Chapter 10

“Soap and scented soap.”

Gu Keqing picked up one of each and said, “Scented soap is for washing your face and bathing—your skin will be smooth and delicate after using it. Regular soap is for washing clothes, and it cleans really well.”

“Oh… you’ve even got such a distinction between them! I remember scented soap only being available in Hong Kong. Around here, we only have regular soap.”

The man carrying the black briefcase spoke with a hint of surprise. “How much are they?”

“How many do you want? I brought 10 bars of scented soap and 10 bars of regular soap today. If you want more, I have more in my basket.”

Seeing that the man was well-dressed and well-spoken, Gu Keqing thought he might be a big buyer.

“Young lady, to tell you the truth—”

The man with the black briefcase crouched down, glanced left and right, and then lowered his voice. “I specialize in supplying wealthy ladies. As long as your goods are good, I’ll have no problem selling them.”

Wealthy ladies? Gu Keqing thought.

No matter the era, there are always rich people. They’re never short on money—only on rare goods.

And she happened to have plenty of rare goods.

Shampoo, shower gel, essential oils, facial cleanser… you name it.

All she had to do was repackage them to fit the era.

Once she could open up the market, it’d be like money flowing straight into her pocket.

“Brother, why don’t you open one up and take a look first—check the goods before we talk business.”

She handed him a bar of imported scented soap.

Back in the 21st century, this bar would sell for over a hundred yuan in a department store. Here, she had no idea how much to price it for.

The man tore open the packaging and brought it close to his nose. The floral fragrance hit him immediately—obviously a high-quality product.

“Miss, I’ll take all of these. How about one yuan per bar?”

Gu Keqing: “……”

She sighed, thought for a moment, and pretended to be reluctant. “Fine, I’ll sell them to you at a loss!”

“Will 20 yuan be enough?”

Gu Keqing thought it was hard enough to get into the city, so she wanted to sell more before going back.

“How much do you have?”

The man with the black briefcase thought for a moment and asked.

“How much do you want?”

She tossed the question back at him.

“Fifty yuan worth—thirty bars of scented soap and twenty bars of regular soap. If they sell well, I’ll keep buying from you.”

“Deal! Want to take a look at anything else?”

While letting the man check out the other items on her stall, she reached into her basket and, from her personal space, took out the scented soap and regular soap.

“These fruits aren’t ordinary… I didn’t look closely before, but now I see—you can’t find produce this good on the market.”

The man’s face lit up. Selling these to wealthy ladies would mean huge profits.

“How much do you have? I can restock fruits every two days.”

She thought to herself—of course the fruits were good. They came from her own farm, grown without pesticides and tended by highly paid experts.

Even the fanciest 21st-century fruit shops couldn’t match this quality.

“I’ll take all of them—plus the soaps and vegetables. Let’s round it up—how about 200 yuan?”

He looked up at her. “Come back in two days. However much you have, I’ll buy it—scented soap, regular soap, fruit, all of it.”

“Alright, deal. But…”

She paused, then added, “Brother, can you give me some ration tickets? I want to buy some things at the supply and mar Keqing cooperative.”

“You should’ve said so earlier! I’ve got plenty—take whatever you need.”

He pulled a small bundle of tickets from his black briefcase and handed them to her generously. “Here, take them. If you need more next time, just ask me.”

“Thank you, brother.”

She happily accepted them.

“No need to be polite. I’m Liu Mangzi—everyone in the black market knows me. But there’s one thing—we have to agree in advance. You can’t sell your goods to anyone else, only me.”

Liu Mangzi’s expression was serious.

“No problem!”

After packing his order into a net bag, she sat for a while. Seeing that no one was buying her flour or eggs, she stored them back into her space.

She counted her money—adding what Shen Yan had given her, she had nearly a thousand yuan now.

When she left the black market, her stomach was growling.

So she went into a state-owned restaurant.

In this era, there were almost no private eateries—if you wanted to eat out, this was the place.

She ordered braised pork, spicy and sour shredded potatoes, and a bowl of white rice. After paying with cash and ration tickets, she sat down to wait.

She wasn’t about to shortchange herself—good food was a must at any time.

That evening, she’d take two chickens from her space—one for stew, one for stir-fry.

“Gu Keqing, what are you doing here—did you come here just to block my way?”

A young man in a gray Zhongshan suit stood in front of her, looking angry.

She let out a sarcastic laugh. “Who the hell are you? I don’t even know you—why would I block your way? Idiot.”

The word “idiot” made the man in the Zhongshan suit freeze for a moment.

“You… you’re scolding me? You dare to scold me?”

Huang Chengguo pushed up his glasses, looking shocked.

“So what if I scold you? What do you mean ‘dare’? Is something wrong with your brain?”

When her food arrived, she ignored him completely and started eating heartily.

” Keqing, I know you still like me—that’s why you came to the city to find me.”

“Get lost! Don’t disturb me while I’m eating! Say one more word, and I’ll yell that you’re a pervert and have the police haul you away!”

Her mood soured when she was hungry, and this idiot just had to show up spouting nonsense.

“Then… I’ll wait for you outside.”

Huang Chengguo thought she was only saying that on purpose, so he left the state-owned restaurant and waited at the door.

While eating, she recalled the plot of the book—this man was the original owner’s pretty-boy boyfriend.

And that pretty boy had hooked up with her stepsister, Xu Xiaoxiao.

Her stepmother, in order to buy Xu Xiaoxiao a job position, had sent the original owner down to the countryside, and then used Grandma Gu’s life-saving debt to Old Master Shen to swindle the Shen family out of a large betrothal gift.

Now she understood the whole thing.

She had already been planning to “visit” her cheap father and vicious stepmother in a few days—this pretty boy showing up was perfect.

She’d start by giving him a good scolding to vent some anger.

After finishing her meal, she went to the counter and bought 20 meat buns and 4 pork knuckles to take home, wrapping them in oil paper and storing them in her space.

She planned to bring them back for the Shen family to enjoy.

” Keqing, you finally came out.”

Huang Chengguo approached her.

“Get out of the way! A good dog doesn’t block the road!”

She shot him a look of disgust and even fanned her hand in front of her nose, as if he stank.

“I know you resent me, but I really am in love with Xiaoxiao!”

He blocked her path, trying to explain.

“Are you mentally ill? You love her? Fine—go love her then. Why are you telling me? I’m already married—my husband’s name is Shen Yan. He’s tall, handsome, and treats me well. Who the hell do you think you are? Stop flattering yourself. You should take a piss and look at your reflection—see what kind of trash you are. Disgusting!”

She didn’t hesitate to curse him out.

“You—you’re acting like a shrew!”