Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 109: Found Someone to Help Collect the Items

"Don’t run, I’ve already seen you," Su Yijia called out, hoping to coax the person out. The weather was too hot, and she wasn’t willing to chase anyone.

After a moment, the person hiding around the corner didn’t leave, but they didn’t show themselves either. Su Yijia continued, "You don’t need to hide; I know you’re behind the wall."

The person finally cautiously moved out from their hiding spot. "You?" Su Yijia was a bit surprised.

The man hurriedly explained, "I mean no harm. I just heard you were going to Peng Kun ’s house, and I was worried he might harm you..."

Su Yijia’s surprise faded from her face, and she lightly bit her lip. She took two tea eggs from her bag and handed them to the man. "I know you mean no harm. Either way, I want to thank you for your concern."

"I followed you not for your things," the man insisted with a sense of righteousness. Evidently, this act seemed to have wounded his pride.

Su Yijia didn’t press the issue and smoothly withdrew the tea eggs she had offered him as if it had never crossed her mind to give them to him.

Although Su Yijia wasn’t a social butterfly, she did live a fairly carefree life. However, the man before her was too reserved, making her uncertain about how to interact with him.

"I’m sorry, I don’t have any intentions like that. I just think you’re a good person and wanted to make a new friend," Su Yijia said apologetically, smiling at the man.

"You’d like to be friends with me?" The man was a bit shocked, but his response surprised Su Yijia even more. Did the original host know this man?

Su Yijia carefully recalled the original host’s interactions and was sure that there was no connection between the original host and this man. She returned to the village for almost two weeks every year, and there was no way she wouldn’t remember if they had met.

"You’re such a good person, so why not make friends with you?" Su Yijia playfully raised her eyebrows.

However, the man still appeared somewhat uncomfortable as he fidgeted with his clothes and said, "I... My family doesn’t have a good background."

Su Yijia was puzzled for a moment but then remembered that this man was from the family in the village with a less-than-sterling reputation. They used to be wealthy with lots of fields in their possession. Most of the elderly living here used to rent his family fields. But their relationships with other villagers had soured over time, making their lives difficult. Although Su Yijia didn’t know if his family was good or bad, in the eyes of the villagers, they were considered the villains. At the very least, in her eyes, the man in front of her was no villain; he was a clever person.

"I don’t care about those things when making friends. I believe that one day, all prejudices will disappear," Su Yijia replied with genuine sincerity. This helped ease the man’s discomfort.

"By the way, do people in the village still mistreat your family?" Su Yijia inquired.

"Not really. Things have improved quite a bit recently," Xu Li’an said calmly. It seemed more like he had become apathetic to the point that he no longer felt anger or resistance towards the situation.

Su Yijia stared at him and suddenly said, "I have something to ask for your help with. It involves dealing with the people in the village. Are you available? I don’t want to visit every household one by one; otherwise, I don’t know how long they’d keep me."

"Sure, what can I do for you?" Xu Li’an agreed after thinking for a few seconds.

"I want to buy some soybeans and corn, as much as you can find from the villagers. I’ll take a few pounds, tens of pounds, or even a few hundred pounds." Su Yijia didn’t mention what she needed these items for.

Xu Li’an, who was honest and smart enough, wouldn’t ask her such questions.

He didn’t ask why she needed these items, whether it was for cooking, trading, or some other purpose. He was content to lend a helping hand.

As expected, the man readily agreed without much thought. "Sure, when do you need it?"

"I need a significant amount, and today is too rushed. Why don’t you set a time, and we can meet somewhere?" Su Yijia suggested. She didn’t want to trade within the village to avoid gossip, and she also didn’t want to do it in the town to avoid being seen by acquaintances. The best solution was to meet midway at the bus stop; it was the safest option. Either party could choose not to show up if they had concerns and leave.

"Let’s meet the day after tomorrow, from 9 to 11 in the morning. You can choose the location," Xu Li’an calculated and thought he would need at least two nights to collect a sufficient amount of goods.

"Take the bus from the village entrance and get off at the next or the following stop," Su Yijia said straightforwardly to ensure there was no misunderstanding.

However, after she said that, she felt a tinge of disdain in the man’s eyes.

"Alright, it’s settled," Xu Li’an said with a wide smile, showing a row of bright, white teeth. He seemed naiver than Su Yijia just now.

"Though we’re friends, we need to be clear about our business. I’m making you spend so much time and interact with the villagers, who might say unpleasant things. So, I’ll pay you two cents per pound as compensation for your work," Su Yijia offered two cents per pound as a wage, and her ears warmed at the idea. She had never thought she would ever offer such a low wage, but at this time, two cents per pound was a considerable amount. Ten pounds was twenty cents, and one hundred pounds amounted to two yuan.

"I can’t accept your money for this. It’s not a big deal for me to help," Xu Li’an hurriedly refused, appearing more embarrassed than humiliated this time.

"No, you must take it. Let me be honest with you; I need to collect some items to sell and make money. If you help me collect, it’ll save me a lot of time and trouble. As you all should know, I’m already married, and it’s not suitable for me to be running around outside all the time. So, collecting items is something I can only ask someone else to do. If you won’t accept the money, I’ll be sorry for the trouble, but I’ll have to find someone else to help. In the end, they’ll make the money you could have earned, and they won’t be as reliable as you," Su Yijia said in a way that made it seem like she would be cheated by someone else if he refused.

Xu Li’an had no choice but to agree, saying, "Alright, I’ll do my best to collect for you, whatever quantity you need."

"I need a lot to be collected, so you’ll be quite busy in the future. By the way, the black market price for soybeans is 1.21 yuan per pound, and the official price at the supply and marketing cooperative requires a voucher and is 0.9 yuan. When you collect, make sure not to exceed the black market price. As for corn, you can figure it out while collecting. I don’t know the exact price right now. I’ll ask around when I get back and let you know next time," Su Yijia took out three ten-yuan notes from her bag and handed them to Xu Li’an.