Chapter 151 Nighttime Visit to the Black Market

"Hiss, do they really think everyone else is a fool? They think they can fool a ginseng with just a few words?" The girl had a sweet smile on her face, but she said a word of refusal, "No, we have to try it ourselves to see the truth, don't we?"

After saying that, he used a clever move to push the shopkeeper away, left the herbal medicine shop, and headed to the next one!

Two hours later, the exhausted girl sat down at a food stall, thinking to herself that the whole market was in turmoil and prices were shockingly low. The highest bidder... 7 yuan per plant. Heh heh, if it really sold at that price, I might as well have pulled it up and planted some vegetables and fruits!

"Young lady, you've circled around four or five times already, haven't you found a single suitable medicinal herb yet?" the vendor asked jokingly while frying dough sticks.

"Sigh, some relatives dug up some treasures in the mountains and asked me to sell them in the city. But after asking around, the purchase price isn't even enough to cover the travel expenses!"

"Tsk tsk, that's normal. These days, all the money goes to the drug dealers. Employers pay high prices, while suppliers buy at low prices. It's tough. Sigh, you can try your luck on the black market!"

As he finished speaking, his arm was lightly bumped. He gave his wife a simple, honest smile and said, "Hey, wife, don't be angry. I just thought the girl was pleasing to the eye and wanted to show her the right path!"

Yunxia raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself that something was going to happen. She put a dollar into the plastic bucket and quietly asked, "I might not come to the herbal medicine market next time. My relatives are not well-off. Could you two please do me a favor and point me in the right direction?"

For the sake of one yuan, the proprietress cautiously looked around, coughed lightly, and whispered, "In the backyard of the City God Temple on Putuo Mountain in the western suburbs, there is a black market on the fifteenth of every month. You can buy and sell, do whatever you want. Why not find an adult to accompany you and try your luck?"

I've been to the City God Temple several times, but I never imagined that the legendary black market would be located in the temple's backyard!

Having already devised a plan, Yunxia quickly finished her fried dough sticks and sesame paste, slung her bag over her shoulder, and hurried home. When Jiang Chao returned that evening, she pulled him into the side bedroom to share the news.

"Five yuan a plant, are you a scrap collector?"

During her rehabilitation training, Aunt Wu originally wanted to buy some ginseng to replenish her body, but after inquiring about the price, she immediately gave up and instead looked for a substitute, which cost 200 yuan per plant, something she had also heard about.

"Yeah, at this purchase price, it's better to plant fruit trees. Come with me to the black market. Change your clothes, put on a mask, and I guarantee no one will recognize you."

The boy lowered his head and thought for a moment. Considering his safety, he nodded. "Remember, never leave my sight. If you encounter danger, hide behind me..."

She kept nagging like an old woman, making everyone sleepy. After Jiang Chao finished speaking, he turned around and saw that the girl was asleep on the bed. He sighed, helplessly took off her shoes and coat, tucked her into the quilt, and then turned to leave.

Under the dim moonlight, the sleeping girl turned over, smacked her lips contentedly a few times, and then made no further sound.

April 15th was the opening day of the black market. The two, who had been planning for more than a month, made preparations early. After Wu Lifang and the others fell asleep, they changed into clothes of a style they had never tried before, crouched down, pressed themselves against the wall, and walked with crab-like steps.

Meow meow meow! Meow meow meow!

Little Black, swishing the tip of its tail, tilted its head and stared suspiciously at the two acting furtively.

Yunxia waved her hand, signaling him to come inside, but Xiao Hei refused to go in. Instead, he tentatively took a few steps forward until Jiang Chao activated his Death Stare skill, at which point he dashed into the side bedroom. The girl secretly gave him a thumbs up.

At the end of the alley, the girl clutched her stomach and gasped for breath, "Goodness, this feels like being a thief, it's not pleasant at all."

The boy crossed his arms and said without changing his expression, "Heh heh, that's because you have a weak stomach. Let's go, it's the middle of the night, have you thought about how to get to the black market?"

"Hehe, I have a brilliant plan!"

After saying that, Bugu Bugu made three noises, and a small, dilapidated car drove up from the street corner. It glanced around warily, and after confirming that no one was watching, it quickly pulled the boy into the car.

The fully armed driver took the 5 yuan, started the car, and noticed that the boy's lips were moving slightly as if he was about to speak. He quickly covered the boy's mouth with his hand, then winked and made frantic eye signals to make sure the boy would stop talking before letting go.

Half an hour later, the car stopped at the foot of the mountain. The two put on masks and climbed for more than 20 minutes before reaching the City God Temple. After winding their way through the backyard, they finally saw the legendary Ghost Market.

It wasn't as amazing as I'd imagined, but it wasn't bad either. Vendors wearing masks sat on small stools, quietly calling out the goods on their mats. Buyers dressed in all sorts of clothes wandered around aimlessly, while others went straight to the heart of the matter, haggling fiercely with the vendors. If it weren't for the fact that it was nighttime and they were all wearing masks, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a regular market.

Driven by curiosity, Yunxia dragged the boy around, asking him questions about this and that. They didn't sell a single ginseng root from their bag, but instead bought a lot of unusual trinkets.

"Heh heh, if it were really possible to find jade, would it be sold here? And only 5 yuan per piece?"

"What do you know? This is called finding a bargain. I think these three are pretty good. Don't forget, I've always been very lucky."

Upon hearing this, the boy was speechless. Yes, the girl had always been very lucky. When buying drinks, she would always win "buy one get one free." The price of one bottle could buy drinks for the whole family. She was always guaranteed to win the first prize in the lottery. She had been strongly advised by others to buy lottery tickets.

The girl waved her hand and said, "In a person's life, the total amount of luck is fixed. Once it's used up, it's gone. Only by saving it will it be of great use."

The boy scoffed at this excuse, but never mentioned buying lottery tickets again.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Humph, you've gotten so carried away with your shopping that you've probably forgotten all about the important business!"

Yun Xia blinked slightly, feeling guilty, and said, "How could that be? I can tell what's more important!"

After saying that, he swallowed hard, pulled the boy along, and headed towards the medicinal herb section. After asking several vendors, they finally found a buyer.

"The quality is good, but the size is a bit small and the age is a bit low. Hmm, the medicinal properties are good. 80 per plant, you won't lose out, and I can make a profit too."

Having spent years in the medicinal herb market, I can discern the medicinal properties of herbs with just a smack of my lips. Good ginseng is hard to come by, but this particular ginseng is from a rather rare vintage, so this price is very much in line with market rates.

80, 30 higher than Yunxia expected. Suppressing her secret joy, she asked without changing her expression, "Okay, boss, how much can you swallow?"

"For a small business like this, being able to take in 50 plants is already the limit. After all, the market is only so big, and nobody uses ginseng every day."

"Sure, I have 50 plants. They're the same quality and have the same medicinal properties as this one. Boss, are you... willing to take them?"

Upon hearing this, the shop owner's eyes suddenly lit up. He patted his bulging wallet and whispered, "If you dare to pay, I dare to accept."

With his words, Yunxia felt relieved. She took out a cloth bag and handed it to him. The vendor opened it, turned his head away from the people, counted the herbs one by one, pulled out a few, examined them against the light, and finally chuckled, saying, "The goods are good. I'll take them. Girl, if you have any other medicinal herbs in the future, just look for me."

In short, forget about the ginseng, and choose another medicinal herb instead. The shrewd Yunxia smiled and nodded in agreement. She took a stack of banknotes, counted them to make sure they were genuine, thanked the stall owner, and then left with Jiang Chao.