Chapter 41

On the fifth day, the scheduled time arrived for collecting eels from Zhou Bingsheng. Jiang Ruan called Qin Ao to join her in collecting eggs and eels.

For the past few days, Jiang Ruan had been the one collecting eggs, while Qin Ao, fearing another beating, cautiously reminded her, “Today is also the day Xun Lao’er collects eels from his regular spots.”

Jiang Ruan replied, “Are you still afraid when you’re with me? If I’m going, I’ve definitely come prepared.”

Qin Ao was aware of her preparations. She had been going to Xun Lao’er’s neighborhood, offering free medicinal baths to the elderly but deliberately not treating Xun Lao’er’s mother. Qin Ao worried that this would only deepen their feud with Xun Lao’er.

At Dawang Village, when Jiang Ruan and Qin Ao arrived, a group of ten children carrying buckets gathered around them, saying, “Sister, we were worried you wouldn’t come.”

Others had come to collect before, but no one returned a second time.

Last time, Jiang Ruan offered a high buying price—30 cents per pound—double the 15 cents Xun Lao’er was offering. The adults had encouraged the children to sell to her since Xun Lao’er, ruthless as he was, had one principle, he wouldn’t harm the elderly or children.

Jiang Ruan smiled and said, “I’ll be collecting eels until the end of October. Go ahead and weigh them. For every pound of eels, I’ll also give you a piece of fruit candy. The more you sell, the more candy you get.”

Over the past few days, Zhou Bingsheng had caught nine pounds, eight taels, and six qian (about 4.9 kg). Jiang Ruan rounded up the weight to ten pounds and paid him three yuan, adding ten pieces of fruit candy as a bonus.

He was overjoyed. There were plenty of plump eels in the fields and canals these months, and if the sister came every five days, he could earn over ten yuan a month from selling eels—so much money, enough to help pay for his father’s medical expenses. He was delighted.

“Sister, you must come again next time,” Zhou Bingsheng said as he gifted Jiang Ruan half a pound of his family’s dried shrimp. “Next time, I’ll give you more.”

“Deal. It’s settled.”

Meanwhile, Xun Lao’er was at the other end of the village collecting eels. Some villagers, unsure if Jiang Ruan could compete with him, chose to sell their eels to him instead.

However, ten households, eager for fruit candy, sold all their eels to Jiang Ruan. That day was a good harvest; Jiang Ruan collected 120 pounds of eels and over 500 eggs.

Back in the city, Qin Ao sold the eggs while Jiang Ruan took the eels to sell. She supplied some to a restaurant at 90 cents per pound, then sold the remaining 50 pounds to a fisheries department for 55 cents a pound. She earned 57 yuan from the eels that day.

Collecting eggs only made a profit of about ten yuan per day, with the risk of damage during transport. In contrast, eels brought in over 50 yuan daily—a significant difference. No wonder Xun Lao’er was so protective of the eel business.

After selling the eels to the fisheries department, Xun Lao’er emerged from the office with a polite smile. “Young lady, I’ve shown enough sincerity today. How about we have a chat?”

Xun Lao’er’s real name was Xun Li, though few people used it anymore. They went to a small restaurant across from the fisheries office, where they each ordered a bowl of beef noodles. Jiang Ruan insisted on paying.

“Brother Li, thank you for letting me have the business today. Let me treat you to this bowl of beef noodles.”

Xun Li, who wouldn’t hit someone showing kindness, smiled. Threatening her was pointless since her brother was a detective, and her father had recently resumed a position in the municipal government. If she used her family’s influence, she could easily force him to relinquish the eel business. Her future in-laws were far away at a research institute, and her fiancé, Qin Yan, was undergoing military training. Even if Xun Li wanted to target him, he wouldn’t dare harm a university student. Moreover, Qin Yan had successfully run a jewelry business on a street plagued by gangs, proving he was no pushover.

The only person Xun Li could potentially intimidate was Qin Ao, who had introduced Jiang Ruan to the eel business. Hence, he targeted Qin Ao last time.

Xun Li said, “Young lady, I can let you collect eels in Dawang Village, but can you add an extra dose of the medicinal bath for my mother’s treatment?”

Jiang Ruan asked, “Brother Li, if I didn’t have some medical skills that happened to help your mother’s rheumatism, would you have blocked my business?”

Xun Li chuckled, “Indeed, business has no room for sentiment. If I didn’t need your help, I would have cut off your business completely.”

Jiang Ruan continued, “Brother Li, how much eel can the fisheries department handle daily?”

