Chapter 5: Finding the Black Market for Eggs

“Wu Xiuxiu, has your family come back yet?”

“Creak” The nurse pushed open the door to Wu Xiuxiu’s ward for her rounds, discovering that Wu Xiuxiu was still alone in the ward. She raised her eyebrows and walked in to inquire.

“Not yet.”

Wu Xiuxiu, sitting on the bed and boredly playing with her hair, looked up at the nurse. She let go of her hair and shook her head gently.

For the past two days, her mother and sister-in-law had been staying at the hospital with her. Earlier during dinner, they had said they would stay at the hospital with her tonight, just like last night.

Fortunately, this ward only had her as the patient, and there were several empty beds in the ward, enough for her mother and sister-in-law to sleep on.

Originally, her older brother also wanted to spend the night at the hospital for the past two days, to keep watch over her. But just yesterday and today, his friend had something going on, and they had swapped shifts, asking him to cover for the night shift. So he could only come to the hospital to accompany her during the day.

She felt that her older brother was quite hard-working, working the night shift at night and not being able to get a good night’s sleep during the day, yet he still came to the hospital to accompany her.

She told him not to come during the day, to just rest well at home, since her mother and sister-in-law were at the hospital with her.

But her older brother wouldn’t listen. He insisted on coming during the day today, and only left after eating dinner at the hospital.

Just after he left, a relative suddenly came to the hospital looking for her mother and sister-in-law. They said that another relative was having a conflict with her husband, and was trying to commit suicide, no matter how much they tried to persuade her, she wouldn’t listen, it was terrifying.

Her husband said that her mother and sister-in-law were close to her, and asked them to come and persuade her.

Her mother and sister-in-law were quite worried when they heard this. Seeing this, Wu Xiuxiu asked her mother and sister-in-law to go and see what was going on, to persuade the person, not letting them commit suicide.

Her mother and sister-in-law saw that she was much better now, and that she could stay alone for a while, with no one watching over her. They asked the hospital nurse to take care of her, saying that they would come back in an hour or two, but they still haven’t returned.

She didn’t know if the relative who was trying to commit suicide was causing too much trouble, and her mother and sister-in-law were still persuading her?

Hopefully, they could persuade her.

She also didn’t know what happened to the relative who was trying to commit suicide, why she didn’t want to live and was trying to commit suicide?

“Are you okay on your own? Do you need anything? I can help you. If you want to go to the toilet, I can help you.”

The nurse was kind, and she walked to the bedside and said.

“I’m okay on my own, don’t worry. I’m much better now, I can get things myself, and I have the strength to get out of bed and walk around.

I can get what I need myself, and I can go to the toilet myself, I don’t need help, thank you.”

Wu Xiuxiu shook her head again, showing a grateful smile.

“That’s good… How are you feeling now? Is there anything uncomfortable?” The nurse was relieved and asked with concern.

“I feel fine, nothing uncomfortable.” Wu Xiuxiu replied.

She didn’t know if it was because this body was only in its teens, and it was the time when its recovery ability was strongest. She had only been in the hospital for two days, and her body had already recovered quite well.

Earlier when she was eating, she had discussed with her family that she could be discharged tomorrow, and there was no need to stay in the hospital any longer and waste money.

Her family said that they would agree to her being discharged tomorrow if she felt completely fine tomorrow.

“That’s good, as long as you’re not uncomfortable, you can continue to rest. I’m going to check other wards, if you need anything, just call me.” The nurse was completely relieved.

“Okay.”

After the nurse left, Wu Xiuxiu suddenly felt like going to the toilet, so she pulled back the snow-white quilt covering her body and got out of bed, leaving the ward to go to the toilet.

Because she had been to the toilet in the afternoon, her mother had taken her there, so she knew where the women’s toilet was. She arrived at the women’s toilet in a minute.

After finishing her business, she was just about to pull up her pants when she heard voices coming from outside…

“Nurse Chen, is there really a black market behind this hospital?”

Black market! Wu Xiuxiu’s eyes immediately lit up, and she pricked up her ears to listen.

“Of course it’s true, why would I lie to you.

Isn’t there a large piece of open land a few hundred meters behind the hospital? That open land has a black market every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday night, just like the old days when villages held big markets, it’s so lively, you can buy anything you want…

I bought a piece of floral cloth at the black market a few nights ago, it’s so beautiful, I’m going to make a skirt to wear.” Another voice sounded.

“How could the black market be opened on that open land behind the hospital, and still at night?” The previous voice asked in confusion.

“Isn’t it because they’ve been cracking down recently, and the black market on East Street was discovered? So the people running the black market thought that every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, on that piece of open land behind the hospital that’s been abandoned for a long time, they could run the black market.

The people running the black market thought that the area around that land is barren and overgrown with weeds, the weeds are as tall as a person, hiding in the weeds, plus it’s at night, it’s absolutely safe, the people who crack down on black markets will never think of it.”

“Those who run the black market are really smart, they can think of running the black market in that kind of place, and still at night.”

