In Nanjiang County, the time had arrived once again for Feng Qingqing to travel to the Provincial Capital to visit He Yongan. Before leaving, she prepared some food to bring along. This time, instead of the mushroom sauce she had made previously, she decided to make beef sauce.
The beef had been acquired one morning when Feng Qingqing was passing an alleyway and spotted a middle-aged man carrying a basket, moving about with a furtive, restless air. Suspecting something was amiss, she decided to approach him. When the man saw a young woman walking toward him—flanked by two adorable, jade-like toddlers—his instinct to bolt shifted, and he came to a slow stop. He scanned her cautiously, his eyes sweeping over her, before asking in a low voice, "Young lady, what can I do for you?"
Feng Qingqing, who had called out to him because his behavior seemed characteristic of those trading in the black market, felt her suspicions confirmed by his guarded demeanor. Looking left and right, she asked, "What are you selling?"
Chapter 478