Chapter 228 Ye Family Has Hope for Food
Gong Wentao glanced at Ye Mama, knowing this was the lady of the Ye family. It seemed most of the guests had arrived.
"No need for formality, I'll come look for Zi Yisheng later."
Gong Wentao nodded and turned to leave. Ye Mama quickly pulled Zhen Yi, urging her to go home first. Getting people secured was the priority.
Since the Ye family's rooms were decent, with one person per room, Zhen Yi would have to share with Xiao Tiantian for now, or they could convert the storage room into a living space.
"Sister Zhen, I didn't know you were coming. Why don't you share with Xiao Tiantian for now? We can build an extra room later, our yard is big enough."
Zhen Yi didn't mind at all. She also liked Xiao Tiantian very much. As for building an extra room, it wasn't an issue for the Ye family's financial strength.
"Alright, I'm fine staying anywhere, as long as I'm with you all."
Ye Mama didn't ask about Zhen Yi's situation, acting as if nothing had happened.
Upon entering the house, Zhen Yi realized they were short on daily necessities. Items like basins and enamel mugs would need to be bought from the supply and marketing cooperative. The family members were used to being taken care of, and without someone managing the household, it lacked a homey feel.
Ye Shenggē also happened to go to the county's supply and marketing cooperative. To get to the cooperative, they still had to take an ox cart. The village's old ox made one trip a day, and each passenger had to pay ten cents per ride.
Ten cents was quite expensive, and many villagers didn't take it. A work point was only worth a few cents these days, so unless they bought a lot of items that were too much to carry, they would only take the cart on the way back.
Zhen Yi put down her luggage and went along. On the cart was also Wang Fengling, the village chief's wife.
Today was Wang Fengling's happiest day. Her youngest son had returned home for the first time in years. Although his face was disfigured, it was enough that he was back safely.
"Auntie Wang, are you going to the supply and marketing cooperative?"
Wang Auntie had spoken with Ye Mama several times, so she greeted Ye Mama with a smile.
"Yes, Ye family's daughter-in-law, do you have another relative visiting?"
Wang Fengling looked at Zhen Yi, who was a new face.
"Indeed, Ah Zhen is the Zi family's young man's maternal aunt. She'll be living with us from now on."
"That's wonderful! You have an endless supply of fruits and vegetables in the village, unlike in the city where you have to pay for every vegetable."
Zhen Yi was also someone who made friends easily and quickly joined the conversation.
"Isn't that the truth? In the city, everything costs money. I'm really tired of it. There are many people in the village too, so there are more people to chat with."
Ye Shenggē sat aside, watching the three women chat. From strangers, they were already discussing gossip.
"Is this girl the Zi family's young man's partner?"
Suddenly, the gossip turned to Ye Shenggē. Ye Shenggē could only smile and glance at Ye Mama.
"Hello, Grandma Wang."
"This is my only daughter. She doesn't go out much usually. Auntie Wang hasn't seen her before?"
Since Ye Shenggē always wore a straw hat, Wang Fengling hadn't seen her face clearly. Now, as Ye Shenggē looked up and her appearance was clear, Wang Fengling was stunned.
"Good heavens, how can this girl look like a fairy? No wonder the Zi family's young man snatched her up so early."
Zhen Yi chuckled, "Pfft," Zi Shao did indeed make his move first.
"It's true that my Yisheng has good taste. Shenggē will only become more stunning in a couple more years. If he hadn't secured her early, the suitors who would come to propose would surely trample down the Ye family's doorstep."
"Hahahaha, that's right, the little girl is too beautiful."
What could Ye Shenggē do? She could only awkwardly scratch her face. She didn't like being stared at. Fortunately, the county town arrived soon, and Ye Shenggē was almost the first one off the ox cart.
Ming'an County town was actually quite large, with over a dozen production brigades. Bai Rong Brigade was simply the closest to the county town. There were two supply and marketing cooperatives here. Although there was no department store, two cooperatives could meet the needs of the subordinate brigades.
Wang Fengling was going to buy meat. There were specialized meat stalls in the county town, which were also state-run stalls.
The group split up. Ye Shenggē breathed a sigh of relief upon entering the supply and marketing cooperative. Ye Mama helplessly patted her daughter's back.
"This won't do. You meet many people every day in the countryside, it's not as quiet as the city. You have to learn to socialize normally."
Zhen Yi, however, understood Ye Shenggē very well. This child had lived with her adoptive grandmother for a long time and was almost invisible.
"It's not necessary. Shenggē rarely goes out alone anyway. We can handle these people."
"Exactly. I just don't like socializing, it doesn't mean I can't."
As Ye Shenggē spoke, she looked around the cooperative. The variety of goods was reduced, but there were many customers.
Ye Shenggē took out some coupons and gave a portion to her mother and Zhen Yi. The three of them lined up separately to buy things.
The family members were particular about things, and many items were needed for each room. Ye Shenggē's space had too many advanced materials, so they had to buy new ones.
Ye Shenggē was responsible for buying thermoses. Although the climate here didn't require hot water much, it was still convenient to have boiled water to drink at night.
"Comrade, how much are thermoses per bottle?"
The salesperson first assessed Ye Shenggē's attire. There wasn't a single patch on her clothes. When she saw Ye Shenggē's appearance, she was even more certain that this person was well-off, so her attitude was relatively friendly.
"A thermos bottle costs ten yuan and fifty cents, plus two industrial coupons."
Ye Shenggē quickly counted the industrial coupons in her hand. Well, there were still quite a few.
"I want to buy three."
Buying three at once was already quite eye-catching. Ye Shenggē planned to ask Zhen Yi and her mother to buy a few more later.
"You, how many did you say?"
Ye Shenggē placed thirty-one yuan and fifty cents, along with six industrial coupons, on the counter.
"I want to buy three thermoses."
The salesperson finally believed her ears, quickly accepted the money and coupons, issued a receipt, and took out three thermoses.
"Are you a sent-down youth? Are you buying these for someone else?"
Ye Shenggē smiled and nodded. The identity of a sent-down youth seemed to be more useful.
"I thought so. Who would buy so many thermoses at once? Isn't that just burning money?"
Ye Shenggē felt awkward. This was indeed what her family was buying at once, and it wasn't even enough. Burning money, yes, the quality of life was different, so it didn't conform to people's current acceptance level.
Ye Mama was responsible for buying basins and bowls for vegetables. With so many people in the family, they had deeply felt in the past two days that even small portions of dishes were not enough.
Zhen Yi bought some sewing supplies like needles and thread, things that wouldn't have existed in the house if she hadn't come. If she needed to sew something usually, she wouldn't even find a needle.
Fortunately, all three had bamboo baskets. After Zhen Yi and Ye Mama bought the thermoses in batches, they were filled to the brim. Zhen Yi even covered them with cloth bought temporarily to prevent people from seeing what was inside.
Zhen Yi also inquired at the meat stall. The family had a lot of smoked and dried meat, but not much fresh meat. Since she was here today, she wanted to buy a bit more to make some good dishes.
In Zhen Yi's eyes, these people, no matter how capable, didn't truly know how to eat hot meals.
Of course, Ye Shenggē had plenty of fresh meat in her space, but she could only take it out when she went out. Her eldest brother usually provided cover.