Chapter 19: Talking Until You Go Bankrupt

Wearing a floral shirt that was still almost new—a luxury many girls in the brigade could not match—she was still no comparison to Lin Jingyue. Lin Jingyue’s dress was brand new, in the latest style.

Sun Lanlan, sitting across from Lin Jingyue, rolled her eyes.

“Sit tight!” the tractor driver shouted, then the engine sputtered and they lurched onto the road.

Bang—

They hit a huge pothole. It was Lin Jingyue’s first time riding a tractor. Even though she copied the others and gripped the bar behind her, the jolt sent her bouncing into the air.

Damn it! Her heart skipped a beat and her face contorted in pain.

Her poor backside!

Jiang Xun was beside her. He saw her grimace and a glimmer of amusement flashed in his eyes—how delicate she was.

“Hold on here.” He moved closer, motioning for Lin Jingyue to sit nearer to him.

The tractor was noisy, but Lin Jingyue still heard him. Obediently, she switched seats.

It was indeed a bit steadier here.

Still, the jolting was relentless—her backside throbbed with pain!

The trip from Qingshan Brigade to the county seat took two hours by ox-cart, but the tractor shaved nearly half off that time.

By the time Lin Jingyue got off, her backside was numb. She kept a straight face as she jumped down from the vehicle.

Xia Nan, quick as ever, reached out to steady her.

“Comrade Lin, meet back here in two and a half hours, all right? Buy what you need quickly,” Aunt Chun reminded Lin Jingyue before leaving with her friend.

“I understand, thank you, Aunt Chun.”

“Jingyue, I’m heading to the supply and marketing cooperative. Want to come?” Xia Nan looked at her.

“No, thanks. I need to pick something up at the post office and then go to the recycling station. I have a lot to do, and I don’t want to hold you up,” Lin Jingyue replied, preferring to work alone.

She also wanted to visit the state-run restaurant and, if time allowed, take a look at the black market.

There was so much to be done—she wasn’t sure she’d have enough time.

“All right, see you later then.”

Jiang Xun and Zhou Yan overheard them. They also had their own errands, so they parted ways with Lin Jingyue.

“Let’s meet back here later.”

“Agreed.” Lin Jingyue waved at them and headed to the right, making her way first to the recycling station.

She wasn’t fond of studying, but she had to take the college entrance exam. Otherwise, how would she return to the city? Relying on her father or the Wu family was a lost cause.

At the recycling station, Lin Jingyue fished out a few fruit candies and handed them to the old gatekeeper. “Sir, I’d like to go in and look for some old newspapers to paste on my walls.”

The old man glanced at her. “Go ahead, but you can only stay half an hour.”

These young folks all wanted to come and hunt for treasures. Did they really think, if there were any treasures, it would be their turn to find them?

Lin Jingyue didn’t mind his attitude. She smiled, “Thank you, sir,” and walked inside.

She wasn’t here to hunt for treasures; she was searching for textbooks.

After rummaging through the piles of waste paper for a while, she found two high school textbooks and, in a corner, a book on math, physics, and chemistry. It wasn’t a complete set, but she wasn’t picky.

She picked out a few old newspapers for her walls—those mud walls in her room made her fear she might be awakened by falling clumps of earth one night.

But, since she was already here, it would be a shame not to look for anything else.

She started scouring the furniture pile.

Her main focus was on fine wooden furniture—surely these former landlord families had hidden a lot of good things.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows.

“Hm? The weight isn’t right.” Lin Jingyue had great strength and a rather direct approach—she simply hefted the furniture to feel its weight.

Her family had owned plenty of fine furniture; she had an idea of what they should weigh.

Setting aside a chair, she glanced outside, then swiftly dismantled the chair in a few moves.

Sure enough, inside one of the chair legs she found a stash of gold ingots, each weighing about a jin.

She tucked the gold away in her secret space and continued searching. She moved quickly, practically turning the room upside down. With time running out and no further finds, she didn’t feel disappointed.

Carrying her books and old newspapers, she headed out. “Sir, how much for these?”

The old man glanced at her. “Ten cents is fine.”

Lin Jingyue cheerfully handed over a dime, then pointed at a wooden box under his feet, being used to prop up a table. “Sir, may I have that? I’d use it to store hair ties.”

The old man…

Who was she kidding? That box was made of huanghuali rosewood!

This girl had a sharp eye. “No.”

“...Sir, I really like it. How about a trade?” Lin Jingyue slipped him five yuan.

This old man definitely knew his stuff.

He lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t need money.”

“Then what do you want?”

“Just come and chat with this old man from time to time, and I’ll give it to you.” His keen gaze fell on Lin Jingyue. He couldn’t see through her fate. “I’ve got even better things.”

“Deal!” Chatting? Lin Jingyue thought to herself, she could talk his ear off.

Old Wu’s mouth twitched. He bent down, handed her the box, and said, “Take it. Next time I’ll show you something even more interesting.”

“Sir, are you afraid I won’t come back?” Lin Jingyue grinned.

As long as there were benefits, she’d come running.

“Go on, get out of here!” Old Wu waved her away in exasperation, suddenly a bit regretful. This girl was no pushover.

Leaving the recycling station, Lin Jingyue ducked into a deserted alley, slipped the rosewood box and old newspapers into her secret stash, then took out a piece of coarse cloth to wrap her textbooks.

She began wandering the county town.

Where was the black market? She had industrial coupons, but buying an iron pot wasn’t easy.

She decided to try her luck at the black market first.

Strolling near the county hospital, she spotted a middle-aged woman hurrying along with a basket. Lin Jingyue’s eyes lit up and she followed.

The woman, ever nosy and cautious, slipped into a hidden alley. Lin Jingyue didn’t follow her in.

If it really was the black market, there would be lookouts outside. She looked far too conspicuous as she was.

She turned away, found a secluded spot, and entered her secret space. There, she changed into the men’s clothes she’d prepared—worn but decent—put on a felt hat, and tucked all her hair inside.

Using makeup she’d bought from the Anshi Department Store, she darkened her skin, thickened her brows, and contoured her nose and neck to a wheatish hue. Her hands were disguised as well. She stuffed two folded cloths into her liberation shoes, raising her height a bit. Looking into the mirror at the unfamiliar face, Lin Jingyue gave herself a thumbs-up—perfect.

Thank goodness for short videos—face-changing was a lifesaver.

Emerging again, Lin Jingyue carried a bulging cloth sack and entered the alley.

It was a good thing she hadn’t barged in earlier; the moment she appeared, she was spotted.

“Buying or selling?”

“Selling.”

“A dime.”

“And if I’m buying?”

“A nickel.”

Lin Jingyue handed over a dime and went in, carrying her sack. Inside, several people had set up stalls; quite a few were browsing.

She found a spot and unpacked her goods: two cleaned chickens, two cleaned ducks. She hadn’t brought anything else—honestly, even this felt like too much.

But she needed to find a pot; sharing with the others at the young intellectuals’ station was inconvenient.