Black Market

"Wasn't that practically the authority of a production brigade leader?"

Song Yichen muttered under his breath, his words full of envy. Lu Xiaoyue nodded and added, "No matter what, as long as Shen can lead everyone to prosperity, there's nothing wrong with giving him that authority. It's not like they're actually making him brigade leader."

"I'm just afraid some people won't know their place."

Li Jiaojiao swept her gaze over the villagers around them and lowered her voice. "There are plenty of demons and monsters in Chaoyang Production Brigade."

"This isn't about knowing one's place or not."

Educated youth Zheng Lei spoke with a trace of bitterness in his voice. "There are plenty of people in this village who want to be cadres, and they're all quite outstanding. He's an outsider, yet he's occupying the magpie's nest..."

"If you can't talk properly, no one's treating you like a mute!"

Team leader Wang Hongbo cut him off, his expression dark. "What do you mean, occupying the magpie's nest? If they really want to be cadres, they can fight for it themselves! What does that have to do with Shen?"

"Exactly."

Wang Wenwen gave a disdainful snort. "If you're incapable yourself, yet blame someone else for being outstanding, you're simply sick in the head."

"Isn't that so!?"

Educated youth Feng Yi rolled his eyes at some of the unconvinced villagers, then turned to Zheng Lei and Chen Ming, who was pretending to be deaf and mute beside him. He said coldly, "Zheng Lei, I know you resent Shen for exposing you two for stealing his Malted Milk and biscuits, but this isn't the time for you to make sour remarks..."

"When did I make sour remarks?"

Zheng Lei's face reddened as he glared furiously at him. "Wasn't what I said the truth? How old is he? What qualifications does he have to be a cadre?"

He hated Feng Yi, that loudmouth, to death. At every turn, Feng Yi brought up how Chen Ming and he had "borrowed food" from Shen Jianan—his Malted Milk and biscuits.

And that Shen Jianan was stingy too. Wasn't it just half a can of Malted Milk and a few bags of little biscuits?

Chen Ming and he had both said they would pay him back, yet Shen Jianan kept making a fuss until everyone knew about it, causing them to lose all face.

Ever since then, whenever anything involving Shen Jianan came up, the moment the two of them voiced an opinion, everyone assumed they were using public matters to avenge private grievances. See? Wasn't this exactly it?

"Pfft!"

Feng Yi rolled his eyes speechlessly. "So only people your age are qualified, is that it!?"

"Alright, alright."

Huang Qimei, standing in the corner, saw everyone criticizing Zheng Lei and hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. "Zheng Lei is only worried about Shen! Everyone, speak nicely. Don't hurt the harmony."

"Heh! You really know how to play the good person, don't you!?"

Li Jiaojiao's face was full of mockery. "You ate quite a bit of that Malted Milk and those biscuits too, didn't you?"

She found Huang Qimei the most irritating. Every day, Huang Qimei pretended to be a good person, but her heart was blacker than anyone's. Li Jiaojiao's retort instantly made her flush crimson. "Jiaojiao, how can you say that about me?"

"Wasn't what I said the truth?"

Li Jiaojiao looked away and stopped responding to her. Huang Qimei felt a breath lodge in her chest, unable to rise or fall. She could only suppress her anger and lean against the wall, sulking. She thought to herself that once Jiang Hongmei returned, she had to make her vent this anger for her.

The educated youths had quieted down, but the villagers were still making a fuss. The reason was nothing more than the same jealousy and resentment Zheng Lei felt. However, Zhao Gang and the other cadres were no pushovers; in just a few words, they rebuked them until they were speechless.

"If you're unwilling, then just keep farming from now on and don't get involved. Perfect—we don't even know how much this business can earn. If you withdraw, the rest of us can more securely divide a little more money."

Zhao Gang waved a hand and sneered, then dropped another bombshell. "Also, all work involving hair ties and backpacks can only be done at places arranged by the production brigade. No one may privately take materials or finished products home. Furthermore, aside from members of Chaoyang Production Brigade, no outsiders may participate in production."

Everyone's expressions changed at those words, especially the households with married-out daughters and the women who had married in from elsewhere. They felt even more uncomfortable. Just as they were about to object, they heard him speak sternly.

"Whoever dares violate the rules, affects product sales, and causes everyone to be unable to earn money to buy grain, leaving them unable to get by.

Even if the few of us have to give up being cadres, we'll drive them out of Chaoyang Production Brigade and make sure they can never return to Apricot Blossom Village for the rest of their lives."

The moment he said this, everyone immediately fell silent. After all, deep in their bones, Chinese people held a profound obsession with fallen leaves returning to their roots.

And thinking it over, what he said was right. They had not even sorted out their own lives, yet they wanted to cut off their own source of wealth to help relatives. What else could that be but madness?

Fortunately, the brigade leader had reminded them in time, or they would have made a grave mistake. Once they understood that, everyone stopped resisting Zhao Gang and the other cadres' arrangements and voiced their agreement one after another.

