Feng Minghao rode his bicycle with Tan Jing toward town. On the way, he heard Tan Jing talk about his relationship with Liu Mingfeng. Tan Jing had lived with his grandfather since he was a child because his parents died, so he was always bullied. Later, Liu Mingshan and his brother saw this and chased away the bullies. From then on, Tan Jing followed the two brothers around. The reason he was able to get in touch with people in the black market was because Liu Mingfeng and his brother provided him with financial assistance.

After arriving in town, Tan Jing first took Feng Minghao to find someone to pack the necessary Chinese medicine. Then, they parked their two bicycles at a friend's house in town. They went to the black market together, where Feng Minghao watched Tan Jing greet people. Afterward, he entered a small courtyard. Upon entering, he saw two young men guarding the gate. Tan Jing didn't go in directly but greeted them first. The two men happily greeted him back, and Tan Jing smiled and offered each of them a cigarette.

After entering the courtyard, Feng Minghao saw a man with a full beard come out of the room. As soon as the man came out, he saw Tan Jing and Feng Minghao behind him and asked Tan Jing a question.

"Jinzi, who is this person? You know our rules here, how can you bring a stranger here?"

“Brother Dahai, look at what you’re saying. Would I ever harm us? This is my brother Mingfeng’s cousin, named Feng Minghao.”

"So it's Minghao. Mingfeng's cousin is also my cousin. Come on, cousin, tell me what you need? I'll get it for you. By the way, Jinzi, I heard Mingfeng's wife was injured. How is she now?"

"Brother Dahai, don't worry, your wife is fine now, and Brother Feng is back too."

"What's wrong? That kid's back. Why isn't he coming over here? Does joining the army make him look down on me, a gangster?"

"Look at what you're saying. My brother Feng isn't that kind of person. If he looked down on you, would he let me hang out with you? Right? The main thing is that my brother Feng came back this time injured. He still has casts on his hands and feet. I came to town today to get him some traditional Chinese medicine."

"What? He's injured? But if he's injured and still managed to come back, then the injury must not be too serious. When you leave later, please give him something for me. You can tell the two boys outside what you need."

After saying this, the man named Dahai went straight into the room. Then Feng Minghao and Tan Jing heard the sound of rummaging through the room. It was only then that Feng Minghao tugged at Tan Jing's sleeve. You see, he hadn't said a word since he came in. He was going to greet the man when he said he was his cousin, but he hadn't had a chance to.

"Jinzi, who is this uncle? Does he know my cousin too?"

When Tan Jing heard Feng Minghao call someone "uncle," he couldn't help but burst out laughing. However, he was afraid that the people inside would hear, so he had to hold it in. But he still made some "poof" sounds like farting. After he finally managed to hold it in, he explained to Feng Minghao the relationship between the bearded man and Liu Mingfeng.

"Brother Hao, don't let his big beard fool you. He and Brother Feng were classmates in high school. His name is Nie Hai. He just looks a bit older than his age. Well, not really, he's quite good-looking. He just lets that big beard cover half his face because he works in the black market. If he shaved his beard, I guarantee you wouldn't recognize him."

Nie Hai also came out of the room at this time, carrying a rather large cloth bag. After coming out, he threw the bag into Tan Jing's arms, laughing and cursing.

"You brat, don't think I didn't hear what you said. What do you mean by 'a bit unattractive'?"

After speaking about Tan Jing, he turned to Feng Minghao with a smile, but his large beard obscured his smile, so no one could see it unless they looked into his eyes.

“Minghao, your cousin and I became friends after a fight. But if it weren’t for the trouble my family went through at that time, I would have joined the army too. If I had gone then, maybe I would be your cousin’s comrade-in-arms now.”

Before Feng Minghao could say anything, Tan Jing next to him exclaimed in surprise.

"Brother Dahai, what did you pack? It's so heavy. Let me take a look. Brother Dahai, you really put a lot of good stuff in here."

"Isn't that obvious? We're brothers, why would I be reluctant to part with our own? Stop talking nonsense, have you bought what you wanted?"

"Oh dear, I almost forgot, I still need to go to Sister Mingxin's place with the things I bought."

Upon hearing Nie Hai's words, Tan Jing slapped his thigh and put the cloth bag in his hand into Feng Minghao's arms. He then turned around and called a guard outside the door to help him prepare some things.

Everything was delivered, including meat, sugar, and some nutritional supplements. Tan Xiang had prepared these for Liu Mingfeng and his wife. Feng Minghao even noticed that Tan Jing had also asked him for some cotton.

Looking at the cotton, Feng Minghao was puzzled. Tan Jing then explained why he had given him the cotton. It turned out that while riding his bicycle, Tan Jing had learned that Feng Minghao's sister was coming to the countryside for a rural assignment. Others might not know, but didn't the people who had lived here for generations know? The winters here were incredibly cold. Feng Minghao intended to use the cotton to make some large, colorful cotton-padded coats and thick quilts when his sister came. After all, Tan Jing knew that city dwellers relied on government supplies for their livelihood, so how much could they possibly bring here?

Feng Minghao, carrying a dozen kilograms of cotton, expressed his confusion, saying, "You only want cotton, not cloth. How can you make cotton-padded jackets and quilts?" Tan Jing seemed to see Feng Minghao's confusion and turned to Nie Hai.

"Brother Dahai, this matter may have to trouble your sister-in-law again. After all, we can't let our sister freeze when she comes to the countryside."

"You brat, all you do is cause me trouble. Fine, I'll ask your sister-in-law to keep an eye out for any good but defective products and tell her to save them for you."

"Then thank you, Brother Dahai and Sister-in-law. But Brother Dahai, don't forget to ask your sister-in-law to see if you have any cotton cloth for babies. You know, all the cloth that my brother Mingshan's two children used was taken to her parents' house by that stinky woman. We don't have any at home now. The baby is about to be born, and my Aunt Xiuxiang is trying to find diapers everywhere."

After Nie Hai agreed, Tan Jing seemed to remember something and pulled Nie Hai aside. The two of them whispered something to each other. Because Feng Minghao didn't like listening to gossip, he didn't stand very close, so he only vaguely heard Nie Hai say something at the end.

"Even if that kid joins the army, he'll still be a wicked and wicked person."