Maybe Our Hearts Are in Sync
When they arrived in town, Bai Yao was ready to split up with Kong Wu.
But before he could bring it up, Kong Wu voiced the idea first.
"It's getting late. Let's split up to buy things and meet at the state-run restaurant around noon," Kong Wu said, his eyes darting about.
Clearly, Kong Wu wasn't very good at lying.
Seeing that, Bai Yao wanted to tease him, but on second thought, he gave up on it.
If he teased Kong Wu until he got upset and they ended up going together after all, that would be troublesome.
"Okay, see you at the state-run restaurant entrance at eleven thirty."
"Mm. Bai Yao, you can just look around. I can buy everything. It's all bulky stuff, and I don't want you tiring yourself out carrying it."
After that final reminder, Kong Wu left.
Unlike Bai Yao, who strode away without looking back, Kong Wu waited until Bai Yao had gone some distance before setting off.
After walking a little way, Bai Yao began his shopping trip.
Calling it shopping was a stretch. He simply bought a popsicle at the supply and marketing cooperative, then wandered around for fun with his little basket on his back.
As for the other things he needed, he could pay the system to custom-make them. Not only were they cheap, but they didn't require coupons either.
There weren't many places to browse at this time, though, and when Bai Yao ran out of options, he could only go shopping at the junk station.
In other period novels, every protagonist sent down to the countryside had to hunt for treasure at a junk station, and they always managed to pick up some sort of treasure.
But Bai Yao had no such intention when he went to the junk station.
That was right. He wasn't looking for treasure; he simply wanted to buy some newspapers.
Plots about finding gold and treasures at junk stations belonged to protagonists. He didn't think he had that kind of luck.
Besides, it was already 1973. Several years had passed since 1966, so how could there still be so many overlooked treasures waiting for him to pick up? Did people really think the junk station workers were just decorations?
As for why he wanted newspapers, he simply wanted to patch up the walls in his room. That morning, he had noticed cracks in some places.
With that in mind, Bai Yao soon came within sight of the junk station.
Then he saw Gu Yang.
Seeing Gu Yang reminded Bai Yao that there really was a treasure in the junk station before him.
As mentioned before, Gu Yang was the reborn protagonist of a period novel. Before his rebirth, he and his family had been labeled bad elements and sent down for reeducation. During that time, his family had died one after another of illness or injuries because they had no money. Only he had held out until 1977, the year they were exonerated, but in the end, he too had died of illness.
During those years, his family had died one by one for lack of money, which had given him very strong feelings about money. So he had also heard that someone had found a priceless gemstone at a junk station. Now, clearly, he had come to harvest it ahead of time.
Bai Yao thought it over and decided not to go in.
It wasn't that he didn't covet the gemstone. He simply couldn't remember how Gu Yang had found the piece of jade.
Rather than waste time only to come away empty-handed, he might as well leave early and save himself the wasted effort.
After leaving, Bai Yao resumed wandering around. At the entrance to a secluded alley, he spotted Jiang Rou, whose disguise wasn't up to par.
Seeing people sneaking in and out one after another, he thought the black market was probably in that alley.
Unlike in Beijing, black markets in the countryside also opened during the day.
Thinking this, Bai Yao curiously followed her.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten to put on his human-skin mask.
Once inside, Bai Yao saw Jiang Rou following someone from the black market into a small courtyard.
Bai Yao: This looks awfully familiar.
With that thought, Bai Yao released his Mental Power. He wanted to take a peek and see what was going on. If Jiang Rou was planning to rob the robbers, he could also get a share of the spoils.
Less than five seconds after spreading out his Mental Power, Bai Yao nearly blurted out "WTF."
On the one hand, he was shocked that Jiang Rou wanted to sell 5,000 jin of coarse grain, 1,000 jin of fine grain, and large quantities of sugar, cloth, and other goods all at once. On the other, he was shocked that Kong Wu had entered the area covered by his Mental Power.
Selling that much grain in one go was practically announcing that there was something seriously wrong with her. If those goods actually entered the market, she could just wait to be investigated.
And she couldn't count on the black-market people to keep her secret. Their expressions had already changed.
