Chapter 22

The moment before, he was still saying that he “had to stay at home”, “had three children to raise”, and “couldn’t spend money carelessly”.

But this moment.

But she was damn attracted by a bicycle!

I really want it…

Qiao Anle felt conflicted and hesitant, and was extremely distressed by her fickle self.

Just at this moment.

Li Fengbei’s voice came with a smile.

He asked, “Wife, I want a bicycle, can you buy it for me?”

The man had already seen through Qiao Anle’s thoughts.

Especially when I saw her little face was all twisted into a ball, she was reluctant to let go but at the same time she was so moved, like a cute little rabbit.

One can’t help but want to kiss her and rub her head.

Li Fengbei saw through it but didn’t say it out loud.

He defended Qiao Anle’s face and said that he wanted a bicycle.

Qiao Anle was still hesitant, “Bicycles are expensive. They cost a lot of money.”

Li Fengbei said, “I may need to come to the county town for meetings occasionally in the second half of the year, and I may not be able to hitchhike every time. With a bicycle, it will be much more convenient. And we can come to the county town often to stroll around.”

Qiao Anle’s inner compromise was 70 percent complete.

She blinked, “So… buy it?”

Li Fengbei said firmly, “Okay, we’ll listen to you and buy it!”

Qiao Anle’s inner compromise is 100%.

Li Fengbei said to the salesperson, “We have the bicycle tickets and money. Please keep an eye on them for us. We will come back this afternoon.”

The salesman smiled cheerfully, “No problem. I get along so well with you guys, I’ll definitely keep the bike for you!”

Since I had to go to the cooperative in the afternoon, I decided to leave the things I bought before at the cooperative and pick them up in the afternoon.

After leaving the cooperative and walking a few intersections, you will arrive at the state-owned restaurant.

The door of the state-owned restaurant is decorated in green, with a small blackboard hanging on it, on which are written today’s meals and prices.

Among them, the huge words are – Braised Pork Belly!

Eating meat is quite a luxury these days.

For many families, only during the Chinese New Year can they have some meat on the dinner table.

Qiao Anle can be said to have thoroughly enjoyed today’s meal.

Li Fengbei ordered three dishes, one braised pork belly, one pan-fried tofu, and one egg custard.

The braised tofu is red in color and wrapped in a shiny sauce, which makes people’s appetite growl at the sight of it.

The fried tofu uses the most authentic old tofu and sweet and sour sauce, which has a salty taste with a hint of sourness and sweetness, very refreshing. It is also sprinkled with a layer of chopped green onions, making it look even more tempting.

Needless to say, egg custard.

Yellow and smooth.

When a spoonful is put into the mouth, it flows over the tip of the tongue and slides directly into the throat.

Qiao Anle had been eating wild vegetables and pickles for several days, so he felt very hungry as soon as he sat down and started to eat heartily.

After a while.

Her lips were shiny from eating so much.

“This pork belly is so flavorful! I can eat half a bowl of rice with this broth, eat it quickly!”

Pah, she put a piece of red pork belly into Li Fengbei’s bowl.

“This tofu is delicious too! It has a very rich tofu flavor, unlike some tofu that has no tofu flavor at all. It’s really delicious, you should try it.”

Pah, another piece of food was picked up by chopsticks and put into Li Fengbei’s bowl.

“The egg custard is delicious too, so tender… Don’t just watch me eat it, eat it too.”

This time.

Qiao Anle used her spoon to scoop a spoonful of yellow egg custard and fed it directly to Li Fengbei’s mouth.

Natural and intimate.

Li Fengbei opened his mouth, took the spoon that Qiao Anle had used, and ate the egg custard.

There was smile in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.

Nod slightly.

“Well, the egg custard is delicious and tender.”

Qiao Anle was so absorbed in eating that she didn’t notice the man’s ambiguous look at her.

Instead, he ate several mouthfuls of egg custard.

When they came out of the state-owned restaurant, Qiao Anle’s belly was already slightly bulging from eating so much.

She licked the corner of her mouth, still feeling a little unsatisfied.

“Li Fengbei, where are we going next? Should we go to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and wait there?”

“Don’t go to the supply and marketing cooperative yet. The goods there don’t arrive that quickly. Don’t you have somewhere else you want to go? I’ll take you there.”

Is there another place?

Qiao Anle couldn’t even remember where she mentioned.

As Li Fengbei led her into the alley, they turned a few corners, just like walking in a maze, and kept turning in the alley.

“I’ve never been here before. I heard about it from the head of the grain station. It should be right here. I have a good sense of direction, so I won’t go wrong.”

The man looked at the road with a burning gaze and spoke meticulously.

