After arriving in the county town, Yu Huan rode around for a while, looking for a suitable place.
Eventually, she found a black market tucked away in a secluded alley.
She stored her bicycle inside her space and stuck a Transformation Talisman onto herself.
“Kid, are you here to buy or sell?”
A man standing guard at the entrance of the alley stopped Yu Huan.
“I’m here to sell something.”
The voice that came out of Yu Huan’s mouth was clear and youthful, sounding exactly like a teenage boy.
The man looked at the boy standing before him. His hands were completely empty, and he wasn’t carrying anything.
“You want to sell something? Where’s your merchandise?”
“I want to speak with your boss.”
“You little brat! You think you can just ask to see our boss? He’s not someone you can meet whenever you want. Hurry up and get out of here. This isn’t a place for someone like you.”
The man was impatient, assuming the boy had come to cause trouble.
“I have grain to sell.”
Yu Huan didn’t mind his attitude.
Only then did the man give her a proper look.
“What kind of grain? And how much do you have?”
“Fine white rice. One thousand pounds.”
A hint of surprise appeared on the man’s face. Looking at how calm and composed the boy was, he didn’t seem to be lying.
“Come with me.”
Yu Huan followed him to a house beside the alley.
“Wait here.”
The man went inside to report to his boss.
Yu Huan stood in the courtyard and waited.
Before long, the man who had been guarding the entrance came out, followed by a middle-aged man.
“Where’s the one thousand pounds of rice you mentioned? I’ll buy all of it at one yuan per pounds. I’ll also give you a bicycle ticket and a sewing machine ticket. You can choose the other coupons you want.”
The middle-aged man didn’t waste time with pleasantries and went straight to the point.
Yu Huan thought the price was reasonable, so she agreed.
“The grain is outside the city. We’ll exchange the goods and money at the same time.”
“Fine. I’ll have someone go with you right now.”
“Right now?”
“What? Is that inconvenient?”
“It’s still daytime. I’m afraid someone might report us.”
“Hahaha! Don’t worry about that. We have our own connections.”
Yu Huan didn’t ask any further questions. After all, these people specialized in this kind of business. They naturally knew how to handle things.
Fifteen minutes later, Yu Huan led the men to a wooded area outside the city.
She walked ahead to a large tree and pulled off a Concealment Talisman that had been stuck in a corner.
Before the talisman could even reach the ground, it turned to ashes.
Behind the tree, a large pile of grain bags suddenly appeared.
The man guarding the entrance was named Li Qiang.
Looking at the mountain of grain bags before him, he carefully inspected the contents. After confirming that everything was in order, he handed Yu Huan a bundle of ten-yuan notes along with a stack of coupons.
“Our boss said that if you have more good-quality merchandise in the future, you can come directly to that courtyard and look for us. Of course, we’ll also buy other rare goods.”
Yu Huan accepted the money and coupons, glanced at them, and casually pretended to put them into her trouser pocket. In reality, she stored everything inside her space.
“All right. I’ll be leaving now.”
Li Qiang watched Yu Huan walk out of the woods before signaling his underlings to transport the grain away from the opposite side.
Once Yu Huan had left the woods and was out of their sight, she took her bicycle out of her space and sped toward the county town.
The talismans had a limited duration. If she didn’t hurry, her transformation would wear off and she would suddenly turn back into a girl!
Halfway through her ride, a patch of ashes fell from her body, and Yu Huan returned to her original appearance.
The sun was blazing overhead, and the air was filled with a stuffy heat.
When she arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, she spotted her second brother arranging goods behind the counter.
“Second Brother!”
“Little Sister, what brings you here?”
Yu Jianming’s gentle face immediately lit up with delight.
All the children in the Yu family were good-looking, after all. Their parents had been a handsome man and a beautiful woman when they were young.
Yu Huan had inherited the best features from both parents. After the changes brought about by her dreams, her appearance had become practically flawless.
“Mom asked me to buy some sugar.”
As she spoke, she took out the money and coupons her mother had given her and handed them to her second brother.
Yu Jianming only took the sugar coupon.
“Keep the money.”
Yu Huan didn’t argue with him. She put the money back into her pocket, intending to return it to her mother later.
Watching his little sister’s actions, Yu Jianming smiled affectionately.
“Is there anything else you want? Second Brother will buy it for you.”
“I don’t want anything else. I just want Second Brother to take me to the state-run restaurant for some braised pork!”
