The biscuits were running out; there were only a few pieces left, and soon, they'd be gone.

As the work of cleaning the river sand wrapped up, Shen Qiao chose a day when there was a market to head to the commune.

The commune was about half an hour's walk from the village, and Shen Qiao went alone. Most of the people working in the fields at this time were headed down the main roads, and there was no place to hide along the way.

She walked slowly, her basket on her back, thinking about what she needed to buy. With only a few dozen yuan, she had to be careful with her spending.

The commune held a market every five and ten days. It had been suspended for a while but had resumed in the last two years, allowing some level of free trading. While rice, flour, and oils were off-limits, there were still plenty of wild mountain goods and side dishes.

As Shen Qiao walked, she didn’t see much she needed. She made her way to the supply and marketing cooperative.

The supply and marketing cooperative in the commune took up three storefronts. Inside, there were glass counters displaying a variety of goods, and behind the counter, there were large cabinets covering an entire wall.

She immediately noticed the indigo cotton fabric on display and figured she still had three fabric ration tickets. It would be enough for a pair of shorts, no more, no less. She reluctantly handed the ticket over and said, "Sister, please cut me a piece."

The saleswoman quickly cut it and asked, "Anything else?"

Shen Qiao had a few tickets that were about to expire and said, "I’ll go to another counter for other things."

Rationed items like cloth, food, and daily necessities were sold at different counters.

Shen Qiao also needed to buy things for a few other youth workers, so she went from counter to counter, writing down everything she needed. Then, she suddenly turned around, feeling like someone might be watching her.

She was familiar with this kind of feeling. Frowning, she hurried her pace and slung the basket over her shoulder.

The weight of the basket made her stop for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing.

The commune had several main roads, and on market days, there were plenty of people. As Shen Qiao walked through the crowd, she could hear footsteps behind her.

But it wasn’t unusual. The road was wide, and having someone walking behind wasn’t anything to worry about.

She had a tendency to be suspicious, so she resisted the urge to look back.

However, there was some movement behind her—shuffling and coughing—before someone called out, "Shen Qiao."

Shen Qiao couldn’t pretend she hadn’t heard, so she turned around. It was a few people from her village. "Hello," she greeted.

There were some faces she didn’t recognize, but she had spoken with Zheng Mingguang a couple of times.

Zheng Mingguang’s heart skipped a beat, and scratching his head, he said, "You’re here for the market too?"

Shen Qiao smiled slightly, something she was quite used to by now. "Yeah."

But she made it clear she wasn’t interested in continuing the conversation.

Zheng Mingguang knew her personality well and, along with a few other young men, felt that she seemed more open this year and thus had decided to follow her to the commune on market day.

He added, "We’re heading back to the village too. Let’s walk together."

The road stretched ahead, and Shen Qiao didn’t feel like refusing. "Sure," she said, though she continued walking ahead of them, making it clear that she wasn’t looking to get closer.

At this point, even couples wouldn’t walk side by side, let alone young men and women. Her attitude wasn’t exactly cold, but it wasn’t particularly warm either.

After walking for a while, Zheng Zhong, who had overheard the boys "conspiring" a few days earlier, was still following them.

The atmosphere in the village was good, thanks to the careful management of the team leader, but the outside world was different, especially for someone like Shen Qiao. He wasn’t the type to get involved, but today he happened to be going to the commune to buy things, so he just followed along.

But while he followed, he wasn’t going to cross any boundaries and avoided engaging in conversation.

Shen Qiao didn’t know someone was concerned about her. She was getting tired and stopped under a tree. "I want to rest for a bit. You all can head back first," she said.

Zheng Mingguang and the others were following her, so they quickly replied, "It’s fine, we can walk together for company."

Shen Qiao didn’t really feel the need for company. She found herself thinking that maybe it was better when Zheng Zhong ignored her.

But her shoulder ached terribly, and when she tried to adjust her basket, she felt like something was wrong. She rubbed her shoulder and sighed inwardly, realizing she hadn’t fully gotten used to the physical labor.

When she tried to adjust again, she accidentally made a mistake.

Zheng Mingguang, who had noticed her discomfort, quickly stepped forward and said, "Let me carry that for you."

His eagerness caused a few of the other boys to lament their lack of speed. They thought they had a fair chance of competing, but Zheng Mingguang beat them to it. They were so frustrated they almost slapped their thighs in annoyance.

But Shen Qiao didn’t want to accept the offer. She quickly protested, "No, no need."

When she first came to the countryside at fifteen, she hadn’t been very mature and had only accepted help a couple of times. She didn’t realize how important it was to contribute to the labor force in the village, which had caused some of the adults to feel frustrated with her.