The group left the supply and marketing cooperative and walked a distance under the scorching sun.
Zhou Jiahui suddenly said, "Brother, we haven't bought a pot yet, what should we do?"
She was so assertive today, insisting on cooking alone, and she even had such an unpleasant argument with Wang Zhaodi.
If she has to eat together again when she gets home tonight, wouldn't that be a slap in her own face?
"It's not just pots and pans, but also kitchen knives, spatulas, bowls, and chopsticks. Oh, and grain too. The rations we received haven't been processed yet," Fang Yuan added, shielding his eyes from the sun.
She can't cook a good meal from rice and wheat.
After looking around, Luo Jin turned to Zhou He and asked, "Is that place... here?"
The place Luo Jin mentioned was naturally the black market.
Zhou He nodded: "Shall we go take a look?"
When he arrived here yesterday, he first met his classmate, who told him about the town and the location of the black market.
This morning I had a rather unpleasant argument with the other educated youth. I definitely need to buy a pot, but I don't know if I can find one on the black market.
If that doesn't work, he'll go to his classmate and borrow a pot from his family.
What kind of place is that?
Zhou Jiahui didn't quite understand. Before coming here, she was a student. She had been to many good restaurants, but was there anything special about this place?
“The trading market, commonly known as the black market,” Fang Yuan whispered to her.
It's actually a free market, but current national policies don't allow it, so it can only be conducted secretly, hence the name "black market."
"The black market? Can we go there?" Zhou Jiahui instantly understood. She had heard of this place before, but she had never been there herself.
“This place is so remote, there aren’t any patrols in town, so there shouldn’t be any problems,” Fang Yuan said casually.
She knew better than any of them that the black market here was much freer than the outside world, and that it had been tacitly approved by the town's leaders.
"What are we going to do with all this stuff?" Zhou Jiahui asked, looking at the large bag of things in her hand.
If I carry all these bags and packages over there, won't people think I'm a vendor?
"You and Fang Yuan—no, you and Luo Jin—guard the things for now. Fang Yuan and I will buy what we need," Zhou He said after thinking for a moment.
Originally, she wanted to keep her and Fang Yuan, but then she thought that Fang Yuan could cook, so it would be more appropriate to keep Luo Jin, who knew nothing.
"No, I want to go see it too. Why don't you watch the luggage, Comrade Luo Jin?"
Zhou Jiahui looked at the things, then at her brother, and finally at Luo Jin.
It's not safe for a woman to look at things alone, but if a man looks at things, no one would dare to touch them, right?
“Okay, I’ll keep an eye on things. You guys go ahead. Just let me know how much money you need to split.” Luo Jin nodded.
It would be nice to find a shady spot to wait; he's been complaining about how strong the sun is outside!
"Alright, this way!"
After putting their things down, Zhou He led Zhou Jiahui and Fang Yuan to the so-called 'black market'.
This black market was actually just a narrow alley, and there wasn't even a guard at the entrance.
Inside, there were only about a dozen people scattered around, some standing, some squatting, leaning against the wall.
Some had baskets or hampers in front of them, while others just stood there leaning against the wall with nothing.
"This is the black market? It's so small!" Zhou Jiahui was stunned when she saw such a small place.
These few people don't seem to have much to offer; they're not even as good as a supply and marketing cooperative.
"This isn't a legitimate place to sell things; when they'll have anything depends entirely on luck. Let's go."
As Zhou He spoke, he went inside first.
It was precisely because this was a small border town, more remote and less developed than other places, that their family chose this rural area for them.
"oh!"
Zhou Jiahui walked in somewhat listlessly.
My initial interest has completely vanished. It's true what they say, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. I wish I hadn't come.
Fang Yuan followed the two inside. She already knew about this trading market, so she wasn't surprised.
She looked closely and realized that the baskets and hampers on the backs were mostly filled with grains and vegetables.
So he walked up to a middle-aged man with a basket on his back and asked him what was going on. It turned out that this man was selling refined grains like rice and high-gluten flour.
