Yan Xue was simply cautious out of habit—after all, she had seen too many social news stories in her past life.
She never expected that someone would actually follow them after they left the purchase point. Nor did she expect Qi Fang’s sharp eyes to have noticed it long ago.
If it were an ordinary girl, she’d surely have turned back to look; even if she didn’t, just hearing such news would inevitably show on her face.
But Yan Xue showed no reaction at all. She kept walking as usual. “Are they still following us?”
Truly calm, rational, and brave.
Qi Fang had a good memory. Those faces had appeared in front of him for the third time, so he noticed them. He hadn’t told Yan Xue because he wasn’t sure how long they’d be following and didn’t want her to worry.
But Yan Xue had already been on guard.
He almost wanted to look at Yan Xue then. The last time they met a bear in the mountains, by the time he rushed over, Yan Xue was already in a sorry state. It was only later that he heard from others that she had calmly organized everyone to retreat.
But he held back and quietly said, “They’re still there. One’s checking his watch, another’s looking at a cigarette, and the third is outside the department store.”
Yan Xue didn’t turn her head. Instead, she picked up a round mirror with an iron stand from the counter. “This one’s better than the one we bought when we got married. The design on the back is prettier too.”
Using the mirror, she scanned in the directions he mentioned.
Sure enough, two suspicious figures kept sneaking glances this way—“The one in the army green jacket and the bald one?”
“Yeah.” Qi Fang responded softly, his voice returning to normal as he played along, “We already have one at home.”
“Can’t I take a look?” Yan Xue put down the mirror and picked up a wooden comb nearby. “There are ready-made clothes over there. Do you want to buy one?”
This wasn’t just a distraction. Ready-made clothes were expensive and not as cost-effective as buying fabric to sew, but they didn’t require fabric coupons. In this era, everyone only got about one and a quarter meters of fabric coupons per year. For someone as petite as Yan Xue, it was barely enough to make one outfit. For someone as tall as Qi Fang, it was far from enough.
She picked out the largest size and held it up against Qi Fang. It was still a bit small, so she asked the sales clerk, “Is there anything bigger?”
“No,” the clerk glanced casually and said, “Our ready-made clothes don’t sell well. These are all we have.”
Yan Xue put it down and was about to look at other items when Qi Fang spoke quietly, “I don’t need it. Just buy it for yourself.”
“How many years have you been wearing those clothes?” Yan Xue picked up a white shirt again.
Qi Fang had very few clothes. Although they were made from durable, hard-wearing materials—not ordinary homespun—it was clear they were quite old. Some cuffs were no longer long enough. Yan Xue guessed he probably hadn’t bought new clothes in nearly two years; otherwise, how could they have suddenly used so many fabric coupons when they got married?
She put in some effort to find two pieces that a man could wear and bought them both. Then she went to look at stationery. “This iron pencil case is nice. Jigang will definitely like it.”
She paid out of her own pocket, planning to give it to Jigang when he arrived.
Yan Xue wandered around, picking up bits and pieces, and surprisingly, not a single item was for herself.
Qi Fang couldn’t help but ask again, “Isn’t there anything you want?”
“Yes,” Yan Xue replied with a bright smile, “I want money.”
Whether she was serious or joking, Qi Fang still glanced at her. “I’ll give it to you when we get back.”
The two of them lingered in the department store, reluctant to leave, even buying a few things. This made the two people tailing them increasingly anxious.
“It’s so crowded here, how are we supposed to make a move?”
“How should I know? It’s been over an hour, and even the watch sales clerk just gave me a dirty look.”
They briefly conferred, unwilling to give up, then split up again to continue following, only to meet up once more.
“Damn, it’s been two hours, and I’ve never followed anyone this long before.”
“Have these two never seen a department store? Shopping for so long and they don’t even seem tired.”
“They probably come from the countryside and have never been to a place like this. The real problem is, if they keep buying like this, where’s the money going to come from?”
That was the real issue. They wanted money but didn’t want all the random stuff.
Cursing under their breath, the one waiting outside couldn’t stand it any longer and asked the other two, “So, can we make a move or not?”
“You ask me, I ask who?”
The three waited a while longer, but when it became unbearable, they had no choice but to leave. Before going, they shot a fierce glare at Qi Fang and Yan Xue.
Yan Xue lowered her head, pretending not to notice. After a while, she asked Qi Fang, “Are they gone?”
