Chapter 43: The Dreams of Youth

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Dreams of Youth

The young woman gave a dry laugh. "I don’t think so. I probably just have a really generic-looking face."

Whatever good impression Zhang Yun’s previous attitude had left on her vanished in an instant. She would rather just pay him a hundred bucks for the damage than deal with a man making flimsy excuses to hit on her in the street.

Now that his attention was focused on her face, Zhang Yun genuinely found her familiar. Thanks to his youthful, sharp memory, he quickly caught a clue, though the difference from his impression was so vast that he didn’t dare to be certain.

"Is your surname Yang? Are you a teacher?" When he asked this time, Zhang Yun unconsciously switched to a more respectful tone.

The young woman was a bit surprised. "That’s right, my name is Yang Xiaoyun. I used to teach junior high at the town middle school. Are you one of my students?"

"I knew I wasn’t mistaken! It’s been a long time." Zhang Yun sighed with emotion. He immediately turned to the twins. "Come on, I’ll treat you to some cola!"

So it wasn’t a cheap pickup line after all? The onlookers’ excitement fizzled out immediately.

Feeling awkward under the crowd’s gaze, Yang Xiaoyun didn’t refuse. She led the children and followed Zhang Yun to a nearby convenience store.

"I scratched your motorcycle, so I should be the one treating you," Yang Xiaoyun offered politely.

"How could I let my teacher pay?"

Zhang Yun grabbed some drinks from the fridge for the two kids and handed a bottle to Yang Xiaoyun. He pulled up some stools outside so they could sit and catch up.

"Teacher Yang, my name is Zhang Yun. You taught my class back then," Zhang Yun introduced himself.

Back then, Yang Xiaoyun had just graduated. Among a sea of middle-aged and elderly teachers, she had been exceptionally popular with the teenage boys. Later, when Zhang Yun went to the county town for high school, he heard she had been transferred. Her name occasionally came up when he met with his junior high classmates, but he had never seen her again.

Yang Xiaoyun smiled. "You were all just half-grown kids back then. Now you’re all adults. I couldn’t recognize you at all."

Zhang Yun also sighed. "Yeah! You were everyone’s goddess back then, and now you’ve become even more mature and beautiful. I almost didn’t recognize you just now."

"Haha, you’ve grown up, and I’ve grown old. I’m already a mother now." Recalling those days from years ago, Yang Xiaoyun felt a touch of nostalgia.

"Teacher Yang, did you transfer away later on? None of us ever saw you again."

"Actually, I was just there for an internship."

Yang Xiaoyun didn’t go into detail, but Zhang Yun understood. She was likely from the city; it wasn’t a transfer, but a return home after finishing her internship.

Before they could exchange a few more words, the impatient Zhang Lifeng cluelessly initiated a video call.

"If you have things to do, go ahead. It was great seeing you again!" Seeing him decline the call, Yang Xiaoyun immediately spoke up. They weren’t very close to begin with and couldn’t delve too deeply into conversation; it was just a brief catch-up.

Seeing her extend her hand, Zhang Yun hurriedly reached out to shake it. "Shaking hands with Teacher Yang makes me a bit nervous."

Yang Xiaoyun smiled. "I’m not your teacher anymore, so what’s there to be nervous about? It’s not like I used to scold you guys back then, right?"

Holding Yang Xiaoyun’s soft hand, at this close distance, it was easy to see her impressive cleavage, sending a thrill of excitement through Zhang Yun. This was his teenage dream! Back then, the boys had even placed bets on who would dare find an excuse to shake Teacher Yang’s hand, but no one ever actually dared to do it.

"Then... you go ahead and get busy. I’ll watch these two." Yang Xiaoyun maintained a friendly smile on her face.

Zhang Yun mustered his courage. "Teacher Yang, is it convenient to take a photo together? Or maybe add each other as WeChat friends... If we hadn’t bumped into each other today, we would have lost contact completely."

Yang Xiaoyun’s smile remained unchanged, but she hesitated for a second.

"No problem."

Zhang Yun immediately pulled out his phone. Oh boy! Buying it yesterday was perfect timing! Otherwise, his old phone wouldn’t have taken a clear and flattering shot.

The two of them took a selfie together and added each other as friends. Zhang Yun then sent the original high-resolution photo to Yang Xiaoyun.

"Um..." Yang Xiaoyun hesitated for a moment before adding, "Let’s just keep the photo as a memento. Please don’t post it on your Friends Circle or anything."

