Chapter 28: The Black Market

“Nan girl, let Kaixuan walk you out. This alley is a maze with all its twists and turns. If you ever need anything, just give me a call or come to the steel factory to find me. If I’m not there, look for Kaixuan—or just come straight to our house,” Factory Director Bai reminded her with concern.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Bai. If I need anything, I’ll definitely come to you for help,” Nan Qiao replied with a cheerful smile. Whether she actually would or not was another matter.

“Good, good. Don’t be shy about troubling me—I don’t mind at all!” Bai Feng said with a kindly smile.

As Nan Qiao stepped out of the Bai family’s home, she looked at Bai Kaixuan—who had been forcibly sent out by his uncle to carry her many bags—and sighed inwardly.

This guy really wasn’t the most likable person. But then again, clinging to his uncle and securing his position like this wasn’t exactly an easy feat either.

“Comrade Nan, thanks for today,” Bai Kaixuan said awkwardly as he walked beside her.

“What for?” Nan Qiao looked puzzled.

“For that time at the state-run restaurant, of course. If my uncle had found out about that incident, he would’ve skinned me alive,” Bai Kaixuan replied, looking a bit embarrassed.

“It wasn’t that serious. Nothing really happened that time anyway. But speaking of that girl, she’s not an easy one. If you’re thinking of finding someone serious to marry, you might want to think twice.” Nan Qiao had seen enough to know that girl was calculating. Even if they did get married, it likely wouldn’t be out of genuine love.

Nan Qiao had a pretty good impression of Uncle Bai and Aunt Fang, and since Bai Kaixuan was attached to the Bai family, she said a bit more than usual. But just after the words left her mouth, she added,

“Of course, I don’t think you’re all that great yourself either. But because of Uncle Bai, I said what I said. If you mind it, just pretend I didn’t.”

“Of course I should listen to you, Comrade Nan. But that girl and I were just on a blind date. Nothing’s been decided. And sure, I’ve got some naughty thoughts—but it’s just holding hands, taking a little advantage. Even if we parted ways, I made it up to her. My uncle won’t be involved, so don’t worry,” Bai Kaixuan explained, clearly understanding what Nan Qiao meant.

“Didn’t think you’d be so honest, Comrade Bai. Bragging about taking advantage of someone like it’s no big deal,” Nan Qiao glanced at him and teased.

“It’s different with you. You’re my uncle’s benefactor, so you’re my benefactor too. If you ever need anything from me, just say the word,” Bai Kaixuan replied sincerely.

“Well, not much else, but there is something I could use your advice on.” Nan Qiao glanced around before lowering her voice.

“What is it?” Bai Kaixuan, sensing her tone, instinctively lowered his voice too.

“Do you know where the black market is?”

“You!” Bai Kaixuan exclaimed in shock. He quickly clapped a hand over his mouth and whispered, “If you need something, just tell me. I’ll get it for you. What’s a young girl like you going to the black market for? It’s not safe.”

Because they were speaking in hushed tones, Bai Kaixuan had leaned in quite close. Seeing Nan Qiao’s fair and enchanting face up close, he momentarily lost focus.

He completely blanked out, not even hearing Nan Qiao’s next words.

Not getting a response after a while, Nan Qiao raised her head and saw him dazed. Her brows furrowed in annoyance, and she promptly kicked him in the shin, making him jump in pain.

“Ow! Why’d you kick me!” Bai Kaixuan whined, rubbing his leg with a pitiful look.

“Watch where you’re looking, or I’ll kick you again!” Nan Qiao snapped.

“…Oh,” Bai Kaixuan responded sullenly. Sure, he liked to sneak a glance or two. Nan Qiao was undeniably beautiful. But out of respect for his uncle, he kept it to just looking—he had the heart but not the guts. And now he wasn’t even allowed to look anymore…

“So where exactly is the black market? Just tell me already,” Nan Qiao said, a bit impatiently.

Bai Kaixuan hesitated for a moment, then gave in. “You’ve been to the state-run restaurant, right? Go two streets east of there and look for Cotton Alley. Walk down the alley, and you’ll see it.”

“Alright. I’m off, then. You go do your thing.” Nan Qiao was about to leave when Bai Kaixuan stopped her again.

“There’s no danger today. The Red Armbands just did an inspection yesterday—they won’t be back today. But if you ever want to go again, check with me first. I’ve got a classmate in the team that cracks down on illegal trade—she usually knows when they’ll go out.”

