Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

After checking in, Liu Xiangyang carried his bedding to his room, fetched a kettle of hot water, and lay down on the bed to check his inventory. He realized he didn't have many supplies left, and only a little over a hundred yuan. It seemed necessary to find another black market to make a move.

You know what, taking photos is really tiring. After taking photos of Chen Jie all afternoon, he was already a little hungry.

I recalled seeing a video on Douyin of a state-run restaurant that was fully automated back in the 1960s and that the Premier had visited. I asked the receptionist for the address and learned that it was called the March 8th Restaurant. So I took a bus and headed to the March 8th Restaurant.

I got off at Nan San Street in Daowai District, walked for a while, and arrived at the entrance of the Sanba Hotel. There was a row of blue brick buildings, covering an area of ​​more than 100 square meters, which was already the largest in Harbin.

All state-run restaurants are the same style. Liu Xiangyang didn't know which dishes were good, but he heard that their dumplings were especially delicious, so he ordered a plate of dumplings and a few cold dishes.

After paying, Liu Xiangyang found a seat and sat down. A moment later, he heard, "Whose cabbage and pork dumplings and cold dishes are these? Come and take them quickly, don't dawdle."

I don't know how they manage to maintain the same level of service nationwide, but the portion sizes are definitely impressive. A huge stack of food, and the pieces are large too.

Liu Xiangyang was also hungry, so he picked up his chopsticks and started eating. After finishing the dumplings and cold dishes, he rested for a while and then went outside to take a stroll to digest his food.

After walking for a while, I felt two people walking quickly past me from behind, and I could hear them talking.

"Brother Hou, Fourth Brother received a new shipment yesterday. I heard it contains a lot of good stuff from various countries."

Liu Xiangyang was already planning to check out the black market, but after hearing their conversation, he became even more interested.

I was wondering who to go see that night, and then this guy just showed up at my door.

They're so arrogant, claiming they have all sorts of good stuff from different countries. If I don't go and check them out, I'd be doing God a disservice.

Now is the time when things are at their most tense. Anyone who can get their hands on these things at this time is either an enemy agent or a corrupt official. No matter who it is, they have no psychological burden if they take them.

With that in mind, Liu Xiangyang carefully followed them, spreading out his mental energy to lock onto them firmly, keeping a distance of seven or eight meters from them, and listening intently to what they were saying.

"How could you, Lai Zi, know about this?"

"Hehe, my cousin works for Fourth Brother. I don't have a job yet, so I wanted my cousin to talk to Fourth Brother and ask if I could also work for him. I heard him say that last night when we were drinking."

"Brother, aren't you pursuing Ma Dongmei from the sugar factory? My cousin said they got some new stuff, something called black stockings. Go buy her a pair, I guarantee it'll work."

"You've certainly expanded your business here. I'll come over tonight, the usual place, shall we?"

"It's moved. Otherwise, I wouldn't have told you. It's over at the lumber mill now; you can see it as soon as you get there."

"Wow, that's pretty out of the ordinary. Okay, once you and Ma Dongmei really get together, I'll treat you to a drink."

"Then I'll wait to attend your wedding. I have to go find someone else, so I'll be leaving now."

After listening to their conversation and obtaining enough information, Liu Xiangyang memorized the two men's appearances and then stopped following them.

It's still early. The black market won't open until at least 10 p.m. I'll explore Bingcheng first.

Harbin was known as the Paris of the East, no less than Shanghai. Back then, the proportion of foreigners was particularly high, including Russians, Japanese, European opportunists, Americans, and quite a few squid.

There are many Orthodox churches and synagogues in Harbin. Back then, when Europe was persecuting Jews, the Japanese launched the Fugu Project, which attracted many Jews to Harbin. Although the Fugu Project ultimately failed, many mansions were still built in Harbin.

You should know that these white pigs and Japanese devils made a fortune in Harbin. Each group was driven away by another group, and they all left unwillingly.

One can imagine the chaos they caused when they left the Ice City; there must have been many hidden treasures there.

These hidden treasures are hard for others to find unless the house is demolished, but it's different for me. With my mental power, these treasures are practically mine.

During this training period, I'll first find these slip-ups and collect some interest. Later, when I have the opportunity, I'll visit their country's treasury one by one.

Liu Xiangyang rode his bicycle around, planning to explore Daoli District today, and used his mental power to scan any foreign buildings he encountered.

After looking around, Liu Xiangyang felt a chill in his heart; most of the foreign buildings had been used as government offices.

Looks like there's no chance of finding a bargain today. I'll look for another opportunity later. I'd better stick to dealing with the black market.

After wandering around for so long, it got dark. Liu Xiangyang returned to the guesthouse, showed up at the front desk to get a kettle of hot water, and then went to bed to rest and recharge.

In the darkness, Liu Xiangyang opened his eyes, glanced at his watch, and realized it was almost nine o'clock. He had slept for almost an hour and a half.

He quickly put on his clothes, plugged in the latch, glanced at the Browning pistol in the space, and quietly pushed open the window, using his mental power to sense the surrounding environment.

It was very quiet. When Liu Xiangyang was choosing a room, he specifically chose one on the side, as the rooms next door were empty.

He climbed out the window, followed the drainpipe to the outside of the guesthouse, took out his bicycle, and headed towards the lumberyard.

With his mental energy fully focused throughout the journey, he made no discoveries other than witnessing a few scenes of sexual activity.

More than ten minutes later, Liu Xiangyang arrived near the black market of the lumber mill, put away his bicycle, tightened the drawstring on his hat, covered his face with a scarf, and walked in with only his eyes showing.

The layout of the houses in the black market was very chaotic, with many intersections and low walls. This group of people had chosen a good location, making it easy for both sellers and buyers to escape even if they came to arrest someone.

After turning at two or three intersections, Liu Xiangyang saw a burly man blocking two people and demanding money from them. He looked a lot like the man named Lai Zi he had met that afternoon, so he must be his cousin.

"These are Fourth Brother's rules. If you come in to buy something, you have to pay one cent. If you sell something, you have to pay two cents. But if you exchange things with us, you don't have to pay. Are you buying or exchanging?" Lai Zi's cousin said.

After discussing it for a while, the two asked, "Is the payment calculated per person?"

"Nonsense, of course it's calculated per person."

"Then let's switch," the two said.

"Lai Zi, come here and take them both to Fourth Brother's place."

"Cousin's here." Lai Zi stood up from the shadows. "Come with me, you two, I'll take you to see Fourth Brother."