Chapter 209: Which Squad?
From the Rose Corridor to the Trading Market, the whole trip took an hour and a half, and by the time Zhou Qian endured it all, he felt like the world had brightened.
But who knew—when he turned his head again, he saw that the auntie also got off at this stop. His face turned white!
She had already been talked out of it before, but not completely. Now she added two more sentences:
“Young man, once you have money, a proper man should get himself a place to live. You can’t just keep eating and drinking fancy stuff all the time.”
She looked Zhou Qian up and down again, but the other auntie tugged her along: “Forget it, forget it. The defense force isn’t doing logistics—way too dangerous…”
“But look at this young man—he’s so imposing! You know my daughter likes this type… Tsk, but then again, these siblings have been poor for so many years. Look at their clothes and shoes… Probably spent all their money on food… Forget it…”
The two of them bickered and walked away, soon disappearing into the trading market.
Zhou Qian curled his fingers and flicked Huai Yu, who was watching the scene unfold: “You made up that nonsense and still won’t admit it!”
The most ridiculous part was that half the people on the bus seemed to have overheard and all joined in the discussion in the end, and somehow, it even led to two pairs setting up blind dates for their kids tomorrow…
If it weren’t for this whole mess, how would Zhou Qian have been delayed until now?
In short, he glared at Huai Yu. He couldn’t trust this seemingly delicate girl anymore!
Huai Yu rubbed her forehead, looking pitiful: “I live alone, and they were asking so many questions—I got scared. So I just borrowed a bit of your strength…”
Now with Zhou Qian’s tall and sturdy frame sitting on the bus, people probably believed it even more. But she wasn’t scared anymore.
Sigh.
Seeing her looking downcast made Zhou Qian feel a bit guilty too. After a while, he finally said: “Alright, alright. Living alone, you do need to be more cautious. Let’s go sell these vegetables quick—if we wait any longer, they’ll get squashed.”
He hoisted two big bags of vegetables onto his shoulders and walked ahead like a mountain.
Behind him, Huai Yu beamed with joy again.
…
This time at the trading market, Zhou Qian truly experienced Huai Yu’s good connections.
Around 10 o’clock, it was peak time for people coming from far away to trade, and there was a small queue in front of the inspection station. Zhou Qian obediently carried the sack and lined up.
But the moment someone saw Huai Yu nearby, a hand shot up and waved: “Little niece! Haven’t seen you in days!”
They smoothly led her into the VIP room.
The VIP room was now open, and someone was being inspected at the front. Zhou Qian put down the sack and stood behind, turning to see two staff members watching him warmly:
“This must be Xiao Yu’s brother, right? Wow, he really looks heroic and impressive!”
“Yeah! The siblings even look a bit alike.”
One had dark skin, a serious expression, and a tall, strong build. The other had pale skin, looked frail, but had a sweet smile…
They were just being polite, of course.
Zhou Qian gritted his teeth silently, thinking, It’s one thing to tell a little lie when you live alone, but you didn’t have to spread it everywhere!
This little liar!
He looked at Huai Yu, only to see her touching her face in horror, trembling as she asked: “Uncle, how do I look like him?”
Zhou Qian was so rugged! She’d looked in the mirror—she was still quite delicate!
The two staff members chuckled instantly.
“Xiao Yu, how old are you now? You’re just like my daughter,” said one of them, rubbing his face like a weary father. “Whenever people say she looks like her dad, she cries and fusses at home… Am I really that ugly?”
“Am I really that ugly?” Zhou Qian echoed, staring at her.
Not ugly, no—but she was a typical girl who cared a lot about her appearance!
Huai Yu saw the people ahead had left and quickly pushed him: “Hurry up and get the inspection done.”
The test results were good again. A mutation value of 13—not too high or low—considered good quality but not super rare.
Huai Yu skillfully pulled out several handfuls of yardlong beans and handed them out.
The four staff members hesitated politely but ended up accepting them, and then each pulled the siblings aside for a chat.
The female inspector said meaningfully to Zhou Qian: “Xiao Yu’s brother, I know you want to toughen her up, but she’s a grown girl now. Things are stable these days—no need to have her dressed so shabby.”
“Look at that—she’s wearing the same clothes over and over.”
“Those shoes look a bit small too.”
Meanwhile, the male inspector said to Huai Yu: “Do you know that shop selling rice, flour, and oil? Yesterday someone ordered thirty jin of top-quality white sugar and canceled.”
“Uncle knows you folks have some means—go check it out. It’s pricey, but rare.”
The “siblings” left the inspection station with mixed feelings. Huai Yu happily said: “Brother Zhou Qian, let’s deliver the veggies to Boss Tang first, then hurry and buy that sugar!”
“I only bought half a jar of rock sugar last time—it’s almost gone now.”
“The inspector uncle said it’s high quality—it’d be a shame to miss it.”
She chirped along excitedly, but Zhou Qian stayed silent. When she looked up, she saw him shouldering two big sacks, face tense.
His steps were so forceful it seemed like he’d smash the stone path.
“???” Huai Yu was confused.
After a while, Zhou Qian gritted his teeth: “Let’s sell the veggies fast! Then we’re buying you new clothes and shoes first!”
Now probably the whole world knew that Huai Yu had an unreliable “brother”!
Huai Yu blinked: “I was planning to buy them… Hey, wait for me!”
After days away, Boss Tang’s shop was still the same—spacious and quiet.
But seeing how fast he processed goods every time, you knew he wasn’t lacking customers.
The first thing Huai Yu did when she walked in was lean over the counter and check out the game console worth 2,000 points.
Then she looked at the veggies they’d brought and instantly felt bold:
“Boss Tang, I’m here!”
Boss Tang had been napping with a magazine over his face. Hearing her, he instantly woke up, his plump, dumpling-like face blooming into a smile:
“Xiao Yu’s here?”
Then he saw Zhou Qian: “Whoa! This is—”
Before he could finish, Zhou Qian quickly answered: “That’s right. Her brother.”
Boss Tang paused, then laughed: “I knew it! What kind of person could keep bringing in such good stuff? Which squad are you in with the defense force?”
Zhou Qian: “…” Defense force?
He stared at Huai Yu, who guiltily turned her head away, and then forced a smile: “Do you want the veggies or not?”
Boss Tang was sharp! He immediately realized they didn’t want to say more. Glancing at the two bulging sacks, he nodded at once:
“Of course! I’ll take as much as you’ve got!”
“Xiao Yu, what veggies did you bring today?”
