Chapter 10

At half past five in the morning, Lü Dong got up, packed his things, and found a black leather briefcase in the hall to put the white porcelain dish and a plastic bag in. He planned to go to Shunshan Cultural Market first, then to the West Market.

Right, there were also cicada nymphs to inquire about.

People used to buy them.

After a quick wash and change of clothes, Lü Dong, a farmer, wore whatever he had, but today’s task was not suitable for his school uniform. He rummaged through the large wardrobe, and apart from the school uniform, he only had two sets of sports clothes.

With no other choice, he chose the red football jersey, which was, of course, a counterfeit, bought for 20 yuan at the county’s spring material exchange fair.

He then found a pair of half-worn black-bottomed green-edged Double Star rubber-soled football shoes under the bed and put them on.

By the purchase price, Lü Dong’s outfit cost 30 yuan.

He hung the briefcase on the handlebars, got on his 28-inch bicycle, and set off. Just as he turned onto the market street, Lü Dong saw his childhood friend Li Wenyue sitting on a stone in front of the door, looking dejected as if the sky had fallen.

Lü Dong stopped his bike, put his feet on the ground, and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Li Wenyue was lost in thought and didn’t hear.

Lü Dong glanced at the closed door of Cheng Lifeng’s meat shop: "Did they cause you trouble?"

The thin and weak young man was full of righteousness and dissatisfaction with Cheng Lifeng, and Lü Dong was worried that Cheng Lifeng would cause trouble.

"No," Li Wenyue came to his senses, looked at Lü Dong’s red jersey, and asked, "Didn’t you watch it?"

Lü Dong was surprised: "Watch what?"

Li Wenyue said, "The World Cup final last night! You didn’t forget, did you?"

Lü Dong thought it was the 13th today, and the 1998 World Cup final was in the early morning?

Li Wenyue was full of sorrow: "Brazil lost! Lost! Ronaldo was in a daze throughout the game! The French baldy was too cunning! He used to take the corners, but in the final, he ran to the middle to score, and he scored two!"

"Cheer up," Lü Dong, who no longer cared about these things, said: "Win or lose, it’s common."

He waved his hand: "I’m going to the city, we’ll talk when I get back."

The water on the market street had receded, and the hardened road made for a smooth and pleasant ride. In Qingzhao County, the roads connecting the villages were mostly asphalt.

At the south entrance of Lü’s village, there was a private minibus to Quannan, but Lü Dong still chose to go to the county to take a bus.

The county was to the south of Lü’s village, and the town of Ningxiu was the location of Qingzhao County. It was only about five or six kilometers away, and it took about ten minutes by bicycle.

The minibus to Quannan also went to the county first, then to Quannan.

These five or six kilometers might take more than half an hour, as the minibus had to stop at each village to pick up passengers. If there were few people, it would wait at the major intersections for ten minutes.

Sometimes, if there were too few people, the minibus would transfer passengers to other vehicles and not run at all.

Besides, Lü Dong also wanted to visit the university town.

Lü Dong came to the highway bridge, where the water was gone. Yang Liwen had been angry that day, and the town had mobilized water pumps to drain the water overnight.

He glanced at the bridge and didn’t stop, riding through it.

Thinking too much about the past was useless; he needed to look forward.

After the bridge, Lü Dong didn’t continue south but turned west. This asphalt road led to the southwestern university town.

The rural roads hadn’t changed much.

The university town was right next to Quannan to the east, sandwiched between the west side of Qingzhao County and the Quannan urban area. The provincial and municipal governments had a very clear plan for it.

To the south of Quannan were mountains, and to the north was the Yellow River, leaving only the options of expanding eastward or westward.

Once the university town developed, it would connect Quannan and Qingzhao County, and the urban area would expand eastward, while a high-tech industrial city would be created.

This was a crucial step in Quannan’s development.

When Lü Dong arrived at the university town, what he saw was unfamiliar, completely different from his memory of towering buildings, numerous universities, and developed commerce.

Although the infrastructure was excellent, with wide and straight roads, new streetlights, and brand new college buildings, the roaring trucks carrying building materials and the workers in hard hats made it look more like a bustling construction site.

By September, the university town would truly come to life.

Following the unnamed University Town Road No. 1, Lü Dong saw several of Quannan’s most famous universities. They were not too far apart, located on both sides of the road, with large areas for development to the south and north. The new gates and buildings were already built, waiting for the new students to arrive.

Lü Dong saw a mobile vendor and bought a baked pancake for breakfast.

There were very few vendors here, and the baked pancakes cost 50 cents each, while in the rural areas, they usually cost 30 cents for three.

Lü Dong also exchanged a few 50-cent coins, taking the opportunity to chat and gather information.

After another round, he noted down the useful information. There was no place to park his bicycle in the university town; if he left it anywhere, it would definitely be stolen.

This was an era that required strict law enforcement!

Lü Dong turned back to the county and soon arrived at the bus station on the west side of the county.

The county was a larger small town, serving as both the seat of Ningxiu Town and Qingzhao County.

In this era, the tallest building was only seven stories.

Lü Dong parked his bicycle, picked up the black plastic bag, and didn’t enter the station but waited on the west side of the road. There was a bulletin board with an old and faded wanted notice.

The portrait on the wanted notice was blurred from wind, rain, and sun, and the person’s name was Qiao Keli. He had committed multiple home invasions, robberies, and murders, and after fleeing, he committed crimes in other places. The reward for his capture was as high as 5,000 yuan.

