Helping out the Gu’s family wasn’t a huge flaw, as long as one didn’t sacrifice their own nuclear family in the process.
Granny Wu brought her inside and happened to run into her daughter-in-law. She introduced the two right away. "This is my daughter-in-law. You can just call her Lihua."
"Hello, Lihua," Bai Jiu greeted. True to her name, the woman was exceedingly gentle and elegant, lacking even a hint of the ferocity Granny Wu had previously described. However, appearances could be deceiving. Besides, Bai Jiu wasn’t particularly interested in the Wu Family’s domestic affairs.
"Granny Wu, I’m pressed for time today. Let’s look at the goods I brought first," Bai Jiu said. Worried about her child in the hospital, she wanted to sell her items quickly and had no intention of engaging in small talk.
She set down her basket, revealing its contents. There was nothing but grain inside, but it was all refined, high-quality grain.
"Alright, whatever you say," Granny Wu replied, inspecting the goods alongside her daughter-in-law.
Zhang Lihua was taken aback by the sight. Such premium goods were rare, even in the county town. She knew her mother-in-law was currently running a reselling business. It was indeed a lucrative venture. Not only did it keep their own family well-fed, but it also brought in extra income. Of course, there were inherent risks, but as long as they kept things discreet, they could avoid trouble.
"Is this it? Mother, didn’t you say she could get us meat?" Zhang Lihua asked after inspecting the basket, disappointed to find that the items she was hoping for were missing.
Bai Jiu hadn’t expected them to be dissatisfied with just grain. Still, she trusted Granny Wu. "I have meat, but I couldn’t carry it all, so I only brought the grain," Bai Jiu explained. "If you want some, give me a number, and I’ll go fetch it."
She had a lot to sell and planned to test the waters with the black market this time, though it would strictly be a one-time deal. She possessed an abundance of supplies in her spatial dimension, far more than a single county town could consume, so she intended to offload about a fifth of her inventory. That would give her enough financial security to afford a house later.
For the sake of her two children’s future safety, she didn’t plan to stay in the village any longer. Who knew if those people would resort to dirty tricks? Being capable was one thing, but there were countless hidden dangers that were impossible to guard against. She couldn’t afford to take any risks.
Hearing this, Zhang Lihua was surprised once again, but she quickly quoted a quantity. Granny Wu simply watched from the sidelines. Bai Jiu understood that Granny Wu wanted her daughter-in-law to handle the negotiations. Though she didn’t know why the older woman had such an idea, it didn’t matter to her. This would likely be their final transaction anyway.
As the saying goes, one could know a person’s face but not their heart. For someone doing underground business like her, suddenly swapping contacts mid-way was actually a huge taboo.
"Sure, I’ll deliver it in a bit," Bai Jiu agreed. "But you’ll have to pay me for this grain first." She wasn’t about to carry the heavy goods back.
Seeing her reaction, Granny Wu realized she had upset her. "Don’t be angry, my dear. I meant no harm. I just figured Lihua is young and would get along well with you, so I wanted her to gain some experience handling the goods. After all, with such a large quantity, I wouldn’t be able to move all the inventory by myself."
No matter how Granny Wu explained it, Bai Jiu maintained a polite smile throughout. "Yes, I understand, Granny Wu. I’m not angry. Lihua seems very easy to get along with. Don’t worry, I’ll be perfectly comfortable doing business with her from now on," she reassured. Despite her polite words, Bai Jiu had zero intention of ever contacting the Wu Family again.
Hearing this, Granny Wu breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Lihua didn’t take offense either and amiably apologized to Bai Jiu. "If you feel more comfortable dealing with my mother-in-law, I won’t interfere anymore. Please rest assured, our family is entirely sincere."
"Don’t say that. It’s fine, I really don’t mind. However, I am genuinely in a hurry today. Figure out what else you need, and I’ll deliver it all to you shortly." Bai Jiu didn’t want to delay any further. She would deliver the goods, but it would be for the very last time.
Zhang Lihua requested a few more items, notably doubling the quantity this time. Bai Jiu didn’t bother trying to guess their motives. She simply memorized the order, hoisted her basket onto her back, and left. Once she was a safe distance from the Wu family’s home, she stopped in the shadows and kept an eye on the residence.
Seeing no suspicious movement from the property, she went out to rent a pushcart. Then, she found a secluded spot and extracted the items Zhang Lihua had requested from her spatial dimension.
The round trip took about an hour.
The Wu family’s door opened once again. Bai Jiu pushed her cart inside. After the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law finished tallying the quantities and inspecting the goods, money and products exchanged hands simultaneously. Bai Jiu didn’t linger for even a second; she grabbed the cash and ration coupons and sprinted out the door.
She had heard a suspicious noise coming from inside the house. The moment she bolted, a figure emerged from the inner room. It was none other than Granny Wu’s son.
Bai Jiu didn’t even bother grabbing her empty basket. She ran blindly for an unknown amount of time before finding a deserted, shadowy corner to hide in, gasping for breath. She realized she had run so fast and far that she was completely lost. Fortunately, no one had chased after her.
"What is wrong with you? Why did you come out?" Granny Wu had been startled out of her wits by the sudden commotion.
Her son was resting at home today. She had never wanted him involved in this illicit business, ensuring that if anything went wrong, he wouldn’t be implicated. She originally intended to do it all by herself. When her daughter-in-law insisted on intervening, Granny Wu had been reluctant, but she eventually caved under her son’s relentless pleading. Now, however, it was blatantly obvious that the couple was hiding something from her.
"Mother, how could you let her get away?" Granny Wu’s son fumed with anger the moment he stepped out and saw the empty courtyard.
Zhang Lihua was equally shocked. She hadn’t expected the woman to run so incredibly fast, leaving her with absolutely no time to react.
"What? Did you plan to detain her?" Granny Wu could hardly believe her own son harbored such malicious intentions.
"It’s obvious that woman is no ordinary peddler. If we could get a hold on her and control her, we’d have access to an endless supply of goods," her son declared, a ruthless expression twisting his face.
Granny Wu finally understood. Her son had only begged her to let his wife participate so they could corner their supplier. She had truly raised a wonderful son. It seemed she couldn’t rely on him anymore.
Granny Wu remained silent, but her expression toward her daughter-in-law was frosty. Ignoring the greedy couple, she began hauling the newly acquired goods into the kitchen by herself.
Bai Jiu couldn’t care less about the Wu Family’s internal disputes or Granny Wu’s realizations. She was just incredibly thankful she had kept her guard up; otherwise, today could have ended in disaster. After calming down, she used items from her spatial dimension to give herself a complete makeover.
She changed into some fashionable clothes from her space, tidied herself up, and drastically altered her aura. Even if the Gao Family were standing right in front of her, they would never recognize this woman as their third daughter-in-law.
Bai Jiu had her own reasons for dressing so flamboyantly. She wouldn’t use this glamorous disguise often, whereas she would frequently adopt the persona of a rural peasant woman. Therefore, it was better to be a bit outrageous right now. That way, no one would ever associate a rugged farm woman with such a stylish, striking figure.
Thanks to her bold styling, she drew plenty of stares along the way, but she completely ignored their opinions and headed straight for the county town’s black market.
The moment she arrived, she was targeted by the black market’s lookouts. Bai Jiu wasn’t afraid. Of course, she only appeared unafraid on the surface. It was true she possessed a magical dimension, but she couldn’t physically enter it herself, so she inevitably felt a lingering trace of fear in her heart.
"Where is your boss?" Unfazed by their scrutiny, Bai Jiu walked straight up to a man who looked like the leader and asked flatly.