“Two to three thousand pounds. They have a transport team to deliver them elsewhere, and the demand is substantial.”

“And how much do you collect daily?”

“My coverage is limited to a few villages in Dawang Township, collecting every three days. At most, I can gather eight or nine hundred pounds each time.”

Dawang Village had the richest water resources in the township, producing a high yield of eels. Jiang Ruan collected 120 pounds in one trip, effectively cutting into Xun Li’s share.

Jiang Ruan proposed, “There are eleven villages in Dawang Township, and you regularly collect from four. I don’t need you to concede anything. I can help you secure the remaining villages, and we’ll standardize our prices to avoid a price war. How does that sound?”

Xun Li burst into laughter, “Fine, I’ll give you Dawang Village for a month. If you can handle it, then we’ll talk about cooperation.”

“Deal. I have one more condition: You had someone beat up Qin Ao, and now his former foster family has told his mother about it. She’s been causing a fuss for two days. Brother Li, could you compensate for his medical expenses?”

“No problem,” Xun Li said. “I have a small request, too. I’ll pay for it. Can you prepare an extra dose of medicine to treat my mother?”

“Of course.”

“Why don’t you give me the formula? No matter how rare or expensive the ingredients, I can find them for you.”

The herbal medicine was just a distraction. Jiang Ruan’s real healing ability lay in her powers. She replied, “Brother Li, the formula needs to be adjusted each time. It’s a delicate job you wouldn’t be able to manage.”

…

Qin Yan was still undergoing military training and couldn’t leave campus, but he could make phone calls. The dorm supervisor frequently called out for people to answer the phone, and Qin Yan eagerly anticipated hearing from Jiang Ruan. However, day after day, it was never her calling. The little heartless one said she missed him when they met, yet hadn’t called in days.

Liang Yong called and updated Qin Yan on the recent events. Qin Ao had been beaten up, prompting his grandmother to cause trouble for Jiang Ruan and even stir things up at the Han family’s place. However, the tables quickly turned when the thugs who had attacked Qin Ao came forward to pay for the medical expenses, claiming it was just a drunken mishap and making a show of camaraderie with Qin Ao, which only added to the awkwardness.

Jiang Ruan had used a medicinal bath as a bargaining chip to secure a conversation with Xun Lao’er, successfully negotiating for him to relinquish his claim on the eel purchase rights in Dawang Village. However, she still needed to handle the local relationships herself.

Liang Yong expressed concern, “The village committee in Dawang Village is full of people from the Cheng family. Xun Lao’er had to put in a lot of effort to get them under control. Now that you’re stepping in, I’m worried you might be at a disadvantage.”

Dawang Village is adjacent to Xiahe Village, where Qin Yan’s grandfather was from. The Cheng family were notorious village bullies who often clashed with the neighboring villages over land and water resources. Xiahe Village had suffered considerable losses to Dawang Village in these disputes.

Qin Yan combed through his memories about Xun Lao’er, looking for a potential breakthrough. He gave Liang Yong a few instructions and told him to find Jiang Ruan as soon as possible.

Just after hanging up, one of Qin Yan’s roommates came in, handing him an architecture magazine with a teasing grin, “Lu from our class said this was for our dorm to read.”

It was really just an excuse for Lu to get closer to Qin Yan.

Qin Yan glanced coldly at the magazine without taking it, and instead walked over to the female student, his face expressionless.

“Hello, Qin,” Lu greeted confidently. “My name is Lu…”

“Hello, Lu,” Qin Yan interrupted impatiently. “Is this magazine for the whole dorm, or just me?”

“Of course, it’s for everyone in the dorm,” Lu Sijing answered with a smile.

“Good,” Qin Yan said. “I won’t be reading it. I got engaged before the semester started. To avoid any misunderstandings, I’d appreciate it if you’d exclude me from your concern for the guys in dorm 209.”

Embarrassed and furious, Lu Sijing took back the magazine and left in a hurry.

Later that evening, Jiang Ruan and Liang Yong went out for some barbecue. Liang Yong mentioned that the menu for this barbecue stall was arranged by Qin Yan, and business was booming now that summer was in full swing.

Knowing Jiang Ruan had a big appetite, Liang Yong ordered fifty lamb skewers, fifty grilled cartilage skewers, a baked carp wrapped in foil with scallions, and some vegetables.

The lamb skewers were grilled with a mix of fat and lean meat, each bite full of flavor. Jiang Ruan quickly devoured ten in one go.