Fortunately, Jiang Rou noticed the problem too, and changed the arrangement from delivering everything at once to supplying it gradually over the course of a year.
Seeing that things were fine with Jiang Rou, Bai Yao turned his attention to Kong Wu and realized he had come to the black market to buy things.
As Bai Yao watched, Kong Wu, who was holding an axe and examining it closely, shifted his eyes and glanced in Bai Yao's direction out of the corner of his eye.
Immediately afterward, Kong Wu's expression darkened.
The change in Kong Wu's expression gave the burly man selling the axes quite a fright.
"Brother, if you're not happy with the price, I'll knock another five mao off. How about it? That's already the cost price," the man said, his voice trembling slightly.
The moment the other man's expression changed, he felt as though he had already made contact with his great-grandmother.
He even thought that if he had spoken a second later, the axe would have come flying back to him.
"All right, I'll take both." Kong Wu took out the money and put it down, then picked up the other axe as well.
Then, carrying the axes, he walked expressionlessly in Bai Yao's direction.
The sight frightened quite a few people nearby into hurrying away.
Kong Wu soon reached Bai Yao and stopped in front of him.
At that moment, everyone nearby who hadn't left thought something terrible was about to happen: that vicious young man was going to chop the other person to death with his two axes.
Quite a few people thought so, and the atmosphere at the black market was tense.
Kong Wu looked at Bai Yao and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Bai Yao: "Who are you? Do I know you?"
He thought his human-skin mask was quite lifelike, so why was Kong Wu acting as though they knew each other?
"Bai Yao, come with me. It's not safe here." Kong Wu reached out a hand as he spoke.
But Kong Wu had forgotten he was still holding an axe. The gesture immediately frightened some of the more timid people, who took to their heels in terror, shouting, "Murder!" as they ran.
The black market was an illicit place to begin with. With such a commotion breaking out, how could the remaining people dare stay? They immediately grabbed their belongings and hurried off too.
Bai Yao: ???
What just happened?
While Bai Yao was still bewildered, Kong Wu scooped him up in his arms and took off at a run.
Bai Yao: ...
For some reason, Bai Yao suddenly felt a little sorry for Jiang Rou, because the two of them had ruined the deal she had just negotiated.
He knew this so clearly because, within the range of his Mental Power, he had heard what the others were saying and figured out exactly what had happened.
Simply put, it was a misunderstanding.
But the black market was already in such chaos that he wouldn't apologize. The people who managed it couldn't hear him anyway.
After running some distance and making sure it was safe, Kong Wu finally put Bai Yao down.
"Kong Wu, how did you recognize me?" Bai Yao was very curious about that.
As he spoke, he checked that no one was around and quickly took off the human-skin mask.
Kong Wu answered with what was in his heart without even thinking.
"Maybe our hearts are in sync. The moment I saw you, I knew it was you."
Bai Yao: ...
Emmm, his face was definitely red because the human-skin mask had been stuffy, not because he was bashful.
"Come on. You didn't go to the black market just to buy those two axes, did you?" Bai Yao hurriedly changed the subject.
He couldn't help it. The sight of Kong Wu saying such romantic things so seriously was really too much to handle.
Though he thought it was more likely that he was reading too much into it. After all, Kong Wu was a straight man.
Even so, it was better to end that conversation quickly.
"No. I'd only just bought the axes. I was planning to ask the person in charge of the black market afterward if they had things like an iron wok and a thermos," Kong Wu replied.
Bai Yao: ...
Showing up with axes—are you sure you weren't looking for trouble? Were you going to rob them if they wouldn't sell?
"No need. I've already bought those things and asked someone to watch them for me. Go on to the state-run restaurant first. I'll come find you after I pick them up."
With that, Bai Yao turned and slipped away.
He couldn't afford to delay. Otherwise, if Kong Wu said he wanted to go with him, how would he find an empty place to take the things out?
Kong Wu watched Bai Yao run off with the empty basket on his back. After a moment's thought, he decided not to follow.
Since Bai Yao said so, he would take him at his word.
Kong Wu then turned and went to wait at the state-run restaurant.