After returning home, Yu Hezhong began sorting through his belongings. He separated the mushrooms that needed to be cooked before eating from the others and set them aside, planning to deliver them to the Jiang family after dark.  

He was very particular about cleanliness, likely influenced by his parents’ habits since childhood. Once he finished organizing, he fetched water from the village well.  

His trip to the mountain had left him sweaty, and his clothes were dotted with stray grass. Yu Hezhong wiped himself down and changed into fresh clothes.  

His garments were all altered from his father’s old clothes. Those who had ransacked his home for valuables had deemed worn clothing unworthy of taking, so they were left behind.  

Yu Hezhong had slowly taught himself needlework. Though his skills were far from perfect, he had managed to alter a few pieces—enough to get by.  

Summer was tolerable, but winter was much harder. All the cotton-padded clothes had been “taken,” leaving him to wear his old, threadbare outfits, his arms and legs exposed to the cold. Every year, his hands and feet were covered in chilblains.  

As he was about to wash his clothes, he felt something in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw the two candies Jiang Le had given him.  

Yu Hezhong froze for a moment, then unwrapped one and placed it in his mouth almost as if in a trance. It was… so sweet.  

It had been a long time since he had tasted such pure sweetness, with just a hint of milky fragrance.  

The same Yu Hezhong who had stubbornly claimed he didn’t like candy now savored the flavor lingering on his tongue.  

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Yu Hezhong immediately stood and went to answer it, only to find Jiang Le standing outside.  

Yu Hezhong frowned. “Why are you here in broad daylight? The villagers will see.”  

Jiang Le shrugged. “So what if they do?”  

Yu Hezhong said nothing. While some villagers pitied him, almost no one interacted with him openly, afraid of being accused of coveting his remaining possessions.  

As for those with ill intentions, they had long since given up after realizing Yu Hezhong wasn’t as easily fooled as they’d hoped.  

Even though the Yu family had been nearly stripped bare by those so-called relatives, they remained convinced that Yu Hezhong’s father must have left him something valuable. After all, when his father was alive, the Yu family had been the wealthiest household in the village.  

Jiang Le tugged at Yu Hezhong’s sleeve. “Take me back to the mountain, will you? I want to catch another pheasant. I’ll treat you to braised chicken with mushrooms later.”  

Yu Hezhong awkwardly pulled his arm away, tempted to ask if Jiang Le thought pheasants were domesticated chickens—something you could just catch whenever you wanted.  

But remembering how effortlessly Jiang Le had caught the last one, he wisely held his tongue. In the end, he agreed to take him back up the mountain.  

To explain the miraculous effectiveness of the “Sweet n Yummy I Love It,” Jiang Le spun a tale on their way: “It’s a secret family recipe. The ingredients are rare, so there’s only a little left.”  

Yu Hezhong nodded, though it was unclear whether he actually believed Jiang Le’s story.

Upon hearing that the Jiang family planned to trade the pheasant for grain, Yu Hezhong opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.  

Unexpectedly, Jiang Le leaned in with a mysterious whisper: “But I think if we take this to the black market, we could probably get a lot more for it.”  

“Black market?” Yu Hezhong repeated.  

Jiang Le nodded. “I don’t know where my dad plans to trade it, but I think the black market would be a better deal.”

The concept of a black market was something Jiang Le had picked up from the book—whenever the male lead, Zhao Zhenghua, got his hands on something valuable, he always took it to the black market to trade.  

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a real black market, just an underground trading spot. Private commerce wasn’t officially allowed at the time, so such transactions had to be conducted discreetly.  

Jiang Le wasn’t sure what black markets were 

actually like in this era, but the book’s depiction didn’t seem too bad, so he wasn’t opposed to the idea.  

Yu Hezhong gave Jiang Le a complicated look. “Don’t go around saying things like that to others.” 

Jiang Le waved a hand dismissively. “I’m not stupid. I’m only telling you.” 

Yu Hezhong lowered his gaze. “Do you even know where the black market is?” 

Jiang Le sighed. “Ah… no.”  

The book had only mentioned it was in a small alley in town, but there were countless alleys—how was he supposed to know the exact location?  

To his surprise, Yu Hezhong spoke up beside him: “I know.”

Jiang Le: “!!!”

Yu Hezhong had stumbled upon the place by chance. On the rare occasions when he managed to hunt something valuable, he would take it there to exchange for money.  

Since he was too young to earn many work points through labor, and the grain distributed by the village was never enough, the money he got from trading was always used to buy extra food.  

Jiang Le hadn’t expected the little villain to have already ventured into the black market at such a young age. He was about to ask Yu Hezhong to take him there but hesitated, thinking it might be inappropriate. Instead, he said, “Just tell me where it is, and I’ll go check it out myself.” 

Yu Hezhong didn’t respond, keeping his head down as he walked ahead, leaving it unclear whether he agreed or not.  

Jiang Le blinked, his mind buzzing with curiosity about the black market. He trailed after Yu Hezhong, muttering, “Come on, tell me~ Yu Hezhong… Hezhong~”

Yu Hezhong: “…”

He glanced at Jiang Le. “How old are you?” 

Jiang Le wondered—was there an age requirement for the black market? He answered honestly, “Fifteen.” 

Yu Hezhong: “I thought you were younger than me.”

Jiang Le: “???”

It took him a second to realize—was Yu Hezhong calling him immature? Oh, this little villain had learned to be sly!  

Jiang Le huffed. “I’m older than you. Call me ‘big brother.’”

