Chapter 116: Selling Goods Is Not the Same as Fencing Stolen Property

"Big Sister," the two young hoodlums, Lian Sheng and Jin Bao, called out as they skittered over on tiptoes, having spotted Du Yun waiting for them with composed ease against a tree.

"Big sister?" Du Yun’s mouth twitched at the address. She looked to be only fifteen or sixteen, and while the two boys were scrawny, they were clearly older than her. Yet, they called her "Big Sister"!

"Then... little big sister?" Lian Sheng looked at Du Yun, struggling for a long moment before blurting out another title. Du Yun felt as though she might cough up blood.

"Just call me Du Yun," she decided, abandoning the topic of titles. If they kept at this, night would fall before they could discuss anything of substance. She cut straight to the point. "Regarding what I asked you to help me sell last time, have you given it any thought?"

Du Yun looked them up and down. They were dressed in patched, coarse cloth garments that hung off their thin frames so loosely they looked like children playing dress-up in their parents’ clothes. Everything about them felt completely mismatched.

She had learned from the woman at the toy stall that these two had actually been keeping their noses clean lately, avoiding petty theft or any other illicit activities. Since they met her requirements, she had decided to give them a chance. Whether they could seize it and what their future held would be entirely up to them.

"We’ll do it!" Zhang Liansheng and Zhao Jinbao exchanged a glance, a flicker of determination in their eyes, and answered in unison.

"Very well. Since you’re willing, let me lay out the terms." Du Yun nodded. "I have some rare, novel items that aren't usually found here. I need you to sell them for me. I’ll only provide two or three at a time. Try to sell them for as high a price as possible; if you exceed my expected price, you can keep twenty percent as your commission."

Du Yun wore a faint smile as she explained her plan, but the two boys looked dazed. Novel items? Good things? What could those even be?

"Take a look, it’s something like this." Seeing their confusion, Du Yun flipped her hand and produced a digital watch, laying it out before them.

On Blue Water Star, these watches weren't common for everyone. Due to the unique nature of the harbor district, staff were equipped with them to ensure accurate timekeeping. The leaders had no interest in such things, and the others didn't have much use for them, so they eventually ended up in Du Yun’s possession.

"What is this?" Zhao Jinbao, being the more straightforward of the two, stared at the black, digit-displaying object. He sensed it was something impressive, but he had no idea what it was or what it was for.

"It’s a digital watch. It functions just like a regular watch, but it doesn't need winding. It runs just by being exposed to sunlight," Du Yun explained slowly, observing their curious expressions.

"Runs just by being exposed to sunlight?" Zhao Jinbao gingerly took the watch from her, turning it over and over. He peered at the numbers on the display, then searched for a winding knob, unable to fathom how sunlight could make it work.

"A standard watch costs several dozen yuan. This digital watch is far more advanced—only people in the big cities can afford these. You must not sell it for less than fifty yuan. For every ten yuan you get above that, I’ll give you two." Du Yun ignored their questions and spoke with a calm, matter-of-fact tone, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

"What? Fifty yuan!" Zhao Jinbao nearly dropped the watch in his shock. "This little thing costs fifty yuan? That’s practically robbery!"

"Whether it’s worth it is for me to decide. Whether you can find a buyer depends on your own skills. What, are you afraid to try?" Du Yun watched his reaction, smiling inwardly. These two weren't very successful as hoodlums, but they were honest; their first instinct upon hearing the price wasn't to run off with the goods.

Still, if they were too timid, this wouldn't work. After all, this digital watch was the cheapest, least conspicuous thing she had. If she brought out anything more valuable, their eyes might pop right out of their heads.

"We’ll do it! Why wouldn't we?" Zhang Liansheng, fearing she might change her mind, stepped forward and looked her straight in the eye. "As long as these aren't stolen goods, I’ll do it!"

"Stolen goods? People in this place haven't even seen a digital watch before—where would I get stolen goods?" Du Yun glared at him, annoyed. She had gone to great lengths to bring these items back from the zombie world; they were ownerless, certainly not stolen.

"That's good then. Even if we get caught, we won't betray you. But I have my mother to take care of, so I'd rather not get into trouble if I can help it," Zhang Liansheng said, scratching his head as he realized his previous comment had been offensive.

"You two tried to mug me twice already, and you say you don't get into trouble!" Du Yun stared him down. He looked so remarkably earnest while scratching his head that she wondered if they were just simple-minded rather than clever.

"Heh heh." Zhang Liansheng chuckled, looking even more foolish.

Du Yun couldn't help but press a hand to her forehead, wondering if she would come to regret this.

"I’ll give you two more watches. Sell them within ten days. If you can't, meet me back here at this time in ten days and return them to me." Du Yun sighed. There was no better path for now; if they sold them, she profited, and if not, she would simply find another way.

"Right! It's a deal!" Zhang Liansheng nodded repeatedly, reaching out to take the watches. Thinking that these items were worth a total of one hundred and fifty yuan, he couldn't help but gasp.

"Alright, I'm off." Du Yun nodded and turned to leave. After a few steps, she remembered the four small sugar pancakes left in her basket and decided to just give them away. "Here, I made these. Have a taste." She shoved the pancakes into Zhang Liansheng's hands and walked away, brushing off her hands.

"Does she really trust us?" Zhang Liansheng clutched the watches in one hand and the pancakes in the other. His heart felt wrapped in something warm and heavy. Being trusted like this—it really was a wonderful feeling.