Chapter 154
The tempestuous downpour had subsided once more, more than an hour had passed. This time, even Su Xiaoxiao couldn’t hold on any longer. After cleaning up the battlefield, Jiang Yexun drifted off into a deep slumber.
Jiang Yexun affectionately kissed her smooth, full forehead, squinting as he did so. He left a note and retrieved the medicine pouches from his luggage. With the assistance of two attendants, he moved the coal brazier and lounges to a nearby clearing not far from the inn. Carrying two large buckets filled with water, he began brewing the medicine.
When Su Xiaoxiao awoke and saw the note, she immediately went out to find him. “Brother Yexun,” she sweetly called and pounced toward him. However, since they were outdoors and less than two meters apart, she stopped. With her hands clutching her braids, she gazed at him with a sweet and radiant smile.
“Give me five more minutes, and once this medicine is ready, we’ll go for lamb hotpot,” Jiang Yexun tenderly cooed. Su Xiaoxiao had a stubborn personality. She had stopped taking it early yesterday so that she could savor that lamb hotpot. Jiang Yexun couldn’t persuade her otherwise, so he could only think of a way to satisfy her appetite so that she would finish her last bit of medication.
“Alright,” Su Xiaoxiao cheerfully agreed. They then used the remaining water from the buckets to clean the enamel basins nearby. After pouring the medicine, discarding the dregs, they first brought the basins back to their room before moving the other items back to the inn.
Hotpot meals typically took a while, and by the time they returned, it was already ten at night. The inn’s staff had been waiting for them impatiently, as if they were ants on a hot plate. Jiang Yexun and Su Xiaoxiao, however, weren’t in a hurry to brew the medicine. Instead, they decided to spend their evening making pills.
Su Xiaoxiao joined Jiang Yexun in making pills for two hours before he sent her to sleep. Jiang Yexun finished the remaining alone. When he looked at the clock, it was around 3 a.m., so he climbed into bed, cradling his girlfriend, and they both dozed off for a little over two hours.
The next morning, they woke up at around five o’clock, grabbed the whitening and moisturizing pills they had made the previous night, and headed to the black market. Their luck was still holding, as the disciplinary office inspection was scheduled for the day after tomorrow. During their two days in Beijing, they could conveniently visit the market each day.
Jiang Yexun didn’t rush to set up his stall but first took Su Xiaoxiao to buy breakfast. As soon as they stopped in front of a pastry stall, several young women immediately approached them, looking eager and excited.
“Are you the comrades selling moisturizing and whitening pills? We’ve been waiting for you in this black market for a week, and we were almost worried that you’d never come!” one of them exclaimed enthusiastically.
“Are you selling moisturizing and whitening pills today? I want three moisturizing pills and eight whitening pills. It’s almost New Year’s in two months, and I must look dazzling at the cultural expo,” another chimed in.
These people crowded around Jiang Yexun and Su Xiaoxiao, who were completely caught off guard.
“Please wait; my partner and I are going to have breakfast first,” Jiang Yexun said, his expression calm.
The enthusiasm of the crowd waned slightly, and they looked at him in disbelief, then turned their attention to Su Xiaoxiao beside him. To their amazement, she appeared completely nonchalant, raising her eyebrows in surprise, which made her look more enchanting.
In fact, if it were only Jiang Yexun or Su Xiaoxiao running the business, they would have chosen to do business first and then have breakfast. However, neither wanted the other to suffer, so they reluctantly decided to accommodate these eager customers.
Yet, since the products they sold were one-of-a-kind, the customers didn’t seem to mind waiting. They stuck around, watching Jiang Yexun and Su Xiaoxiao leisurely enjoy their breakfast. Although they unconsciously sped up their meal, within a short ten minutes, about twenty people had gathered around them.
When Jiang Yexun and Su Xiaoxiao finished their meal, the crowd immediately surged forward.
“I’d like two moisturizing pills and four whitening pills.”
“I want three moisturizing pills and twelve whitening pills.”
Almost everyone there wanted more than one item. In less than an hour, they had sold out of the fifteen thousand pills they had prepared the previous day.
Su Xiaoxiao was left somewhat bewildered as she patted her bulging bag of change. “Are we truly making a breakthrough in Beijing’s market?” she asked hesitantly. Though she knew from historical summaries that the 1980s was an era when almost anything could sell like hotcakes, it was still late 1974.
“Of course. Your products are exceptional, and they are unique. There will always be a demand for them,” Jiang Yexun replied, looking at the slightly perplexed young girl before playfully ruffling her hair.
As they gathered their belongings to leave, two young men in their twenties suddenly appeared, blocking their path. Jiang Yexun’s expression turned cold, and he immediately shielded Su Xiaoxiao behind him.
Their guarded demeanor unnerved the two young men, and they quickly said with forced smiles, “You’ve misunderstood us; we’re not here to cause trouble. Our boss oversees this black market and would like to discuss something with you.”
Jiang Yexun eased the coldness in his eyes, carefully scrutinized the two young men for a moment, and then nodded. “Very well.”
The two young men breathed a sigh of relief and turned to lead the way. Hand in hand with Su Xiaoxiao, Jiang Yexun bent down slightly and whispered softly in her ear, “It seems that the people from the black market want to discuss a collaboration for the whitening and moisturizing pills.”
“Weren’t they primarily concerned with the security of the black market?” Su Xiaoxiao was somewhat surprised.
Jiang Yexun chuckled softly. “No, initially, these people had a group of peddlers on their side who could provide rare goods, gradually building up the black market. For example, Big Gao, despite anyone being able to sell in the black market, he always pulled those selling scarce items into his camp.”
Su Xiaoxiao nodded, feeling more reassured. However, her body’s instincts overcame her, and she clung tightly to Jiang Yexun’s arm, almost hanging on to him. Jiang Yexun thought she was frightened and tightened his hold on her slender waist, simultaneously harboring some discontent towards the upcoming encounter.
They went through several turns and reached a secluded alleyway with no stalls. One of the young men approached a courtyard gate, rhythmically tapping the copper ring on the scarlet door. It was only then that someone opened the door from inside.
Upon entering, they discovered that this place was unlike the other courtyards crowded with multiple households. It was a tranquil, independent courtyard with grapevines and even fruit trees like pomegranates and dates. On the ground were several baskets filled with various fresh fruits, kneaded noodles, eggs, and pork—the kind of scarce and valuable goods that every family lacked nowadays.
The young man sitting in the rocking chair got up when he heard the commotion. A faint, bewildered smile was on his face, but when he saw Su Xiaoxiao and Jiang Yexun, he appeared slightly stunned. Su Xiaoxiao didn’t understand what was happening, but the young man, with a look of astonishment, began to speak, “It’s you?”