Chapter 29: First Transaction

“Alright,” Nan Qiao replied in agreement.

“Oh, right. If you’re planning for a long-term partnership, I suggest you leave me an empty courtyard. It’ll make future transactions more convenient and safer than this setup,” she added.

“No problem. I’ll give it to you when we unload the goods later,” Sheng Yanchuan agreed readily.

“But I still don’t know how to address you.”

“Just call me Bai Nan,” Nan Qiao casually borrowed the name of the White Tiger.

Sheng Yanchuan raised an eyebrow slightly. Huh, another Nan character…

“Then I’ll be going now. Be on time later—no waiting if you’re late,” Nan Qiao said and turned to leave.

Sheng Yanchuan stared after her, slightly dazed. Why did this person look so much like her…

But no way. Even if this one was a girl in disguise, she’d have to be terribly ugly. No way she could be his little fairy, Qiaoqiao.

Dongzi watched Nan Qiao’s back as she walked away and asked, “Second Master, do you want me to send someone to follow her and probe her background?”

Sheng Yanchuan raised his hand to stop him. “No need. Anyone capable of supplying this much volume regularly wouldn’t come alone, especially not a girl. And if he’s lying, we’ll know soon enough. No need to alert the snake. For now, prepare a hidden courtyard for him.”

“A girl?” Dongzi asked in disbelief.

“No Adam’s apple, smaller build, and her voice was deliberately lowered. No doubt about it—she’s a woman,” Sheng Yanchuan answered firmly.

“Isn’t that suspicious?” Dongzi still wasn’t convinced.

“We’ll know soon enough. Go handle the house first,” Sheng Yanchuan instructed.

“Yes, Second Master,” Dongzi replied and headed out. Although Second Master was much younger than them, ever since he took over from Biao Ye a few years ago, he had ruled with ruthless decisiveness. All those ambitious men under Biao Ye had been thoroughly subdued by him. Since then, the town’s black market had respected him as its sole authority—no objections.

Meanwhile, Nan Qiao wandered leisurely along the street toward the small bridge.

When Sheng Yanchuan and his men arrived, they saw Nan Qiao lounging under a tree branch, casually eating a popsicle.

“You’re quite punctual,” he remarked.

“Of course. Business demands sincerity,” Nan Qiao said as she pulled a few more popsicles from her bag and tossed them over.

“One for everyone—share and enjoy,” she added, jumping down from the tree and pointing at the stacked goods nearby.

“Second Master, time to inspect the goods.”

Sheng Yanchuan waved his hand, and Dongzi stepped forward to check. Once everything was verified, he nodded at Sheng Yanchuan.

Nan Qiao accepted the payment, counted it briefly, and then slipped the money into her pocket—actually into her space.

“When can we trade next time?” Sheng Yanchuan handed her a key as he asked.

He was very satisfied with the goods and Nan Qiao’s efficiency, and was eager to establish a long-term partnership.

Nan Qiao took the key and thought for a moment. “In a week. I have other matters elsewhere and can’t stay here long.”

“Alright. Could you double the amount next time?”

“How much can you handle at most?” Nan Qiao responded with a question instead of giving a direct answer.

“For a week, within a thousand jin is fine. As for oil and brown sugar, any amount works,” Sheng Yanchuan explained. He planned to sell part locally and the rest to the inner city. After all, this town was small, and a sudden influx of high-quality rice and flour would be too conspicuous.

“Alright, I’ll prepare 500 jin each of rice and flour, 200 jin each of oil and brown sugar. I might also have some bicycles and watches—interested?”

“Yes! What’s the price?”

“Phoenix-brand bicycle: 200 yuan. Watches: 150.”

“Deal. Bring them together next time.”

“But I won’t accept that much cash. If you have jewelry or gold accessories, I can take those as payment.”

Sheng Yanchuan nodded. “No problem. Then let’s meet again at this same time next week.”

“Great. Looking forward to working together,” Nan Qiao said and took her leave.
The transaction had gone unexpectedly smoothly—something she hadn’t anticipated.

In a secluded corner, she slipped into her space, took a shower, and washed off all the makeup. After syncing space-time with the outside world and confirming no one was following her, she repacked her basket with items bought that morning, along with some homegrown vegetables from her space.

Only then did she exit the space on a women’s bicycle and head toward the village entrance.

By the time Nan Qiao arrived at the village entrance, Sheng Yanchuan was already waiting on a tractor, dressed in different clothes. If it weren’t for the watch on his wrist, she might’ve thought it was just someone who looked like him…

“What are you thinking about?” Nan Qiao had noticed his low mood earlier and now saw him absentmindedly fiddling with his watch again.

