Chapter 523: Gossip Survival System (22)

Xie Yang did not know at this moment that the commotion at the Wang Family would eventually spill over to her in the future.

At this moment, Zheng Miaomiao was still sighing to her about the various states of life.

After finishing the gossip about the Wang Family, she started talking about Old Man Feng's family.

"Sister Yang Yang, thanks to your reminder that day, otherwise, I might have really been complained about by Feng Daniang."

"What happened?" Xie Yang glanced at her, "Did you go ask Feng Daniang?"

Zheng Miaomiao puffed out her cheeks and shook her head: "I didn't ask directly."

She paused, and said in a cryptic tone:

"Just on the day of the first snow, I saw her washing vegetables at the water basin. They were all plain vegetables, so I gave her a goose egg. She held my hand and kept thanking me, saying that her children didn't care about the two old people, and they didn't have time to queue up if they wanted to eat some meat...

I asked her if she wanted to find the Women's Federation for help. I thought anonymous reporting was indeed not very good, but there shouldn't be any problem with asking the Women's Federation for help, right? Don't other people's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law quarrels also get mediated by the Women's Federation? If the Feng family's children don't care about their parents, maybe the Women's Federation stepping in to persuade them could make the old couple's situation a bit better?

As a result, guess what? Feng Daniang actually scolded me for having bad intentions, scolding me for wanting to harm their children by getting them criticized by their work units... It made me so angry that I decided to ignore them from then on. If I ever meddle in their affairs again, I'm a turtle and a bastard!"

"..."

Feng Daniang complained to her that her children didn't care about them and that they didn't have time to queue for meat; wasn't she trying to get Zheng Miaomiao to take the initiative to help them queue for groceries? This little girl actually asked indignantly if they should find the Women's Federation... Pfft!

Xie Yang held back her laughter. Wanting to comfort this straightforward little sister, she took out a bar of Turkish chocolate wrapped in gold foil: "Here, eat something sweet, your mood will be better."

"Wow! Is this chocolate? Did you go to the Friendship Store? But doesn't buying things there require Foreign Exchange Certificates?"

"Ahem, it was a gift from someone."

"Oh, oh."

The little girl didn't have any suspicions and broke off a small square.

Xie Yang, however, gave her the whole bar: "Take it all, let Zheng Shu and Miao Yi have a taste too."

This time, hoarding coal and firewood was all thanks to the help of the Zheng Family.

It was just a bar of chocolate; Xie Yang had hoarded quite a lot of these snacks that didn't take up much space.

"Ah? You're giving it all to me?"

Zheng Miaomiao felt so happy!

"Thank you, Sister Yang Yang!"

Sweeping away her previous dejection, she hugged the chocolate, tucked the two crispy dates into her pockets, and skipped home. As soon as she entered the door, she called out to her father:

"Dad! I asked about the thing you told me to ask. Sister Yang Yang wants Northeast Rice. Xiao Shitou started eating rice porridge last month, so remember to get a few more catties! Oh right, Sister Yang Yang also entrusted my mom to buy a catty of Big Twist, a catty of Peach Blossom Cake, and a catty of White Rabbit Candy. She already gave me the money and coupons... Hehe, the thank-you gift was also given to me in advance!"

"..."

This gluttonous daughter! Just running an errand to ask a question, and she's already eating and taking things.

Three days later, the Northeast premium rice that the Zheng Family helped buy arrived.

A total of twenty catties.

Added to the rice and millet sent by the Chen Family earlier, it was enough for Xiao Shitou to eat until next year's autumn harvest.

Grandma Xie was happily discussing with her granddaughter what to send to the Zheng Family to express their gratitude when the loud voice of the postman Xiao Zhu rang out in the Courtyard:

"Old Lady Xie! Old Lady Xie, there's a package for your family!"

The Chen Family had sent another package!

This time there was a ham they had smoked themselves, ten catties of rice cakes they had made themselves, a bag of what was likely wild tea they had stir-fried themselves, six hard bricks of brown sugar, and, just like last time, two jars of honey and a large bag of sun-dried wild mushrooms.

Before the grandmother and granddaughter could finish putting things away, Xiao Zhu helped deliver two more large packages.

This time it was sent by the Qiu Family.

Both packages were enormous.

One was filled with twenty large pomelos, each weighing five or six catties, adding up to over a hundred catties.

The other package contained New Year goods—

There were Preserved Chicken, Preserved Duck, Preserved Pork Ribs, rice cakes, Sour Jujube Cake, Taro Cake, Dried Longan, and sun-dried rice noodles—eight items in total, which surprisingly added up to nearly a hundred catties as well.

When Xiao Zhu helped deliver them, he was sweating from the exertion.

Xie Yang gave him a large pomelo, two catties of rice cakes, and a box of Sour Jujube Cake as a thank-you gift.

The news that the Xie Family had received heavy large packages again—and this time two large packages—spread throughout the Dazayuan.

Approaching the New Year, receiving three large packages at once, what else could it be but New Year goods? Although they didn't know what was inside the two cloth-sewn packages, everyone saw that one of them was filled to the brim with large pomelos.

Because the opening of the snake-skin bag had split slightly, revealing the golden-yellow pomelo peels.

Xie Yang even called out to the postman, and after taking the packages into the house for a moment, she came out holding a large pomelo and a small rice bag, giving them to the postman as a thank-you gift.

Although they didn't see clearly what was in the rice bag, everyone saw the pomelo.

In the icy, snow-covered Beijing, seeing fresh pomelos was even rarer than finding money.

Winters in the north are cold, and the types of fruit one can see are extremely limited; common ones are just frozen pears, frozen apples, and frozen tangerines.

In short, anyone who can eat normal apples, pears, and other fruits in the northern winter is not an ordinary family.

Let alone rare southern fruits.

Pomelos in the northern winter can truly be called a rare fruit that is hard to come by.

Receiving Zheng Miaomiao's sparkling gaze, Xie Yang handed her one on the spot.

"Thank you, Sister Yang Yang! I'll trade you with Pineapple Canned Fruit!"

Zheng Miaomiao was overjoyed, hugging the large pomelo and sniffing it again and again: "It smells so good! I'm going to put it on the chest of drawers so the whole room will be filled with the fresh fragrance of pomelo."

She skipped home hugging the large pomelo.

She would go back to get the Pineapple Canned Fruit and then enshrine the large pomelo. She wouldn't eat it now; she would peel it on New Year's Day when they were sitting around the stove for the New Year's Eve vigil.

Eating sweet and juicy pomelo while warming by the fire to welcome the arrival of the New Year—just thinking about it makes one happy, slurp!

"Grandma Xie, Little Yang, this is the New Year goods our Newspaper Office just issued. Can I trade a pomelo with your family? My mom has never seen a pomelo, let alone knows what a pomelo tastes like. I want to trade for one for her to have a taste."

Xie Yang was still organizing this pile of New Year goods when Guo Lihua walked over carrying a Frozen Hairtail, stating her purpose in a poised and generous manner.

Seeing the hairtail, Xie Yang was genuinely surprised: "Sister Lihua, your workplace even distributes seafood? That's wonderful."

"It's the first time this year. I heard it was from a supplier for the Canned Food Factory to settle a debt; our director has wide connections and managed to get a few crates, so everyone was allotted two," Guo Lihua explained with a smile.

"Then we get to enjoy a treat thanks to you, Sister Lihua!"

Having accepted the hairtail, it was only natural to give a return gift.

Xie Yang picked out the largest Pomelo for her, and additionally gave her two jin of Rice Cake, along with two jin of a mix of Sour Jujube Cake, Taro Cake, Dried Longan, and other items.

Both the Chen Family and the Qiu Family had sent Rice Cake over; the Chen Family sent ten jin, and the Qiu Family likely sent more than twenty, so with only her and the old lady to eat it, there was no way they could finish so much Rice Cake.

Guo Lihua hurriedly said that just exchanging a Pomelo would be enough.

"Accept it, Little Guo," Grandma Xie said with a chuckle, "Your mother often looks after me on weekdays, so just consider this an old woman thanking your mother; you are not allowed to refuse."