“I waited there just as you told me to. It took two hours before Yu Huan finally showed up.”
“But just as I was about to make my move, a male educated youth spotted me. I was afraid of getting caught, so I ran away immediately.”
The man explained himself at length, but the person opposite him wasn’t interested in listening.
“After all that talking, all you’ve proven is that you’re an idiot. You can’t even handle one young girl.”
“I don’t care what methods you use. I want her reputation completely ruined.”
“If you can’t get it done, don’t blame me for reporting you.”
“Three days. I’ll give you another three days. If you still can’t satisfy me by then, don’t blame me for what happens next.”
After saying that, the person turned and walked away.
The man grabbed his hair in frustration, looking utterly vexed.
2:00 p.m.
Yu Huan checked the time and arrived at the woods outside the city ahead of schedule.
With her cultivation having improved, she could now easily circulate her spiritual energy and sense everything happening within a five-kilometer radius. There was no one else nearby.
It seemed Li Qiang was fairly reliable when it came to doing business. Perhaps she could establish a long-term partnership with him in the future.
She left some of the watermelons and muskmelons from her space for her family to eat or give away as gifts, then piled all the remaining fruits behind the large tree.
After arranging everything, Yu Huan leaped onto a fairly thick tree branch and sat down, quietly waiting.
About fifteen minutes later, she heard the distant sound of engines.
Before long, two transport trucks pulled up at the edge of the woods.
Li Qiang jumped out of the passenger seat of the first truck and happened to see Yu Huan walking out of the woods.
“Xiao Yu, I got held up arranging the trucks, so it took me a little longer. I’m not late, am I?”
“Right on time.” Yu Huan glanced at the two trucks. “You certainly have plenty of connections. You even managed to get vehicles from the transport team.”
“Hahaha! That’s nothing. If you ever need a vehicle in the future, just come to me.”
Yu Huan neither agreed nor disagreed. “Let’s go. Take a look at the goods.”
Li Qiang followed her behind the large tree. When he saw the mountain of fruits piled up there for the first time, he couldn’t help feeling astonished.
He stepped forward, casually picked up a watermelon, and was about to smash it open with his fist.
Yu Huan hurriedly stopped him. Fortunately, she had come prepared. Otherwise, considering how delicate the watermelons were, one punch would have turned it into a complete mess.
She pretended to take a dagger from behind her waist. In reality, it was a valuable item she’d found in the room where her space stored gold, silver, and jewelry. Using such a precious dagger to cut watermelons was certainly a bit wasteful.
She pierced the tip of the blade into the watermelon and made a few cuts. The fruit naturally split into several pieces.
Li Qiang picked up a slice and took a bite. His eyes immediately lit up.
It was large, with thin skin, fresh red flesh, and an incredibly sweet, crisp taste. The sweetness lingered pleasantly in his mouth.
He casually picked up a muskmelon next and took a bite.
Fragrant, sweet, and crunchy. What excellent fruit!
At that moment, Li Qiang felt as though he’d struck gold. These fruits were top-quality goods. He was already planning how to sell them at a high price.
After inspecting the goods, he instructed his men to weigh everything.
Each watermelon weighed approximately ten pounds, so they agreed to count each one as ten pounds. There were 1,018 watermelons in total.
The muskmelons were all weighed individually, adding up to 5,013 pounds.
Yu Huan glanced at the final figures. They were roughly what she’d estimated.
“Let’s just round off the extra amount and settle on an even figure.”
Li Qiang didn’t bother arguing over the small difference. He handed Yu Huan a full nine hundred yuan in large-denomination bills, along with a stack of ration coupons.
Yu Huan didn’t even count the money. She simply put everything away.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now.”
By then, it was already 5:30 p.m. after all the loading and arrangements.
“Sure, go ahead. If you get any more good merchandise next time, just come find me at our usual spot,” Li Qiang said with a smile.
Yu Huan casually agreed before turning into the deeper part of the woods and heading toward the mountains.
Li Qiang watched her walk in that direction but didn’t ask any questions. It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious; he simply didn’t have the ability to investigate her affairs.
