A muffled rumble of thunder came from afar, signaling an impending downpour.
Zhou Mingyuan followed Li Xiaorou in the transaction with a gloomy expression.
Their business was simple: Zhou Mingyuan used his father's connections to borrow grain coupons and cloth coupons from the commune warehouse, and Li Xiaorou was responsible for finding buyers on the black market.
Sometimes they were workers from the county, sometimes farmers eager to hold a wedding for their children, and sometimes even a few sneaky middlemen who collected these tickets and resold them to the south.
"This batch of national grain coupons can be exchanged for three yuan and fifty cents per kilogram."
"Cash only, no promissory notes."
Li Xiaorou, bundled up tightly, lowered her voice as she made a deal with a man wearing a baseball cap.
The man looked around and pulled a wad of banknotes from under his shoe insole.
Li Xiaorou took it and immediately knew the number was wrong by rubbing her fingertips together.
"Twenty less."
Her eyes suddenly turned cold.
The man tried to argue, but Zhou Mingyuan had already silently appeared behind him, toying with a fruit knife in his hand, the tip of which gleamed coldly in the morning light.
"Make up for it, or I'll make you eat with your feet from now on."
Zhou Mingyuan said with a smile.
The man's face turned pale, and he trembled as he took out his money again.
After the man walked away, Li Xiaorou kicked Zhou Mingyuan: "Are you fucking crazy? Why did you bring a knife?"
"Just trying to scare people."
Zhou Mingyuan shrugged impatiently.
"I'm really short of money right now, so don't cause me any trouble!"
"If we get caught, we're all finished!"
Li Xiaorou glared at Zhou Mingyuan.
Zhou Mingyuan was amused and burst into laughter. He reached out to pinch her cheek, but she slapped his hand away.
After counting the last stack of banknotes, Li Xiaorou moistened her fingers with saliva and stuffed the money back into the hidden pocket of her underwear.
The musty smell from the back alley of the black market mixed with the cologne on Zhou Mingyuan's body, making her temples throb.
"Come on, I'll treat you to braised pork at the state-run restaurant."
Zhou Mingyuan shook his newly bought Shanghai watch; the watch chain gleamed dazzlingly in the sunlight.
The state-run restaurant was filled with the heavy smell of cooking oil, and the clamor of voices hit you like a heat wave.
Li Xiaorou walked straight to the corner, sat down with her back pressed against the mottled wall. She didn't know how that woman was doing after what she had done that morning. This angle was perfect for monitoring both the front door and the back door of the kitchen.
"Master! Two catties of meat coupons, all braised!"
Zhou Mingyuan slammed the crumpled grain coupons onto the greasy table, his voice so loud it drowned out the clamor in the room.
Several bricklayers at the next table, covered in mortar, cast envious glances at him. He proudly smoothed his slicked-back hair.
At a square table by the window, two men in gray-blue uniforms were engrossed in eating plain noodles.
The young policeman glanced up for the third time, casually sweeping his gaze over Li Xiaorou's table, and tapped his bamboo chopsticks lightly three times on the rim of the rough porcelain bowl.
"Doesn't she look like that woman in the news report...?"
Xiao Wang dipped his finger in the noodle soup, leaving a watermark resembling the character "李" on the table.
Old Zhang slowly sipped his noodle soup, his eyes lingering on Li Xiaorou's familiar features.
He put down the large bowl, and the brass buttons on his cuffs flashed coldly with the movement.
"Police! Don't move!"
The thunderous shout startled Li Xiaorou so much that she overturned the vinegar bottle.
The moment the dark brown liquid spread across the table, she kicked it over, splashing scalding soup all over Zhou Mingyuan.
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