Chapter 121: Delivering Provisions

Opening the door, I was surprised to find Aunt Tian Guixiang, who lived in the west room of the central courtyard. She looked at me with a sheepish expression and said, "Weiguo, I am so sorry to bother you. My little Huzi has been crying nonstop, begging for meat. Would it be convenient for you to spare a few pieces for him? I’ll make some steamed buns in a few days and bring them over to you."

Aunt Tian had been very kind to me since I moved into this compound, so I certainly wasn't going to be stingy.

"Aunt Guixiang, you're being too polite. You've helped me a lot since I moved in. Just wait a moment, let me check if the meat is ready."

I let Aunt Tian step inside and lifted the lid of the pot; it was almost done. I drizzled in a bit of honey, turned off the heat, and the red-braised pork was complete. I took a bowl from the cupboard, filled it more than halfway, and handed it to her. Aunt Tian thanked me profusely and hurried back to her home.

Back at her place, Aunt Tian’s little grandson, Huzi, had been staring at the door with eager anticipation, waiting for his grandmother to return with the meat. When he saw her walk in with the bowl, he was overjoyed. As he took his first bite, he felt as though he had experienced the greatest joy of his life.

Meanwhile, I looked at the meat left in the pot, pondering. I had made quite a lot—three jin in total—and it was too much for one person. Thinking about the neighbors, the First Elder had helped me the most, and his son, Liu Erli, was the only person my age in the courtyard that I got along with.

I took another bowl, filled it with a generous portion, and headed to the First Elder's house. Liu Erli, spotting me through the window, said excitedly to his father, "Dad, look, Weiguo is bringing some meat over! He's a real stand-up guy."

The First Elder, Liu Qingchang, sat calmly and replied, "A person must have composure. Look at you, you can't even focus on your meal properly."

"First Elder, are you home?" I knocked on the door. Liu Erli scrambled to open it, asking, "Weiguo, what brings you here?" The First Elder appeared at the door right after.

"I stewed some meat today, but I made too much, so I brought some over for you all," I said, handing the bowl to Erli.

The First Elder said steadily, "Thank you, Weiguo. Next time your Auntie makes something good, you must come over and have a taste."

"You got it, First Elder. I'll look forward to tasting your wife's cooking. See you later, Erli."

Erli waved at me with a bright smile before closing the door, eager to dig in. The moment the meat touched his tongue, it melted like water, sliding down his throat and leaving his whole body feeling satisfied.

Returning to my own room, I took out some cooked rice from my storage space. Digging into the red-braised pork, the combination of meat and rice was truly divine. If I only had a chilled soda to go with it, I wouldn't trade this life for anything.

After a simple cleanup, I sat under the dim light, studying the medical texts I had received from Grandpa Zhang Shanjiang. Even though he called them beginner books, I still found them quite challenging, mainly because I lacked any foundation. I had no choice but to study them slowly.

After a few hours of reading, I freshened up and lay on the bed, preparing for my nightly routine. There were many tasks to attend to daily: at least one session of the Diamond Longevity Qigong and practicing the Baji Fist every day or two. I also had to harvest from my storage space daily; I wondered if I could develop an automatic harvesting function later on.

I suddenly remembered Zhou Xiaoming and the test I had set for him. There was still money from the supplies I had sold, and I wasn't sure if he was reliable. I decided to pay him a visit this weekend.

Looking at the dwindling spring water in the storage space’s well, I felt a wave of anxiety. Between brewing medicinal wine, fermenting regular wine, and practicing martial arts, the consumption was quite high. Acquiring high-quality jade had to become my top priority. I had considered buying in bulk from state-run stores, department stores, or overseas remittance shops, but those were all public channels that could easily lead back to me, significantly increasing the risk of exposure. For now, I would hold off on that and see how things developed.

Early the next morning, I thought about the three wild boars—one large, two small—that I had harvested yesterday. I decided to keep the small ones to take home. The large boar could be sold to the factory; they paid promptly, and it would count toward my procurement quota. With that boar, my weekly target would basically be met. Besides, the meat was too gamey for my liking, so trading it for cash was better.

My family would soon be settling in Sijiu City, and the more cash I had on hand, the better. As for the other small pig, I planned to take it to Yang Muguang and Tian Xuguo over the weekend. I couldn't just cut ties with them after they had taught me their martial arts. Plus, they were generous with payments, and I hoped to maintain a good relationship with Tian Xuguo, who had a group of strong young men who might be helpful in the future.

I planned to head home in the morning to drop off some grain for my grandparents, then head into the mountains to stage the discovery of the three boars as if I had just hunted them that morning. The large boar could then be loaded onto the commune's truck and taken directly to the factory.

With my plan set, I pushed my bicycle out the door, greeting neighbors along the way. As I neared the Xiao family village, I took a sack of grain from my storage space. It contained twenty catties of rice, twenty of white flour, twenty of cornmeal, and a bag of seasonal vegetables. This should solve my grandparents' food worries for a while and give them some peace of mind.

When I arrived at their house, I saw Wangcai tied up in the yard. As I entered, he whimpered pitifully, as if complaining about his confinement. I untied him, and he began running around the yard happily. I checked the rooms but didn't see my grandparents; Grandfather was likely at work, and Grandmother was probably soaking up the sun in the village square. I guessed she had tied Wangcai up to keep him from wandering off while she was away.

I tucked the grain into a corner of the inner room and carefully latched the gate to ensure Wangcai couldn't get out. As I walked toward the center of the village, villagers greeted me one after another. Having been away for so long, I had become quite the local celebrity in the brigade.