The burly man guarding the black market, holding a cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, his tone arrogant.

"You can see the King of Hell whenever you want. If you know what's good for you, I can let him know for you."

Lin Chen saw him tap his other hand on his pocket a few times and immediately understood what he meant, so he quickly stuffed a pack of cigarettes into his pocket.

The man with the broad face threw down his cigarette butt and crushed it with his foot, saying, "Come back this evening, and I guarantee you'll see him."

Lin Chen smiled and went home first. When he got home, he saw Yu Xiaofeng chasing Lin Tao with a broom.

"You good-for-nothing, all you do is play cards all day long, you never help me with any chores! I'm an old man, I'll die in your Lin family sooner or later!"

Seeing Lin Tao run away in a flash, she sat down on the ground and burst into tears.

Recently, such scenes have been playing out every now and then.

No wonder Yu Xiaofeng was on the verge of a breakdown. After Ma Huijuan left, she had to take care of the old lady and Lin Baojia. She also had to do all the housework, such as cooking, washing clothes, and sweeping. Lin Tao was never home.

Luckily, I kept the labor dividend money from the team in my own hands, otherwise I wouldn't even have money to buy some meat.

Looking at the neighboring houses, Wang Xiufen and Jiang Ning were making money by making clothes, and Lin Chen had cultivated a large area of ​​wood ear mushrooms, which he estimated would sell for a lot of money, she was really envious.

I've never been this unlucky before. When did this bad luck start?

Seeing Lin Chen cut the wood ear mushrooms and lay them out on a winnowing basket to dry, she thought to herself, "With so many wood ear mushrooms, they wouldn't notice if I stole a little, would they?"

As evening approached, Lin Chen rode away on his bicycle. While Jiang Ning wasn't looking, she secretly took some wood ear mushrooms, made herself a small cold dish, and ate it with great relish.

......

Today is the day Lin Qiao finishes school, and Lin Chen goes to pick her up from school first.

When we arrived at the school gate, we could see Lin Qiao and Li Jianfeng standing together from afar.

The two were chatting and laughing when suddenly, Li Jianfeng leaned down and moved his hand towards Lin Qiao's face, his eyes focused and his expression intent, as if he were about to cup her face and kiss her at any moment...

Lin Chen frantically pedaled his bicycle, trying to stop Li Jianfeng's thuggish behavior. But just as he reached them and stopped abruptly, preparing to push Li Jianfeng aside, he discovered that Li Jianfeng was merely picking up dirt from Lin Qiao's hair.

You're smart to know what's good for you!

Lin Chen glared at him with a hint of disgust, then quickly pulled Lin Qiao away.

"Xiaoqiao, stay away from Li Jianfeng in the future. I think there's something sinister about his eyes!" He kept reminding her along the way.

Lin Qiao chuckled: "Brother, aren't you exaggerating? He's only sixteen, even younger than me!"

I'm currently in the same physics competition group as him, so it's normal for us to walk together.

I really don't understand why my older brother is so sensitive; he always interprets everyone in that way.

After sending Lin Qiao home, Lin Chen took the wood ear mushrooms and went to the countryside again.

This time, he successfully met the King of Hell.

The King of Hell had a head of disheveled hair that covered most of his face, and his collar was turned up, making it impossible to see his face clearly.

However, this height and build seem familiar; I feel like I've seen them somewhere before.

"You want to cooperate with me?" Before he could think further, Yama spoke, his voice clearly a deliberately forced hoarse tone.

Lin Chen: "That's right. I heard you're in control of the black market now. I have a batch of wood ear mushrooms I want to sell. Do you want them?"

"Black fungus is a hot commodity, it's scarce everywhere right now, how much do you have?" Yama probed him.

Lin Chen: "Tell me your offer first."

He's not stupid. If you tell him he has 500 jin (250 kg) on ​​hand, he'll definitely try to drive down the price.

Unexpectedly, the King of Hell told him directly that he could only give him one piece at most.

Dried wood ear mushrooms can sell for at least two yuan a pound on the black market, but he only offered one piece. He might as well have sold them retail.

"Your offer is too low. I can accept one dollar and fifty cents. I'll wait to hear if you change your mind!"

After saying that, Lin Chen left without looking back.

Yama watched his departing figure and chuckled, "This market is mine now. Let's see who dares to take your goods? Want to sell in small quantities? Don't even think about it!"

He watched Lin Chen's departing figure, a fierce glint in his eyes.

When Lin Chen returned home, dinner was already prepared, waiting for him to wash his hands and eat.

Jiang Ning asked him if he had found a buyer yet.

While washing his hands, Lin Chen said, "I did see that black market kingpin, but he was too aggressive in driving down the price, so I didn't agree. Let's think of another way. If that doesn't work, we'll go into retail."

Retail is very time-consuming, so Jiang Ning suggested he go to the county town to take a look.

"That's right, how could I forget? There's a Boss Biao in the county town."

Lin Qiao looked up blankly: "Brother, I don't understand any of what you're saying. What's with all this talk about the King of Hell and Boss Biao? Who are they? Do I know them?"

Lin Chen smiled at her and said, "This is an adult matter; you don't need to know."

I thought to myself, she goes to school every day, how could she possibly know these people in the black market?

The next day, Lin Chen took the samples to the county town.

He was very uneasy. He hadn't seen Master Biao for a long time and didn't know if he was still active in the black market.

He wandered around the alley behind the movie theater but didn't see anyone. He then tried his luck at the warehouse where the three major items used to be stored, but still didn't see him. Just as he was about to give up, Boss Biao made a dazzling appearance...

With his slicked-back hair, long wool coat, and chunky leather shoes, he held a cigarette between his fingers, looking all pretentious.

Lin Chen looked very friendly and greeted him with a smile.

"Brother Biao, we meet again!"

Jiang Ning originally wanted to reach out and pat his shoulder, but realized she couldn't reach it, so she patted his arm instead.

"Xiao Lin, long time no see! Where have you been making your fortune lately?"

Lin Chen smiled and said, "Brother Biao, you're joking. My family has been poor farmers for three generations, how could I dare to get rich? I have a batch of black fungus on hand recently, I wonder if you have any sales channels?"

Jiang Ning's expression froze. Holding up her cigarette, she pretended to be deep in thought, letting the smoke drift away. After a dozen seconds, she finally spoke:

"I'll take it. How much? Name your price!"

Lin Chen told the truth: "I have 500 jin on hand right now, and more will follow. It's 1.5 yuan per jin."

Jiang Ning sighed, "He's really honest. He gives Yama whatever price he's willing to pay, and he gives her the same price."

She readily agreed, "No problem, but I have one condition: from now on, your goods can only be given to me, not sold at retail."

If the goods can be shipped out quickly, what else is impossible? Lin Chen immediately agreed.

Both parties agreed that the goods would be delivered that afternoon.

As they were about to part, Jiang Ning suddenly had a whimsical idea. She wanted to test Lin Chen, so she leaned close to his ear and whispered:

"Xiao Lin, you know about Dacron fabric, right? It's all the rage in Guangzhou right now, and I bet it'll be a hit in Hunan province next year too."

I happen to have a batch of goods on hand, would you like to give it a try?

As soon as she came closer, Lin Chen smelled a faint fragrance, which smelled just like his wife.

I initially intended to refuse outright, but inexplicably changed my mind:

"With the weather so cold now, will Dacron fabric still be able to sell?"