Chapter 26: Delivering Grain

The nanny, Jia Hui, said, "I’ve actually heard that the black market has high-priced grain. Many people are scrambling to buy it but can't get any. There’s also peanut oil and rapeseed oil, which are selling for sky-high prices, yet people are still fighting over them.

We were just saying it must be a gimmick; the goods can't be anything special."

Tu Shan smiled brightly. "That’s no gimmick; it’s genuinely good. I’m the one selling it. But you don’t need to scramble for it—once you finish what you have, I’ll bring you more.

And the price isn't high either; I’m just charging the market rate."

Auntie Wei laughed. "Aren't you afraid of losing money?"

"Not at all." It was all profit for her anyway, so how could she lose?

Zongzheng Guotai deliberately narrowed his eyes. "You’re just blurting out that you’re doing business with the black market like that—aren't you afraid we’ll report you?"

"Not afraid. None of you can beat me in a fight."

"Girl, sometimes it’s not fists that are the most terrifying thing."

Tu Shan smiled like a little devil. "My strengths aren't limited to just my fists."

Their gazes met in mid-air, sparks flying.

Jia Hui couldn't quite handle the tension and subconsciously took a step back.

The old man interrupted them with a smile. "What’s your name? Where do you live? Who else is in your family?"

Tu Shan withdrew her gaze, acting like a carefree, reckless fool again. "Tu... Sanmei. My name is Tu Sanmei. I live in the Huanglin District of the North Zone. If you need anything, you can find me there. As for family, I have a husband, but he’s never home."

Everyone raised their eyebrows discreetly. The old man chuckled. "You’re already married? I couldn't tell.

My surname is Zongzheng; you can just call me Grandpa Zongzheng. You can call this gentleman Grandpa Ming."

Tu Shan knew nothing about the surnames of prestigious clans. Although she knew the old man’s status wasn't simple, she didn't know the specifics and gained no useful information from his surname. "Oh, hello, Grandpas. Say, what kind of vegetables do you usually like to eat? I’ll see if I can get them for you."

Grandpa Zongzheng smiled. "We’re getting on in years, so we like soft food. We usually love tofu—tofu is delicious no matter how you cook it."

Tofu, huh? Tu Shan thought for a moment. She didn't have soybean seeds, but she could get the Yang family to help her procure some. "Alright, I’ll bring you some soybeans another day. Tofu is good; it’s great for protein.

Anyway, let me put the grain in the kitchen for you. I need to hurry back to work. If you need anything else, just let me know, and I’ll do my best to get it."

The five people in the courtyard watched as Tu Shan effortlessly carried a bag of grain in each hand into the kitchen. If the door hadn't been so small, she probably would have carried the cart in directly.

"Girl Tu, how much grain is here?" Auntie Wei followed her in and out like a curious child.

"The peanuts are what you ordered earlier—one thousand jin. Five hundred jin of rapeseed, one hundred jin each of barley and rice, ten jin of greens, and fifty jin of potatoes. The greens and potatoes are on the house. Just give me five hundred and eighty yuan. If you don't have that much cash, gold bars or the like will do, or you can pay on credit."

Auntie Wei was amused. The girl was truly generous, and her way of settling accounts was very straightforward.

"We don't have that much at home. I'll give it to you next time you come."

Tu Shan didn't mind. She finished putting the items away and prepared to leave. It was almost seven o'clock, and the Criminal Investigation Team started at eight; she still wanted to grab breakfast.

"No problem. Oh, by the way, I think that 'kinswoman' sister is acting a bit strange. Uncle Smiley, you should go check on her when you have time."

Zongzheng Guotai... He had lived for more than half a lifetime, and this was the first time someone had dared to give him a nickname to his face, and so brazenly at that.

He was so angry he laughed. "What 'kinswoman' sister?"

Auntie Wei wiped away the tears of laughter from her eyes. "Uncle Smiley, the 'kinswoman' sister is the nanny the Duan family hired for Old Man Duan. We ran into her when we just got back.

But girl, how did you see that she was acting strange?" To her, the girl seemed like a simple, hardworking person who had endured many hardships.

