"Mom, this town is so bustling and lively!" Zhao Hongjun looked around for a long time and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. No wonder everyone longs to work and live in the town.
In comparison, Wuyou's expression was very calm. After all, she had seen modern society, and this was nothing to her.
The two had a clear goal: to head straight for the largest department store in the area. Nowadays, people working in department stores were essentially government employees, and they didn't have the same service attitude as in later generations. They sat lazily behind the counter without saying a word.
Some people even looked at the two with a hint of disdain, because Wuyou and his companion were dressed so poorly that they looked like they came from the countryside and probably didn't have much money.
City dwellers always have an innate sense of superiority, which can be seen in Huang Siwen and her friends. The only exception is Yu Xiaohong, who comes from the future and has a good understanding of future development trends. By then, the boundaries between cities and rural areas will no longer be so clear.
"Big sister, how much is this white sugar per pound?" Wuyou asked with a smile as she looked at the white sugar on the shelf.
As the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face. Although the older sister looked down on people, she still answered truthfully, "With sugar coupons, it costs seven or eight cents a pound; without sugar coupons, it costs one dollar and twenty cents a pound."
Wuyou kept this in mind after hearing it, and then turned to the next counter, spending two hours wandering around the department store.
Zhao Hongjun obediently followed behind his mother, unaware of the gazes of the two women beside him. Women are always natural shoppers, and Huang Siwen and her companion wandered around outside for a long time, as they had only been to the town a handful of times.
As soon as I entered the department store, I heard a group of sales clerks whispering among themselves, and the first thing I saw was Wuyou and her companion, who were wandering around aimlessly.
"He really is a penniless pauper. He can't afford anything, yet he dares to come to this department store." Huang Siwen couldn't help but mutter a few words, and even felt that he was a fool for wavering at that moment.
Yu Xiaohong's eyes flickered, and she smiled as she pulled Huang Siwen to the counter to the side. "Let's go, let's go shopping."
Neither of the Zhao family members, mother and son, are easy to mess with, especially Aunt Zhao, whose mouth can talk a dead person back to life. Last time, she made me look bad, and I finally managed to recover some of my reputation. It's best not to provoke her.
"Let's go!" Wuyou didn't care about the two of them at all. Having obtained the information she wanted, she pulled her son away.
While carrying the basket, Wuyou reached out and stroked the eggs inside, but mentally spoke to the system, "San San, help me search for the black market in this area."
[Search skill activated - 5 points deducted, host can now locate the black market using the map.]
As soon as San San finished speaking, a precise map appeared before Wu You's eyes. The flashing red dots represented their location, while the green dots indicated their destination. The two searched for more than 20 minutes before finally finding the black market in a secluded street.
Covering her face with a hat she had prepared beforehand, Wuyou pulled her son to a seat and first opened the basket she had been carrying, revealing white eggs and fresh tofu inside.
Zhao Hongjun's basket contained two grass carp weighing over two or three pounds each, some pickled rabbit meat, mushrooms, and other good things he had obtained from the back mountain.
"How much are these eggs? Do you need a ticket?" Soon someone came over, his face hidden by a hat, and his voice was very low; he was clearly an experienced person.
In those days, goods were scarce, and some things were unavailable even if you had money. This was evident in department stores, where items were expensive and often required ration coupons for food and cloth. But where could one find such coupons? As a result, many people had money but couldn't spend it, leading to the emergence of the black market.
"Nine cents each, no tickets required." Wuyou lowered her voice, making it neutral. Nowadays, most clothes are baggy and similar in color, so it's hard to tell if someone is male or female. She had inquired beforehand; with tickets, it was seven cents each, without tickets, it was one yuan.
"..." The other party was silent for a while, and finally gritted their teeth and said, "I want ten, wrap them up."
"You have good taste. For every ten eggs, I'll give you a small piece of tofu." Wuyou smiled. Tofu doesn't keep well, so giving it away would be a nice gift. Before Wuyou could even speak, Zhao Hongjun obediently stepped forward, packed the tofu, and put it in the other person's bag.
People in this era are mostly simple and honest. The other party hesitated for a moment and wanted to return the tofu, but Wuyou stopped him, saying, "This thing is not worth much. If you have the chance, you can come again next time."
The two were lucky today; the black market was bustling with people, and they managed to sell almost everything they had, practically giving it away. Seeing that time was running out, they packed up their things and hurried back home.
No one suspected them, after all, the temperament of the Zhao mother and son was well-known in the village, and no one thought that anyone would dare to do something like speculation.
Throughout the journey, Huang Siwen looked terrible, appearing lost and dejected, as if she had suffered some kind of blow.
By the time they returned to the village, it was already dark. Under the cover of darkness, no one spoke much. Wuyou slipped a large piece of tofu to Uncle Niu, who accepted it only as a token gesture. After all, speculation and profiteering were no longer fashionable, and it was too embarrassing to openly exchange grain coupons and cloth coupons.
But it's not easy for others to give you a ride, so this is the best way. If anyone asks, just say it's an interaction between fellow villagers.
The original owner had a skill in making tofu, but the Zhao family was poor and couldn't even afford enough to eat, so they had no time to make tofu, and the skill gradually fell into disuse. Wuyou inherited this skill and naturally wouldn't let it go to waste, so he prepared a lot of it after planning to go to town.
Once they got home, the two of them huddled together in the room and started counting by the light of an oil lamp. Zhao Hongjun's face was covered in sweat, but the smile on his lips grew wider and wider.
"Mom, we actually earned eight yuan in just one day!" It's safe to say that Zhao Hongjun had never seen so much money in his life, so he was naturally very excited.
"Slap..." Wuyou slapped the other person hard on the back of the head. "Keep your voice down. Do you want everyone to know?"
Zhao Hongjun immediately shut his mouth, but his face turned red, looking like he wanted to vent but had nowhere to vent.
"You were terrified before, but now you're quite excited." Wuyou glanced at her silly son with a half-smile. When this matter was brought up before, the other party was unwilling to do it no matter what, but now he has made a 180-degree turn.
“I…I didn’t say anything wrong. The country doesn’t allow speculation and profiteering; it’s a crime!” Zhao Hongjun’s face showed a moment of wisdom, but he still couldn’t help but speak up.
“Sigh, but if we don’t do this, we might starve to death. The laws of the country are meant to make people live a good life. If people starve to death, what good life is there? You have to be flexible, understand?”
As Wuyou spoke fluently and logically, Zheng Hongjun seemed to understand but not quite, and a vague concept formed in his mind.
So speculation and profiteering aren't considered crimes?
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