Chapter 20: Red Silk is in Heyan Lane, west of the town,…
In Heyan Lane on the west side of town, the air was filled with the smell of oil and poultry manure.
A bullock cart creaked slowly toward them. Originally heading toward the supply and marketing cooperative, it turned a sharp corner under the gaze of passersby and headed toward the black market.
Wang Jiangang sat on the ox cart with a shrewd gleam in his eyes. He whispered to Zhang Mazi beside him: "Mazi, the black market settlement is 30% higher than the price in the supply and marketing cooperative. I'm sure you'll make a lot more money on this trip!" The old bachelor and Hu Gouwa were seriously injured and could not go into the city together.
Zhang Mazi grinned, revealing a mouthful of jagged yellow teeth, and chuckled, "That's great! We can't kill the wild boar for nothing. We have to sell it for a good price!"
When they arrived, Wang Jiangang and Zhang Mazi worked together to lift the bamboo basket covered with a torn quilt off the ox cart. Half of a wild boar's hoof was exposed from the corner of the quilt, emitting a strong smell of blood.
In the alleys along the river, there are middlemen wearing blue cloth sleeves lurking. This is where black market transactions take place.
The man in the blue sleeves came up to him, smelling the meat, and put his fingers into the gap between the torn quilts to feel around. Then he lowered his voice and asked mysteriously, "How much is the red silk?"
Chen Ying remembered that this was slang for wild boar meat.
Wang Jiangang rolled his eyes and smiled: "One dollar and a half a pound, one dollar and two dollars if you have a ticket!"
After he finished speaking, Zhang Mazi shook out a certificate with the brigade's official seal on it, and added loudly in his hoarse voice: "See, we have a 'pest control certificate' issued by the brigade, which meets the hunting requirements." The corner of the paper was still stained with wild boar blood.
This wild boar was weighed at 270 kilograms. If it had not given birth, it would probably weigh more than 300 kilograms.
The moment the bamboo basket was opened, a pungent smell of blood hit them in the face, and everyone took a step back.
A man in work clothes came forward, poked the tender meat of the pig's hind leg with his finger, and shouted with great satisfaction, "This red silk is fat enough, give me ten pounds!"
The crowd immediately swarmed over like flies smelling blood. Everyone took out their crumpled food coupons and stuffed them into Wang Jiangang's hands impatiently.
The urea bags on the ox cart kept dripping blood, and the fishy smell mixed with wild boar blood slowly seeped into the cracks in the stone slabs.
Chen Ying stood aside, her brows tightly furrowed, her face full of disgust, and she involuntarily backed away to the rear of the car, thinking to herself: This smell is so bad, I don't know how these people can stand it.
Chen Ying saw Wang Jiangang's face glowing with envy as he counted the money. She saw the opportunity when there were many people around, quickly put the urea bag on the ground, and poured out all the mushrooms in the basket.
There are many rules for the supply and marketing cooperative to collect mushrooms. Bamboo baskets must be padded with green pine needles, otherwise they will be rejected. She used hay as the bottom, and if she sent it to the supply and marketing cooperative, they would definitely not even look at it. Moreover, the supply and marketing cooperative only paid 30 cents per pound for mushrooms, and the inspectors had to hold magnifying glasses and nitpick like nitpicking.
The caps of the porcini mushrooms piled on the ground had cracks, the red mushrooms were covered in mud, and the chanterelles were dark yellow. Given their quality, their prices must have been driven down horribly.
Chen Ying cleared her throat and imitated the black market codeword Wang Jiangang had used earlier, calling out in a delicate voice: "Look at the fresh mountain delicacies. We have everything from yellow silk, red satin, to gold bars."
She thought that fresh mushrooms would be very expensive and was expecting to get a good price, but the people who came up to ask about the price were shocked by her.
The first lady who came up to ask the price stood in front of her, bent down, picked up a mushroom, looked at it over and over, then shook her head with disgust on her face: "Girl, this is your first time selling mountain products, right? Judging from the quality of your mushrooms, they are only worth 50 cents a pound at most."
Chen Ying's heart skipped a beat, but she still pretended to be innocent, blinking her eyes and replied, "Aunt, this is my first time picking mushrooms to sell, so I really don't know the price. Please be kind and give me a real price."
Passers-by around the auntie couldn't help but remind her: "Girl, your mushrooms don't look fresh. Why don't you sell them separately? Sell them as mixed mushrooms for 50 cents a pound. Don't you check the weather? When the sun shines at noon, these mushrooms will all rot into mud. Then you can only sell them for a few cents."
Chen Ying was angry and anxious.
An old man passing by squatted down and picked up the red mushrooms: "50 cents a pound is a big deal. You have to sell mushrooms early, the earlier you go, the more expensive it is."
Chen Ying forced a smile, her heart gnashing with hatred. No wonder Cheng Xin made the mushrooms into dried goods, she had known for a long time that fresh mushrooms could not be sold at a high price, and she had a whole night to remind herself, but she chose to play dumb.
Chen Ying sold the mushrooms with great pain, counting the five yuan she earned, the banknotes softened by sweat. She was upset that the mushrooms that she thought she could sell for one or two yuan per pound were finally sold at a low price of 50 cents per pound.
Wang Jiangang was sitting on the side, carefully counting the bills one by one, his saliva spitting out the money. The banknotes were shiny with lard. His trouser pockets were bulging with the difference of 53.6 yuan. He had agreed to overstate the price by 40 yuan per catty. This wild boar of 270 kilograms should have cost 200 yuan, but Zhang Mazi insisted on deducting the money for cigarettes, so he had to give Zhang Mazi his share first.
Chen Ying stared at Wang Jiangang's trouser pocket with longing in her eyes. She remembered that the almond honey in the glass cabinet of the supply and marketing cooperative was priced at 1.5 yuan, and she had always been reluctant to buy it.
This wild boar weighs nearly 300 kilograms. Wang Jiangang can earn at least 200 yuan. I don’t know how they divide it, but Wang Jiangang will definitely make a lot.
Chen Ying touched the five yuan in her pocket and felt relieved to have money in her hand. "Brother Jiangang," Chen Ying reached out and tugged at the corner of Wang Jiangang's clothes, and said softly, "I want to go to the supply and marketing cooperative..."
Wang Jiangang was so absorbed in counting the money that he threw out a dollar without even looking up, "Just help me take the Daqianmen package."
Chen Ying didn't expect him to be so stingy, so she could only continue, "My cousin asked me to bring her a box of vanishing cream and clam oil."
Wang Jiangang paused while counting the money, raised his head and glanced at Chen Ying: "Just go and buy it, we'll wait for you."
Chen Ying became even more anxious. She stamped her feet, her shirt tightening around her chest, and said coquettishly, "Brother Jiangang, why don't you understand? This is a chance for you to show off!"
Wang Jiangang suddenly realized what was going on. He took out two dollars and stuffed them into Chen Ying's hand, saying generously, "Buy! Buy the best!"
On the other side of the ox cart, Zhang Mazi couldn't help but tease: "You're rushing to spend money before you even start making a move..."
Wang Jiangang rolled his eyes at him and replied impatiently: "What do you know? She's so beautiful, you want to marry her without spending some money?" When he married his ex-wife, she refused to take his advice, so he had no choice but to force her. Cheng Xin was in the same team as him, so he didn't dare to use the same method.
Chen Ying listened to their conversation with a sweet smile on her face: "Brother Jiangang is really generous, a big box of vanishing cream is 50 cents, and clam oil is 10 cents."
Wang Jiangang patted his chest and said generously: "Use the remaining money to buy some things Cheng Xin likes and bring them back. Be sure to say good things about me in front of her."
Chen Ying walked towards the supply and marketing cooperative with the two dollars given by Wang Jiangang.
The gray glass cabinet of the supply and marketing cooperative came into view. She stared at the Palace Lantern Almond Honey on the counter, which was priced at 1.5 yuan. Her shining eyes were reflected in the glass.
Chen Ying took out the crumpled banknotes and calculated secretly in her mind that she had already hidden the money from selling mushrooms, and there was some money left over from the money Wang Jiangang gave her after buying a box of almond honey, so she couldn't spend her own money.
She put on a confident smile, walked to the counter and said to the salesperson, "Comrade, please give me a bottle of almond honey, and two boxes of the cheapest vanishing cream and clam oil."
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