Chapter 16: Friends

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She Yuqi was right. A wild boar that enormous could not possibly have been carried away in an instant, even if the entire village had joined in.

“Maybe the wild boar ran off by itself…” Qi Tian’s face flushed scarlet. Stammering, he desperately tried to come up with an explanation that sounded at least somewhat plausible.

The village chief felt as though he had been made a fool of, and he had long since stopped caring about his dignity. He pointed at Qi Tian’s nose and launched into a furious tirade.

“I think the oxen in the production brigade do nothing all day except kick your head!”

Qi Tian: “…”

The corners of She Yuqi’s lips lifted despite herself. She stood to one side, enjoying the spectacle, and was secretly delighted.

On the way back to the educated youth station, Qi Tian lowered his head until it nearly touched the ground. He wished he could find a crack in the earth and crawl into it.

For a man who cared so much about his pride, this was pure torture—ten times worse than being killed!

She Yuqi watched the villagers disperse in all directions, then turned and went inside.

After turning off the lamp, she lay down on the heated brick bed and sent her consciousness into her personal space.

The carcass of a wild boar lay on the ground. She walked over and touched it, discovering that it was still warm. The space’s preservation function was truly incredible!

Happily, She Yuqi began butchering the boar. She kept the two hind legs to make cured sausage and preserved meat, while she planned to take the remaining half carcass to the black market the next day.

When She Yuqi arrived at the black market, she had taken great care with her disguise once again.

She had hidden a pair of height-boosting insoles, exchanged from her personal space, inside her shoes. Her height immediately seemed much more imposing, making her look even more like a man.

When Jiang Bei came to pick her up that morning, he had almost failed to recognize her.

“You don’t need to follow me. From now on, I’ll pay you every time I ride in your ox cart. I definitely won’t make you come for nothing.”

Jiang Bei had originally intended to follow her, but She Yuqi stopped him.

His swordlike brows drew together, and he felt somewhat displeased. But he had never been talkative, so this time he said nothing more and simply watched her leave.

His gaze, however, clung to She Yuqi like sticky candy.

“Big Sister?”

Wang Ruoruo called out uncertainly. She Yuqi stopped abruptly, then turned around warily. When she saw Wang Ruoruo and her grandfather, she relaxed slightly.

Wang Pinghai had a kind, dignified appearance. He was an elegant old man with a ramrod-straight back and a trace of righteous authority in his face, the sort of person one instinctively wanted to draw close to.

“What a coincidence, young lady. Have you come here to sell eggs again?”

“You’re not carrying any eggs.”

Wang Pinghai and his granddaughter both looked puzzled. When She Yuqi remained silent for a long while, Wang Ruoruo explained, “Big Sister smells nice.”

She Yuqi instinctively sniffed at her clothes and realized that the garments underneath did indeed carry the faint scent of cold cream.

Wang Ruoruo tilted up her head, her little face flushed red from the cold. “But don’t worry. I’ve always had a very keen sense of smell. Unless someone gets close and sniffs carefully, they won’t notice the fragrance on you.”

She Yuqi awkwardly scratched her head, then lowered her voice and asked Wang Pinghai, “I’m not selling eggs today. Elder Wang, do you know who runs the black market?”

“The person in charge of the black market?”

A strange glimmer flashed through Wang Pinghai’s eyes, but vanished almost at once.

“Well, I do happen to know him. Come with me.”

After thinking it over, She Yuqi decided to follow him. Wang Pinghai led her to a secluded alley, where three men were standing. One of them looked shifty and sly, clearly not a good person.

She Yuqi immediately grew wary. Wang Pinghai called over a man known as Pot Three, who came running over with exaggerated eagerness and bowed respectfully.

“What’s the matter, Ninth—”

“Ahem! She’s looking for you, not me.”

Wang Pinghai deliberately cut him off. Once he had spoken, he turned and left with Wang Ruoruo. Before leaving, Wang Ruoruo looked back three times at every step, clearly reluctant to go.

Pot Three looked She Yuqi up and down. His expression was neither warm nor cold.

“What is it, brother? What can I do for you?”

“Do you have some rare merchandise that isn’t convenient to sell openly in the black market?”

She Yuqi took several steps backward before replying in a hoarse voice, “Do you buy wild boar meat?”

“We do, but it depends on the quality. Fresh wild boar meat can fetch one yuan a pound on the black market. Meat that’s been dead for several days is much cheaper—about ninety-six cents a pound.”

“Are you selling wild boar meat?”

As he spoke, Pot Three pulled a packet of Spring Plowing cigarettes, worth ten cents, from the lining of his padded jacket. After thinking for a moment, he offered She Yuqi one.

“Smoke, brother? You’re so thin you look like a young girl.”