Yu Huan briefly checked her surroundings with her spiritual sense. No one was following her, so she immediately leaped through the forest and made her way home.
By the time she arrived, it was almost time for the day’s work to end.
She hurried into the kitchen and took several bags of rice, sweet potatoes, and corn out of her space, placing them beside the rice jar. She also put more than ten large watermelons and several dozen muskmelons on the floor.
There were still plenty of fruits left in her space. She could take them out gradually in the future.
Just as she was halfway through preparing dinner, her parents returned from work.
Her mother washed her hands and face before entering the kitchen to help.
The moment she stepped inside, she spotted the watermelons and muskmelons scattered across the floor.
“Oh my goodness! Where did all these melons come from?”
“Huanhuan… these… Did you buy them again?” Her mother quickly figured it out.
“What’s wrong?” Yu Huan’s father had been sitting under the eaves enjoying the cool air. Hearing his wife’s loud exclamation, he hurried over to see what was happening.
He immediately spotted the scene in the kitchen.
“Don’t speak so loudly. Keep your voice down.”
Yu Huan’s father quickly caught on and reminded his wife to lower her voice.
Everyone in the village had just finished work. If they heard her shouting and came over to see what was going on, their family would really have a crowd on their hands.
Her mother hurriedly lowered her voice.
“Huanhuan, did you go to the black market again?”
There were indeed a few families in the village who grew watermelons and muskmelons in their private plots, but they didn’t grow very many—just enough for their own families. They also kept a close eye on them to prevent anyone from stealing their harvest.
The fruits in their kitchen clearly weren’t the same as those grown in the village. They must have come from somewhere else.
“Huanhuan, didn’t Dad tell you last time that you’re not allowed to go to the black market? What would your mother and I do if something happened to you?”
Yu Huan’s father was somewhat angry that his daughter refused to listen. Now that she had acquired a few abilities, she was becoming increasingly reckless.
“Your father is right. You absolutely mustn’t go there again. If someone discovers you, our entire family could be in trouble.”
Her mother was even more frightened at the thought of something happening to her daughter.
Yu Huan quickly scooped the stir-fried vegetables out of the wok and poured a ladleful of water into it.
When she turned around, she was met with her parents’ worried and disapproving expressions.
“Dad, Mom, let’s eat first. We can talk about this after dinner.”
Yu Huan carried the freshly cooked plate of bitter melon stir-fried with eggs into the main room.
Seeing this, her mother picked up the bowls and chopsticks and followed her out of the kitchen.
Her father sat down at the dining table with a gloomy expression.
Yu Huan served her parents their rice, but they still looked displeased. Neither of them touched their chopsticks or said a word.
“Dad, Mom, don’t worry. I can protect myself.”
But her parents remained silent, seemingly determined to make her promise never to visit the black market again.
Yu Huan thought that since they were family, it was better to be honest with them.
“Dad, Mom, actually, I’ve taken a master.”
“He taught me many incredible skills.”
“I can’t tell you who he is.”
“But I can demonstrate some of the things I’ve learned.”
Yu Huan spoke with a serious expression.
Before her parents could ask anything, a talisman suddenly appeared in her hand.
“Dad, Mom, watch carefully.”
She then stuck the talisman onto her body.
In the blink of an eye, she transformed into a young man.
Yu Huan’s father and mother both widened their eyes, their mouths hanging open.
What on earth?!
Their daughter could transform?!
Was this really their daughter?
Could she have been some kind of demon in disguise?
But wasn’t the founding of the People’s Republic supposed to have put an end to demons and spirits? Besides, all feudal superstitions had long since been abolished.
Yu Huan looked at her parents worriedly. Why weren’t they moving? They looked as though someone had cast a freezing spell on them.
“Dad, Mom, are you two alright?”
Her masculine voice finally broke through the chaotic thoughts running through her parents’ minds.
“Change back first,” her father said, trying to sound calm.
If not for his slightly trembling hands, he might actually have been convincing.
Yu Huan hurriedly removed the talisman.
The moment her mother saw her daughter return to normal, she immediately grabbed her hand and examined her carefully.
Mm, she’s still my daughter.