Tom drove the BMW to the Yao family. At this time, Yao's father-in-law, eldest brother-in-law, and some capable children were all out working.
In front of him was a large courtyard, home to the families of the eldest and second brothers-in-law. They had not divided the property, each having three rooms, plus the rooms for the two elders.
There were also rooms prepared for daughters who had married out, so they could return home anytime, as well as rooms for the entire household, storage rooms, and a kitchen. The house was still a Qing Dynasty building, with sculpted roofs and beams.
In their village, several households had such houses. Other villagers' homes also had courtyards. Those without courtyards were the poorest families in the village or elderly living alone.
Only the mother-in-law was at home.
Her son-in-law had arrived, bringing the long-awaited grandson. This little grandson aroused their pity; his weak body always triggered their affectionate instincts.
The old lady was nimble and picked up the three-year-old child effortlessly.
"Oh! My little grandson is here! You look healthy and adorable, but still too thin. Half a year hasn't added a single pound!"
Tanner found himself being held by a woman, around fifty years old, who he had only vaguely pictured in his mind before.
The woman was short, yet in this era of food scarcity, she was plump and healthy-looking, with slightly thick ears—a long-life, fortunate appearance.
"Hello, Grandma!"
"Oh! My good grandson! You're so polite! How is my grandson so well-mannered?!"
Tanner, praised by his grandmother, could hear the jingling of the space's artifacts in his mind, feeling delighted. He sweetly greeted his grandmother and even stole a kiss on her cheek.
"Oh, my old face is dirty. Good boy, my grandson, truly good!"
Perhaps people of that era were not used to face kisses. Grandma Chen's old face was shy, laughing gently.
Tanner noticed that the space's spirit kept jingling, and Grandma had already given two or three praises.
Tom saw his son actively showing affection to his grandmother and felt a twinge of emotion. He turned his face away to look for his eldest brother-in-law and father-in-law.
Before long, he brought both back, along with the eldest brother-in-law's wife who had returned earlier.
After washing their hands, they all came to hold Tanner, smiling warmly.
Tom had initially wanted to send Martin on his behalf, along with several relatives, to scout the distant mountains, suitable for them to stay if they needed to escape famine in the future.
After thinking it over these past few days, since all valuable items at home had already been stored in his son's space, there wouldn't be much to take away later. There was no need to involve Martin. He felt a voice in his mind: Martin must not know where they were going.
Tom then spoke to the Yao family again, asking them to send more people to build houses and buy grain to store there, providing a backup plan for several families.
Yao's father-in-law and the brothers-in-law agreed. They intended to send trusted people—doesn't have to be from the village, the most important is reliability.
After discussing the matter, Tom said,
"I'm telling you, today I brought my son out, just to visit you. Later, we'll also go to the county!"
Tom explained the reason for going to the county.
"What business in the county? Taking a little child along is inconvenient. Why not leave your nephew here? You go handle it!"
This was the objection from the eldest brother-in-law.
Everyone else supported Tom's decision.
Only Tanner didn't want them to oppose it. He had never been to the county and, judging from his father, it seemed like a trip to gather supplies.
Seeing the resistance from the Yao family, Tom could only use the old excuse again:
"The child just recovered a bit of health. I want the chief doctor to check his pulse and confirm his condition."
The Yao family…
Tom also reminded them again: storing grain was essential.
The Yao family accepted this proposal, saying they had already been preparing. Seeing that grain wasn't expensive, they would buy a little more. They would also spend extra when receiving grain.
Finally, though the Yao family still hesitated, father and son got back into the cart and headed to the county.
Yao's village was very close to the county, just three or four li away. The dirt road was uneven, and Tanner's wooden bench made his bottom ache, but they finally arrived at the county.
This time, Tom brought enough cash, along with money and vouchers sent by his elder brother via the post office.
He intended to buy items from the supply and marketing cooperative that required receipts, and also asked if there were any flawed items that didn't need receipts, such as daily necessities and cloth.
At an unfamiliar cooperative, any flawed goods would be absorbed by internal staff or acquaintances.
So he could only buy ten jin of flour and ten jin of rice.
