Chapter 86: Chapter 85: The Farm

With the autumn wind gradually picking up, Ling Chengyan drives everywhere, seeing and hearing much more, observing the subtle changes in various places.

In county towns and urban districts, there quietly appear more people, these people carry a handbag or have a satchel hanging around their necks, filled with cigarettes, electronic watches for sale, or simply homemade sunflower seeds and peanuts.

On the surface, they look like ordinary passersby, but when you brush past them, they quietly ask: “Want some sunflower seeds or peanuts (cigarettes, electronic watches, etc.)?”

Initially, there were few people doing this, and they were extremely cautious, observing all around, ready to flee at any hint of trouble.

Gradually, more and more people with bags appeared by the roadside, their confidence growing, many already stopped roaming guerrilla-like and established their own fixed ’spots’.

Each time Ling Chengyan sees these people, she’s reminded of Liu San and Gou Er, imagining these two laughing slyly, chasing young women and wives to sell colorful silk scarves, and finds the scene somewhat amusing.

Evidently, her judgment was right; Liu San returned home for less than half a month and called her, reporting that the batch of scarves he took home sold over half, and the rest wouldn’t last more than a few days, hoping Ling Chengyan could help them procure another batch.

In addition, someone called Ling Chengyan interested in wholesaling their scarves, asking if it was possible. The price, they assured, needn’t concern her; the three or five price tag she set was low enough, adding two each could still be wholesaled.

Ling Chengyan naturally agreed to wholesale.

Scarves have a seasonal nature, popular one year, possibly not the next. Or perhaps this year’s popular green, next year red might be the trend, what sells for five one year may not sell for two the next.

Goods sold are money earned. Holding onto unsold goods, one’s a fool.

The next day, Ling Chengyan sent Liu San goods via a vehicle heading to Fucheng, besides two bags of scarves was a bag of fleeced winter scarves for autumn and winter.

Once the Mid-Autumn Festival passed, entering the lunar ninth month, Huibei slowly transitioned into winter, requiring light cotton jackets morning and evening, and naturally, the warm wool scarves suitable for winter made their grand entrance.

Liu San and Gou Er were practically ecstatic during this period, selling the first batch of scarves netted them several hundred bucks profit after subtracting Ling Chengyan’s cost!

Before, regardless of fraud or petty theft, or laboriously carrying large bags at the dock, they barely earned a few cents a day, not even daily. A few hundred bucks, they couldn’t make in a year carrying big bags!

If they sold all the goods sent by their boss, how much would they earn? Several hundred translated to thousands!

The two were somewhat floating, thinking of past worries, finding a partner, marrying, establishing a family—what’s to fear with a few thousand bucks? What good girl wouldn’t they be able to marry!

Gou Er cheerfully pondered for half a day, eventually asking San Ge for advice: “San Ge, what does Xiao Xi fancy? I gave her a scarf, she didn’t want it, told me to save it and sell it…”

Liu San snapped back from his imagination, glanced at Gou Er’s scrunched face, disdainfully moved aside but couldn’t resist, raised a hand and slapped Gou Er: “Look at your ambition!”

Gou Er staggered from the slap, rubbed his head, plastered a flattering smile, shamelessly said: “San Ge, good San Ge, just help me out!”

Liu San disdainfully rubbed his arms, rolled his eyes: “Xiao Xi refuses your things for your own good. Isn’t it just because she worries you’ll lose count and can’t explain to Sister Yan when the time comes?!”

“How could that be!” Gou Er instinctively defended himself but immediately wilted.

The brothers used to be too rotten, too unworthy, working well now and earning money won’t change the impression Xiao Xi holds for a while.

Liu San watched his bothersome dead look, growing angrier the more he saw, raised a leg and kicked him, knocking Gou Er to the ground: “Who are you trying to impress with this dead look? Be a man, work well, make something of yourself for Xiao Xi to see, let her see you in a new light…”

Scolding Gou Er, Liu San also gradually gathered courage in his heart.

Yes, as a grown man, working well, living well, giving others a good life, only then having the courage to say he wants to marry a girl!

The two brothers encouraged each other, pouring double the enthusiasm into selling scarves and shawls.

In a blink, it was Sunday.

Ling Chengyan left Xiao Yu at home, carried Shi Tou, and held Xiao Xing to board the bus heading to Huibei Farm.

The bus ran only twice daily, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. To return the same day, catch the 7 AM morning bus there, and the 4 PM afternoon bus back.

Ling Chengyan did her homework beforehand, learning the farm management was relatively lenient, no need for prior meeting requests, just bring a household register and introduction letter, barring special circumstances, family visits are permitted, one can even apply to share a meal.

With Liu San’s thriving business, Ling Chengyan had already sent the third batch of goods over; she was now well-off, got Wang Liansheng a new cotton jacket, scarf, and some preserved food like dried meat, spicy sauce.

Of course, there’s the local valuable commodity — cigarettes, she got tickets and directly bought two packs. This kind of item, Wang Liansheng doesn’t smoke, yet it serves multiple purposes, sometimes more practical than bribes or cash.

Huibei Farm wasn’t far, the bus leisurely swaying for an hour arrived.

Late autumn, early winter season, trees shed leaves, grasses fell desolate, a bleak sight.

A dozen folks, young and old, got off the bus; unlike other stations, they didn’t greet each other or talk, somber and silent.

On the bus, Ling Chengyan already had Shi Tou securely, stepping off holding Xiao Xing and carrying a large bag, looking exhausted.

A young lad supported an older woman with graying hair, following behind and seeing Ling Chengyan burdened, instinctively wanted to help but was held back, his words stuck as they hurried away.

It’s over a mile from the station to the farm; Ling Chengyan managed fine, but Xiao Xing, short-legged, walked slow—the three, moving the slowest, when arriving at the farm, couldn’t see the others anymore.

Ling Chengyan didn’t wear a military uniform, a simple outfit with ear-length short hair, a dark gray woolen coat accentuating her slender figure, neat, yet outstanding.

Carrying one and leading one, she didn’t seem sloppy at all.

Xiao Xing donned a new ocean-blue corduroy jacket, hair tied in a ponytail, her skin well-nourished and radiant, with dark, fine eyebrows, didn’t resemble the jaundiced little beggar she once was.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep