Tang Cuihong said, "I'll come back in the evening," and went straight back to her dormitory, picked up her bamboo basket, and walked out of the factory.
Today she came to the factory mainly to help out. She took a day off, so she couldn't leave empty-handed. Carrying a bamboo basket, Cuihong left the winery with practiced ease and went into the sparsely populated woods. She changed her clothes and disguised herself in a secluded spot, then went to the post office to collect the one hundred yuan that Niu Feng had sent her.
This guy sends her money once every six months, a hundred yuan each time, but he just won't listen to anything I say.
Tang Cuihong was not short of money at all, nor did she have the opportunity to spend it, because there were many sisters in her family and many people who earned money, so how could she be short of his little bit of money?
But Niu Feng insisted, and she couldn't refuse too harshly. So she simply took the money out and put it into her own little savings account. If the two of them really got together in the future, it would be the start-up capital for their family. If they separated one day, she would return it to him.
Who would have thought that she would be targeted when withdrawing money? Two young men followed her all the way. No wonder the older woman told her to be careful when withdrawing money. There have been quite a few robberies lately, some even with necklaces around their necks.
You won't give it to me? I'll beat you black and blue until you let go.
Although Cuihong wasn't pretty, she was a woman and mute, so over the years, there were always some clueless guys in the village who would harass her. At first, they just thought she was strong, but after being beaten up, they realized that she wasn't just strong, she was a superhero. A tall man who was 1.8 meters tall was like a chick in her hands, and she could throw him wherever she wanted.
Just because she couldn't hear what was happening behind her doesn't mean she was blind or couldn't see the two people following her.
She simply stopped and waited for them to pass by. Hopefully, nothing would happen; otherwise…
Well, okay, it seems these two came specifically for her. When they saw her stop, they stopped too and surrounded her.
Then, with a fierce look on his face, he pulled a sharp knife out of his pocket, his mouth agape as if he were saying something.
"Hurry up and take out the money you just withdrew, or you'll be in deep trouble. You decide what to do!"
Tang Cuihong glanced at his slightly trembling hands, then at the rusty knife, and her brows furrowed immediately.
She grabbed the hand holding the knife and, amidst the other person's screams, twisted the tip of the knife against the hilt with a slight force of her thumb.
"This knife of yours is no good quality, it's rusty. If someone stabs you like that, you'll get tetanus. Remember to get a new one next time, you might as well throw this one away!"
With a hoarse voice, Cuihong casually threw the knife away, startling the two thugs who turned to run away. But she grabbed them by the collar with one hand and pulled them back to her side.
"You're not very skilled either. You surrendered so quickly? Where do you think you're going? Did I tell you to leave? Is there a black market around here? Take me there!"
Cuihong originally wanted to take them back, but seeing the two young people crying and sniffling, she felt a bit disgusted.
"The black market? You're going to the black market?"
Do you know where it is?
"Yes, yes, heroine, you can let us lead the way, but could you loosen your grip on my hand? It hurts so much!"
Cuihong felt that the sentence was a bit long, and she couldn't keep up with the lip movements, so she didn't quite understand what they were saying.
It wasn't until they turned their distorted faces and pointed at their own necks, which were struggling to breathe, that she remembered they were still being hung up by her.
After letting go, the two of them hunched over and coughed for a long time before bowing and scraping to Cuihong with trepidation. They then obediently led her through a maze of twists and turns until they found the entrance to the black market, hidden in a bamboo forest that was both accessible and defensible.
After finding the black market, Cuihong generously gave them both a handful of dried seaweed: "Take it home and eat it."
In her previous understanding, kelp was just a bunch of useless seaweed, nothing special.
But ever since she tasted the food made with it, she realized how delicious it was, so she was generous in thanking those who helped her.
Even though the two men originally intended to rob her, they failed, so consider it a good deed.
Cuihong had always been interested in the black market that her sisters mentioned in their casual conversations, but she never expected that she would have to pay five cents to get started.
Luckily, an old lady was going in just as she arrived. She saw the old lady pay five cents, so she paid as well.
The other party asked her, "Sell or buy?"
She didn't understand, but the man simply lifted her basket and saw that it was empty. He then realized she wanted to buy something, so he took five cents and let her in.
An old man came up behind her, carrying a basket much larger than hers. He paid a dime to enter.
Tang Cuihong then understood that if she bought it, she would pay five cents, and if she sold it, she would pay ten cents.
I thought the black market would have everything, but there were hardly any people around, and no one was selling grain at all.
There were no chickens, ducks, geese, or other poultry, and no eggs either, even after looking around.
The best-selling items are actually dried goods collected from the mountains, such as dried mushrooms and dried vegetables.
There are also some defective daily necessities, such as scraps of cloth, kettles, enamel basins, jars, etc.
The old man who came in behind her carried a large basket on his back, which contained smaller baskets inside the larger ones. He was a craftsman who came to sell his handmade products, such as baskets he wove, feather fans he made, and straw hats made from braided wheat straw.
The old woman over there was still squatting in the corner, holding two pottery jars she had made herself, staring at passersby with a sorrowful look in her eyes.
After wandering around for a long time, Tang Cuihong only bought some Chinese herbal medicines that she could identify. These herbs were dug up and dried by the old farmers from the mountains and were specially brought out to sell after the flood.
She knew about Chinese herbal medicine thanks to her trips with Lao Wu to buy it, and she also had books on the subject at home. Besides, the old farmer's prices weren't high. They didn't know the prices of medicinal herbs, so they bought them in bulk. Even if she bought them all, it would only cost one yuan. She only quoted that one yuan after carefully observing the farmer's expression.
"I'll take them all, please pack them for me." She put down her basket and let the old farmer put them inside.
Common herbs included plantain, dandelion, artemisia capillaris, honeysuckle, dayflower, and groundcherry, among many others. There were just too many varieties, and the reason she was willing to buy them was because the old man seemed to know some common sense. He not only categorized and arranged them but also prepared them very cleanly. However, there were some crumbs after drying, but fortunately, it didn't affect the overall quality.
I bought about seventeen or eighteen kinds of medicinal herbs for one yuan. Because they were dried, they didn't feel heavy when I carried them.
She gave him the money readily, and the old man was extremely grateful, saying thank you repeatedly.
"Girl, you're a good person, such a good person!"
There was no need to buy anything else, so Tang Cuihong left the black market and planned to take another look at the scrap metal recycling station that Xiao Jiu and the others had mentioned.
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