Chapter 22: Nan Qiao Wants to Visit the Black Market

“How can I get to know you if we don’t meet?” Sheng Yanchuan teased, circling around Nan Qiao with a mischievous grin.

“If we don’t meet, then we just don’t get to know each other. It’s not like it’s a must,” Nan Qiao shot him a glare.

“Then what should I do? I want to see you every day.”

“Big sis, what secret are you whispering to my brother?” Tao Hua, walking ahead, turned around curiously upon hearing their murmuring.

“Oh, nothing! I was just telling your brother how well you did this morning—you finished so much homework!”

“It’s true, it’s true! Big sis also helped me with lots of questions. She teaches better than my brother!” Tao Hua bounced happily.

“Is that so? Then do you still want your brother to help you from now on?”

“No! I want Sister Nan Qiao to teach me. You won’t find me annoying, right?” Tao Hua ran back and clung to Nan Qiao’s hand.

“Of course not. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me.”

“Yay!” Tao Hua beamed and swayed Nan Qiao’s hand excitedly—making Sheng Yanchuan green with envy…

He wished he could snatch Tao Hua’s hand away and hold Nan Qiao’s himself…

The three of them strolled leisurely toward the Sheng family courtyard. When they arrived, Sheng’s mother and the eldest daughter-in-law were already preparing lunch. Shen Nian was in the courtyard playing with Hughug the dog.

Seeing them come in, Auntie Xiumei called out, “Come sit for a bit. Lunch will be ready soon.”

“Okay~ Thank you for the trouble, Auntie Xiumei,” Nan Qiao replied sweetly, her voice soft and adorable.

“What trouble? As long as you enjoy the food, that’s all that matters. There’s nothing fancy at home, but if there were, I’d gladly make it for you.”

“Auntie Xiumei, I just sprained my ankle, no need to go to so much trouble! I’ll be fine in a few days,” Nan Qiao said cheerfully.

“Well, still gotta eat something good. I made wild chicken soup—eat more at lunch,” Xiumei said, clearly putting in effort to help her son woo a wife.

“Auntie, you’re too kind. I brought two cans of luncheon meat—let’s consider it a lunch upgrade.” As she spoke, Nan Qiao took the two tin cans from Sheng Yanchuan and handed them to Xiumei.

In this era, luncheon meat and canned meat were rare commodities, typically reserved for military supplies. It was extremely uncommon for ordinary folks to have them.

“You little thing, how many times have I told you—stop bringing stuff when you come eat!”

Nan Qiao just giggled and said nothing.

Seeing she didn’t respond, Xiumei signaled her son with her eyes to take good care of Nan Qiao, then went back into the kitchen to cook.

Nan Qiao sat in the courtyard, watching everyone busy around her. Doing nothing made her feel oddly unreal, like she was just a bystander observing other people’s lives.

“What are you thinking about?” Sheng Yanchuan asked, sitting down beside her.

Nan Qiao glanced at him. “I was wondering… if there’s another me in this world.”

“Maybe there is. The world is pretty big,” Sheng Yanchuan replied.

“I’m planning to go to town this afternoon. If there’s anything you need, I can bring it back,” he offered, turning to look at her.

“Hmm, nothing in particular. Just the usual food and supplies. Actually, I’d been hoping to go into town myself during the break. But now with my foot like this, I don’t know if that’s possible.” Nan Qiao sounded disappointed. Her original plan was to check out the black market—a unique feature of this era she didn’t want to miss.

Sheng Yanchuan glanced at her ankle. “There’s still four days left in your break. You should be better by then. Where do you want to go? I’ll take you.”

“Hmm… anywhere I want, you’ll go with me?” she asked tentatively.

“Of course.”

“I want to go to the black market,” Nan Qiao whispered close to him.

Sheng Yanchuan looked shocked. Was this girl serious right from the start? “What do you want to go there for? That place is dangerous!”

“I’ve just never been. I want to see what it’s like.”

“That’s all?” He clearly didn’t believe her.

“That’s all!” she insisted.

“Really?” Sheng Yanchuan looked at her, full of skepticism.

“Really! What could I even do there? My family was always super strict. I never had the chance to see these kinds of things before.” Nan Qiao looked away, avoiding his gaze.

“There’s nothing worth seeing there. You can just stroll around town. That place isn’t safe. What if you run into bad people?”

“Oh come on, fine, I won’t go then. I was just curious and asked. It’s not like I have to go,” she brushed it off.

As for the black market—if she got the chance, she was definitely going. Worst-case scenario, she still had her hidden space to fall back on, so she wouldn’t be in real danger.

