Chapter Summaries

Bai Yao worked with Kong Wu pulling weeds and sorting wild greens before a middle-aged woman questioned him about Jiang Rou. He learned that the woman’s youngest son was interested in Jiang Rou, but he revealed little about her family.

• Bai Yao and Kong Wu pulled weeds, then took a short break while Bai Yao sorted the wild greens they had collected.
• A middle-aged woman joined Bai Yao and asked about Jiang Rou’s new bicycle and family background.
• Bai Yao said he knew little about Jiang Rou except that she was from West City and had plenty of money.
• The woman admitted her youngest son had taken a fancy to Jiang Rou, and Bai Yao praised Jiang Rou’s looks, money, and ability.

Bai Yao outwitted Cao Granny when she tried to arrange a match between her youngest son and Jiang Rou, then rode to town alone to escape Kong Wu’s persistent company. After lunch, he spotted Jiang Rou cycling past and secretly followed her.

• Bai Yao talked Cao Granny into preparing wild vegetables before telling her Jiang Rou would not marry her youngest son, and the onlookers laughed at Cao Granny when she cursed him.
• Li Cuihua and the villagers praised Bai Yao and spread the story throughout the village.
• Kong Wu asked to accompany Bai Yao to town, but Bai Yao refused and promised to bring him watermelon.
• Bai Yao rode to town, ate cold noodles and drank soda at the state-run restaurant.
• Bai Yao saw Jiang Rou ride past on a bicycle and secretly followed her.

Bai Yao followed Jiang Rou and discovered that she was running a black market, then learned Brother Dong planned to attack her operation. He knocked out Brother Dong’s men, took their goods, and left Jiang Rou a warning and a captured follower to see how she would respond.

• Bai Yao followed Jiang Rou to a secluded courtyard and discovered that she was the black market’s boss.
• Jiang Rou agreed to meet Brother Dong in a week and told her subordinates to stay alert.
• Bai Yao followed a messenger to Brother Dong’s hideout and overheard plans to report Jiang Rou’s black market and attack it that night.
• Bai Yao used knockout incense on Brother Dong and his men, then took their goods and valuables.
• Bai Yao captured the man following the messenger, sent him and a warning letter to Jiang Rou, and watched from the System Space.

Jiang Rou learned that Brother Dong had tried to take over her territory, so she seized his operation and its people. Afterward, Bai Yao encountered two educated-youth twins secretly selling venison and tried to buy their remaining meat.

• Jiang Rou read a warning letter, learned Brother Dong had sent someone to track her, and broke the spy’s leg until he revealed the plan.
• Jiang Rou and her underlings tied up Brother Dong and his men, then took over their operation, but found its supplies and money gone.
• Bai Yao followed Jiang Rou in secret and concluded that her fighting style did not match the soldier or mercenary backgrounds he had considered.
• Jiang Rou’s underlings reported that the courtyard was empty, and the group discussed what to do next.
• Bai Yao found the twin educated youths selling venison, bought their remaining ten jin, and asked them to include their carrying basket.

Bai Yao traded cloth coupons to the twins in exchange for a promise of pheasant and rabbit meat, then paid them another coupon to hear gossip. The twins revealed that Dong Aiguo had tricked the male educated youth Zhang Dashu, leaving Bai Yao eager to hear the details.

• Bai Yao sold venison to the twins, then later spotted them trading a pheasant for coupons.
• Bai Yao offered the twins cloth coupons at the black-market price, and they agreed to repay him with pheasants and wild rabbits instead of money.
• The twins told Bai Yao that Zhang Dashu had been tricked by someone, and Bai Yao gave them a cloth coupon to learn who was responsible.
• The twins named Dong Aiguo, and Bai Yao shared melon seeds as he urged them to tell him what had happened.

Bai Yao heard how Dong Aiguo exploited Zhang Dashu, then bought pastries and arranged to sell flawed fabric to Xiang Qian and Xiang Hou. As the twins offered to repay him with their bodies, they revealed shocking gossip about Dong Aiguo.

• Xiang Qian and Xiang Hou told Bai Yao that Dong Aiguo had sex with Zhang Dashu but still did not lend him grain.
• Bai Yao gave the twins his remaining sunflower seeds and left, while they planned to repay him with wild game.
• Bai Yao bought pastries at the supply and marketing cooperative, then collected his bicycle, venison, watermelons, and soda from his System Space.
• Xiang Qian and Xiang Hou asked Bai Yao for fabric, and he offered to sell them flawed pieces without coupons.
• Bai Yao invited the twins to take turns riding his bicycle, and they offered to repay him with their bodies while sharing gossip about Dong Aiguo.

Bai Yao learned why Xiang Qian and Xiang Hou were desperate for money and agreed to let both brothers follow his lead, provided they repaid the meat they owed him. The brothers eagerly accepted, while Xiang Qian kept joking about paying Bai Yao back with his body.

• Xiang Qian explained that he and Xiang Hou had been neglected by their impoverished family, lost much of their resettlement money, and struggled to survive in the countryside.
• Bai Yao decided the brothers seemed decent enough to consider taking on as underlings and asked why they had chosen him over the other educated youths.
• Xiang Qian and Xiang Hou said the other educated youths were troublesome and that they refused to use blackmail, even though they knew potentially damaging information about them.
• Xiang Qian said he hoped Xiang Hou would live long enough to marry, and Bai Yao teased the brothers about their offers to repay him with their bodies.
• Bai Yao agreed to help both brothers make money after they repaid him with chickens and rabbits, and Xiang Qian again joked about offering his body.

Bai Yao returned to the village with Xiang Qian and Xiang Hou, then went home with Kong Wu, who cooked braised meat for him. The chapter ended with Bai Yao waking late and discovering Kong Wu had waited without eating so they could share the meal.

• On the way back, Xiang Qian and Xiang Hou shared village gossip with Bai Yao, who asked them to report anything entertaining from the educated youth residence and gave them soda.
• At the village entrance, Bai Yao met Kong Wu, explained that the twins had helped him ride back, and asked Kong Wu to pedal them home.
• Bai Yao instructed Kong Wu to put away their purchases and chill a watermelon in the well, then suffered stomach trouble after drinking iced soda too quickly.
• Kong Wu began braising the meat they had bought, and Bai Yao thanked him before falling asleep.
• Bai Yao woke at eight thirty and found Kong Wu had waited to eat with him until the braised meat was ready.

After Kong Wu ate a large meal of venison, he rushed out to burn off the extra energy, while Bai Yao suffered a brief bout of diarrhea and later realized Kong Wu was bathing and taking care of himself. They slept well and returned to their usual work the next day, with Bai Yao remembering the watermelon chilling in the well.

• Bai Yao served Kong Wu two steamed buns and ten jin of braised venison, and Kong Wu paid him 500 yuan for meals.
• Kong Wu learned the meat was venison, said he did not like it, and ran out over the courtyard wall to work off the energy.
• Bai Yao prepared six chi of good cloth for Xiang Qian and Xiang Hou, then got diarrhea after eating fatty meat.
• Bai Yao used his Mental Power to check on Kong Wu and realized he was bathing and taking care of himself, then lit sleep incense and fell asleep.
• Bai Yao and Kong Wu woke refreshed, worked their usual mu of land, and Bai Yao suggested going home to eat the watermelon in the well.

Bai Yao gave Xiang Qian and Xiang Hou defective cloth and coupons to resell, setting cautious limits so they could earn money safely. After the brothers sold their first goods almost immediately, Bai Yao gave them a forty-meter bolt to sell within a week.

• Bai Yao welcomed Xiang Qian and Xiang Hou, who brought him two hens as repayment.
• Bai Yao gave the brothers six chi of nearly flawless defective cloth to keep and another piece of defective cloth and coupons to sell, explaining that he would take twenty percent of future profits.
• Bai Yao told the brothers to keep their trading small and safe, and said their payment also covered watching the educated youth settlement.
• Xiang Qian and Xiang Hou returned after lunch and told Bai Yao they had sold everything to villagers.
• Bai Yao had Kong Wu bring out a forty-meter bolt of defective cloth and told the brothers to sell it within a week.