Chapter 34.1

“One hundred yuan.”

Luo Lan turned to leave. “You must be joking.”

What era is this? During a time when people can’t even fill their stomachs, these items are worthless and cannot be traded. Who knows how long he’s had it. If he’s in such a hurry to exchange it for money, then the price can’t be dictated by him.

“Hey,” the man reached out to pull her back. “Don’t rush off. Let’s negotiate. Since you’re interested, give me a price.”

“Twenty-two.”

“I—” the man choked. “Sister, your price is too low. This is genuine good stuff! If it were before the Liberation, it would fetch a big price. Foreigners would be fighting to buy it!”

“Then sell it to them.” Luo Lan’s tone was full of indifference toward the item. “Twenty-two is about my monthly salary. I only thought about buying it on a whim. If you don’t want to sell it, fine. I would rather not buy it and get scolded by my mom.”

“Wait, your price is really too low. Just add a bit—”

“Just this, I need to save a few yuan for meals. This isn’t enough as it is.”

The man stood there, stuck between a rock and a hard place, unwilling to part with what he had. He had been trying to sell it secretly for days, but no one was interested. Those with money were afraid of being caught with it, and those without money couldn’t even afford basic necessities, let alone these luxury items.

“Twenty-four, just add two more yuan. I’m not asking for much, just two more.”

“Twenty-two, I won’t take even a dime more.” Saying that, she turned to walk away. “If not, forget it. If I take it home, my mom might really beat me. I’d rather not.”

“Hey, don’t go, don’t go. I’ll give it to you.”

“Then what about the help I mentioned?”

“Sure, that’s my specialty. No matter how tightly sealed the place is, I’ll make sure you get what you need. But this has to be coordinated with someone, so you’ll need to give me a fee for my trouble.”

“How much?”

“Not much, just ten yuan.” Seeing Luo Lan’s displeasure, he explained. “Ten yuan is just for my buddies to smoke, eat, or share a drink. You can’t expect me to work for free, right? The places you want to get into aren’t ordinary residential areas.”

“Fine. How do I contact you when I need you?”

“Come to this area of the woods every third, sixth, or ninth day, and learn to call like a kingfisher. Someone will naturally meet you.”

“Got it.”

She bought the jade for twenty-two yuan and found a suitable person to help her. On the way back, she eagerly asked the system, “How much is this thing worth?”

System: The value changes with the times. The price varies greatly.

Luo Lan: Estimate based on today’s value.

System: Over a thousand.

Luo Lan hadn’t even been surprised when the system continued.

System: But it’s basically priced without a market.

Luo Lan: The meaning of “priced without a market” is that no one will buy it due to the current social environment, right?

System: Correct. This is worth several thousand, but most people don’t know its value and won’t buy it. It’s too risky. If sold overseas, it could fetch hundreds of thousands. Earlier this year, an auction in Hong Kong sold a very similar jade bracelet for eight hundred forty thousand.

Luo Lan was genuinely shocked this time. In an era when a new house of one hundred square meters costs around a thousand, hearing about hundreds of thousands was beyond her comprehension.

Looking down at the item in her hand, it suddenly felt as heavy as a mountain. Such a small thing was worth hundreds of thousands. If she had hundreds of thousands, what would she have to worry about?

Luo Lan couldn’t help but feel incredibly happy, letting out a low laugh. Quickly, she quieted herself, glancing around to make sure no one was watching as she hurriedly rode her bike home, clutching the precious item.

In the courtyard, she moved swiftly, worried about being seen and questioned. Sometimes, the things we fear most end up coming true. Just as she entered the courtyard, the daughter from the south house came out, catching her off guard. This girl was probably eavesdropping inside.

“Wow, Luo Lan, where have you been out so late?” 

“A colleague’s house.”

“What do you have in your hands?” 

She could have brushed it off, but her frustration flared up, and she snapped back. “What’s it to you? You’re always watching our house. What, do you want to be like your mom and conspire against us?” 

The woman was momentarily stunned by her retort, unable to respond. This daughter-in-law was surprisingly sharp-tongued. She must have been pretending to be gentle before. 

“How am I conspiring against you? Don’t throw mud at me.” 

“If you don’t want to harm us, just stay away. A daughter raised by a scheming mother can’t be anything good.” 

After scolding her, Luo Lan turned to leave, not giving her a chance to respond. You’ve been keeping an eye on me every day, thinking I’m an easy target? I’ve been pretending to be nice to keep you off guard, but now I need to put you in your place, making you focus only on arguing with me instead of anything else. 

Once home, she felt uneasy hiding the item everywhere. The room was so small that she could only hide it in the wardrobe, under the bed, or beneath the table. 

Luo Lan: System, can you store this item for me?

System: It requires points. 

Luo Lan: You’re really stingy about everything. 

System: Do you want it or not? 

Luo Lan: I do. 

Although it needed points for storage, the system’s space was incredibly secure. If she hid the item there, no one would ever find it. 

Luo Lan: System, what if you suddenly disappear, just like you suddenly appeared?

System: I didn’t expect you to think about that. You’re quite perceptive. 

Luo Lan: So will you?*

System: No. If I were to leave, I would inform you. And—

Luo Lan: And what? 

