Chapter 43: Unexpected Arrival and a Black Market Deal

Xu Youliang’s home was nestled in an old alley. His wife, a native of Haishi and an only daughter, had inherited their house as her family’s ancestral property.

Initially, Xu Youliang, a country boy from out of town, had managed to establish himself in Haishi largely due to the considerable assistance from his in-laws.

He was not one to forget kindness, and over the years, he had always been exceptionally filial to both elders.

When Xu Hengzhou arrived, Xu Youliang was carrying his eldest son, heading out. At the entrance of the alley, he unexpectedly encountered Xu Hengzhou, who was carrying a large bag.

Xu Youliang was overjoyed. Though he had given Xu Hengzhou his address, he hadn’t held much hope.

After all, he was merely a teenager, and no matter how capable, would his family truly allow him to travel so far alone? Yet, to his surprise, he had truly come.

Xu Youliang immediately led Xu Hengzhou home. His wife, a petite woman from Haishi, did not ask many questions upon seeing Xu Youliang bring someone back; she swiftly went to pour tea.

Although Xu Youliang’s heart pounded with impatience at the sight of Xu Hengzhou’s large bag, he still managed to suppress his excitement, exchanging polite pleasantries with Xu Hengzhou for quite some time.

Xu Hengzhou unhurriedly sipped his tea. In a seller’s market, he was in no rush.

Eventually, Xu Youliang could no longer contain himself. His gaze kept drifting to Xu Hengzhou’s bag, and with a forced smile, he steered the conversation towards it.

Xu Hengzhou didn’t dally, simply lifting the bag. Xu Youliang immediately cleared the table at home, then, without a thought for the bag having been on the floor, instructed Xu Hengzhou to place it directly on the table.

Under Xu Youliang’s tense gaze, Xu Hengzhou opened the bag. Setting aside the rice sack that occupied half the space, the mere sight of the various cans visible already filled Xu Youliang with immense delight.

As Xu Hengzhou untied the rice sack, revealing the glistening white rice, he distinctly heard Xu Youliang gasp.

Xu Youliang’s face flushed with excitement. His hands trembling, he reached out to touch the rice, his voice unsteady as he asked, “Is this entire sack… all rice?”

On the train, the handful of rice Xu Hengzhou had sold him at a high price had brought immense joy to his entire family when he brought it home.

The amount was too small to last long, even with rationing. So, Xu Youliang simply invited his in-laws over and cooked porridge with the rice.

The porridge was thick and sticky, the grains burst open, and with every spoonful, a rich, fragrant rice aroma filled their mouths. Yet, it was but a single meal.

Afterward, his wife regretted it for a long time, saying such good rice should have been saved for several meals, not eaten all at once. Xu Youliang listened, his heart aching, and comforted her by saying there would be more in a few days.

Privately, however, he resolved that if Xu Hengzhou didn’t come, he would inquire about buying some good rice himself. But now, Xu Hengzhou had arrived, bringing so much fine rice!

What splendid rice it was—not a single pebble, not old or broken grains. Each kernel was plump, exuding an enticing luster.

“This, these…” Xu Youliang’s hand pressed onto the cloth sack, unwilling to let go. “Little Xu, give your Brother Xu some face. Let me buy all of this. I promise I won’t shortchange you on the price.”

On the train, he had asked Xu Hengzhou to call him Uncle Xu, but now it was “Brother Xu”—a testament to the immense allure of this sack of rice.

“It’s not impossible,” Xu Hengzhou slowly sat back on the stool. His time was limited, and having Xu Youliang, a local insider, would make things much more convenient for him.

Upon hearing this, Xu Youliang immediately said, “Just tell me your requirements. I’ll do whatever I can without hesitation.”

“Brother Xu is a straightforward man,” Xu Hengzhou praised with a smile, then directly stated his request. “It’s nothing major. As you know, I’m not short on these goods at home. I simply want to see some new things. You…”

Xu Youliang pondered for a moment, then tentatively suggested, “Our department store in Haishi has many good things…”

“That’s true,” Xu Hengzhou nodded, as if casually adding, “I just went this afternoon and bought quite a lot. There was too much to carry, so I shipped it back already.”

This implied the department store was out. From Xu Hengzhou’s words, he didn’t seem interested in sightseeing either.

Xu Youliang thought for a moment longer before quietly saying, “There are also places where people privately exchange goods…”

Xu Hengzhou’s heart stirred, but his expression remained impassive. Indeed, he knew that with Xu Youliang’s personality, it was impossible he wouldn’t know where the black market was.

“Then let’s go take a look!” Xu Hengzhou put on an innocent facade, as if he didn’t quite grasp what Xu Youliang meant. Yet, considering his actions, no ignorant child could accomplish such feats.

Xu Youliang gritted his teeth. It was just taking someone to the black market; it wasn’t a big deal. “Alright, we’ll go tomorrow.”

His gaze then shifted back to the large bag on the table. “These items…”

Xu Hengzhou generously pushed the bag towards Xu Youliang, saying grandly, “These were all promised for Brother Xu. I’m not one to break my word.”

Xu Youliang was ecstatic, praising Xu Hengzhou’s trustworthiness repeatedly. He then urgently called for his wife to come out and get the money for Xu Hengzhou.

