Chapter 17 – Disguising Herself to Avoid Being Recognized

The two babies also waved their little hands, their milky voices reminding her to be careful on the way back.

“Okay!” Xi Youyou responded with a face full of affection. After speaking, she ran toward the city.

The city wasn’t far from there—only about a twenty-minute journey. At first, she ran so fast that she was out of breath, but after adjusting her breathing, she felt a bit better.

Once she arrived in the city, she went straight to the gold shop.

She took out her gold bracelet and asked for an appraisal. The shop weighed it according to the current recycling price, which was exactly the same process as how gold was recycled in the modern era.

“Based on the current price, this gold bracelet can be sold for twelve yuan. Are you satisfied with this price?”

Since she had already been here a few days, Xi Youyou had gained a decent understanding of money. Selling the gold for twelve yuan was quite good.

Anyway, she had already made back her initial investment.

“I’m satisfied. Let’s go with that.”

After she agreed, the gold shop worker re-weighed it to confirm there were no issues, then handed her the twelve yuan.

“Take care!”

The staff was still very polite. Xi Youyou nodded at their words.

Leaving the gold shop, Xi Youyou kept thinking on the way back.

Now that she had made twelve yuan, that meant she had enough for rent. If the rent was covered, then she could go rent a stall the next day and start selling vegetables.

She planned to go to the market early in the morning.

Thinking about all this, she arrived home. Once home, she gave the two kids a bath and sent them off to Xu Xiu and Jiang Fenglin’s room.

“Thank you, Mom and Dad. I’ll get up early tomorrow to make breakfast.”

“I might eat first, then head out. I’ll leave the breakfast in the pot to keep warm for you. I have to hurry to the library to study—the exam date is getting close, and I can’t afford to delay anymore!”

She acted very determined, and Jiang Fenglin and Xu Xiu nodded in response. “How about you skip making breakfast? Mom will give you two yuan. Just buy something to eat in the city. Don’t worry about us—studying is more important right now.”

Since Xi Youyou was preparing for an exam, of course they fully supported her.

“No need, I’ll just wake up early.”

After speaking, Xi Youyou waved to the two little ones. “I’ll head back to my room to sleep. You two have to be good and listen to Grandpa and Grandma, okay?”

The two babies nodded and waved back at her.

Watching Xi Youyou leave the room, the two children reluctantly turned their eyes away.

Especially Xiao Bao.

After spending this period of time together, she suddenly felt that her mother didn’t seem the same as before.

If her mother really had changed, she wanted to sleep with her too.

The village children always said it felt nice to sleep with their mothers—that their mother’s embrace was fragrant and soft.

She had never experienced that before.

“Alright, go to sleep now!” Xu Xiu and Jiang Fenglin didn’t notice the children’s sadness. They patted their little heads, helped them lie down, and covered them with a blanket.

After returning to her room, Xi Youyou went straight into her space.

In the warehouse within the space, there were many fresh vegetables. After they were planted, they would automatically be harvested and stored there. They didn’t rot or spoil, and would stay as fresh as if they had just been picked.

She planned to go rent a stall early tomorrow morning and then buy a cart.

She could place a few baskets on the cart, just like the other vegetable sellers did.

This way, she could continuously take vegetables out from the cart without raising any suspicion.

With that plan in mind, Xi Youyou took a shower, lay down on the big bed inside her space, and enjoyed a comfortable sleep.

Since she had already come, she might as well make the best of it.

Making Money Comes First!

Before going to bed, she even gave herself a little pep talk.

—

The Next Day

Xi Youyou got up early to make pancakes. She kneaded the dough, cracked in two eggs, and sprinkled in some chopped scallions.

Once the pan was hot, she added a bit of oil and poured in the batter she had prepared, gently flipping it with a spatula.

In just a few minutes, fragrant scallion pancakes were ready.

She also cooked some meat porridge for the children. She had gotten up before dawn, and by the time she finished everything, the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Most of the vegetable vendors headed out at this time of day.

Xi Youyou had already informed the others the night before. She took a scallion pancake and tucked it into her pocket, then rode off on her bicycle.

When she arrived at the market, she saw many people pushing carts or riding bicycles with two vegetable baskets tied to the back.

The ringing of bicycle bells echoed throughout the entire marketplace.

All the vendors were busy with their tasks. Xi Youyou looked around, circled once on her bike, then rode back the way she came.

She found a secluded spot and slipped into her spatial dimension.

Inside the space, she changed into a different set of clothes and grabbed a wig to wear.

After putting on the wig, she did some eye makeup. Although she was a doctor, she had always needed to put on makeup before going out each day—she was quite experienced in this area.

She could do any kind of makeup.

With the eye makeup done, wig in place, and a mask over her face, almost no one would be able to recognize her.

If any acquaintances came to buy vegetables, she would just speak in a pinched voice.

Voice disguising? She could do that too!

After tidying up, she looked at herself in the mirror to confirm she no longer looked like her original self, then exited the space.

Although it was summer, the early morning wind was strong, and many people had their heads wrapped tightly in scarves. Xi Youyou’s outfit didn’t attract any suspicion.

She went to find the stall manager and rented a stall for one month.

“If you want to keep this stall next month, remember to let me know five days in advance. If someone else wants it, it’ll be hard for me to turn them down.” the manager reminded her. Xi Youyou nodded—she understood this rule.

After renting the stall, the manager gave her a receipt.

Once it was confirmed to be her stall, she did a quick tidy-up, borrowed a broom, and cleaned the area.

After finishing that, she went to check out the carts.

Originally, she had planned to buy one, but she underestimated the cost. Though the carts were made of wood, they weren’t easy to build, and the price was quite high.

“If you’re planning to do business, I can rent one to you for two yuan a month. Later on, if you decide to buy it, I can give you a small discount on the purchase price.”

The elderly man renting the carts had noticed her hesitation and took the initiative to offer help.

Perfect!

Xi Youyou hadn’t expected that renting was even an option. She quickly nodded: “Yes, yes! Thank you so much, sir. I’ll be careful not to damage your cart. After a month, if business is good, I’ll buy it!”

Now, with the early days of the economic reform underway, it felt just like the 1980s she had lived through—individual businesses were allowed again.

Small businesses were popping up everywhere like bamboo shoots after the rain. People were discovering all kinds of business opportunities.

But those who wanted to start businesses didn’t have much money. So the old man had built a few carts and came here to both rent and sell them.

Business was going quite well.

“Go ahead and register.” the old man said honestly. Xi Youyou wrote down her name and address in the ledger. “I’ll come by two or three days before the rental ends.” she told him. “Whether I’m returning, continuing to rent, or planning to buy, I’ll be sure to let you know.”