Su Ci’s eyes gleamed with a fox-like glint, and a sly smile curved her lips.
“Hehe, this will all depend on the charms… oh no, the authority of our Commander Lu,” she teased, leaning close to him.
“We need to make a trip to the city. I heard the state-run pharmacy there has some good stuff. And… I also want to get you some proper gear while we’re at it.”
“I’m not going,” Lu Si said instinctively, shrinking back. “In my condition… why would I go to the city? It would be embarrassing.”
The people in the compound were used to seeing him, but in the city, sitting in a wheelchair, he’d stand out like an oddity.
“Not going?” Su Ci arched a brow, slowly clearing the dishes. “Fine then, no medicine. After all, it’s your leg that hurts. If the old man asks, I’ll just tell him that Commander Lu is afraid of being seen—he’d rather stay disabled for life than go out.”
Lu Si ground his teeth. “Su Ci!”
“I’m here.” Su Ci turned back, her smile radiant. “So, what’s it going to be? Go or not? If you go, I’ll make that… what was it? Oh, right, braised lion’s head. Eight pieces, all meat, no flour.”
Lu Si’s Adam’s apple betrayed him with a shameful twitch.
He looked at her sparkling eyes, brimming with certainty about the future.
Finally, he surrendered.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
For the leg… and to avoid leaving things unfinished…
Definitely not for the lion’s head.
Definitely.
..
With the decision made, transportation became the next priority.
At Lu Si’s rank, getting a jeep into the city was just a phone call away.
But Su Ci stopped him.
“Old Lu, what exactly are we going into the city for?” she asked, spinning a piece of agarwood in her fingers, eyes twinkling with mischief. “It’s to buy some contraband medicine—and, cough, maybe do a little treasure hunting at the scrap yard and trust store. Do you really think a military jeep won’t draw attention?”
Lu Si frowned. “Then how do we go? Public bus? Too many people. I won’t go.”
He was still stubborn, unwilling to show his disability among crowds.
“Relax, who am I? Su the Smart!”
Su Ci smiled mysteriously. Since she’d taken on this “porcelain” business, she had the skills to match.
The next morning, a peculiar “vehicle” arrived at the compound.
It was a flatbed tricycle borrowed from logistics, meant for hauling supplies—but Su Ci had worked her magic.
Two thick layers of quilts lined the bed, with a plush pillow on top.
For wind and sun protection, she used bamboo poles and a military-green tarp to make a makeshift canopy, like a mobile tent.
The pièce de résistance: a bell tied to the handlebars that jingled with every pedal.
“How’s that? The Lu family’s exclusive open-air RV!” Su Ci patted the seat, beaming. “Low-key, luxurious, and tasteful. Unobtrusive, yet comfortable.”
Lu Si looked at the incongruous contraption, lips twitching. “You call this low-key?”
“This is what they call hiding in plain sight,” Su Ci replied, helping him onto the seat and tucking a blanket around his legs. “Hold on tight. Let’s go!”
Pedaling the tricycle, Su Ci left the compound.
The morning air was cool, but the effort soon warmed her up.
She pedaled while mentally mapping out her “five-year plan.”
“In this era of scarcity, just relying on Lu Si’s stipend isn’t enough. Policies may change, or his leg may never fully heal—life could get hard. I need savings! Antiques are worthless now, but scrap yards are treasure troves. I’ll stockpile valuable items before anyone notices. Once reforms happen, I can sell a single piece and become rich. Then I can do whatever I want!”
“As for the hardship now… humph, that’s just upfront investment! Hugging Lu Si’s leg close, getting him healed, that’s securing my rock-solid support. This deal is a sure win!”
With that thought, her pedaling grew even more energetic, as if she were riding a flaming wheel straight toward wealth.
“Su Ci.”
Lu Si’s low voice came from behind.
“What’s up? Feeling bumpy?” she slowed, glancing back.
Lu Si sat in the “tent,” observing her braided hair bouncing with each pedal, her back soaked with sweat, and the old awkward feeling stirred in his chest.
“Tired? Want to… rest a bit?”
A proud commander, watching his wife pedal him into the city—wasn’t this a bit too humiliating for him?
“Not tired!” Su Ci said decisively. “Old Lu, don’t feel guilty. I’m fighting for our future! Once your leg’s healed, won’t you take me further? Won’t you buy me more delicious food? If I treat you well now, I’ll get double back later!”
Lu Si: “…”
Though her words reeked of calculation, they strangely warmed him.
“Alright, I’ll keep count,” Lu Si said, turning to look at the white poplars by the road, a faint curve on his lips. “Double it back to you later.”
..
Upon arriving in the city, Su Ci didn’t head straight to the pharmacy. She first steered the vehicle into a quiet alley.
“First stop: the scrap yard,” she said, adjusting Lu Si’s hat to cover most of his face. “That place is messy. You stay in the tricycle and don’t move. I’ll do the ‘sweeping’.”
Lu Si frowned. “You’re scavenging again?”
“Not scavenging. Treasure hunting!” Su Ci’s eyes sparkled. “Old Lu, believe me, I can find you a complete Western-style courtyard here!”
Lu Si only chuckled at her exaggeration.
Su Ci slipped into the scrap yard like a mouse diving into a grain store.
These places were treasure troves.
Stacks of tattered books might hide Song dynasty editions, broken furniture could conceal huanghuali wood, even discarded metal might turn out to be a Xuande-period censer once cleaned.
With her previous-life experience watching appraisal shows, Su Ci began picking through the junk.
Suddenly, her eyes landed on a filthy, coal-bin-like pen holder tucked in a corner.
The clay pot was caked with grime and paint, looking ordinary.
But when she touched it, the fine texture and weight made her heart skip a beat.
She carefully scraped off a bit of paint with her nail, revealing a warm purple hue.
Zisha clay!
Judging by the shape and patina, it could well be a Ming or Qing dynasty treasure!
Suppressing her excitement, she casually tucked the pen holder into her arms, grabbing a few old books and broken bowls as well.
“Grandpa, I’ll take these scraps home to feed the chickens,” she said.
The old man glanced at the grimy pen holder and waved her off. “Take it. Books and bowls, three mao; the coal-bin, consider it a gift.”
Suppressing a grin, Su Ci paid the fifty-cent fee, clutching her pile of “junk” back to the tricycle.
..
“What did you find?” Lu Si asked, frowning at the bundle in her arms.
“Hehe, I’ll tell you at home,” Su Ci said mysteriously, hiding the pen holder under the blanket. “Old Lu, today’s medicine expense is covered!”
She handed the pen holder to Lu Si. “Hold it tight—it’s a treasure.”
Lu Si pinched the pen holder with two fingers. “This?”
“Don’t underestimate it,” Su Ci whispered. “If sold to someone who knows, this could fetch a few ginseng roots!”
Lu Si sighed helplessly at her money-obsessed look but obeyed, tucking the grimy pot into his arms.
He didn’t believe it was valuable—but he trusted Su Ci.
This girl always found a way to surprise him.
“Next stop: Renji Tang Pharmacy!”
Su Ci pedaled off, full of energy, the bell jingling all the way.
Lu Si sat, holding the “treasure,” watching the little woman full of life and determination—and for the first time in a long while, the autumn sun seemed to burn away the gloom in his heart.
Perhaps, once his leg healed, taking her to far-off places wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Even if it was partly to repay the debt of pedaling a tricycle.