In the quiet alley, the two stood face-to-face. Ye Qingyan wasted no time and said directly to him, “You saw that ginseng at the pharmacy just now, so I won’t take it out again.”
“Alright, that’s fine.” Pei Ze smiled. “How much do you think it’s worth? Name your price.”
Ye Qingyan thought for a moment and gave her offer. “Eight hundred yuan. Plus one bicycle coupon, one thermos coupon, ten meat coupons, and thirty fine grain coupons.”
Pei Ze looked at her with his dark eyes and chuckled. “Eight hundred yuan—and so many coupons too? Do you really think I have that many on me?”
“You do,” Ye Qingyan said with absolute certainty.
“Tsk, you’ve actually guessed right.” Pei Ze went on. “I have every coupon you asked for, but I didn’t bring that many with me today.”
Ye Qingyan asked, “Then how many do you have right now?”
Pei Ze pulled out all the cash and coupons from his pockets, held them in his palm, and showed them to her.
Ye Qingyan’s eyes lit up slightly. She hadn’t misjudged him—this man was truly well-off.
Looking at the stack of Great Unity banknotes, there had to be at least over a thousand yuan there, plus more than a dozen coupons.
Pei Ze counted out eight hundred yuan and handed it over together with the coupons. “How about this—wait here for a little while. I can go back and fetch the rest of the coupons for you.”
“I’ve got things to take care of shortly, so I can’t stay here long,” Ye Qingyan said. She thought for a moment and continued, “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll give you my address. You can mail the remaining coupons directly to my home.”
“Sure thing. Write it down for me.” Pei Ze quickly pulled out a fountain pen and a small notebook.
Ye Qingyan tucked the money and coupons into the inner pocket of her bag, then took the pen and wrote down her mailing address.
When she handed the pen and notebook back to him, he jotted down a line, tore off the page, and handed it to her. “This is my mailing address.”
“Hmm?” Ye Qingyan looked at him with suspicion and didn’t reach for it. What was he up to?
Pei Ze explained, “If you dig up any more ginseng, or any ganoderma lucidum in the future, just write and let me know.”
Only then did Ye Qingyan accept his address and put it away. She nodded gently. “Alright, that works.”
After handing the ginseng to Pei Ze, Ye Qingyan prepared to leave. Now that she had money and coupons, she could go buy some supplies.
“I’ll be going then.”
Ye Qingyan had barely turned around when two figures suddenly darted out from the alley corner, moving extremely fast.
As the two men rushed past her and were about to collide with her, Pei Ze reacted instantly. He seized her wrist, pulled her in close to him, and shielded her in a protective stance.
The entire sequence of movements happened so quickly that Ye Qingyan was left momentarily stunned.
When she finally came to her senses, she realized just how close they were standing. She could faintly catch a whiff of the crisp, clean scent about him.
His well-defined, knuckled hand was still wrapped gently around her slender wrist.
“Um—thank you, by the way,” Ye Qingyan said, giving her hand a little shake to signal him to let go.
Pei Ze felt his fingertips growing warm, and he immediately released her. He coughed awkwardly. “Ahem… You’re quite welcome.”
Ye Qingyan smiled shyly. “Those people behind us… did they have red armbands?”
“Mhm. Likely chasing down someone, which explains why they’re running so fast.”
The two walked side by side as they talked, heading out of the alley.
Once they emerged onto the main street, Ye Qingyan prepared to say her goodbyes again. She had just lifted her hand when Pei Ze spoke first. “Where are you heading? Let me walk you there.”
Ye Qingyan smiled and declined. “Thank you, but there’s no need. I can get there on my own.”
“Recently the county seat hasn’t been very safe,” Pei Ze continued. “A gang specializing in trafficking women and children has been operating frequently. You’re out shopping, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am,” Ye Qingyan nodded, and started walking straight ahead.
Pei Ze followed behind her, keeping a moderate distance—not too close, not too far. This time, she said nothing to stop him.
Ye Qingyan was naturally highly vigilant, and she knew a bit of self-defense. She wasn’t actually afraid of petty criminals at all.
