Chapter 4

The supermarket was eerily silent, completely different from the usual hustle and bustle.

Jiang Manyue wandered around the store a few times, but didn’t see a single person. Besides her, the only living creatures were the fish, shrimp, and crabs in the seafood section.

Could this supermarket be some kind of cheat ability that came with time-travel?

Jiang Manyue picked up a pack of instant noodles and silently recited in her mind, “I want to go out.”

In the next instant, her vision blurred. She instinctively closed her eyes and opened them again to find herself surrounded by darkness.

As her eyes adjusted, she realized she was back in her room, lying in bed—with the pack of instant noodles still in her hand.

Jiang Manyue was thrilled. She quickly closed her eyes again and murmured, “I want to go in,” and once more returned to the supermarket.

Seeing the shelves full of goods, Jiang Manyue couldn’t hold back anymore—she burst into laughter.

In this era of scarcity, with food and clothing hard to come by, an entire fully stocked supermarket was her biggest asset.

After calming herself down, Jiang Manyue took another lap around the store, inspecting her newfound domain and possessions.

When she reached the checkout area, she noticed that the space beyond it—like the supermarket—looked completely normal, yet there was still no sound or movement.

She tried opening the checkout gate and stepped into the shopping mall area.

There was no obstruction. Jiang Manyue walked all the way to the mall’s central atrium. Looking up, she could see the dome spanning six floors high.

Could it be… the entire mall is mine?

Her eyes lit up. She had been to this mall several times and knew it had two gold stores, a high-end pharmacy, a watch and jewelry store, and more.

With this new idea in mind, Jiang Manyue casually grabbed something from the mall and returned to her room.

The item was still in her hand, which confirmed it—she really could use anything from the mall.

She excitedly rolled on her bed. Now, not only did she have supplies to trade for money, but she also had two gold shops as financial reserves!

Overcome with excitement, Jiang Manyue spent half the night wandering around the mall before finally falling asleep from exhaustion.

The next morning, she woke up, got dressed, and prepared to head into town.

Her goal for the day wasn’t just to find books—she also needed to locate the black market.

She remembered the old folks saying that during the ‘60s and ‘70s, everything required ration tickets, which were never enough for a whole family. So, many turned to private trades, and over time, informal markets emerged—what people called the black market.

In the original host’s memories, she’d also heard people mention the black market. However, it was always vague—just talk about how someone got something from there. No one ever said exactly where it was.

Jiang Manyue wasn’t sure how easy it would be to find, but if she wanted to make money in the coming years, she had to get involved with the black market.

In the yard, Li Guifen was chopping pigweed to feed the chickens. She saw Jiang Manyue ready to head out but didn’t pay much attention—just assumed she was visiting her parents again.

Jiang Manyue casually greeted her without explaining where she was going and left.

Li Guifen watched her leave and felt something was off. Ever since Jiang Manyue fainted the day before, it was like she’d become a different person. She hadn’t lost her temper last night and even offered an explanation. Now she was heading out politely saying goodbye?

“What’s gotten into her? Could she be pretending to behave after sensing that we’re planning to call Arin back for a divorce?”

Li Guifen couldn’t figure it out and didn’t bother to dwell on it. She had already made up her mind—Jiang Manyue and Arin weren’t suited for marriage. Better to end it early than let it drag on and become a bigger mess for both families.

Shortly after Jiang Manyue left, Li Guifen finished feeding the chickens and made breakfast. Lu Qingyou came home from the brigade leader’s house after asking for leave. He quickly ate before rushing off to the county seat to send a telegram.

“Remember—no unnecessary words. Just say: ‘On leave, home, divorce.’ This is the address. Keep it safe.”

Lu Qingyou tucked the slip of paper with Arin’s military base address into his shirt pocket and reassured her, “Don’t worry. You’ve repeated it enough times—I’ve got it. It’s only a few words. I won’t forget.”

Li Guifen thought for a moment and handed him some money and ration tickets. “After you send the telegram, buy a tin of malted milk for Jun’an. We’re nearly out.”

Lu Qingyou nodded. Just as he was about to leave, Li Guifen stopped him again. “And get some pastries while you’re at it. Don’t let people say we only spend Arin’s money on Jun’an.”

Lu Qingyou understood her meaning perfectly. He sighed and headed out.

Li Guifen stood at the gate for a while, making sure he left, then went back to her chores.

Meanwhile, Jiang Manyue had already arrived in the county seat. Since many people were busy shopping for food, she casually approached someone to ask for directions.

“Big sister, my mom sent me to buy grain, but we’ve run out of ration tickets. I wanted to ask… do you know anywhere I can get grain without tickets?”

The woman immediately looked wary. “Nowhere. I don’t know anything about that.”

“Alright. Thanks anyway. I’ll ask someone else—see if anyone knows where I can buy grain without a ticket.”

Jiang Manyue stood there looking helpless, her eyes scanning the crowd.

The woman glanced back and, seeing she was just a young girl, softened a little. She hesitated before asking, “Your mom sent you to buy grain without tickets?”

Jiang Manyue nodded. “There are a lot of mouths to feed at home, and the ration tickets never last. Yesterday my mom heard someone say there’s a place where you can buy grain without them, so she sent me out to find it. If I could bring some food home, no one would go hungry.”

The woman looked at her sincerity and quietly pulled her aside, then gave her instructions.

“If you want to buy grain without tickets, follow this road straight to the end, then turn left. Go into the second alley. Someone will be guarding it. Just tell them, ‘Rice is ten yuan and forty cents a pound today.’ They’ll let you in. Next time, just change the date and the price slightly.”

Jiang Manyue gratefully thanked the kind woman and followed the directions toward the black market.

When she reached the second alley, she hesitated and didn’t go in. Instead, she found a quiet spot and entered the space again.

She needed to change her outfit first. If someone she knew saw her, there’d be no way to explain.