Pei Manning read an old book in the bookstore and filled a notebook with notes. It was past 12 p.m. before she left the bookstore.
However, she knew that as soon as she left, Liao Weiguo, wearing a Zhongshan suit, came to the bookstore right after her, and the two just missed each other.
The weather was clear in the afternoon, so Pei Manning changed into a set of clothes she had never worn before and painted a layer of dark yellow-brown pearl powder on her face to cover her snow-white skin. She became a woman with a dark yellow complexion and freckles all over her nose.
In the past two days, she has become familiar with the terrain of the west district of the county.
The west part of the county town is the old part of the city, where old factories, family compounds, schools, and cinemas are all located. Although the rows of tube-shaped buildings are a bit old and simple, for Pei Manning, many things of this era are very fresh.
Not long after walking east of the city, I saw a group of people gathered together on the road watching the excitement. It was a huge crowd.
"What are these two doing? Why were they caught?" A thin old lady stood on tiptoe outside the crowd, craning her neck to look inside.
"Didn't you see what's written on the wall? Selling grain and tickets!" someone next to him replied.
"Ouch! Is this speculation? My son-in-law's neighbor used to do this and was taken to a farm for three months of reform. Are these two going to be taken to labor reform?"
"I think so, right? It seems that if the number is too small, I will criticize and educate them."
Pei Manning couldn't help but look as she passed by. She saw two men sitting on the ground leaning against the wall in the alley, with a bag in front of them and money and a few colorful bills in their hands. They were being pointed at and talked about by the crowd.
On the blue brick wall behind the man on the left were written in chalk: "Collusion, dividing the spoils, rightist, opportunist - Xu Wenbin!"
On the right, the man's back reads: "Grain coupon scalper - Wang Yuanchao."
Surrounded by people, the man named Wang Yuanchao sat on the ground with his head buried, looking somewhat helpless and embarrassed.
Instead, the man named Xu Wenbin sat against the wall, his expression calm, his eyes staring straight ahead, as if he was calm and unmoved by whatever others said.
Several people wearing red armbands stood nearby, scanning the crowd and shouting, "These two are speculators. Everyone should take this as a warning and stop reselling grain and cloth coupons privately... Otherwise, everyone will be caught and sent to the farm for labor reform."
"Since it's a first offense and the amount is relatively small, I'll just criticize and educate him here. If there's a next time,
, they were sent to labor reform."
He spoke seriously, but everyone in the family just watched the excitement, but they didn't take it seriously in their hearts.
In the past two years, the criticism of the bourgeois stinking ideas has not been so fierce, and the policy has been relaxed. The arrests in An County are not strict. The higher-ups understand the difficulties of the people and turn a blind eye. Many people have secretly exchanged food, food coupons, and sugar on the black market...
There is no other way. Sometimes these things are needed urgently, as gifts, to replenish the health of the elderly who are sick, or to nourish the mother who is short of milk...
As long as you are buying these things on a large scale, you can just grab them and eat the peanuts. Usually, you can just make a few melons and two dates. It's okay if you are caught. If you are caught, you will just be criticized and your things will be confiscated. You can only consider yourself unlucky.
However, there were always a few red-sleeved badges rushing to confiscate the stolen goods and staring at the place everywhere.
Soon, the crowd that was watching the excitement dispersed.
Pei Manning left with a heavy heart. She needed money now, a lot of money, to find a place to settle down. At least she had to spend money to smooth over connections. However, she didn't expect that being caught in such a thing would be so serious.
Fortunately, fortunately she was still observing the situation in the county town and did not act rashly. Pei Manning was still terrified and her heart was pounding.
However, Pei Manning's character seems gentle and soft, but she is actually brave and tough. She did not give up directly because of this incident, but tried to be more careful and cautious.
When it got dark, the red armband confiscated the stolen goods, criticized them severely, and finally released the two young men.
Xu Wenbin stood up, brushed off the dust on his butt, and said as if nothing had happened, "Let's go home!"
Wang Yuanchao stood up and was silent for a long time, "Brother Wenbin, I'm sorry, I caused you to be discovered today."
"Okay, stop being like this. It's inevitable that your shoes will get wet if you walk by the river often." Xu Wenbin didn't blame him. In this line of work, how could he have thought of this?
"I think we should do this after all. If my father finds out, he will break my legs. If today's incident gets back to him, I don't know how it will end." Wang Yuanchao was very hesitant. Although he made money, the next time he was taken to labor reform, the whole family would be embarrassed, and his father would definitely let him go.
"What do you want to do?" Xu Wenbin stopped and turned around to ask.
"Well, I want to stop, Brother Wenbin, or you can stop doing this?"
