Chapter 53: A First Foray into the Black Market

Chapter 53: A First Foray into the Black Market

The black market had existed since ancient times, serving as a trading ground for illicit goods. Items freshly excavated from the earth, and weapons like firearms, all changed hands here.

Ever since flour and grain rationing, fixed-point supplies, and coupon-based purchasing were introduced last year, followed by cooking oil rationing starting this March, people often found their rations falling short. Moreover, some affluent folks who had grown accustomed to finer things couldn't stomach coarse grains and sought to purchase fine flour.

Where there is demand, there is a market, and certain individuals began organizing these transactions.

After wave after wave of crackdowns, only those with significant backing and formidable influence remained; the inept or unlucky ones had all been arrested—like the individual reported by He Yuzhu.

Those who survived no longer dared to trade as brazenly in the open market as they once did. Consequently, the black market only opened during the dead of night and closed before dawn.

He Yuzhu went to sleep early that night, rising in the small hours. He slipped quietly out of his room without waking Yushui.

Stepping onto the street, the surroundings were dead silent. It was pitch black, yet He Yuzhu could see everything clearly.

Since many people could still manage to fill their stomachs for now, fewer patrons frequented the black market, leaving the streets deserted. In a few years, as regulations tightened and supplies grew scarce, the crowds visiting the black market would swell.

He Yuzhu retrieved a bicycle from his spatial dimension, mounted it, and rode straight toward the outskirts of the city.

Approaching the black market area, He Yuzhu put the bicycle away, took out a wicker back-basket containing twenty pounds of flour, wrapped a cloth around his head, and walked slowly toward the black market with the basket on his back.

As he reached the entrance, a figure sprang out from the shadows: "State your business!"

Noticing others lurking in the shadows as well, He Yuzhu kept his composure: "Here to sell some goods."

"Ten cents."

He Yuzhu produced the money and handed it over.

"Go on in." Having collected the fee, the guard let him pass.

He Yuzhu walked a bit further before reaching the trading ground, which was situated in a relatively large open space. Paths radiated in all directions from here; the moment inspectors approached, lookouts at the entrance would sound a signal, and the crowd would scatter instantly. Furthermore, using his spiritual sense, He Yuzhu detected hidden escape tunnels in the surrounding houses.

Observing closely, he noticed that perhaps because buyers here were relatively well-off and willing to pay high prices, quite a few vendors had set up stalls, offering a diverse array of goods. Aside from various antiques, he even spotted a whole bear. There were also sellers offering flour, though only in small quantities.

Based on He Yuzhu's observations, the organizers of the black market also dealt in flour and coarse grains, allowing people to trade flour directly with them for coarse kinds.

He Yuzhu found an empty spot, set down his back-basket, and removed the cover to reveal the flour inside. He had purchased this flour legally from the grain store; after all, once you possessed ration coupons, failing to use them looked suspicious, so he made it a habit to buy his quota regularly.

Presently, a masked individual dressed rather decently approached He Yuzhu and asked in a low voice, "How much flour do you have? What's your price?"

"I have twenty pounds here. Thirty cents a pound. Interested?" He Yuzhu quoted a steep price.

"Twenty cents, and I'll take the whole lot."

"Fine by me." Selling flour was just a sideline for him, so he was happy to close the deal casually.

The two men used the black market's scale to weigh the goods, and the transaction was concluded swiftly.

Picking up his empty basket, He Yuzhu began browsing the other stalls. He walked over to the bear vendor first, but upon seeing that the bear paws had already been sold, he lost interest and moved on to other stalls.

Spotting someone selling ancient copper coins, He Yuzhu's interest was piqued. A quick inspection revealed they were all coins from the Qing Dynasty.

"How much for these?" He Yuzhu asked softly.

"One yuan for this whole pile," the vendor replied, pointing to a heap of coins.

He Yuzhu paid the one yuan and walked away with a large stash of copper coins.

After stowing the coins in his basket, he noticed not far away a man displaying a few bullets. Curious about what was going on, He Yuzhu walked over and inquired, "Brother, what are you selling here? Bullets?"

"Guns," the vendor answered, pulling a Mauser pistol from behind him.

"How much?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Three hundred," the vendor replied.

Hearing the price of three hundred yuan immediately discouraged He Yuzhu. It wasn't as if he lacked firearms; there was no need to spend a fortune buying one.

He simply shook his head and walked away.

After touring the entire black market and acquiring a few blue-and-white porcelain cups and a purple clay teapot, He Yuzhu found nothing else of interest. The timing wasn't right yet; when the famine truly struck, those former aristocrats and fallen gentry would bring out far superior treasures.

Finding nothing else worthwhile, He Yuzhu shouldered his basket and left.

Shortly after departing the black market, He Yuzhu sensed someone trailing him. Extending his spiritual sense, he identified his stalker as the gun vendor.

*So what if I just asked about the price and didn't buy your gun? Is it really necessary to tail me? Are you planning to rob me or murder me? We were both masked and didn't even know each other—where does this deep grudge come from?*

Feigning ignorance, He Yuzhu continued walking forward, turned into a narrow alleyway, and slipped straight into his spatial dimension.

Upon seeing He Yuzhu turn into the alley, the pursuer hurried forward. Approaching the alley entrance with practiced caution, he slowed his pace, crept up to the corner, and quickly peeked around with his gun drawn. Seeing no sign of He Yuzhu, he stepped into the alleyway and searched carefully. Certain that the alley was empty, he put away his gun and turned back.

Just as he stepped out of the alley and let down his guard, He Yuzhu materialized behind him wielding a wooden club and struck him down with a single blow. The vendor didn't even have time to react before he collapsed; after all, He Yuzhu was well-versed in the Qi Family martial arts.

He Yuzhu stepped forward, swiftly snapped the man's neck, and then searched the body. He found only a Mauser pistol and thirty rounds of ammunition, with nothing else of value.

Recalling the exorbitant price the man had quoted at the black market, it was clear he had made up his mind to rob someone that night—it was just bad luck that he had targeted He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu stowed the corpse into his spatial dimension, fetched his bicycle, and rode toward the woods on the outskirts of town.

He dug a pit in the forest, buried the body, cleared away all traces of his presence, and then left.

Reflecting on the state of the black market, He Yuzhu concluded that the current black market was hardly worth visiting; the antiques on offer were commonplace with no exceptional pieces to be found. Not managing to buy bear paws remained the only regret of this trip.