After the autumn harvest, the corn was still laid out to dry, waiting to be threshed. This period wasn’t very busy, so Su Yi began sorting through the supplies in her space again, planning to take advantage of the harvest season to sell a large batch of goods.
She thought she had disguised herself well, but the boss of the black market still recognized her. The grain she carried was simply too good—flour as white and fine as snow, rice plump and fragrant—anyone could tell at a glance. The boss didn’t act rashly; instead, he had his underlings follow her from a distance.
That day, Su Yi was careless. Because she hadn’t sold anything for quite a while during the harvest, her stock had piled up, and she decided to sell more than usual. On her way back after finishing, she was struck from behind and knocked unconscious.
As night fell and Su Yi still hadn’t returned, Gu Chenye grew anxious. He ran to Hu the educated youth to borrow a bicycle, and only then did Hu Jiaojiu realize that Su Yi had been out all day without coming back. She thought to herself that the heroine was really too bold—how could she not know how valuable her goods were, yet still sell so much at once? Though she thought this, she couldn’t help feeling worried. Should she remind her when she came back?
Gu Chenye pedaled furiously all the way to the county town, heading for the usual black market locations he knew. After checking two places and finding nothing, he became even more anxious. He thought of one more spot near the city wall—if she wasn’t there, he would report it to the police. Without stopping, he turned toward that direction, his heart growing more and more uneasy, silently praying that nothing had happened.
When Su Yi woke up, she found her hands and feet bound, her body slumped against a wall. Looking around, she realized she was in an abandoned warehouse. From outside the door came the voices of two men drinking and chatting. She stayed silent. Gently shaking her head, she felt a sharp pain at the back—only then did she remember being knocked out. She had been too careless this time.
She carefully surveyed her surroundings again and noticed a broken window not far away. With her build, she should be able to squeeze through. Perhaps the captors underestimated her as a woman, or felt confident she wouldn’t escape—the ropes binding her weren’t very tight. Su Yi shifted her body to block her hands from view, took out a small knife from her space, and slowly cut through the ropes. After freeing her hands and loosening the bindings on her feet, she quietly moved toward the window. Using a nearby pillar, she climbed up. But as she jumped out, she twisted her ankle and couldn’t suppress a cry of pain.
That was enough to alert them. The two men cursed and grabbed sticks, chasing after her.
With people chasing her, she couldn’t slip into her space or take anything out—her belongings had already been searched, and if something suddenly appeared in her hands, she wouldn’t be able to explain it.
She stumbled forward, enduring the pain in her foot. Just as they were about to catch up, she suddenly heard someone calling ahead—it sounded like they were calling her name.
“I’m here! I’m here!” Su Yi shouted back immediately.
Hearing her response, Gu Chenye turned the corner on his bicycle and saw her limping forward. He jumped off, pushing the bike as he ran toward her. The men chasing her caught up as well.
“If you know what’s good for you, leave the girl and get lost, or you’ll regret it,” they threatened.
“You’d better leave now,” Gu Chenye said, stepping forward to shield Su Yi behind him. “Before coming, I already had my companion report to the police. They’ll be here any moment.”
Afraid of being punished if they returned empty-handed, the two men had no choice but to charge forward, swinging their sticks. At first, Gu Chenye managed to hold them off, but he couldn’t withstand two attackers armed with clubs. One struck him from behind. To keep Su Yi protected, he took the blow directly. That put him at a disadvantage. Just as things were getting worse, Lin Yang arrived and shouted that the police were coming. Only then did the attackers flee.
Seeing them run off, Lin Yang rushed over, panting heavily. “You really run fast…” he said between breaths, helping Gu Chenye up and asking if he was injured.
Only then did Gu Chenye notice his own condition. His arm felt impossible to lift. “Tsk… I think my arm might be broken.”
Not daring to linger in case the attackers returned with reinforcements, the three of them supported each other and went to the hospital. The doctor on duty set Gu Chenye’s arm in a cast and treated Su Yi’s ankle.
“You two should stay the night. It’s too dark—it’s not safe,” the doctor advised before leaving. Lin Yang went back to inform the others.
Gu Chenye and Su Yi stayed behind. He didn’t ask why those men had chased her. He had a vague idea that Su Yi had her own channels for obtaining goods and sold them on the black market. But those people only cared about profit, not relationships—and she was a woman working alone. He began thinking about whether he had any connections that could help her.
Su Yi had thought she might die that night, even prepared to fight to the bitter end and reveal her secret if necessary. But she hadn’t expected Gu Chenye to come looking for her when he realized she hadn’t returned. Seeing him appear before her, drenched in sweat, almost as if surrounded by light—and watching him shield her without hesitation—moved her deeply. She thought to herself: perhaps this was the man for her in this lifetime. If Hu Jiaojiu knew, she’d probably say that fate had really gone all out to push these two together—why not even add a bit of rain for dramatic effect?
The next day, Lin Yang took leave and brought Lin Xue along so they could take Su Yi back. When they reached the county, he noticed the atmosphere between the two—it made him feel oddly “full,” as if he’d just eaten. Strange, considering he’d been cycling all the way and was actually quite hungry.
When they returned to the village, everyone was shocked to see one with an injured arm and the other limping. They warned the younger ones not to wander into the city for no reason—just look at what had happened.
Hu Jiaojiu visited them with some things. She didn’t ask much, only told them to rest well. Then she teased them with a grin, “So misfortune turned into love, huh? Are you two official now?”
“Yes… I’ve figured out my feelings,” Su Yi replied, rarely showing such a shy expression.
After this incident, they confirmed their feelings and planned to take the next step.
“Since you’re injured, what do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you,” Hu Jiaojiu offered.
“No need, my foot isn’t that bad—I can walk. But if you insist on spoiling me, I won’t refuse,” Su Yi said with a smile.
Hu Jiaojiu brought Su Yi meals for two days, then stopped. She simply couldn’t stand the atmosphere between the two—it was so thick with affection it was almost visible. Even if they were just eating coarse porridge, it would taste sweet to them. Better not to get in the way.
That day, a major incident occurred in the county—a black market was raided. When the authorities arrived, they caught them red-handed. The boss was leading his men moving grain, and they were immediately arrested along with all the goods. The place was thoroughly searched, valuables pocketed, and the people taken away. After that, the black market in the county kept a low profile for quite some time.
Only later did Su Yi learn that it was Gu Chenye who had used his father’s connections to give a friend there a “notable achievement.”
Life carried on steadily until it was time to thresh the corn. And then, another educated youth arrived in the village.