Chapter 13: Transformed into the Black Market

After shaking off the thugs tailing her in just a few moves, Ji Tangtang began thinking about finding the black market. Based on the plot of that book, the black market was usually located somewhere hidden. So she deliberately walked toward more secluded places.

But after searching several areas, she still found no clue. Stroking her chin in thought, she quickly realized the crux of the problem.

She found a deserted spot and entered her secret realm, dug out a Disguise Pill from beneath the peach tree, and swallowed one.

In an instant, her appearance changed from a stunning young beauty to that of a weary-looking woman in her thirties, her face lined with hardship. She casually stuffed some grass into her basket, grabbed two rabbits, and walked out of the secret realm, wandering the streets again.

This time, someone quickly approached her.

It was a boy of about twelve or thirteen. He glanced around cautiously before speaking.
“New stall?”

Ji Tangtang didn’t know what stall meant, but guessed it was some kind of black market code. She nodded.

The boy took a look at the rabbits in her hands, then tugged her into a more hidden corner, lowering his voice.
“Got anything else?”

Lowering her voice as well, Ji Tangtang said, “I have ginseng. Do you take that?”

The boy’s eyes lit up at the mention of ginseng. After hesitating for a moment, as if making up his mind, he said, “I’ll take you to see Brother Dong.”

He led Ji Tangtang through a twisting path until they reached an abandoned factory. Inside, a few rough-looking men were huddled together, seemingly discussing something.

“Brother Dong, I brought someone,” the boy said to one of them.

Qin Xiangdong’s gaze swept over Ji Tangtang like a scanner. Seeing she only carried two rabbits, his brows furrowed in displeasure.

The scar-faced man beside him, sensing his thoughts, lazily shook his leg and teased, “Skinny Monkey, just for two rabbits you bring someone here? You’re really that short-sighted? Aren’t you afraid Brother Dong will smack you?”

Skinny Monkey snorted in disdain. “You’re the short-sighted one.”

After snapping back at Scarface, he leaned toward Qin Xiangdong and whispered, “Brother Dong, she said she’s got ginseng.”

“Really? Ginseng?” Qin Xiangdong turned to Ji Tangtang.

Without wasting words, Ji Tangtang set down her basket, reached into the pile of grass, and pulled out two ginseng roots.
“Name your price.”

At the sight of the ginseng, the place fell silent.

It took quite a while before the men seemed to snap out of their shock. Scarface, who had looked down on her earlier, now showed no trace of disdain. He instinctively moved closer to Qin Xiangdong and muttered, “Brother Dong, those ginseng roots are huge—at least a hundred years old. You’d better check if they’re real.”

“Can I take a closer look first?” Qin Xiangdong asked.

This time, it was Ji Tangtang scrutinizing them. Taking her time, she said coolly, “They’re authentic. Let’s talk price first.”

“If they’re genuine, I’ll pay a thousand yuan each. I’ll take both. Don’t worry—we can trade cash for goods on the spot,” Qin Xiangdong said.

There were gasps from the group. Someone even called out, “Brother Dong!” in protest.

Everyone gathered here today was part of a joint black-market operation. If Qin Xiangdong pulled two thousand yuan out of their shared funds to buy ginseng, they wouldn’t have money left to deal in other goods.

Understanding their concerns, Qin Xiangdong clarified, “These ginseng won’t go through the group accounts. I’ll buy them with my own money.”

In other words, whatever profit came from selling them would be his alone.

Some weren’t happy with that, since they all knew the authorities were desperate for certain medicinal herbs, and a hundred-year-old ginseng was a top-tier commodity. If sold, it would bring in a fortune. But ginseng wasn’t like nylon stockings—they spoiled quickly and carried much higher risk. Losing two thousand in one go was dangerous, and none of them had that much capital to gamble with. They were always juggling money between deals.

Still, since the risk was Qin Xiangdong’s alone, they didn’t object further.

Ji Tangtang handed him the ginseng to examine but added her own terms.
“Besides the two thousand yuan, I also want rice seeds and wheat seeds—ten jin each.”

She had tasted steamed buns and bread in the human world and found them delicious. So in addition to rice, she wanted wheat as well. Corn porridge, on the other hand, was awful. She refused to waste her secret realm land planting something so unpalatable.

Qin Xiangdong inspected the ginseng carefully, confirming both were genuine and over a hundred years old. He readily agreed to her added request.
“Alright, come with me to get the money.” He handed the ginseng back to her.

“Uh… about those rabbits,” Scarface scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Are you selling them?”

Ji Tangtang’s eyes flickered. “Do you have other goods?”

Scarface puffed out his chest. “Of course. Look who we are! We’ve got small items like socks, towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, and cloth—cheaper than the supply co-op and no ration tickets needed. If you want bigger things, I can get those too.”

Thinking of her family’s situation, Ji Tangtang said, “I don’t want money for the rabbits. I’ll trade for two dozen pairs of socks, four toothbrushes, two tubes of toothpaste, and a bolt of cotton cloth—”

“Stop!” Scarface cut her off in time. “Auntie, those two rabbits would fetch maybe twenty yuan at most. How could they be worth that much? You’re asking way too much.”

“These rabbits aren’t ordinary. They were raised on ginseng leaves. They have nourishing effects.” Ji Tangtang wasn’t too eager to sell them anyway—she’d already made plenty of money today. “If you don’t agree to the trade, forget it. Just tell me the prices of those things and I’ll buy them.”

Qin Xiangdong, overhearing this, grew thoughtful. “What you just said—was it true? These rabbits were really raised on ginseng leaves? They have health benefits?”

Scarface curled his lip and scoffed. “Brother Dong, don’t tell me you believe her nonsense? Rabbits eating ginseng leaves? Even if they did, how could that make them medicinal?”

The others nodded in agreement. None of them had ever heard of rabbits raised on ginseng leaves, let alone that they could become nourishing.