Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback

CHAPTER 55: The 1960s Marriage Swap: Marrying a Cook (9)

　　She gave him one jin of the two jin she had saved beforehand.

　　Duan Ziyu wanted to pay, but Hao Wenfang firmly stopped him and refused to take a single cent. In the end, his ears turned red as he wrote on his notebook: “Thank you, Auntie.”

　　The market was crowded with people coming and going, so he didn’t stay long and left soon after.

　　On Ye Xiuli’s side, most of their goods were already sold. The remaining bit would be slowly cleared out before heading home.

　　Ye Su led her mother and elder sister-in-law straight to the supply and marketing cooperative.

　　Ever since she arrived in this family, everyone had been taking care of her and helping her buy things. Now that she finally had money, she wanted to get something for everyone in return.

　　At the shop, one of the staff members happened to know Tian Daniu and enthusiastically promoted a newly arrived clam oil.

　　“It just came in and we don’t have many. The quality is really good. Just a thin layer keeps your skin from cracking. In autumn and winter, your hands easily split from washing and cooking. It’s just one mao per box, very worth it. You should grab a few while you can.”

　　Both Hao Wenfang and Tian Daniu already had clam oil, and since they were spending Ye Su's money today, they wanted to save money wherever possible.

　　Tian Daniu pulled out a handful of melon seeds from her pocket and handed them over with a smile. “Fangfang, no rush, we still have some at home. Let’s look at other useful things first.”

　　The saleswoman named Fangfang smiled, took the melon seeds and tucked them into her pocket. She then bent down and pulled out a jar of yellow peach canned fruit from the lower cabinet, followed by a stack of deep blue fabric.

　　“These are all newly arrived, and they’re in short supply. Not expensive either. You all can pick first today.”

　　Ye Su noticed her mother and sister-in-law fondly touching the fabric and asked about the price, thinking she could get everyone a new top.

　　Hao Wenfang quickly caught on to what she meant and pulled her aside, whispering a few words.

　　It was all about not wasting money and that everyone already had clothes to wear.

　　Tian Daniu also stepped in. “Susu, last year Mom already made us each a set. Mine is still perfectly fine. Don’t spend money on this, just keep it for yourself.”

　　In these times, cloth tickets were precious. Most rural families couldn’t even afford new clothes for the New Year, and everyone wore patched-up garments.

　　Their family already had relatively few patches, and their old clothes were decent enough. If they bought new ones now, people might get jealous.

　　Hao Wenfang knew her daughter meant well. Just the thought alone warmed her heart. She patted Ye Su’s head gently. “We’ll buy more when we actually need them later.”

　　In the end, Ye Su had to give up on the fabric. Instead, she bought snacks her parents liked, two bags of nutritional powder, preserved fruits and candied treats her sister-in-law enjoyed, and for her older and second brother, Hao Wenfang picked two items each that they liked as well.

　　Ye Su also added an extra item, a few jars of yellow peach canned fruit. However, it was limited, and only two bottles could normally be bought. Since the saleswoman knew them, she made an exception and let her buy one more.

　　For food and drinks, Hao Wenfang didn’t stop her daughter at all. They packed everything into a basket, covered it with clothes on top, and the group finally left together.

　　……

　　This market trip, Ye Su earned a total of 95 yuan from selling the spicy strips. After buying things for everyone, she was left with 91 yuan.

　　She wanted to split some of the hard-earned money with her second brother, but Ye Bai refused outright, saying he was only joking. There was no way he would take money from his own little sister.

　　In the end, Ye Su kept 20 yuan for herself and handed the rest to her mother.

　　Hao Wenfang didn’t accept it and insisted her daughter keep it as pocket money.

　　The others agreed as well. The salted bean curd sheets weren’t worth much to begin with, and it was all the little sister’s idea anyway. Apart from the second brother, the rest of them hadn’t really done much.

　　In the end, Ye Su went back to her room with 91 yuan in hand.

　　She took out the original owner’s 20 yuan and added it together, making a total of 111 yuan.

　　That was now her entire savings.

　　She placed the money into her space, ready to use whenever she needed it.

　　……

　　Duan Ziyu woke up early and went to the kitchen to start preparing food.

