Seeing his shocked expression, Yu Huan asked, “Can you make the decision yourself? If not, go get your boss.”
“Our boss isn’t here, but I can make the decision too,” Li Qiang immediately replied.
He then continued, “I’ll offer you five cents per pound for the watermelons and eight cents per pound for the muskmelons, plus some ration coupons.”
Seeing that Yu Huan remained silent, Li Qiang assumed she wasn’t satisfied with the offer and quickly explained, “These are genuinely fair prices. After all, the county town can’t consume all of them, so we’ll have to transport the produce elsewhere to sell. With transportation costs and the inevitable losses from damaged goods, we’re only making money through hard work.”
Seeing how worried he was about losing the deal, Yu Huan decided not to make things difficult for him.
“Fine, let’s go with your offer. We’ll trade at the same place as before—the woods outside the city. Let’s set the time for three o’clock this afternoon. Same rules as always: money in one hand, goods in the other.”
“Deal! It’s settled, then.”
Li Qiang was delighted to have secured this business deal. After all, this was the first major transaction he’d managed since their boss had put him in charge of this area.
“Do you have any wristwatches? I’d like to trade for one,” Yu Huan asked. She figured she needed a watch to make sure she didn’t miss any appointments.
“Yes, I do. Wait here. I’ll go get one.”
Li Qiang stood up and went into the adjoining room.
A moment later, he returned with several wristwatches in his hands.
“These are all brand-new. Take your pick.”
He placed the watches on the coffee table beside Yu Huan.
Yu Huan immediately spotted a Seagull-brand watch among them. She picked it up and tried it on. It fit perfectly.
“I’ll take this one.”
Li Qiang stared at her slender, fair hand for a moment, momentarily distracted.
How could a man’s hand be even prettier than a woman’s?
Yu Huan then asked, “How much is it?”
Li Qiang quickly snapped out of his daze. He wondered if something was wrong with his head. How could he get so mesmerized just by looking at another man’s hand?
“No ration coupons needed. I’ll charge you one hundred yuan.”
Yu Huan promptly counted out ten ten-yuan bills and handed them to him.
With everything settled, Yu Huan stood up.
As she walked through the courtyard, she suddenly remembered what had happened last time. Turning to Li Qiang, who was about to escort her out, she reminded him, “By the way, last time, someone named Wang Yong somehow got wind of our meeting and went to the woods outside the city to ambush us. If we hadn’t acted quickly, we might have walked right into his trap.”
“That was an isolated incident. Our boss has already dealt with it. Nothing like that will happen again.”
Li Qiang, of course, knew about the previous incident. As soon as their boss heard what had happened, he immediately sent people to investigate. Wang Yong had been sent off to a reeducation-through-labor camp.
Seeing that he had addressed the matter, Yu Huan didn’t ask any further questions. It was their internal business, after all.
“Little Brother, we’ve already dealt with each other twice. I still don’t know your name,” Li Qiang said.
Li Qiang hadn’t asked before, and Yu Huan hadn’t volunteered the information either.
“Just call me Little Fish.”
“Little Fish? That’s quite a fitting name for you.”
After all, she really was like a fish—slippery and difficult to catch. Every time she showed up, she brought a major business deal, yet no one could find out anything about her background.
“Thanks for the compliment,” Yu Huan replied, pretending not to understand the hidden meaning behind his words.
After leaving the courtyard, she took several twists and turns through the alleyways, shaking off the people following her before heading home.
Once she passed the woods outside the city, she changed back into her original appearance.
She hadn’t ridden her bicycle here this time.
Instead of taking the main road, she circulated her spiritual energy and leaped through the forest. Each leap carried her about ten meters forward. In less than half an hour, she was already home.
This was much faster than riding a bicycle, although it consumed a considerable amount of spiritual energy. The main problem was that her cultivation level was still too low, leaving her with insufficient spiritual power.
When she got home, she checked the time. It was already nine in the morning.
She put the wristwatch into her space, slung her bamboo basket over her back, and headed out to work.
As she walked along the familiar path through the woods, a figure suddenly lunged at her from behind.