Yu Huan smiled mischievously and spoke in a sweet, coaxing voice.
“All right. Let me finish arranging these things first.”
After saying that, he tidied up the counter, informed his colleague that he was stepping out, and hung the packaged sugar on the bicycle handlebars before taking Yu Huan to the state-run restaurant.
Before leaving, Yu Huan still bought two aluminum lunchboxes with her own money.
Yu Jianming wasn’t surprised to see that his little sister had money. After all, every member of the family gave her lucky money during the Lunar New Year.
By then, it was already lunchtime, and the state-run restaurant was bustling with customers.
Yu Jianming told Yu Huan to find a seat while he went to order the food.
Ever since Yu Huan entered the restaurant, curious glances had been directed at her from all around.
Everyone loved beautiful things, after all. She could only do her best to ignore the attention.
After looking around, she spotted an empty table in a corner and hurried over to claim it.
She had been sitting there for quite a while before Yu Jianming finally returned, carrying a bowl of braised pork, a plate of scrambled eggs, and two bowls of rice.
Yu Huan quickly took the dishes from his hands and placed them on the table.
“Second Brother, this braised pork smells amazing!”
Yu Huan was practically drooling.
Although her family was relatively well-off compared with other village households, they rarely ate at the state-run restaurant.
“Apparently, the chef’s ancestors were imperial chefs. How could the food not be delicious?”
Yu Jianming placed a piece of braised pork into Yu Huan’s bowl.
“Come on, eat!”
Yu Huan stuffed the meat into her mouth and couldn’t help narrowing her eyes in satisfaction.
It was absolutely delicious!
She picked up another piece of scrambled egg.
Mmm, that was delicious too. No wonder the chef was so skilled.
Yu Huan’s cheeks puffed up as she happily chewed her food. Her breathtakingly beautiful face now carried a hint of childish innocence, creating an adorable contrast with her otherwise stunning appearance.
She looked incredibly cute.
At another table in the corner, Ling Yuan and Song Yujie were also having lunch.
Ling Yuan wore a white shirt and black trousers. Even in such a noisy environment, he maintained his usual cold and aloof demeanor.
“Brother, what are you looking at?”
Song Yujie, whose mouth was stuffed with meat, was about to turn around and follow Ling Yuan’s gaze.
“Nothing. Just eat your food.”
Ling Yuan recalled the way the little girl had been eating her meat just now. For some reason, he suddenly found himself feeling hungry.
“Hey, Brother! Leave some for me!”
“Didn’t you just say you weren’t hungry? Why are you fighting me for the meat now?”
Song Yujie watched as his brother elegantly yet rapidly finished the braised pork in his bowl.
He didn’t even have time to complain. He quickly shut his mouth and focused on eating.
If he didn’t hurry, his brother would finish everything!
After lunch, they left the restaurant.
Yu Huan was carrying two aluminum lunchboxes containing extra portions of braised pork.
Of course, she had paid for them herself. Her second brother had run out of meat coupons.
“Second Brother, you should go back to work. I’ll visit Third Brother at his school.”
Her second brother’s workplace, the supply and marketing cooperative, was located near the southern entrance of the county town, while her third brother’s school was near the northern entrance.
In other words, she would have to travel across almost the entire county town to reach his school.
“Why are you looking for Third Brother?”
“Mom asked me to check on him. His examinations are already over, so why hasn’t he come home yet?”
“How about I go with you?”
“No need. You’d better hurry back to work. I can manage on my own.”
Seeing that his little sister really didn’t need his company, Yu Jianming reminded her to head home as soon as she finished visiting their third brother.
If it got too late, she should come find him, and he would escort her home.
Yu Huan nodded obediently to everything he said.
After watching her second brother walk away, she finally got back on her bicycle and headed toward her third brother’s school.
The afternoon breeze brushed against her face, bringing a welcome touch of coolness and easing the oppressive heat.
When Yu Huan arrived at her third brother’s school, she greeted the elderly gatekeeper before heading toward the boys’ dormitory.
Standing outside, she stopped a male student.
“Hello, classmate. Could you please help me call Yu Jian’an from Room 305?”
The male student stared at the beautiful young woman before him, momentarily lost in a daze.
Only after hearing her request did he quickly come to his senses.
“Of course!”
He hurriedly agreed and rushed up to the third floor of the dormitory to call Yu Jian’an.