"Brigade leader, don't worry. We definitely won't do something that foolish."

Niu Chunhua was the first to state her position. Though she had a loose tongue and loved stirring up trouble, she was clear-headed when it came to matters of principle, especially regarding her natal family. She helped when she should help, but when she should not, even if someone knelt and begged her, she would not waver in the slightest.

That was also why, no matter how much trouble she caused in the village, her husband Zhao Ping would never easily lay a finger on her.

"Not bad."

Zhao Gang gave her a thumbs-up. "You've got awareness!"

Seeing her praised, the others were unwilling to fall behind and spoke up as well. "Brigade leader, let's do as you say!"

"Whatever you say goes."

"Yes, yes, we'll all follow the production brigade's arrangements..."

Hearing that, Zhao Gang revealed a satisfied smile. He then turned to Shen Jianan and Gu Yu a few steps away and lifted his chin at them. The two understood at once and exchanged smiles with him.

"Alright, everyone should first prepare needles, thread, scrap cloth, bamboo strips, and rattan."

Shen Jianan looked around at the crowd and began giving instructions. "Once Secretary Zhao's side calls, we'll immediately conduct on-site assessments at the production brigade.

While there's still time, think carefully about your needlework and weaving skills. This is tied to your future work points."

"Understood!"

Everyone hurriedly responded. "Thank you for the reminder, Shen!"

Shen Jianan smiled lightly and waved a hand. "You're welcome."

"Then that's settled!

Seeing that everything had been made clear, Zhao Gang immediately waved his hand and announced the meeting adjourned. The villagers instantly filed out, especially the women from each household. They moved quickly; some who lived nearby had already rushed home to prepare dinner.

Gu Yu and Shen Jianan declined Zhao Gang and the other cadres' invitation to dinner and left the production brigade with the educated youths.

On the way, Shen Jianan told Lu Xiaoyue, Li Jiaojiao, Wang Wenwen, Chen Li, and Qian Xiaojuan that he had used leftover fabric from making clothes to make each of them a small bag. "It's not dark yet. Come with me to pick them up!"

All the male and female educated youths present were stunned, then watched the girls leave with him, their eyes full of envy. Naturally, Huang Qimei was the exception.

From the moment Shen Jianan told Lu Xiaoyue and the others that he had made bags for them, and refused to accept payment from them, the smile on Huang Qimei's face had nearly become impossible to maintain. Hatred churned in her heart.

She truly could not understand how she had offended Shen Jianan. Otherwise, why had he singled her out and left her behind? Oh, no—not just her. Jiang Hongmei had not received one either.

Still, it was understandable for Jiang Hongmei, considering her entanglement with him. But she had never had a direct conflict with Shen Jianan, had she?

Before she could figure it out, Song Yichen's words struck her another devastating blow. "Shen is so good to girls. He gave hair ties last time and bags this time. I wonder what he'll give next?"

"What business is it of yours what he gives people?"

Feng Yi gave a meaningful glance at the astonished Chen Ming and Zheng Lei, as well as Huang Qimei, who looked wounded, her eyes red. "They're his things. He can give them to whoever he wants!"

"That's true."

Song Yichen nodded in agreement, then smiled and threw an arm around Feng Yi's shoulders. "Come on, let's go back and cook. I'm starving to death."

"Mm!"

Feng Yi tugged at the corner of his mouth, then called Wang Hongbo over and returned to the Educated Youth Station with them. As for Huang Qimei, puffed up with rage, Zheng Lei, whose eyes were filled with envy and hatred, and the "mute" Chen Ming—who cared about them!?

Half-Mountain Courtyard.

The several educated youths who received the floral cloth bags simply could not put them down. They wished they could carry them into town for a stroll right then.

The one Shen Jianan gave Lu Xiaoyue was a light green shell-shaped bag with a subtle pearlescent sheen. It could be worn crossbody or over one shoulder. There were support strips inside, several inner pockets sewn in, and a hidden clasp attached, allowing her to store valuables or private items.

She had sweet features and loved wearing light-colored, simple clothes in her free time, so such a bag suited her perfectly.

The one for Li Jiaojiao, meanwhile, was a structured rectangular bag in an orange-red jacquard plaid. Shen Jianan felt that her personality was flamboyant and that her appearance and bearing carried a bit of coolness, so he hung a light brown ornament woven by Cheng Guang on it. The young girl seemed to like it quite a lot.

Then there was Wang Wenwen. She adored pink, so Shen Jianan had specially made her a pink-and-white floral underarm bag with a ruched design.

As for Chen Li and Qian Xiaojuan, he had not made theirs so elaborate. Both received convertible bags that could be gathered shut and worn crossbody or over one shoulder, only with different patterns.

The treatment the two received was clearly somewhat inferior to that of Lu Xiaoyue and the other three, but they were already very satisfied. As Lu Xiaoyue put it, Shen Jianan owed no one anything; on the contrary, they owed him far too much. Thus, the two had always known their boundaries before everyone else.

