Chapter 29 Several Black Markets in Beijing
After sending his nephews and nieces to kindergarten, Lin Sanqi had some free time.
When passing by Huangchenggen Park, I saw two old men playing chess under a tree, and then an idea came to me.
Even if I don’t know where the black market is, these retired workers definitely know.
The old men in the capital know everything about astronomy, geography, and even the affairs of the President of the United States and his secretary. As for the country, there is nothing they don’t know. It’s right to ask them for information.
Lin Sanqi quietly moved over and watched the two old men play chess, thinking about how to start the conversation.
It is not an honorable thing to inquire about the black market. If you meet an old man who likes to meddle in other people's business and fight for justice, will you be taken to the police station?
A young man stood beside him for a long time without moving, and he didn't look like a spectator. The fat old man finally couldn't help asking:
"Little comrade, what's wrong with you?"
The thin old man also put down the chess piece, sniffed it and said curiously:
"Is there something wrong with my nose? I can smell the aroma of fried dough sticks."
Lin Sanqi thought it was clever, the old man was trying to get him to do something, so he quickly took out two fried dough sticks from the paper bag.
"Come on, gentlemen, don't be polite, have some fried dough sticks."
The two old men were a little surprised. One fried dough stick cost one or two grain coupons. They wondered which young master had come out?
"Wow, young man, you're so generous! You gave me two fried dough sticks right away. It seems you must be asking for something. Come on, explain yourself clearly, otherwise we won't be able to eat these fried dough sticks without knowing why."
Lin Sanqi squatted down, looked around to see if there was anyone around, and then asked in a low voice:
"Gentlemen, I'm just curious. I'm bored, so I wanted to go to Pigeon City and take a look around. But I just arrived in the capital, and I don't know which direction is which. So, I wanted to ask you two gentlemen, do you know where Pigeon City is in our capital?"
The thin old man frowned and taught:
"Young man, this Pigeon City is a place full of all kinds of people. As an outsider, you'd better stay out of it. Be careful not to get eaten alive."
Lin Sanqi pretended to sigh:
"Living in the capital is not easy. I'm new here and I need to buy everything. I just want to exchange some food from home for some money so I can buy some furniture and appliances."
The two old men were even more surprised:
"Oh, this is really rare. In this day and age, there are still people who sell their own grain? Young man, you probably don't know how precious grain is, right?"
Lin Sanqi thought to himself, you guys are surprised, but I am not.
The fat old man knew the meaning of "one should be grateful to the person who helped him", so he pointed out:
"Speaking of the pigeon market in this old city, I really know that every family has difficulties these days. They either take their old things to exchange, or they want to buy some food to feed the whole family. It's not easy for everyone.
If you want to talk about the largest black market, there are four in the east, south, west and north of this city, but they are all in the effective area and need to leave the city.
The closest place to us is Chaoyang Park, which is located east of Chaoyang Gate and near Shilibao. There is a pigeon market deep in the park. To the south, we can go past Yongding Gate and walk south to Muxiyuan.
To the west, it's in Yuyuantan Park, in the woods near the Ma Temple. To the north, you'll need to exit Deshengmen and ask for a place called Rending Lake Park, where there's also a large pigeon market.
Lin Sanqi calculated and thought, he's doomed. These places are quite far away, and he will be exhausted to death if he just walks on his own two legs.
"Master, is there a pigeon market in this Forty-Nine City? It's closer."
The thin old man laughed:
"Of course there are pigeon markets in the city, but they're just small-scale. You have to know that pigeon markets are illegal. If you're blocked on both sides of the alley, no one can escape. So the real large-scale pigeon markets have to be in the suburbs.
"Do you know what Xiaowai is talking about? It's best to find an open area, preferably with a small forest. There's usually someone on the lookout, so if there's any sign of trouble, everyone can flee in all directions, and no one can catch them."
Lin Sanqi thought to himself, the wisdom of the people is indeed endless. You have a way to catch him, and he has a way to escape.
Seeing that Lin Sanqi was listening attentively, the two old men became more talkative. Old Pekingese people like to talk big:
"Not only does the pigeon market have to be secluded, but transactions mostly take place at night. The traders' faces are covered, and in the darkness, no one can see each other clearly. Buyers and sellers either use a flashlight or a kerosene lamp to illuminate the area.
When they see something they like, they usually don't bargain, just signal each other with their hands and quietly leave after the deal is made. But now there are more hammers, so people can ask the price verbally, but one thing is that they are not allowed to make loud noises, otherwise they will be kicked out.
Lin Sanqi's eyes lit up: "Isn't this just the old ghost market for antiques? The routine is the same."
The fat old man smiled and nodded:
"Yes, it's actually a ghost market, but it used to sell antiques and scam people, but now it mainly sells food."
The thin old man added:
"The pigeon market used to be open at night, but now there are people trading during the day. Otherwise, it would be too inconvenient for city dwellers to go out of town to trade in the middle of the night, and they would easily be caught by patrols."
Come to think of it, if a man were walking on the road in the middle of the night carrying a bag of food, even a fool would know that there was something wrong.
Lin Sanqi took out two more pancakes from the bag and gave one to the old man:
"Sir, what's the deal at the Pigeon Market? What can a newbie like me buy?"
The two old men were very satisfied with the pancakes, so they reminded them more attentively:
“Go to Pigeon Market to see if you are a buyer or a seller.
If you are a seller, you have to pay a 5 cent protection fee before entering the pigeon market. Do you think the pigeon market is formed naturally? Bullshit, it is organized by people with great connections.
If you're a buyer, you don't have to pay. Pigeon Market has everything: food, clothing, and toys. But right now, the main attraction is grain. Many farmers in Beijing often secretly bring grain to Pigeon Market to sell, exchanging it for cash or various coupons. They want everything.
There were also people selling watches, wall clocks, secondhand clothes, bedding, radios, and everything in between. These people were often forced to sell off their belongings because their families couldn't make ends meet. They often didn't want money or tickets, just food.
The most popular places in the Pigeon Market are those that only accept cash for food, but those idiots are rare these days. "What good is money these days? Food is life."
Lin Sanqi was so upset after hearing this that he thought to himself that he was just the idiot who was going to exchange money for cash.
"Okay, sir. Thank you very much."
The fat and thin old men chuckled and said, "Young man, if you have any questions in this city, come and ask us. Don't forget to bring your fried dough sticks and sesame cakes, hahahaha."
Knowing where the black market was, Lin Sanqi prepared to implement his first "traffic monetization" activity.
(End of this chapter)
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