Sheng Yanchuan looked up at her with a faint, somewhat forced smile.

“Nothing. Did you buy a bike?” he asked, eyeing her bicycle.

Nan Qiao nodded. “It’s more convenient. Otherwise, I always have to wait for you to give me a lift. And the tractor belongs to the village—it’s not great to keep borrowing it.”

“So you’re riding back?”

“Yup. I’ll leave the basket with you and head home first. If you see Nan Qiao, let her know.”

“Okay, I’ll take the basket back for you. If you get home first, just wait there.”

“Thanks,” Nan Qiao said and pedaled away.

“Be careful!” Sheng Yanchuan called out behind her, clearly still worried.

Nan Qiao waved a hand without turning around. Although the road home was a dirt path, it wasn’t too difficult to ride—everything went smoothly.

But it was scorching hot.

She couldn’t help but once again long for her beloved G-Wagon…

By the time she got home, Nan Qiao was sweltering. She parked the bike in the courtyard, locked the door, and slipped into her space.

After taking a shower, she stepped back out of the house.

Her long hair draped down her back, and the light breeze felt blissful. Sitting in the courtyard, she read a book while waiting for her hair to dry.

When she heard noise outside the courtyard, she looked up from her high school textbook.

“You’re back?”

She stood and quickly walked over to the gate.

“Qiaoqiao, is this the bicycle you bought? It’s so pretty! I called my family this afternoon. They’ll be sending me some ration tickets soon. Once we get another break, I’ll go buy a bike too!”

“Do you know which kind you want? I don’t see many women’s styles like this—most have a horizontal bar in front.”

Shen Nian frowned a little. “I still prefer yours. The ones with the horizontal bar are too big—I don’t think I could handle them.”

“If you want, I can ask my friend. He might have more like this,” Sheng Yanchuan said, setting the basket by Nan Qiao’s door and joining in.

Sheng Yanchuan’s words made Shen Nian quite happy, but Nan Qiao, seeing his serious demeanor, had a knowing glint in her eyes.

“Brother Sheng, so you have these kinds of connections, huh? Make sure to ask for me. If no ration tickets are needed, I’ll take one in the next few days. If they are, I’ll wait a bit. Either way, I definitely want one—please help me out!”

Sheng Yanchuan nodded in response.

But when he met Nan Qiao’s gaze, for some reason, he felt a little guilty.

It’s one thing when you don’t know someone’s secret—but now that he did, watching Sheng Yanchuan act all upright while his eyes subtly avoided hers made her eyes fill with amusement.

“I didn’t expect it—our Comrade Sheng has quite the network, huh? Seems this transportation job is really something. Though, you’ve been around for a while, and I’ve never seen you actually at work,” Nan Qiao teased.

Sheng Yanchuan’s tone was slightly awkward. “Well, I’ve traveled far and wide, so I’ve gotten to know people in all sorts of industries.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Nan Qiao exaggerated, dragging out her tone.

“Y-Yeah, that’s right.”

Sheng Yanchuan didn’t even know why, but after years of operating in the black market, today he felt as if all his cards were being seen through.

“Well, you guys go tidy up. I’m heading out.”

“Take care, Brother Sheng.”

“Okay.”

Shen Nian and Nan Qiao replied in unison.

Shen Nian wasn’t sure what weird guessing game the two were playing, but after reminding Sheng Yanchuan to help her inquire about the bicycle, she started tidying up her own basket.

“Qiaoqiao, let’s take a look—what should we bring to the educated youth point later? I reckon they’re probably all there already, so we should get going too.”

“Just the two of us—one jin of meat is enough.” The educated youth point had invited them for a meal, and the old residents were supplying the grain.

But as guests, they couldn’t show up empty-handed, or they’d look ill-mannered. One jin of meat was already generous—there was no need to bring more.

If it were up to Nan Qiao, even one jin was too much. But with so many people over there, even that wouldn’t give each person more than a bite or two.

“Alright, one jin it is.”

Nan Qiao then moved everything from her basket into the kitchen.

These days, she and Shen Nian had pretty much combined their food. Whether it was rice, flour, or meat, there wasn’t really any “yours” or “mine.”

As for the money and ration tickets, they split things equally. Though not down to the last penny, it was all close enough.

Shen Nian came out of the kitchen with the meat wrapped in paper.

“Qiaoqiao, let’s go.”

