The poor girl from the 1970s was forced to kiss by the damp educated youth.

Chen Zhi paused, looked up at the boy, and asked, "What good stuff?"

The boy had already reached Chen Zhi. He secretly glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to them before he opened his dark, torn cotton-padded jacket, revealing its original appearance.

Inside the cotton-padded jacket were several silver hairpins, a few jade pendants, and two jade bracelets.

Xi Lang once gave Chen Zhi a jade hairpin, but Chen Zhi thought it was too flashy and asked Xi Lang to put it away. Although Chen Zhi didn't know much about jade, she could tell that the jade hairpin Xi Lang gave her was far superior to the one this young man had given her.

The boy was slightly taller than Chen Zhi, with long hair that covered his forehead and eyebrows, revealing a pair of jet-black eyes. He had a high nose bridge and severely chapped lips that occasionally bled.

"These things aren't expensive, only two yuan each," the boy said in a hoarse voice.

He had barely finished speaking when his stomach started growling.

Before Chen Zhi could say anything, the boy himself became embarrassed, turned his face away, and looked somewhat unnatural.

Chen Zhi didn't think much of the boy's things, nor did she soften her heart because he was hungry. Before she was seventeen, her stomach would growl like that every day, from morning till night, and she didn't think it was anything shameful.

She was about to say no when her gaze suddenly sharpened—

"I'll take the jade pendant and the two jade bracelets," Chen Zhi said, handing over a 100-yuan note.

The boy was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. Without saying a word, he handed the jade pendant and bracelet to Chen Zhi, who took them and stuffed them into her pocket.

The boy was excited as he received the money, and Chen Zhi was also excited.

She saw black energy on one of the jade pendants!

Her body couldn't contain the dark energy emanating from Xi Lang, but these jade artifacts and emeralds might.

She's eager to go back and try it out, but she's holding back.

She hadn't yet achieved her goal; she needed to buy a pair of slippers.

The slippers at the supply and marketing cooperative were plastic slippers, and you needed a ration coupon to buy them. Chen Zhi didn't have one, and neither did Aunt Liu.

Since she couldn't find any slippers, Chen Zhi planned to wear Xi Lang's when she got back.

Aunt Liu explained, "I'm only responsible for buying groceries, cooking, and cleaning the house. My husband didn't give me any industrial vouchers."

Chen Zhi nodded. "Is Xi Lang able to eat anything?"

Aunt Liu: "The eldest young master can drink some soup and water. He usually relies on the doctor to come to our home to give him nutritional injections."

Chen Zhi didn't know what a nutrient injection was, but since it could keep Xi Lang alive, it must be a good thing.

"Are you buying chickens and eggs to nourish the young master?" Aunt Liu's gaze fell on the chickens and eggs, and she couldn't help but feel a little moved. This young mistress came from the countryside and probably didn't have much money, but she was willing to spend money to buy chickens and eggs for the young master, which showed that she cared about him.

Chen Zhi: "That's the plan. Can he eat steamed egg custard and chicken soup?"

Aunt Liu: "Eggs and chicken soup are both good for your health, so it should be fine. I'll ask the doctor when he comes today."

Back home, Chen Zhi took the chicken and eggs to the kitchen, and then eagerly went upstairs.

She took out three jade pendants and two jade bracelets, placed them side by side on the bed, and then picked up the jade pendant that was already stained with black energy. The black energy in the jade pendant was very faint, and Chen Zhi would not have noticed it if she hadn't been so sharp-eyed.

Chen Zhi focused her mind and carefully guided the black energy from Xi Lang's body into the jade pendant.

The black mist, as fine as a hair, slowly flowed from Xi Lang's body into the jade pendant. Chen Zhi carefully sensed the changes inside the jade pendant. She saw that the originally slightly yellow jade pendant gradually turned black, and the black became more and more intense, eventually becoming like charcoal.

It's full!

The jade pendant was like a container, silent, but Chen Zhi sensed that it had reached its capacity limit. If anything were added, the pendant would likely shatter.

Chen Zhi examined the jade pendant. On the surface, nothing seemed out of the ordinary; it was still a yellowish, cloudy, and poor-quality jade artifact with low transparency. But only Chen Zhi knew that the jade pendant was filled with thick black energy that could not be dispersed or dissipated, as if it were imprisoned inside.

Chen Zhi was overjoyed; it worked!

Her eyes immediately welled up with tears; Xi Lang was saved.

Chen Zhi took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Next, she repeated the process, channeling the black energy from Xi Lang's body into the remaining two jade pendants and two jade bracelets.

These jade items were too small; they were nothing more than a drop in the ocean compared to the dark aura surrounding Xi Lang.

The black aura surrounding Xi Lang remained thick and lingering.

But Chen Zhi was not discouraged. As long as there was a way, one day she would get rid of the black aura on Xi Lang.

Chen Zhi took the five jade artifacts "filled" with black energy back to her room, put them in a sack, and stuffed them under her bed.

Meanwhile, the boy who sold the jade bought six large steamed buns and jogged home.

The boy lived in a courtyard house with one entrance. Besides him, there were seven or eight other families living in the courtyard. The courtyard originally belonged to his family, but his parents died in the recent political movement, and the neighborhood committee arranged for them to move in.

The boy, his sister, and his brother were left with only one room.

The boy's name is Yang Hong, his sister's name is Yang Jiaying, and his brother's name is Yang Rong. The three siblings are unemployed and make a living by taking on handicraft jobs on the street, such as pasting envelopes and paper boxes.

Recently, more educated youth have returned to their hometowns, and the jobs in the city cannot accommodate so many people. These people are also doing odd jobs everywhere, and the demand for handicrafts in the streets is not enough. Yang Hong and his two siblings have not received any work for some time.