“Yeah.”
Only then did she exhale softly. “Finally.”
She put down the things in her hands and glanced at her watch. “If we don’t leave soon, we won’t have time.”
Qi Fang knew she wanted to go to the pharmaceutical factory, but he hesitated before saying, “Let’s stop by the nearby police station first.”
This made Yan Xue look up at him, but she said nothing. Instead, she went to another counter and said, “Comrade, two packs of cigarettes, please.”
In Northeast China, quite a few women smoke—older women prefer tobacco pouches, younger ones roll their own cigarettes. Even in Yan Xue’s family team, there were smokers.
But Yan Xue didn’t smoke, nor did Qi Fang. The fact that she was buying cigarettes suggested she had another use in mind.
Qi Fang didn’t ask. Instead, he returned to the earlier topic. “You don’t want to report it?”
Yan Xue met his deep gaze—different from her usual half-lidded, lazy look, this one was probing, even a little investigative.
She hadn’t wanted to say anything, but since he insisted, she answered, “I don’t think reporting will help. These people work in groups, always hanging around the collection points, and they’re still fine now. That just proves they’re seasoned pros.”
There was more she didn’t say, but Qi Fang could probably understand.
In her previous life, Yan Xue had spent years in the market. She knew thieves operated in territories: those who stole from markets only stole from markets, those who targeted bus stations only targeted bus stations. The vendors knew who the thieves were, and so did the police. Yet those thieves still managed to steal openly.
Qi Fang fell silent, his almond-shaped eyes lowering. From then until they left the store, neither said another word.
At the store’s entrance, Yan Xue stopped and asked the bicycle salesman nearby, “Comrade, do you know the way to the police station?”
Qi Fang lifted his gaze slightly, revealing a rare and clear look of surprise in his eyes.
After Yan Xue finished asking the other person, she turned to him. "Let's go ask in person. Maybe I'm just overthinking it? We have to try, right?"
Try it—if it works, no one else will get hurt later. If not, it’s just an extra trip for them.
Yan Xue was pressed for time, speaking as she walked out. After a few steps, she noticed the man hadn’t followed. "What’s wrong? Did you forget to buy something?"
“No.” Qi Fang withdrew his gaze from her and walked ahead for a bit, but couldn’t help glancing back at her again.
When they arrived at the police station, Qi Fang suddenly became more talkative. He described the people involved in detail—their clothes, their facial features—everything down to the smallest detail.
The police officers couldn’t help but glance at him repeatedly. “So there were three of them, right? We’ll keep an eye out.”
Qi Fang didn’t say anything else and went out with Yan Xue to the county pharmaceutical factory.
That’s when he finally understood why Yan Xue bought cigarettes. She knocked on the security office window, handing over a pack. “Comrade, I want to ask something. Does the pharmaceutical factory have agar?”
Artificially cultivating wood ear mushrooms requires the most important thing: a fungal culture.
And the culture medium used to grow the fungi is mainly made of potatoes, glucose, and agar.
Potatoes were easy to get, and glucose could be found at the local hospital, but agar—Yan Xue could only think to try the pharmaceutical factory.
Agar is a polysaccharide extracted from algae, mainly used in food products like jelly and pudding, in medicine as a culture medium, and in cosmetics as a thickener.
The cigarettes Yan Xue bought were Yingchun brand, costing 0.28 yuan per pack—not the most expensive in the store, but definitely good quality. The guard could tell at a glance.
“I really don’t know. I’ll go ask for you.”
He didn’t push the cigarettes back.
Yan Xue knew there was hope and smiled at him. “Thank you so much.”
“What’s the trouble?” the guard waved his hand and went inside.
Outside the factory gate, Qi Fang looked at Yan Xue. “You came to the pharmaceutical factory just for this?”
He was unusually talkative today. He rarely pried into her affairs before.
Not just her affairs—this man seemed uninterested in everything, indifferent, and equally disliked others probing into him.
Yan Xue looked him over carefully. “Yes, it’s for this. Just not sure if they have any.”
“Probably not,” Qi Fang said. “It’s rare. There’s no large-scale production in the country yet.”
“You know about this?” Yan Xue was more surprised.
Qi Fang immediately thought of how she couldn’t even remember what he studied in college and fell silent for a moment. “I heard it from others before.”
Though he didn’t study this subject, he knew people in related fields.