The price was more than three times higher than at the grain store. Rice that cost 14 cents a pound at the grain store cost 45 cents here, and wheat flour that cost 16 cents a pound cost 50 cents a pound. Fortunately, no coupons were needed.
Fang Yuan bought five jin (2.5 kg) of food, so at least he has enough staple food for the next few days.
Once they get back to Zhou He and the others have harvested the rice and wheat, things will be fine again. However, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the money they spend on fine grains should all end up in her pocket.
After buying the staple food, I went to the person next door who was not far away. He had vegetables and eggs in his basket and a carrying basket, respectively.
They also lacked these things. When they asked about the price, the vegetables were about the same price as those in the grocery store, only 5 cents a pound.
Eggs are a bit pricey, costing one cent each. Fang Yuan specifically asked around and found out that this family actually had a rooster.
Fang Yuan bought all twenty eggs, and also selected two jin each of carrots, cabbage, and chives.
While packing the eggs, she secretly sent ten of them into her spatial dimension.
She wanted to try hatching eggs in the space.
"What did you buy? So much?" Zhou Jiahui suddenly appeared, startling Fang Yuan.
"Of course it's good stuff."
She calmly tightened the screws on the bag, handed one to her, and looked at her, asking, "What about you? Didn't you buy anything?"
"I want to eat watermelon, but we don't have any here." Zhou Jiahui shrugged helplessly.
She looked around and saw that there were only some vegetables and such; there wasn't even a fruit vendor. It was so hot that day, and she wanted to eat watermelon.
“Maybe they’re available elsewhere,” Fang Yuan replied.
Just as Fang Yuan was trying to find a way to take everyone to a place she knew, Zhou He walked over with a man in his twenties.
Fang Yuan took a look and realized, good heavens, the place she knew was this man's hideout!
She gave Zhou He a meaningful look, suspecting that this man was the protagonist of this world, and that she and Wang Qingqing from her previous life were just bystanders.
This person could easily run into the biggest secondhand dealer in the area, so she didn't need to worry about anything.
After Zhou He came over, he whispered to Fang Yuan and Zhou Jiahui:
“This comrade has a lot of things at home, let’s go to his house.”
"Yes!" Fang Yuan nodded.
"Then let's go!" Zhou Jiahui's eyes lit up, and anticipation arose in her heart again.
This man's name is Wang Meng, and he is the biggest secondhand dealer here.
His base not only had grains and durable fruits and vegetables, but also various groceries and fresh goods from the south. He even had a bicycle, a Phoenix brand one at that.
The department store sells it for 180, but here, without a ticket, the price becomes 260.
Zhou Jiahui really wanted to buy it, but Zhou He stopped her.
"Let's buy what we need now, and we can buy this later."
Although Zhou Jiahui did not achieve her wish, she did not say anything more.
Then they began selecting the items they needed: pots, knives, spatulas, bowls, chopsticks...
Fang Yuan only glanced at the bicycle and didn't buy it. Buying a car right away would be too high-profile, and she didn't want to create a few more hidden enemies out of nowhere.
She also took this opportunity to search for what she needed here.
I bought various seeds, including soybeans and mung beans, as well as dried chili peppers and garlic.
I also bought a pound of oil here.
The autumn harvest is just around the corner, and mung bean soup can help beat the summer heat. She also plans to sprout the beans.
She actually had her eye on quite a few other things, like hoes, rakes, bed sheets, and blankets.
However, there are too many people now, so she plans to come back when she's alone.
The group bought a lot of things to take back, and after meeting up with Luo Jin, they had even more things to bring back.
Not to mention there's a huge iron pot, which is incredibly eye-catching.
Zhou He thought for a moment, then went to the state-run restaurant to discuss it with the staff, and then moved his things into the restaurant.
After having lunch, the group rested here.
It wasn't until the team's oxcart came again in the afternoon that the group got on and went back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com