This Round Wasn't a Loss

This program was produced by Tomato Listening. Episode 48: This Round Wasn't a Loss!

It was as if her good intentions had been trampled on.

Dong Tiantian frowned and asked irritably, "Aren't these junk items all missing an arm or a leg? What use are they besides being chopped up for firewood after taking them back?"

"Oh, they can still be used after taking them back to the village and having a carpenter fix them up."

Zhao Xianglan spoke earnestly. "Wouldn't it cost money to have someone fix them? Wood is the cheapest thing in the village. What carpenters charge for when making furniture is their craftsmanship. Rather than spending the effort to carry these back, you might as well just have a carpenter make new ones. I really don't know what you were thinking."

Dong Mimi looked at Zhao Xianglan as though she were an idiot.

Lin Yuzhu was grateful for the name Immortal Sword. She had bought meat buns to fill her stomach first; otherwise, she would be watching them bicker on an empty stomach right now.

Thinking of those pork buns from earlier, Lin Yuzhu swallowed again. The meat buns from the State-Run Restaurant were truly delicious—thin skin, plenty of filling, and oil dripping out with every bite. They were fresh, tender, and juicy. Even after three buns, she still wanted more.

The next time she came across someone selling buns, she would buy more.

Lin Yuzhu looked as though she were lost in thought. Thinking about Zhao Xianglan, she was furious inside, but she put on a disappointed expression and said unhappily, "Forget it. I guess I worried for nothing. I spent money to bring this pile of things back from the Scrap Station!"

So she was asking for money?

Dong Mimi snorted. She was naturally not short on money, but she did not want to spend it so passively. She snorted again and said, "Wasn't this your own decision?"

Zhao Xianglan pressed her lips together tightly, anger already flashing in her eyes. In her view, she had given ground again and again, only for the other side to push even harder.

Seeing her like this, Dong Tiantian stepped closer to Dong Mimi. For a moment, the tension between both sides became palpable.

Wang Yang looked from one side to the other. Feeling that they might start fighting, she hurriedly stepped forward to play peacemaker again and said gently,

"It's only a little stuff. A few boys can carry it back."

"Come on, everyone, come over and take a little!"

Several male Educated Youth reluctantly came forward to help. None of them looked particularly pleased. They had not even recovered from the exhaustion of the autumn harvest—who wanted to put in more effort?

The things Zhao Xianglan had gotten were all broken solid-wood furniture. They looked nice, but they were heavy. That table missing one leg was even heavier.

Lin Yuzhu had no idea how the three of them had transported this junk from the Scrap Station. Looking at Zhou Nan's clothes, which were filthy and wrinkled, Lin Yuzhu shook her head. Was Zhao Xianglan a little lacking in common sense?

Not long after they set out, the male Educated Youth had to take turns carrying the table. After several rounds, every one of them looked rather unhappy.

Zhao Xianglan's face was dark, her heart full of grievance. She had paid money and put in effort, yet she still was not appreciated. At this moment, she disliked everyone, but Lin Yuzhu most of all. If not for her, things would not have turned out this way. Lin Yuzhu sneezed several times in a row, tightened her clothes around herself, and thought that she should add another layer.

They finally came across an Ox Cart. When the old man driving it saw their tables, chairs, and benches, he kept shaking his head. He would not take them; his ox was precious to him.

Lin Yuzhu thought, If he won't take them, he'll take me, right? Smiling, she gave the old man a handful of hard candy and asked whether he could give her a ride.

The old man held the candy in his hand and agreed with a cheerful smile.

When Li Xiangwan saw this, she hurriedly handed the old man a handful of red dates. Delighted, the old man saw how fresh and pretty the girl was and agreed to take her along as well.

And so, Lin Yuzhu and Li Xiangwan got onto the Ox Cart and left together.

The Dong Sisters had no snacks on them besides Walnut Cookies. How could they possibly bear to give those away? They asked the old man whether he could give them a ride if they paid him.

The old man hurriedly shook his head and said sternly, "Aren't you forcing me to make a mistake?"

"Uh, besides, my ox can't carry any more people."

The Dong Sisters were speechless and could only watch the Ox Cart leave.

Zhao Xianglan and Zhang Yanqiu wanted nothing more than to drag the two people on the cart down. Their minds were filled with one frantic question: Why?

Li Xiangbei watched the departing Ox Cart, his mouth growing more bitter. Wang Yang patted him beside him and comforted him, "You probably won't be angry anymore in a couple of days."

"Mm."

Ever since the hand-touching incident, Li Xiangwan had deliberately distanced herself from Li Xiangbei and Wang Yang. The three no longer ate together. Zhang Yanqiu and the Dong Sisters happily welcomed the two back to eat with them, but the two grown men could not even cook a meal, so they could only start eating with Qian Yuan again.

After Li Xiangwan learned of this, she felt even more awkward and barely spoke to Li Xiangbei anymore.

Watching Li Xiangbei's lonely expression, Lin Yuzhu thought, Comrade Zhou Nan, if you're smart right now, hurry up and take advantage of the opening!

A whole melodramatic annual drama unfolded in her mind, and they returned to the Educated Youth Dormitory with ease.

As soon as Lin Yuzhu entered the room, Wang Xiaomei hurried over and asked, "Have you eaten? Want me to heat something up for you?"

Lin Yuzhu shook her head, tossed the basket behind her aside, then lay down on the kang and said exhaustedly, "Ah, no need. I already ate."