Xu Wenbin didn't respond. After a long silence, he said, "Well, I'll give you the money you deposited with me later. From now on, we'll be partners."
Wang Yuanchao
Encourage again, because the encouragement will keep you here.
His parents both had proper jobs and could make a living from this, but Xu Wenbin's parents died early, and the jobs they left behind were taken over by his uncles a few days ago. He had no formal job and had younger brothers and sisters to support, so he had to find ways to make money.
Compared to the whole family starving to death, what does a little risk taken by one person matter?
As the two men walked away, their noises became quieter and quieter. Pei Manning then came out from behind the wall and followed them from a distance.
It was the first time she did this, and she was so nervous that her heart seemed to beat out.
However, she still wanted to see where these two people lived.
Pei Manning had been in the county town for so many days and had observed many streets and alleys, but he had not seen anyone buying and selling privately. This showed that the places where they were reselling were very secretive.
Even if they don't go there today, as long as they follow them for a few days, the man named Xu Wenbin will go there one day.
After a while, the two men turned a corner and walked into a dark alley. A faint yellow street light inside illuminated the bluestone slabs quietly.
The yellow light made the two people's silhouettes look very long.
Pei Manning hesitated for a moment, pursed her lips, and finally did not follow. She just walked along the street with the crowd, as if she was just passing by.
After all, she was already very brave to follow the two of them. If she followed them to a remote place and was discovered, she would scream for help from heaven and earth.
She was gone for a short while.
Xu Wenbin and Wang Yuanchao walked back and stood at the entrance of the alley, watching her back as she walked away. The street lights were too bright and it was dark early. There were still many workers from various factories returning from get off work on the street, walking in groups of three. Her back looked slender in the crowd, but her dark braid was very conspicuous.
"Brother Wenbin, what's wrong?" Wang Yuanchao asked puzzledly.
Xu Wenbin looked ahead and shook his head. "Nothing. I just felt like someone was following us. But I guess I was overthinking it."
People in their line of work have always been very sensitive and vigilant about such things. How could they be so easily followed?
However, this time he must have been too suspicious. How could such a delicate lesbian dare to follow two men? Was he afraid that something might happen?
"Brother Wenbin, are you going to the city tomorrow?"
"Well, there are more food coupons there, so I'd like you to take care of my brother and sister for two days. I'll give you 20% of the money. Don't worry, if anything happens, you will be implicated."
"Don't! Brother Wenbin! You are being too polite! I don't want any share.
You helped me so much before, and it is my duty to take care of your brothers and sisters while you are here."
"Yuan Chao, if you help me take good care of them, my money will not be wasted. That's a deal!"
…
Pei Manning had finished practicing a copybook of calligraphy in Xumijie and used up a pencil. Now, although her hard-tipped calligraphy was beautiful, it was barely neat.
Pei Manning was in a hurry. Practicing calligraphy is a matter of overnight, but through this method, she became more familiar with many simplified characters in the classics.
In the past few days, apart from practicing calligraphy, she has been dressing up and waiting in that area.
However, she didn't know whether she was lucky or their homes were nearby, but she never saw Xu Wenbin and Wang Yuanchao.
During this period, the vegetables she planted grew into green seedlings, which turned into cabbages, but they were still inedible. Therefore, she did not eat vegetables or meat for a long time. She only ate rice, beans, nuts, and dried fruits made into meals and cakes.
She is in the period of growth now, and she gets hungry quickly without oily and meaty food.
Pei Manning thought as she walked that if she found Xu Wenbin again, she would just give up and find another way out.
"Comrade?" A hand suddenly patted her shoulder.
Pei Manning was startled. Holding the black cloth bag, she turned around warily and looked over. She saw the tall and strong Xu Wenbin, who was looking at her seriously.
"Are you looking for me?" Xu Wenbin asked. The figure from behind looked familiar, especially the thick black braid. Most people don't have such black and shiny hair, and it's not so thick and shiny.
However, she turned her head, revealing a small waxy face. Although her features were delicate and pretty, her nose and cheeks were covered with freckles. She looked to be about 20 or 30 years old.
But it was that pair of pitch-black eyes that were particularly eye-catching. Set in this dark and yellow face, they looked like calm lake water, with a quiet tenderness.
Xu Wenbin frowned. He didn't know this lesbian.
However, the person who followed him that night should be her, right? After all, her figure, back, and temperament were exactly the same. He was always alert and had outstanding observation skills. After all, if you don't have the ability to judge people in your line of work, you'll be in trouble.
Pei Manning paused. She had originally planned to follow Xu Wenbin secretly to see where they were going to trade, and she was not prepared to meet him face to face.