Chapter 51 - 25: Bearing a Burden
Chapter 51: Chapter 25: Bearing a Burden
Time flew, and ten days passed in a flash.
During that time, Fang Rui went to the Black Market three times. Just as he’d expected, after increasing his supply of Muscle Regeneration Powder and Scar Remover, his profits soared and business boomed.
By his estimation, he could make a profit of over ten silver taels in a single month!
So far, nothing had happened. No one had tried to ambush him. However, beneath the seemingly calm surface, Fang Rui could feel the stirrings of trouble, an undercurrent of danger.
’Perhaps next time, or the time after that, someone blinded by greed will bare their fangs.’
...
It was noon that day, the sun high overhead.
Fang Rui arrived at Sweet Water Well Alley. The alley was named for its well, whose water was exceptionally crisp and sweet.
Much like the residents of Willow Alley, the people here also had the sallow, gaunt faces of the poorly fed.
"Doing some laundry?"
"Off to the market, Uncle Lin?"
"Keeping well, sir?"
...
Fang Rui smiled and greeted everyone he passed, whether he knew them or not.
After walking for a bit, he saw a moss-covered stone well up ahead. A group of women was gathered around it, washing clothes. Just then, one of them, a woman with high cheekbones, shouted toward a small, private courtyard, "Sister Jiang! That young friend of your Old Jiang is here again!"
"Where’s he? Where’s he?"
From the small courtyard, a woman in her forties hurried out. She wore a traditional blouse and skirt, had a wooden hairpin in her hair, and a beauty mark on her forehead. When she saw Fang Rui, and especially the small burlap sack in his hand, her smile grew even more eager.
"Sister-in-law Jiang, I’m here," Fang Rui said, stepping forward and handing over the small burlap sack.
The person he was visiting was none other than Jiang Ping’an, the governmental officer he had befriended after the incident with Song Dashan.
"Xiaofang, you shouldn’t have! Just bringing yourself is enough. Why bring gifts again? You’re being too formal! Come on, come inside!" Sister-in-law Jiang pulled Fang Rui in enthusiastically.
"Then I won’t stand on ceremony, Sister-in-law Jiang. Might I impose on you for lunch?" Fang Rui asked, seizing the opportunity.
"Of course! Of course! You think I’d be stingy?" Sister-in-law Jiang chuckled, feigning complaint.
In times like these, showing up right at mealtime was a sure way to be seen as a freeloader.
But bringing a gift was another matter entirely!
Fang Rui leaned in and whispered, "Besides the half a pound of eggs and pound of soybeans in the sack, I also got you two portions of that Skin Care Cream you mentioned last time..."
This so-called Skin Care Cream was actually his Scar Remover. It had become quite famous and was selling like hotcakes on the Black Market these days. The name had just been distorted to ’Skin Care Cream’ by word of mouth.
The cream was incredibly sought-after, but for Fang Rui, its creator, the cost was merely that of the medicinal ingredients—nothing to speak of.
If it weren’t for the fact that giving away too much would devalue it, providing eight or ten portions would have been a trivial matter for him.
When Sister-in-law Jiang heard this, her eyes immediately lit up. "This stuff isn’t easy to get, is it?"
The reputation of the Skin Care Cream had spread among her circle of friends; it was extremely scarce, and getting even a single portion was nearly impossible. She never expected Fang Rui to procure two portions at once.
This was something she could show off to her friends. How could she not be delighted?
"Ah, Sister-in-law Jiang, I did promise you, didn’t I? No matter how hard it was, I couldn’t go back on my word. Otherwise, I’d be too ashamed to show my face here!"
’Fang Rui knew the principle well: make easy things sound hard, and make hard things sound even harder. Only then would people feel truly indebted to you.’
Sure enough, Sister-in-law Jiang was deeply moved. She grabbed Fang Rui’s hand. "Oh, Xiaofang, I’ll remember this favor!"
Fang Rui chuckled and laid it on even thicker, showering her with free compliments. "I’ve heard that Skin Care Cream is amazing for lightening the skin and making you look younger. If you use it, Sister-in-law, you’ll look a good ten years younger. When you go out... heheh, people will mistake you for an unmarried maiden in her late teens or early twenties!"
"Oh, stop it! You’re just flattering me!"
Despite her words of protest, Sister-in-law Jiang couldn’t stop grinning, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "By the way, Xiaofang, you’re here to see Old Jiang, aren’t you? He just got back from the office a little while ago. He’s in his room changing!"
"You have a seat. I’ll go get him!" she said, hurrying off.
Fang Rui watched her retreating back and smiled.
He still remembered his first visit. Sister-in-law Jiang had been cold and hostile, looking down her nose at him. She’d clearly mistaken him for one of Jiang Ping’an’s deadbeat friends, just showing up for a free meal...
It was only after he offered some gifts that her expression softened slightly.
Fang Rui was thick-skinned and didn’t mind. He started visiting every few days. Each time, besides bringing scarce goods like soybeans and eggs, he also made a point to learn Sister-in-law Jiang’s preferences and brought little trinkets that a woman would enjoy.
Over the course of these visits, her attitude toward him skyrocketed.
In his previous life, Fang Rui had worked in health supplement sales for a time. He knew how to win over middle-aged women; small gifts and favors were the most effective tools.
Sure enough, the power of pillow talk was formidable. Building a relationship with Jiang Ping’an was becoming twice as effective with half the effort.
And so, in just over ten days and after only five or six visits, thanks to Sister-in-law Jiang’s pillow talk, his relationship with Jiang Ping’an had grown closer by leaps and bounds. They were just short of becoming sworn brothers.
"Hey! Hey!"
With his clothes not even properly fastened, Jiang Ping’an was dragged out by Sister-in-law Jiang to chat with Fang Rui.
Coincidentally, it was Noon, and the meal was almost ready, so it was all brought out.
On the table were: wild vegetables stir-fried in soybean oil, cornmeal buns, and cornmeal porridge. There was also yellow wine warming in a basin of hot water, along with a small dish of dried tofu and a plate of fennel-seasoned broad beans to go with it.
"I didn’t have time to properly heat the wine, so I put it in a basin of hot water. You men drink and talk, we women will take the children and eat in the back room..." Sister-in-law Jiang said with a gentle smile, turning and heading for the inner room.