Tu Shan straightened her back proudly. "A hardworking, simple, uneducated country girl who looks older than her actual age, playing the role of a tragic, resilient soul—when she saw her 'savior' kinswoman sister getting into a fight, her reaction was too dull, too silent.

Given her persona, she should have been panicked, wanting to intervene but too afraid to, her eyes red with anxiety.

Also, for people at the very bottom of society, it’s their backs that are hunched, not their necks. Only her neck was bent.

Hands that do farm work have thick bones; it’s not just about having a few calluses or dirt under the fingernails.

Her stride length was too uniform, her facial expressions too rigid, and even her hair was too dark and smooth. People who are malnourished don't have hair like that."

Tu Shan poked her own head, which had hair like dry straw, toward them as an example.

Most importantly, Tu Shan smelled blood on her. People who had struggled in the apocalypse were sensitive to the scent of blood. She could judge by instinct who had killed someone and what kind of person they were.

How could a country girl who had suffered so much have the blood of innocent people on her hands?

Hearing Tu Shan’s logical reasoning, the group couldn't help but take it seriously.

Zongzheng Guotai said sternly, "I will have someone look into it."

Tu Shan waved her hand and left.

Jia Hui hurriedly chased after her. "Girl Tu, the old man said you’re going to work and came out so early to deliver grain, so you must not have eaten. This was made this morning; take it to tide yourself over."

It was a large steamed bun, the size of a fist. Tu Shan smiled until her eyes disappeared. "Thank you, Auntie, thank you, Grandpa. I’m off!"

Pushing the cart with one hand and gnawing on the bun with the other, Tu Shan skipped away, much to Jia Hui’s amusement.

In the courtyard, Ming Zhan remained expressionless. "I’ll go investigate again."

The Tu Sanmei they saw today bore no resemblance to the one in the files; they had to doubt the results of their investigation.

Zongzheng Hua’s eyes were deep. They did indeed need to investigate. Even if their information wasn't accurate, it shouldn't be completely off the mark.

Moreover, someone with the abilities that girl possessed couldn't have remained obscure and infamous for so long.

That girl didn't seem like the type to let people smear her reputation either.

And where did this grain come from?

"Cough, cough, cough..." The old man coughed violently, as if he wanted to cough his lungs out, his frail body swaying.

The others were terrified and rushed over to hand him medicine and water. It took a long time for the old man to catch his breath.

In just that short time, he seemed to have lost much of his vitality.

He let out a long sigh. "Don't worry, I won't die just yet."

Ming Zhan frowned. "I’ll go to the black market to see if there are any good medicinal herbs. Dr. Chu said we’re only missing three ingredients."

The old man waved his hand. "Life and death are fated. I’ve lived long enough; I’ve had my fill."

"Dad," Zongzheng Guotai called out in a low voice.

The old man sighed and said nothing more.

Tu Shan had already happily arrived at the Criminal Investigation Team. On her way, she had stopped by a state-run restaurant and bought ten large steamed buns; the two big buns Jia Hui gave her weren't nearly enough.

But even with two buns and ten steamed buns, she had only just managed to fill the bottom of her stomach. Still, she was content.

"Old Man Man, I’ll leave the cart with you. Please keep an eye on it for me."

When Old Man Man saw Tu Shan, he chased after her with a smile. "Girl, I heard you’re working here now? Not bad, eh?"

Tu Shan’s eyes crinkled. "It’s alright, it’s alright. Thanks to the leadership’s appreciation."

Old Man Man was delighted. "You’re too modest, girl. But your peanuts are truly excellent. My family secretly pressed some oil from them, and guess what?"

Tu Shan leaned in cooperatively. "What happened?"

Old Man Man said mysteriously, "One jin yielded seven taels of oil. Girl, do you know what that means?"

Tu Shan shook her head.

Old Man Man looked expectant, hopeful, and excited. "If this kind of peanut could be promoted nationwide, none of us would ever lack oil again."

Tu Shan gave a dry laugh. "Old Man, don't think about it. It can't be promoted."

The old man was anxious. "Why?"

Tu Shan: Because it was grown with supernatural powers.

"Old Man, thanks for watching the cart."

Old Man Man sighed as he watched Tu Shan’s retreating figure. Truly, if it could be promoted, it would be a great benefit to the country and the people.

(End of chapter)