They abandoned their cars and walked through several greenhouses. Zhang Guodong could see that each greenhouse was already sprouting greenery. At this time of year, the vegetable farmers had already planted seedlings, and in another twenty or thirty days, fresh vegetables would probably be on the market.
"I'm a businessman, I'm here to gamble, you can't treat me like this, ah—" At this moment, a voice shouted desperately from the side of the shed, followed by a series of cracking sounds, and then the person screamed in agony. The scream was then covered up, presumably because his mouth was gagged.
Zhang Guodong was shocked. Was no one in charge here? How could it be in such a mess?
Then, two burly men carried out a person who was on the verge of death, followed by another person who held a small camera and gestured to Ah Biao.
Ah Biao's expression was indifferent; he simply nodded slightly. Then they put the person on a bread roll, drove away, and no one knew where they would take them.
“That person stole the trading market data—” Seeing Zhang Guodong’s astonished expression, A Biao said something unusual. “No communication or photography is allowed here!”
Zhang Guodong was skeptical. The man was carrying a camera; perhaps he was a reporter? Would a reporter dare to hit someone like that? Wasn't he afraid of being exposed?
"The person with the camera isn't necessarily a reporter. Reporters usually don't come here. Instead, it's often people with ulterior motives who use this method to obtain information. However, these people can't get close to the market at all. What happened just now is nothing; it happens all the time!" Old Cao said simply. He had seen this kind of thing many times. Sometimes, certain things can't be accomplished with political power; that's when collusion of interests takes place.
There was something else I didn't say: even as a reporter, I still had to abide by the rules here. The reason the black market could operate here wasn't simply because the organizers were rich and had connections.
This incident greatly shocked Zhang Guodong. Still somewhat skeptical, he took out his phone to check, only to find that there was no signal at all. Moreover, A Biao was staring at Zhang Guodong with a very unfriendly gaze.
"Put it away. Communication devices aren't allowed after the transaction starts, or you'll get into trouble!" Old Cao chuckled. "But even if you did take it out, it wouldn't help; the interference signal is very strong—"
As for just how powerful it was, Old Cao didn't elaborate. A black market that has existed for so long must have its reasons for existing.
The black market was located in one of these locations, and the trading site changed constantly. Along the winding road, one could see people wary of anyone approaching, all exuding a menacing aura. Only when they saw Ah Biao with his men did they cease their vigilance. These men were the black market's henchmen, a group of elites!
"I wonder if he's carrying any firearms?" Zhang Guodong thought to himself, clicking his tongue.
Upon arriving, Old Cao fell silent and simply followed Ah Biao. Soon, the group entered a large greenhouse. This greenhouse appeared no different from the others, but upon entering, they discovered it was already packed with over a hundred people.
These people, men and women, dressed in suits and ties or exuding an air of sophistication, spoke with different accents, but all possessed an imposing presence. The three of them spoke in hushed tones, completely unconcerned about Zhang Guodong and his group's arrival. Clearly, they were used to it.
This was the temporary gathering place. Once everyone had gathered, Ah Biao and his men sealed the door, and no more guests would be received after that time. The management seemed quite strict.
Zhang Guodong rarely spoke after entering, simply observing and listening silently. Old Cao was a familiar face; as soon as he arrived, someone came over to greet him—clearly a fellow professional. However, Old Hao and Zhang Guodong were here for the first time, so everyone glanced at them with surprise and then ignored them, not approaching to speak. Clearly, these people remained wary.
Zhang Guodong was puzzled by this.
Old Hao then explained in a low voice, "Only cash transactions are allowed here. Basically, everyone has a bodyguard and a money box. Online banking transfers are prohibited!"
The implication was clear: this group was rather exclusive, and without someone familiar with the area to guide them, it was impossible to participate. Old Hao had heard Old Cao nag him quite a bit, and although he knew a fair share of the rules, he was still somewhat familiar with them.
Zhang Guodong glanced around and, sure enough, saw many people carrying suitcases, each boss accompanied by an entourage. The suitcases were likely filled with cash, with some people even carrying two or three suitcases, enough to hold tens of millions of yuan.
It was almost nine o'clock.
A slightly thin man, dressed in fine clothes, walked out from the innermost part. He was about forty years old and had several subordinates with him. Ah Biao also walked over and stood behind this man, looking very imposing!
This is the organizer of this transaction – General Manager Jiang!
