Sure Enough, It Was Them

This program was produced by Tomato Listening. Episode 26: Sure Enough, It Was Them. There were neither many nor few people at the Black Market. The entire alley was fairly quiet, and even haggling had to be done in low voices.

Lin Yuzhu's basket attracted quite a bit of attention. She found an extremely inconspicuous corner and squatted down, feeling uneasy. In her eyes, this Black Market was nowhere near as safe as peddling through the streets. She raised her vigilance to the highest level, ready to run at the first sign of trouble.

When her first customer arrived, Lin Yuzhu looked up and hesitated. Wasn't this the clerk from the grain store?

Why was he at the Black Market?

Lin Yuzhu did not have a photographic memory. She only remembered him because the man squatting across from her was rather eye-catching.

In this modest little town, there really were not many people who could wear nothing but black, white, and gray and still exude such outstanding presence. Not to mention that he was quite handsome!

The man before her might not have fit this era's standards of beauty. When everyone admired thick brows, big eyes, and square faces, this man was the exact opposite. His narrow phoenix eyes tilted slightly upward, making him look sharp and difficult to approach. But Lin Yuzhu liked that sort of look. He had an air of abstinence about him.

They said thin lips meant a cold-hearted nature, and this man had them too.

With a face like his, he would have been disliked by the village aunties purely on merit. He stood tall and straight but looked somewhat thin. If he were thrown into the countryside, he would probably have a miserable time.

Lin Yuzhu realized that the village aunties had led her astray.

His appearance really did match the beauty standards of later generations, which was why Lin Yuzhu could still recognize him now.

The man glanced at Lin Yuzhu, his gaze gradually deepening. He should never have met this little boy before, so why did the other party seem to recognize him? Before he could figure it out, the boy looked at him as though she did not know him after all, as if she had mistaken him for someone else.

Brother Dao, are you buying anything?

Lin Yuzhu spoke in a simple, honest manner.

Shen Bojun nodded and asked in a low, indifferent voice, "What do you have?"

Cornmeal, rice, flour, and eggs.

Shen Bojun raised his brows. They were all popular goods. After asking about the prices again, he got up and left without saying another word.

Lin Yuzhu was speechless. You're making me nervous like this!

Could someone who so easily resisted the temptation of rice and flour really be here to buy things at the Black Market?

Could he be a spy sent by Liang Zhan, preparing to wipe out the entire Black Market in one sweep?

Lin Yuzhu hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should leave immediately. No matter how she looked at it, safety came first. After a brief hesitation, she decided to withdraw. She had already stood up when she saw the guy slowly returning with a fat man. He raised his brows at her, seemingly puzzled by what she was doing.

Lin Yuzhu, who had already put all her goods back onto her back, gave an awkward smile. "I was thinking of moving over there. It might be easier to sell things."

The other man neither agreed nor disagreed. "This spot really isn't noticeable. Buy all his goods, then bargain with him over the price."

After giving Fatty Li his instructions, Shen Bojun went to the next stall.

Lin Yuzhu froze. This arrangement felt strangely familiar.

A cold and aloof clerk who was also a minor leader at the Black Market.

After receiving his instructions, Fatty Li pulled Lin Yuzhu over to ask about her goods.

After checking the goods, Fatty Li felt quite pleased inside, though he looked extremely disdainful on the surface.

After another round of fierce bargaining, they finally settled on a price.

Lin Yuzhu had secretly brought in some more rice and flour just now. She sold fifty jin of cornmeal at thirteen cents per jin, twenty jin of rice at ninety cents per jin, twenty jin of flour at sixty cents per jin, and ten jin of eggs at fifty-five cents per jin. Along with ten jin of soybean oil at forty cents per jin and a stack of ration coupons, she earned more than two hundred and fifty yuan.

Fatty Li carried off the goods, his body sinking under the weight. He could not help muttering, "That kid looks short and skinny, but he's pretty strong."

Lin Yuzhu, who had not gone far, was speechless.

Short? Lin Yuzhu remembered that there was a Black Market spot near the train station in the original novel, but she did not intend to go there for now. That place was a mixed bag, and there was also a small gang there. One of its minor leaders was especially lecherous. Even after the female lead disguised herself, she could not escape his filthy eyes and was still recognized by him.

Moreover, the rice and flour she sold were far better than anything on the market. Little Taomu sent people to follow her. Although the female lead shook them off, she ran into them again the next time she tried to resell goods.

Seeing that she still had goods, that minor leader clearly did not want to let the female lead go again. He followed her personally and even saw what she really looked like after removing her disguise. Lust rose in his heart, and he also wanted control over the resources in her hands. There was bound to be plenty of entanglement after that.

The female lead faced one danger after another. Relying on her powerful protagonist halo, she secretly helped the police wipe out that small gang and even took away half their supplies, making a huge profit.

Naturally, the male lead's help was indispensable.

If she remembered correctly, he seemed to know an undercover agent. From then on, that Black Market became the female lead's money-making base.

Lin Yuzhu figured that the Black Market was at its most chaotic right now. With one protagonist halo and two powerful backers, she still thought it was better not to get involved. She preferred steady development.

No matter when it was, money was nothing compared to life.

Seeing that it was nearly noon, Lin Yuzhu decided to stop and find a place to change clothes.

