"What's the problem? Maybe we ran fast enough that they didn't catch up to us," Li Yuanchao said dismissively. "It's better if they don't chase us. Let's leave quickly."
"Trust me, we should head this way," Lin Qi said, his brow furrowed. He pointed in a direction and strode off.
"I say, you..."
"Stop right there!"
Just then, a person burst out of the nearby bushes, yelling and charging towards the two of them.
"Holy hell!" Seeing that it was Lin Guodong, Li Yuanchao couldn't help but curse. Then he saw three or four people in uniform rushing out from behind Lin Guodong. Without a second thought, he turned and ran.
The reconnaissance they'd done earlier played a crucial role. Despite carrying their goods, Lin Qi and Li Yuanchao were not slow. In such a critical moment, they exerted all their might and ran with all their speed.
"This way!" Lin Qi said hurriedly, changing direction and plunging into the thicket not far ahead. Li Yuanchao followed closely, and soon their figures disappeared into the dark bushes.
"I told you to make a move earlier, but you insisted on waiting until they got closer. Now, not a single one was caught."
Lin Guodong hit a nearby tree trunk in frustration.
"When did it become your place to criticize our work?" the uniformed man asked, frowning with displeasure.
Lin Guodong was startled and quickly explained, "No, I didn't mean it like that."
"It's best if you didn't," the leader said before turning and leaving.
In the bushes, Li Yuanchao, watching Lin Guodong standing alone, was furious. He stood up, ready to confront him, but Lin Qi quickly stopped him, lowering his voice and saying, "They haven't gone far. Don't be impulsive."
"That scumbag Lin Guodong, he really is two-faced! Just wait until I get back, I'll skin him. That will be the only way to quell my anger!"
Li Yuanchao was still fuming. Lin Qi kept an eye on the movements outside. Feeling the voices fade considerably, he crouched down and peeked outside. As expected, the bank had returned to normal. Only then did he straighten up with relief.
"Let's go."
Li Yuanchao asked, "Back to the guesthouse? With all this stuff, what if we run into that bastard Lin Guodong?"
"Let's find a new place to settle down first and go back for our luggage tomorrow." They couldn't afford to lose this shipment over a minor issue.
Li Yuanchao nodded, and the two of them walked towards the city.
"By the way, how did you know that direction was wrong earlier?"
Lin Qi replied, "Intuition."
Li Yuanchao sounded unconvinced, "Then why didn't I notice?"
Lin Qi chuckled wryly, "When you get used to being beaten, you instinctively know which direction danger is coming from."
In his youth, due to his background, he had been beaten by neighborhood kids quite a bit. And with his father, he had been dragged out for criticism countless times. Some overly aggressive people would even throw stones, which hurt terribly when they hit.
Li Yuanchao opened his mouth, but in the end, he just patted Lin Qi's shoulder silently.
...
After being driven out by Lu Chengming, Zhao Hong felt as if the sky had fallen. She had been moping around, leading to continuous errors at work. Today, she had just been called in by her superior and severely reprimanded.
Sister Liu, seeing Zhao Hong enter with red eyes, and recalling what a neighbor had told her, said, "Xiao Zhao, it's been almost a year. You have to look forward and not live in the past, don't you agree? Besides, that Lu guy already has someone else, and she's even pregnant. Someone like that is better off chopped up and fed to dogs."
Seeing that Zhao Hong remained silent with her head bowed despite her lengthy speech, Sister Liu knew she hadn't completely let go of him.
"My neighbor asked me a few days ago to help find a match for her relative. I think you're quite suitable. The man's previous wife passed away from illness, he has no children, and no one to burden him. He also works at the meat processing plant, a huge factory with thousands of employees. How about I arrange for you two to meet?"
Zhao Hong was about to refuse without thinking, but before she could speak, Sister Liu had already made the decision for her. "I think we'll set it for next Saturday. It happens to be your day off, and you're both on alternating shifts."
...
Lin Qi and Li Yuanchao rented a single room this time. After storing their goods and locking the door, they headed to the original guesthouse. However, they were still a step too late; the scoundrel Lin Guodong had already checked out and left.
"They came back before dawn. I don't know what happened, but they packed their bags and left in a hurry without saying goodbye."
Li Yuanchao resentfully pounded the bed frame and said hatefully, "Good thing he ran fast!"
Over the next two days, Li Yuanchao sold all the goods he had, and the batch of clothing Lin Qi had ordered was finally shipped.
On the day of departure, Li Yuanchao treated Lin Qi to a meal, and then Lin Qi boarded the train back to the provincial capital.
...
One day, Chen Lishu had no classes and was selling goods in the store. Hearing the door open, she looked up. Seeing Lin Qi, she greeted him with great joy. "You're back? Was it smooth? Are you tired?"
Lin Qi smiled and shook his head. He walked to the counter and opened the two snakeskin bags in his hands to show Chen Lishu. "Besides clothing, I've also brought electronic watches and electric curling irons."
Chen Lishu was truly surprised when she saw what he had brought. He had actually managed to get electric curling irons.
"What is this thing? For ironing clothes? I've never seen it before," Wang Aixiang also picked one up curiously to examine it.
Chen Lishu suppressed a smile and said to Lin Qi, "I've saved the bed upstairs for you. Go and get some sleep first. When you wake up, come home with me for dinner."
Lin Qi nodded, "Sister Chen, I'll go up first."
After he left, Chen Lishu picked up an electric curling iron and asked Wang Aixiang to bring a stool for her to sit down, so she could demonstrate it slowly.
"This, this is too magical. Is this really me?" Wang Aixiang looked at herself in the mirror with disbelief. "I can perm my hair without going to the salon. This is too amazing!"
Chen Lishu smiled and explained, "This won't last very long. The curls will disappear when you wash your hair."
A customer who had been paying attention to the conversation could no longer resist and stepped forward. "How much is this curling iron of yours?"
Lin Qi had bought them for nine yuan, but as the saying goes, rarity breeds value. There were none of these in the Northeast, so Chen Lishu directly said, "Thirty. We also have electronic watches in our store, also thirty."
"You sell electronic watches here too?" the customer exclaimed. Seeing that Chen Lishu really brought out a few, she bought one without hesitation.
"Comrade, aren't you considering the electric curling iron?"
The customer waved her hand and refused, "No."
At that time, the average monthly salary was just over thirty yuan. Buying an electronic watch was already a considerable luxury, and it would mean tightening her belt for food for the rest of the month. Although she also liked the electric curling iron, the permed hair didn't last long, so she ultimately chose the electronic watch, which she liked more.
Word spread quickly. By the time the store was about to close in the afternoon, over a dozen electronic watches had been sold.
However, there was both good and bad news. Chen Lishu frowned at the electric curling irons she had looked forward to; not a single one had been sold.