Chapter 159: I Wonder If Zhou Qinglang Still Remembers Her

In a courtyard in town, Brother Cheng was leisurely drinking tea when he saw Lin Xiaodou approaching. He rose at once, his face lighting up with delight.

“Young brother, what brings you here? Come, come, sit down!”

Their dealings over the past few months had earned him a great deal of money. Now even people from the provincial capital were begging him for supplies, and his own worth had risen considerably.

Everything had been brought about by the God of Wealth standing before him. Naturally, he had to treat her with the utmost care.

“Little Four, bring out the finest tea!”

“No need, Brother Cheng. I only came to say a few words, then I’ll be on my way.”

“Of course. Go ahead.”

Brother Cheng had been listening with a smile, but when he heard that Lin Xiaodou was leaving, he was so startled he nearly leaped out of his chair.

“Young brother... No, big sister! I’ll call you big sister, all right? You can’t leave! I’ve already promised to supply the provincial capital next time. If you go, I’ll lose all credibility!”

“This time, before I leave, we’ll make one more deal. The quantity will be greater than before—enough for you to fulfill your order. So don’t worry.”

Brother Cheng still looked miserable.

“Big sister, do you really have to go?”

The next shipment would be fine, but what about all the ones after that?

Lin Xiaodou nodded. “I have to go. There have also been problems with my supplier.”

All along, whenever she traded with Brother Cheng, she had claimed that her supplies came from her superiors.

She had never explained the details, and Brother Cheng had never asked. As long as he could make money, that was all that mattered.

At those words, Brother Cheng nearly burst into tears right there.

He truly could not bear to lose his God of Wealth. Sob, sob.

There was nothing he could do. Since she was leaving, they might as well discuss their final transaction properly.

This time, they agreed to deliver the goods at three in the morning.

Lin Xiaodou supplied a vast quantity of provisions: meat, rice, flour, eggs, fruit, soybean oil, and more, with tens of thousands of pounds of each.

Brother Cheng was so delighted at the sight of all those goods that he scarcely knew what to do with himself.

“Young brother, you’re truly generous! You’ve left me with so many supplies—enough for several deliveries!”

To thank Lin Xiaodou, Brother Cheng even gave her several cartons of fine cigarettes.

She did not refuse and accepted them without ceremony.

By the time she returned to the cabin behind Blackstone Village, the sky outside was already beginning to brighten.

Lin Xiaodou entered her private space and began sorting through her savings.

She had been working at the pig farm for nearly half a year. Every time she took leave at the end of the month, she made a deal with Brother Cheng.

She had already possessed three hundred and ten thousand yuan in savings. The past few transactions had brought her more than one hundred thousand yuan each, and with tonight’s large deal added in, her total savings had actually surpassed one million yuan!

A million yuan in this era was an astronomical fortune!

She could buy more than a dozen traditional courtyard homes, worth tens of billions in the future.

Once the college entrance examinations were restored and restrictions on property purchases were relaxed, she would buy up as many as she could.

She was one step closer to her leisurely life as a landlady.

Wonderful!

...

Time passed in a flash.

Before long, the day of departure arrived.

Everyone in the village knew that Lin Xiaodou and Liu Yaner were going to the great northern grasslands.

Early that morning, as the two prepared their luggage, many villagers came of their own accord to see them off.

The team leader, Liu Yaner’s father, wiped away his tears.

“Yan’er, Little Lin, call home and let us know you’ve arrived safely.”

Liu Yaner’s mother was already crying uncontrollably. Leaning against her husband’s arm, she urged them,

“Take good care of yourselves out there. Spend money when you need to, and you two sisters must support each other.”

Liu Yaner and Lin Xiaodou’s eyes reddened as well. They nodded.

“We will.”

Amid everyone’s blessings, the two climbed onto a swaying ox cart bound for town.

On the way, Liu Yaner asked curiously,

“Little Bean, where did the piglet you raised go? Did you release it into the mountains, just like the little golden monkey and the brown bear cub before?”

Before going to work at the pig farm, Lin Xiaodou had told Liu Yaner about it. She had not expected her to remember.

Lin Xiaodou nodded. “Yes. I took the piglet inside specially last night. The golden monkey and the brown bear cub adore it. They’ll get along just fine.”

The lie rolled effortlessly from her lips, without even a flicker in her eyes.

There was no other choice. The secret of her private space could not be exposed, so she could only muddle through with an explanation like this.

Liu Yaner was a carefree girl and trusted her completely, so she asked no further questions.

The two returned together to the county pig farm, where Mr. Wang had been waiting for quite some time.

Looking at Lin Xiaodou, Mr. Wang smiled warmly.

“Little Lin, thank you.”

If she had not volunteered to go to the great grasslands, he suspected no one else would have been willing to go.

Lin Xiaodou shook her head with a smile.

“There’s no need to thank me. This is an opportunity for me as well.”

What was that saying? Young people ought to go out and make their way in the world.

In her former modern life, she had been an orphan with no one to rely on. All she could do was find an honest job, earn money, and support herself.

But in this era, her food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were all secured, while the supplies in her private space would not be exhausted even after hundreds of lifetimes.

With no worries holding her back, of course she wanted to experience a different kind of life.

Lin Xiaodou had already made up her mind. In the future, she would not be content merely to become a veterinarian. She also intended to master traditional Chinese medicine. Having several skills to rely on could only be beneficial.

And Mr. Wang’s knowledge of traditional medicine was profound. If she kept close to him, she would be able to learn much more.

The reason Lin Xiaodou said he did not need to thank her was that she had her own motives.

Mr. Wang had lived most of his life and was a shrewd man. How could he fail to see through her little calculations?

He did not dislike her ambition. On the contrary, he admired it.

Young people ought to be this way—with ambition, aspirations, and no waste of their youth.

After giving them a few instructions, Mr. Wang said,

“Our train leaves tonight. The two of you should rest in the dormitory for a while. We’ll have dinner in the cafeteria, then set out.”

Lin Xiaodou and Liu Yaner nodded.

“All right.”

It was Liu Yaner’s first time traveling far from home, and she was so excited that she could not sleep at all.

Lin Xiaodou, on the other hand, slept soundly and worried about nothing.

Soon, evening arrived.

After Lin Xiaodou and the others ate dinner in the cafeteria, they went to the county railway station under the smiling gazes of Director Hu, Doctor He, and the others.

The county station was bustling, with crowds carrying luggage and hurrying in every direction.

Lin Xiaodou and Liu Yaner carried two large woven baskets on their backs, both packed to the brim.

Mr. Wang followed behind them with a suitcase.

All the heavy items from the suitcase had been transferred into Lin Xiaodou’s basket, so Mr. Wang’s steps were remarkably light.

The three of them boarded the train and found their seats without trouble.

Ten minutes later, the green-painted train gave a long, mournful whistle and began to move.

By the window, Liu Yaner kept craning her neck to look outside, her face bright with excitement.

“Little Bean, I’m so thrilled!”

Lin Xiaodou’s almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile, and she was in high spirits as well.

She had asked Director Hu for the address of the livestock farm on the great grasslands and discovered that it was quite close to Zhou Qinglang’s research institute.

By her reckoning, nearly a year had passed since the two of them had last met.

During that time, they had exchanged letters a few times and sent each other various things.

She wondered whether, when they met again, he would still remember her.