It turned out that Han Yu's husband was the director of the supply and marketing cooperative. The heavy rain had flooded the cooperative's warehouse, so the children's father had been too busy to care for them these past few days. Han Yu also learned that Song Yan was a sent-down youth; no wonder, although he came from the countryside, his speech and behavior didn't resemble that of a rural person. He looked quite young, but she hadn't expected him to be married. Because they were getting closer, they talked more. Song Yan intentionally brought up the black market. As the director of the supply and marketing cooperative, he knew more about it, since they were practically colleagues. Han Yu knew a lot about the black market and talked a lot about it. Finally, she added that if Song Yan needed anything, she would try to get it for him from the supply and marketing cooperative. She emphasized that he should never go to the black market; things were expensive, and the risk of being caught was too great.
Song Yan readily agreed, but how could she possibly avoid the black market? That afternoon, after Wei Ping finished his IV drip, Song Yan asked Han Yu to watch the child while she went out for a walk. Han Yu readily agreed.
Song Yan found a place to enter his spatial dimension, changed his clothes, put on a mask, and headed straight for the black market. Because of the heavy rain, people from nearby villages couldn't come, so all food items were more expensive on the black market. The county's black market was located in a dilapidated old housing area. Song Yan browsed around first. Interestingly, there were a few run-down houses in the black market that could be rented out by the day for two cents a day. This allowed sellers to temporarily store their goods there. Without further ado, Song Yan rented three days' worth.
Eggs that cost six cents each on the black market had risen to nine cents. The chickens in Song Yan's spatial dimension had not only started laying eggs but had also hatched chicks. If Song Yan hadn't separated the roosters and hens, who knows how many would have hatched. Song Yan took out eight rabbits and 1000 eggs. The rabbits sold for four yuan each and were instantly sold out. Earning 122 yuan was quite a sum. Song Yan also did a shopping spree at the black market. Many people were selling secondhand goods, but Song Yan mainly bought practical items. She spent 25 yuan to buy all sorts of bowls and pots. Song Yan secretly prepared and stored a lot of food in her spatial dimension, ready to use whenever needed. She stewed a pot of fish soup for Wei Ping.
Today, Tongtong and her mother also had fish soup. The fish in the soup had no fishy smell and tasted exceptionally fresh. After the meal, there were also bright red strawberries to eat.
Ever since Tongtong was old enough to eat solid food, Han Yu had been cooking for her at home and bringing the food to the hospital, always including portions for Wei Ping and Song Yan. The couple were paid salaries, but they only had government-supplied food and no extra grain. Song Yan felt embarrassed, but Han Yu was a generous person. She admired Song Yan; at such a young age, Wei Ping took such good care of him, treating him like his own son.
Song Yan didn't hesitate. He said that his father had a very good friend in the county, and that Song Yan had cooked at his friend's house.
The next day, Song Yan went to the black market again. This time, with the small house as cover, he sold 80 rabbits; the rabbits were breeding far too fast. Song Yan had already separated the male and female rabbits, otherwise the cages would have burst. He had also harvested a lot of corn from his storage space, roughly grinding it into coarse mortar with a stone mill to sell. He sold it for 50 cents a pound in the county and bought 200 pounds. He also quickly sold the remaining 600-plus eggs. Although the persimmons were only 3 cents a pound, Song Yan sold them as well.
Song Yan was selling her goods alone, keeping a close eye on her surroundings. When someone hovered around her, Song Yan immediately became alert. She was worried that selling so much might have attracted attention. She decided not to come tomorrow. She had earned over 400 yuan; she should be content. After selling her goods, Song Yan wandered around the black market. An old man quietly approached her, held out his hand for her to see, and then quickly withdrew it. It was a gold bracelet, and it looked very old! Song Yan was definitely going to buy it. These days, fakes were rare, and besides, she didn't care if it was fake or not—it was only five yuan.
Song Yan also encountered a vendor selling used scales. She knew she'd definitely need scales to sell things in the future, so after some haggling, she spent three yuan. She also bought an old fishing net for one yuan and fifty cents.
When Song Yan returned, she brought a rabbit and a large fish weighing eight pounds. Song Yan explained that her father's friend had gone out. Although she had left the key with him, Song Yan didn't dare kill the rabbit. She asked Han Yu to take the rabbit home, cook it, and bring half back—that would be enough for the group. The fish was bought by her father's friend. Since they had fish soup yesterday, they wouldn't cook it today; she'd give it to Han Yu to take home… The rabbit and fish were both valuable items; these past few days, nearby villages hadn't been allowed to sell anything, and things were hard to find on the black market. Han Yu felt quite embarrassed receiving so much.
"Yesterday, Sister Han, you said you'd help me buy the defective fabric, and I didn't stand on ceremony with you!" Song Yan said to Han Yu with a smile.
Han Yu worked at a textile factory, where they often sold slightly flawed fabric internally. These were usually minor flaws, cheap, and usable, requiring no ration coupons. Han Yu asked Song Yan how much he could buy, and Song Yan asked how much he could sell it to her for. Han Yu hadn't expected this educated youth to be so well-off. Because her husband was the director of the supply and marketing cooperative, Han Yu had excellent connections at the textile factory. She got Song Yan 50 feet of white pflanged fabric and 50 feet of blue twill fabric at an internal price of two cents per foot. Song Yan didn't want to take advantage without repaying the favor. Han Yu preferred this kind of reciprocal friendship.
Although the flooded warehouse saved a large amount of goods, many items were damaged by rain or dents and had to be sold at a discount. Han Yu invited Song Yan to take a look when she had time. Song Yan, of course, agreed; she had money now.
A few people were loitering around the black market today, looking for Song Yan and trying to find out his source of goods. Unexpectedly, they couldn't find any trace of him.
When Tongtong's aunt could come and help look after the two children, Han Yu took Song Yan shopping. 100 feet of cloth was quite heavy, and Han Yu pushed it on her bicycle. Song Yan borrowed her bicycle for a while, rode around for a long time, and when she came back, the cloth was gone. She said it was with her father's friend. At the supply and marketing cooperative, Song Yan wanted everything: a basin with a chipped paint, an iron thermos, and a tea rack. There was only one teacup, so Song Yan bought a flawless one. She also bought two toothbrushes and two balls. Song Yan had mentioned that Wei Ping had a twin sister. Han Yu could tell at a glance that she was buying them for Wei Ping and her sister. She liked Song Yan even more; she treated her husband's nephew and niece like her own children—what a kind heart she had! Song Yan still needed many things, all of which could be bought with money or coupons. She also wanted to buy some cotton, but even with coupons, cotton wasn't always available. Song Yan took out her cotton coupons and whispered to Han Yu that she had coupons, but the supply and marketing cooperative didn't have any cotton. Cotton is really in short supply. Without ration coupons, Han Yu could only buy her a pound or two. Now that she has coupons, what's there to say?
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