Ruling the Historical Romance Novel as the Female Supporting Character-Chapter 82: Activating a New Function of the System

As expected, just after leaving the black market, Su Yijia felt someone who had been following her catch up. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, her spine tensed involuntarily, and her body’s hair stood on end. She was drenched in sweat.

While Su Yijia was intensely aware of what was happening behind her, someone suddenly rushed forward and bumped into her forcefully. The person’s impact knocked her to the ground. Her hand grazed small gravel on the muddy ground, leaving behind painful scratches. The pain was so severe that she felt every nerve in her body twitching, and tears welled up uncontrollably.

This wasn’t right. How could the sensation of pain be so intense? According to her memory, the original host of this body was quite tough.

"I’m sorry, are you okay?" The man who had just knocked her down looked apologetic and tried to help her up.

Su Yijia’s body shrank back, avoiding his outstretched hand, her gaze coldly fixed on him. "What do you want?"

"Are you buying old currency?" The man in his twenties lowered his voice.

"What currency?" Su Yijia was momentarily puzzled and still disoriented from the fall.

She thought this man might be a rogue, trying to shift the blame onto her.

"A ten-yuan bill from twenty years ago," the man said, his tone growing more cautious.

Oh that’s the so-called Great Black Ten.

"Bro, if you want to exchange currency, just do it. Why all the secrecy? I thought you were trying to rob me," Su Yijia said, rolling her eyes and patting her chest with disdain.

But why did this man want to use the black market for this transaction when there were still ways to deal with old banknotes, even though the banking system was relatively underdeveloped?

The man felt somewhat embarrassed and explained, "I don’t want to exchange them; I want to sell them. I have ten bills here that my grandfather used to collect. Now, I want to sell them for some money."

Considering that stamps could be sold, he believed that these bills could also fetch a good price. Su Yijia found the thoughts of this man and his family somewhat surprising. Those who collect currency must have some vision.

The Great Black Ten was issued for only six and a half years, and the banks had started recalling them twenty years ago. To retain ten bills from that time, one could deduce from the man’s tattered clothes that his family used to be wealthy but now had declined.

However, it took her sixteen cent to collect an eight-cent stamp, which could be sell at 300,000 yuan in the future. The Great Black Ten, meanwhile, though would also be worthy of 300,000, but the cost was higher. Compared to stamps, it seemed less profitable.

However, rarity made things valuable, and if good items came into one’s possession, it seemed wasteful to let them slip away. Su Yijia hesitated before asking, "So, how much are you looking to sell them for?"

"100 yuan each!" The man immediately suggested a figure.

Su Yijia raised an eyebrow, staring at him as if he were a fool. "Are you trying to rob me? In the city center, you can buy a small two-story courtyard for less than 3,000 RMB. Buying your bills would be like buying a courtyard."

A hint of pride filled the man’s voice as he retorted, "Weren’t you buying them for your collection? Courtyards are meant for living; they have no value for collecting. As long as it’s livable, that’s enough."

"A courtyard is much more valuable than what you’re offering. If I buy a house with a yard, it will always be mine. I can rent it out, and when I need money, I can sell it. I’ll get back whatever I invested, and I’ll have a steady income every month. Isn’t that better than holding onto these pieces of paper and hoping they become valuable in the future?" Su Yijia replied, turning the question back to him. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The man pondered her words, his eyes lighting up. However, his enthusiasm quickly waned. He simply didn’t have the money to buy a courtyard. He had hoped to use this money as seed capital for a small business in the black market. There was no way he could part with his last hope.

"How much are you willing to pay, then?" The man didn’t insist and took a step back, allowing Su Yijia to set the price herself.

"Double the price. You give me ten bills, and I’ll give you two hundred." Even though she set this price, the thought of spending twenty ten-yuan bills made Su Yijia feel a sharp pang.

"That’s too little!" The man immediately refused. He had asked several people about buying his bills, and none of them were willing to pay even a little extra to take them off his hands. Only this young woman seemed open to negotiation. So, even if the price was low, the man was determined to make a deal.

"Please give me a bit more! I’m in desperate need of money, and this is the only inheritance my grandfather left me. If it weren’t for the tough times, I would never consider selling it." He pleaded earnestly.

Su Yijia bit her lip, feeling a bit conflicted as she looked at him. Though he appeared impoverished, there was a hint of determination in him. Perhaps, if he could overcome this hurdle, he might have a brighter future.

Alright, whether it’s worth it or not, she would consider it an act of charity.

"Three hundred! This is my final offer. If you don’t accept it, then I can’t make the deal," Su Yijia raised the price a bit more.

"Okay!" The man agreed quickly, as if fearing she might change her mind. He looked at her with gratitude in his eyes.

His attitude made Su Yijia slightly regret raising the price after all. But three hundred was three hundred, and two hundred fifty didn’t sound much better.

After counting out thirty ten-yuan bills to the man and receiving ten brand new Great Black Tens that he had sandwiched between pages in a book, Su Yijia turned to leave. However, she suddenly heard the sound of fireworks in her mind.

[Congratulations, Host, for successfully activating a random reward! As long as the Host can save or help a character with special potential who may become a prominent figure in the future, you will have the opportunity to trigger a golden finger.] 666 cheered happily.

But Su Yijia had a serious expression on her face and gritted her teeth in secret. "You set off fireworks in my head!"

[Oh, Host, don’t be so stingy. It’s just a sound effect expressing my joy. It won’t actually roast your brain. Besides, is that the main point here? The main point is that you’ve activated a random reward! It’s your good karma for being beautiful and kind.] 666 laughed.

Even though it was a compliment, the use of the term "karma" made Su Yijia feel a bit uneasy.

She grumbled silently but was also filled with joy. Just a moment ago, she thought she was being a bit of a saint. After all, spending three hundred to get three million in return was a very low return on investment.

"What do you mean by ’characters who may become big shots in the future’? Is that man just now someone who will become a big shot in this novel at some point?" Su Yijia asked in her mind while walking towards the bus stop.

Even if someone who had been following her passed by her at that moment, there was no hint of her inner thoughts.

[Yes! That man is one of your sister’s wooers in the future. He will become the wealthy magnate of the Chinese Department Store later on. Do you remember now? 666 reminded her.