Chapter 23: Reported

With the letter of recommendation from Political Commissar Wang and Zhou Jinchuan’s approval in hand, Su Yi became even more enthusiastic about selling tea eggs.

Being the first in town to offer this fresh and unique treat, many people who passed through the town made it a point to buy some. Su Yi’s tea egg business flourished rapidly, earning over twenty yuan in less than ten days.

Tea eggs are a staple in time-travel stories for a reason—they’re easy to make, require minimal equipment, and are guaranteed to be profitable. All Su Yi needed was a pot to cook them, making it a hassle-free venture.

To avoid any trouble from the bus station, Su Yi also made it a point to give one egg daily as a token of appreciation to the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper, a kindly old man, turned a blind eye to Su Yi’s stall outside the bus station, effectively giving her a pass.

After the last encounter, Bai Ruolin spent two sleepless nights rewriting the report. Fearing that it might still be inadequate, she begrudgingly added a lot of insincere “heartfelt” statements.

The next day, eager to submit the revised report to Zhou Jinchuan, she made sure to dress up and went alone, avoiding Qin Yunfeng.

However, she was stopped at the door by Xie Xiaojun.

“Colonel Zhou said he’s too busy to deal with it. He told you to submit it to Political Commissar Wang.”

Bai Ruolin’s smile froze, and she nearly choked on her frustration.

On the way back to the dormitory, she suddenly spotted Su Yi walking out with a basket that seemed quite heavy.

Seeing Su Yi selling tea eggs outside the bus station, Bai Ruolin’s suspicion grew, and she quietly followed her to observe.

Hiding behind a car, she watched Su Yi’s tea egg business unfold clearly.

As she watched, an idea began to form in Bai Ruolin’s mind.

She had blamed Su Yi for the criticism she received from Zhou Jinchuan and was still fuming about it. This was a perfect opportunity for revenge.

Though Zhou Jinchuan was keeping an eye on her and Qin Yunfeng, some matters didn’t require direct confrontation.

Bai Ruolin thought about Liu Dajie, who had been at odds with Su Yi and had been publicly exposed and dismissed by Zhou Jinchuan.

Deciding to act, Bai Ruolin made her way to Liu Dajie’s home. Since the incident, Liu Dajie had been avoiding going out much, feigning illness. The public scandal and the fight with her husband had made her the talk of the neighborhood.

Liu Dajie felt humiliated and distressed after the recent events. Her children had also lost their front teeth, which only added to her frustration. She had cursed Su Yi many times in her mind.

One day, while she was washing clothes at home, she heard a knock at the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Bai Ruolin, someone she had never interacted with before.

“Comrade Bai, what brings you here?”

Bai Ruolin, holding a bag of fruit, smiled warmly. “Liu Dajie, I heard you were ill, so I came by to see you. I happened to be nearby today.”

Although Liu Dajie was puzzled about why Bai Ruolin was visiting, the sight of the large bag of fruit was quite tempting.

She quickly invited Bai Ruolin inside. “I’m feeling much better now, but thank you for your concern, Comrade Bai! I heard you’ve been through a lot recently too. I wanted to speak up for you back then, but I lack the education and no one would believe me.”

Bai Ruolin smiled and took a seat at the table.

“It’s no problem. The misunderstandings have been cleared up, and now Su Yi has settled in. Both Comrade Qin and I are happy for her, but it’s really unfortunate for you, Liu Dajie.”

“I actually wanted to persuade her to come and apologize to you, but she has a lot of grievances against me and doesn’t listen to my words.”

Liu Dajie, hearing Bai Ruolin’s words in defense of her, finally found an outlet for her pent-up anger from the past ten days. She felt like she had found a kindred spirit and began to vent all her frustrations about Su Yi.

Seeing that Liu Dajie, like herself, harbored deep resentment towards Su Yi, Bai Ruolin quickly formed a plan. She casually mentioned Su Yi’s tea egg stall at the bus station.

“Both Comrade Qin and I are against her running a small business outside. Although they’re not as strict now as before, if it comes to scrutiny, setting up a stall is still not allowed.”

“Liu Dajie, what if someone reports her and she gets caught? Comrade Qin and I would have no way to explain it to her family!”

Liu Dajie, understanding Bai Ruolin’s intention, politely saw her off and then headed straight to the town’s administrative office.

“Comrades, I want to report someone! There’s a person selling homemade tea eggs at the bus station every day!”

The administrative staff were not as agitated. Given the recent disturbances in the capital city, they expected changes soon, so they responded calmly.

“We understand. We’ll look into it.”

However, Liu Dajie insisted, “Comrades, you need to go right now. Otherwise, she might leave soon.”

“This kind of person is a social pest. You must take care of it properly!”

The new files had not yet arrived, so the administrative staff had to follow the usual procedures.

They immediately dispatched two people to apprehend the individual at the bus station.

……

At this moment, Su Yi had just sold her last tea egg.

As she was packing up her pot, she saw Liu Dajie rushing towards her, looking exhausted and disheveled.

Su Yi knew that Liu Dajie had a grudge against her, and her sudden appearance could only mean trouble.

Sure enough, as soon as she looked up, she saw two people with red armbands behind Liu Dajie.

Realizing what was happening, Su Yi quickly grabbed her “tools” and ran.

Liu Dajie, already out of breath from running, pointed at Su Yi’s retreating figure and said to the two with red armbands, “Comrades, that’s her! Don’t let her get away!”

The two comrades had no choice but to chase after her.

Su Yi dashed into the bus station, and after a few steps, she slipped through a back door into an alley.

Fortunately, she had prepared in advance. Planning an escape route in case someone came to catch her was essential!

Thanks to her daily egg-giving friendship with the gatekeeper, she had been informed about this small path. It led directly to the staff quarters within the bus station.

Once inside, Su Yi quickly hid her pot of tea eggs and the headscarf she was wearing.

When she emerged from the staff quarters, she had transformed from a tea egg vendor into a young woman carrying a basket for buying vegetables.

Meanwhile, Liu Dajie, determined to see Su Yi caught, was not only chasing after her but also insisting that the authorities apprehend her.

When she couldn’t catch up, Liu Dajie grabbed the two comrades with red armbands and started searching the streets.

They soon spotted Su Yi in front of a grocery store.

Liu Dajie hurried over, shouting, “Quick! Comrades! It’s her! Hurry and catch her!”

Su Yi glanced at her with feigned ignorance, “Aunt Liu, I’m just here to buy some vegetables. Why are you dragging me?”

“Don’t play dumb with me! The comrades with red armbands are here now. This time, you can’t escape!”