Reaching a corner, she put down her basket, opened her snakeskin bag, revealing rice and flour.
Her rice was different from others; it was pure white and didn't turn yellow. You could tell at a glance that it was special.
An elderly woman selling fabrics nearby noticed this and quietly came over to ask, "Young lady, how much are your rice and flour?"
Xie Yuyao whispered, "These are special supplies of fine grains. Rice and flour are both 50 cents a pound."
"What! How can it be so expensive! The black market price is only 30 cents, this is outrageous!"
Xie Yuyao remained unmoved, saying, "My quality is better than 3 cents worth of grain."
"Four cents, I'll trade you my cloth." The old woman knew the black market prices well; rice that cost three cents a pound was practically priceless. This rice looked like it was of good quality, but she still haggled over the price.
Xie Yuyao looked at the fabrics she had laid out; they were mostly homespun or linen, which she didn't need for the time being.
“Auntie, I don’t need these fabrics right now. I don’t like haggling, and I’m not asking for an exorbitant price. Please consider it.”
During the negotiation, others who overheard the conversation gathered around. Everyone had sharp eyes and immediately noticed the superior quality. Seeing that Xie Yuyao wouldn't lower the price, they also helped to negotiate.
"Girl, even if your rice is good, it can't be this expensive. We can't afford it, and you can't sell it either. 40 cents a pound."
"Yes, 4 mao, I'll take a jin too."
"Let us try it for 4 mao first. If it's good, we'll come back to buy it next time."
Xie Yuyao shook her head firmly, "No, I said no bargaining. If I can't sell it, I'll take it home and eat it myself."
Seeing that she had no room for negotiation, some people left, but more people stayed and asked to buy.
Most people who could afford to buy things on the black market were simply lacking ration coupons, but they all had some spare cash. This quality of fine grain was a rare find, so they bought it by the pound or half a pound here and there.
Seeing that the rice and flour in the bag were getting less and less, the old lady selling cloth couldn't help but say, "Girl, give me two pounds of each. If you like them, I'll come back to buy more."
Her grandson is sick and has no appetite; switching to refined grains should help.
Xie Yuyao smiled and weighed out two jin for each of them. Before long, all 50 jin of grain were sold out. Xie Yuyao received 25 yuan, which was quite satisfactory according to current prices. However, the buyers here only had money, not coupons.
Where should she go to exchange her ticket? She pondered as she walked, but before she could even leave, the lookout stopped her.
"Hey girl, do you still have rice of the same quality?"
"What?" Xie Yuyao was a little wary. The black market was a mixed bag, and she didn't want to be targeted for robbery.
Seeing her wariness, the other party said directly, "If you still have any, you can sell them to us directly, so you don't have to waste your breath trying to sell them individually."
Xie Yuyao smiled and understood; it turned out they also worked as middlemen.
"Yes, we do, but I need tickets. Do you have any?" If we could exchange them for tickets, it would solve another big problem.
The man didn't have any tickets. "How about we have our boss talk to you?"
"No rush, tell me first how your elders are doing."
The man immediately began to speak proudly. His boss, nicknamed Brother Qi the Third, had some connections and influence in the county. He was a very loyal and righteous person, and the fact that this black market was able to grow in size and be safe was thanks to his connections.
Xie Yuyao thought it sounded plausible, so she agreed. The two agreed to meet at 1 p.m. for the transaction, and asked his boss to bring several types of documents.
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