Yan Xue realized this man actually knew quite a lot. Well, with such a good memory, he must have room in his mind to store plenty of information. It was a pity, though. If only this sharp mind had been placed seven or eight years earlier or later, he could have easily gotten into university. But now...
For some reason, Qi Fang felt Yan Xue’s gaze on him carried a hint of regret. Just as he was about to ask, the guard came out.
“I asked around, but the factory doesn’t have it. They said you’d need to look for a biopharmaceutical plant; we only make traditional Chinese medicine.”
Sure enough, Qi Fang had hit the nail on the head. Yan Xue glanced at him but wasn’t disappointed. She still left that pack of Yingchun cigarettes behind.
As for the other pack, since the pharmaceutical factory didn’t have agar, she’d just save it for now.
The two walked side by side toward the exit. Qi Fang lowered his gaze and asked, “How about you go to the provincial capital and check?”
“No need,” Yan Xue shook her head. “I’ll think of another way. It doesn’t have to be ready-made.”
She knew how to make agar herself, but if there was a ready supply, who’d bother with the trouble?
Qi Fang seemed to understand, glanced at her once more, but in the end didn’t press further. “Heading back?”
“Of course,” Yan Xue checked her watch. “If we don’t get back soon, we’ll miss the little train.”
After getting off at the long-distance bus station, they practically ran all the way, squeezing onto the little train just before it departed. The tickets were bought onboard.
When they returned to the forest farm, they ran into a few young men from the sent-down youth group carrying homemade slingshots and air rifles, just back from shooting birds in the woods.
Ever since Qi Fang had taken down that black bear with two shots, this group of young men had gotten a bit more interested. But the patrol team definitely wouldn’t let them join. Yu Yongzhi and Director Yu hadn’t allowed them either.
Mainly because the eldest son’s shooting skills weren’t up to par, and he had recklessly gone after the black bear. Director Yu certainly wouldn’t let him handle guns so freely again.
But since the eldest couldn’t shoot big game, shooting birds and wild chickens was probably fine.
Their work output was mediocre, but they had plenty of free time. These sent-down youths rarely worked seriously when they came up the mountain.
That day, they’d all had some success. As they walked, they chatted casually, completely unaware of Yan Xue and Qi Fang nearby.
At first, Yan Xue and Qi Fang didn’t pay much attention to them either. But after walking a bit further, Qi Fang’s gaze suddenly shifted back.
Yan Xue stopped as well, furrowing her brows slightly. The young men had just mentioned Liu Weiguo, speaking with thinly veiled contempt.
“Isn’t it ridiculous? He actually thinks he can date Zhou Wenhui. He should take a good look at himself first.”
“The folks from the valley don’t have much insight. They think just because they can saw wood and shoot a gun, they’re something special.”
“Maybe Zhou Wenhui likes that kind of guy. Didn’t you see? He even fixed her alarm clock.”
“If someone’s always bringing you snacks, wouldn’t you want to be nice to them? Besides, if someone’s eager to fix your alarm clock for free, why not let them?”
‘The valley’ was originally just a nickname for the mountain villages around the forest farm, but coming from them, it sounded more like an insult.
As they walked, one of them asked another carrying the air rifle, “Gangzi, what were you thinking? Why’d you even let him fix your watch?”
Yan Xue recognized this guy—Zhang Guogang. He came from a well-off family and had connections at the town’s forestry bureau, so he was especially careless about the work at the forest farm. Purely there to kill time.
Before Zhang Guogang could answer, a shorter guy nearby laughed first. “What do you think? You wanted Liu Weiguo to lose face, didn’t you? You really think his friend can fix that?”
That was Yang Tao, almost inseparable from Zhang Guogang.
"Well, this dump isn’t that big. Who knows how many watches he’s actually seen? No wonder he said he’d try to fix one—probably he’s not even sure himself."
"Then why is he taking on the job?"
"Just trying to show off in front of Zhou Wenhui, you know? He’s been acting so cocky lately, like he’s forgotten his own name."
Not everyone was so quick to judge. "What if Qi Fang really can fix it?"
"Even if he can, so what?" Zhang Guogang chuckled, lowering his voice.
The group of educated youth all leaned in, their conversation too quiet to catch, but judging by their expressions, they were definitely up to no good.
Sure enough, not long after, someone laughed, "Then I gotta tag along and give him a proper roasting face to face."
