Chapter 13: The Black Market

When Zhao Xiulan asked this, Wu Jinhua was momentarily taken aback, then replied, “These days, there’s hardly any other way to get food.

“During the food distribution, everyone gets a bit to eat, and we can barely make do. When spring comes, we can go to the mountains to forage for wild vegetables. That should help fill our stomachs!

“However, since last year, the country has been hit by natural disasters, causing a sharp decrease in food production. People’s lives have become even more difficult!

“Our production team’s situation is relatively better. Everyone here works hard, so we have more grain yield compared to other teams. Plus, the team leader is foresighted and has prepared enough grain reserves. But I heard that in some places, half the village starved to death!

“People would even eat tree bark and roots when there’s nothing else left to eat!

“Some resorted to eating ‘Guanyin soil’^[1]aka kaolin – a type of white clay believed to have medicinal properties, but if it is taken too much it can block the colon and even lead to death, but after eating it, they couldn’t pass it out, and in the end, they died from suffocation. So, nowadays, it’s really difficult to get food! What other ways are there to get food?”

Listening to Wu Jinhua’s words, Zhao Xiulan remembered. She had experienced the Great Famine for three years, and in recent years, the country had been facing a shortage of food, causing many deaths due to starvation.

Now, if she were to go out to get food, where could she possibly find any?

A trace of disappointment flickered in Zhao Xiulan’s eyes as Wu Jinhua continued with her work, cutting pigweed.

After Wu Jinhua left, Zhao Xiulan flipped through the information in her space.

In this era, food was indeed difficult to obtain, but there was a way: the black market. On the black market, many people sold goods illegally. As long as you had money, you could buy grain, clothes, or other items.

However, for ordinary rural people, it was of no use because they couldn’t afford the high prices of goods sold in the black market!

Because the items sold were not officially supplied, their prices were very high! What cost a few cents originally would cost several times more in the black market!

For ordinary rural people, who had that much money?

Moreover, the country didn’t allow such activities. If caught, it would be considered speculation and profiteering, and they would be sent to prison!

Unless absolutely necessary, not many would risk going to the black market.

Upon finding this information, Zhao Xiulan felt relieved.

Since there was a black market, things would be easier!

With so many goods in her space, she might be able to exchange some of them and get what she needed!

It seemed she needed to find an opportunity to go to the county town!

There was no black market in the countryside; she had to search for it in the county town.

Zhao Xiulan stayed with the two cows until noon, when the production team only distributed a piece of steamed bread.

Finding the steamed bread too hard and unappetizing, Zhao Xiulan threw it into her space.

There were other foods in her space that she could take out to eat!

However, when eating, Zhao Xiulan was extremely cautious, making sure no one was around before daring to eat. She couldn’t afford to let others discover these good things she had!

She took out a glass of pure milk and a hand cake to eat. After finishing them, she even added a piece of grilled sausage, which was fragrant and oily.

After gobbling everything up like a wolf, her empty stomach felt much better, and she felt much more comfortable.

These things she ate were rare in this era, especially the grilled sausage. In the era of famine, being able to eat meat was definitely a luxury.

After eating like a thief, Zhao Xiulan tidied up and continued to watch over the two cows she had let out.

(End of Chapter 13)