As he spoke, he handed Nan Qiao her bundle.

“No matter what, you’re a girl. If you get caught, it’s all over. And if my uncle finds out I was the one who told you, I’m done for too…” Bai Kaixuan muttered while handing her things over.

Nan Qiao had originally been touched by his concern—until he ended with that last line, which made her roll her eyes hard.

Sure, he cared. But just a little.

“I got it. I’ll be careful,” she said as she took the package and nodded.

With that, the two of them headed off in different directions.

Once she was out of sight, Nan Qiao slipped into her space, raised and widened the bridge of her nose with molding clay, turned her double eyelids into monolids, and darkened all exposed skin with a dark foundation. She stuck on a small mustache, changed into a man’s outfit, and then exited the space again.

Now dressed as a man and carrying a basket of rice, Nan Qiao cautiously made her way toward the black market—sneaky-looking and clearly suspicious…

When she reached Cotton Alley, as Bai Kaixuan had described, two sturdy men were standing at the entrance. They were chatting casually, but their eyes were constantly scanning the people coming and going.

When one of them saw Nan Qiao’s unfamiliar face, he looked her up and down. As she passed by, he suddenly stepped in to block her path.

“Coming or going?” he asked.

The abrupt question caught Nan Qiao off guard, but she quickly composed herself and lowered her voice. “Going out.”

The man glanced into her basket. His eyes lit up with surprise but his voice remained flat as he said, “If you’re going out, that’s one mao.”

Nan Qiao didn’t argue and directly pulled out a one-mao coin from her pocket and handed it over.

After taking the money, the man waved her through without stopping her again.

But after she walked in, the man exchanged a glance with his partner, then headed off in another direction.

Nan Qiao continued deeper into Cotton Alley. Not far in, she saw a variety of makeshift stalls—fruits, vegetables, everything you could think of. Some even sold rare ration coupons.

At the supply co-op, rice cost 0.2 yuan per jin and required coupons. On the black market, it was 0.3 yuan per jin without coupons—but the quality was worse, and much of it was old stock.

Nan Qiao clicked her tongue slightly in surprise. Even so, many people were crowding to buy. Clearly, coupons were still hard to come by these days.

After getting a feel for the place, Nan Qiao found an open spot and sat down. But her basket remained covered and unopened.

From the moment Nan Qiao entered, an older woman had been eyeing this unfamiliar face…

The moment Nan Qiao sat down, an older woman hurried over and asked eagerly, “Young man, what are you selling? Let me have a look.”

Seeing her anticipation, Nan Qiao replied, “I’m just here visiting relatives today, didn’t bring much—just ten jin of rice, two jin of brown sugar, and ten jin of pork.”

The older woman’s eyes lit up with joy. She leaned over to peek inside the basket, and upon seeing that both the rice and pork were top quality, her excitement grew even more.

“My rice is excellent—four mao a jin. Pork is one yuan and five mao per jin. Brown sugar is one yuan per jin. No ration coupons needed.”

“So expensive?” the woman frowned at the price, but Nan Qiao said nothing. With the quality of her goods, she wasn’t worried about finding buyers.

Another woman nearby, who had already been eyeing the basket from the moment the cloth cover was lifted, saw the hesitation and quickly stepped forward. “If she doesn’t want it, I do! Give me one jin of brown sugar and one jin of pork,” she said as she shoved eight yuan and five mao directly into Nan Qiao’s arms without waiting for a response.

She then opened her bag, waiting for Nan Qiao to fill it.

Nan Qiao calmly took the money, then picked out a strip of pork and a pack of brown sugar and placed them in the woman’s bag.

The brown sugar, rice, and pork had all been taken from her space, conveniently pre-packaged in one-jin portions.

The woman happily hugged her bag to her chest—now her daughter-in-law could enjoy a proper postpartum month! She was in such a good mood that she said to Nan Qiao, “Young man, you better come back often. I’ll be your regular customer!”

“Sure thing, Auntie,” Nan Qiao replied in a low voice. But before the woman could say more, others had already crowded around.

They’d seen the pork just now and were green with envy, all jostling to buy.

Even the first woman, who had previously complained about the price, now rushed back and hurriedly paid two yuan and five mao to buy one jin of pork and one jin of brown sugar.

The rest of the rice was gone in no time, completely sold out. Nan Qiao patted her pocket, pleased with the 21 yuan she had earned.

