Qiao Qiqi originally wanted to ask a passerby for directions a few days ago, but because the black market was a taboo in this era, she was afraid of causing unnecessary trouble, so she held back.
After thinking it over, I think it would be safer to ask Fang Ke.
Even if Fang Ke didn't know, it wouldn't matter.
"Why are you asking about the black market?" Fang Ke immediately looked nervous and whispered, "That place is frequently raided and is very unsafe. If you want to buy something, I can take you to a department store, but I don't recommend you go there."
Upon hearing Fang Ke's tone, Qiao Qiqi realized that she knew, so she pretended to be troubled and said, "I want to buy something, but I don't have many tickets on me. The black market where I live doesn't require tickets, so I want to go and take a look."
What kind of tickets do you need? Let me see if I have any.
Fang Ke was about to open the bag, but Qiao Qiqi pressed her hand down. "I don't want your ticket. I just want to see if there's anything I can buy as a gift for my family."
When Fang Ke heard her say that, she realized that it probably wasn't just one item that was being sent, and she hesitated for a moment.
She knew where the black market was, but had never been there. Her colleagues had told her that it was heavily guarded and unsafe, and advised against it…
“Okay, I’ll take you there, but we can’t do it like this now. Come with me, let’s get dressed up.” Fang Ke finally made up his mind and took Qiao Qiqi to a clothing store. They bought two hats and two scarves, covered their heads, and then walked into the black market.
As soon as she entered, Qiao Qiqi sensed that this place was different from Ningyuan Town.
First of all, the atmosphere here is more tense and oppressive. Every seller is covered up like the two women, with only their eyes showing. Their eyes are constantly scanning the people around them, full of vigilance.
Even the things they sell are all completely covered with black cloth, so you can't see a single thing.
When the seller saw two unfamiliar girls enter, he stared at them warily for a while, and only when he saw their anxious expressions did he feel relieved.
Fang Ke had been nervous ever since she came in. As she walked further in, she noticed the atmosphere becoming increasingly oppressive, so she quickly asked Qiao Qiqi, "What do you want to buy?"
Qiao Qiqi didn't actually buy anything; she was just checking out the place.
But since she had already said she wanted to buy something, she casually made up an excuse: "Let's see if they have any fabric to buy first."
As they were talking, Fang Ke saw a cloth seller ahead, and the two of them immediately went over. "How much is your cloth?"
The seller was an old woman, as could be seen from her exposed eyes.
Seeing that it was two girls, he said, "The floral fabric is 80 cents a foot, and these two pieces of Dacron are 60 cents a foot."
There are three pieces of floral fabric in total. They feel like pure cotton, with a very nice and soft texture. The pattern is one that we don't have in my hometown, and it looks especially beautiful.
Qiao Qiqi thought one piece could be used to make a little dress for Xin Xin, and the other piece would be suitable for making a shirt for Lin Chunying.
However, 80 cents per foot is a bit expensive. Three feet only make one meter. It's enough for Xin Xin's little skirt, but Lin Chunying's shirt is at least four feet long. This price is not cheap even in the 21st century.
Qiao Qiqi looked at the two pieces of Dacron fabric again. One was black and the other was navy blue. The fabric was very thick and should be suitable for making trousers for Qin Baojun and Qiao Weiguo.
"Auntie, can you give me a discount if I ask for a few more?" Qiao Qiqi started bargaining after making her decision.
The old woman then asked, "How many do you want?"
Qiao Qiqi held up two pieces of floral fabric and said, "The top one should be three feet long, the bottom one four feet long, and these two pieces of Dacron fabric should be four feet five inches long."
When the old lady saw that a big customer had arrived, she immediately smiled and said, "Then I'll charge you 70 cents a foot for the floral fabric and 55 cents for the polyester fabric. Is that alright?"
Qiao Qiqi still felt it was too expensive. A little dress cost 2.1 yuan, which is roughly equivalent to 100 yuan in modern times. The main point is that although the fabric is good, the price is still too high.
Qiao Qiqi thought for a moment and said directly, "The floral fabric is 65 cents and the polyester is 50 cents. If you want to sell it, I'll take it. If you don't want to sell it, then forget it."
After saying that, she decisively stood up and pulled Fang Ke to continue walking forward.
The old lady was still calculating her bill when she saw Qiao Qiqi was about to leave. She quickly said, "Young lady, you're too good at bargaining. I'm really losing money. How about this, can you add a little more? The floral fabric is 67 cents, and the polyester is 52 cents, okay?"
Qiao Qiqi thought it wouldn't work!
She could tell that the two pieces of cloth weren't very big; they looked like they were cut from a large bolt of fabric. She wondered if they came from illicit sources...
So she shook her head, "At the price I quoted, you can sell it or not."
Seeing that the young girl looked quite young but was so good at bargaining, the old woman finally gave in, saying, "Alright, alright, since you bought so much, I'll sell it to you."
When the bill was finally settled, 7 feet of floral fabric cost 4.55 yuan, and 9 feet of polyester fabric cost 4.50 yuan. Qiao Qiqi gave 9 yuan and then 5 cents off.
The old lady felt so sorry for him!
Fang Ke looked on with admiration, "Qiqi, you're such a good negotiator! That's amazing! Even at a department store, these few pieces of cloth would cost at least 10 yuan with the cloth coupons, but you got them for only 9 yuan! You're my idol!"
Qiao Qiqi was quite satisfied, but she still told the other party the truth: "I didn't expect her to actually sell it. If she had insisted a little longer, I would have bought it at the price she asked for, hehe."
"You..." Realizing this was a psychological tactic, Fang Ke admired him even more.
The two continued walking, intending to explore further, when suddenly a shout came from behind: "Run! The police are here!"
Suddenly, the entire black market erupted into chaos.
Qiao Qiqi and Fang Ke turned around and saw someone carrying something running towards them like a madman. The two of them immediately disregarded everything, held hands, and ran forward.
They ran out of the black market in one breath, turned two corners, and when they saw that no one was following them, they quickly took off their hats and scarves.
Then they looked at each other.
They all burst out laughing in unison.
"It's okay to come to a place like this once in a while, but you can't come here all the time. It's too thrilling," Fang Ke said, wiping the sweat from his forehead, still looking shaken.
Qiao Qiqi immediately pretended to be scared and nodded firmly in agreement, "I definitely won't come again, it's too scary!"
Because they were still quite close to the black market, and fearing that someone might catch up with them, the two immediately held hands and walked away quickly.
Fang Ke thought she hadn't bought everything, so she took Qiao Qiqi to the department store. But Qiao Qiqi asked about a few items and thought they were too expensive, so she didn't buy them.
In the evening, the two ate two stir-fried dishes outside, then went to see a movie, and finally arrived home before dark.
As soon as I entered the house, I smelled an unpleasant odor coming from the kitchen.
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