"Everyone, the new stock just arrived this morning. As usual, please follow me!" Mr. Jiang glanced at everyone, said with a smile, and led the way. Clearly, this scene repeated itself almost every few days; everyone was numb to it and didn't want to waste time.
Time is money, so everyone hurried to catch up and stopped talking.
"Let's go check the goods!" Old Hao nudged Zhang Guodong, reminding him. "The goods are in other greenhouses; they'll be hard to find without someone to guide us!"
Zhang Guodong stared in disbelief and said, "Isn't this a bit too cautious?"
Old Cao, who was in front, chuckled and said, "You can't be careless. Each transaction here involves tens or hundreds of millions of yuan. That's no small sum. We gather here and inspect the goods in other greenhouses—that's the rule! Otherwise, we couldn't stay in business. In fact, our reputation here is excellent—"
"Oh, so there are other markets?" Zhang Guodong asked in surprise.
"Shh, you can't just ask or say things like that. Sometimes competitors are enemies, but the market can't be sustained by just one or two companies. But I, Lao Cao, really like it here!"
Old Cao said calmly, then exchanged a smile with Old Hao. Clearly, he didn't want to continue this topic; it was taboo. If someone was an insider, it wouldn't matter, but a newbie asking so many questions could raise suspicions of malpractice, and they might be mistaken for an undercover police officer—that would be a serious problem.
"Xiao Zhang, if you're interested, you can try your luck!"
Having roughly guessed the minor rules, Zhang Guodong smiled helplessly: "I'll pass, I'm just here to see what's going on, I can't afford to play this game!"
He only had about 30,000 yuan on him, which probably wasn't enough to gamble on unless he found a bargain and there was no competition.
"What about you, Lao Hao?" Lao Cao turned to Lao Hao and asked.
Old Hao brought money, and the driver, Xiao Zhao, carried a suitcase, which was estimated to contain one or two million yuan.
However, Old Hao, being of a higher level, smiled faintly and said, "It depends. My knowledge of flowers and trees isn't as deep as yours!"
"Haha, Lao Hao, you're just showing off. Who's usually bragging about health preservation and plants?" Lao Cao clearly didn't believe Lao Hao's story. It's practically impossible to have such profound health preservation techniques without some knowledge of plants.
As they were talking, they arrived at a large greenhouse, which was more than ten meters away from the previous greenhouse.
The greenhouse looked very simple. The seedlings on the ground had just been leveled, and small wooden stakes were placed on both sides. These small trees were no more than 1.5 meters tall, and the branches and twigs at the ends had been pruned. The roots were wrapped with hemp rope and covered with clods of soil, which made them easy to survive. So it was quite difficult to tell what kind of plants they were.
Only a very few root systems are truly distinctive, perhaps in color, shape, or scent, but these are extremely rare; most root systems look quite similar. However, relying on this distinction makes it easy to be fooled. Each of the plants involved in the betting is subtly different from the real thing. Otherwise, it wouldn't pique people's interest in betting!
"Most of these are wild bonsai trees, small species. As usual, the base price is 5,000, and you can bid freely!" President Jiang announced with a smile after everyone entered the greenhouse.
"Five thousand?" Zhang Guodong asked in surprise.
When he came, he heard that the base price was 20,000, how come it became 5,000 here?
"This shed is full of bonsai trees, also known as small trees. They are small in size, so the base price is low. But the biggest transactions here are not small trees. Small trees are just appetizers. But if you are lucky, you may find some treasures," Lao Cao explained.
Old Cao and Old Hao were clearly more knowledgeable than Zhang Guodong. As soon as the organizer announced the start, they left Zhang Guodong behind and began to show off their skills. Everyone's eyes were drawn to the many small tree species, which sparkled. Some people even used magnifying glasses to carefully observe the types of small tree species.
Since the root system cannot be seen, it can only be identified by the root veins, branches, color, smell, and shape. There are common small tree species, which cost around a few hundred yuan, as well as precious small bonsai trees, which can cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yuan. These small tree species are generally not available for purchase outside.
With a base price of five thousand, the potential to win hundreds of thousands is merely a way to cultivate one's tastes; it's perfectly suited for collecting.
Zhang Guodong, standing behind, was utterly exasperated. He knew absolutely nothing about plants and trees; relying on so-called experience to observe them was practically impossible. He couldn't help but feel discouraged. How was he supposed to identify them? The saying "a trade is like a mountain" was certainly true.
