Chapter 104 Xia Wenwen's Rebirth
Old Hei said, “Fairy, you don’t need to worry about where we live. I think the shack that Xiao San built is pretty good. Let’s use the materials we have and build two more. The brothers can squeeze in and sleep comfortably.”
Xia Qianqian nodded gently and said, "Let's make do like this for a few days. Once I buy the red bricks and cement, we'll build a better house."
Then, Xia Qianqian asked Lao Hei, "Since the black market here can't be opened, do you know of any other black markets? Peach Blossom Spring produces a lot of these things, so we need to find a way to sell them."
Looking at the baskets of eggs and bags of grain on the ground, Lao Hei said to Xia Qianqian, "Fairy, these are all good things! Now that grain production is declining in various places and prices are starting to rise, these things won't be hard to sell. However, it's still safer to sell them on the black market."
He stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and then said, "There's a black market in the provincial capital too, but I don't know if they're still operating. If you trust me, I'll go and find out."
The group of people were all workers, and after saying what they needed to say, they began to build the shack. Xia Qianqian glanced at her watch and felt that it was about time for the others to leave, so she said to Lao Hei, "Let's go out and take a look."
The next second, the two appeared in the black market.
The black market was in complete disarray, as if it had suffered a major calamity.
The once orderly stalls were overturned on the ground, and the goods that hadn't been taken away were all looted. Old Hei was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged as he looked at the market that he had carefully arranged for many years being ruined.
He ran back to where he had hidden his money, praying that some of his hard work might still be preserved there.
However, reality was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing his last glimmer of hope. The place where he had hidden the money had long been ransacked, leaving only an empty hole.
Old Hei felt dizzy and his eyes reddened with heartache: "Do you know how hard it was for me? All these years I worked so hard to save money, and I couldn't bear to spend it on myself. I just wanted to find wives for my brothers so they could live a good life. But look what happened, it all went to someone else!"
Old Hei vented his emotions amidst the ruins, kicking and stomping while cursing. It took him a while to gradually calm down.
He looked at Xia Qianqian, his eyes filled with gratitude, and bowed deeply: "Fairy, if it weren't for you taking us in this time, my brothers and I would probably not even have a way to survive. From now on, no matter what you need, just tell me, Lao Hei, and I will go through fire and water for you!"
Xia Qianqian comforted her, "If we lose money, we can earn it back. As long as everyone is safe and sound, that's all that matters."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on the brick partitions in the black market, and she turned to ask Old Hei, "Old Hei, can we use these things when we build our houses?"
Old Hei scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and said with a sheepish grin, "Fairy, I don't know much about this. Why don't we call Xiao San out and ask her?"
The next second, Zhang San also came out of the peach garden.
Seeing the black market in such a state of chaos, he beat his chest in frustration and asked the old man excitedly, "Brother! Where's our money? Was it stolen?"
Old Hei's grim expression had already given Zhang San the answer. Zhang San immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, squatting on the ground, so worried he almost pulled his hair out.
Old Hei comforted him, saying, "The fairy said money can be earned back. If we work for the fairy, why should we worry about not having money?"
Zhang San's eyes widened suddenly. His boss's flattery skills were getting better and better! Oh no, his position was probably going to be completely taken over by his older brother.
Thinking of this, he rubbed his face vigorously to wipe away the mournful look, then turned to Xia Qianqian: "Fairy! From now on, if you say go east, we will never go west, and we will definitely work hard for you!"
Seeing the third brother's obsequious manner, Lao Hei was speechless. He coughed and said, "We called you out because we have something important to discuss! When we were building the house, we mentioned that we were short of red bricks, right? These partitions are made of bricks. Take a look and see if you can use them."
After hearing his elder brother's words, Zhang San composed himself and began rummaging through the bricks in the ruins.
After a while, he said to Xia Qianqian, "Fairy, these bricks are fine for building a simple house, but if you want to build a sturdy house, it's better to use new bricks."
Hearing him say that, Xia Qianqian understood and said, "Since that's the case, then let's not waste them. I'll take the red bricks to Peach Blossom Spring later, and you can use them to build a simple house. It's better than living in a shack. As for the rest, I'll buy new bricks after Lao Hei goes to the provincial capital and finds a seller."
After saying that, Xia Qianqian put all the red bricks into Peach Blossom Spring. As for how many they could use, she would let Zhang San and the other brothers choose from among them.
After doing all this, Xia Qianqian gave Lao Hei some money and told him to go to the provincial capital alone first, and then meet up with her in Xiangyang Village after he found out the information.
Once everything was arranged, she calmly left the black market, intending to go to the pharmacy to purchase medicine.
Walking down the commercial street, she found that every shop was closed. She inquired and learned that the recent fighting had forced many shops to close. No one knew when they would reopen. Left with no other option, Xia Qianqian had to return to Xiangyang Village.
On the way back, she thought that it wouldn't be bad if life could continue like this. Once Lao Hei found a new black market in the provincial capital, Peach Blossom Spring would definitely get better and better.
But she was unaware that a huge crisis was about to unfold.
In the south of the city, Mr. Xia, unusually, did not go to the office, but instead sat in the living room smoking one cigarette after another.
Xia's mother asked softly, "...Haven't you reached an agreement yet?"
Since the people from No. 8 moved into the South City, prominent merchants from the city immediately went to pay them a visit. However, not only did No. 8 refuse to see them, but they also locked up several of the more assertive ones as an example to others.
With doors and windows closed everywhere in the city, Mr. Xia's business has been greatly affected.
Even he wasn't sure how long this situation would last.
The members of the Chamber of Commerce discussed the matter for half a day today, but still could not come up with a solution.
Just then, Xia Wenwen ran over and said urgently, "Dad, let's leave Nancheng, shall we?"
Seeing that Mr. Xia was in a bad mood, and fearing that her daughter might say something that would upset him, Mrs. Xia quickly said, "Wenwen, we women don't understand things outside. Let your father think about it. Go back to your room first. Didn't we hire a teacher to teach you to play the piano? Practice the pieces until you're more familiar with them. Next time we get together, I'll let you show off your skills."
Normally, these words would have appeased Xia Wenwen. But this time, they only made her more anxious.
Xia Wenwen turned to Mr. Xia and said, "Dad, I'm not making this up! Believe me—I've met some friends from the provincial capital, and they all say that the whole country is in chaos right now, just like here! Everyone says this chaos won't end anytime soon, and many people have already left... If they don't leave now, it'll be too late once their money and cars are all looted!"
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