The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

Back home, Bao Ya took out her little notebook and wrote down the money she had earned over the past few days.

Yes, she kept a ledger to record how much money she made, and when others said she wasn't making money, she would just scoff at them.

She earned 50 yuan from making velvet flowers, 3 yuan from making clothes, and 12 yuan from selling the three sacks of medicinal herbs. In other words, she earned a total of 65 yuan in a month in the city.

Luckily, I had ten blank letters of introduction on me, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to sell the medicinal herbs.

Jiang Yuan's monthly salary is 32, plus various subsidies, he can earn 35 yuan. Based on this calculation, I earn more than him.

Tsk tsk tsk, I do have an entrepreneurial talent.

The thought of starting a business brought a lump to her throat. The phrase "dying halfway through a business venture" perfectly describes her situation. If she hadn't started a business, she wouldn't be dressed like this; without starting a business, the billion-dollar trust would be hers.

And then there's your own father from your past life, who worked hard to build a fortune of billions, only to go bankrupt one day and be put into a box.

His wife remarried, and his daughter is now calling someone else "Dad." They are both cautionary tales about what it means to be an entrepreneur.

Jiang Yuan watched his wife sighing and looking at the account book, and he was a little worried. She had been like this ever since they finished eating.

"Baoya, what's wrong? Are you unhappy today?"

Jiang Yuan leaned closer and asked cautiously. Look at that little face, all scrunched up; how worried must she be?

"The supply and marketing cooperative stopped accepting wool, so my main source of income disappeared."

After saying that, his head drooped down, and Jiang Yuan quickly caught it to prevent his neck from dislocating.

Looking at the accounts in the ledger, tsk, no wonder he was depressed. He earned fifty this month, more than he did. He felt a little envious.

"Baoya, sit down first, I'll show you something."

As he spoke, he wrapped Bao Ya in a blanket, then pulled a bulging cloth bag from his cotton coat and presented it to her like a treasure.

"What is this? And it smells earthy."

"Open it and take a look."

Bao Ya glanced at Jiang Yuan, then at the cloth bag, reached out and untied the rope on top, emptying the contents out.

With a "whoosh," the things fell onto the bed. The bright yellow stuff almost blinded her. There was more of it than she already had.

There are six gold ingots, a dozen small yellow fish, a pair of gold bracelets, several gold rings, a string of jadeite beads with excellent clarity, and a jade thumb ring.

"Where did this come from?"

"Did I dig it out of the mountains?"

When Bao Ya heard him say it was dug up, she jumped back a great distance. She stared at him in disbelief, wondering if she had married a tomb raider; he seemed rather sinister.

"You went to dig up graves?"

Jiang Yuan almost choked on his breath. How could his wife make such a connection? Digging up graves? He didn't think he had that kind of courage.

"No, during those years of famine, we traded mountain products for them."

Back then, a pound of grain could be exchanged for a lot of these things. I buried these on the small hill to the east, and I found an opportunity to dig them up last night.

A milk factory is going to be built to the east, and there are often people there now. He has been going there whenever he has free time these past two months to take a look and try to dig things out.

During those famine years, a few pounds of wheat bran could be traded for a wife. Anything edible could fetch an exorbitant price. Considering all this, it seems like there's not much to go around.

"That's all?"

"Well, that's all. I didn't dare to change too many. My uncle found out after I only wore them a few times."

Alright, by this calculation, it doesn't seem like a small amount. Bao Ya is quite content. With her two big yellow croakers, she has several pounds of gold. She can lie down and relax when she gets old.

I worked so hard to earn only sixty-five, but this pile of stuff must be worth several thousand. It's true what they say, "No man gets rich without a windfall, and a horse doesn't get fat without night grazing." To get rich, you have to make a fortune unexpectedly.

After they had seen enough, Bao Ya urged Jiang Yuan to hide the things under the chicken coop.

