Li San was a middle-aged man in his early thirties.
He was tall and burly, with an intimidating appearance.
He lived up to his reputation as the black market boss.
He truly had a lot of goods in his possession.
Su Yun bought twenty catties of rice, ten catties of high-quality flour, two catties of oil, and an additional ten catties of cotton.
“Cotton isn’t cheap.”
Li San glanced at Su Yun.
He didn’t judge by appearances, but her clothing reasonably raised his doubts.
Did she have the money?
Su Yun counted out two ten-yuan bills.
“Twenty yuan, is that enough?”
Cotton was as expensive as meat these days.
Twenty yuan could only buy about twelve or thirteen catties of cotton.
Seeing her so straightforward, Li San had no further reservations.
He tallied up everything she wanted, totaling sixty yuan.
“Brother San, do you have a bamboo basket? I’d like to buy one.”
“A bamboo basket?”
Li San found it amusing and glanced around. “Does this place look like it sells bamboo baskets?”
Before Su Yun could reply, Li San spoke directly, “I’ll give you one.”
He didn’t sell bamboo baskets here, but he still had a few for personal use.
Su Yun was straightforward, so giving her a basket was no big deal.
“Thank you.”
Su Yun accepted the basket and, as a gesture of reciprocity, decided to give Li San a gift in return.
Li San raised an eyebrow. “You’re giving me a gift?”
“Yes.”
“What are you giving me?”
Li San was curious.
Su Yun asked Li San to extend his wrist. “Let me check your pulse for your well-being.”
“You’re a doctor? You know medicine?”
“Yes.”
Su Yun didn’t hide it.
She examined Li San and pointed out his hidden ailment.
“Your recurring insomnia won’t improve much by relying solely on sleeping pills. In fact, it might make you dependent on the medication.”
Li San’s eyes widened slightly. “You can tell I haven’t been sleeping well lately?”
Su Yun smiled and withdrew her hand. “I told you, I know medicine.”
She borrowed paper and a pen from Li San and wrote out a prescription.
As she wrote, she spoke.
“Follow this prescription to get the medicine. One dose lasts for three days. After three days, brew a new dose. Stick to it for three treatment cycles, and your sleep will return to normal.”
Su Yun’s expertise in surgery came from her university studies, while her knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine was a family inheritance.
She was proficient in both Western and Chinese medicine, adapting her approach and prescriptions as needed.
Li San was impressed by her skill and smiled slightly. “You’ve got some talent!”
Su Yun’s gaze remained calm, neither proud nor impatient.
She handed the prescription to Li San. “I can diagnose illnesses. If you have friends troubled by difficult or chronic ailments, they can come to me.”
After saying this, she stood up and went to pick up the bamboo basket nearby.
Li San called out to her, “Won’t you charge for the consultation?”
Su Yun replied, “Consider it repayment for the basket. No charge.”
“Well, I, Li San, have never taken advantage of anyone!”
Li San asked Su Yun to wait, then turned and went inside, returning with a piece of pork.
It weighed about a catty, mostly fatty with little lean meat.
“Freshly slaughtered this morning. Payment for the medicine.”
Li San wrapped the meat in oiled paper and stuffed it into Su Yun’s basket.
Seeing this, Su Yun had no choice but to put down the basket.
Li San raised an eyebrow. “Are you still being polite with me?”
“No.”
Su Yun asked Li San to sit down, walked behind him, grabbed his right arm with both hands, pressed her knee against his back, and pulled hard.
A crisp crack sounded.
The soreness in Li San’s right shoulder vanished instantly!
He shook his arm, looking at Su Yun in disbelief.
“Sister, you…”
Su Yun pointed to the pork in the basket.
“The pork.”
Li San couldn't help but chuckle. This girl with a bruised head and a dark purple ring around her neck truly refused to take any advantage!
"Your bone-setting skills are so impressive. Who did you learn them from?"
At this moment, Li San had complete trust in Su Yun's medical abilities.
Su Yun slung her basket onto her back again. "Family tradition."
As she spoke, she took a few steps forward, then turned back as if remembering something. She took out ten yuan and placed it on the counter.
"Third Brother, you have wide connections. Could you help me find some silver acupuncture needles? It's fine if they're a bit more expensive, as long as the quality is good."
Li San glanced at her tattered clothes. "You're willing to spend money on acupuncture needles, but not on getting yourself a new set of clothes?"
"Don't all girls like to dress up nicely?"
Su Yun was different from all the female comrades he had met before.
She had a certain quality that made people want to get closer to her.
This feeling was something Li San had never experienced before.
Su Yun smiled. "My husband and I have no one to rely on. Keeping our stomachs full is our biggest concern. Dressing up is something I dare not even think about."
Li San instinctively asked, "You're married?"
After leaving the black market, Su Yun went to the supply and marketing cooperative.
She first bought three bowls, then two pairs of chopsticks and a spoon. After that, she went to the snack counter and bought half a kilogram of White Rabbit candies.
It cost two yuan.
Only after paying did she walk over to the fabric counter to buy some cotton cloth.
Enough to make about two sets of clothes.
She wanted to buy more, but she had no fabric coupons left.
Su Yun paid the saleswoman at the counter with money and coupons, chatting with her cheerfully and offering her some candy.
The saleswoman was an older sister, quite kind-hearted.
Seeing Su Yun dressed in rags yet still generous, she lowered her voice and asked if Su Yun wanted discounted fabric.
This was exactly why Su Yun had bought the White Rabbit candies.
From the book, she knew that the supply and marketing cooperative had flawed fabric that wasn't sold to the public.
Usually, such fabric was bought by the staff at low prices.
Outsiders couldn't get their hands on it.
Sister Hu also felt sorry for Su Yun, which was why she lowered her voice and decided to sell her two bolts of flawed fabric.
The supply and marketing cooperative sold it to employees for five yuan per bolt, with each bolt measuring eight meters.
Sister Hu offered Su Yun a price of six yuan per bolt.
For two bolts, she made a profit of two yuan.
"Do you want it?" Sister Hu whispered as she spoke with her.
Su Yun nodded. "Yes, yes. Thank you, Sister. Next time I come to the commune, I'll bring you some dried sweet potatoes."
"No need, no need. Everyone's rations are tight these days. How could I possibly take your food?"
Sister Hu waved her hand with a smile.
Although she refused, she was happy inside!
This girl might look poor, but the poorer you are, the more honorable you are!
And she was so thoughtful too. How nice.
Su Yun quickly received the two bolts of flawed fabric.
After thanking Sister Hu once more, she left through the back door of the supply and marketing cooperative's warehouse.
Today's harvest was quite substantial.
Su Yun returned to the village with her full load.
The distance from the commune to the Forward Brigade was about three kilometers. Carrying her basket, she walked quickly and soon arrived home.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, she found the yard filled with bamboo.
Xiao Yuan was sitting under the eaves, splitting bamboo strips.
Seeing Su Yun return, he looked up and nodded at her.
"Was the journey smooth?"
Su Yun nodded, closed the courtyard gate, and walked toward the house. "What are these bamboo for?"
"The brigade is collecting bamboo products collectively. My legs aren't in good shape, so I can't work in the fields to earn work points. I take on some odd jobs instead."
He mentioned this with a hint of embarrassment on his face.
Su Yun's gaze, however, fell on the finely split bamboo strips nearby.
"Did you make all of these? You're amazing!"
Her eyes were filled with surprise and admiration.
Xiao Yuan, who had initially found it difficult to speak up, never expected her to react this way.
"You don't think I'm… embarrassing?"
"Embarrassing?"