“If a person isn’t smart, how can they make a fortune… I’m going to buy a chicken at the black market later, my youngest son is such a foodie, he’s been clamoring for chicken every day recently, but there’s been a chicken shortage for the past month, you can’t buy chicken even if you have money and tickets.

Fortunately, my husband got his salary yesterday, and tonight happens to be Thursday, the black market is open, so I’m going to buy a chicken at the black market tonight…

There must be chicken for sale at the black market, it’s just a bit expensive.”

“I’ll go with you, I’ll go and see what’s for sale at the black market.”

“Okay.”

At this point, the conversation outside ended, and the two people who were talking went into the toilet.

Wu Xiuxiu waited for the two of them to finish their business and leave before going out. She was thinking about going to the black market herself.

She was going to do business at the black market!

Before she transmigrated here, Lord Chicken Fairy had given her a bunch of gold nuggets to exchange for money, and she had stored a lot of supplies in her space.

She had tried it before, and her space and the supplies in it had all transmigrated with her.

She planned to take out the supplies in her space and sell them to exchange for money, otherwise she would be completely broke, with not a single penny to her name.

Although her mother gave her five yuan in pocket money every month, the original owner was a spendthrift, and she would spend all five yuan before the end of the month. This month’s five yuan had been spent a few days ago.

No money, no sense of security. Not a single penny, even less sense of security.

Thinking about how she was now a penniless pauper, she was terrified.

She had to earn some money quickly, to give herself a sense of security.

Having made up her mind, Wu Xiuxiu returned to the ward. Seeing that her mother and sister-in-law had not yet returned, she was secretly delighted.

She took out the clothes she was wearing when she was sent to the hospital, quickly took off the hospital gown she was wearing and put them on, then took a hat and mask from her space and put them on, only revealing her eyes, before sneaking out of the hospital.

At this time, people going to the black market, whether to buy things or sell things, were afraid of being seen by others, causing trouble, so they would all cover their faces.

There were no streetlights behind the hospital, fortunately the moon was very bright tonight, and the moonlight could illuminate the road, Wu Xiuxiu didn’t even need to take out the flashlight she had bought earlier and put in her space.

Wu Xiuxiu followed the road all the way, and found that the further she walked, the more desolate it became, there were no houses or households, just barren land, she was a little afraid.

Thinking about the knife in her space, she quickly asked her space to send a knife to her pocket, then reached into her pocket and gripped the handle of the knife.

She thought that if she suddenly encountered danger, like a villain appearing to rob her of her money and her body, she could use it to protect herself. If she couldn’t beat the opponent, she still had her space, she could go into her space to hide.

Thinking this, Wu Xiuxiu was not afraid anymore.

She continued walking forward with a lot of courage, and after walking for a while, she saw a patch of weeds in front of her, almost as tall as a person. Thinking about what she had heard in the hospital toilet earlier, she knew that she must be close to the black market.

She quickly walked to the front of the patch of weeds and dived in. After walking for a minute, she came out of the patch of weeds, and her pupils widened slightly, a look of surprise appeared on her face.

What a different world!

As soon as she came out of the patch of weeds, she saw a huge open space, the open space was full of people, everywhere there were stalls selling various things, each stall had customers standing in front of them looking at the goods, it was very lively.

This was the black market!

Wu Xiuxiu curled her lips,

She strolled through the black market.

She didn’t rush to find a secluded spot to sell items from her space. Instead, she wanted to understand the market first, to see what goods were available, their prices, and what was selling well.

After browsing for over ten minutes, Wu Xiuxiu had explored the entire black market. She realized that buying things here was different from outside, where you needed coupons. Black market goods were two to three times more expensive.

The best-selling items were food. Anything edible was in high demand, guaranteed to sell. It was a time of scarcity, especially for food.

The biggest shortages were chickens and eggs. This year, chicken production was lower than usual, resulting in fewer eggs. The city only allocated two eggs per person per month, and you needed a coupon to buy them.

The Wu family had four members, meaning they could only buy eight eggs a month.

Tonight, she would sell eggs!

She saw two egg vendors in the market, their eggs weren’t great, yet they were selling for 17 cents each, and people were still buying them.

Outside, eggs cost only 5 cents each. However, with the current shortage, even with money and a coupon, a person could only buy two eggs per month.

No wonder the black market eggs were so expensive, even though they weren’t good, they still sold well.

Having made up her mind, Wu Xiuxiu went to a tall patch of weeds, carefully observing her surroundings to ensure no one was watching before entering her space.

She found a large basket and counted out two hundred eggs, filling the basket to the brim.

Then she picked up the basket… It was heavy!

She managed to hoist it onto her back, but it felt incredibly heavy and strained her.

Luckily, the black market was right outside, not far away. She could manage to carry the basket a few steps. She gritted her teeth and persevered.

Wu Xiuxiu exited her space, carrying the basket through the weeds and back to the black market.

She scanned the area and found an empty corner. She walked over to set down the basket, but someone stopped her.

“You have no manners! You want to set up shop without paying?”

A tall, thin man, resembling a bamboo pole, glared at Wu Xiuxiu, his hand gripping her basket, preventing her from setting it down.

“Do you have to pay to set up here? This is my first time selling, I don’t know anything. Please, brother, guide me.” Wu Xiuxiu quickly explained.