After the two secretly hid their things, Jiang Yuan picked Bao Ya up from behind and carried her to the bedroom.

Bao Ya silently complained, "Brother, our relationship shouldn't be based on money."

The next morning, not long after Jiang Yuan went to work, his aunt Liu Erli arrived.

"Aunt, what brings you here?"

Bao Ya quickly went over and took the basket off her back. Her aunt had brought her a bunch of vegetables. She hadn't been to the supply and marketing cooperative's vegetable stand since she got married.

"I'm going to check on your aunt. There are eggs in the basket on her back, so please put them down carefully. Put that other basket aside for now, and I'll take it to your aunt later."

Liu Erli pointed to a basket on the ground and said.

"Okay, I know. Auntie, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"I ate breakfast, so don't bother with anything else. I'm going to your aunt's house in a bit."

Bao Ya carefully unpacked the contents of the basket and placed them in the back storage room. She then took two eggs and a handful of noodles, turned on the stove, and quickly made some egg noodles.

"Oh, you child, it'll be noon soon, why are you wasting food?"

Liu Erli complained about Bao Ya, but she was secretly pleased. The child she had nursed since she was a baby was the closest to her.

"It's only a little past eight o'clock, it's still early until noon."

Bao Ya brought a large bowl of steaming hot egg noodles to the octagonal table in the main room and told her aunt to eat it while it was hot.

In winter, there's not much work to do in the village. Some families eat two meals a day, while others are better off and can eat three. The breakfast is just some porridge, which is hardly enough.

Bao Ya took the box containing walnuts and hazelnuts and ate them while chatting with her aunt, otherwise her aunt would stuff eggs into her mouth again.

"Auntie, should we bring more things for Auntie over? You only brought so little after making such a trip? I still have a lot of vegetables here, maybe I can give her some later."

"No need. I came to see your cousin. I heard she had a fight with her husband. I'm going to check on her. I'll have your uncle bring them some more by donkey cart later."

This aunt is my maternal aunt's older sister. She married into the city many years ago and now lives in the clothing factory's staff quarters.

When Bao Ya was little, her cousin Xu Huiru often took her home to stay. Xu Huiru was a very gentle older sister who was especially good to Bao Ya.

Both of them came to her wedding, but there were too many people and they didn't have a chance to talk.

"Oh, okay."

Bao Ya nodded in agreement. Her aunt looked up at the room, then lowered her voice and said to Bao Ya:

"Your mother-in-law and the others didn't come, did they?"

Although it was a bit impolite to ask that question, she and Grandma Su shared the same thought: it was better not to live with their mothers-in-law if they could avoid it.

"No, we went back a few days ago and brought back a lot of local products. Take some with you when you go back."

Hearing that she hadn't, my aunt was relieved.

After her aunt finished eating, Bao Ya went with her to her aunt's house. She had nothing to do lately and was feeling quite bored.

Just as I reached the entrance of the garment factory's residential compound, I saw a group of people rushing out pushing a cart.

"Huiru, wake up! Don't scare your mom like that, Huiru, waaaah..."

Bao Ya and Liu Erli heard Hui Ru being called from over there, so they pointed at the group of people and said:

"Auntie, my aunt is over there. You can go over there first."

"Ugh."

Seeing the situation, Liu Erli panicked a little. Her older sister had just been calling for Huiru, so something must have happened. Without thinking, she rushed over.

Bao Ya placed the basket of vegetables with the gatekeeper, asking him to watch it for a while. Then she turned and ran towards the cart.

They arrived at the hospital on the handcart, and Liu Erli and Bao Ya helped carry the person up.

After a period of chaos, they finally managed to save her. By the time the doctors wheeled Xu Huiru into the ward, all the neighbors had left. Only then did Liu Erli ask her eldest sister:

"Big sister, what's wrong with Huiru? Why is she so upset?"

Liu Dali said while shedding tears:

"That beast Li Qiang actually beat Huiru for his sister-in-law, sob sob sob..."