Chapter 10 First Encounter

"Shi Yuan, Shi Yuan?"

"Um?"

What are you spacing out for?

Shi Yuan shook her head: "It's nothing."

Perhaps because she changed the beginning, many things that weren't in the original storyline happened, which made her question several plot points in the story.

For example, the female protagonist's adoptive father in Beicheng.

Given how much Shi Ling loves Shi Yuan, would she really feel comfortable entrusting her daughter to a grown man with whom she has no blood relation?

Where is Shi Yuan's biological father? Where are Shi Ling's family members? Or her female friends?

These people are clearly more suitable to take care of Shi Yuan than male friends she hasn't seen for over a decade.

There must have been many things that Ji Ying didn't tell her in the original storyline.

Shi Yuan let out a sigh of relief and decided not to waste her brainpower analyzing it. Anyway, the beginning had already been changed, and Shi Ling was alive and well. If they ever clashed with the people of Beicheng, they would each rely on their own abilities.

Shi Yuan ran into Shi Ling, who was looking for her, halfway up the mountain.

"Yuanyuan, are you hurt?" Shi Ling asked anxiously as she checked Shi Yuan. "Yang Fengshou carried a seriously injured man down the mountain. I thought you were on the mountain too, so I came to check on you."

"I'm fine." She was the one who saved that man's life. Thinking of the smell of the pungent root, she thought that he might repay kindness with enmity once he woke up.

Shi Yuan handed the letter to Shi Ling, too lazy to explain too much, and simply said, "I found it after they left."

Shi Ling stared blankly at the sender's address on the envelope; she hadn't seen an envelope like this in over ten years.

The handwriting on the envelope was familiar. During the best years of their relationship, that person held her hand and wrote "In life and in death, we made a vow" stroke by stroke. He also wrote down their daughter's name with great anticipation.

pity……

Shi Ling remained calm, accepted the letter but did not read it, and took Shi Yuan's hand as they descended the mountain.

Something interesting has happened in Qinglinwan Brigade!

Yang Fengshou carried a seriously injured man down from the mountain, but that's not the point. The point is that this man came from Beicheng!

Well, that's not the point. Ever since the educated youth came, they've demystified city dwellers.

"The key point is that the man was wearing military boots!"

"Even if that person isn't a soldier, their family must know someone in the military!"

“Li Mingfen has been bringing soup and water every day for the past few days, afraid that the brigade leader’s family will take all the credit for saving her son’s life.” She sighed, “She’s single-mindedly planning for her son’s future.”

"What was Yang Fengshou thinking? It would have been so much better to just carry the person home himself."

The older woman smiled knowingly: "Wasn't it him who carried this person home and paid for his medical expenses?"

That man looked like a bloody gourd; who knows how much money he must have thrown in?

If the person is saved, that's fine, but what if something happens to them? Wouldn't all the money be wasted?

Carrying the person to the brigade leader's house is the smart thing to do!

No money was spent, and the identity of the savior was confirmed.

The two old friends chatted back and forth, exchanged knowing smiles, and went off to work contentedly.

Shi Yuan had no interest in men; she and her dog Huan Ni were sneaking into a small alley, avoiding people.

"This place looks familiar," Shi Yuan said uncertainly. "The peach grove is at the end, isn't it?"

She stopped in her tracks. "Are you sure the black market is here?" she asked, looking at the mahogany door with disbelief. "Is it that conspicuous?"

Ji Ying had told her that the black market was not allowed at this time, and if it was discovered, both buying and selling would be punished.

She glanced again at the stone lions standing on either side of the gate, and began to question the meaning of life.

What was the point of her being so cautious and secretive with Huan Ni just now?

"Comrade." A clear and gentle voice came from behind, and Shi Yuan turned around to look.

The man who spoke was tall and slender, his gentle expression softening his beautiful features. A branch of peach blossoms, blooming in full glory, was wrapped around his fair, jade-like wrist, adding to his allure.

"You can go in and take a look. Don't worry, no one will come to check these next few days."

Shi Yuan's heart skipped a beat. She slightly lifted a corner of the newspaper and asked, "Can I exchange it for gold?"

The man paused for a moment, clearly not expecting Shi Yuan to ask so directly. He smiled and said, "It probably won't work outside. I'll take you inside to have a look." With that, he gestured and led Shi Yuan to the room behind the main door.

Shi Yuan touched Huan Ni, which had transformed into a green snake encircling her wrist, and readily followed her inside.

The room was simply furnished with only a bed and a chair. The man walked to the end of the room without stopping, reached out and lifted the thick black velvet curtain, and gestured for the room to proceed.

Shi Yuan raised her eyebrows slightly, showing no fear, and stepped behind the curtain.

Contrary to her expectations that it was another room, behind the curtain was a long corridor.

After the man tapped rhythmically on the wall a few times, the bluestone slab on the ground was pushed aside, revealing a young, smiling face: "Master Gu!"

Gu Linyuan saw an interest flash in Shi Yuan's eyes, but no fear. Instead, a smile appeared in his eyes: "Comrade, please."

Shi Yuan nodded, said "thank you", and followed Gu Linyuan down the steps led by the smiling young man. There was a passage about two hundred meters long, with several gas lamps hanging on the walls on both sides of the passage for lighting.

The smiling young man tapped rhythmically a few times at the end of the dimly lit passage.