Qiao Anle had already remembered it by now.

It’s the black market.

When she heard that she could come to the county town, she mentioned three places: the supply and marketing cooperative, the state-owned restaurant, and the last one was the black market.

Li Fengbei took her to the first two places.

I didn’t expect that Li Fengbei also remembered the last one.

And I asked my friends for the news early on.

They walked through countless alleys, and everything around them looked the same, but gradually, more and more people passed by them.

In some corners of the alley, there are people wearing turbans or hats that cover half of their faces and carrying bamboo baskets in their arms.

They’re here!

This is the black market, for sure.

The reason why the black market is called a black market is that it is not a market in the true sense of the word.

Instead, it is an underground place used directly by ordinary people for private transactions in this special era.

So small alleys with twists and turns and hidden and inconspicuous corners like this are the best.

Even if people with red armbands came, they could immediately find themselves slipping into the alleys and would definitely not be caught.

Qiao Anle had only heard of the black market but had never seen it.

“I want to exchange five kilograms of sweet potatoes for one kilogram of food coupons. Do you want it?”

“My dear wife, would you like some red dates? Red dates are the best for replenishing a woman’s essence and blood. You can exchange them with food coupons, or you can buy them with real money. They are not expensive, only 2.5 yuan per pound, and they are all top-quality red dates.”

“My dear wife, take a look at my walnuts. They are good for your brain and body. Both your children and men can eat them. Don’t go away. Take a closer look.”

Rather than buying things, Qiao Anle seemed to be strolling around.

She looked at the people’s clothes and secretly memorized them.

Those people are very vigilant and usually don’t speak easily. They will only greet people after they have approached and observed them to make sure there is no problem.

It’s usually food and drinks, and the price is not expensive.

Food coupons and cloth coupons are equivalent to hard currency, and those people are most willing to receive them.

If you buy it with money, it will be a few cents more expensive.

Qiao Anle wanted to stroll around, so Li Fengbei walked with him slowly.

They look around here and there, just as they digest their food after dinner.

They walked back and forth through several alleys several times, but Qiao Anle didn’t feel bored at all.

During this period.

Li Fengbei keenly sensed the presence of a strange woman.

The woman was wrapped tightly from head to toe, with only her eyes visible under the headscarf.

They are long and thin almond-shaped eyes, very clear, and you can tell at first glance that they are the eyes of a young person.

But her clothes looked very old-fashioned.

She also had a bamboo basket in her arms, which was covered with a piece of cloth, so it was impossible to tell what was inside.

This woman never comes forward to solicit customers.

Even if someone approached her and asked her what she was selling.

The young woman would also look at the other person carefully first, then shake her head and say nothing after looking for a while.

He really doesn’t look like a businessman.

But the other way around.

It also means that rare goods are worth the money.

After another round of walking.

Qiao Anle finally stopped, but still had empty hands.

This makes the man who dotes on his wife feel no sense of accomplishment.

“Wife, don’t you want to buy anything?”

“I just wanted to come and take a look. I didn’t plan to buy anything.”

“Why don’t we go check on that person and see what she’s selling.”

Li Fengbei pointed at the strange young woman not far away and suggested.

Qiao Anle looked in the direction of his finger and saw the woman who was wrapped tightly from head to toe.

She also noticed the young woman when she first walked down this street.

Especially when the woman looked up.

Her pair of narrow and long almond-shaped eyes are very eye-catching.

But the young woman never spoke on her own initiative. She didn’t seem to be selling anything, but rather waiting for someone.

Qiao Anle didn’t think much about it.

But now Li Fengbei reminded him of this.

She became more interested.

What treasures were in that young woman’s basket?

“We want to see what’s in your basket?”

After approaching.

Li Fengbei spoke first.

The young woman raised her head, and on the half of her face exposed outside the headscarf, she not only had a pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes, but also had clean and fair skin.

She squinted her eyes and looked Li Fengbei up and down, then looked at Qiao Anle and looked at him carefully as well.

Qiao Anle and Li Fengbei were calm and allowed each other to look at them.

The young woman frowned, looking the same as before, and didn’t think Qiao Anle and Li Fengbei would be her guests.

But her gaze.

He paused for a moment on the hands of Qiao Anle and Li Fengbei holding each other.

The young woman frowned and thought about it, then decided to speak.

Her voice came out muffled, but still sounded clear.

Asked, “My things are very expensive, you may not be able to afford them.”

Qiao Anle smiled and said, “Whether we can afford it or not, we won’t know until we see it.”

The young woman thought about it.

final.

She nodded, reached out and opened the cloth covering the basket, finally revealing the treasure in her arms.

It turned out to be

White Rabbit Milk Candy!