System: It’s nothing. You don’t need to know.

Luo Lan: You have to tell me. 

System: It’s none of your business. 

Luo Lan: I think it definitely concerns me. If you don’t tell me, I’ll just take this antique and hide in the countryside, doing nothing at all. 

System: You’ll know in the future. 

It only mentioned that Luo Lan would soon find out, but didn’t elaborate on anything else. Luo Lan felt powerless against this secretive system. As long as she held onto her beliefs, she’d just go about her own business.

Once the item was safely hidden, she finally felt at ease enough to sleep. The next morning, the daughter from the east house came over. After a few polite exchanges, she quietly inquired, 

“Did you go buy something last night? Do you have any noodles? I want to buy some.” 

“No noodles. I bought two jin of white flour.” 

“My daughter hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and keeps craving egg dragon whisker noodles. I’ve gone twice and couldn’t buy any.” 

“Go check the supply and marketing cooperative. They might have some.” 

“That’s all I can do.” The woman smiled and continued, “Your scolding last night felt really good. I’ve never liked that woman from the south house. I had a quarrel with her yesterday. It’s only a short walk, but it’s exhausting, isn’t it? She dumps dirty water right at the entrance instead of in the proper place. Every day, it’s all muddy.” 

“Like mother, like daughter.” 

“Hey, are there any places in your village that make noodles, or maybe nearby villages?” 

“There is one family, but I don’t know if they still do.” 

“When are you going back home? Can you help me check? I feel for the kids. They say hand-pulled noodles aren’t tasty, but they really want dragon whisker noodles.” 

“Sure, I’ll check when I go back next week. By the way, how many do you need?” 

“Buy as many as you can. I’m not worried about getting too many. Many people at my workplace want some too.” 

“Okay, I’ll keep an eye out.” 

The woman took out some money to give her. Luo Lan waved her hand to refuse, but the other woman insisted on shoving it into her hands. It was a proper etiquette to pay someone for helping with purchases. It didn’t make sense to ask someone to help without covering their expenses. 

In the morning, she went back to work, and the house was quiet with only her inside. She didn’t plan to return home for lunch, thinking she would grab a quick bite at the cafeteria and then sleep on a makeshift chair in the office. However, a young woman came in at noon, looking quite worn out. 

When Luo Lan poured her some water, the woman suddenly broke into tears. Luo Lan couldn’t help but comfort her, “Don’t cry. If something’s bothering you, tell me. What’s going on? Don’t worry, the sky won’t fall.” 

The woman sniffled, looking incredibly aggrieved. She had an ordinary face, blending in with the crowd. “My fiancé wants to break up with me, can you talk to him?” 

Hmm? This was quite a surprising and new situation. What era was this? It was a time that valued freedom. People could even divorce after marriage. Many couples had recently split up. Moreover, if someone wasn’t interested in continuing a relationship, it was quite normal to withdraw from an engagement. 

“Hey, listen to me. This is a tough world to find a three-legged toad, but there are plenty of two-legged men. If he’s not interested, let’s find someone better.” 

“No, I only want him.” 

Well, there it was—someone who was quite stubborn. Luo Lan chuckled and shook her head, no longer feeling sleepy. She sat down to chat with the woman, who shared that her fiancé had been unemployed but now that he was doing well, he looked down on her and wanted to break off the engagement.

“What’s the timeline for your engagement?” 

“Um, that, I…” She stumbled over such a simple question, swallowing hard at Luo Lan’s questioning gaze. “We’re not engaged.” 

“Then when did you confirm your relationship?” 

“January… February… March…” 

Her words were more like questions, making Luo Lan feel exasperated. Was she playing a guessing game? Counting from the start of the year to the end? So, her relationship wasn’t even solidified, and she was here with these nonsensical complaints. 

“Comrade, this isn’t something we can help with. If you really like that guy, you can pursue him. But whether he agrees or not is his choice; we can’t intervene.” 

“But the Women’s Federation is here to serve women, right? I’m a woman too and I’m asking for your help.” 

“Our purpose is to help women whose rights have been violated. This situation doesn’t fall within our scope. Please leave and turn right. I haven’t eaten lunch yet and need to get to the cafeteria. If I wait any longer, I won’t even get soup.” 

“But—” 

“No ‘buts’—this really isn’t our concern.” 

Luo Lan stopped wasting words and directly pulled the woman out of the office. What a ridiculous situation. Coming to seek help from the Women’s Federation about dating. If it’s mutual affection and he’s not interested, what can I do? Instead of wasting time arguing with me, you’d be better off focusing your efforts on that man. 

She thought this was just a minor episode, but that evening, as she was getting off work, the woman returned. This time, she stubbornly dragged a man along with her. He didn’t seem particularly willing, whether out of pity or simply not being as strong as her, but she pulled him into the office anyway. 

As soon as they reached the door, the woman shouted, “Comrades, quick! I’ve brought him! Make him marry me!” 

Sister Liu’s eyes widened, unable to suppress a smile. This woman was bold, dragging a man in and demanding he marry her. If he didn’t want to marry her, what was she expecting—bringing him to the Women’s Federation? She might as well drag him to the civil affairs bureau. But someone like that wouldn’t be able to get any paperwork done anyway.