He also bought some sugar: brown sugar, fruit candy, and White Rabbit milk candy. He bought a two-jin piece of pork belly and pork bones without receipts, costing two mao per jin.
He had his son put the purchased items back in the cart, and then they ventured into the black market.
As the captain of a large village, Tom shouldn't be risking himself here. If caught, he could lose his position. But he wasn't foolish—he had a friend working in the black market. This trip, he only needed to go to his friend's stall to purchase items.
Buying from the black market was slightly more expensive, but within acceptable limits.
The harvest was approaching, and grain was still reasonably priced. After finding his friend, he asked about rice—1.5 yuan per jin, no receipt required. Flour was 1.6 yuan per jin, also no receipt.
Tom parked the cart outside, with someone watching, and didn't let his son be seen by others.
He spent the money to buy several hundred jin of rice and flour and a few pieces of flawed cloth.
After finishing purchases, his friend loaded the items onto the cart. Seeing a small child sitting there, he asked,
"Is this your son?"
"Uncle," Tanner said politely to the tall middle-aged man, who seemed to know his father.
"Oh!" The man reacted, seeing the child for the first time. He checked Tanner's pockets and took out a few White Rabbit candies.
"You're so well-behaved; here's a reward of White Rabbit candies!"
Tanner happily received them. In this era, White Rabbit candy was iconic, rich in milk flavor. Three pieces were equivalent to a cup of milk. At home, he didn't lack milk but lacked sugar!
Calling him "Uncle" not only got him candy but also praise—another gain on this trip!
Tom laughed heartily. After loading everything onto the cart, he didn't linger with the man. This place wasn't safe to stay.
He waved goodbye to his friend and quickly drove off in the BMW. With such gains, it was time to return; otherwise, they'd be late getting home.
Tanner watched the cart speed along the street. The street had few pedestrians, just one main road.
Earlier, they had been in the black market behind the county hospital alley.
Tanner gathered all the grain in the cart and, feeling a bit bored, remembered the books on the shelves in his space.
He took one out to read.
By luck, he got a historical romance book. His cultural knowledge from his previous life was limited; how could he understand all these traditional characters?
Helplessly, he had to use a dictionary.
The dictionary even included a few English learning sentences, giving approximate meanings based on Chinese pronunciation.
With the dictionary, he looked up each character one by one. Reading this way was truly exhausting.
Tanner heard that his eldest sister now also studied traditional characters rather than simplified ones, like most people did.
Reading and gradually getting sleepy, he put the book back into the space. He thought: Will my life be so mediocre? I must at least achieve something in learning and other abilities.
Then he had to learn some skills!
At three years old, going to school wasn't possible. Right now, the urgent task was stockpiling supplies—something a small child couldn't do.
He thought of the mountains. The village's surrounding mountains actually had wildlife: wild boars, hares—three of each kind were possible game.
"Clop, clop, clop."
The carriage arrived in the town again. The evening sunset and clouds cast a warm glow over the ancient town.
Tom stopped the carriage. Their cart was suddenly blocked by two young people, escorting two elderly people and a child.
"What are you doing?" Tom asked cautiously.
"Comrades, are you heading to Qian Village? These two elders and this child are being sent to your brigade for reeducation!"
One of the young people looked serious. Though it appeared they were escorting the group, it seemed more like a protective detail.
Tom frowned. He hadn't received any notice. What year was it now?
Ordinary people, brought here for reeducation—it seemed intended to harass and breed resentment. He thought this to himself but couldn't speak it aloud, as such people existed in town.
"Get on the carriage. Bring any luggage with you. But don't disturb my son!"
"Yes, Comrade!" The two young people stood straight and tall like poplars.
Tanner, seeing the carriage stop, became alert and quietly looked outside. He saw the two elderly people looking tired—likely from the long journey—and a bit disheveled. They resembled intellectuals.
The two young people helped the elderly into the carriage, lifted the child aboard, brought in the luggage, and then got in themselves.
Now they were facing each other, even making eye contact.
Tanner first observed the two young people. He saw no malice on them; it truly seemed they were escorting, possibly protecting.
They treated the elderly with respect. The little child was very obedient, probably five or six years old, and was cautious around Tanner, who was a few years younger—likely scared by the situation he had encountered.
(End of Chapter)