"Okay!"

Zhang Yun thought it made sense. If he posted it on his timeline or in group chats, he would definitely clarify that it was a photo with his teacher, but if others reposted it, they might not explain the context. Yang Xiaoyun was a married woman; it wouldn’t be good if the picture spread to her circle of acquaintances.

Zhang Lifeng initiated another video call...

PFFT. Yang Xiaoyun burst out laughing. "Is your girlfriend rushing you?"

"No, it’s an old man, a doctor from the county hospital," Zhang Yun said helplessly, then casually added, "I don’t have a girlfriend yet. If you know anyone suitable, you can introduce her to me, Teacher."

"Sure, what kind of girls do you like?" Yang Xiaoyun casually replied.

Zhang Yun smiled. "A girl as beautiful and big-hearted as you, Teacher Yang, would be perfect."

He said "big-hearted," but he seemed to pause slightly on the word "big," and out of the corner of his eye, he unconsciously glanced toward her impressively "big" assets.

"You really have grown up. You’re starting to get cheeky."

"Goodbye, Teacher. I’ll be going now!"

Yang Xiaoyun seemed to have noticed his gaze, making Zhang Yun feel a bit awkward. He quickly hurried back to the front of the pharmacy, hopped on his motorcycle, and left.

Heading onto the road toward the county town, just outside the town limits, he saw a car parked by the roadside.

Just as Zhang Yun sped over, Zhang Lifeng was already anxiously getting out of the car.

"Where’s the ginseng?" the old man asked while nervously glancing around, terrified someone might come and snatch it.

Zhang Yun looked at him. "Elder Zhang, you helped me out yesterday, so of course I have to show you some respect. This is genuinely a centennial ginseng. I dug up two of them at once. I specifically saved one just for you!"

He immediately pulled the ginseng out of the snakeskin bag and handed it to Zhang Lifeng.

Zhang Lifeng hurriedly took it and examined it carefully. From its appearance, it really was almost identical to the one from earlier. With his previous experience, he didn’t need to stare at it for over ten minutes to confirm that it was from the same batch of ginseng.

"Ginseng of such a high age is incredibly rare... For you to dig up two at once, does this mean you’ve discovered an untouched area?"

As an old practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, Zhang Lifeng was well-acquainted with all the local areas in the county that produced medicinal herbs, and he was even more familiar with the ginseng situation on Bijia Mountain.

Zhang Yun gave a mysterious smile. "That’s my secret, of course. Do you think I’d tell you?"

The old man gave him a massive eye-roll. "What, do you think I’m going to steal them from you?"

Being able to produce two roots at once today convinced him that Zhang Yun had control over a secret, undiscovered area. After he spoke, his gaze turned fawning. "Little brother, we both share the surname Zhang. It’s not too much for me to call you little brother, is it?"

"BAH! You shameless old man! You’re much older than even my dad, and you’re calling me little brother?" Zhang Yun laughed and scolded.

Zhang Lifeng smiled shamelessly. "Doesn’t this elevate your seniority? From now on, if people hear that you’re Old Zhang’s little brother, you might not be able to throw your weight around everywhere, but everyone will at least give you a bit more respect."

Zhang Yun looked at him with a beaming smile, wondering if the old man had realized his value and decided to directly upgrade their relationship.

"Don’t look at me like that, what ulterior motive could I possibly have? One million, I get it! I’ll buy it!" Zhang Lifeng immediately finalized the deal. This was a high-investment, high-return situation; it wouldn’t hurt his wallet.

Zhang Yun patted his shoulder. "Take the ginseng back with you. I’ll send you my bank card number, and you can pay me when it’s convenient. I still have to give you some face, my older brother. Just pay eight hundred thousand."

"Good brother! You are my actual little brother!" Zhang Lifeng was thrilled. Being able to get it two hundred thousand cheaper than He Xiong—that was what you called face!

"In the future, whenever you need ginseng, just ask!" Zhang Yun said. "As long as it’s not excessive, I won’t refuse. But let’s get one thing straight—don’t think you can act as my exclusive agent and monopolize the market."

Zhang Lifeng felt a slight hint of regret, but he immediately nodded.

Zhang Yun’s value had exceeded his imagination. This was no longer something he could control. Being able to get a piece of the pie was already thanks to the advantage of meeting him first.

"Since that’s the case, I’ll also share a secret with you, one that concerns the future of your market!"