Unexpectedly, the moment she stepped out of the alley, an older woman grabbed her.

Young man, do you have any goods?

The older woman spoke in a low voice and kept looking around as though she were committing a crime.

Lin Yuzhu rubbed her nose. Acting so sneaky only made one more suspicious. She secretly shook her head, guessing that the woman did not want to enter the Black Market and had deliberately waited at the alley entrance to stop people.

Auntie, why aren't you going in?

Who coming out now would still have goods on hand?

I don't want to go in. You have to pay to enter, and it might not even be safe.

You have to pay to buy things there?

Of course. It costs three cents.

They say they can't help you for free. Wang Feng is really ruthless. Young man, do you have goods or not?

Perhaps feeling that the alley entrance was unsafe too, the older woman became a little impatient.

I do, but I need to go get them. How long will it take you to get your goods?

Is it far from here?

If it's not far, I'll go with you.

The older woman looked as though she did not want to stay here any longer. She could not wait to follow Lin Yuzhu and leave at once.

Lin Yuzhu only wanted to find a deserted place and take out some goods. How could she possibly bring this older woman with her?

Auntie, I can't take you with me. I don't need to spell out why—you should understand. How about you give me your address? I'll get the goods and deliver them to you.

The older woman thought about it, then nodded. "All right. My home is right behind here."

The third house from the innermost end. Young man, just knock when you get there.

Lin Yuzhu nodded knowingly. "Hey, Auntie, I have rice, flour, oil, and cornmeal. What would you like?"

About how many jin do you want?

The older woman's eyes lit up. "Give me twenty jin of cornmeal, ten jin each of rice and flour, and ten jin of oil too."

Hey, let me make this clear. This isn't easy work, so you can't refuse to pay. Hehe.

Don't worry. It'll definitely be good stuff.

After settling the deal, Lin Yuzhu parted ways with the older woman. Once the woman walked out through another alley entrance, Lin Yuzhu sensed someone following behind her. Her eyes shifted, and she quickened her pace before turning into another maze-like alley. Taking advantage of the lack of people, she immediately slipped into her space.

Fortunately, the system could monitor the movement outside. Sure enough, several dozen seconds later, it detected someone chasing after her. However, the system currently had no ability to observe the outside world.

Lin Yuzhu could not tell who was following her. She patted her little heart, which was pounding wildly.

Lin Yuzhu forced herself to calm down and thought it over carefully. Logically speaking, such a small amount of goods should not have attracted attention. Although her goods were considered fine goods, wait—

Something was wrong. That older woman.

Lin Yuzhu's eyes darted about as she carefully recalled the situation. Suddenly, she remembered that when she had entered the Black Market, someone dressed similarly to that older woman had passed by her. If she was not mistaken, it should have been this very woman.

This older woman was probably testing whether she still had goods on hand for someone else. If Lin Yuzhu foolishly went to get the goods, she might expose her source.

That was the optimistic possibility. In the worst case, they might even rob and murder her. Or perhaps she was a spy.

Although Lin Yuzhu did not know whether her speculation was correct, that older woman's business was definitely not happening.

She could not walk straight into a wolf's den. Since she was alone, it was better not to take risks.

Planning to wait about half an hour before leaving, Lin Yuzhu sat on the grass with a grin and began counting her money.

The thick stack contained more than 230 yuan.

Lin Yuzhu was so happy that she wanted to shake her feet. She had managed to get quite a few industrial coupons today, though she had only gotten two cloth coupons and two miscellaneous coupons.

After sorting out the money and coupons, Lin Yuzhu got up and went into the little thatched hut to remove her disguise.

After washing up and changing again, the mirror reflected a delicate young girl.

Aside from being a little dark-skinned, Lin Yuzhu thought as she looked in the mirror that she still needed to buy a more expensive bottle of sunscreen.

Life was not easy, and money was needed everywhere. Wang Xiaomei had said she was visiting relatives, so Lin Yuzhu could only go eat lunch by herself.

The two had agreed to meet at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative that afternoon. After leaving her space, Lin Yuzhu slipped from a small alley onto the main street, then strode toward the State-Run Restaurant with the swagger of someone who feared no one.

At that time, State-Run Restaurants served meals exactly when they were scheduled to. They would not let you order even a minute early. If you arrived after business hours, the chef would not cook for you even if he was sitting right beside the stove. They were just that arrogant.

It was already noon, and Lin Yuzhu did not dare delay any longer. She had been busy all morning and was truly hungry. She did not feel like going back into her space to cook. She had to experience the legendary State-Run Restaurant at least once.

When she arrived, the timing was perfect—not too early or too late, just after the rush to order food. There were only two people ahead of her in line at the counter. As someone from the future, how could she be timid?

When it was Lin Yuzhu's turn, she lifted her chin, puffed out her chest, and declared with great authority, "One bowl of rice and one serving of braised pork."

The server lazily took the money and coupons from Lin Yuzhu's hand, dismissed her with a single "Wait," and sent her away.

Lin Yuzhu clicked her tongue inwardly. This level of service was truly unprecedented and unmatched.

To avoid wasting resources, people eating alone like her inevitably had to share tables with others.

Yet fate was truly wonderful. Not long after Lin Yuzhu sat down, an acquaintance came over and sat beside her.