“Seven or eight kilograms of mushrooms is too little. Did the public society collect them?
Besides, the commune only accepts things from the production team. How are you going to tell others about sending these mushrooms there?
Could it be that these are the mushrooms we grow and harvest ourselves? A small amount wouldn't be a big deal, but if there were a lot, it would be social capitalism, undermining socialism." Zhang Qiurui whispered to her third brother about several black market mushroom sellers. Her third brother's dislike for them wasn't as strong as before, but today she added fuel to the fire.
"Okay, from now on, I'll sell the mushrooms I grow on the black market. I'll go tomorrow." Zhang Wenmin gritted his teeth, slapped his thigh, and said with determination.
“No, Third Brother, you can’t go.
If your employees at the shoe factory see you reselling things on the black market and you are reported, you will lose your position as security captain.
I'll go! It's just a few pounds of mushrooms, so it won't take long to sell them. I'll go and explore the market first." Zhang Qiurui already had ideas and preparations.
It’s a good opportunity to take advantage of the mushroom sales to purchase goods from trading supermarkets and resell other goods on the black market to make a profit.
"Qiu Rui, you..." Zhang Wenmin's face was filled with worry. He knew the complexity and dangers of the black market and didn't want his sister to be exposed to danger. "There are all kinds of people there, and you're a girl. What if something happens..."
"Third brother, don't worry! I'm not a child anymore and I know how to protect myself." Zhang Qiurui interrupted Zhang Wenmin with an unquestionable firmness in his tone.
Zhang Wenmin looked at his sister's resolute face, feeling mixed emotions.
He knew that his younger sister had been independent and smart since she was young, and had a tenacious spirit that refused to give up.
Finally, he sighed and nodded: "Okay, but you have to promise me that you must be careful. If anything goes wrong, come back immediately and don't be stubborn."
"Yes, I will, Third Brother." Zhang Qiurui agreed with a smile, but he was already secretly planning the next plan in his mind.
The next morning, Zhang Qiurui got up as soon as the sky turned pale. Mingqi got up with her. After washing up, they packed the mushrooms, weighed them and packed them in pounds.
After weighing seven bags, there was still more than half a pound left. After packing the seven bags of mushrooms, Zhang Qiurui went to the black market.
However, when she walked towards the black market, she opened the trading supermarket and directly bought 20 kilograms of rice for three yuan.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, all production teams had harvested their grain and distributed their rations. If any household wanted to exchange it for money, they would privately seek transactions on the black market.
Selling to the commune would earn a few cents or dollars less than trading on the black market, so naturally many people would take the risk.
However, after a while, when the food station sets the price for the pigs, a lot of pork will flow into the black market. At that time, I can buy pork from the trading supermarket and resell it on the black market, so that I will not be too conspicuous.
Zhang Qiurui knew this very well, so he prepared rice in advance as a bargaining chip. In today's era of material shortages, this rice is undoubtedly an attractive fortune.
Arriving at the black market, it was barely dawn, but already bustling with activity and a cacophony of voices. Vendors stood or squatted, each displaying their own treasures—from homegrown vegetables, eggs, and pickles to secretly stored food and rare items.
"Girl, nice to see you again? What do you have to sell today?" A middle-aged woman came forward, and when she saw Zhang Qiurui, her eyes lit up slightly and she walked forward and asked.
"It's you! Today we have seven pounds of mushrooms. These mushrooms are freshly picked from the mountains. There is also rice." Zhang Qiurui saw that the person coming was the aunt who bought pork and rice from her for the first time.
The aunt was wearing black leather shoes, bell-bottom pants, a white dacron shirt, and a watch.
In that era, it was popular to wear bell-bottom pants and clothes made of Dacron. If you had one of them, you would be the envy of everyone.
The watch on her wrist gleamed slightly with metallic luster in the sunlight, adding a touch of fashion. It seemed that this person's family was quite wealthy.
"Is that the same rice I bought last time?" Xin Zhao asked with her eyes slightly shining when she heard that there was rice for sale.
The rice I bought last time tasted so good after steaming it. The grains were distinct and it had a natural rice aroma. The whole family praised it highly, especially my youngest son, who insisted on eating this kind of rice every day.
She had eaten all the rice she had bought before, so she thought of going to the black market to buy more from Zhang Qiurui, but she didn't meet him after several attempts.
Xin Zhao thought to himself that he should buy more this time and stock up so that he wouldn't have to go through the trouble of looking for food when he wanted to eat it in the future.
"Yes, auntie, it's still that kind of rice. The harvest is good this time, so I brought 20 kilograms. Do you want it all?" Zhang Qiurui replied with a smile.
"That's great. Is the price the same as last time? If so, I'll take them all. And the seven pounds of mushrooms, too." Xin Zhao said cheerfully, took out a cloth bag from his pocket and began to count the money.
"Okay, seven pounds of mushrooms, 1.5 cents per pound, seven pounds for one dollar and five cents, twenty pounds of rice, 50 cents per pound, ten dollars, a total of eleven dollars and five cents." Zhang Qiurui was calculating the bill while preparing to hand the mushrooms and rice to Xin Zhao.
"Here's the money. I've finished eating this rice. How can I contact you if I want to buy more next time?" After putting away the things and paying Zhang Qiurui, Xin Zhao thought of this and asked.
“After a while, I will come to the black market to sell things every five to seven days.
I mainly sell mushrooms, but I also sell a few other things here and there. You'll be able to see me on the black market then." Zhang Qiurui said a few words to her, waved at her, and was about to go home.
"Oh no! The speculators are here." Just as Zhang Qiurui was about to go home, hurried footsteps and loud shouts suddenly came from the end of the alley, breaking the morning tranquility.
Immediately afterwards, everyone in the black market, whether they were buying or selling things, packed up their things and fled into the alleys.
As for whether you can escape, it depends on your luck.
When Zhang Qiurui heard this, she threw the backpack aside. She had already sold the things anyway.
However, Xin Zhao, who bought her things, suddenly became panicked, because people in the black market, as long as they had goods in their hands, would be regarded as speculators once they were caught.
Xin Zhao bought 20 kilograms of rice and 7 kilograms of mushrooms from Zhang Qiurui. With so many things, even if Xin Zhao didn't look like a profiteer, he would still be arrested.
A hint of anxiety flashed in Xin Zhao's eyes. She looked around, trying to find the fastest escape route.
"Little girl, what should we do? We have to leave here quickly! It will be troublesome if we are caught and put in jail." Xin Zhao's voice was trembling. Obviously, she was not prepared for this sudden change.
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