"Bring Zhou Wenhui too, let’s see if Liu Weiguo still dares to dream beyond his station."
"Yeah, let Zhou Wenhui see for herself—he’s all talk, nothing else..."
They gradually drifted away, while Yan Xue looked at Qi Fang. "Are you really going to fix it for them?"
"Yeah," Qi Fang replied simply and decisively, his voice not only calm but carrying an unusual edge of coldness.
He always seemed indifferent to everything, so this rare firmness was striking. After all, he had just arrived at the forest farm and was staying with the Liu family. Liu Weiguo was one of his few friends.
Not just him—Yan Xue felt a frown crease her brow.
What did it matter to them whether Liu Weiguo was dating Zhou Wenhui or not? At the root, it was just about looking down on the people at the forest farm, treating them like a joke.
These guys didn’t work seriously; instead, they put effort into scheming. And now, they wanted to mess with Liu Weiguo by using Qi Fang as their pawn.
The next day, when Liu Weiguo went to the educated youth camp to pick up the watch, he found a crowd waiting—everyone said they wanted to come along.
He thought there were too many people. Zhou Wenhui probably felt the same, a bit embarrassed to be caught in the middle. "I won’t go. It’s not like I’m the one fixing the watch."
"How can you not go?" a young man immediately protested. "If you don’t come, how will they know who we are?"
There was a teasing tone to it. Zhou Wenhui blushed, while Liu Weiguo couldn’t help but smile.
Yang Tao, who was short, clapped Liu Weiguo on the shoulder as they headed out. "Anyway, it’s a holiday these days. We’re just killing time. Might as well come make some noise."
Liu Weiguo didn’t argue.
When they arrived at Yan Xue and Qi Fang’s place, they showered Qi Fang with exaggerated praise. The acting was so over the top that even Yan Xue, Qi Fang, and Liu Weiguo felt a bit awkward.
"Where’s the watch? You brought it, right?" Liu Weiguo hurried to remind them to focus on the task.
"Yeah, brought it." Zhang Guogang pulled the watch from his pocket and passed it over, then looked at Qi Fang with a half-smile, half-sneer. "You really can fix it, huh?"
His expression was teasing, but beneath the doubt, there was a hint of challenge.
Liu Weiguo caught the tone immediately. Before Qi Fang could answer, he jumped in, "I didn’t promise anything. Just said I’d take a look."
"You didn’t promise but still took it on? What if you mess it up?" someone in the crowd complained.
"Exactly, this thing’s worth over a hundred bucks. If he ruins it, who’s paying for it?"
The voice wasn’t loud, but Liu Weiguo immediately darkened his face. “Whether you want it fixed or not, forget it! You asked me to help find someone to fix it, I found someone, and now you pull this stunt.”
“If you can’t fix it, don’t take the job! We didn’t beg you to take it on. You’re always bragging about how Zhou Wenhui’s alarm clock got fixed by someone you found — people might think you’re some kind of expert.”
The man didn’t even bother pretending anymore. Seeing Liu Weiguo glare at him, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Zhou Wenhui, take a look! He promised to fix it, but now he can’t, and he’s already losing his temper!”
“Yeah, who talks like that? It’s nonsense!”
Others chimed in, and Zhou Wenhui’s face flushed red. “Stop dragging me into this!”
But Liu Weiguo was still being held up as if he had volunteered for this mess. If he didn’t prove today that Qi Fang could fix it, there was no way to settle this.
No wonder Liu Weiguo and Qi Fang were friends. He was willing to lose face in front of Zhou Wenhui rather than let Qi Fang get involved in this. “I was just bragging. So what if I don’t fix it? Let’s go, get lost!” He started shooing everyone away.
A few male educated youth wanted to say more, but Qi Fang, who had barely spoken until now, stretched out his hand toward Zhang Guogang. “The watch.”
Liu Weiguo was stunned and called out, “Qi Fang.”
Zhang Guogang laughed right away. “You’re straightforward, I like that.” He didn’t even take the watch back, just handed it over to Qi Fang.
Qi Fang said nothing, just glanced at the nameplate on the back of the watch, then sat down at the desk and began to take it apart.
Yan Xue had already cleaned and dried a lunchbox in advance, prepared to hold the parts for him. She smiled sweetly and said to the group, “You should send someone to watch over it, so no one can say we lost anything.”