The amount of the reward was enough to show how heinous his crimes were.

Lü Dong had seen Qiao Keli once. When he first entered Ningxiu Middle School in the first year of junior high, Qiao Keli, who was in the third year, stabbed a classmate’s hand. Although the matter was settled with money, Qiao Keli was expelled from school.

This person had left countless evil reputations during his school days, being bold, ruthless, and cruel. It was said that he ran away from home in the fifth grade, staying in graves at night and stealing from the village store during the day. Once, he was caught by the store owner, and he hit her head with a stool.

The legend of Qiao Keli still lingered in Ningxiu Town.

After a few minutes, an old minibus arrived. Lü Dong asked and then got on.

Although it was only a few dozen meters from the station, the ticket at the station cost 3 yuan, while getting on here cost only 2.5 yuan.

Lü Dong’s personal assets had dropped below 10 yuan, and with uncertain future income, every cent mattered.

He found an empty double seat and sat down. The minibus swayed forward, the windows rattled, and the wind blowing in couldn’t overcome the stuffiness inside.

Air conditioning was out of the question, and Lü Dong tried to get as close to the window as possible to catch more of the breeze.

The distance from the county to the city was not far. Passing through the university town, the eastern suburban station of the city was the final stop.

The minibus took the road from the university town to the eastern outer ring of Quannan, which later became a residential area.

Lü Dong was glad he didn’t ride his bicycle, as finding the way would have been a hassle.

He got off the bus outside the station and transferred to an unmanned ticket bus, having already exchanged 50-cent coins.

After changing buses, it took about half an hour for Lü Dong to reach Shunshan Cultural Market.

The market was on the square at the foot of the mountain, divided into several areas. The outermost area was for used books and the flower and bird market. Further in was a stone-paved road by the mountain, with antique shops on the north side and stalls on the south side.

Between the used book market and the stone-paved road was a cluster of ancient-style buildings, mostly two-story, with some small buildings displaying plaques for various craft companies.

One of the larger buildings was possibly holding an event, with various people coming and going, most holding paper boxes or wrapped items.

Most of these people were dressed simply, even shabbily, suggesting they were not well-off.

From Lü Dong’s perspective, many were from the countryside, and occasionally, voices from different regions could be heard.

Some neatly dressed young people greeted and saw off visitors with great enthusiasm.

Lü Dong passed by the entrance and saw a banner that had fallen, one end on the ground, with two young men preparing to hang it back up.

He didn’t stop, heading towards the stone-paved road.

This was the morning market, with the sun already high, but not many people around.

Lü Dong didn’t rush in but stood outside to observe for a while.

The stalls were filled with old scales, old stools, red badges, silver dollars, and even funeral money and paper offerings.

Lü Dong’s already low expectations dropped further, but he decided to go in and take a look.

After all, he had come, and selling for 50 yuan would be good.

Walking on the stone-paved road, Lü Dong suddenly realized how conspicuous he was.

Born and raised in the countryside, a farmer’s demeanor was deeply ingrained in him.

However, Lü Dong was not easily embarrassed. People with thin skin couldn’t do so many outrageous things. He deliberately chose an old man’s stall, where no one was around.

Approaching the stall, he put on a simple and honest expression, looking at the porcelain and bronze ware. If they were real, the old man would have enough money to buy peanuts.

The old man fanned himself: "Young man, what do you want?"

Lü Dong squatted down, looked around, and noticed two men in white shirts paying attention. He smiled and asked in a low voice, "Old man, do you buy things?"

The old man closed his fan and carefully examined Lü Dong. He was no more than twenty, with a dark complexion, calloused and injured hands, and a somewhat foolish look.

From the countryside!

"Did you bring something?" The old man knew that the countryside had many old things, even if they weren’t valuable, they could be used to fool others: "Show me."

Lü Dong took out the white porcelain dish and handed it over. The old man glanced at him and didn’t take it: "Put it down."

When Lü Dong placed it on the stall, the old man took out his reading glasses, carefully examined it, and then picked it up.

Lü Dong, though not hopeful, still had some expectations.

He desperately needed money; wealth required capital, and he was penniless.

The old man looked at it from all sides and placed it back in front of Lü Dong. With his extensive life experience, he was very cautious throughout.

"Will you buy it?" Lü Dong was straightforward.

The old man held up two fingers, and Lü Dong’s eyes lit up: "Two hundred?"

"Tsk..." The old man shook his head: "Twenty! If you want to sell, I’ll take it."

Lü Dong’s hope vanished instantly: "Too little! Old man, this is a family heirloom!"

The old man couldn’t help but laugh, waved his hand at Lü Dong, and opened his fan without saying another word.

Although it was worth several large catfish, with so many stalls and shops, Lü Dong decided to look around more.

Lü Dong was not short of patience.

He walked from one end to the other, asking seven or eight stalls and entering four shops. The highest offer was 25 yuan, and one only offered 5 yuan.

More stingy than the antique buyers in the countryside!

Outside the stone-paved road, the large two-story ancient-style building had its banner rehung.

"Experts from the Royal Museum are here, offering free appraisal of antiques and calligraphy, to help you identify your family treasures!"

On the stone-paved road, Lü Dong left a stall in disappointment and entered the opposite shop.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends