Looking at the market, which was not much different from before, she suddenly thought of Zhao Honghui.
He was the one who told me this code, and he was the first to bring me to this place, all to satisfy my curiosity and get me out of the black market. Who could have known that after so many ups and downs, they still couldn't stay together?
The sudden longing caught her off guard. Xie Yuyao suddenly missed him terribly, wondering where he was now and what situation he was facing.
At this moment, Zhao Honghui was feeding the medicine that Xie Yuyao had prepared for him to his seriously wounded comrade.
They had already located the secret experimental base. On their return journey, they encountered an enemy supply convoy. A fierce battle ensued. To avoid alerting the enemy, Zhao Honghui and his team annihilated the entire enemy force, at the cost of heavy casualties on their own side.
In the following days, the military ran out of all the medicines they had prepared, and Yao Yao's self-made special medicines came in handy. It was thanks to her medicines that the seriously injured were pulled back from the brink of death.
"Xie Zhiqing?"
Xie Yuyao looked towards the source of the voice and saw Zhao Dayong walking over with a simple smile: "It really is you! It's been so long! How have you been lately?"
It's been a while since we've had daily pickups.
Xie Yuyao brought her wandering thoughts back and said with a faint smile, "It's fine. How about you?"
"I've had a pretty good time too. Since we started making braised meat in the county town, our sales have increased a lot. I still have to thank you for the discount," Zhao Dayong said gratefully.
If Xie Yuyao makes the braised meat herself, she can also make a profit from the ingredients, which is indeed a concession.
However, Xie Yuyao was not one to fuss over small things, and she declined, saying, "Don't say that, it's saved me a lot of trouble."
"By the way, I'm looking for two medicinal herbs. I wonder if there are any medicine vendors selling them in this market." Xie Yuyao mentioned the purpose of her trip, told Zhao Dayong about the two herbs, and also mentioned that her father had come to Qingshan Village seeking medical treatment.
“Drug dealers are prone to overcharging. Why don’t you go see my boss? He should have some,” Zhao Dayong said.
Since Zhao Honghui left, Xie Yuyao's cooperation with Qi Tai has been suspended. Qi Tai has asked Zhao Dayong to meet with Xie Yuyao to discuss the matter more than once, but Xie Yuyao refused after Zhao Dayong conveyed the message.
Now is the perfect time to invite her over; I'm sure the boss would be very happy to see her.
Xie Yuyao thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go."
"This way!" Zhao Dayong beamed with a big smile.
Before long, Xie Yuyao sat down in Qi Tai's reception room.
Zhao Dayong helped Xie Yuyao tell Qi Tai about the medicinal herbs. Qi Tai said easily, "I happen to have these two herbs on hand, so I'll give them to you at the price I paid back."
Xie Yuyao quickly refused: "No way! It would cost more than that at the pharmacy, and besides, the pharmacy doesn't have it in stock. I can't let you suffer a loss."
"It's nothing. If you can help me get some more supplies, it's only right that I give them to you," Qi Tai said frankly.
Xie Yuyao smiled but didn't say anything. She wasn't short of money now, so there was no need for her to make any more large-scale transactions.
She had previously supplied fruits and vegetables to Qi Tai under the guise of acting as an agent for a friend. This shouldn't have been affected even if Zhao Honghui wasn't around. Her multiple collaborations with Qi Tai had always gone smoothly, and a foundation of trust had been established.
"How about this, find me a secluded warehouse. I can't be sure when the goods will arrive, but I'll let you know when they're delivered." Xie Yuyao had already considered the possibility of meeting Qi Tai on her way to the black market.
She had previously declined his invitations multiple times, citing changes in her friend's situation. Now, if they were to meet, they would inevitably discuss the supply of materials again. She couldn't rely on Zhao Honghui as a cover forever; otherwise, what would be the difference between her and a parasitic plant?
So she came up with this idea: if she changed the locks and delivered the goods ten days or half a month later, it would be difficult for others to discover her source of goods.
Qi Tai was so happy that he immediately ordered someone to do it and warmly invited Xie Yuyao to lunch.
After the meal, he gave the two medicinal herbs to Xie Yuyao without charging her a penny, and even personally led her to the warehouse to familiarize herself with the way.
Even though Xie Yuyao knew that he wanted a long-term partnership, she still appreciated his goodwill.
After that day, the two resumed their cooperation, and Xie Yuyao's savings grew increasingly substantial.
Since it was a rare opportunity for Xie Yuyao to visit the county town, she thought about the inconvenience of getting around and decided to go to the department store to buy a bicycle.
Zhao Honghui had once wanted to give a bicycle as a betrothal gift, but now that their engagement had been dissolved and Zhao Honghui was far away, she couldn't get a ride to the commune, and the tractor only ran every few days with limited travel time, so she simply bought a bicycle instead.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Dayong accompanied her to the department store to buy the item and even offered to help her ride back to Qingshan Village: "There are several sections of road back from the county town with no houses, and I was a little worried about it."
Xie Yuyao had heard Zhao Honghui say that, so she didn't try to be brave.
As the two approached the entrance of the department store, they saw three people wearing red armbands surrounding an elderly man dressed in tattered clothes.
"Hurry up and show me the letter of introduction!" a man with a mean face and an arrogant tone threatened, making the old man tremble with fear.
He shakily pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to the man.
Upon seeing the letter of introduction, the man continued to question the old man, asking him numerous questions.
The old man kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, but hesitated to take out any money to beg for mercy. Knowing that he couldn't squeeze any money out of the old man, he returned the letter of introduction to him, but just as the old man reached out his hand, he let go of the letter and deliberately threw it on the ground.
Xie Yuyao saw that the person standing next to the man was Ren Fei, a former educated youth from Qingshantun.
She stood silently to the side, her brows slightly furrowed, unlike her companion who occasionally questioned the man.
The man then turned his gaze to other pedestrians. Upon seeing this, the people around him lowered their heads and quickly walked away, creating a vacuum around the three of them.
Zhao Dayong was about to tell Xie Yuyao to stay away as well, but the man stopped him: "Where did you two come from?"
When the man saw Xie Yuyao, his eyes lit up, a lewd smile appeared on his face, and he deliberately made things difficult for her.
Xie Yuyao ignored her and turned to Ren Fei, asking quietly, "Ren Fei, is this the job you wanted?"
Ren Fei's eyes were stubborn, and she remained silent with her lips tightly pressed together.
"Oh? So you two know each other?" The man's eyes lit up with excitement as he looked at Ren Fei. "Ren Fei, won't you introduce me?"
Ren Fei ignored him, glanced at Zhao Dayong, grabbed Xie Yuyao's arm, led her to a corner a few steps away, and whispered, "Why are you still with Zhao Dayong?"
"What's the problem?" Xie Yuyao asked in return.
Ren Fei paused, recalling the Revolutionary Committee's internal whitelist: Qi Tai, the biggest controller of the black market, was on the whitelist, along with his subordinate Zhao Dayong, who was also an outsider.
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