031, Tickets, Private Tutoring

Jing Qingxin pulled out twenty yuan from a stack of small bills. She had a general idea about prices in the area, but didn’t quite know the specifics. Still, she thought twenty yuan should be enough to fully outfit the kitchen.

“Here, this is for you!” Jing Qingxin handed him back the bankbook along with the rest of the money.

“Aren’t you going shopping? Is twenty yuan enough? If there’s anything you want to buy, just go ahead and get it!” Gao Shen declared, showing his support. She’d brought him so many things—clothes, food, even precious books—yet he hadn’t bought her anything.

“It’s enough. I just want to buy some kitchen supplies and get the kitchen sorted out. When I’m here, I’ll make our meals. My cooking isn’t as good as my mother’s, but it’s decent,” Jing Qingxin replied frankly. In her family, they didn’t indulge in the pampered ways of other well-to-do households, where everything was done for them. Her parents had always encouraged her and her brother to be self-reliant, not wanting them to develop bad habits.

“Alright, do as you see fit. If you run out of money, come to me for more,” Gao Shen said, inexplicably content with her arrangement. Suddenly, something came to mind, and he turned to rummage through a green military bag hanging by the bed.

“Here, these are ration tickets! Around here, money alone won’t get you what you need—you need tickets.” Gao Shen’s broad hand held out a messy stack of small slips.

“I know about these! But I haven’t actually seen them before,” Jing Qingxin exclaimed with delight. This era was still very much a time of ration tickets—fabric, meat, grain, industrial coupons, all sorts. As Gao Shen had said, at this time, you couldn’t buy many things at the market or the supply and marketing cooperative without the right tickets, no matter how much money you had. Jing Qingxin took the tickets eagerly, turning them over in her hands, curious and fascinated.

“Keep these. Use them as you need. I don’t have any use for them now, and some of them have expiration dates,” Gao Shen explained.

“These tickets have expiry dates? How interesting,” she mused. She hadn’t known that, and realized how wasteful it would be to let them expire.

“Exactly, so if there’s anything you want, just buy it,” Gao Shen replied cheerfully.

“Alright, I understand. Don’t worry, I won’t be shy about it!” Jing Qingxin grinned mischievously. It felt quite nice to have someone so generous urging her to splurge.

She lifted the porcelain cup filled with water, smiling as she offered it to him. “Have some water!”

Gao Shen drank from the iron-rimmed cup, his spirits buoyed. Whether it was his mood or the person who poured it, the water seemed to carry a faint sweetness.

“Do you have anything going on this afternoon? I plan to go find Xiao Mei soon and buy the things for the kitchen,” Jing Qingxin said casually as she sorted the ration tickets.

“There’s nothing I need to do. I’ll just lie here and read. You go ahead,” Gao Shen replied in his deep voice. He relished her company so much that time seemed to fly, but he knew he couldn’t expect her to stay cooped up in this little house all day—it would stifle her spirit. Besides, from what he’d learned, she wasn’t someone who could sit idle for long.

“Okay, I’ll come back as soon as I’m done,” Jing Qingxin replied happily.

She went to her own bed, using her hiking bag as cover while she rummaged through her magical satchel, Flowing Brocade, for a few snacks. The lunch had been light, and she guessed Gao Shen would get hungry again later in the afternoon, so she set some aside for him.

She also pulled out a book titled “World Cultures and Customs,” an odd volume she’d read when bored and then tucked away. She knew that the three military books she’d brought last time were nearly finished, and worried he might get bored in the afternoon, so she chose a book on international culture to help pass the time. It would also give him a glimpse of what the world would be like sixty years in the future—broadening his horizons a bit.

“This is a book I usually read. Take a look—you might find it useful,” Jing Qingxin said, handing the book to Gao Shen, who was sitting on a wooden stool.

At her words, a flicker of brightness flashed in Gao Shen’s deep eyes. He craved books, loved them, but in this environment, there were hardly any left to read.

He received the book with both hands, his fingers tightening slightly when he saw the title. “World”—such a distant word.

After giving him the book, Jing Qingxin didn’t pay further attention to his reaction. She turned and placed the snacks on the bedside cabinet, gently reminding him, “Gao Shen, these are some snacks I picked for you. If you get hungry later, have them with the flower tea I brought last time. There’s still some left, right?”

“Yes, there’s still some. Don’t worry about me—go do your errands. If you have anything heavy to carry, ask Da Hu to help,” Gao Shen instructed.

“Alright, I know. You lie down and get comfortable,” Jing Qingxin said, planning to wait for him to settle in before leaving.

Gao Shen hugged the book and slowly walked to the bed, then sat against the headboard, arranging his legs and posture before eagerly opening the book.

Seeing that Gao Shen was settled, Jing Qingxin stuffed the tickets and money into her pocket and set out for Li Xiaomei’s house, taking along the lunch dishes to return.

“Auntie Li, Xiaomei!” Not knowing if they were home, Jing Qingxin called out from outside the stone wall.

“Yes, we’re here!” came a voice from inside—Li Xiaomei’s, as expected. As soon as she finished speaking, Li Xiaomei, her hair in two braids, came running out in a hurry.

“Don’t rush, just walk,” Jing Qingxin said, unable to help but reassure her.

“I’m fine, Sister Jing. What’s up?” Li Xiaomei asked with a bright smile.

“Are you busy right now?” Jing Qingxin asked gently.

“I’m just cleaning the house now—later I’ll go cut pigweed,” Li Xiaomei answered honestly.

“I want to buy some kitchen supplies. Do you know where I can get them nearby?” Jing Qingxin asked directly.

“The commune, of course. There’s a store at the crossroads in Dajing Village, but the selection is limited and prices are a bit higher,” Li Xiaomei explained.

“And besides the commune?” Jing Qingxin asked, thinking the commune sounded like a small convenience store.

“There’s the supply and marketing cooperative in town, but that’s an hour and a half walk. The commune in the village is only half an hour away. Oh, and tomorrow’s market day. Sister Jing, what do you want to buy?” Li Xiaomei explained in detail.

“Gao Shen needs to recover from his injury, so he needs good nutrition. I plan to get the kitchen in order so I can make special meals and stew some medicinal herbs for him,” Jing Qingxin said honestly.

———Author’s Note———
A new month has arrived—wishing all of you a happy and fruitful May!
This book is exclusively published by Xiaoxiang Academy. Please do not repost!