Yu Hezhong gave him a look. “Do you still want to know where the black market is?”

Jiang Le immediately dropped the act. “Yes!”  

Yu Hezhong explained, “The black market isn’t open every day. It runs every few days—the next one is tomorrow.”

Still cautious, he added, “I can take you there tomorrow, but I won’t go in with you.” 

Jiang Le nodded eagerly. “Got it! You’re the best, Hezhong!”  

Truthfully, just telling him the location would have been enough—there was no need for Yu Hezhong to personally guide him.  

The usually composed Yu Hezhong suddenly lost his composure, quickening his pace as he strode ahead into the mountains.  

Jiang Le grinned to himself. Ah, the kid’s embarrassed~ 

He didn’t dare tease the little villain any further, though—if Yu Hezhong got angry and refused to take him, he’d have nowhere to cry about it!  

…

Jiang Le repeated his earlier method and successfully caught another pheasant. By now, Yu Hezhong was completely numb to it.  

When they brought it home, Granny Jiang was even more astonished. “This… how did you actually manage to catch another one?”  

Jiang Le gave the same excuse as before: “Maybe I’m just lucky?” 

Granny Jiang: “…” There really was no other explanation.  

When the rest of the Jiang family returned from work and saw the two pheasants at home, they were stunned. In a daze, they reluctantly accepted that Jiang Le’s “good luck” had somehow netted them two wild birds.  

Meanwhile, Jiang Le was busy gathering the “grass” he had laid out to dry in the yard—something he had brought back from the mountain earlier that day. He’d asked Granny Jiang to wash it before sun-drying it.  

The summer sun was fierce, and after just an afternoon, the “grass” had already wilted. One more day of drying should be enough to preserve it properly.  

“Little Le, what’s all this grass for?” Jiang Huan asked as she helped him gather it up before nightfall to prevent dew from dampening it again.  

“This isn’t just ordinary grass. You’ll see later,” Jiang Le replied mysteriously.  

Though curious, Jiang Huan didn’t press further. She’d find out eventually, anyway.  

“Dad, Mom, Granny, Second Brother, Sis—I want to discuss something with you,” Jiang Le said to his family. “About the pheasants we’re planning to trade for grain… let me handle the exchange.” 

The two pheasants were currently kept in an old chicken coop Granny Jiang had dug out from a corner of the house. She’d fed them some chicken greens, though it was unclear whether wild pheasants would eat them. Since they weren’t suited for domestication, the birds needed to be dealt with quickly before they starved or lost weight.  

The family paused at Jiang Le’s suggestion. Jiang De had been worrying about how to approach an old contact for the trade—a happy problem, but a problem nonetheless. After a moment of silence, he asked, “You know someone who’d take them?”  

Jiang Le didn’t dare mention the black market. “Well… I have a friend whose family is pretty well-off. They might be interested. I’ll go ask them tomorrow.” 

Granny Jiang nodded approvingly. “Our Little Le is growing up, becoming more responsible. We can trust him with this.” 

Zhao Meilian also had full faith in her son. “That’s right. Our boy knows what he’s doing.”

With their support, Jiang De finally agreed. “Alright, go ahead and ask. If it works out, great. If not, don’t pressure them. Worst case, I’ll still have my old connections to fall back on.” 

And so, the matter was settled.  

As for the other pheasant they planned to cook, Zhao Meilian sighed in frustration. “Zhang Xiuhua is always snooping around our house. The smell of pheasant is strong—if we cook it, that woman’s dog nose will sniff it out in no time.” 

The whole family grimaced at the mention.  

People like her were like toads hopping onto your foot—not harmful, but utterly disgusting.  

Jiang Le thought for a moment. “Then let’s keep it alive for now.” 

He’d ask Yu Hezhong later if they could prepare it at his place. The advantage of Yu Hezhong’s house being on the outskirts of the village was that no one would notice no matter how strong the aroma.  

But he couldn’t make that decision for Yu Hezhong—he’d have to discuss it with him first.  

…

Jiang Le and Yu Hezhong set off for town early in the morning, arriving under the already high-rising sun.  

Jiang Le had brought all six yuan he owned, and with Yu Hezhong accompanying him, he didn’t hold back—buying four meat buns for four mao at a state-run restaurant.  

He handed two to Yu Hezhong. “No arguing, got it?”

Yu Hezhong swallowed his refusal. The freshly steamed buns glistened with oil, their rich aroma bursting with the first bite.  

Jiang Le took an eager mouthful, hissing through the scalding heat but refusing to spit it out.  

Yu Hezhong ate quietly, watching Jiang Le’s animated expressions, realizing it had been ages since he’d tasted anything this satisfying.  

The black market alley appeared utterly ordinary from the outside—no different from any other street. But Jiang Le remembered the novel’s description: this spot was chosen precisely because its labyrinthine layout allowed quick escapes, making it nearly impossible for authorities to corner traders.  

Yu Hezhong hesitated. “Should I go in with you?”  

Jiang Le thought of the pheasant he’d temporarily stashed in his system space after pestering Guagua. He cleared his throat. “Nah, I’m not carrying anything today—no risk. You handle your business; we’ll meet at the spot we agreed on.”  

With a nod, Yu Hezhong reasoned Jiang Le was just scouting the place and walked away.  

Meanwhile, Jiang Le stepped into the alleyway, nervously murmuring to Guagua. Immediately, he sensed multiple pairs of eyes tracking him—subtle yet unmistakable.