"Absolutely, I’ll have that boy deliver everything to you tomorrow. You’re truly amazing, dear."
When her son faced difficulties, what mother wouldn’t worry? At this moment, Aunt Wang felt relieved that she had shared the sweet potatoes with Yang Yufen earlier.
"It’s all thanks to your nephew’s fine sweet potatoes—just lacked the right buyer. But now, the right buyer has come."
Yang Yufen didn’t linger, concerned about Qin Nian at home. She even debated whether to sell sweet potatoes the next day.
Qin Nian’s condition wasn’t great, so Yang Yufen gritted her teeth and decided against it. She’d wait until her daughter-in-law stopped vomiting. It was a shame, though, since she’d just prepared the stove.
In the middle of the night, Qin Nian vomited again. Having eaten barely anything, she was now retching up bile.
Yang Yufen decided not to keep the remaining two thousand pounds of sweet potatoes either. Making money wasn’t as important as her daughter-in-law’s well-being. Besides, the family had enough savings.
Early the next morning, Yang Yufen headed to the supply and marketing cooperative to look for canned fruit. Qin Nian had only managed a few bites of plain noodles for breakfast—she couldn’t even stand the smell of eggs—yet she insisted on going to work, breaking Yang Yufen’s heart.
Just as she stepped out of the residential compound, she spotted Little Zhang crouched by the gate.
"Aunt Yang, why are you out so early? Didn’t we agree on eight o’clock?"
Little Zhang had noticed her immediately.
"It is eight o’clock, but it’s only seven now. How early did you get here?"
Yang Yufen saw the frost clinging to Little Zhang’s hair.
"Couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d come early."
Mainly, he was afraid his parents would catch him skipping work if he came later.
"You’re here this early—did you even prepare the stove and everything?"
Yang Yufen suddenly asked. Little Zhang instinctively shook his head.
"Well, it’s fate, I suppose. My daughter-in-law’s suffering from morning sickness, so I won’t be selling roasted sweet potatoes for a while. You can rent the stove from me, but once she’s better, I’ll need it back."
Little Zhang’s eyes lit up at her words. This was like a dream come true!
"Really? That’s fantastic! Aunt Yang, don’t worry—I’ll take good care of the stove. If anything happens to it, I’ll make you a new one!"
He was practically vibrating with excitement. The early bird really did catch the worm.
"Could I rent your tricycle too?"
Yang Yufen shook her head. "That’s borrowed, I’m afraid."
"Then, what about the sweet potatoes you kept for yourself? Could I buy them? I won’t haggle—I’ll pay the same price you sell them for."
Even without the two-cent discount, it’d still be profitable.
Yang Yufen hesitated, and Little Zhang quickly pressed on.
"Auntie, a mother-in-law like you is one in a million. Your daughter-in-law is so lucky! But morning sickness doesn’t just go away overnight. And if it snows, going out will be even riskier. If you’re running back and forth, your daughter-in-law will worry about you too. Please, take pity on me and sell me the sweet potatoes."
Yang Yufen finally nodded. "You’re right. But keep this between us—we already agreed on things yesterday."
"Don’t worry, my lips are sealed."
Why would he blab about a money-making opportunity? He’d been fretting over how to stretch his sweet potato supply until New Year’s—the most profitable season!
"Auntie, my dear auntie, can I take the stove now?"
He could start selling right away.
"You should find a cart first. I need to go to the supply and marketing cooperative. Someone else is coming later, so try not to make it too obvious."
Little Zhang nodded eagerly. "Got it! I’ll go right now."
With Little Zhang out of the way, Yang Yufen pedaled the tricycle with renewed speed.
The supply and marketing cooperative had just opened when she squeezed inside.
She didn’t even ask about the prices of the various canned goods—fruit, pickled cucumbers—just grabbed what looked good. She also bought preserved plums and dried fruit.
Nothing was off-limits as long as Qin Nian could keep it down. That was how she’d grown so tall and strong, and how she’d raised Shen Xianjun.
There was no malted milk powder or fresh milk, and the fresh fruit selection was pitifully small, but Yang Yufen bought what she could. Spotting the lunchboxes, she picked up three more.
She loaded everything into the tricycle and rushed back as quickly as she’d come.
By the time she returned to the residential compound, Wang Dazhi and Little Zhang were already waiting.
"Hold on—let’s get you signed in first."
Yang Yufen led them to the security office to register before heading inside.
She had about a thousand pounds of sweet potatoes left, which the two men agreed to split evenly. They bagged and loaded them onto their carts.
Yang Yufen usually sold raw sweet potatoes for fifteen cents a pound, but now she charged thirteen cents. A thousand pounds came to a hundred and thirty yuan—sixty-five each.
Wang Dazhi was in a hurry to start selling and left with his share immediately. Little Zhang, however, lingered outside the compound a while longer.
Yang Yufen emerged with the stove loaded onto the tricycle, lunchboxes dangling from the handlebars.
"Take it. Leave me ten yuan as a deposit, and you can use it for a month. It’s always better to have your own stove for business."
"Thank you, Auntie!"
Little Zhang handed over the money, then carefully transferred the stove to his cart. Yang Yufen even gave him some charcoal—enough for the day.
With the money in hand, Yang Yufen pedaled the now-empty tricycle toward the research institute.
"Could you deliver these lunchboxes to my daughter-in-law? I’ll bring her proper lunch at noon."
The security guard eyed the two lunchboxes. They felt heavy—weren’t they supposed to contain food?
Still, he nodded and opened them for inspection. One held peeled and diced apples; the other, roasted sweet potatoes.
Qin Nian was surprised when security delivered the packages. She’d been feeling poorly all morning, with nothing in her stomach to vomit but still too nauseated to eat. The mental exhaustion from work wasn’t helping.
"Nian, your mother-in-law sent food again? And so early—it’s not even ten yet," Xiao Ranran remarked when she saw the lunchboxes.
Qin Nian nodded weakly. She didn’t have much appetite, but not wanting to disregard her mother-in-law’s kindness, she opened the boxes. The sight of fresh fruit stunned her.
There’d been no fruit at home—her mother-in-law must have gone out early to buy it.
She’d even thoughtfully included bamboo skewers, likely peeled by her own hands.
"Your mother-in-law treats you so well. Even a birth mother might not go this far. If I asked mine to peel fruit for me, she’d say I was getting above myself!"
"My mother-in-law really is wonderful," Qin Nian agreed, spearing a piece of apple with a skewer.
The cool, tangy-sweetness settled comfortably in her stomach.
Opening the second box, she found roasted sweet potatoes. The apple seemed to have stirred her appetite, and the thought of eating didn’t repulse her for once.
"Here, have one. I can’t finish both, and they’re not as good cold."
She handed one to Xiao Ranran.
"Then I’ll gladly take advantage of your kindness!"
Xiao Ranran didn’t refuse—the aroma was irresistible.
Yang Yufen had deliberately picked smaller sweet potatoes, perfect for snacking.