The three siblings had been starving for several days. The older sister, Yang Jiaying, and the younger brother, Yang Rong, were so hungry that they couldn't get out of bed. Seeing that his sister and brother were about to starve to death, Yang Hong gritted his teeth and took out the things left by his parents to sell.

After his parents passed away and his home was seized, Yang Hong lived a cautious life for several years. He waited on the street for a long time with his belongings, and finally set his sights on Chen Zhi.

Yang Hong chose Chen Zhi for several reasons. One reason was that Chen Zhi was wealthy and generous when buying chickens, without haggling. Another reason was that Chen Zhi's accent suggested she wasn't a local from Beijing, making Yang Hong feel more at ease doing business with her.

He originally thought that if Chen Zhi bargained, he would lower the price to as low as 50 cents.

But Chen Zhi didn't say anything and bought all his things!

Yang Hong's eyes turned red as he held the huge sum of ten yuan. He and his two siblings had been busy from morning till night, pasting envelopes and cardboard boxes until their hands were swollen. They could only earn two or three cents a day.

He rarely sees even one yuan, let alone ten.

Yang Hong ran home in a flash, crossed the yard full of clutter, rushed into his house, and closed the door behind him.

"Sister, Xiao Rong, wake up quickly, it's time to eat," Yang Hong whispered.

Yang Jiaying groggily opened her eyes, wondering if her younger brother was too hungry and was having a dream. They didn't have a single penny; where would they get the money to buy food?

Yang Rong opened her eyes. "I just heard my brother call me to eat. Am I dreaming?"

"No, I wasn't dreaming," Yang Hong said with a smile. He took out a steamed bun from his pocket, gave two to his younger brother, two to his older sister, and took two for himself. After taking a bite, he said, "I sold the things my parents left behind and got some money."

Yang Jiaying wanted to ask him what he had sold, but she was too hungry. The aroma of the steamed buns filled her nose, and she didn't care about anything else, so she started eating them in big bites.

Yang Rong was the same; she ate while tears streamed down her face, saying, "The steamed buns are so delicious."

The steamed buns were huge, bigger than their fists. The three siblings ate the buns while drinking water. By the time they finished the buns, they were full.

A steamed bun cost one cent. Yang Hong took out the remaining nine yuan and forty cents and handed it to his sister, explaining, "I sold three jade pendants and two bracelets, each for two yuan, for a total of ten yuan."

"So many!" Yang Jiaying was shocked. She had given these things away for free before, but no one wanted them, for fear of getting involved and being reported. Besides, her family hadn't been very wealthy, and the quality of these pieces of jewelry was only average, so they weren't very valuable to begin with.

"I asked for two yuan each, and the other party didn't bargain." Yang Hong mentioned Chen Zhi, who bought his things, to his sister and brother. "She was generous, very beautiful, and her accent didn't sound like she was from Beijing."

Yang Jiaying seemed to be deep in thought, and took out all the jade items in her house. The quality of these jade and jadeite pieces was better than the ones Yang Hong had sold this morning. There were jade pendants, jade hairpins, jadeite necklaces, and a jade ruyi.

"Except for the jade ruyi, everything else will still sell for two yuan," Yang Jiaying said. There was no reluctance in her eyes. Although these things were left by her parents, they were not as important as the lives of her three siblings.

Moreover, the quality of these jade pieces was so poor that her mother herself used to dislike them and refused to wear them.

She carefully kept the few items her mother had worn, intending to pass them on to her two younger brothers' wives in the future.

Yang Hong frowned. "I might not even see her again."

Yang Jiaying: "It's okay. If they see it, they'll ask; if they don't, it's fine. It's still very chaotic outside, so don't let anyone find out you have these things on you, especially the people in this courtyard."

Yang Hong nodded, "Don't worry, sister, I know what I'm doing."

Lunch consisted of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and stir-fried cabbage, with steamed buns as the main dish. Although the food was simple, Aunt Liu's cooking was quite good, and Chen Zhi ate to her heart's content. After finishing her meal, she said to Aunt Liu, "I'm going to take a walk around the neighborhood; I'll be back later."

Aunt Liu was worried about leaving her alone. "You've just arrived and don't know the way around outside yet. Why don't you wait a bit while the doctor comes to see the young master—"

Chen Zhi interrupted Liu Ma, "I'll just wander around outside, I won't go far."

She couldn't wait any longer.

Being in an unfamiliar place, she needed to hurry and find more jade artifacts to revive Xi Lang.

Chen Zhi went out again, and as soon as she walked out of the street, she ran into the boy who had sold her the jade that morning.

The boy's eyes lit up when he saw Chen Zhi, and he ran up to her eagerly.

"Do you still want jade and jadeite?" Yang Hong asked with a fawning smile.

Chen Zhi remained calm. "I need to take a look first."

Yang Hong glanced around and pointed to the corner of the wall next to him, "Let's talk over there."

Chen Zhi followed him to the corner of the wall. After confirming that no one was around, Yang Hong opened his tattered cotton-padded coat, revealing the jade items inside: two jade pendants, two jade hairpins, a jade necklace, a jade pendant, and a jade ruyi.

There were quite a few of them, but they were far from enough to counter the black energy on Xi Lang's body.

"I'll take them all," Chen Zhi said.

Yang Hong was delighted and quickly said, "This jade ruyi is three yuan, the rest are the same, two yuan each."

Chen Zhi readily paid the money and then asked, "Do you know where I can buy jade and jadeite? Any kind of jewelry is fine, even raw stones are okay, preferably larger pieces."

Yang Hong hesitated. He did know a place, but it was a dangerous place with all sorts of people.