Chapter 18.1 “Brother, Are You Upset?”

Shu Qingyao bought two kilograms of eggs, one kilogram of duck eggs, five kilograms of flour, and three kilograms of rice in the black market.

There were even meat coupons and grain coupons for sale in the black market.

She bought a bunch of meat coupons and grain coupons and put them in her small cloth bag. She took Xie Hezhang and the others for a stroll in the black market.

The black market not only had meat and rice but also seasonal fruits and vegetables, making it a small, mobile farmers’ market.

Shu Qingyao bought two kilograms of corn cobs, a head of cabbage, and then she saw a watermelon. She personally picked one that was big and round.

She stuffed everything into the bamboo basket Xie Hezhang was carrying.

The young man’s face was still dark. He hadn’t said a word since she said they were in the same boat.

He just looked unhappy.

But when she bought something, he would reach out to take it and put it in the basket.

He even took out money for her when she bought the watermelon.

Shu Qingyao knew that Xie Hezhang wasn’t rich yet. It was hard for him to support himself and his sister. The money in his pocket was probably something he had saved up bit by bit over the years.

But he didn’t even frown when he spent it on her.

Xie Hezhang was always generous with his woman.

Shu Qingyao still remembered the calm expression on his face when he transferred his company’s billions of assets to her name.

But now that Xie Hezhang was willing to spend money on her and buy her fruit to eat, Shu Qingyao wouldn’t refuse.

Seeing that she had bought everything she needed, Shu Qingyao decided to head home.

“Little girl, buy some peaches to take back. The peaches from my peach tree are fresh and sweet. Why don’t you try one?”

A fruit vendor, seeing Shu Qingyao’s generous spending, couldn’t help but call out to her.

Shu Qingyao turned her head and glanced at the pile of peaches in front of the vendor’s stall.

The peaches looked like they weighed about three or four kilograms. They were neatly arranged in a white porcelain bowl, each one washed clean. Although they weren’t as perfect as the ones in imported supermarkets, they were considered a delicacy in this era of scarcity.

Shu Qingyao picked and chose, thinking that they all looked good. She told the vendor, “Wrap them all up.”

“Alright!”

The vendor beamed with joy and handed her the peaches in the bowl, “Take the bowl and the peaches. I’m too lazy to carry a dog food bowl back when I go back. You’re so generous, so I’ll give you the bowl too. I don’t have any bags here. It’s three cents in total!”

Xie Hezhang silently counted out three cents and handed it to the vendor.

Shu Qingyao held the bowl, gave Xie Xiaoqian a peach, gave Xie Hezhang one, and took one for herself to eat.

The peaches were very sweet and juicy, no worse than the ones in imported supermarkets.

After finishing the peach, Shu Qingyao put all the peaches in the bowl into Xie Hezhang’s basket.

She was about to throw away the bowl in her hand when she glanced at it casually and was startled. She quickly held the bowl tightly.

Xie Hezhang saw her startled expression and frowned. He walked over and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Shu Qingyao didn’t say anything. She turned the bowl over and scraped off the mud at the bottom. Six blue characters, “Da Ming Xuande Nian Zhi,” appeared before her eyes.

She carefully examined the blue and white porcelain bowl in her hand, and finally couldn’t help but exclaim:

“Damn!”

If she wasn’t mistaken, this white porcelain bowl, which the fruit farmer had casually used to hold peaches, should be a type of porcelain made in the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty, specifically ordered by Emperor Xuande to be made in Jingdezhen for playing dice—sprinkled blue glaze porcelain.

This type of porcelain was very complex to make. Not only did it require craftsmen to blow it individually, but it also needed to be fired twice to create the unique snowflake effect of sprinkled blue glaze.

Sprinkled blue glaze porcelain was not only complex to make, but it was also rare. Shu Qingyao remembered that people at the auction house had said that there were only three pieces in existence worldwide.

How did Shu Qingyao know about sprinkled blue glaze porcelain?

The reason was that Shu Jianguo’s company later became successful, and he became fond of collecting antiques. He had once set his sights on a piece of sprinkled blue glaze porcelain, but he gave up because the final bid was over 100 million yuan, which was too expensive.

Shu Qingyao held the bowl, looking at it from left to right, her heart pounding.

Her face flushed slightly. Shu Qingyao handed the bowl to Xie Hezhang, “You bought it with your money, so you keep it. Take good care of it, don’t break it, okay?”

She knew that Xie Hezhang would be successful in the future and make a fortune from the internet, but the early stages of entrepreneurship were always difficult. This bowl could save Xie Hezhang at least ten years of hard work in the future.

With it, Xie Hezhang wouldn’t have to drink with bigwigs until his stomach bled, and he wouldn’t have to suffer from insomnia and neurasthenia due to constant business trips.

Xie Hezhang looked at Shu Qingyao’s excited little face. He knew she was knowledgeable, so this bowl must be something special.

He refused, not wanting it, “Why give it to me? I don’t need it.”

“Oh, just take it.” Shu Qingyao stuffed it into Xie Hezhang’s arms, her face flushed with excitement, “You bought it, so it’s yours. Why are you being polite to me? We’re practically family!”

We’re practically an old married couple. When he becomes successful, won’t I enjoy the benefits too?

Xie Hezhang: “…” So what’s our relationship? We haven’t confirmed anything, but in her mouth, it sounds like we’re already dating…

Xie Hezhang couldn’t refuse Shu Qingyao, so he could only reluctantly carry the basket and the bowl, walking back to Helian Village with her.

They left in the morning and returned in the evening.

Shu Qingyao took out the big watermelon and treated the educated youths in the dormitory. While everyone was eating watermelon, she asked Xie Hezhang to help her carry the basket into her room.

Standing at the door of the female dormitory, Xie Hezhang was a little awkward. Shu Qingyao, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind at all. She pushed open the door and walked in, “Come in, what are you afraid of? I live alone.”

A fragrant breeze blew out of Shu Qingyao’s dormitory, making Xie Hezhang dizzy. He had also been educated, and he knew that a woman’s boudoir shouldn’t be entered casually. How could this woman Shu Qingyao…

Have no sense of self-preservation?

She casually opened the door and let a man in. What if she met a man with bad intentions?

Xie Hezhang’s eyes darkened slightly.

Xie Xiaoqian, on the other hand, was already familiar with Shu Qingyao. She didn’t feel awkward at all. Shu Qingyao called her in, and she followed, looking left and right, full of curiosity.

Shu Qingyao scooped a few spoonfuls of her half-eaten Ovaltine into an enamel cup, poured hot water into it, and gave it to Xie Xiaoqian to drink. Seeing Xie Hezhang still standing awkwardly at the door, not daring to move, she blinked her eyes, couldn’t help but want to tease him, and asked mischievously, “Why don’t you come in? Are you afraid I’ll ask you to take responsibility later?”

“…”

The young man’s wheat-colored cheeks flushed red. He raised his phoenix eyes and glared at her, then walked in with a pursed lip and put down the basket.

The female educated youth’s dormitory was clean and tidy. There were light blue curtains hanging on the windowsill, newspapers pasted on the walls, and several foreign books stacked on the desk.

A soft blanket was folded neatly on the bedside table, clearly made of fine fabric.

Sunlight streamed in from the window, and the air had a completely different scent from his room.

This atmosphere was clean, sweet, and filled with an air of wealth, a stark contrast to his own shabby and impoverished state.

I’m not worthy of her.