The wall in front of Shi Yuan shifted to the left, revealing an antique-style carved mahogany gate behind it, flanked by two stone lions.

A smiling young man pushed open the mahogany door.

Do you know about Peach Blossom Spring?

Shi Yuan feels exactly the same way tourists feel when they see the Peach Blossom Spring!

The mahogany gate seems to be a barrier separating two worlds: outside, the lights are dim, serene, and rustic, while inside, it is dazzling, with elegant attire and graceful figures.

Shi Yuan glanced at the expensive crystal chandelier on the ceiling, then looked at a row of long tables on the left, on which were placed various Chinese and Western snacks and drinks.

If she hadn't known from the beginning that this was a black market, she would have thought it was a banquet hall of some wealthy family.

Ji Yingna, you probably don't know that in the 1970s, a time filled with simplicity and poverty, there was such a black market, right?

"Good luck." Gu Linyuan nodded to Shi Yuan, whispered a few words in the smiling young man's ear, and turned to leave.

The smiling young man bowed slightly, respectfully watching Gu Linyuan leave. Then, he turned around and introduced himself with a smile: "Comrade, my name is He Tian. I'll take you to see someone."

"He's been looking for top-quality ginseng these past two days," he added with a smile.

Shi Yuan sincerely thanked him.

"It was Master Gu's instruction. If you want to thank someone, thank Master Gu." He Tian smiled and gestured for Shi Yuan to go, leading him to the end of the hall.

"Master Ma," He Tian said politely, his smile fading, "have you found the top-grade ginseng?"

Mr. Ma looked somewhat dejected, waved his hand, and said with a wry smile, "Thank you for your concern."

“Ginseng is hard to find, let alone top-grade ginseng. If even Master Gu doesn’t have it,” he sighed deeply, “then I’m truly out of options.”

He Tian smiled politely: "What a coincidence, our people just happened to have received one."

Ma Rong's ashen face immediately lit up: "Really!"

He Tian nodded: "I wouldn't dare joke with you."

Shi Yuan promptly handed over the newspaper. Ma Rong took it and opened it, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He then gasped, making a move to cover the ginseng, but it was too late. A lady wearing a black cheongsam with peony flowers walked right over.

"Top-grade ginseng!" She smiled at He Tian. "Mr. He, according to the rules here, the highest bidder wins. You can't show favoritism."

"How could that be?" He Tian's smile became more sincere. "Everyone has to abide by the rules set by Master Gu."

The commotion quickly attracted the attention of several people nearby, and more and more people gathered around.

Shi Yuan didn't show it on his face, but in his heart he thought: This trip is a success!

These people were well-dressed and acted with composure, clearly indicating they were not lacking in money or power.

Good ginseng is rare, and top-grade ginseng is even rarer. Now that it has come along, everyone wants to compete for it.

What Shi Yuan had envisioned as a simple exchange of gold and ginseng turned into a small auction, personally presided over by He Tian.

When he fully unfolded the newspaper to reveal the wild ginseng, which was as thick as a baby's arm, Shi Yuan clearly heard several low gasps from the seats next to him that were bidding.

At this moment, Shi Yuan realized that this ginseng was probably much, much more valuable than she had thought.

You can't blame her for not knowing its value; in the apocalypse, this thing could grow taller and stronger than her!

As the bids rose higher and higher, Shi Yuan's smile grew wider and wider, and in a daze, he seemed to see himself once again reaching the pinnacle of power!

In the end, the ginseng was bought by that charming lady in a cheongsam at a high price!

Shi Yuan really liked her, mainly because she was incredibly generous!

Shi Yuan took the heavy little bundle from He Tian's hands, her voice gentle and warm, like flowers in the breeze: "Thank you, Boss He." She pulled out a small yellow croaker from the bundle and stuffed it into He Tian's hand, "May we share in the good fortune and get rich together." She couldn't help but chuckle a few times.

"You're too kind." He Tian didn't refuse. Seeing that Shi Yuan was just happily holding her bundle and showed no interest in anything around her, he led her outside.

"Master Gu, the person has left." After seeing Shi Yuan off, He Tian went to report to Gu Linyuan, "I instructed Xiao Wu to escort the person back."

Gu Linyuan stood with his hands behind his back in front of a huge peach tree and gave a faint "hmm".

"He's a generous guy; he gave me a small yellow croaker." He chuckled as he said this, adding, "He told me to share in his good fortune."

Gu Linyuan's lips curved into a smile: "If she wants to sell ginseng in the future, you can make the arrangements."

He Tian's eyes flashed with surprise, but he didn't ask anything. He respectfully agreed and went out to attend to matters concerning the black market.

He originally thought that Shi Yuan was lucky today because Master Gu was in a good mood and did a good deed. He didn't expect that Master Gu would be willing to continue to take care of Shi Yuan. It seems that he should be more cautious about Shi Yuan's attitude in the future.

As soon as he left the town, Yuan hid the gold in Huan Ni's storage world.

"Look at you, so pathetic!" The phantom bird curled its beak. "Look how much you admire her!"

When Shi Yuan was in a good mood, he coaxed Huan Ni, "I love you the most!" which made Huan Ni pout.

What are you doing?

Shi Yuan weighed the brick in her hand, wrapped it in a bundle, and held it protectively in her arms, smiling enigmatically: "This thing will be very useful later."

A note from the author:

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