Let's Squander A Billion First!-Chapter 1434: Tales from the ’70s (9)

Finally, Ling Jiaojiao couldn’t take it anymore. No matter how she locked the door, it was useless.

She always had to leave the room at some point, and as soon as she returned, it would be like this.

The water became increasingly smelly, and Ling Jiaojiao felt like she smelled too.

So on the fifth day, Ling Jiaojiao inflated Chuzheng’s bicycle tires.

This made Ling Jiaojiao forget to ask Ling Mei for fabric.

By the time she saw Ling Mei wearing new clothes, she remembered, but it was too late to say anything.

-

Chuzheng went to the town to pick up clothes. After changing into the new clothes, Chuzheng felt much better, and her stride was full of confidence.

[...]

What a strange habit.

Chuzheng bought some things at the market. Seeing that the time was about right, she prepared to return.

While waiting for the bus, an older lady approached her: "Girl, where are you heading to?"

Chuzheng gave her a sidelong glance and stayed silent.

While traveling, don’t talk to strangers.

What if she’s a scammer!!

But this lady was persistent: "You look young. Have you found a partner yet?"

Chuzheng kept a straight face and said nothing.

"Girl, I have lots of good boys here. How about I introduce you to one?"

Chuzheng: "..."

Whoa!

A matchmaker!

Are matchmakers these days just grabbing people off the street?

Truly random street matchmaking.

The matchmaker was quite dedicated, pulling out a handkerchief and showing some black and white photos to Chuzheng.

"Take a look, girl. See if any catch your eye?"

Chuzheng glanced at the photos out of the corner of her eye. Honestly, the men in the photos were quite handsome.

In this era, not many people engaged in free love; most relied on introductions, so you couldn’t assume someone handsome already had a partner.

But...

The bus arrived.

Chuzheng boarded the bus, and the older lady followed. Chuzheng chose a lone seat, leaving the lady to sit awkwardly behind her.

The road was terribly bumpy, and Chuzheng felt like her rear wouldn’t survive.

The matchmaker in the back seemed to have found a new target and was tirelessly chatting away.

Annoying.

Sitting in the front, Chuzheng had no choice but to listen.

The girl seemed very interested, asking a lot of questions.

Chuzheng also caught bits of the conversation.

However, the more she listened, the more it seemed off. The matchmaker’s description of the southern conditions was something many girls would dream of marrying into if they were looking for a partner.

Why did they need to search on the street?

Chuzheng glanced back at the matchmaker. The matchmaker met her gaze and immediately gave a kind smile, inching forward to chat.

Chuzheng turned away indifferently.

Matchmaker: "..."

The bus slowly stopped, and the matchmaker got off with the girl, followed by two burly men.

The bus started again, leaving the group behind.

Chuzheng looked out the window. The two men were shadowing the matchmaker and the girl from a distance.

Chuzheng turned her head back.

-

The matchmaker led the girl down a small path, and the girl clearly looked a bit frightened.

"How much further is it?"

"Just up ahead, not far at all." The matchmaker pointed forward: "See, it’s just past there."

The girl followed the matchmaker’s finger and faintly saw some buildings, feeling a little more at ease.

She glanced back over her shoulder.

"Ma’am, why are those two people following us?"

The matchmaker glanced back, unconcerned: "Maybe they’re from the village."

The girl felt uneasy: "I think I’ll go back."

The matchmaker held onto her: "Oh, come on, we’re almost there. It’ll be fine. I’ll take you back afterward."

"I’m not going."

The girl shook her head and tried to pull away from the matchmaker.

The strange matchmaker had an unexpectedly strong grip, and the two men in the back, seeing them struggling, ran over immediately.

The men didn’t say much, just held her down.

"What are you doing... Help..."

"Don’t let her call out!" the matchmaker said nearby.

One of the men immediately covered the girl’s mouth, leaving nothing but muffled sounds.

This group clearly had a plan, bringing along ropes and other things.

They tied up the girl, gagged her, and dragged her to a side path.

After turning a corner, they suddenly saw someone ahead.

The three simultaneously stopped.

It was a girl sitting on a stone by the roadside, her legs slightly bent, twisting a blade of grass in her hands.

"Mmm, mmm..."

The bound girl saw someone and made muffled cries.

Help!!

The matchmaker recognized the person ahead as the girl who ignored her earlier, with a blank expression.

Never expected to see her here.

Chuzheng set her foot on the ground, tilting her head toward them: "Are you selling people?"

The three: "..."

The question sounded as casual as if they were selling cabbages.

The two men looked to the matchmaker, recognizing her as the leader.

"She’s alone. Tie her up too," the matchmaker said darkly.

The matchmaker’s target had actually been Chuzheng, but since she ignored them, they’d switched targets.

Now, it seemed, she’d walked right into their hands.

Chuzheng flicked the grass blade in her hand, calmly watching them advance on her.

The man, confident because of his size, reached to grab Chuzheng’s arm.

Chuzheng swung the grass at him.

It was just a blade of grass; the man didn’t guard against it.

But when the grass struck him, his expression shifted dramatically, as if he’d been struck by something with thorns, both painful and cold.

He gasped, took a step back, and out of the corner of his eye saw a silver gleam on the grass.

The silver gleam flashed again, striking at him once more...

-

Five minutes later,

Chuzheng released the girl.

The girl, terrified, collapsed onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

"It’s not always this lucky, to run into someone like me," Chuzheng said coldly from beside her.

"Thank you... thank you..."

The girl sobbed her gratitude.

[Congratulations, young lady, you’ve received a Thank-You Card×1]

Chuzheng stood up, her voice frosty: "Get up when you’re done crying."

Comfort?

There’s no way she would comfort her.

She’s not my Good Person Card; why should I comfort her?

The girl likely just wanted some reassurance, sobbing in fits: "My legs are weak."

With courage so small, she still dared to follow strangers for a date.

After a while, Chuzheng uttered, "Then sit there."

The girl: "..."

-

The matchmaker and the two men lay in the grass nearby. Chuzheng pulled them out and tied them up with rope.

"Get up."

Chuzheng kicked one of them.

"..."

He didn’t move.

Being beaten like that, how could he get up?

He couldn’t stand!!

Chuzheng, regardless, threatened menacingly, "If you don’t get up, I’ll kill you."

"..."

The three helped each other up. With Chuzheng dragging them like pigs, they moved forward.

The girl still sat by the road, seeing Chuzheng leave, she quickly got up.

"Sister, wait for me."

The girl caught up to Chuzheng, tears still on her face.

"Sister, where are you taking them?"

"To sell them."

"????"

The three behind also shivered in terror, looking fearfully at the girl in front.