　　Since he wasn’t sure what Ye Su liked to eat, he made two kinds of sweets that girls usually enjoyed.

　　Honey glazed “San Dao” and mung bean cake.

　　The honey “San Dao” was a specialty dessert he had learned from his master.

　　As for the mung bean cake, it was something he personally liked. He had improved the recipe several times, and everyone who tried it praised it. It was basically one of his signature desserts.

　　Seeing him busy in the kitchen, Mother Duan couldn’t stop smiling the entire time.

　　After breakfast, Duan Ziyu rode his bicycle toward the Ye family home.

　　People from West Village greeted him as he passed by with smiles. “Comrade Duan is here.”

　　He nodded and smiled back as he rode past.

　　Only after he disappeared down the road did the villagers start gossiping.

　　“Wasn’t the Duan family visiting the Ye family a lot earlier this year? I thought Duan Ziyu and Ye Liu might end up together. But now Ye Liu’s gone, and it doesn’t look like that’s happening at all.”

　　“Don’t talk nonsense. They were never officially engaged anyway. If they really were, would the Duan family be this calm after Ye Liu left? The Duan family even saved the Ye family before. Their families have always been on good terms…”

　　At the Ye household, Ye Su still wasn’t quite used to waking up at six in the morning. By the time she got up for breakfast, she was yawning nonstop.

　　Her eldest brother had already gone to work, while her parents and second brother went out to the fields. She and her sister-in-law stayed home to handle the odd chores.

　　Her sister-in-law was washing dishes, while Ye Su was outside splashing water and sweeping the courtyard.

　　That was when Duan Ziyu arrived.

　　Ye Su was the one who opened the door.

　　She was still in the middle of cleaning, wearing a patched work smock her mother used for chores. A simple cloth strip was tied over her mouth and nose to keep the dust out.

　　Duan Ziyu, on the other hand, was dressed neatly and cleanly, holding a wooden box in his hands.

　　Standing together, the contrast between them looked a little funny.

　　Duan Ziyu looked at her and greeted her with a faint smile he was trying to hold back.

　　Ye Su quickly pulled down the cloth over her face and smiled as she invited him in.

　　“Today’s a big cleanup. I was just tidying the yard. I splashed water everywhere, so it’s a bit messy outside. Come inside and sit.”

　　As she spoke, she set down her broom and called out to her sister-in-law in the kitchen.

　　Once inside, she took off her work smock and removed her straw hat, placing it aside.

　　“Have a seat.”

　　After inviting him to sit down, she found a cup, picked up the thermos, and poured him a glass of water.

　　Duan Ziyu gently placed the wooden box on the table and took a seat, nodding in thanks.

　　Ye Su found her own cup, brought it over, and took a few big gulps.

　　It was boiled water she had left to cool earlier. In the countryside, they often used spring water that was boiled and left to cool. It tasted even more refreshing than bottled water.

　　Duan Ziyu took out his notebook and pen, wrote something down, and handed it to her.

　　After reading it, Ye Su’s gaze landed on the box and she smiled. “You made these just for me?”

　　Duan Ziyu nodded. He stood up, opened the box on his own, and took out the pastries, placing them in front of her.

　　He motioned for her to try them.

　　Ye Su recognized the mung bean cakes, but she was more curious about the other one. It looked like honey triple crisps.

　　“Wait, I’ll go wash my hands.”    

　　She had just finished sweeping and hadn’t had the chance to wash her hands yet, so she hurried into the kitchen, washed up, and grabbed a pair of chopsticks on the way.

　　Seeing her wash her hands and even fetch chopsticks, Tian Daniu teased her in a low voice, “Comrade Duan really is a cook. He even brought food over first thing.”

　　Ye Su smiled and replied, “When you’re getting to know someone, isn’t it just about how well they treat you?”

　　Tian Daniu let out a soft laugh as Ye Su ran off. “This little glutton.”

　　…..

　　Inside the room, Ye Su came back and finally got to try the honey triple crisps.

　　The moment it hit her tongue, it was sweet and soft, with a rich aroma of sesame that made every bite fragrant. It was sweeter than regular pastries, but the sweetness felt different from what she was used to, almost like it wasn’t cane sugar.

　　She looked up and asked, “What kind of sugar did you use for this?”

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