As for Sheng Yanchuan, well, they weren’t in any sort of relationship yet. She couldn’t possibly tell him about the space, and dragging him along would just be inconvenient.

Besides, even if it wasn’t just about curiosity, she had a plan—to trade some of her supplies for valuables like jewels and antiques.

These things might not be worth much now, but in the future, they’d be worth a fortune. Now that she had transmigrated, she didn’t have her aunt to shield and manage the household for her anymore.

She had to rely entirely on herself to build her own foundation.

And since she was already here, this new family needed her protection too. She couldn’t just sit back and enjoy peace without effort.

“What are you two talking about? You’ve been whispering for a while now,” Shen Nian came over and asked.

“He said he’s going to town this afternoon and asked if we need anything,” Nan Qiao explained, pointing at Sheng Yanchuan.

“Ooh, yes! Big Brother Sheng, could you get me some snacks? Anything is fine!” Shen Nian said eagerly, resting her chin on Nan Qiao’s knee with sparkling eyes.

“Sure. I’ll bring some back this afternoon.”

“Yay! I’ll give you money and ration coupons tonight.”

Sheng Yanchuan nodded silently, just watching the two girls chatting.

“Lunch is ready, come and eat!” came Xiumei’s shout from the kitchen.

“I’ll go help. You two take your time,” Sheng Yanchuan said, getting up.

At the table, Nan Qiao looked down at the bowl in front of her and felt a little overwhelmed.

Meat was a luxury in these times. She stared at the wild chicken leg in her bowl, suddenly uncomfortable.

There were nine people around the table. A single wild chicken had only two legs—one was in Uncle Sheng’s bowl, and the other… in hers.

Nan Qiao instantly felt awkward. “Auntie Xiumei, you should have this drumstick. I’m not even really hurt. I don’t need special treatment.”

As Nan Qiao reached out to give the chicken leg to Auntie Xiumei, her hand was swiftly pushed back down.

“It’s for you to eat. Why are you trying to give it away? Just eat it properly,” Auntie Xiumei scolded gently.

Nan Qiao could only give up helplessly. As Uncle Sheng picked up his chopsticks, everyone else began eating as well.

Nan Qiao quietly observed the people around the table.

Auntie Xiumei and Tao Hua didn’t seem to mind much—just having meat made them happy.

Shen Nian kept making exaggerated winks and gestures at her, hinting at something until Nan Qiao knocked her lightly to make her behave.

Sheng Yanchuan, meanwhile, kept urging her to eat while the food was still hot.

Only the eldest daughter-in-law of the Sheng family—Sister-in-law Sheng—had a peculiar look in her eyes…

“Qiao Qiao, did you bring this from Shanghai too? Where did you buy it? I’ve never seen it before.” Shen Nian picked up a piece of the luncheon meat Nan Qiao brought and asked.

Nan Qiao nodded and casually gave an explanation she had already prepared: “My eldest brother is in the military. He asked someone to get it for him. When I came to the countryside, my parents gave it to me to bring along.”

“I knew it! There are still things in Shanghai I don’t know about,” Shen Nian said with a look of sudden realization.

“Wow, looks like you’ve been all over the place, Shen Zhiqing,” Nan Qiao teased as she chewed.

“My parents are always busy, and when I had nothing to do, I’d often follow my older siblings around. They’ve been working for years and know all kinds of things, so they’d take me along whenever they went out,” Shen Nian explained.

“Lucky you. My brother’s always busy and doesn’t take me anywhere,” Nan Qiao said, her tone turning a bit gloomy. Her past arrogance had partly come from this—her parents and brothers only cared about giving her money, never their time. So she thought showering others with money would earn her companionship.

But who would’ve thought she’d attract people like Dong Jiayan and Qin Fang—who pretended to flatter her but trashed her behind her back? In hindsight, she couldn’t really blame anyone else—it was her own foolishness.

“Qiao Qiao, your brother’s in the army?” Auntie Xiumei asked with sudden interest.

Nan Qiao nodded. “Mm, my eldest brother. He’s been in the military for seven or eight years now. He rarely comes home. I couldn’t even get in touch with him before coming here.”

“Then your brother must be worried about you. I bet he’ll try to find a way to visit you.” Auntie Xiumei sounded genuinely concerned. This Nan Zhiqing’s family background seemed better than she had expected…

She had assumed Nan Qiao was just from a dual-income household at most. But now it turned out she had an elder brother in the military, and for many years no less—this probably meant he held a decent position. A military officer in the family? That was no small deal.

