Chapter 9

The vendor casually flipped through and handed Xuelan two copies of the newspaper, saying: "One cent."

"Do not worry," Li said, "I still have two silver hairpins here, and..."

There are quite a few grocery stores in this vicinity, all of which are small businesses offering very inexpensive goods, and three women have been shopping all the way.

The train station is very bustling, as it is the former imperial city, a unique coordinate marking the transition between the old and new eras

Li sat beside her and laughed, suddenly saying: "Fortunately, we left."

Upon disembarking from the train, Xuelan felt as if she were on the verge of collapse. Li Shi and her third sister also appeared quite fatigued, especially Li Shi, who had hardly closed her eyes, constantly watching over her two daughters

Xuelan took the newspaper and then began to read it together with her third sister

Xuelan brought them to a newsstand and said to the vendor, "Please give me a newspaper that has rental listings."

It has gotten dark, and we are unfamiliar with this place, so let us not go out; we won't die from hunger in one night

In this day and age, ordinary people consume this kind of food, as it is the high-yield grain from the fields. Only salaried workers can afford to eat white flour, meat, and vegetables. Moreover, it is winter now, and there are no fresh vegetables available in the north. Even in the landlords' households, they only eat pickled vegetables, cabbage, and white tofu

I will also go out and give it a try. After so many years of schooling, I refuse to believe that I cannot find a job, " said Third Sister

Xuelan said: "You will be fine following me; I guarantee you won't get lost"

This corn cake is quite different from the modern ones; it is very coarse and can scratch the throat when eaten. Of course, this is a rather exaggerated statement, but to Xuelan, it feels that way. As a girl raised in a materially affluent environment, she feels as if she is on the verge of developing an eating disorder. Li Shi and the third sister are not much better off; they are just forcing themselves to eat.

Xuelan was almost overwhelmed with the urge to cover her face

Xuelan touched her nose, not very optimistic about them

Finally, with the gentle voice of the announcer from the loudspeaker, the train arrived at the Beijing Railway Station

Sister San said: "From now on, don't mention that old wretch. Raising a daughter only brings disaster, and they are not afraid of retribution"

They could sit here for two days and two nights without reaching their destination. Sometimes the train would simply stop in the middle of the journey, remaining motionless for several hours, which was utterly exasperating.

After returning home, Li sat on the bed with great delight, sewing a cotton quilt

Xuelan stood on tiptoe, using a hammer borrowed from the landlord to nail wooden boards onto the window

Upon mentioning Master Liu, Li let out a sigh and fell silent.

Two packs of cotton cost 4 yuan and 1 jiao, and six meters of cotton cloth cost 6 yuan and 8 jiao. They are preparing to go back and make quilts. They also bought a kerosene lamp, coal, basins, pots, bowls, and so on, as well as two wooden boards and several nails. In the end, they spent 5 jiao to buy five tea eggs and ten white steamed buns. Food is actually not expensive these days, but most poor people cannot afford this 5 jiao. Xuelan and her companions seem to be frugal, but in reality, they are wasteful. However, who can blame them for never having been out before? Food is actually not expensive these days, but most poor people cannot afford this 5 jiao. Xuelan and her companions seem to be frugal, but in reality, they are wasteful. However, who can blame them for never having been out before?

There is a double bed, made of bamboo, and a small wardrobe; nothing else. The landlord led her and the books up the dark corridor, which was filled with a strong smell of urine. He opened a room on the second floor and said, "This is it"

This is an old-fashioned tin train, which runs particularly slowly and stops at every station. The journey from Tongyang to Beiping would take, in modern society, at most five hours by high-speed train.

A little girl squats by the stove, eagerly roasting sweet potatoes. Once cooked, she peels one and takes a bite; it is truly sweet, soft, and hot, making her heart melt.

That night, the three of them had eaten their fill, covered by clean and warm quilts, with no cold wind blowing into the room. When they opened their eyes the next day, it was already close to noon. Perhaps it was because they had finally relaxed the tension that had been building for days, all three of them slept particularly soundly.

Since Li and Sanjie successfully left the Liu family, they seem to have transformed into different individuals, filled with anticipation for the road ahead

Taking this train did not exhaust Shelan

She was the first to walk towards a bus station

Sister San and Li worked together on needlework, and by evening, they had made two thick quilts. One was placed underneath, and the other was shared by the three of them.

Let us first rent a small house, and then I will look for work as a maid and for laundry. She said softly, We can save our money, and it will last us quite a while.

When Li was about to ask someone else, Xuelan quickly grabbed her and said, "You should stop asking and come with me."

