Chapter 40: The Man Who Fell Face-First

She hurried away with her sickle.

Behind her, Aunt Liu and Aunt Hua looked on with regret. Lin, the educated youth, was so generous to a few children she had no connection with—if they were her own, she would surely be even more so.

Up on the mountain, Lin Jingyue cut pigweed at a remarkable speed. She planned to make a trip to the city today, to check on that old man. It had been half a month since her last visit. Who knew what he was muttering about her behind her back in the meantime?

At noon, Lin Jingyue delivered two baskets of pigweed, went home to change into a fresh set of clothes, grabbed her satchel, and headed out. There was no rest today, and no ox cart from the brigade to take her to the commune, so she relied on her own two legs. Fortunately, she wore sneakers, which made the journey a bit easier.

Half an hour later, Lin Jingyue emerged with a straw hat, fanning herself as frustration welled up inside. She resolved that she must get herself a bicycle—relying on her feet simply wouldn’t do.

By the time she reached the commune, sweat dampened the hair at her temples. She paused at the bus station to catch her breath, bought a bottle of soda to drink, and only after she felt refreshed did she board the bus. She purchased her ticket and found a seat by the window. There weren’t many people on this trip.

Reaching the county town, Lin Jingyue carried fruits she had smuggled from her secret stash: a net bag of large, rosy apples, half a bag of pears, and a wild hare. The old man never lacked for good things, but she guessed he might be short on finer foods.

At the scrap collection station, Old Huo looked impatiently at the person before him. "If you want to buy, hurry up. If not, leave. Don’t dawdle."

Lin Xinrou offered a sweet smile. "Grandpa, just half an hour more, let me find a few more books..."

"Go to the bookstore if you want books. Why come here? You’ve already wasted half an hour—get lost." In those days, everyone hoped to find treasure, but no one ever considered where these scraps came from. Who would leave anything valuable for them?

Seeing the old man’s sour expression and having found nothing, Lin Xinrou reluctantly left.

She had just gone when Lin Jingyue arrived. Old Huo, still fanning himself, froze for a moment upon seeing her. "Back to try your luck again?"

Lin Jingyue replied, "There’s no such thing as always finding hidden gems. I just came to check on you."

She placed her net bag in front of him. "All fresh fruit—don’t be stingy, eat up."

Before she’d finished speaking, Old Huo had already bitten into an apple, crunching away. Who would be stingy? He wasn’t a fool.

Lin Jingyue was speechless.

"Where did you get these apples?" he asked, sensing they were sweeter and more fragrant than others.

"Picked them up along the way," Lin Jingyue replied casually.

Old Huo shot her a look. "Nothing good today."

"I didn’t come here for that," she answered.

Is that so? Then tuck your craning neck back in.

"Old man, here’s a rabbit as well. Braise it, stew it—it’s enough for two or three meals." Lin Jingyue opened another cloth bag, revealing a grey rabbit. She didn’t know if the old man had anyone at home, nor did she ask.

Old Huo hesitated, then said, "With those rosy cheeks, you clearly aren’t starving. I won’t stand on ceremony then." He hadn’t eaten much meat lately, poor thing.

Lin Jingyue couldn’t help but laugh, sitting down beside him for a casual chat. One was willing to share, the other intent on probing for information—a perfect match.

Half an hour later, Lin Jingyue stood up. "Old man, I’ll be off. I’ll visit again next time."

"If you come empty-handed, don’t bother."

"...Got it."

Watching Lin Jingyue’s figure disappear, Old Huo suddenly smiled.

Leaving the scrap station, Lin Jingyue found a place to change her outfit and continued her side business. To live as she pleased, she needed enough capital.

She found familiar contacts and traded off five chickens, three ducks, twenty pounds of white flour, and ten pounds of apples before deciding to call it a day. Her goods were always top-notch; to avoid drawing unwanted attention...

"Come out," she called, her expression meaningful as she entered an alley. She turned and leaned casually against the wall.

A young man of about twenty emerged from the corner with a sly grin. "Hey, mister, our boss wants to see you."

"Interested in the goods I’ve got?" Lin Jingyue raised an eyebrow.

"Our boss wants to do business with you."

Lin Jingyue lowered her gaze. "Maybe next time. If you want to talk, do it openly. I don’t like sneaking around."

Who did she think she was, not liking this or that? The young man rolled his eyes.

A second later, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Lin Jingyue picked up a brick from nearby and split it in two with her bare hands.

"!!"

She tossed the halves aside nonchalantly, dusted off her hands. "Understand?"

"Y-yes, understood..." he stammered.

Satisfied, Lin Jingyue turned and walked away in style.

"Well, aren’t you just—" Before the young man could finish, he heard a faint thud. Having walked down another alley, Lin Jingyue turned at the sound of footsteps, expecting someone from the black market, but in the next instant, someone dropped from above, landing face-first at her feet.

How tragic!

Lin Jingyue covered her face, about to turn and leave, when another object plummeted from above.

She instinctively caught it—damn, it was heavy! It must have fallen off the wall.

Immediately after, there was a clatter of footsteps—quite a few people, by the sound of it.

"Where’s the man? Where’s the stuff?" Moments later, seven or eight men blocked off the alley, weapons in hand. But the ground was empty—not a person or a package in sight, not even a stray hair.

"He’s badly wounded. He can’t have gone far. After him!"

With fierce looks, the group quickly moved on.

About five minutes later, a slender figure appeared.

Inside her secret space, Lin Jingyue raised an eyebrow—Lin Xinrou? She glanced at the warehouse, at the still face-down figure—could this person be someone important?

Outside, Lin Xinrou lingered, recalling that the book mentioned something happening in this area, so why was there nothing? Was it not time yet? She waited another half hour, but still found nothing. Checking the time, she could only stomp her foot and leave.

Once Lin Xinrou was gone, Lin Jingyue emerged, still dressed in men’s clothes. Twisting through the maze of alleys, she found a way out, but instead of leaving, she retreated to a hidden corner and entered her secret space.

It seemed those people had gone.

Approaching the warehouse, she flipped the man over.

A disfigured face greeted her. "Ugh, what an eyesore." With a frown, Lin Jingyue turned him back over.

Better not to look.

But… she frowned slightly. The man was covered in wounds, his life ebbing away. Should she save him?

It was a tough question. What if he turned out to be a terrible villain—wouldn’t that make her responsible for more harm?

"Save him, or not..." Lin Jingyue decided to leave it up to fate, plucking petals from a chrysanthemum she had transplanted into her space while foraging on the mountain.

Half-conscious, Li Chengkai heard a girl’s conflicted muttering. He struggled to open his eyes, but he had no strength.

"S-save..." he managed to say.

Hearing his voice, Lin Jingyue looked over, still pulling petals.