Even Sheng’s mother paused with her chopsticks upon hearing this.

“I’m not sure. His post is pretty far away, so he probably won’t be able to come. He doesn’t get much leave,” Nan Qiao replied. She hadn’t felt much before, but now that she was talking about it, she realized she missed her brother—even though they’d never actually met in person.

In her inherited memories, her eldest brother only came home once a year, always bringing her tons of gifts—hairpins, handkerchiefs, handwoven vests… Once, he even brought back a whole bunch of colorful nail polish. Who knew where he had been stationed at the time?

Before leaving again, he would always stuff her with pocket money, giving the rest to their mom—except for what little he needed himself.

He always said he didn’t know what girls liked, but when he saw something colorful, he thought his little sister would look pretty with it—so he bought it all for her.

He never worried about whether it was expensive or worth it.

But such a good brother—Nan Qiao hadn’t seen much of him since she became old enough to understand things. Even this time, before she was sent to the countryside, they hadn’t managed to speak.

In truth, her current emotions had already been subtly influenced by her new identity. Sometimes, if she didn’t actively remind herself that she had lived a modern life in the 21st century, she really felt like she’d grown up here.

Her parents in this life looked just like her real ones, which made it easier for her to slowly blend into this family.

“It’s alright. If your brother has time, he’ll definitely come visit you,” Auntie Xiumei comforted her gently.

But then she snuck a glance at her younger son, silently adding in her heart, He might come, sure—but please let him not beat my foolish son to death. If he spoils his little sister so much, and finds out she got targeted by my boy just days after arriving… I can’t even imagine the outcome…

The more Auntie Xiumei thought about it, the more anxious she felt. But looking at her son, whose eyes never left Nan Qiao, she let out a tiny sigh and resigned herself to fate.

Nan Qiao nodded at Auntie Xiumei’s words and silently planned—if she could go to town in a few days, she’d try to give her brother a call.

Surely her brother wouldn’t yell at her, right…?

Still, although she told Auntie Xiumei she didn’t know whether her brother would come, deep down, she was sure he would. As soon as he got the news, he’d come as quickly as he could…

She just hoped their parents hadn’t called him yet—if they hadn’t, maybe she could delay her scolding a bit longer… Nan Qiao sipped her soup awkwardly as she thought.

After lunch, Nan Qiao and Shen Nian strolled leisurely back home. Once there, they each returned to their rooms for a nap.

---

Meanwhile, at the male zhiqing (educated youth) dormitory courtyard—

“Li Zhuoran, do you know why Nan Qiao didn’t show up this morning?” Su Mu pulled Li Zhuoran aside and asked quietly.

He hadn’t seen Nan Qiao in the morning, and Sheng Yanchuan had only worked a little before leaving. Su Mu had been uneasy all morning, worried that Sheng Yanchuan had done something inappropriate after taking Nan Qiao home the night before.

He couldn’t ask with everyone around, but now that he caught Li Zhuoran alone, he was eager to find out.

“Nan Qiao?” Li Zhuoran stretched the tone of her name, then teased, “Why are you asking about her?”

“We’re from the same hometown. She didn’t show up today, so of course I’m concerned.”

“Just fellow townsfolk? Nothing else?”

“Of course! Even if it weren’t Nan Qiao, I’d still be concerned about anyone else. She’s no different,” Su Mu replied seriously, like he was just being politely concerned.

Li Zhuoran found that a bit laughable—at least Sheng Yanchuan was straightforward. He either liked someone or he didn’t. This beating-around-the-bush nonsense was just tiring.

Sure, feelings were personal, and no one had to explain them. But Su Mu’s eagerness to deny anything made things suspicious.

“Oh,” Li Zhuoran replied flatly and said no more.

“Oh what? What happened to her?” Su Mu asked impatiently.

“What could it be? She sprained her ankle and is resting at home.”

“Sprained? How’d that happen? Is it serious?” Su Mu’s mind couldn’t help but suspect that Sheng Yanchuan had done something.

“Not serious. She can still walk, just needs a few days to rest.”

“I need to go check on her.” Su Mu said, ready to leave.

“She’s a girl. Nothing serious. Why are you showing up at her door at midday? Even for a fellow townsman, that’s not appropriate,” Li Zhuoran said lazily.

Su Mu stopped mid-step, suddenly realizing he might be acting impulsively. Since Nan Qiao was probably napping, he sulked and returned to his room.

Watching him leave, Li Zhuoran couldn’t help but let out a small snort.