382 Entrapment
Xiao Sheng pretended to be confused as he looked around, as if he was looking for someone. When he saw the old man, he deliberately paused and took a few more glances.
At this moment, the old man also saw two people. It was mainly because of Yu Bing and Xiao Sheng’s good looks that the old man noticed them.
When he saw the two young people whispering to each other in hesitation when they saw him and seem to want to walk towards him, he had a bold guess.
He thought about how he had been here for half a day today but had yet to sell a pound of food, so he felt a little anxious.
The old man thought of his grandson, who was still lying in the hospital, and gritted his teeth as he walked towards the two of them. “Are you guys going to buy food?”
Yu Bing was stunned when she heard this direct question. If they were being used by the police as bait, this old man would be handcuffed.
Xiao Sheng wasn’t surprised. This was the first time this old man had come out to sell food despite his old age, so it was normal for him to be inexperienced.
Xiao Sheng acted surprised and he said excitedly, “Yes, yes, yes. Our family had a few more children, so there’s not enough space to live in. Now, we want to start construction on another piece of land, but the workers’ food hasn’t been settled yet. Do you have any excess flour?”
The old man also said excitedly, “Yes! How much do you want?”
Xiao Sheng said, “We want a lot. We want as much as you have. I just got married and my two sisters-in-law are pregnant. There’s not enough food at home at all, so I want to buy more.”
The old man glanced at Yu Bing, who seemed different from the girls in the village. He could tell at a glance that she was an intellectual.
There were not many city dwellers who could earn full work points. Such a delicate young lady probably only earned five to six work points, so she might not even be able to support herself. There were pregnant women at home who needed to be nourished, so it was normal that there was a high demand.
After a simple guess, the old man didn’t suspect anything anymore.
His youngest son had died of tuberculosis at the beginning of the year, leaving his youngest grandson behind. His daughter-in-law had married elsewhere. Now, he had to help his youngest son leave behind descendants no matter what.
After thinking about the remaining 500 catties of food at home, the old man decided to leave only a small portion for his grandson to nourish his body after he was discharged from the hospital. “My family has 500 catties. I’ll sell them all!”
Yu Bing and Xiao Sheng didn’t show it on their faces, but they were overjoyed.
Xiao Sheng calmly asked despite knowing the answer, “Are they all in the county city?”
The 500 pounds of flour had to be filled with two to three bags of plastic fertilizer bags. Moreover, the old man didn’t expect to meet a big customer today. Since it was also his first day selling, he was afraid of being arrested and confiscated, so he didn’t take much. “I only took 50 pounds of flour, so you guys might have to accompany me home.”
These words were precisely what Yu Bing and Xiao Sheng wanted to hear. They also wanted to take the opportunity to see if they could get the old man to set them up and collect more flour from the local village.
Hence, the three of them went straight to their destination. The old man’s house was two to three hours away from the county city by foot.
Because they were in a hurry, Yu Bing and Xiao Sheng suggested taking the bus to the commune before walking to the village. The bus fare cost 0.05 yuan, so the old man was a little hesitant. Now, he wanted to save every cent he had.
Seeing this, Yu Bing mentioned, “Sir, we want to take the bus to go home early. We’ll help you pay for your fare.”
The old man wasn’t the kind of person who would take advantage of others, but it was already noon. If they delayed any longer, the two young people would have to walk at night, so he didn’t refuse.
The old man turned around and took out a bag from a corner more than ten meters away. After opening it, he took out a large handful of chestnuts from the smaller gray bag as he said to Yu Bing with a smile, “Can I exchange the 0.05 yuan fare with chestnuts? My family planted them themselves. They’re sweet and delicious!”
The old man’s hands that were holding the chestnuts were covered in calloused skin and were covered in black cracks. His nails were yellow and black, as if even if he soaked them in water for a day and night, they wouldn’t turn white.
At this moment, there was a hint of anticipation on his face. He hoped that he could use his worthless food to exchange for a bus ticket and complete this deal that could let his grandson stay in the hospital with peace of mind.
As Yu Bing and Xiao Sheng exchanged looks, they felt a lump in their throats. Then, they quickly smiled and said in surprise, “We happened to want to eat chestnuts recently. Unfortunately, our family doesn’t have any. We even said that I would buy some on another day. What a coincidence.”
The old man smiled even more happily. “My family’s chestnuts matured early, so I brought some along this time. I wanted to sell them, but unfortunately, I didn’t dare to ask anyone to buy them this morning for fear of being reported.”
Visit freewe𝑏no(v)el.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experience