She now consults her youngest daughter on everything, not only because the youngest has been leading them along the way, but also because she exhibits an attitude of being well-prepared for everything

After settling down, the weather grew increasingly cold, and a stove was lit inside the house. They carried home a bag of cornmeal, spending two yuan. This bag of cornmeal weighed forty-four jin, which could be used to make corn cakes to eat with pickled vegetables

She lowered her voice and said: "There is also a pair of gold pendants, which were given to me by the master when you were born many years ago"

Indeed, with a smile, the person waved their hand and said, "I am not familiar either, you may ask someone else."

"Four pieces? How expensive!" Li interjected.

Sister San was counting money. She counted it twice, her delicate brows slightly furrowed: "Mother, we only have 15 yuan left."

The landlord, seeing that it was a little girl dealing with him, did not mind and nodded, saying: "Four silver dollars a month, excluding water and electricity. Do you want to rent it?"

Here, one can easily find someone to rent a house by simply asking

"Renting." The little girl asked, "Is there a bed?"

There is a lot of rental information in the newspaper, but Sanjie looked at it and was completely baffled, as she was unfamiliar with the place names in Beiping

Xuelan truly cannot hold on any longer and is considering simply getting off halfway.

Xuelan said: "I saw the newspaper, you have a 20 square meter single room for rent here, right?"

By this time, it was already evening, and Xuelan intended to go out to buy some food, but Li refused.

Shall we first go stay at a hotel? Third Sister suggested, glancing at a hotel near the train station, revealing a sense of longing.

Li anxiously shouted, "Where are you going with the picture book?"

"Come here and lie on your sister's lap to sleep, stop fidgeting around like a monkey." Li expressed her annoyance at the child's antics, holding her close and saying, "When we are out, you must be obedient and stay close to your mother. If someone were to abduct you, where would I go to find you?"

Li has been a concubine for so many years, living a life of luxury, yet she still does housework and laundry? She hasn't set foot in the kitchen for many years. As for the third sister, she is just a fifteen-year-old girl; what can she do?

Third Sister was surprised; her little sister was quite bold, leading the way in an unfamiliar city. Perhaps it was the fearlessness of a young calf. Reflecting on the past, Old Master Liu often praised Fifth Sister for her intelligence, and indeed, they had greatly benefited from her on this journey

Later, Li went out and bought a bag of sweet potatoes to take home, which brought tears to Xuelan's eyes.

Xuelan was utterly speechless. The little girl scratched her scalp; it had been a week since she last washed her hair, and the itchiness was unbearable

At this time, there were already buses available. Xuelan stared at the bus stop sign for a long time, and then led the two onto the bus. The ticket cost 0.07 yuan each, which was a bit expensive. After a long ride and walking a considerable distance, they finally arrived at a place filled with dilapidated small buildings, with rows of houses and a dirty, chaotic alley.

You will see a blend of modernity and tradition, with stylish buildings and ancient courtyard houses interspersed. You will witness individuals with long braids wearing melon hats alongside those in suits carrying briefcases boarding the same tram. It resembles an old photograph, capturing a unique moment in time

Nevertheless, they found a place where they could settle down at hetushu.com and have a good night's sleep

Four hundred is considered cheap. The landlord does not waste much time talking; those who come here to rent are all poor folks, take it or leave it.

Li felt that spending money to buy a ticket and then getting off halfway would result in a loss, and he was unwilling to agree to it under any circumstances

"Staying in a hotel for one night allows us to rent a place for half a month." Xuelan shook her head and then pointed to a piece of information in the newspaper, saying, "Let's go here."

Li did not find her daughter strange; rather, she felt quite proud, believing that her younger daughter was intelligent, able to read and understand newspapers, which was a thousand times better than her own capabilities as a mother

Where are you going?" Li looked at her in surprise

Although it was a complaint, the tone was soft, resembling the catkins of spring, imbued with a sticky sweetness. Throughout the journey, she was discussing with her sisters how to live once they arrived in Beiping. She repeated it over and over, as if she could never say enough.

This is a single room, of average bedroom size, with a bed that occupies half of the space. There is a small window, which has no glass, allowing the cold wind to whistle in.

On the second day, when dawn broke, Li dared to take her two daughters out.

Let us go rent a house, shall we? Li suggested, tightly holding onto her two daughters, fearing she might lose one of them. However, standing in the crowd, she did not know which direction to take. Thus, she randomly stopped a passing woman and asked her, "Excuse me, do you know where we can find a place to rent nearby?"

That night, the three of them squeezed onto one bed to sleep, while Li, who was beside them, slept soundly, snoring loudly.