Yu Huan had already sensed the person approaching, so she swiftly sidestepped.
The attacker missed her and nearly fell flat on his own face.
After regaining his balance and seeing that Yu Huan had dodged him, he assumed it had been nothing more than a coincidence.
He immediately reached out with both hands and lunged at her again.
Yu Huan noticed that the man was heavily built. His face was covered, leaving only his eyes exposed. Seeing him charge at her again, she was just about to kick him flying when—
“Stop!”
A young man suddenly shouted and quickly ran toward them.
Seeing someone approaching, the masked man no longer bothered with Yu Huan. He immediately turned and fled into the nearby woods.
Without drawing attention to herself, Yu Huan secretly shot a talisman toward the masked man’s back.
The young man chased after him for a few steps, but when he saw that the attacker had already gotten away, he turned back and approached Yu Huan.
“Are you alright?”
Yu Huan looked at the handsome, tall man with his sun-kissed complexion. Although he couldn’t quite compare to Ling Yuan, he was certainly an eye-catching figure among ordinary men.
“I’m fine. Thank you, Educated Youth Zhao!” she said softly.
Zhao Liye wasn’t surprised that Yu Huan recognized him. Although they hadn’t interacted directly before, her father was the village chief, and she had visited the educated youths’ residence several times.
“That’s good. As long as you’re alright.”
“Do you know that man who just attacked you?” Zhao Liye asked.
Seeing Yu Huan’s calm expression, without the panic or helplessness most young women would display after encountering such danger, a hint of admiration flashed through his eyes.
“He was wearing a mask, so I couldn’t recognize him. I have no idea who he was either.”
Yu Huan also acted puzzled.
“Once you get back, you should tell the village chief about this. Have him investigate whether the attacker is someone from our village. Also, try not to go out alone for the time being,” Zhao Liye advised.
He then added, “Where are you going? I’ll walk you there.”
“There’s no need. I’m only going a little farther ahead. It’s fine. You can go on first.”
Yu Huan knew he was worried she might encounter danger again, but unfortunately, she didn’t need anyone’s protection.
“Let’s go together. I’m heading in that direction anyway.”
Zhao Liye didn’t give Yu Huan a chance to refuse. He simply started walking ahead.
Seeing him already walking in front, Yu Huan could only follow with a helpless expression.
Hearing her footsteps behind him, the corners of Zhao Liye’s mouth curled upward.
After a while, with Zhao Liye deliberately slowing his pace, Yu Huan finally caught up and walked beside him.
Zhao Liye glanced sideways at her beautiful face and couldn’t help asking, “Do you usually walk along this path alone?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Then you’re quite brave.”
“I’m alright.”
Seeing how coolly and indifferently Yu Huan responded to his attempts at conversation, Zhao Liye found it rather amusing.
After all, although he couldn’t compare to Ling Yuan in looks, he was still quite popular among women.
“Do you think I’m handsome?” Zhao Liye suddenly asked.
Yu Huan was momentarily stunned. She had never expected him to ask such a question.
“I’ve noticed you haven’t been going to see Ling Yuan lately. Have you given up on him? If so, why don’t you take a look at me instead?”
Zhao Liye flashed her a charming, flirtatious smile.
Yu Huan was completely dumbfounded.
What did he mean by that? Was this man openly trying to flirt with her?
Seeing the change in Yu Huan’s expression, Zhao Liye was pleased. He was sure that she would remember him now.
“Educated Youth Zhao, that’s not a funny joke. Besides, we’re not close, so please show some respect,” Yu Huan said expressionlessly.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Don’t be angry. You said it yourself—it was just a joke.”
Seeing that Yu Huan seemed upset, Zhao Liye quickly tried to smooth things over with an apologetic smile.
Yu Huan didn’t bother responding.
Zhao Liye wisely kept his mouth shut as well.
Once they emerged from the wooded path, the view suddenly opened up.
“Comrade Yu, see you next time.”
Zhao Liye greeted her before turning onto another path.
Yu Huan watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, the masked man who had fled earlier had returned to the village. At that moment, he was arguing with someone inside an abandoned, dilapidated house.