Chapter 155: It’s Me

Wang Xiang immediately said, “Alright then, I’ll go get them for you this morning. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to pick out a few good ones for you.”

Mother Fu quickly thanked her, “Thank you so much, Sister Wang. How much do I owe you? I’ll pay you now—”

“They’re one yuan per chick at their place. If you want ten, just give me ten yuan.”

“Alright. I’ll go inside and get the money for you. By the way, Sister Wang, does anyone around here have hens to trade? Our family wants to get two hens that can lay eggs.”

“Two hens, right? I’ll help you ask around. If no one in our housing compound wants to trade, I’ll ask some folks in the nearby village. They should have some.”

“If you have any ration tickets, that’s even better. The villagers really like getting tickets of all kinds.”

The army would issue ration tickets, but the village didn’t. So, a lot of the villagers liked trading with them for tickets.

“That’s no problem. Thank you so much, Sister Wang.”

Wang Xiang waved her hand with a smile, “It’s nothing, really. How could this be any trouble? We’re neighbors, after all.”

Mother Fu was really glad to have such a good neighbor. If both families living nearby were like that old woman from the Hao family, it would be miserable living here.

She went inside to get ten yuan and handed it to Wang Xiang. Wang Xiang also gave her some green onions from her own home for planting, and even gave her a packet of vegetable seeds. Mother Fu was delighted.

By noon, Wang Xiang not only brought her the ten chicks, but also delivered two hens. Mother Fu was overjoyed. She quickly asked how much it cost and paid Wang Xiang right away. She also gave Wang Xiang six meat buns she’d made that morning.

“Auntie, I can’t accept this. How could I take your food?”

“Take it! Let your kids have a taste too. Didn’t you say we’re neighbors? You helped me out so much this morning—what’s wrong with giving your kids a few buns? If you don’t take them, I’ll be upset.”

Seeing this, Wang Xiang could only accept them. “Thank you, Auntie!”

“No need to be so polite.”

Next door, Mother Hao saw all this and was green with envy. She thought that old woman from the Fu family was so heartless. They were all neighbors—why give things to one family and not hers? She had kids too!

When Mother Fu turned around, she saw the old woman from the Hao family staring at her. But since the woman didn’t do anything, she couldn’t be bothered to care. She had plenty to do—like building a little coop for the chicks, another for the hens, and digging up the two plots in the yard to plant the green onions and vegetable seeds as soon as possible.

Fu Mingxue had already thrown herself into her work. Her original blueprints were just design sketches, but now she needed to refine them further. She had to finish the drawings quickly so she could start prototyping as soon as possible.

That night, she didn’t get home until ten o’clock as usual. Just as she was opening the door, she suddenly sensed someone behind her. It nearly scared her out of her wits. She spun around and shouted, “Who’s there?”

“It’s me,” Qin Wenhuo’s voice rang out.

It was pitch dark. Fu Mingxue squinted and saw that it really was Qin Wenhuo. Her face instantly darkened. “What are you doing standing behind me? Don’t you know you could scare someone to death?”

Qin Wenhuo realized he was in the wrong. “Sorry, it’s my fault. I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you alright?”

Fu Mingxue replied irritably, “Still alive.”

Qin Wenhuo: …?

Just then, Mother Fu’s voice called out, “Mingxue, is that you back?”"