Chapter 93: Arriving at the County Town, Master Qin the Fifth

It took more than an hour to get from Liu Family Bay to the commune, and another three hours from the commune to the county town. Setting out at dawn, it was almost noon by the time they arrived in the county. Compared to the commune, the county town was indeed more bustling, with far more people coming and going, and many scenes of workers riding bicycles home from their shifts.

Zhou Sinian looked around with curiosity, deeply intrigued by both the crowd and the street scenery. His unusual attire quickly drew the attention of passersby as well. Watching Zhou Sinian’s childlike curiosity, Liu Dazhu swallowed nervously and once again reminded Ming Dai, “Little Ming, you have just one task—keep an eye on him! Whatever happens, don’t let him make trouble in the county.”

After a moment’s thought, he added with some pain, “If he wants to eat anything, just buy it for him. The village will reimburse the cost!”

Even before she entered the town, Ming Dai was told she must keep hold of Zhou Sinian at all times. So she simply took a rope and tied their wrists together, which finally put the other three at ease.

After hearing the team leader’s instructions, she promised again, “Don’t worry, Captain. I’ll watch over him and won’t let him cause any trouble.”

Upon arriving in the county town, Liu Dazhu led the group to the county guesthouse. With the stamped slip, he booked two rooms: one for Ming Dai, while the men squeezed into the other.

Zhou Sinian was deeply dissatisfied with these arrangements, and his expression immediately darkened. After hurriedly delegating the task of persuasion to Ming Dai, Captain Liu grabbed some groceries and, taking Liu Qingmin with him, beat a hasty retreat, leaving Liu Guoqiang and Old Liu staring at each other in silence.

Ming Dai said, “Third Uncle, Accountant Liu, I’ll put our things away and take him out for a walk.”

Both men nodded vigorously.

Ming Dai left the bedding and groceries in her room, tidied up a bit, and took Zhou Sinian out again. The county town wasn’t large, and they strolled along at a leisurely pace. Besides Zhou Sinian’s glaringly conspicuous red headscarf, the two of them looked just like any other farmers visiting the county, attracting no special notice.

Trailing behind a woman with a basket, who kept glancing around cautiously, they soon discovered the location of the county’s black market. After observing for a while, Ming Dai led Zhou Sinian into a deserted alley. Confirming that no one was around, they slipped into the space.

Ming Dai had originally planned to sell vegetables from her storehouse in the county, but on second thought, since only their family was selling vegetables right now, showing up with fresh produce at the black market would be like a fly landing on a bald head—too obvious, too suspicious.

She decided instead to try selling different goods; after all, she had plenty of fine items in her space.

She glanced at Zhou Sinian. This towering man would never blend into a crowd, so she discussed it with him.

“Zhou Sinian, I’m going to the black market to sell some things. I can’t take you with me—you’re too tall and easily recognized. Will you wait for me here in the space?”

Zhou Sinian was clearly unhappy at the suggestion. He squatted down so that he was only a little taller than Ming Dai, looking at her with reluctance.

Ming Dai sighed inwardly—this only made him more conspicuous! She had to try another tactic: “When we get back, there won’t be any time to feed the sheep. Why don’t you feed the lambs and that silly roe deer now, while I’m out?”

Zhou Sinian glanced at the sheep munching contentedly in the grass, then looked at Ming Dai, hesitating. Only after she promised to return as soon as possible to fetch him did he finally nod, though still reluctantly.

Relieved, Ming Dai went to the storeroom to pick out items to sell. First, there was grain—her fields in the space would soon yield a new harvest, so she no longer needed to eat these old stores. She selected a portion to sell. Next, she considered clothing and shoes. There were racks full of them, many sizes they could never use. Ming Dai sorted out some for children and the elderly, intending to test the waters with these first.

She also found herself an old woman’s outfit, swapping her scarf for a plain blue one and putting on traditional cloth shoes.

In her previous life, Ming Dai had enjoyed cosplaying all sorts of anime characters, so she owned a full set of disguise tools. As she dabbed makeup on her face and hands, Zhou Sinian gnawed on an apple, watching her with growing confusion until he forgot to eat altogether.

Before his eyes, Ming Dai transformed from a fair, delicate girl into a silver-haired old lady, her face creased with wrinkles and her hands marked with age spots.

It was astonishing! Zhou Sinian reached out to poke at one of Ming Dai’s wrinkles, only for her to swat his hand away.

“Don’t touch! It hasn’t dried yet!”

Thinking further, she added a prominent mole at the corner of her mouth to make her disguise even more memorable. That way, even if her appearance was later exposed, people would only be looking for an old woman with a matchmaker’s mole, not a fresh-faced young girl.

Once her makeup was complete and she’d donned the deliberately aged clothes, she cleared her throat and croaked out, “Oh my, whose new daughter-in-law is this? So tall!”

Zhou Sinian was so startled by this sudden elderly voice that he leapt three meters away, staring in shock at Ming Dai’s transformation.

Pleased with her little prank, Ming Dai resumed her own voice. “Ah, thank goodness I haven’t lost my knack for voice acting. Now it’s perfect.”

With Zhou Sinian still utterly bewildered, she slipped out. Not long after, a hunchbacked old woman carrying a basket shuffled out of the alley, her steps wavering.

At the black market, she fell in behind another elderly woman with her face hidden. After a brief inspection and a warning not to cause trouble, she was allowed in.

In a secluded corner, stalls were set up, and people came and went. Ming Dai wandered through, observing carefully. There were many watchful eyes, always on the lookout for troublemakers. If bargaining became too loud, someone would immediately intervene; those who didn’t cooperate were gagged and taken away.

Ming Dai relaxed—such strict precautions meant the risk of being caught was much lower, and so was her own exposure.

After circling the area and confirming the prices she wanted to know, she returned to the entrance.

There, two skinny young men, their noses running from the cold, stood guard with arms crossed, staring unblinking at the mouth of the alley.

Ming Dai switched her voice and asked, “Got a guest from the south—would Master Qin be willing to meet?”

She had read about this code in a novel. Master Qin was the head of the county’s black market, and a guest from the south meant goods had arrived from the south—was Master Qin interested in the deal?

Sure enough, her words stunned the lookouts. One of the young men gave her a searching look, told her to wait, whispered to his partner, and hurried back into the market.

Ming Dai stood hunched over her basket, motionless.

Soon, the skinny youth returned. “Master Qin is inside. Please come in to talk.”

Ming Dai shook her head. “We’ll talk at the little teahouse by the alley. I’ll wait five minutes, no more.”

With that, she walked away without the slightest hesitation.

The youth watched her wavering figure, surprised—how did she know that teahouse was theirs?

Clearly, he had run into a tough customer. He scurried back to report.

Inside the small teahouse sat only an elderly woman tending a stove. She merely glanced up as Ming Dai entered, then lowered her head, sorting beans.

Ming Dai took a seat by the door, facing the street, where passersby could easily see inside, and began to wait.