Chapter 6: A Devilishly Handsome Man

[Host, I’ve already stored away the food in the space. We can sell some of it now.] Little Fortune reminded her.

“Alright, Little Fortune, how much do we have of each item?”

[Wheat, corn, and rice—ten thousand jin each. There are also three thousand jin of apples, five thousand jin of pears, four thousand jin of oranges. The rest are in smaller quantities.]

“These are enough.”

If she wanted to sell things, she’d have to go to the black market. Some supplies might need to be purchased there too, so it was worth a trip.

However, going to a place like the black market meant she needed a disguise. It wouldn’t be easy to escape if she ran into a patrol squad.

Fortunately, she had a lot of makeup in her space, as well as some cosplay props from her hobby days. Changing her appearance would be a breeze.

She considered disguising herself as an old lady, but if she had to run into patrol squads, moving swiftly would definitely seem suspicious. What about pretending to be a man…? She looked down at her chest—her “pectoral muscles” were too large, and even if she tried to bind them, it was uncomfortable and obvious.

So, she’d stay a woman—just an ugly one.

Without hesitation, she pulled out her cosmetics. The “Four Great Evil Techniques of Asia” were no joke. Soon, she’d darkened her face, thickened her eyebrows, dotted a few large moles, and stuck on a pair of fake buck teeth. The result was an impressively hideous transformation that she found extremely satisfying.

At this point, even the dean grandma who had raised her wouldn’t recognize her if she stood right in front of her.

She wiped off her makeup and went to her parents’ room to find some of her mother’s old clothes. She stuffed them into the space and planned to change into them once near the black market.

There was a bamboo basket at home used for grocery shopping. She stored it in the space. Once everything was ready, she stepped outside and immediately ran into Li Ailing in the courtyard.

“Jingjing, how’s the injury on your head? Where are you headed?”

“Auntie, my head’s much better now. I’m heading out to buy some supplies for the countryside. Have you talked to Xiaokui about the job yet?”

“I did. Xiaokui said she’s not good with numbers, so she’ll work as a quality inspector in the workshop. As for your position, we’ll pay you a thousand.”

“Auntie, that’s too much.”

For others, that was indeed a reasonable price, but she wanted to give Li Ailing a discount.

“It’s not too much,” Li Ailing replied. “You’re a young girl heading to the countryside alone. It’s better to have more money on you so you’ll suffer less.”

Yu Jingjing didn’t know what to say. In her previous life, her biological grandmother had abandoned her at an orphanage, but the dean had treated her like family. Likewise, the original owner of this body had been betrayed by so-called relatives, while it was the neighbors who showed kindness.

Blood ties really didn’t mean much.

Unable to refuse, she agreed. “Alright, Auntie Li. Bring Xiaokui with you tomorrow. We’ll go to the factory together to handle the handover.”

“Alright.”

“Oh, and Auntie Li, can you help me ask around to see if anyone’s looking to buy a house? I don’t know if I’ll be coming back, so I want to sell the place. If I ever get the chance to return, I can always rent or buy another.”

Li Ailing immediately looked worried. “Jingjing, you’re not thinking of getting married in the countryside, are you?”

Many girls who went to the countryside ended up marrying local men because they couldn’t bear the hardship. Once that happened, there was no coming back.

“Auntie, I have no such intention. Those rough country men aren’t my type.”

She wasn’t even considering relationships.

In her previous life working in the hospital, she had witnessed all sorts of human relationships. Many loving couples fell apart when one was diagnosed with a terminal illness or a hard-to-treat disease—the love quickly vanished. The sick one would often be abandoned heartlessly.

Though true love did exist, and some partners stuck together no matter what, could she be lucky enough to meet a man like that?

Forget it. She wasn’t planning to marry anytime soon anyway.

“Alright, I’ll help you ask around,” Li Ailing promised.

Yu Jingjing headed to the bank. Her parents’ pension combined with the money saved from their salaries totaled 8,000 yuan. She withdrew it all and stored it in her space—no place was safer than that.

Now, it was time to go to the black market. Based on her experience from reading novels in her past life, she quickly found the entrance.

She found a hidden spot near the entrance, entered her space to put on makeup and change clothes, then exited with her bamboo basket.

She casually felt something in her coat pocket. Pulling it out, she found a handkerchief embroidered with a golden phoenix soaring across the sky. The handkerchief was made of the finest silk, and the golden threads outlining the phoenix were vivid and intricate, a testament to the embroiderer’s skill.

Thanks to her mother’s care, the handkerchief had remained intact despite the years. Next to the phoenix was a string of numbers—it was likely her mother’s birthday.

When her mother got lost as a child and was taken in by a childless couple, she was too young to remember anything. Later, when the couple had their own child, they tried to drive her out.

They gave her the handkerchief and said, “This was in your pocket when you arrived. Take it and find your real parents.”

Unfortunately, her mother never found them, even after decades of searching.

Ever since she’d entered this body, Yu Jingjing seemed to have inherited some of the original host’s emotions. She could feel her mother’s longing for family.

Just like her, who had spent her childhood in an orphanage.

She carefully folded the handkerchief and placed it back in her pocket.

She hoped that one day, her mother could find her real family.

At the black market gate, a guard stood watch. Yu Jingjing paid the entrance fee and entered. She first inquired about the prices of food and fruit, then gave the guard an extra five yuan to take her to his boss.

“I want to discuss a big business deal with your boss.”