She Yuqi secretly rolled her eyes, but still politely declined his offer.

Pot Three did not take offense. He tucked the cigarette behind his ear.

“So? Have you made up your mind? Do you actually have wild boar meat or not?”

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“Yes.”

She Yuqi answered with complete seriousness.

Pot Three raised his chin toward the old house across the way and said with a grin, “If you’ve decided, bring the goods to that old house tonight. Someone will meet you there.”

“Then let’s do it now.”

“Now?” Pot Three frowned and looked down at She Yuqi’s two empty hands. His tone suddenly became strained. “Did you bring the wild boar meat with you? Listen, don’t try to play me. Otherwise, you can forget about doing business in this black market again!”

Faced with his threat, She Yuqi nodded.

Inside the old house, Pot Three and the others had already grown impatient waiting.

“Boss, what if that fellow tricked us? Wild boars aren’t so easy to catch. Last time, we hired professionals to go into the mountains after one, and they didn’t even see its shadow. With that skinny little frame, how could he possibly catch a wild boar?”

Pot Three sat on a wooden stool, sharpening a small knife. At those words, he said nothing. He simply drove the blade into the dirt, rose to his feet, and said, “He’s here.”

Under the astonished gazes of Pot Three and the others, She Yuqi pushed a cart into the old house. She lifted the white cloth covering the boar, revealing half a carcass. Steam still rose from the meat, making it look as though the animal had just been slaughtered.

Pot Three’s eyes lit up at once. Meat that fresh would be delicious whether he resold it or took it home to eat.

At one yuan a pound, it was an absolute bargain. His only disappointment was that there was only half a carcass. If it had been the whole animal, he would truly have struck gold!

“May I ask… how much did the boar weigh when it was alive?”

Pot Three stared at She Yuqi with eager anticipation. After thinking for a moment, she replied, “A little over two hundred pounds, I’d say. The New Year is coming, so I kept some for my own family. Do you want this half carcass or not? If you don’t…”

“We’ll take it! Of course we’ll take it!”

“You seem like an honest fellow, so I’ll add another ten cents. Let’s call it one yuan and ten cents a pound. If you get anything good in the future, don’t forget your brother here. I’ll never cheat you on the price!”

She Yuqi was a little surprised. She had already planned to store the meat in her personal space and eat it gradually if she could not sell it. She had not expected Pot Three to agree so readily, and she happily accepted.

“Then we have a deal.”

Pot Three beamed even more broadly. But at that moment, one of the men beside him spoke up.

“Boss, do we still need this knife?”

She Yuqi glanced over, and the atmosphere instantly became terrifyingly still.

Pot Three came to his senses, punched the man who had spoken out of turn, and cursed, “What are you talking about? Of course we’re keeping it. We’ll need it to cut up the wild boar in a moment!”

“Don’t misunderstand, brother…”

Pot Three turned back and gave an awkward little smile.

She Yuqi’s heart sank. She was not stupid.

If she had guessed correctly, that knife had been prepared for her.

Good heavens! The world really was dangerous!

Though She Yuqi verbally brushed it off, her body honestly maintained a safe distance from the group.

“Ninety-nine pounds. That comes to one hundred and eight yuan and ninety cents!”

“Pay her.”

Pot Three had been involved in the black market for many years, and he valued one thing above all else: his reputation.

She Yuqi left with more than a hundred yuan. After she was gone, a straight-backed old man slowly emerged from the rear entrance.

It was Wang Pinghai.

Pot Three and the others hurriedly called out, “Ninth Master! As you instructed, we gave her an extra ten cents!”

Wang Pinghai examined the wild boar meat and nodded with satisfaction.

“Very good.”

Then, as though he had remembered something, he frowned.

“There was a group of tails following her just now…”

Pot Three and the others understood immediately. Though they did not know what the black market’s formidable leader intended, none of them dared ask questions. Each picked up a weapon and left.

Wang Pinghai looked at the wild boar meat, his face glowing with delight. He smiled like a child, utterly unlike the stern and imposing man he had been moments earlier.

“This is bad, Ninth Master! Your granddaughter seems to have followed the young fellow who sold the wild boar meat!”

She Yuqi had not been away from the black market for long before she sensed someone following them.

Jiang Bei drove the ox cart and caught sight of more than a dozen figures sneaking along behind them from the corner of his eye.

His brows furrowed, and he suddenly stopped the cart. She Yuqi lost her balance and nearly went flying.

Jiang Bei reacted quickly and caught her around the waist. Her waist was slender, and the faint fragrance of cold cream lingered on her body. It smelled pleasant.

“Are you all right?”

The tips of Jiang Bei’s ears reddened rapidly, and he quickly released her.

