While the postal worker searched through the mail, Ji Jingchi’s gaze never strayed far from Li Lezhi.
He carefully noticed the way she lightly bit her lower lip, how her fingers unconsciously curled into fists, and the nervous yet hopeful expression on her face. Every little movement seemed especially adorable in his eyes.
Silently, he made a promise to himself. No matter what, the next time they met, he would gather his courage. Even if it was only a few casual words, he wanted to speak with her.
“These are the package and letter Li Zhinan sent you. Sign here.”
The postal worker handed the items over.
Li Lezhi accepted the package and letter, then quickly arranged to mail her reply. After finishing everything she needed to do, she turned to leave.
Her plan was to buy some meat from the state-run butcher shop first, then head to the black market to see if she could buy and sell a few things.
Her spiritual spring space was already stocked with sweet potatoes, corn, eggs, and other supplies. Half the available farmland inside the space was now planted with corn and sweet potatoes. Once autumn arrived, she planned to grow rice and wheat as well.
Just as she picked up her belongings and turned around, she noticed that Ji Jingchi had not left. He was standing there with his head lowered, fiddling with something on the ground.
She assumed he was waiting for someone.
When their eyes met, she politely nodded once again.
To her surprise, Ji Jingchi’s face turned red, looking almost shy.
She found it somewhat amusing and thought that young men and women in this era were truly innocent.
Then she remembered that even holding hands could be considered hooliganism in these times, and the reaction suddenly seemed perfectly understandable.
Carrying her package, she quickened her pace and hurried toward the state-run butcher shop.
Meanwhile, Ji Jingchi remained frozen in place, only managing to watch her retreating figure disappear into the distance.
A wave of frustration immediately surged through him.
He did not understand what was happening to him.
Ever since meeting that girl for the first time, everything inside him had felt different.
At twenty-three years old, this was the first time he had ever felt such strong emotions toward anyone.
When he was ten, his father had died in battle.
His mother, unable to bear the grief, gradually lost herself in endless sorrow and eventually sacrificed her own life while helping wounded soldiers on the battlefield.
After that, he was raised by his grandfather.
Influenced by his parents, he chose to enlist after graduating from high school. He always volunteered for the most dangerous missions and accumulated countless achievements despite his young age.
Now, he had already reached the rank of regiment commander.
Ordinarily, his life revolved around missions and his grandfather.
Never before had he cared so much about another person.
Only after Li Lezhi’s figure completely vanished from sight did he pick up his belongings and prepare to leave.
Meanwhile, Li Lezhi had already joined the line outside the state-run butcher shop.
The queue moved fairly quickly, and before long it was her turn.
“Hello, Comrade. I’d like one jin of second-grade pork. How much are those bones?”
She had noticed a pile of leg bones and spare ribs nearby.
“Second-grade pork is seventy cents per jin today and requires half a jin’s worth of meat coupons. Those bones are forty cents per jin and also require half a jin’s worth of meat coupons.”
The butcher’s deep voice rang out.
Li Lezhi purchased everything she needed and placed it into her basket before heading to the supply cooperative to buy other necessities.
After finishing her shopping, she paid a passing auntie two cents to ask about the location of the black market.
Once she had all the information she needed, she stored her purchases in her space and headed there.
Like many black markets, this one was hidden within a maze of interconnected alleyways.
Having some experience already, she walked confidently toward the entrance.
A thin, dark-skinned young man stood guard outside.
“I’m here to buy a few things,” she said.
The young man replied, “Two cents to buy, five cents to sell.”
Li Lezhi handed over the money and walked inside.
Once inside the black market, everyone kept their heads down while carefully watching their surroundings.
She also pulled out a cloth face covering and concealed her features.
Since the area was close to rural villages, most of the goods being sold were wild game and countryside products.
Whenever she spotted something suitable, she bought it.
The spiritual spring space could preserve food indefinitely, and the prices here were reasonable. Most importantly, no ration coupons were required.
For her, it was incredibly convenient.
After filling an entire basket with purchases, she left the market.
Finding a secluded alley, she checked that nobody was nearby before transferring all her goods into the space.
Then she filled half the basket with corn and sweet potatoes from the space.
This time, she wrapped herself so thoroughly that almost no skin was visible.
The same thin young man remained at the entrance.
The moment he saw her disguise, he immediately understood her purpose and fixed her with a sharp look.
Li Lezhi handed over the fee and quietly said, “Selling some farm produce.”
The young man knowingly accepted the money and let her pass.
Following the example of the other vendors, she found a hidden corner, spread out a sack, and neatly arranged the contents of her basket for customers to inspect.
Before long, a middle-aged woman approached.
After looking around carefully, she lowered her voice and asked, “How much are the corn and sweet potatoes?”
“No coupons required. Corn is twelve cents per jin, and sweet potatoes are nine cents per jin. These are premium-quality coarse grains.”
By now, Li Lezhi had a solid understanding of prices in this era.
Although her corn and sweet potatoes were slightly more expensive than others’, she believed the superior quality produced by her space easily justified the extra few cents.
“Can’t you make it cheaper? Knock off two cents and I’ll buy more.”
The woman attempted to bargain.
“I’m afraid not. Just look at them. The color is brighter than what everyone else is selling, and the kernels are full and plump. Good-quality goods like these aren’t easy to come by.”
Li Lezhi shook her head helplessly.
Soon another customer arrived.
Li Lezhi immediately turned to greet him.
The man tried negotiating as well but eventually gave up and purchased ten jin of each item.
More customers arrived one after another to ask about prices.
Seeing business picking up, the middle-aged woman no longer bothered bargaining and hurriedly bought ten jin of each item herself.
After selling everything, Li Lezhi earned a total of twelve yuan and fifty cents.
She had brought one hundred and twenty jin goods today.
Making money was not her primary concern.
Once everything was sold, she packed up her things and left the black market.
The corn and sweet potatoes inside her space reproduced far too quickly, which was why she had decided to sell some.
It was essentially a business with endless profits, though the prices were admittedly low.
For now, she could only hope for good luck while exploring the mountains and finding valuable medicinal herbs to cultivate.
Her dream was to become wealthy after economic reforms began by building a fortune through medicinal herbs.
As she neared the ox cart, she transferred cured meat, pork, pots, bowls, and various household items into her basket before heading over.
The moment she approached, she noticed several women from the same production team already standing nearby, curiously watching her.
“Sent-down Youth Li, what did you buy? Your basket is completely full.”
One woman spoke while reaching out to lift the cloth covering the basket.
Li Lezhi quickly stepped aside and politely replied,
“Nothing special. Just useful things my family sent from Haishi. Building a new house has been expensive lately, and my family was worried I’d go hungry, so they mailed all this to me.”
“Building a new house certainly requires a lot of things,” another woman agreed.
“Exactly.”
Li Lezhi continued walking while answering.
“My work points aren’t very high. Once the house is finished, I’ll still need to furnish it. I’ll have to be very careful with food and expenses if I want to make it through the winter.”
Upon hearing this, the woman thought about Li Lezhi’s modest work points and grain allocation and immediately lost interest in checking the basket.
She secretly muttered to herself: An adult consumes a huge amount of grain during winter. Her share won’t even be enough to last through half the season.
Curling her lip, she thought that city people really did not know how to manage a household.
When winter came, Li Lezhi would surely have a difficult time.