The guard didn’t ask questions. He accepted the money, told someone else to watch the gate, and led Yu Jingjing to the black market boss.

She quickly met the boss—a burly, dark-skinned man with a full beard. His name was Li Kui, known as Lord Kui.

Lord Kui glanced at the ugly woman before him and said coldly, “You’re the one who wants to do business with me?”

“Lord Kui, you can check the quality of my grain and fruit.”

Yu Jingjing set down her basket, letting him check the grains and fruits inside. As expected, Lord Kui was very satisfied.

“Name your price.”

“These are all premium goods. Wheat and rice are 0.6 yuan per jin, corn is 0.4 yuan, apples are 0.4 yuan, pears 0.2 yuan, and tangerines—because of the high shipping cost—are 0.6 yuan. Lord Kui, no need to bargain. I won’t sell even a hair less than that.”

Lord Kui instantly gave up the idea of haggling. “Hahaha, you’ve got a head for business. Alright, I won’t bargain. It’s a deal. How much stock do you have?”

Yu Jingjing told Lord Kui the quantity of her grains and fruits, and they agreed to trade tonight at the ruined temple on the outskirts of town.

Yu Jingjing prepared to leave. “Lord Kui, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave.”

But Lord Kui said nothing. He just kept staring at her.

Yu Jingjing’s heart tightened. Did he see through her disguise?

Impossible. She was confident in her makeup skills—so masterful that even people from her own time couldn’t tell, let alone people from this era.

“Lord Kui, why are you staring at me like that?”

“Because you’re so ugly,” Lord Kui replied with a grin.

Yu Jingjing paused for a moment before replying, “You’re scary-looking yourself.”

But instead of getting angry, Lord Kui burst out laughing. “Hahaha, gutsy girl! Walking around in broad daylight like this and not afraid of scaring people?”

“I’m scaring others, not myself.”

“Well said, well said. May I ask, what should I call you, sister?”

“Everyone calls me Bucktooth Girl.”

“Oh, alright, alright.”

Yu Jingjing didn’t waste any more words with him and left with her basket.

After she had walked a while, Lord Kui still couldn’t stop praising her. “Ugly as sin, and just as black-hearted.”

One of his underlings asked, “Boss, are you interested in her?” His tastes sure are… unique.

“Black-hearted ugly girl—perfect match for a scoundrel.”

“No, no—it’s black-hearted ugly girl, perfect match for a toad,” the underling corrected helpfully.

“Hmm?”

“Ah—boss, I misspoke! It’s scoundrel! A perfect match for a scoundrel! You’re a scoundrel! A true scoundrel!”

“I just don’t know if she has someone already. There are millions of women in the world, but one like her is rare. I’ve searched for her a thousand times in my dreams, and now she’s right before my eyes.”

“Beautiful verse, boss. You’re so cultured!” The underling quickly flattered him, looking at his boss’s fierce, pig-liver face while inwardly retching: blegh~

Yu Jingjing had no idea what those two were saying. If she did, she might’ve thrown up her stomach acid.

Outside, she bought herself two straw hats, a pair of Liberation shoes, and twenty pairs of yarn gloves—essential for farm work in the countryside.

Just as she turned a corner, she saw a familiar figure—it was Yu Jianmin.

She quietly followed him and saw him heading toward Lord Kui’s compound. After following him inside, she overheard Yu Jianmin trying to buy knockout drugs from Lord Kui. When he came out after the transaction, he walked away gloating, muttering to himself:

“Stupid girl, tonight I’ll knock you out and take all your money and house deeds. I’ll make you crawl naked back to the countryside!”

Yu Jingjing had already guessed the drugs were meant for her.

Well then, Yu Jianmin—tonight, I’ll make sure you end up in the police station and reunite with your dear mother.

Yu Jianmin walked quickly and soon disappeared.

Yu Jingjing was about to leave too, when two tall men approached her in a hurry. The one in front looked to be nearly 1.9 meters tall, his well-proportioned figure wrapped in a black Zhongshan suit.

She had thought his physique alone was already striking, but she didn’t expect his looks to be even more astonishing. Yu Jingjing wasn’t in the habit of admiring handsome men, but this one was exactly her type. He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

Still, she only spared him two glances before turning away.

Hmph. So what if he’s handsome? It’s just a skin-deep shell, nothing more.

The man had also looked at her briefly with a faint glance.

Yu Jingjing exited the alley, planning to find a secluded spot to enter her space and change clothes. But she was startled to find two men inside the wall urinating. She quickly left to look for another place.

One of the underlings subconsciously touched the handkerchief in his pocket, glanced at the beautiful floral design on it, then tucked it back in.

Before she could find a new spot, someone suddenly cried out: “Thief! Someone help! He stole my purse!”

Yu Jingjing looked over and saw an elderly woman chasing after an agile man in blue, who had a purse in hand.

Yu Jingjing rushed to the old woman’s side. “Ma’am, don’t run anymore—I’ll help you get your purse back!”

An old lady like that might not hold up well if she kept running.

“Alright, alright, thank you, young lady!”

Before the old woman could finish speaking, Yu Jingjing had already taken off in pursuit.

The thief, seeing someone chasing him, quickly ducked into an alley. Just as Yu Jingjing was about to catch him, a burly man jumped out to block her path.

Luckily, backup arrived—those two tall men from earlier in the alley had come to help. With their support, not only was the accomplice captured, but the thief himself was also subdued. Each of the two men restrained one suspect tightly.