Xu Youliang’s wife emerged, beaming, her teeth showing in a wide smile. She quickly fetched a scale to weigh the rice first.

Xu Youliang indeed didn’t cheat him. The price of rice on the black market had risen again, nearly matching the quality of Xu Hengzhou’s, which rarely had sand or stones mixed in.

So, at that price per jin, Xu Hengzhou found the price acceptable and readily agreed. His bag contained about twenty jin of rice, plus the cans and other items.

He didn’t want to carry more, as his current physical age limited how much he could realistically transport. After settling the payment, Xu Hengzhou collected the money, and Xu Youliang’s wife put away the goods, then brought out their two children.

Xu Youliang’s eldest son, five years old, had been confined to the bedroom by his mother. He had likely seen her hide the food, and upon emerging, clung to Xu Youliang’s leg, demanding something delicious.

Xu Youliang, doting on his child, immediately picked up his eldest son and asked his wife to open a can. Madame Xu shot him a glare but still retrieved a can of mandarin oranges, took out a bowl, and poured half a bowl for Xu Hengzhou first.

Xu Hengzhou wasn’t lacking such things. Knowing they were reluctant to eat it themselves, he felt too embarrassed to accept. He pushed the bowl towards Xu Youliang and changed the subject, expressing a desire to try Haishi’s specialty dishes.

Madame Xu took the half-bowl of canned fruit into the kitchen. Xu Youliang scooped a spoonful of orange segments to feed his child. The handsome and adorable little boy opened his mouth, waiting for his father to feed him the treat.

As Xu Hengzhou watched, his mind wandered. He wondered if his little dumpling at home would like canned fruit. He often thought many items in his spatial dimension were unhealthy and hadn’t brought them out.

But children probably liked them, right? He’d ask when he got back. Even if they weren’t entirely healthy, an occasional treat would be fine…

That evening, Xu Youliang’s wife prepared a table full of Haishi specialty dishes to entertain Xu Hengzhou. Though limited by ingredients, it was still a sufficiently lavish spread.

After dinner, Xu Youliang’s wife went early to tidy a room. Their house was quite large, with two bedrooms. The smaller one, originally intended as their eldest son’s bedroom, was now cleaned and prepared perfectly for Xu Hengzhou.

After washing up, Xu Hengzhou lay in bed and first checked the supplies in his spatial dimension. This trip had yielded a substantial harvest; the accumulated provisions were all usable.

For three people, they wouldn’t have to worry for several years. Additionally, he had mentioned to Xu Youliang that evening about possibly acquiring a bicycle.

The one at home belonged to Song Wenbin, and when he grew a few years older, Xu Hengzhou would need to find a way to get another one. Anyway, kept in the spatial dimension, it would be indistinguishable from a new one, as there were no new products coming out in a few years at this time.

However, there was no rush for this; he still had several years. He planned to continue using Xu Youliang’s connection in the future. He could simply ask Xu Youliang to make a detour to Qingjiang during a business trip.

Even if Xu Youliang discovered his lie then, having boarded the ‘thieves’ ship,’ it wouldn’t be easy to disembark. After all, what Xu Youliang valued were the items in his hands.

Lost in thought, Xu Hengzhou’s mind drifted back to Qingjiang. He was certainly going to be lectured upon his return. He wasn’t afraid of Song Wenbin; his uncle was too soft-hearted when it came to the two children, so any punishment wouldn’t be too severe.

As for his own little dumpling… he would have to coax him well. Running off so far without telling him was indeed quite inappropriate. Lying on the unfamiliar bed, Xu Hengzhou gradually fell asleep.

He had already bought his train ticket for the day after tomorrow, leaving one more busy day ahead.

***

Qingjiang City.

Cool moonlight streamed through the window, spilling into the room. The child on the large bed huddled into a ball, clutching his blanket. Gradually, the child’s sleep grew increasingly restless.

His two hands formed small fists, pressing against his stomach, as if enduring something. Finally, the abdominal pain forced Xiang Chen to open his eyes. His intestines felt as if they were twisting, making him break out in a cold sweat from the agony.

Xiang Chen gasped for breath, struggling to climb out of bed. He didn’t even have time to put on his shoes before running out to find Song Wenbin.

The pain was excruciating, and a child’s body had a very low tolerance for it. Xiang Chen stopped and started repeatedly during the short journey.

Upon finally reaching Song Wenbin’s bedside, Xiang Chen’s forehead was slick with sweat, and his face was wet, whether from perspiration or tears of pain, he couldn’t tell.

“Uncle…” Xiang Chen reached out to push Song Wenbin. His voice was faint from the pain. “Uncle, wake up…”

Fortunately, years of military life had kept Song Wenbin alert. He quickly awoke, then was surprised to realize that his child seemed to be sick.

Song Wenbin didn’t have time to ponder; he quickly picked up Xiang Chen, then instinctively grabbed his own coat to wrap around the child, and dashed out.

As he ran, Song Wenbin asked Xiang Chen where he felt unwell.

Xiang Chen clutched his stomach, struggling to say, “My stomach hurts so much.”

He wondered if it was because he had eaten too much candy. He had only ever heard of it causing tooth decay, not stomach aches!

Song Wenbin, however, immediately thought of dinner. Xiang Chen had eaten almost half a plate of his pork ribs, which had been so burnt they were unrecognizable.

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