Her voice was gentle and cheerful, but some people felt a pang of guilt and instinctively looked away.
In the end, it was Zhou Wenhui who stepped forward. “I’ll do it.” Her face was tight with tension.
The female educated youth who came with Zhou Wenhui also said, “Me too.”
The whole alarm clock repair had started because she accidentally let the gossip slip out. Who would have thought it would turn into such a big deal?
Besides, Yan Xue was at least from the same family team as them and had helped at a crucial moment, unlike those male educated youth who only cared about escaping themselves.
The two women stood wide-eyed by the desk, while Yan Xue took a half step back, giving them plenty of room.
Time passed by the second. Soon, the sound of tiny metal parts clinking as they dropped into the lunchbox stopped.
Qi Fang put down the watch case, pinched the last small part between his long fingers, and looked back at the male educated youth with an unreadable expression.
Immediately, someone’s eyes flickered nervously and they instinctively glanced at Zhang Guogang.
Zhang Guogang’s expression also froze for a moment, but Yang Tao kept smiling cheerfully and asked, “Did you find the problem?”
“The movement got water inside and needs to be replaced. Some parts are worn, but still usable.” Qi Fang tossed that part into the lunchbox as well.
With a soft, crisp “ding,” someone quietly exhaled in relief.
Zhang Guogang felt he had overthought it, smiling and raising an eyebrow. “So if I just buy the movement, you’re sure you can fix it? What if you can’t?”
“If it can’t be fixed, just have them buy a new one,” the guy who had been arguing with Liu Weiguo said, “Who knows if it can even be put back together after he takes it apart.”
Liu Weiguo shot him a glare. “Are you done yet?”
Qi Fang’s expression remained calm as he looked at Liu Weiguo. “I remember Director Xu at the small repair shop has one just like this.”
Liu Weiguo paused, then caught on. “Wait here, I’ll go borrow it from Uncle Xu.” He turned and left.
The man who had been provoking them shifted his attention to Qi Fang. “What’s up? You can’t fix it, so you wanna find something to copy?”
“Are all city boys this talkative?” Before Qi Fang could respond, Yan Xue already asked the female educated youth beside her.
It was a bit sarcastic, but also true. Ever since they walked in, the other guy hadn’t stopped talking, always stirring trouble. He was the liveliest one here, and if you didn’t know better, you’d think he was the mastermind behind this whole thing.
The female educated youth couldn’t help but laugh, and the guy was silenced, looking somewhat frustrated.
About twenty minutes later, Liu Weiguo came back, “Got it, got the thing.” Despite the just above freezing temperature, he was sweating.
Qi Fang took it, glanced at the male educated youths, and efficiently started taking the watch apart.
This time, he worked quickly without studying it carefully or making detailed comparisons. He didn’t even finish taking it apart, only removing the watch’s movement, apparently planning to switch it in front of everyone.
The male educated youths exchanged glances, their eyes sparkling with the thrill of impending success.
But then, after Qi Fang installed the movement and reassembled the other parts, he actually took out another piece from Xu Wenli’s watch...
No one had time to hide their surprise before he swiftly finished reassembling, closed the back cover, wound the watch, and handed it to Zhang Guogang. “See if it keeps time accurately.”
“Already fixed?” Zhang Guogang instinctively wiped his hands on his pants.
Seeing him move too slowly, the female educated youth who had come with Zhou Wenhui took the watch. “Does anyone else have a watch?”
“Use mine.” Yan Xue took off her women’s wristwatch.
Two female educated youths immediately leaned in to look, and Zhang Guogang and the other male educated youths hesitated, but still leaned closer.
“Accurate... he actually fixed it...” The men were utterly incredulous, some even muttering under their breath.
“Are you sure it’s accurate?” Qi Fang asked again. Seeing no response as if everyone had been silenced, he took the watch back apart.
He reinstalled the movement and parts back into Xu Wenli’s watch, and quickly restored Zhang Guogang’s watch as well.
Finally, holding the only remaining part left in the lunchbox, he looked up, his dark eyes fixed on Zhang Guogang. “This piece isn’t even from your watch, is it?”
“I...” Zhang Guogang was momentarily at a loss for words.
Zhou Wenhui and the female educated youth were even more stunned. Then they realized, “It’s not from his watch?” They quickly caught on, “You switched it on purpose, trying to make it impossible to fix?”
