Song Yan had been lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) for a long time without moving, and Wei Aiguo was a little worried.

Wei Aiguo leaned closer, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No!" Song Yan's voice was somewhat muffled.

Wei Aiguo pulled Song Yan into his arms. "Is something bothering you?"

"No. I just suddenly felt... angry." That was really Song Yan's feeling.

"What made you angry?" Wei Aiguo asked.

"No!"

"You! Get up and tidy up our things. Send them some dried fungus and monkey head mushrooms, okay?" Wei Aiguo's gentle voice soothed the nameless anger in Song Yan's heart.

Wood ear mushrooms, monkey head mushrooms, and fresh mushrooms are all specialties of northern China, and would make presentable gifts if sent. Song Yan began packing.

Originally, Song Yan wasn't planning to go to the county before the New Year, but he thought he should go one last time.

Wei Aiguo planned to go with Song Yan, but Chen Xiaodong came to ask him to go hunting again.

Song Yan was just thinking of going herself, so she immediately sent Wei Aiguo to go hunting.

Wei Aiguo really didn't want to go out. However, he sensed that Song Yan was still a bit irritable, so he listened to her and went out for a walk.

He could clearly sense that Song Yan's mood was off starting yesterday.

Did going to the military hospital really tempt Song Yan?

Wei Aiguo silently followed Chen Xiaodong out.

When Chief of Staff Xu sent Song Yan, she wasn't tempted at all. Wei Aiguo didn't object to Song Yan's decision at the time; he let her choose whichever she wanted.

But now his own leg... Wei Aiguo felt he shouldn't be thinking like that, and shook the random thoughts out of his head.

When Song Yan arrived in the county, he changed his clothes, covered his face completely, and went to the courtyard that Qin Laoda had prepared for him.

The yard was clean and tidy; it seemed someone had been cleaning it.

Song Yan started a fire and took out plenty of apples, dates, wood ear mushrooms, raisins, eggs, live chickens, and bamboo fungus.

The apples smelled so good that Song Yan couldn't resist eating one. He really didn't dare to eat any at home, afraid that Wei Aiguo would smell the aroma.

It didn't make sense that they'd mailed so much dried fish to Wei Aiguo, only to find it wasn't available here. Song Yan then produced quite a bit more dried fish…

Qin Laoda was overjoyed to see Song Yan. Grain had been in extremely short supply for years, let alone now. This guy could actually get his hands on some! His first question was always to Song Yan if he had any grain.

Piecing together what Xiaohu told Song Yan each time he returned from the commune, Song Yan could sense that grain was in extremely short supply.

Last time I wanted to help Boss Qin sell a batch of grain, but that was an exception.

Selling large quantities of particularly scarce items suddenly can easily cause trouble. Now is not a time when Song Yan is short of money, so there's no need to knowingly take the risk.

Qin Laoda was initially disappointed because of the lack of food. However, seeing these good goods, he felt he should be content.

While Qin's men were taking inventory of the goods, he spoke to Song Yan about the current situation.

A little girl came carrying a basket. "Brother Qin, you're not wearing your watch."

Without saying a word, Boss Qin took the watch and put it on.

Song Yan glanced at it a few times and then turned his head away.

It's Mei Ying. She's the girl Song Yan rescued from human traffickers while on the train. Thanks to Song Yan's intervention, she didn't experience those tragic events. But after many twists and turns, she still ended up with Boss Qin.

The girl really did come to deliver the watch; she left after delivering it.

Many things still followed the original storyline.

Qin Laoda was no ordinary person to have a place in the county.

As soon as Mei Ying entered, he noticed that Song Yan was observing her closely. Even though it was only a few glances, he was certain that Song Yan was paying attention to the girl.

"This girl's name is Mei Ying. When I saw her, she was starving. I felt sorry for her, so I asked her to do some work for me and then gave her some food," Qin Laoda explained.

Song Yan believed in the saying, "Never underestimate anyone." Just now, she only glanced at Mei Ying a few times, and Boss Qin realized that she was paying attention to Mei Ying.

"Boss Qin, I just want to remind you a few things about integrity in business. You must keep your subordinates in check. Don't do things you shouldn't do."

When the environment becomes more relaxed, things will definitely be better than they are now.

"As for grain, I don't want to touch it here anymore. The price of grain here is outrageously high," Song Yan said.

Boss Qin nodded. If it weren't for Xiao Mu's reminder, he wouldn't have noticed Xiao Chouzi's trickery. "To be honest, the price of grain here has been strangely high these past few years."

At this point, Song Yan had finished counting the goods. The total was 1883.5 yuan.

Apples are the most abundant.

Fruit is really scarce right now. You can't just buy it whenever you want. It's not surprising that Song Yan ate apples since the county has them for sale.

Song Yan's mouth watered at the thought of apples, and now he wanted to eat one. What was wrong with him?

The apples this time were small, but they tasted good. Song Yan sold them for five cents a pound, and Qin Laoda sold them for six cents.

Boss Qin is truly a very capable person. He agreed to do as Song Yan said without asking any questions!

Song Yan felt he was losing out because the price difference was several cents per pound of apples! But what would his family think if he ate apples every now and then when they cost a dollar a pound? Did Song Yan not plan to manage his finances? He was willing to lose money just for his own consumption!

Today, Song Yan carried a large willow basket on her back again. Wei Aiguo picked her up and lifted it; it weighed thirty or forty pounds.

When they got home, Song Yan first gave the children apples and bright red dates. More than half of these were given out, and the rest were taken back to their room.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!