Chapter 140 Giving the People of Fangcheng a Shock

Hearing the knock, an old man cautiously peeked out. Upon seeing the familiar face of Lao Hei, he stepped aside to let them in.

A large iron pot was set up in the yard, and something was simmering inside, with steam rising and carrying a fresh, fishy smell that hit the nose.

Xia Qianqian swallowed hard, tugged at Lu Zheng's arm and shook it, her voice soft like a spoiled child: "Lu Zheng, Lu Zheng, smell it! Doesn't it smell especially good?"

Lu Zheng pinched her cheek helplessly, but his eyes were full of indulgence: "You know it smells good, watch your step."

He helped her step over the threshold, and the two of them came to the stove, where they saw neatly arranged sea fish, mantis shrimp, and crabs!

Xia Qianqian thoroughly enjoyed the seafood feast: the tenderness of the steamed fish, the freshness of the braised fish pieces, the smoky aroma of the dry-roasted prawns, and the sweetness of the fish ball soup...

Every bite was so delicious that her eyebrows twitched. Especially the swimming crab, whose meat was snow-white and delicate, melting in her mouth. It was so sweet that she almost swallowed her tongue, but she managed to resist the temptation and only ate half of it before obediently putting down her chopsticks.

She stared at the remaining fish skeletons on the plate, thinking to herself: How wonderful it would be if Peach Blossom Spring could raise seafood!

Once this black market business is over, I absolutely have to give it a try! Even if it's just to raise some clams and mussels first!

After the meal, Lao Hei led them to a small guesthouse near the dock, familiar with the area.

"The black market opens at dawn, so we can only get three hours of sleep at most," Old Hei said, yawning. "We'll go at three in the morning tomorrow."

Lu Zheng didn't let Xia Qianqian do it herself. He went to the end of the corridor to get hot water and diluted it with warm water for her to soak her feet.

"Hurry up and wash, then go to sleep." He squatted down to test the water temperature for her, his fingertips touching her slightly cool insteps, and added some more hot water to the basin. "I'll wake you up tomorrow morning."

Looking at his earnest profile, Xia Qianqian felt a warm glow in her heart. This man was always like this; he wouldn't say anything, but he would take meticulous care of her.

She soaked her feet in the warm water, sighed comfortably, but her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Perhaps it was the freshness of the seafood, or perhaps it was the fatigue of the journey. Before long, she leaned against the bed rail and began to snore softly.

Lu Zheng smiled helplessly, gently wiped her feet, carried her to bed, and covered her with a blanket.

The night outside the window was as dark as ink that couldn't be dissolved. Just after the first rooster crowed, Lu Zheng gently woke her up: "Qianqian, it's time to get up."

Xia Qianqian rubbed her eyes and sat up, her voice still groggy from just waking up: "Hmm... so early..."

Lu Zheng handed her a bowl of hot soy milk, steam still rising from the rim: "Warm your stomach first. The black market opens at dawn, so we need to get there early."

He knelt down to help her put on her shoes, and added, "After we're done with this trip, I'll take you to eat Fangcheng's most famous shrimp dumplings. They have thin skins and lots of filling; I guarantee you won't be able to eat ten of them."

"Really?" Xia Qianqian's eyes lit up, and her drowsiness vanished instantly. She sipped her soy milk and nodded repeatedly. "Then it's a deal!"

Old Hei was already waiting outside the courtyard. When he saw them come out, he grinned and asked, "Are you all packed?"

The three walked to the car. Xia Qianqian looked at the empty back seat, and with a thought, a neatly stacked sack appeared out of thin air on the seat.

"Old Hei, I'm sorry to have to squeeze in here," Xia Qianqian said.

Old Hei chuckled, hunched over, and squeezed in, managing to make room to sit down: "What's the big deal!"

Lu Zheng walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, helped Xia Qianqian into the car, and then got into the driver's seat himself. The engine gave a low hum, the wheels crunched over the morning dew, and they headed towards the dock.

The night had not yet completely faded, but the wind on the dock already carried a salty, damp scent.

As the jeep turned into the dock area, just a few dozen meters from the brightly lit warehouses, two blinding beams of light suddenly shone on the front of the vehicle.

