Chapter 71

The squad leader quickly said, “Everyone hurry up and go to work.”

An old man who was carrying manure asked the squad leader, “When will Xia Yunyan come back to carry manure? I’ve been carrying it for so long, and I’m covered in manure. It’s time for someone else to take over.”

The squad leader said, “Xia Yunyan will be back in a couple of days. Then, carrying manure will be her job.”

The Xia Yunyan mentioned by these people had been having a miserable time these past few days. Whenever the Red Guards were unhappy, they would take their anger out on Xia Yunyan. Her life was practically a living hell.

These people had watched a big show that morning and now, carrying their farming tools, they went to work. While working, they discussed how the Girl Yun had really changed.

Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Li, Mrs. Zhang, and Guan Po were assigned to weed a patch of land together. Mrs. Li said, “Do you think the Girl Yun is possessed?”

Mrs. Wang hushed her, saying, “Lower your voice. Can you just say things like that? What if it gets back to others and they come after you? You’re spreading superstition.”

Mrs. Li slapped her mouth a few times and said, “Oops, I slipped up. But don’t you find it strange? The old Girl Yun was so quiet, barely saying a word all day. She just knew how to work and was bullied, but she wouldn’t dare say anything. Look at the Girl Yun now, who dares to mess with her?”

Mrs. Zhang said, “Her boyfriend is from the capital city, so of course she’s different. How can we, just ordinary farmers, compare? She’s bound to be more assertive.”

Xia Yunxuan didn’t care what others said about her. As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered. She locked the door of the tool shed, rode her newly bought bicycle, carrying her shoulder bag, and headed to town. She had to make a transaction tonight. There were too many animals, they were practically overflowing.

When Xia Yunxuan arrived in town, she went into a small alley. When she saw no one around, she put her bicycle in her space and, after turning several corners, finally reached her destination: the black market. She had given herself a makeover in the alley, so even if she ran into someone she knew, they wouldn’t recognize her.

Xia Yunxuan knocked on the door. When the door opened, a man with a crew cut poked his head out. Upon seeing Xia Yunxuan, he smiled and said, “Oh, it’s you, little brother. You’re here again. You’re looking for our boss for some goods, I presume?”

Xia Yunxuan nodded and said, “I have a big batch of goods to trade with your boss this time. Let me in.”

The two entered the room. There were two other people inside, one nicknamed Ergouzi and the other Daozi.

Brother Li, upon seeing Xia Yunxuan, was particularly excited. He said, “Little brother, you’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Your goods sell so well. What good stuff have you brought to trade with me this time?”

Xia Yunxuan said, “This time, I’m selling a lot of live animals. Do you want them? Wild boars, wild sheep, rabbits, chickens, ducks, all kinds of fruits, rice, noodles, grain oil, white sugar, brown sugar, I can also give you some of those.”

As soon as Brother Li heard this, he jumped up from his stool and asked, “Little brother, are you serious? You really have so many good things?”

“Xia Yunxuan said, ‘I’m here, do you think it’s fake? Get your money and tickets ready. If you don’t have enough, prepare some old objects, gold can also be traded, paintings too, but I want good ones, don’t try to fool me with fakes.'”

Brother Li said, “Little brother, don’t worry, I promise to pick the best for you. You have such good goods, I want to do business with you again. Little brother, when shall we trade?”

Xia Yunxuan said, “At 10 p.m. at the same place as last time. Since the animals are alive, you’ll have to find your own cages to put them in.”

Brother Li said, “No problem, little brother, we’ll take care of everything.”

“Okay. Then, Brother Li, I’ll go first. I need to go back and prepare to load the goods.”

“Go slowly, little brother,” Brother Li shouted. “What a bunch of clueless fools! Go and see him off. This is a money god, for goodness sake. You’ve been with me for so long, and you haven’t learned a thing.”

The few younger brothers knew their boss’s temper and didn’t say anything. Besides, they were going to make a lot of money this time, so they didn’t care if they got yelled at by the boss.

Xia Yunxuan walked out of the black market and into the nearby alley. She checked that no one was around and then flashed into her space. She washed off her makeup, changed back into the clothes she had worn when she came out, drank a cup of spiritual spring water, grabbed her shoulder bag, and flashed out of her space.

She had a few ration coupons, so she had to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a few bottles of Moutai to store away. Now they cost a few yuan a bottle, but in a few decades, they’ll be worth tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands a bottle. That’s a fortune to be made, a fool wouldn’t miss out on that.

After ten minutes, Xia Yunxuan arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative. She walked to the liquor section and politely asked, “Comrade, may I ask how much a bottle of Moutai costs?”

The saleswoman looked at Xia Yunxuan and said, “Comrade, hello, Moutai is 7 yuan a bottle, plus a ration coupon.”

“Comrade, I’m buying this for someone else. I have 5 ration coupons, can I buy them all? She knows that in some places, Moutai is limited, and you can only buy two bottles at most.”

The saleswoman whispered, “Normally, we can’t do that, but since you’re buying it for someone else, I’ll make an exception for you.”

Xia Yunxuan said, “Thank you, comrade. Then, she quickly handed over the money and ration coupons, and then took out a few candies from her pocket and put them in the saleswoman’s pocket, saying, “Comrade, have a sweet treat.”

The saleswoman immediately showed her signature smile and whispered, “Comrade, if you want to buy more, you can come back tomorrow.”

Xia Yunxuan replied, “Okay, comrade.”

The saleswoman said, “Don’t call me comrade, it’s too formal. My last name is Qian, just call me Sister Qian.”

Xia Yunxuan sweetly called out, “Sister Qian, nice to meet you.”

Sister Qian said, “Little girl, you’re not only pretty and polite, but your name is also so beautiful. Your skin is so good, it’s really enviable, as white and tender as a peeled egg.”

Xia Yunxuan said, “Sister Qian, if you have a cucumber at home, you can cut it into thin slices and apply it to your face. Wash it off after fifteen minutes. After a while, your skin will be much more supple.”

“Oh, little girl, is that true? Then I’ll try it at home. If it works, I’ll really thank you, Da Jie. You see, my skin has been so bad since I had a child. My husband keeps complaining to me, saying my skin is too bad, but we have a child to raise and old people to support, so we can’t afford face cream or Gala oil.”

“Cucumbers, my mother-in-law is a farmer, she grows a lot of them, so they’re free.”

Xia Yunxuan said, “Then, Sister Qian, you can try it at home, but you have to try it for a while. I’ll go first, I’ll come back to find you when I want to buy wine.”

“Okay, little girl, come back anytime!”