Chapter 2: "Madam, I Don't Charge"

As Li Yi'an was excited about earning his first bucket of gold, suddenly, he froze in place.

He was startled – a screen appeared out of nowhere, showing the streets of London through a translucent screen that only he could see, and everything seemed to be frozen.

The double-decker bus that was moving stopped in the middle of the road, pedestrians stood still like wax figures, and even the smoke he had just exhaled hung motionless in the air.

A string of words appeared on the semi-transparent screen.

[First transaction completed, initiating learning skill 'Commerce', would you like to learn?

It was a system?

Not fear, but surprise. Was this the golden finger of a transmigrator?

He knew it; there must be benefits to transmigration.

What was the skill 'Commerce'?

Was there any need to hesitate?

Now was the time.

"Learn."

As Li Yi'an quickly selected to learn, some basic knowledge of commerce flooded into his mind.

It really was a system!

Then a string of words flashed on the screen.

[First transaction completed, selling 12 packs of Camel cigarettes, 1 ZIPPO lighter, current black market price 4.5 pounds, premium 120 pence, reward experience points 2! Current experience points 7.

There was even a reward!

"This transaction, by utilizing the buyer's urgent psychology to raise the price for sale, can activate storage space. Would you like to activate it?"

There was even storage space?

Of course, he had to activate it. After activation, a house-shaped symbol appeared in the upper right corner of the screen.

Trying to use the backpack, a flash of white light accompanied by the disappearance of the heavy backpack from his back, and a red dot appeared at the warehouse symbol on the screen.

Finally, his shoulders were liberated.

It was just wonderful!

What other functions did this system have?

But now was not the time to study the system.

After exiting the system, Li Yi'an, who was already starving, went straight to a nearby restaurant.

Now that he was a rich man, he deserved a steak!

...

A moment later, Li Yi'an, who hadn't even eaten a strand of beef, stood dumbfounded on the roadside, his whole person stupefied.

"Sir, may I see your food ration card?"

What on earth?

"You're kidding me, that's a food ration card! Where would I get a food ration card!"

Looking up at the barrage balloons floating in the sky, the lingering smell of gunpowder in the air reminded him – it was wartime, and many things were drastically different from normal.

Otherwise, how could those few cigarettes sell for such a high price?

"You kidding me, no wonder they're willing to pay a high price for cigarettes. Without cigarette coupons, even if you have money, you can't buy them..."

In fact, even if there were cigarette coupons, he definitely couldn't buy Camel and ZIPPO. After all, Britain's foreign exchange had long been spent, and most of the Camel cigarettes and ZIPPO lighters on the market were obtained by British women sleeping with American soldiers.

Obviously, Li Yi'an, who didn't understand the market at all, didn't know that in today's Britain... banknotes were no longer of any use; what mattered were goods.

Feeling the shock of the times, Li Yi'an, though he had money, still couldn't help but continue walking along the street, hungry. In the meantime, he even took a deliberate look into his backpack.

Seeing the bag full of women's products, he randomly took a bottle of perfume sample from the box, and Li Yi'an's face was full of bitterness.

In such chaotic times, who would want perfume?

At this moment, a brunette woman approached, drawing his attention not to the spectacular sight of the laden boughs but to the paper bag she carried in her arms. The bag, with half a loaf of bread peeking out, whether the bread was delicious or not didn't matter to Li Yi'an. His eyes, filled with desire, covered the bread, and drool dripped from his mouth. He even stretched out his hand from his stomach, wishing he could shove the bread directly into his stomach.

He hadn't had a drop of water all day; he was really thirsty and hungry.

The brown-haired woman felt the desire in the man's eyes, but she didn't avoid it, nor did she feel embarrassed. Instead, she boldly met the man's gaze and looked him up and down.

Although he was Asian, he was indeed young and handsome.

Full of desire, the woman's eyes made the corners of her lips curve up, and her beautiful brows seemed to be gently dancing. The two looked at each other's eyes, slowly moving.

As the two were about to pass by each other, Li Yi'an, who was staring at the bread, couldn't help but take a deep breath, and in the bread's wheat fragrance, there was a faint... strange smell.

Suddenly, Li Yi'an's gaze became clear, and he spoke up.

"Hello, miss."

The sudden voice from behind made Stanislava subconsciously tremble, but she immediately turned her head and responded with her sweetest smile.

"Sir, may I help you?"

Although she tried to remain calm, there was inevitably some tension in her heart. This was not the first time she had faced a man trying to strike up a conversation, but past experiences had not been satisfactory. Those men, yes, they were mostly bald old men; this was the tragedy of the times. Young men, they were mostly in the army or in graves.

However, this man, he was very young, and his gaze and posture were full of vigor and vitality. More importantly, his face was adorned with that charming smile. For a moment, Stanislava's heart beat like a young deer.

"Miss, do you need perfume?"

What? She slightly widened her eyes; the emotions deep in her heart surged like a river and sea. What did he mean by that?

He stopped her just for this?

"Um, I have some perfume here."

He raised the small bottle in his hand and continued,

"I think you might like it."

Stanislava slightly furrowed her brows. This small bottle of perfume was obviously not ordinary. In this era, the source of perfume had long dried up. Since Prime Minister Churchill ordered all cosmetics production to be stopped three years ago, the existence of perfume had become extremely rare and expensive.

"It's for ladies!"

Stanislava's slightly raised her hand, indicating the wedding ring on her finger; he was just a fake perfume salesman.

Only then did Li Yi'an realize his mistake in addressing her.

"Sorry, miss."

She straightened up slightly, and the wedding ring on her finger glinted faintly in the sunset,

"No, I don't need... these counterfeits."

"Counterfeits? How could they be?"

Though the man had never sold genuine goods, it was unlikely that they were all fake.

Li Yi'an picked up the perfume and sprayed it lightly, and instantly, a faint fragrance of flowers and fruits filled the air. Stanislava was speechless for a moment, completely stunned by the sudden fragrance. She deeply inhaled, as if she could vividly feel the fresh fruity aroma and the gentle scent of flowers. This was definitely not something that cheap fakes could replicate.

Sniffing the unique fragrance in the air, she gently repeated "Pink Encounter" under her breath, and once again, the image of the man's eager eyes flashed through her mind, just like the warmth of the fragrance.

"The scent of this perfume is indeed delightful, but..."

Stanislava lightly bit her lip, her beautiful eyes filled with struggle and helplessness. While she savored the unique scent, her heart was filled with conflicting emotions.

"But I only have a few pounds left..."

Stanislava sighed. This perfume must be very expensive, and at the moment, she simply couldn't afford it.

As she looked at her complex expression, Li Yianan understood. He smiled gently and spoke up:

"Madam, I don't charge money."

Stanislava was momentarily stunned, realizing the true intention behind the man's gaze. So, this was his real purpose...

Men, after all, were all the same.

Just as Stanislava's thoughts were in turmoil, the man's voice came again.

"Madam, could I exchange some food with you?"