"Who goes there? This is a restricted area at the docks. Do not approach!" Someone immediately came over, the beam of a flashlight flashing across the car window.

Just as Lu Zheng was about to roll down the car window, Lao Hei had already rolled it down first. Upon seeing him, the guard took a half step back and said, "Oh, it's Lao Hei. Come in."

After the wheels rolled over the gravel road, Lao Hei explained to Xia Qianqian and the others, "The checks here are extremely strict. Only I was able to get in because I had dealt with them before."

He sighed, "If I had been this careful with my black market, maybe it wouldn't have been wiped out like this."

Before he could finish speaking, he chuckled again: "But every cloud has a silver lining! If I hadn't stumbled, how would I have met Miss Xia?"

He lowered his voice, his eyes gleaming, "Following you, I'll live a life of luxury, which is more reliable than guarding ten black markets!"

Xia Qianqian was amused by him and was about to speak when Lu Zheng had already parked the car in front of a huge warehouse. The warehouse's iron gate was tightly closed, with only a small doorway in the side wall through which a dim, yellow light shone out.

"We're here." Lao Hei jumped out of the car and pointed to the warehouse, explaining to Xia Qianqian, "The rules here are different from other places: the buyer and seller don't meet in person, and they rely entirely on intermediaries to relay messages. We unload the goods in the designated area, and the intermediary will deliver the money after inspecting the goods—it's safe, but there's less room for bargaining."

He paused for a moment, then added, "But don't worry, I've dealt with them before. As long as the goods are good, we won't lose money!"

Xia Qianqian nodded, her gaze sweeping over the tightly closed iron gate of the warehouse, before pushing it open and walking inside.

A few dim electric lights shone in the warehouse, and the air was filled with the smells of fish, sweat, and dust from burlap sacks. Several merchants were delivering goods to the manager. Xia Qianqian stood aside and listened for a while. Seeing that their prices were fair and the cash-on-delivery rule made her feel at ease, she felt reassured.

After the people in front finished their transactions, Lao Hei quickly stepped forward and bowed to the manager: "Sixth Brother, this is the customer I mentioned to you."

The man called Sixth Brother turned around, his triangular eyes sweeping over Xia Qianqian and Lu Zheng, his face expressionless: "Did you bring the goods? Let's be clear from the start, the price reflects the quality of the goods. If you dare to pass off inferior goods as superior ones, don't blame me, Sixth Brother, for squeezing the price down until you cry for your parents."

Xia Qianqian didn't panic. Instead, she smiled and said calmly, "Don't worry, Sixth Brother, good products aren't afraid of inspection." She gave Lu Zheng a wink, "The samples are in the car. I'll have someone get them right away."

Lu Zheng understood, turned around and quickly walked towards the jeep parked at the door. A moment later, he returned carrying a bamboo basket full of samples.

Sixth Brother took the bamboo basket without even lifting his eyelids. He rubbed the eggs between his fingers, and when he saw that the eggshells were pinkish-white and delicate, with fresh chicken droppings still on them, he gasped sharply.

Eggs are sold individually on the black market, as precious as eyeballs. I've never seen them so fresh.

Scrolling down further, he saw a live chicken thrashing about in the cage. His eyes widened instantly, and he gasped even louder than before: "A live chicken?!"

In Fangcheng, live chickens are a rare commodity; you might not even be able to get one during the Lunar New Year.

Upon seeing the live fish at the bottom of the bamboo basket, Sixth Brother couldn't sit still any longer. His gaze swept over the tendrils of the wild ginseng, the bright red wild hawthorns, and the plump millet grains...

Everything was fresh and new, a hundred times better than the droopy goods in the warehouse.

He asked eagerly, "How many of these are there? Are they all the same quality as the samples?"

Xia Qianqian smiled and said, "If you trust me, you can inspect the goods now."

Sixth Brother stared at the basket of samples, then glanced at Lu Zheng's composed face. His mind was racing with calculations. If he bought all of these goods, he could make double the profit by reselling them!

The seriousness on his face finally eased a bit, and he gestured with his chin to the shop assistant beside him: "Let's go inspect the goods! After inspection, we'll charge the highest price!"

Old Hei watched with a broad smile, secretly nudging Xia Qianqian's arm: "Miss Xia, I told you Sixth Brother has good taste!"