The five girls hugged their beloved gifts and thanked him with flushed faces. "Thank you, Shen! And you won't even take money..."

"Alright, alright."

Shen Jianan frowned and waved them off. "We're friends, so stop being so fussy. You say thank you every day—if you're not tired of it, I am."

Then he pointed toward the entrance. "Let's go. Before it gets dark, Gu and I will walk you back. We don't have much grain at home, so we won't keep you for dinner."

The girls laughed and nodded. "Alright, alright! We won't eat yours and Educated Youth Gu's food. Another day, we'll treat you two to a big meal, alright!?"

Lu Xiaoyue spoke first, and Li Jiaojiao and the others quickly echoed her. "Right, we'll treat you both to something delicious then. No refusing."

Shen Jianan and Gu Yu knew they could not refuse, so they could only agree. Shen Jianan then raised a hand in invitation. "Let's go, young ladies."

"Alright."

They answered with smiles and filed out of the little courtyard. Shen Jianan and Gu Yu followed close behind, escorting them to the entrance of the Educated Youth Station. Only after everyone had entered did they return home at ease.

After dinner, the moon had already climbed over the treetops. Gu Yu obediently took the kitchen knife Shen Jianan handed him, along with clothes for disguise, and entered the space. Using his movement ability, he headed for neighboring Abundant Source Town.

Previously, he had taken a shortcut over the mountain to get there. Even running without stopping, it took more than six hours. But now that he had the space, although he could only stay inside for three hours, he could still save more than half the time. Therefore, when Gu Yu arrived in Abundant Source Town, it was only eleven at night.

At that point, his time limit in the space had also been reached. He hurriedly came out and made his way near the black market. Then he found a relatively safe place far from it to hide, waiting until he could enter the space again before disguising himself and heading to the black market with gold bars tucked on him.

However, the instant he entered the black market's territory, someone immediately set their sights on him. Gu Yu was not afraid. He knew they belonged to the force managing this place, and it was normal for them to be wary upon suddenly seeing someone like him, covered from head to toe and unlike the other speculators, not carrying bundles and bags of goods.

Still, to avoid misunderstandings, he slipped his hand into his clothes pocket, gripped a gold bar, then took it out just enough to reveal a small section before wandering around.

Sure enough, once they saw that he had something on him, they stopped watching him so closely. However, several shadowy figures with ill intent continued following him from the darkness.

Gu Yu thought it over and felt that this could not go on. He turned and walked to the intersection, directly approaching the black market thugs. "I have a deal to discuss with your boss."

Lin Qi, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, sneered disdainfully. "What deal? My boss won't be interested in that little bit of stuff you have."

"Exactly."

Fang Chen, the lackey standing beside him, chimed in. "Just one gold bar, and you want to see our boss? What sweet dream are you having?"

"Is that so?"

Gu Yu did not get angry at being looked down on. He merely stepped forward and lowered his voice. "Then what if it's watches, radios, grain, oil, medicine, foreign clothing, cloth..."

With every item he named, the mouths of the two men before him opened wider. Even when the cigarette dangling from Lin Qi's mouth fell, he did not notice. They only stared at Gu Yu with widened eyes, so shocked they could not speak for a long while.

Gu Yu curled his lips in a scoff and raised his hand, making a gun gesture at them. "And this too. So, how about it? If you're unwilling, I'll go to another town."

The moment they heard that, how could they dare delay? Lin Qi hurriedly nodded an apology to him, said, "Please wait here," then rode off on his bicycle.

Fang Chen's attitude toward Gu Yu also made a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. During the mere half hour Lin Qi was gone, he called Gu Yu "bro" no fewer than a hundred times. He even paid out of pocket to buy a packet of pastries for him.

Gu Yu was nearly melted by his enthusiasm, sweat breaking out all over him. In his heart, he prayed for Lin Qi to hurry back and take the man away. Fortunately, it was not long before Lin Qi rode back.

He braked neatly and lifted his chin at Gu Yu. "Let's go. Come meet the boss."

"Alright."

Gu Yu swung a leg over the back seat. Leaving Fang Chen standing there eagerly watching, he and Lin Qi sped away together.

Lin Qi rode through the town's streets and dark alleys, turning left and right and circling countless times, before finally stopping at a Salvage Station.

"Go in. The boss is waiting for you inside."

"Mm."

Gu Yu remained unmoved. "You first."

"Pfft!"

Lin Qi could not help laughing. He found this person somewhat amusing. Only now did he think of guarding against people—wasn't that a little late? Still, Gu Yu was lucky. Their group were brothers who valued the code of the jianghu. Though they speculated and trafficked all day, they did not do anything that would outrage heaven and conscience.

Following Gu Yu's wishes, he strode ahead. Gu Yu quickly followed behind him and quietly took the kitchen knife from the space, gripping it in his hand.