She Yuqi came back to herself. Her face was as red as a ripe apple, and she forced a smile.

“I’m fine. Thank you, Jiang Bei.”

The tips of Jiang Bei’s ears grew even redder. He immediately turned around, presenting his back to She Yuqi as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

“Thank goodness! They’ve finally stopped!”

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“I saw him take more than a hundred yuan with my own eyes!”

The crowd erupted at once. Everyone rushed toward She Yuqi and Jiang Bei.

One, two, twenty!

More than twenty people had come. Every one of them was wrapped up from head to toe, afraid that someone might recognize them.

She Yuqi did not dare lower her guard. She quickly surveyed the surroundings, then fixed her eyes on the scattered dead branches lying on the ground. She selected one that looked sturdy and gripped it in her hand.

More than twenty people charged at them, and soon the fight became a chaotic brawl.

By the time Pot Three arrived with his men, they saw people sprawled everywhere, groaning miserably.

As for She Yuqi, she and Jiang Bei were working together with perfect coordination. In only a few moves, they had beaten more than twenty attackers so thoroughly that none of them could get back on their feet.

“Damn! Does this kid even need me to protect him?”

The corners of Pot Three’s mouth twitched several times.

He had brought more than thirty men, each carrying a club. They looked fierce and menacing.

Clearly, Pot Three had summoned them to help She Yuqi and Jiang Bei. He simply had not expected that the two of them would not need any help at all.

“Boss, this…”

“Withdraw…”

Still shocked, Pot Three and his men turned back, frustrated and helpless.

“Wow! Have you studied martial arts before? You’re incredible!”

She Yuqi’s lips curved upward, her smile brilliantly radiant. She stared without blinking at Jiang Bei’s dark, handsome profile, her voice bright with excitement.

Jiang Bei lifted his eyes and gave her a deep look before shaking his head. Then he fell silent again.

She Yuqi raised her brows but did not feel awkward. After all, she had long since grown accustomed to him.

Sitting in the ox cart, She Yuqi closed her eyes and breathed deeply of the fresh air.

Suddenly, she felt a warm little hand. Her eyes flew open.

A small head poked out from beneath the bedding. When She Yuqi saw Wang Ruoruo, her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief.

“How did you come along too?”

Only then did she realize that they were already almost at Little Ravine Village.

It was getting late. If they returned to the county town now, it would surely be the middle of the night before they arrived.

Wang Ruoruo pouted and wrapped her arms around She Yuqi’s slender waist, immediately putting on a pitiful expression.

“Big Sister, please let me stay at your house for one night. I heard from Xiaoxiao that your cooking is delicious. Let me try some, please! All right? I’m begging you, Big Sister!”

She Yuqi’s expression grew darker and darker.

“I’ll take her back.”

Jiang Bei gave Wang Ruoruo a cool glance.

“No!” Wang Ruoruo glared at him. “What are you to Big Sister?”

She Yuqi hurriedly covered Wang Ruoruo’s mouth and said apologetically to Jiang Bei, “She’s just a child. Don’t take what she says to heart. I’m sorry for troubling you so much today…”

“She isn’t entirely wrong.”

A strange look flashed through Jiang Bei’s eyes. It vanished in an instant, and he turned to leave.

She Yuqi could only stand there and sigh helplessly.

“Then… what exactly is the relationship between Big Sister and Big Brother?” Wang Ruoruo still did not understand and pressed on.

She Yuqi rubbed her forehead and corrected her word by word.

“We’re friends.”

“Oh, then…”

She Yuqi hurriedly cut her off.

“That’s enough for today. I’ll take you home tomorrow morning.”

After bringing Wang Ruoruo home, She Yuqi lit a kerosene lamp. By its glow, she saw Xiaoxiao sitting there with her little brows furrowed, her entire face written with displeasure.

“Big Sister, why did you bring her back? What if her family uses this as an excuse to cause trouble? Wouldn’t that bring trouble to you?”

It was the first time She Yuqi had ever seen Xiaoxiao look so serious. Though she was tiny, her expression was as solemn as that of a little adult.

Xiaoxiao’s concern was justified. But now that Wang Ruoruo had already been brought home, it was not as though She Yuqi could send her back in the middle of the night.

Wang Ruoruo began pestering Xiaoxiao.

“Little Sister Xiaoxiao, why don’t you welcome me?”

“Didn’t you say that we were best friends?”

After being shaken back and forth by Wang Ruoruo, Xiaoxiao lost all her sternness and deflated at once.

“We are friends, but don’t be so willful next time. Big Sister is tired enough every day. You shouldn’t make things harder for her…”

Wang Ruoruo lowered her head sadly. Her little braids fell against her shoulders, making her look utterly pitiful.

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