Still, Pei Ze meant well.
And besides—he could turn out to be a major regular customer of hers. There was no reason to keep him at arm’s length.
Ye Qingyan first stopped at the bookstore and bought two sets of high school textbooks. One set for herself, and the other she had prepared for Ye Qinghui.
If Ye Qinghui wanted to break free from the Ye family, getting into university was an excellent path forward.
Only by stepping out of the mountains and seeing a world entirely different from this one could he embrace a broader future.
Seeing her purchase two sets of textbooks, Pei Ze didn’t press her with questions. Quietly, he stepped in and carried them for her.
Afterward, Ye Qingyan went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought a thermos. Life would be terribly inconvenient in winter without one—she wouldn’t even have hot water to drink.
As for rice, flour, and grain, she could purchase those at the cooperative in her commune. There was no need to haul them all the way back from the county seat.
Once she had finished her errands, Pei Ze escorted Ye Qingyan to the bus.
Ye Qingyan waved to him through the window. “Thank you so much for everything today. And remember—write to me.”
What she really meant was: Don’t forget the coupons you still owe me.
But with other people around, all she could say was to remember to write.
Hearing her words, Pei Ze’s lips curved into a smile. “I will. I promise.”
After the bus had pulled away, Ye Qingyan suddenly realized—she hadn’t even asked him what his name was.
She pulled the scrap of paper from her bag and looked at the name written there.
So his name was Pei Ze. And his military base was located not far from Anping County.
At that very same moment, sitting behind the wheel of a military jeep, Pei Ze suddenly realized he had never asked the young woman her name.
Holding the slip of paper between his fingers, Pei Ze’s gaze softened. “Ye Qingyan…”
What a most interesting young woman.
Ye Qingyan got off the bus at the commune. The ox-cart from Xiangyang Village had already returned to the village, so she would have to walk the rest of the way.
Not wanting anyone to see how many things she had bought, she took a secluded path home.
When Ye Qingyan pushed open the door and stepped inside, Chu Yi came bounding over to her, wagging his tail. Ji Qiuyun also stepped out to greet her.
“You’re back! And with so many things—your arms must be aching from carrying all this.” Ji Qiuyun reached out and took the string bag from her hands. “Two identical sets of high school textbooks? Why did you buy two?”
Ye Qingyan replied, “The other set is for my brother.”
The smile faded slowly from Ji Qiuyun’s face. The thought of her son—separated from them against his will—was enough to take away any joy she felt.
Noticing this, Ye Qingyan quickly changed the subject. “Mom, look quickly—guess how much I sold the ginseng for!”
Ji Qiuyun watched her daughter pull out a substantial sum of money and coupons from her bag. She stared in astonishment. “How much did you get? And they gave you coupons too?”
“Eight hundred yuan,” Ye Qingyan said, the corners of her mouth lifting. “And on top of that—one bicycle coupon, one thermos coupon, ten meat coupons, and thirty fine grain coupons.”
“The pharmacy owner had that many coupons?”
Ye Qingyan shook her head. “The pharmacy owner offered far too low—only six hundred yuan. After I left, a man chased after me and offered to buy it himself. He didn’t have all the coupons on him, so he’s going to mail the rest to me.”
Ji Qiuyun looked deeply puzzled. “You don’t even know this man. And now that he already has the ginseng in his hands—how can you be so certain he’ll actually send those coupons?”
“It’ll be fine,” Ye Qingyan said, winking playfully. “He’s in the military. A soldier wouldn’t go back on his word. And if he tries to renege? I’ll just go straight to his base and look him up! We’ll see if he’s willing to lose face like that.”
“Oh! So he’s a soldier.”
Ji Qiuyun waved her hands hurriedly. “If he doesn’t end up sending them… well, just let it go. Soldiers are disciplined; they wouldn’t take so much as a needle or a thread from ordinary people. He must have simply forgotten. It wasn’t intentional.”
“I know, Mom. I was only joking just now.”
Ye Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh. Her mother’s double standards were showing loud and clear!
The moment she heard the man was a soldier, she was already making excuses on Pei Ze’s behalf.