Chapter 31 – Contact

Old Zhao escorted Su Miaomiao to the county bus station entrance.

“Miaomiao, this is your letter of introduction. It’s valid for four days round trip—you must be back by the night of the 20th,” Old Zhao said seriously as he handed over the letter.

“I understand,” Su Miaomiao replied, carefully putting it away close to her body.

This thing was basically like an ID in later times—if she lost it, there was a risk the police might arrest her.

“If you can sell the herbs, then sell them. If not, just bring them back. Don’t force anything,” Old Zhao reminded her as if he were sending off a young family member on a long journey, covering every detail.

“I got it, Grandpa Zhao. You should head back now. I’m going into the station,” Su Miaomiao picked up the bag at her feet and waved goodbye to him.

“Be careful on the road,” Old Zhao said, eyes full of concern.

---

Su Miaomiao bought a ticket to the county town and found a seat near the back of the bus.

The ride from the county to Mo Town took four hours.

Not only was the bus packed with people, but it was bumpy the entire way.

What was worse was the awful smell inside the bus—Su Miaomiao felt like she was about to get motion sickness.

Clearly, no matter the era, having your own car was essential.

But she quickly suppressed that thought.

Private cars weren’t something ordinary people could afford, and even if she had the money, with her family’s political classification, no one would dare sell to them.

She had to find a way to remove the label from her family’s political status.

Otherwise, even if they had meat, they wouldn’t dare eat it. Even if they had new clothes, they wouldn’t dare wear them.

Su Miaomiao touched her pocket, where she had the letter that man had given her.

If what he said was true, and she successfully completed this mission, maybe it could bring a turning point for her family.

That’s right—although Su Miaomiao claimed she came to Mo Town to sell herbs, her real purpose was to use it as an excuse to deliver a letter.

After all, without a proper, legitimate reason, the village chief would never have issued her a letter of introduction.

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After a long and bumpy ride, the bus finally arrived at the Mo Town station before dark.

A crowd rushed off the bus, and Su Miaomiao, carrying her woven plastic sack, got off last.

The sky outside was already dark, but safety wasn’t a big concern at this hour—public security patrols were usually out at night.

Su Miaomiao found a local guesthouse and used her letter of introduction to book a room.

The room was very small, with only a single bed, but thankfully it had a bathroom.

After washing off the smell from her body, Su Miaomiao lay down on the bed in comfort.

She felt every cell in her body relax.

This was a real bed!

The straw-covered floor at home was only slightly better than sleeping directly on the ground.

She definitely needed to find a way to fix up the house—buy two real beds and renovate the kitchen.

Yes, and it would be best to fence the yard so they could grow vegetables like other villagers.

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Su Miaomiao drifted off to sleep.

---

The next morning, Su Miaomiao woke up naturally, urged by her biological clock.

After a simple wash, she grabbed her woven sack and went downstairs.

Before leaving, she asked the guesthouse owner where the Nanshan Church was.

Once she got the directions, she headed straight there.

When she arrived, the church door wasn’t open yet. She didn’t mind—she found a nearby breakfast stall, ordered a bowl of noodles, and ate slowly.

At 9 a.m., the church finally opened.

Su Miaomiao didn’t rush in. She quietly observed the people entering the church.

Only when she saw a man wearing a black hat with a small white flower pinned to his chest calmly walk into the church did she finally put down her chopsticks, settle the bill with the vendor, and carry her woven sack into the church.

As soon as Su Miaomiao entered, she saw a foreign-looking man dressed like a priest standing on the pulpit, praying.

The church was filled with people, each one attentively listening to the priest’s sermon.

Su Miaomiao scanned the entire church with her eyes. Once she confirmed that there was no one else wearing a black hat with a white flower on their chest, she quietly sat down beside the person who matched the description.

Her movements were very subtle and didn’t draw any attention.

Even after sitting down, she didn’t speak right away. Instead, she mimicked the others, clasping her hands in silent prayer.

The man in the black hat didn’t pay much attention to Su Miaomiao.

After all, the intel he received said the contact would be a man.

But just as he was patiently waiting, the girl next to him suddenly whispered,

“What time is it now?”

Her voice was so soft that the man wondered if he had imagined it.

Didn’t they say the contact was a man?

Why was it a woman?

Such a dangerous mission couldn’t possibly be assigned to a woman—especially one this young.

Unless… she just happened to say their secret passcode?

When Su Miaomiao didn’t get a response after saying the code, her brows furrowed slightly.

Did I get the wrong person?

But he was the only one in the entire church wearing a black hat with a white flower.
Could it really be that much of a coincidence?

Su Miaomiao thought it over and decided, just to be safe, she’d ask again.

“What time is it now?”

This time, the man was sure he hadn’t misheard. It was the passcode.

Could this girl really be the contact…?

His thoughts raced, but in the end, he decided to test her.

“Dawn is breaking,” he replied.

The moment those words left his mouth, the girl’s eyes lit up.

Only then did the man finally confirm that this was indeed the person he was supposed to meet.

Once Su Miaomiao was sure of his identity, she immediately took a letter out of her pocket and handed it to him.

The man quickly took it and stuffed it into his pocket. He was just about to ask her something when he turned his head—only to find that the girl was already walking away with her woven sack.

He wanted to follow her, but remembering the secret mission he carried, he had no choice but to return and report first.

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After Su Miaomiao left the church and made sure no one was following her, she relaxed and slowly strolled down the street.

The city was clearly much more bustling than the county town.

She even saw several private cars driving by.

Su Miaomiao stared at them longingly, wishing she could buy one right now.

But reality didn’t allow that.

With a soft sigh, she continued walking along the street and came across several herbal shops.

However, she didn’t enter just any of them. Instead, she chose one with fewer customers and carried her medicinal herbs inside.

“Here to see a doctor or to get herbs?” A middle-aged man behind the counter asked warmly as she approached.

“Do you buy medicinal herbs here?” Su Miaomiao asked.

“Herbs? You have some?” Upon hearing that, the smile on the man’s face faded slightly.

“Yes.” Su Miaomiao lifted her woven sack onto the counter. “Take a look. These herbs have all been properly processed by us.”