Chapter 37: Sneaky Snack, Didn’t Even Wipe Her Mouth

The solution Chu Yue had in mind didn’t require medicine or money — but she wasn’t ready to tell Pei Hanchuan that just yet.

She responded cleanly and decisively, setting the terms:
“I don’t have the prescription with me right now. How about this — seven days from now, same time, next weekend, let’s meet again in front of the state-run restaurant.”

“No problem, it’s a deal.”

Pei Hanchuan agreed immediately. He was about to ask how much the prescription would cost, or if Chu Yue had any specific requirements…

But in the blink of an eye, Chu Yue had already opened the car door and stepped out.

“Comrade, you haven’t told me your name—”

Bang.

The only answer Pei Hanchuan got was the sharp clunk of the door closing behind her.

As the door shut, a gust of cold wind came howling through, as if smacking him right in the nose — cold and unrelenting.

Pei Hanchuan, who had been treated like a golden boy his entire life, had never been so casually dismissed by a woman before.

Feeling a bit awkward, he reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Pei Tianci noticed and mimicked the motion, also rubbing Pei Hanchuan’s nose, then handed something over.

“Uncle, your watch.”

The shiny, golden wristwatch — Chu Yue hadn’t taken it. She didn’t even give it a second glance.

In other words, Chu Yue had not only saved Pei Tianci’s life, but she also diagnosed him — for free.

This time, the Pei family truly owed her a massive favor.

---

When Chu Yue got out of the car, she didn’t see Chen Fengying, but she was spotted by several familiar faces nearby.

“Look! Quick, look! Isn’t that the new wife of Regiment Commander Lu getting out of that car?”

“How did she end up in a sedan like that? Where’s Chen Fengying? Weren’t they together earlier? Why isn’t she with her now?”

“Shhh, keep your voice down! There was a man in that car too! She’s only been here one day, doesn’t know anyone, and already she’s sitting in a man’s car in broad daylight?”

“Could it be Comrade He was right? Maybe she is some flirt who seduces men — already caught herself one?”

“Ha! If she hears you say that, watch out — she’ll knock you out cold, just like she did with that mother-in-law earlier.”

“Pfft! If she can do something so shameless, why would I be afraid to say it out loud?”

The wives gathered together, chattering nonstop — all kinds of gossip, none of it kind. Even the way Chu Yue swayed her hips while walking became evidence in their minds that she was being seductive.

Chu Yue paid no attention to the commotion behind her, instead scanning the area ahead, looking for Chen Fengying.

Just then, Chen Fengying came out from a nearby alley, carrying some things.
“Chu girl, over here! I’m back! I had to pee real bad and borrowed someone’s toilet. You all finished?”

“All done,” Chu Yue nodded. “Chen-sao, let’s go to the market.”

Chen Fengying was also headed to the bazaar, so she quickly took the lead.

The so-called bazaar (集市) was a sign of the times loosening up. Policies were relaxing, and small vendors were slowly being allowed to do business openly — no more needing to sneak around or rely solely on shady black-market dealings.

The bazaar had all sorts of goods, many of them brought by local village farmers. The prices were reasonable, and you could even haggle — perfect for someone like Chen Fengying, who counted every penny.

However, after entering the market, before Chen Fengying could show off her skills, she was instead startled by Chu Yue.

Because Chu Yue seemed like a completely different person — totally unlike how she was at the supply and marketing cooperative earlier — she suddenly started aggressively bargaining!

A street vendor said an item cost one yuan, and Chu Yue began haggling from thirty cents, finally settling the deal at forty-five cents.

The bloody brutality of her bargaining left even Chen Fengying stunned. She was actually more ruthless than her!

Chen Fengying watched wide-eyed as Chu Yue bought two jin (approx. 2 lbs) of smoked cured meat from a vendor for just one yuan and fifty cents. At the time, the average price of pork was about 0.5 to 0.6 yuan per jin. Fresh pork contains water weight, while smoked cured meat is pure meat and should cost more.

But after a sharp war of words, Chu Yue actually bargained the price down.

After receiving the smoked meat, Chu Yue leaned in and took a deep sniff — a rich smoky scent mixed with the smell of wood. Sure enough, this was the real deal!

Her portable space had all kinds of supplies, but most were industrial products. Items like this homemade cured meat, with its natural flavor, couldn’t be replicated by mass-produced goods.

In the southwest region, every household made their own preserved meats. Anything could be cured — from cured pork to cured ribs, cured chicken to cured duck, even cured fish.

Cured products had a very long shelf life, were easy to store, and could hang in the kitchen and last for half a year without issue.

Holding the heavy cured meat in her hands, Chu Yue’s eyes locked onto the neighboring stall’s cured sausages and cured fish, ready for another big shopping spree.

Chen Fengying finally couldn’t hold back and asked, “Chu girl, you bargain so low — how are you sure the boss will sell it to you?”

“I’m not sure at all,” Chu Yue said with a smile, as if it was only natural. “Isn’t going to the market all about the joy of bargaining? If you don’t try, how will you know the lowest price?”

This was a far cry from the post-apocalyptic world, where every bite of food was wildly overpriced.

Chu Yue hadn’t felt this kind of joy in over ten years.

Chen Fengying was dumbfounded, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense!

And with that, the two of them went on to dominate the marketplace.

---

An hour later, Chu Yue and Chen Fengying boarded the car back to the compound.

Since it was the return trip, all the women had big and small bags in hand. The vehicle was even more crowded, and the atmosphere livelier than in the morning — filled with chatter and bragging about what everyone had bought.

He Meijiao was noticeably absent. After her big defeat at the state-owned restaurant, she had no desire to face Chu Yue for the time being.

As soon as Chu Yue boarded, the cheerful chatter around her suddenly fell silent.

Several of the wives looked down while sneaking glances at Chu Yue, tugging at each other’s sleeves and making exaggerated facial expressions — all pretending like nothing was going on.

Chu Yue sneered silently. Clearly, they had just been gossiping about her again. This was always the trouble in places full of women.

Just before the vehicle took off, someone came rushing over.

“Wait! Wait! I’m not on yet! Wait for me!”

It was Wang Xiulan, arriving all alone.

A woman frowned and muttered in annoyance, “Wang Xiulan, it’s you again? Every time you’re the one delaying us.”

“What do you know? I ate too much, my belly’s full, I couldn’t walk fast. What’s the harm in being a little late?” Wang Xiulan squeezed onto the vehicle, touching her shiny, greasy mouth and bulging belly, clearly hoping everyone would notice she had eaten pork.

“Wang Xiulan, did you eat without even wiping your mouth?” A woman beside her sniffed the air and immediately exclaimed, “You ate meat?!”

With that shout, everyone instantly forgot about Chu Yue, and all eyes turned to Wang Xiulan.