Chapter 48 Visiting the Black Market
After selling the ginseng, Ziyi took Yike to the black market to buy food. It’s not that they don’t want to go to the food station to buy food, but they don’t have enough food coupons. They rarely come out, so they buy a lot of food, which the food station cannot sell. Black market grain is a bit more expensive, but no tickets are required and most importantly, no one cares how much you buy.
"Did you go to the black market every time you went out before? Did you buy all that food on the black market?"
"We don't have to go shopping in person. Our friends will prepare everything we need. I can just go get it when I get out of the mountain. Shh! We can talk about this when we get home. I'm just taking you to see it today."
Ziyi led Yike and turned left and right, and they arrived at a group of bungalows.
In the small alley there, there were a few scattered people, some carrying backpacks, some carrying cloth bags, and some holding a bulging snakeskin bag. When someone walks past them, they either stop the passerby to talk, or the passerby comes to chat with them. Yi Ke thought: "This might be the black market."
There was a woman at the corner of the alley, with mottled white hair and wrinkles on her face like old tree bark. Next to her was a backpack with a two-year-old child squatting in it. The basket contained the child's clothes and other items.
Yike opened his eyes wide. Isn't this the version of selling grain on the black market that grandma told him about? My grandmother's grandmother also went to the black market to speculate when she was young.
My grandmother said that her grandmother's aunt was still young and was also placed in a backpack with clean diapers and straw underneath. There was pork hidden among the straw under the backpack. If someone came to check, she would say that she was taking the child to visit relatives. She was not afraid of inspection. Generally, no one would check the child's backpack. At most, they would pick up the child to have a look and flip it over. The meat was basically hidden at the bottom and could not be turned over because the shape of this kind of backpack for carrying children is wide at the top and small at the bottom. Men thought that nothing could be put in it.
It was in this way that my grandmother's grandmother, through speculation, provided food for the entire family, and the whole family was able to survive that year of famine. So one can guess that this woman must be a speculator.
Yike said to Ziyi, "Can I?"
Ziyi looked around, nodded and said, "Go ahead."
Yi Ke went forward to ask, but before he could open his mouth, two thin guys appeared beside him.
Yi Ke took a glance and saw that it was not the person wearing the armband, so he ignored it.
Yi Ke walked up to the woman and asked in a low voice: "Auntie, do you have any refined rice?"
"No, I have soybeans, how about that?"
"How much is one pound?"
"Seven cents a pound, no ticket required, and every grain is plump. If you don't believe me, take a look."
"Five cents, all for myself."
"No, there is too little food now, and I can't afford to lose a penny. If I had money to buy coarse rice at home, I wouldn't be willing to sell it. These are all for seed."
"Okay, we'll take them all if they're full."
Sure enough, the woman took the child out of the basket, rummaged around in the basket, and took out a bag of soybeans wrapped in cloth from the bottom of the basket.
I took a look and found that they were indeed very plump, almost all of them were round and chubby. People nowadays are very honest. It weighed eight pounds in total, and Yi Ke paid fifty-six cents for it. The woman took the money, gave six cents to the two thin guys, and whispered something. The thin guys took the money, nodded, and left.
The woman also hurried away with the child on her back.
Yike was still a little confused and didn't understand why the woman gave money to the two guys. Ziyi took her hand and left.
Ziyi took her for a stroll in the alley and bought 15 kilograms of refined rice, 20 kilograms of flour, 20 kilograms of sorghum, and other miscellaneous grains. He also bought a piece of fine cotton cloth that did not require a cloth coupon.
Ziyi wanted to buy some Dacron for Yike, but Yike was not really from this world, so why would he need Dacron? Dacron was not breathable, while cotton was breathable, sweat-absorbent and comfortable to wear.
Ziyi thought that Yi Ke was reluctant to spend money and was touched.
Yike realized it was another beautiful misunderstanding and she didn't explain. The more misunderstandings like this, the better, haha!
After leaving the black market, Yi Ke still felt unsatisfied. This was like doing underground work, and it was exciting only when you experienced it in person. However, Yike discovered that the two thin guys seemed to have been following them. Ziyi said that they were the people who were responsible for managing the order of the black market and were also the lookouts. If they see someone with an armband coming, they will report it and the buyers and sellers will quickly flee. These people are Brother Tang's subordinates and are also responsible for collecting kickbacks, one cent for every kilogram sold. They didn't follow me, they bought the things themselves and they went to collect the money from the sellers. They are not unreasonable people. For example, the woman selling soybeans was given one cent less and it was fine as long as she made it clear that she had no change. No wonder the woman left in a hurry after speaking a few words to the two men.
Brother Tang is the boss of the black market. This is a lot of information. This black market boss is probably the same as the underworld boss in the previous life, one can guess. Then the image of a burly man with tattoos on his arms appeared in front of her eyes, hehe! I'm sure you'll be grinning from ear to ear when you see the real person.
This trip to the black market has shown me how powerful the black market is. There is nothing you cannot buy, as long as you want to. Even if no one is selling it in the alley, you can definitely find it in the black market boss's hut.
Yike became even more curious about the gangster boss Brother Tang whom he had never met. He heard that he was going on a long trip this time. I couldn't see the legend, what a pity! But she will be even more surprised when she finds out who the real black market boss is.
After Ziyi and Yike came out of the black market, they went back to Brother Tang's house, changed their clothes, and removed their makeup. Brother Tang was not at home. He had gone to work. They said something to Sister-in-law Tang and left.
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