Chapter 58: Handsome—That’s All There Is to Say

Following their usual routine, Chen Liang and Cao Da Wu completed transactions at over a dozen places, and only after all was done did Chen Liang quietly lead Cao Da Wu back toward their own alley. Since it was their first time dealing, the volume was modest, and after a night’s hard work, they earned about seven or eight thousand. According to Chen Liang’s plan, they would take only ten percent as a runner’s fee.

Chen Liang counted out eight hundred and split it in half, handing one part to Cao Da Wu. “Da Wu, this is yours.”

Cao Da Wu, feeling the thickness of the bills, sensed something was off. “Liang, why so much? I just need a bit for the trouble!”

Four hundred might not seem much compared to Chen Liang’s seven or eight thousand, but that’s not how the math was done. Chen Liang couldn’t tell Cao Da Wu that the grain simply appeared out of thin air, so he had to keep ninety percent as cost, leaving only ten percent as their profit. To Cao Da Wu, half of that was far too much.

“Enough, just take it. No need to be polite with me. But Da Wu, we’ve got to lay low for a few days, alright? Otherwise, we might get found out!”

Chen Liang gave him a few anxious reminders. “Don’t worry, Liang. Low profile—I get it!”

As they parted, Chen Liang said to Cao Da Wu, “Da Wu, next time you meet those buyers, tell them if the volume stays this small, we won’t do business with them anymore. This nightly routine is way too risky!”

“Got it, Liang. I’ll head off now.”

Back at the courtyard, Chen Liang tiptoed in, pretending he’d gotten up for the toilet, draped in his clothes as he hurried home. Once undressed, he released his beloved Xiao Yu from the supermarket.

The moment Xiao Yu sensed his presence, she wriggled into his arms like a caterpillar, eyes half-closed, arms around his neck for a kiss.

Honestly, no man could resist in such a moment. He pulled the quilt over them both.

Next door, Sha Zhu grumbled, “Can’t you give me a break? Do you know what time it is?”

Sha Zhu had just succeeded in matchmaking, and at first sight, he was taken with Liu Si Yuan. She was rare, a truly beautiful girl. Following Chen Liang’s advice, Sha Zhu acted a bit more assertively, and the girl quickly deferred to him, letting him take the lead.

Sha Zhu adored this kind of masculine dominance, and immediately demanded to marry her—tomorrow they’d go get the marriage certificate!

That night, as he was dreaming sweetly, the mewling from next door woke him—those two just wouldn’t give a lonely man any peace! So ruthless!

After working half the night and then another round under the quilt, Chen Liang soothed his beloved Xiao Yu to sleep, and by then it was already four or five in the morning. Unable to sleep, he decided to wander through the Pigeon Market.

He’d been here a while, but never really experienced the local flavor of this era. Previously, he had no money and couldn’t buy anything, but now, carrying a small fortune, he had no such worries!

He’d just told Cao Da Wu to lay low, and now he was out himself. Heh…what a hypocrite!

He kissed Xiao Yu tenderly, dressed again, and wrapped a scarf to cover his face below the eyes as he jogged to the Pigeon Market near Zhengyang Gate.

It was winter, so the dawn was slow. When Chen Liang arrived, the sky was still pitch black. The market was bustling, shadows moving everywhere, flashlights and lanterns bobbing, the scene reminiscent of a hundred ghosts wandering at night.

Chen Liang was just about to enter, flashlight in hand, when a man, bundled in a military coat and wrapped head to toe, stopped him quietly, “Hey, you looking for tickets?”

A ticket scalper. Chen Liang sized him up, lowered his own voice, “What kind of tickets you got?”

“Whatever you want, I’ve got it!” The scalper was confident.

“Really? Can I pick myself?” By ‘pick,’ Chen Liang meant he wanted to choose the tickets himself.

The scalper was delighted—this was an auspicious start, he’d caught a big fish!

“If you want to pick, could you step over to the corner?” The scalper was wary of Chen Liang grabbing the tickets and running, so he asked him to move aside.

“Alright, let’s go.” Chen Liang wasn’t afraid. No one could take him down unless they had firearms.

As the two reached the wall, the scalper whistled, and three or four more men in military coats emerged from the crowd.

Scalpers never worked alone—they operated like the touts in later years, usually as small gangs.

The lead scalper removed his gloves, saying, “Sorry for the wait.” He unbuttoned his coat, jacket, and thick sweater, finally producing a wad of tickets from a vest, “Pick away!”

Chen Liang glanced at him with disdain—the man was careless, the tickets even smelled from being stashed away.

He took the bundle, had someone shine a flashlight, and quickly sifted through. Surprisingly, the scalper had an impressive variety—everything but the tickets for the Three Big Items. Chen Liang selected the rare ones: fine grain tickets, meat tickets, cigarette tickets, sugar tickets, milk powder tickets, and at the end, even found a few Maotai liquor tickets—the real gems!

After Chen Liang picked out his favorites, the thick wad shrank by two-thirds. He returned the leftover tickets, watched the scalper put them away, then handed over the ones he’d chosen, “Buddy, tally it up.”

“Hey, thanks for waiting. Have a smoke!” The scalper was ecstatic—not just a big fish, but a giant shark!

Chen Liang eyed the cheap, filterless factory cigarettes with disdain and shook his head. The scalper slapped his forehead, “Look at me, too excited. Here, have a Da Qian Men instead,” pulling out a pack from another pocket.

“No need, I only smoke these.” Chen Liang pulled out a pack of Huazi, never shrinking from a chance to show off.

Seeing the Huazi, the scalper’s eyes widened in surprise, “Since you smoke those, I won’t embarrass myself. Wait a moment while I tally up.”

Chen Liang tossed him a cigarette, took out his lighter, and with a smooth motion, flicked open the windproof cap, spun the lighter in his hand, then slid his thumb across the wheel—a sharp “pop” as the flame sparked to life.

He lit his cigarette, then with a flick of his wrist, the windproof cap snapped shut with a crisp “click.”

The fluid, stylish moves left everyone watching utterly impressed.