Chapter 43: Why Must You Insist on Trading for White Rabbits?

Although Hu Changming found Qin Fang very beautiful, he had no intention of entering the girls’ room. After placing Qin Fang’s luggage by the door, he stepped aside. He stood together with Han Hong and Zhang Qiang, well away from the threshold, safely out of range from any dirty water that might be splashed.

Su Liang listened to the trio’s evasive explanations, his cold gaze sweeping across their faces. He still suspected someone had tripped him, but unfortunately, he had no proof. Damn Han Hong and Zhang Qiang, so quick to be won over by the seasoned veteran—he’d remember this debt and settle it slowly in the future.

Unaware that Su Liang now bore a grudge against them, Han Hong and Zhang Qiang dragged Hu Changming away. They should choose their own rooms first. Seeing the three leave, Su Liang worried that the house he had his eye on might be snatched, so he hurried after them, neglecting to comfort Qin Fang.

Qin Fang: ...? Aggrieved, on the verge of tears!

In the end, Su Liang cunningly chose the single room opposite Qin Fang’s. From across a hundred meters, gazing at Qin Fang’s room, he even felt a hint of romantic bridge between them. Han Hong and Zhang Qiang could only roll their eyes, choosing a room without much fuss.

Seeing all five had settled on their rooms, Hu Changming shook his head and headed back to the fields—his work wasn’t finished and he couldn’t waste time. As Hu Changming returned to the fields, word spread throughout the compound that the five new arrivals had all moved into single rooms. The eight who shared the communal sleeping area looked on with envy but also breathed a sigh of relief—thank goodness there were no new additions, so they wouldn’t have to squeeze any tighter.

Xu Lin didn’t bother unpacking; instead, she entered her space to rest for a while, ate something, then locked the door and left. She needed to find the village carpenter and buy a few cabinets, then ask him to partition off an anteroom. If she arranged the luggage first, it would be easy to get the quilts and other things dirty. As for where the carpenter lived, Xu Lin calculated with a snap of her fingers—of course, she couldn’t reveal this ability.

Leaving the compound, Xu Lin encountered several children. A few pieces of candy were enough to coax them into cheerfully leading her to the carpenter’s house.

"Sister, this is Master Wang’s house. His furniture is well-known in the neighboring villages, and every year people come from far and wide to order custom pieces. Whatever you need, just say it—his craftsmanship is excellent and he can make anything," said Gou Dan, licking the fruit candy in his hand with a satisfied smile. This candy was delicious; he’d never had anything like it before.

"Thank you for showing me the way," Xu Lin replied with a cheerful smile, just about to knock when Gou Dan raised his voice and called out.

"Grandpa Five, Grandpa Five! The young lady from the compound wants to buy furniture—come out and greet her!"

"Coming!" boomed a robust voice, with a tone reminiscent of a shop assistant. Soon, an elderly man in his fifties emerged, nodded, and greeted Xu Lin warmly.

"Come in, young lady. I’ve not seen you before—are you new here?”

"Hello, sir. I’m Xu Lin, the new arrival at the compound today. You can call me by my name or ‘Comrade Xu,’" Xu Lin said with a bright smile, stepping confidently into the courtyard, showing neither arrogance nor disregard for the villagers. This impressed Master Wang, who raised an eyebrow. Most of the newcomers either put on airs or were timid, and few could engage as equals.

"What would Comrade Xu like to buy?" Master Wang asked, opening the warehouse door for her to browse. "Here are the pieces I’ve already made. See if any catch your fancy. If not, you can custom order, but you’ll have to wait a bit."

"I’d like to buy a few cabinets, a table, some chairs, and I want to partition my rented single room into two. Could you help with that using wooden boards?"

"Absolutely—that’s no big job," said Master Wang, sizing up the afternoon sun and calculating the time. "If you’re in a hurry, I’ll have my son come and help. We can get it done before dark."

"Thank you so much," Xu Lin replied, decisively opting to handle everything today to avoid delays. Her furniture selection was swift and efficient. Master Wang’s craftsmanship was indeed impressive—some pieces even had carved patterns. While the wood wasn’t top-tier, it was still good, and the furniture would easily last decades.

While Xu Lin browsed, Master Wang sent Gou Dan to fetch his son from the fields and searched for suitable boards himself. He knew the exact dimensions of the single rooms in the compound and didn’t need to measure to select the right materials.

Once Xu Lin had made her choices, Master Wang had gathered everything needed. She picked two large trunks for clothes, a five-drawer cabinet for food and miscellaneous items, and a cupboard for bowls, cutlery, and grains. Adding a table, chairs, a kang table, a bucket, and other odds and ends, plus the partitioning fee, the total cost came to nineteen yuan. The nearby children watched with wide, curious eyes as Xu Lin handed over the money.

Seeing their adorable expressions, Xu Lin grinned and said, "Today’s my first day at the compound, and I’m short on firewood. Could you help me collect some? I’ll trade you candy for it."

The children’s eyes grew even brighter at the mention of candy. One sturdy little boy anxiously asked, "Can we trade for the White Rabbit? I want the White Rabbit."

Xu Lin remembered this child well. After receiving candy, the other children either popped it straight into their mouths or licked it from their palms every so often, but only this boy carefully tucked it into his pocket, resisting even a single taste as he salivated along the way.

"You want White Rabbit?" Xu Lin blinked. "White Rabbit’s expensive—you can’t trade just a little firewood for it."

"Then can I collect more and trade for it?" the boy, Huzi, asked, his face filled with urgency.

Xu Lin’s interest was piqued. "Why do you insist on White Rabbit?"

Huzi was embarrassed; he’d never heard of White Rabbit milk candy before, let alone tasted it, until he once overheard the youths at the compound discussing it. They said that eight White Rabbit candies were as nutritious as a glass of milk. If he could get some, it would be like getting milk—just what he needed to feed his baby sister.

Seeing Huzi flustered and unable to explain, Master Wang stepped in. "Don’t misunderstand, Comrade Xu. Huzi’s not greedy. His mother gave birth prematurely and couldn’t produce milk, and it’s impossible to buy milk powder. He heard White Rabbit candies contain milk, so his family tried everything to get candy coupons, but no one here has any. They managed to trade with some of the compound youths for two coupons, but only got a small amount of White Rabbit candies—not enough to feed the baby. So the boy got excited when he heard you have candy."

Ah, Xu Lin understood now. She couldn’t help but feel this child was thoughtful and deeply cared for his sister.