Huang Xiaomei chatted with her for a few more sentences. When she looked again, Lin Yuzhu was already asleep. Feeling a little guilty, she thought Lin Yuzhu must have been exhausted from yesterday's ordeal. She did not disturb her further and quietly left, even closing the door for her on the way out.

After the door closed, Lin Yuzhu slowly opened her eyes and impatiently slipped into her space. She had been thinking about that bag for nearly the entire morning and finally had time to search through it properly.

She went through the entire bag, not even overlooking the hidden compartments.

After taking everything out, Lin Yuzhu stared at the small pile of Little Yellow Fish and a stack of Big Black Ten notes on the floor, her eyes shining.

Setting aside the gold for now, that stack of Big Black Ten notes was brand-new. That was truly rare.

Lin Yuzhu specifically checked the year: 1953. There were even several with consecutive serial numbers.

Lin Yuzhu's heart pounded. Touching the huge bump on the side of her head, she thought, This round really wasn't a loss.

Lin Yuzhu did not know much about collecting currency. She had only learned a little from several bosses chatting over drinks in the past.

Big Black Ten notes had considerable collectible value. The earlier the year, the more valuable they were, and the condition of the banknotes also greatly affected their value.

A brand-new Big Black Ten note had been speculated up to prices ranging from one hundred thousand to even two hundred thousand. Lin Yuzhu carefully counted the notes. There were a full forty of them, and she grinned from ear to ear.

She had to keep these. When she became an ancestor someday and the younger generation came to pay New Year's respects, she could hand out a few to each of them. How impressive would that be? Just thinking about it was wonderful.

Lin Yuzhu wondered whether the two idiots who had thrown away the bag had somehow transmigrated too. How else had they gotten so many brand-new Big Black Ten notes?

To some extent, there were very few Big Black Ten notes circulating on the market now. Notes this new had probably been deliberately collected.

Among the people she knew, the only one with that kind of foresight was the female lead. She herself was a transmigrator—could it be that the female lead was also collecting Big Black Ten notes at the Black Market?

It was not impossible. Still, it was all speculation, and no matter how much she guessed, she could not figure it out.

Lin Yuzhu put those thoughts aside, stored the money away, and placed it in the Warehouse for safekeeping. The Warehouse could even preserve fresh crops; could it not preserve a few banknotes?

Thinking about it that way, the Warehouse really was such a cute little thing. The system was speechless. In 1973, one Little Yellow Fish could be exchanged at a bank for around 260 yuan, but it had already been driven up to more than 500 yuan at the Black Market, perhaps even more.

In large Black Market transactions, gold bars were generally used. Compared with carrying around a huge bag of cash, the big shots preferred gold bars. They were inconspicuous and convenient.

As for the previous claims from the gold department, those were only said for ordinary people to hear. Some shrewder families also knew to hide gold and would not sell it easily.

The setups in novels where a bag of rice could be traded for a gold bracelet were not impossible either. What if someone really ran into a fool?

In short, gold could be traded at the Black Market. As for whose hands this gold would eventually end up in, that was beyond what Lin Yuzhu could find out. Happily counting, she found that there were exactly twenty Little Yellow Fish in front of her.

Lin Yuzhu touched the bump on her head again. It still throbbed faintly. It was like being hit by a brick weighing one jin and two liang. Luckily, she had dodged a little. Delighted, she left the space and fell asleep.

This nap was exceptionally sweet and satisfying.

When she woke up, she heard what sounded like an argument up ahead and hurriedly got up to watch the excitement.

Lin Yuzhu arrived a little late. Zhao Xianglan and the Dong Sisters had already argued through one round.

At this point, Zhao Xianglan could no longer maintain her usual image as a caring big sister. She looked ready to tear off all pretense as she said, "These are the rules at our Educated Youth Dormitory. Everyone has to contribute money for any furniture we buy. If you don't believe me, ask the older Educated Youth."

"Hmph, I don't care what rules you had before. I won't accept them."

"You bought this junk without even asking us. Why should we willingly accept it?"

"Anyway, I won't pay."

After saying that, Dong Mimi disdainfully kicked the broken stool missing a leg and added, "How petty. You treat this kind of junk like treasure!"

Zhao Xianglan felt deeply humiliated by her words. She had often been harshly provoked by Li Xiangwan and Lin Yuzhu in the past, and now the phrase "so petty" made her explode instantly. She shrieked, "You think you're so noble? Then why did you come all the way to the countryside to be Educated Youth?"

"Wasn't it all for men?"

"You came all this way just to throw yourselves at them?"

"Pah!"

"Shameless!"

"Don't you act all fair and delicate every day, bragging about how good your family conditions are!"

"If your conditions are so good, why won't you let go of these men?"

"If your conditions are so good, why are you even fussing over money for a broken table and stool? Have you paid back the grain He Yuanfang lent you yet?"

"You rely on your little bit of beauty and pretend to be confused, flirting around like everyone else is stupid. I think your family is clearly starving while you puff yourselves up to look rich!"

Li Xiangbei and Wang Yang's family backgrounds were practically common knowledge. Everyone knew more or less about them.

As soon as Zhao Xianglan finished speaking, the Dong Sisters instantly went berserk. Zhao Xianglan's words were like knives, stabbing into their hearts again and again, as though she had ripped away their last covering and left them humiliated and enraged.