“Brother Yong, did you bring me here just to eat, or is there something else you wanted to say?”

Liang Yong replied, “You haven’t been calling Brother Yan lately. He’s worried and asked me to pass on some messages.”

One thing about Liang Yong was that, like Jiang Ruan, he never pried into the source of Qin Yan’s information. He always assumed it was natural for someone as capable as Qin Yan to know everything.

Liang Yong pointed to a new waitress in the restaurant and asked, “Guess how old she is?”

The waitress was energetically serving customers, but the lines of hardship were still visible on her face. Jiang Ruan observed, “I’ve seen a lot of women in the village who age prematurely. Once married, if their husbands or in-laws are unsupportive, they age much faster. She looks a little over thirty, but I’d say she’s actually about twenty-five or twenty-six.”

Liang Yong gave her a thumbs-up. “She’s twenty-five. She used to be involved with Xun Lao’er, but after he went to prison, she got married. Her husband now works as a procurement officer at a state-owned restaurant, her mother-in-law is a server, and her sister-in-law works in the kitchen. They wanted to open their own restaurant but didn’t have the skills, so they sent her here to try and learn from my barbecue stall.”

Jiang Ruan was incredulous. “And you still let her work here?”

Liang Yong laughed, “Brother Yan arranged it. He must have his reasons. I don’t need to question it.”

Jiang Ruan took note of the waitress’s appearance. When the baked carp came out, she carefully tore open the foil. The fish was tender and flavorful, with a secret sauce that made it a hit with almost every customer.

As she slowly worked her way through half the fish, Jiang Ruan asked, “Is there anything in particular I should know about Cheng Chunying?”

Liang Yong explained, “Back in 1976, Xun Li and Cheng Chunying’s current husband were caught illegally trading food supplies. Someone reported them. As a result, Xun Li’s house was taken over by his uncle, while his former business partner married Cheng Chunying and was even recommended to attend the Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers University. Now, he’s a procurement officer at a state-owned restaurant. Can you guess who reported Xun Li for illegal trading?”

It wasn’t hard to figure out—whoever benefited the most was the most likely suspect. Xun Li’s uncle, his former business partner who married Cheng Chunying, and even Cheng Chunying herself were all suspects.

“The husband is the most suspicious,” Jiang Ruan said. “He reported his own partner, then married his partner’s girlfriend while Xun Li was in prison.”

Liang Yong nodded. “Brother Yan suspects that the Cheng family and the Lu family reported him together.”

Jiang Ruan was puzzled. “Xun Li retaliated against the Cheng family by lowering the eel purchase price in Dawang Village. Why didn’t he go after Cheng Chunying’s in-laws?”

Liang Yong explained, “Xun Li did it out of consideration for Cheng Chunying. He didn’t want to make things more difficult for her.”

“He still cares about her?” Jiang Ruan was incredulous. “If someone harmed me, I wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing. I certainly wouldn’t help them.”

“Men can be sentimental,” Liang Yong replied. “Cheng Chunying is like a thorn in Xun Li’s heart—pulling it out would hurt, but leaving it there hurts even more. But nobody else can touch Cheng Chunying. I’m telling you this so you know you can deal with the Cheng family however you see fit, but don’t involve Cheng Chunying.”

Jiang Ruan nodded. “Got it.”

Jiang Ruan and Cheng Chunying didn’t have any direct dealings, but someone was trying to use Cheng Chunying to curry favor with Xun Li.

Mu Xuehui, having been reborn, knew what a prominent figure Xun Li would become in the future. She believed he deeply resented Cheng Chunying for marrying his enemy while he was in prison. What kind of man wouldn’t seek revenge?

She decided to help Xun Li settle the score and planned to win over these future big shots, one by one.

Mu Xuehui wrote an anonymous letter to Lu Zaiqiang, informing him that his wife hadn’t gotten pregnant in their four years of marriage because she had been secretly taking birth control. That night, as Lu Zaiqiang questioned and beat Cheng Chunying, Mu Xuehui eavesdropped for a while before fleeing in fear.

Hearing Cheng Chunying’s muffled cries, Mu Xuehui felt a bit uneasy. But then she thought, if Lu Zaiqiang hadn’t coveted Xun Li’s girlfriend, he wouldn’t have reported him for illegal trading. Ultimately, Cheng Chunying was an accomplice. She hadn’t defended Xun Li but married his accuser instead. So, making Cheng Chunying suffer was, in a way, helping Xun Li.