“So you’re new to the black market… You have to pay to set up here. You can’t set up without paying.” The man’s expression softened slightly.

“How much do I need to pay? Is it expensive?” Wu Xiuxiu thought, this sounded like a modern-day market, where you had to pay a stall fee to set up shop.

“It’s not expensive, just one dime.”

One dime, not expensive indeed, but there was a problem… She didn’t have a single cent! She couldn’t afford even a dime!

What to do…

Just as Wu Xiuxiu was struggling, she suddenly saw the eggs in her basket, her eyes lit up, and an idea came to her.

“Brother, I’m sorry, I don’t have any money right now, but I have eggs. Can I give you an egg to cover the dime? Or I can pay you the dime after I sell the eggs.” Wu Xiuxiu negotiated with the man.

The man carefully examined the eggs in her basket, “So many eggs, and they’re all so good, big and bright… Just give me an egg.” He released his grip on the basket.

Such good eggs, definitely worth a dime, taking an egg was a better deal than taking money.

“Okay, thank you, brother.” Wu Xiuxiu quickly set down the basket, picked out an egg, and handed it to the man.

The man took the egg and walked away satisfied.

Her shoulders and back ached… After the man left, Wu Xiuxiu wanted to start calling out to sell her eggs, but a sharp pain shot through her shoulders and back, and her head felt dizzy.

She knew it was from carrying the heavy basket of eggs.

It seemed her body hadn’t fully recovered yet. Carrying heavy objects caused this.

Wu Xiuxiu was sighing in her heart, when she suddenly heard a gruff voice.

“How much are these eggs?”

Wu Xiuxiu quickly raised her head and saw a man standing in front of her, his eyes fixed on the eggs in her basket.

“18 cents each.” Wu Xiuxiu replied.

She thought, the two egg vendors in the black market were both selling for 17 cents each, and their eggs weren’t as good as hers. She only charged one cent more.

“That’s expensive.” The customer furrowed his brow. “Can you lower the price?”

“Sorry, I can’t. Eggs are all selling for this price in the black market… You know how scarce eggs are these days, so I can’t lower the price, 18 cents each, not a minute less…

Look at the other egg vendors in the market, their eggs are only half the size of mine, yet they sell for 17 cents…

Mine are slightly more expensive, but the eggs are good, big and bright, and very fresh, incredibly nutritious. You won’t lose out by buying them.” Wu Xiuxiu waved her hand.

The customer furrowed his brow again, he didn’t say anything, but he didn’t leave either. He looked at Wu Xiuxiu’s eggs again, picked up two, and examined them carefully under the moonlight for almost two minutes before speaking again. “I’ll take fifty.”

A flicker of joy crossed Wu Xiuxiu’s eyes. She never expected the customer to buy so many eggs.

“Okay.” Wu Xiuxiu quickly calculated, “Fifty eggs total nine yuan.”

The man pulled out a handful of one-yuan bills from his pocket, quickly counted out nine for Wu Xiuxiu, then took a cloth bag from his pocket and said, “I’ll pick the eggs myself, okay?”

“Okay, pick whatever you want.” Wu Xiuxiu had no objections, clutching the nine yuan, her eyebrows curved in a smile.

Finally, she had money, and nine yuan at that!

Nine yuan wasn’t much in modern times, but it was a considerable sum in this era.

“How much are these eggs?” The first customer was about to leave after picking his eggs when an old lady ran over and asked.

“18 cents each.” Before Wu Xiuxiu could answer, the first customer answered for her.

“My goodness, so expensive! You’re buying them at this price?” The old lady raised her eyebrows and looked at the first customer.

Wu Xiuxiu was a little annoyed, what did this old lady mean?

“They’ve been this expensive lately, I heard they’ll be even more expensive soon, because eggs will be even scarcer…

If you don’t buy more now, you won’t be able to afford them later.” The first customer said to the old lady.

“Although hers are 18 cents each, look at the eggs, they’re much bigger than regular eggs, and look at the color, so bright, they’re clearly fresh, very nutritious…

These eggs are worth one and a half regular eggs, buying two of these is like buying three regular eggs, so you’re actually saving money…

I just checked the other egg stalls in the black market, their eggs are nowhere near as good as these, and they’re still 17 cents each.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s right. My eggs are a bargain for anyone who buys them!” Wu Xiuxiu nodded in agreement.

This customer was smart! He spoke so well.

“Are these eggs really that good? Let me take a look.” The old lady was somewhat swayed by the customer’s words, she reached out and picked up two eggs, examining them carefully for a while before nodding. “You’re right!” she said to the customer.

“If you want eggs, buy them quickly.” The customer said as he left.

“Old lady, will you buy some?” Wu Xiuxiu asked the old lady.

“Buy! Give me fifty.” The old lady held up five fingers.

Wu Xiuxiu’s eyebrows curved into a smile. She didn’t expect the old lady to want fifty either, she had just sold one hundred eggs!

“Okay, fifty eggs for nine yuan.” Wu Xiuxiu said.

“I’ll pay you now.” The old lady said, reaching for her money…