"Uncle, how much are these books?"
The bookseller looked up at the comic books in Lin Qing's hands and said, "Give me a dollar!"
"Too expensive, uncle!"
Lin Qing smiled and shook his head, saying that books in this era are worthless, like waste paper. How could a few comic books be worth a dollar?
"Then I'll give you 50 cents!"
The bookseller chuckled, saying he'd seen the two as soon as they entered the market. They'd strolled around, spending very generously without even haggling. Only then did the bookseller dare to ask for a dollar. He hadn't expected this young woman, though generous, to be so savvy.
"Sanmao, I'll take it if you sell it to me, otherwise forget it."
Lin Qing put the book back on the stall and continued, while Gu Nanxun stood silently by, watching Lin Qing bargain with a smile.
"Alright, alright, here you go! You're quite capable, little girl."
Seeing this, the uncle didn't dare to say anything more, and quickly picked up the book and handed it to Lin Qing.
Lin Qing took out three cents from her pocket and handed it to the uncle. Then she put the book in the basket, exchanged a glance with Gu Nanxun, and laughed at the same time.
After leaving the bookstall, the two continued browsing.
At this moment, a stall in a corner caught Lin Qing's attention. This stall was run by an elderly woman, and it stood out from the other stalls. While the other stalls usually had one or two people gathered around them, this stall was empty, and it was also quite far from the other stalls, as if no other stall wanted to be next to it.
Lin Qing pondered for a moment, then walked over. The stall displayed some jewelry that looked quite old.
Lin Qing stepped forward, picked up a bracelet, and carefully examined the patterns on it.
Upon seeing this, the stall owner quickly said, "Young lady, this is a good thing, passed down from our ancestors."
Lin Qing smiled, put down the bracelet, and looked at the other jewelry.
"Just tell me the price! Stop with the fluff!"
Upon hearing this, the old woman shook her head and said nothing more. She smiled and said, "Do you have any grain, young lady? I'd like to exchange some for grain."
Lin Qing was taken aback: "Doesn't the black market sell grain? Why do we need to exchange grain for it?"
The old woman smiled bitterly. "The girl probably didn't go to buy grain. There's not much grain left on the black market, and the grain sellers don't have much either. It gets snatched up as soon as it hits the black market. Now, the grain sellers are the ones selling it, and it's limited."
Lin Qing paused for a moment upon hearing this, then asked, "So, how do you plan to change it?"
Upon hearing this, the old woman's face lit up with joy: "No matter how big or small, how about exchanging a piece of jewelry for 20 jin of grain!"
The old lady selling jewelry asked cautiously, afraid that Lin Qing might leave if she wasn't satisfied.
"15 jin is fine too!" Seeing that Lin Qing didn't speak, the old lady hurriedly said again.
"Let's say 20 jin! You count how many pieces of jewelry there are, I'll take them all!"
Lin Qing said that she had been silent just now because the price was too cheap. Lin Qing looked at these pieces of jewelry, all of which were of the finest quality. In later generations, each piece could sell for millions or tens of millions of yuan, but she never expected that in this era, they would only be worth 20 jin of grain.
Lin Qing's decision delighted the stall owner, an elderly woman, who immediately began to inventory the jewelry on her stall. Gu Nanxun, on the other hand, observed quietly from the side. He knew that Lin Qing had a discerning eye; these pieces of jewelry might not be valuable in this era, but at some point in the future, their value might far exceed their present worth.
As the stall owner counted the items, she cautiously asked, "Young lady, are you really willing to exchange grain for these jewelry pieces? Although they are a bit old, they are all made of genuine materials."
Lin Qing nodded. She knew that the value of these jewels was far more than the grain. She was lucky to be able to buy them, because in a few years, the value of these jewels would be far greater than a few kilograms of grain.
"Don't worry, Auntie, I keep my word," Lin Qing replied with a smile.
Hearing Lin Qing's words, the old lady's smile became even brighter. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and her worries eased a little.
“Young lady, there are fifteen pieces of jewelry in total,” the old woman said, her eyes full of anticipation.
Lin Qing nodded and said, "Would you like to make the transaction here, or shall we go somewhere else?"
After saying that, Lin Qing turned her head and looked around. 300 catties of grain was no small amount. Was it here? Lin Qing couldn't help but worry about the old woman's safety.
The old woman fell silent upon hearing this. After thinking for a moment, she said in a low voice, "After leaving the black market, go to the right for about two kilometers. There is a row of houses. At the end of the houses, there is a dilapidated house that is half collapsed. We will make our transaction there."
Lin Qing nodded, then said loudly, "What kind of lousy jewelry is this? They actually want to exchange it for grain! Who doesn't need grain these days!"
After saying that, he and Gu Nanxun exchanged a glance and then left.
The old woman was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then suddenly seemed to remember something, and a sad look appeared on her face. She sighed and silently put the jewelry away, "Never mind, I'll come back tomorrow!"
After saying that, the old woman left the black market. After leaving the black market, she hurriedly returned home and then pushed a two-wheeled cart toward the agreed place.
After watching the old woman leave the black market, Lin Qing and Gu Nanxun also left the black market shortly afterward.
Lin Qing, Gu Nanxun, and the old woman selling jewelry were unaware that shortly after they left the black market, several people rushed to the old woman's jewelry stall. However, when they saw the empty place, they couldn't help but sigh, thinking to themselves that they were too late.
"Sister, can you give me something to eat? I haven't eaten for days."
Lin Qing and Gu Nanxun had barely stepped out of the black market when they were stopped by a little boy.
Upon seeing Lin Qing and Gu Nanxun, the little boy knelt down in front of them, looking at Lin Qing pitifully.
Looking at the little boy in front of her, who was so hungry that he was just skin and bones, Lin Qing's heart softened. She took out two steamed buns from her basket and handed them to the little boy.
The little boy took the steamed bun, carefully broke off a piece, and then carefully put the bun in his arms before wolfing it down.
"Eat slowly, don't choke," Lin Qing said softly.
The little boy broke off a small piece of steamed bun, and he finished it in two bites.
Lin Qing watched the little boy finish his steamed bun before asking him, "How old are you? Where are your family?"
The little boy stared at Lin Qing for a long time without saying a word. Suddenly, he bowed to Lin Qing and then ran away quickly.
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