were cheap; cabbage and radishes sold for one cent per two jin.

Meat and eggs were expensive and required ration coupons.

Li Yingtang strolled around, silently noting the prices of all categories, and walked out of the market at a steady pace: "Ah Xian, do you know where the residential area is?"

"It's just around the vegetable market."