After following the crowd to watch the excitement and pass the time, Zhang Guodong decided to go out on his own. He avoided crowded places and instead went to sparsely populated areas.
This action is purely amateurish.
When many small tree species were considered ordinary, naturally no one would come forward to buy them, and that's exactly what Zhang Guodong was picking out. Gradually, his mindset calmed down.
I didn't plan to spend any money when I came, so I just brought about 30,000 yuan as a token gesture. This trip to broaden my horizons has truly lived up to its name.
On the other side.
However, Zhang Guodong was seen by two acquaintances: Brother Jun, the boss of Damingtang, and Sister Mei. Zhang Guodong did not notice them at first, but the two were quite surprised to see him.
Brother Jun is worth hundreds of millions and owns many businesses, such as Da Ming Tang, which he co-owns. It's a place specifically for entertaining important figures; otherwise, there would be no need for them to continue operating Da Ming Tang.
Since partnering with Zhang Guodong, Da Ming Tang's business has indeed seen a turnaround, though profits are meager. It's simply unrealistic to expect that a five-star hotel could be saved by just two kinds of all-natural vegetables.
Therefore, they didn't pay much attention to anything in the big market. However, they had their own hobbies: gambling on stones and flowers/trees. The two of them had two years of experience in this black market for flowers and trees.
But unexpectedly, I ran into Zhang Guodong in this kind of place.
"Wasn't that the young man just now? Clothes make the man, and now he looks quite dashing!" Sister Mei said with a smile. She was still dressed in that rather tacky style, with a lot of dazzling accessories, but with makeup, she had an enviable figure. Her breasts were prominent and her deep cleavage was eye-catching. Her features were delicate, and her figure was just right. She was a beauty in the making, and she had been with Brother Jun.
When Sister Mei mentioned Zhang Guodong, Brother Jun became slightly jealous, frowned, and snorted.
Jun Ge was very focused on possessing women. Although Sister Mei was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, she was one of the women who attracted him the most, especially her wantonness in bed, which captivated him.
"Just a vegetable vendor, what, you little hussy, have your eye on him?" Brother Jun raised an eyebrow, speaking with disdain. His bandit-like and domineering air was undisguised.
Sister Mei rolled her eyes at Brother Jun and said, "There's a strong smell of vinegar in the air. I heard Green Treasure Pavilion has closed down. Aren't you even concerned?"
"Hmph, even if the business closes down, the supply of Da Ming Tang will still continue as usual, right? Who dares to cut off my source of income? Why should I care about other people's lives?" Brother Jun hugged Sister Mei tightly and said disdainfully.
Cold-bloodedness is an essential quality for those who live in the underworld, and Brother Jun clearly has it.
From humble beginnings to a net worth of hundreds of millions, it's clearly remarkable; one can't do it without some guts.
"You're hurting me. What people are saying is that Green Treasure Pavilion doesn't just sell two kinds of vegetables, but also seafood, which I heard is very expensive!" Sister Mei said coquettishly, then reminded her.
Jun frowned slightly; he knew about this. However, Green Treasure Pavilion also partnered with 'Jiahao,' someone he couldn't afford to offend.
Speaking of this, Brother Jun was very frustrated; he couldn't eat the meat that was right in front of him. Some customers had requested that the food at 'Jiahao' was authentic, while 'Damingtang' didn't, but he was very hesitant about it.
"We'll talk about this when we get back!" Jun Ge glanced at Zhang Guodong in the distance, his brows furrowed deeply.
This matter still needs to be resolved!
A hint of smugness flashed in Sister Mei's eyes.
Zhang Guodong, engrossed in admiring the saplings, was completely unaware that someone had gotten him into trouble. This tacky-looking woman was no ordinary person; she was adept at sowing discord.
Zhang Guodong was currently stroking the small saplings with great interest, a gesture that made many people frown. After all, plants need care; what if rough handling damages them?
Just like a fine work of art being moved and disposed of arbitrarily, which has drawn criticism from many people.
Of course, Zhang Guodong wouldn't notice any of this; he was getting more and more excited as he touched her!
P.S.: It's Friday, everyone should be taking a break, right? But the workings of life never stop, sigh. I still have to write every day, and edit before uploading.
Here's a chapter of nearly four thousand words, presented early, hoping for some recommendation votes, favorites, and rewards. If you have any votes, throw them at me!
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