Nan Qiao nodded and looped her arm through Shen Nian’s as they strolled out.

“Do you think Qin Fang will show up today?” Nan Qiao suddenly thought of that oddball. She really didn’t want to waste any meat on her.

“She probably will, trying to mooch. But Sister Jiang and the others at the youth point aren’t easy to deal with. They won’t let her get her way. From what I’ve seen these past few days at work, Dong Jiayan and Wang Yuman haven’t been paying her much attention lately. Lately, Qin Fang’s been paired up with that Wang guy.”

“Well, that’s not surprising. Everyone came here just trying to live quietly and find a way back to the city. And her? She keeps causing trouble for the village chief and the team leader. Even if she does well now, I doubt she’ll get into the Worker-Peasant-Soldier University.”

Nan Qiao shook her head in disapproval of Qin Fang’s behavior.

“I just don’t get why Dong Jiayan and Wang Yuman suddenly turned on her…” That part Nan Qiao couldn’t figure out. Back in Shanghai, the three of them had been so close.

Even when they plotted against her, they did it together in perfect coordination. So why the sudden break?

“What else could it be? It’s Su Mu messing things up.”

“Su Mu? What happened now?” Nan Qiao’s interest was piqued by this, as she hadn’t told Shen Nian about what had happened that afternoon, so Shen Nian didn’t know the full story.

“Apparently Su Mu randomly blew up at Dong Jiayan, and Qin Fang couldn’t stand it and jumped in—ended up offending both of them…”

Nan Qiao didn’t even know what to say anymore about Qin Fang.

“Let’s stop talking about her. Just hearing her name too much makes people dumber…”

At the youth camp, the male and female quarters were separated. The girls’ side was noticeably bigger, so tonight’s dinner was set to be held there for convenience.

Groups of people were playing cards and chatting in the courtyard—it was a lively, happy atmosphere.

At the gate, Zhao Keke spotted them and bounced over enthusiastically.

“Hi there! You’re Shen Nian and Nan Qiao, right? Nice to meet you! I’m Zhao Keke—just call me Keke, or Little Ke!”

“Hi, I’m Nan Qiao.”

“Nice to meet you, just call me Nian Nian,” said Shen Nian with a warm smile. Being around a cute girl like Keke was already pleasant—but knowing she’d torn into Qin Fang before? That made her absolutely adorable.

Super adorable, in fact.

“Come on in! Sister Jiang and Sister Wenwen are already cooking!” Keke said sweetly, linking her arm with Nan Qiao.

“This is what we brought. Just something for dinner.”

“What is it?” Keke took the paper-wrapped bundle, peeked inside, and saw a beautiful cut of fatty and lean pork. Her grin widened even more as she excitedly pulled Nan Qiao and Shen Nian toward the kitchen.

“Sister Wenwen! Sister Jiang! Qiaoqiao and Nian Nian brought pork! Are we eating well tonight or what?!”

Sister Jiang looked at the eager Keke and tapped her forehead lightly. “You little foodie.”

“Comrade Nan, Comrade Shen, thanks to you, we’ll have another meat dish tonight. A jin of pork is a rare treat these days,” Sister Jiang said with a smile. She was clearly very pleased with how sensible and polite the two new girls were.

“You’re too kind, Sister Jiang. We’re bringing two mouths with us too, after all,” Nan Qiao replied modestly.

But Sister Jiang didn’t mind. The two girls had brought plenty. A whole jin of pork—more than enough. Plus, they were mostly preparing coarse grains, wild vegetables, and a few eggs. The male youth brought some wild chicken, but none of it was particularly valuable.

Two little girls eating—there’s no way they’d finish food worth even close to one jin of pork.

“Oh, don’t be modest. Can you two handle spicy food?” Sister Jiang asked.

“Yes, we can!” Nan Qiao and Shen Nian answered together.

“Great. Then I’ll stir-fry it with chili peppers. With so many people, if I make it braised, each person will only get a bite or two,” Sister Jiang reasoned.

“Of course! We’re not picky. Whatever you make, we’ll eat,” Nan Qiao said sweetly with a bright smile.

“Sister Jiang’s cooking is amazing! You won’t let us down!” Keke chimed in from the side.

“Alright, go have fun, you two. We’ll handle things here,” Sister Jiang said cheerfully, waving them off to enjoy themselves and just wait for dinner.

Seeing how Sister Jiang acted, Nan Qiao felt she was genuinely a great person—bold, straightforward, a classic fiery Northern woman.

“Come on, let’s go hang out over there.”