Chapter 69: Chapter 68: Could It Be Destiny?

“This is He Shouwu.”

Xue Yue asked in surprise, “He Shouwu?”

Xue Yue had heard of He Shouwu before, but she had never seen one. It turned out it looked like a sweet potato.

“Can we sell it for money?” This was what Xue Yue really cared about.

He Lang nodded. “Of course, but we don’t know how to prepare it. It’ll probably go bad if we keep it for too long. I’ll take it to the black market tomorrow and have someone help us find a buyer. We need to sell it as soon as possible.”

Xue Yue didn’t understand any of that, but she felt a thrill of excitement. ’Good thing I brought it back,’ she thought. ’This is money!’

As it happened, Xue Xingzhou arrived that evening.

“What? You got another wild boar?” Xue Yue exclaimed.

Xue Xingzhou looked at He Lang. “You’ll have to come with me. It’s too heavy—even heavier than the last one.”

He Lang nodded, then said to Xue Yue, “Your brother and I have to go out. I’m not sure when we’ll be back. Will you be okay on your own tonight? If not, I can go get Mom to come over.”

Xue Yue shook her head. “No, don’t. I’ll be fine on my own. But Brother, have you eaten dinner yet?”

Xue Xingzhou shook his head. “Not yet. I came straight here.”

“Wait a minute, then. He Lang and I have already eaten, but there are some noodles left. I’ll go cook them for you.”

“Okay.” Xue Xingzhou didn’t stand on ceremony.

When He Lang left, he took the He Shouwu that Xue Yue had found that day.

After the two of them left, Xue Yue stared into space for a while. As the sky slowly darkened, she went inside, lit the kerosene lamp, and went back to reading the newspaper she hadn’t finished earlier.

Even after finishing both newspapers, Xue Yue couldn’t fall asleep when she lay down. She wasn’t sure if she was worried about He Lang and her brother, or if it was just because she was alone, but either way, she tossed and turned, unable to rest.

Xue Yue sat up again, relit the lamp, and took out a pen and paper to start doodling and writing.

Meanwhile, He Lang and Xue Xingzhou did the same thing as last time. They butchered the wild boar on the mountain, packed the large chunks of meat into woven plastic sacks, loaded them onto a pushcart, and headed for the black market under the cover of night.

This time, instead of selling directly at the black market, He Lang led Xue Xingzhou through a winding series of alleys before stopping at a door. He Lang glanced left and right, then knocked.

“Who is it?” a gruff male voice called from inside.

“It’s me,” He Lang answered.

The door opened from the inside, revealing a tall, wild-looking man. The description was apt—his face was so covered in a beard that only a pair of dark eyes were visible.

When the man saw it was He Lang, he was about to exchange pleasantries but stopped when he noticed someone else standing beside him.

The man’s eyes met Xue Xingzhou’s, and he froze for a second.

“Brother Wang, this is my brother-in-law, Xue Xingzhou.”

Upon hearing this, the look in Wang Hai’s eyes softened considerably.

“Yeah, come on in.”

He Lang and Xue Xingzhou pushed the cart loaded with wild boar meat into the courtyard.

Wang Hai shut the door before asking, “He Lang, what have you got there? It looks heavy.”

He Lang jerked his head toward Xue Xingzhou. “A wild boar my brother-in-law took down.”

Wang Hai looked at Xue Xingzhou in surprise, sizing him up. “You took it down by yourself?”

Xue Xingzhou nodded.

Wang Hai thought for a few seconds, then asked, “My guys told me someone’s been bringing game to sell at the black market pretty often. That wouldn’t happen to be you, would it?”

Xue Xingzhou paused. “I’ve sold things here a few times.”

So it really was him, Wang Hai realized.

“Damn, brother. You weren’t born a hunter, were you?”

Xue Xingzhou let out a soft laugh. “No.”

He Lang spoke up. “Brother Wang, this is a whole wild boar, we’ve just cut it into large pieces. Take a look. If you want to sell it, the deal is the same as before: you take a ten percent cut of the profit, and you set the price.”

Wang Hai took a look inside one of the sacks. “Twenty percent. This boar must be at least three hundred-plus pounds. Pork sells for ninety cents a pound out there, and you need ration coupons. We’ll sell this for a dollar-twenty a pound, no coupons.”

He Lang shook his head. “Ten percent. But I have something else. If you can find a buyer and sell this for me, I’ll give you twenty percent of that sale.”

He Lang took the He Shouwu out of his pocket.

Wang Hai’s eyes lit up the moment he glanced at it. “He Shouwu?”

He Lang nodded. “What do you say? Help me sell this, and you get a twenty percent cut.”

Wang Hai let out a sly chuckle and clapped He Lang on the shoulder. “Deal. You guys are really something, finding a treasure like this. How about this: you give me twenty percent for the boar, and I’ll give you a lead on a job.”

He Lang glanced at Xue Xingzhou, then asked Wang Hai, “What job?”

“The Public Security Bureau. My uncle works at the Public Security Bureau. He told me they’re hiring, and the official notice should be out tomorrow or the day after. My uncle wanted me to apply, but I don’t like being tied down to a steady job. No freedom. So I’m giving the tip to you. There’s an exam, though. I think your brother-in-law here looks promising. A guy who can take down a wild boar by himself should have no trouble passing the test to become an officer, right?” Wang Hai’s gaze fell on Xue Xingzhou.

’The Public Security Bureau again… Is this fate?’ Xue Xingzhou wondered. ’If I don’t go, what else can I do? The economic reforms are still years away. Farming? Hunting forever?’

Xue Xingzhou glanced at He Lang.

He Lang chuckled. “Brother Wang, that’s hardly ’giving us a job.’ It’s just a tip. Whether he can even pass the exam is a whole other story.”

Wang Hai nodded. “It is just a tip, you’re right. But a lot of insiders at the Bureau already know about it. So, I’ll have a word with my uncle, see if I can get him to hold a spot for you to take the exam. Whether you pass or not is up to you guys.”

He Lang thought for a moment, then nodded. “Deal.”

Before they left, Wang Hai said to Xue Xingzhou, “Next time you get a catch like this, come straight to me. A ten percent cut is all I’ll ask.”

Xue Xingzhou just gave him a look, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Wang Hai didn’t seem to mind, grinning as he saw them out.

On the way back, He Lang told Xue Xingzhou about Wang Hai.

“Wang Hai’s family has some connections, though I don’t know the details. He’s pretty much in charge of the black market. I worked under him for a while a long time ago, then went my own way. Now, whenever I have something to move, I bring it to him to sell and give him a ten percent cut of the profit. He’s actually going easy on us with that price. Anyone else would have to give him at least thirty percent.”

Xue Xingzhou had figured as much. For Wang Hai to be able to operate in the black market for so long, he definitely had some serious backing.

Xue Xingzhou thought of the He Shouwu and asked He Lang, “Did you find that He Shouwu on the mountain?”

“Speaking of which,” He Lang couldn’t help but laugh. “Yue’er just happened to find it on the mountain.”

Xue Xingzhou raised an eyebrow. “She’s got good luck.”

Back at the house, Xue Yue didn’t fall asleep until after eleven. By the time He Lang hopped the wall and returned, she was fast asleep.

He went straight to wash up. He reeked of wild boar blood, and the smell was awful.

After washing up, he gave the door a push and found that Xue Yue hadn’t latched it. He slipped inside and could see by the moonlight that she was already asleep.

He Lang gently climbed onto the kang bed. He waited until the chill had left his body before slowly moving closer to Xue Yue and pulling her into his arms.

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