When I woke up the next day, no one was home.

Xu Yaodang went to school. Although his stepmother didn't have a regular job, she could often find temporary work and had been filling in for others recently.

Of course, there was no breakfast.

Jia Yue wasn't interested in cooking, so she took out some food from her spatial storage to fill her stomach before heading out.

She spotted Aunt Chen from afar and casually walked towards her. Aunt Chen saw her and spoke first: "Oh dear, why is your face so pale? Is your head still hurting?"

Jia Yue lowered her head: "My head is much better, thank you for your concern, Auntie."

"There's no need to thank me. Judging from your appearance, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"

Jia Yue looked embarrassed, as if she had been exposed: "It's my fault. I upset Dad, that's why I didn't get any food."

Aunt Chen's face darkened: "What a terrible thing! We often didn't let you eat your fill before, and you were still injured! How could you not give you food? What kind of parents are you? Sure enough, with a stepmother comes a stepfather."

Jia Yue listened to her talk while keeping her head down the whole time.

When Aunt Chen invited her to her house for a meal, Jia Yue refused vehemently and quickly left.

As for the excuse, it was naturally to go see a classmate.

I imagine that once she's finished her business and returns, Aunt Chen will definitely be able to spread the word about her deeds so that everyone knows about them.

Jia Yue went to scout out the place furthest from the tenement, found a secluded spot, applied makeup, and with her thick bangs that covered her eyebrows and eyes, she bent over slightly, revealing an image of a woman who had been exposed to the sun for a long time.

As for clothes, there's no need to change them.

Her clothes were old, and nowadays, with only a few fabric patterns, if you looked around on the street, four or five out of ten people would be wearing the same thing.

Then she took out about two pounds of rice, which was collected during the Qing Dynasty. It wasn't very white, but this kind of rice actually looked normal.

There are also two pounds of flour and a basket of pastries for myself.

Last night before going to bed, she thought about it and decided that she still needed to exchange the gold, but she needed to learn more about the black market. She was afraid that if she took out the gold rashly, she would be targeted.

Two pounds of rice, two pounds of flour, and some pastries—these are sought-after items on the black market, but not too conspicuous, since she's only buying a small amount.

This is a good opportunity to investigate the black market.

The black market she chose was about half an hour away from the tenement, specifically on a brisk walk. It was neither too far nor too close to her home, because they weren't in the same social circle, so she generally wouldn't run into acquaintances.

The place was in a maze of alleyways, and everyone was scattered around with their belongings. Each person kept their eyes peeled for any sign of trouble, so they could spot it immediately and leave.

She was a new face, having just arrived, when a man who was about 1.7 meters tall approached her.

"Big sister, are you here to sell something?"

As he spoke, he looked at the cloth bag in her hand.

Jia Yue lowered her head shyly, her voice somewhat hoarse, even a little unpleasant: "Do you want to buy it?"

What do you have?

"Someone in my family is sick and needs money for medical treatment, so I can only bring the little rice and flour that I had saved up before. There are two catties of rice and flour, as well as some pastries that I made."

"Let me see."

Jia Yue opened the cloth bag a crack, and the man glanced at it: "The rice is so-so, but the noodles are quite good. How much?"

Rice and flour usually cost 18 cents per pound, but hers didn't require coupons, and the quality was quite good. Plus, it was on the black market, so the price could reach 23 or 24 cents.

"Rice and flour are 24 cents a pound, and I also have a few pounds of pastries, which are one dollar a pound."

"I'll take the rice and noodles for 23 cents, is that alright?"

"OK."

"May I try some of the pastries?"

"Okay, I'll get it for you."

Jia Yue took out a small piece of pea flour cake and handed it to him, muttering, "It's made with an old recipe passed down from my ancestors. It's said to be a royal pastry, something that the emperor used to eat."

Yinzhen, Hongzhao: How can it not count!

The man took a bite and found it delicious. He wasn't short of money, enjoyed the meal, and felt it was worth the price. Without haggling, he said directly, "I'll take all of these pastries. If you make them again, I'll want more. How about one yuan per pound?"

Jia Yue smiled simply and honestly: "The desserts aren't difficult to make, it's just that we don't have enough ingredients."

"I'll prepare the ingredients."

Jia Yue knew that this person was probably from the black market.

This kind of black market can be described as both unorganized and organized. They are not very conspicuous, but of course, they will test any new faces in the black market.

Using snacks as a way to get ahead, she gained the man's trust and didn't suspect that she was there to cause trouble.

"Don't you know how to find me?"

"You can come; I basically wander around this area every day."

"I forgot to ask, what's your name?"

"Just call me Liu Sanzi."

Jia Yue nodded: "Okay, I still have some ingredients at home. I'll make some more snacks and bring them next time. I'll buy some more ingredients from you then, is that alright?"

"Okay, it's settled then."

After saying that, Liu Sanzi started taking out his money.

The pastries cost one yuan per jin, which is about five jin of pea flour cake. The rice and flour total four jin, which cost 23 cents per jin, or 92 cents. 92 cents plus five yuan, for a total of five yuan and 92 cents.

It costs almost six yuan.

To be honest, it's a bit shabby, with only the pea flour cake being a bit pricey. But this is the black market, and the pea flour cake tastes good, so even though it's more expensive than the market price, Liu Sanzi is willing to pay the difference.

In business, it's always a matter of one party willing to give and the other willing to receive.

They handed over the money and the goods, and after receiving the payment, Jia Yue left immediately.

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