Another smooth day, indeed~

But her joy only lasted a few minutes before someone blocked her path.

Frowning, Nan Qiao looked up in displeasure. Among them, she recognized one of the men as the guard from the alley entrance earlier—her mind immediately spun with possibilities.

Had her top-quality goods attracted the wrong kind of attention?

“Comrades, what’s the meaning of this?” Nan Qiao asked in a low voice.

“Young man, our Second Master would like to see you. Why not come along and have a drink to cool off?” said the same man who had checked her basket earlier.

Nan Qiao glanced at the group of big, burly men. Not a single one looked easy to deal with. She hesitated, but thinking it might be a business opportunity, decided to go along and take a look.

“Lead the way, then,” Nan Qiao replied calmly and firmly, her steady voice earning the man’s quiet approval.

They wound their way through the alleys until they arrived at a modest courtyard—nothing flashy, but clearly heavily monitored.

Men playing chess across the street, kids pretending to play games at the entrance—all appeared occupied, but their eyes constantly scanned their surroundings.

Some even subtly nodded as the group passed by.

Clearly, the man leading her held some weight.

Following him inside, Nan Qiao stepped into a yard filled with strong men. As soon as the door opened, they all looked over. At 170cm tall, Nan Qiao appeared especially petite among them.

But she’d seen her share of tense situations and didn’t flinch. With composure, she walked straight into the inner room.

The moment she stepped across the threshold, however, Nan Qiao suddenly paused…
The always-calm Nan Qiao was now a little flustered.

“Second Master, this is the person I mentioned earlier,” said the man who brought her in.

The man sitting in the main seat looked up—but his expression was foul, clearly not in a good mood. He tapped his wristwatch absently, lost in thought.

When his gaze fell on Nan Qiao, he froze for a moment. He stared at her, a trace of confusion in his eyes. Something about her figure seemed familiar. Thinking it was just his irritation making everyone look like her, he withdrew his gaze and asked, “Dongzi said you have quality rice?”

Nan Qiao cleared her throat and deliberately altered her voice before replying, “Yes. Not just rice—I also have flour and oil.”

The moment she spoke, the man on the main seat—Second Master—frowned again. That voice… why did it sound so familiar? Was he going crazy?

Seeing his frown, Nan Qiao panicked internally.
No way—had he recognized her?!
She grew uneasy. After all, this Second Master… knew her far too well!!

That’s right.

The so-called Second Master who ruled the black market like a king was none other than her next-door neighbor—Sheng Family’s second son, Sheng Yanchuan…

No wonder he had been able to give her that kind of dress last time, and even arrange a wedding and build a house for his big brother. So his whole operation was based here, huh. No doubt the transport team job was just a front…

“How much can you supply?” Sheng Yanchuan asked.

“That depends on how much Second Master can handle,” Nan Qiao replied calmly.

“Quite bold,” Sheng Yanchuan said coldly. He was used to people joking and flattering him—this aloofness was a bit jarring.

“Second Master, I wouldn’t be standing here alone if I didn’t have some backing. Surely you don’t think I alone can supply such a large quantity?”

“Rice, flour, oil, pork, brown sugar—how much can you provide the first time, and at what price?” Sheng Yanchuan asked, getting straight to business.

“Rice, 0.35 yuan per jin, 200 jin.
White flour, same price.
Brown sugar, 0.9 yuan per jin, 100 jin.
Oil, 1.3 yuan per jin—I can provide 100 jin, but only in large 20-jin barrels.
As for other items, I can give you a list with fixed prices. If you need anything, just let me know.”

Sheng Yanchuan hesitated. The prices were high, but according to Dongzi, the goods were high quality. If resold in the black market, they’d fetch a good price. Judging by this person’s demeanor, they seemed to have a steady supply line… but when had someone like this shown up in town?

Considering the potential for long-term cooperation, Sheng Yanchuan didn’t try to haggle. Instead, he asked, “I’ll take this batch. But I need to see the goods before payment.”

“No problem,” Nan Qiao replied swiftly. She wasn’t worried about being robbed—aside from Sheng Yanchuan being who he was, she had her space as a backup plan.

“In an hour, meet at the small bridge behind the textile factory,” she said. She had spotted the bridge while wandering around earlier. The area was surrounded by factory buildings—at this hour, everyone was at work, and the eastern side under the bridge had a spacious clearing. Perfect for unloading supplies.

“Alright. One hour it is.”