Chapter 16: Finding the Black Market

By the time they arrived in town, the sun had just risen, but the heat was already pressing.

Today was market day, and although it was still early, there were already quite a few people at the town’s entrance. Most of them were locals who had come to sell their goods, already busy setting up their stalls and claiming spots.

Ye Xin, after Shen Zhuo had parked the bike and helped her down, shook the basket she was carrying. The herbs were dried and not heavy, but after a bumpy ride, carrying it had been uncomfortable.

She asked, “Where’s the herb shop? Let’s sell the herbs first. But it’s so early—do you think it’s open yet?”

Shen Zhuo nodded. “It should be open by now.”

He started pushing the bike toward the west side of town, where many locals sold their farm products. The market was lively, with things spread out on the ground or in bamboo baskets, leaving only a winding path in between. No one was in a hurry, and everything had a relaxed yet vibrant atmosphere.

After passing through the makeshift market, they came to a cleaner, more orderly area with actual stores. No street vendors here—just neat rows of shops. One of them, a small “Xu’s Herbal Medicine Shop,” stood in the morning sunlight, its wooden door already open.

Shen Zhuo wheeled the bike over, and Ye Xin followed closely behind. As soon as they stepped inside, the strong smell of herbs hit her nose.

Just as they were about to enter, a local man with a tanned face and an empty basket on his back walked out, clearly another person selling herbs. Ye Xin understood now—it was market day, so the shop must have opened early, as these rural folks were always up with the sun. In times like these, there was no room for laziness in business.

Inside the shop, a man in his forties or fifties stood by a bamboo basket, sorting through some recently gathered herbs. His short beard, glasses, and old-fashioned clothes—sleeves rolled up—gave him a scholarly appearance as he worked.

When he noticed them, he looked up, paused for a second, then his face lit up with recognition. “Ah, you’re from Liangshuitang, little Shen, right?”

Shen Zhuo nodded. “Yes, Doctor Xu, it’s me. I brought some herbs for you.”

His voice, usually cold and distant, had a hint of warmth today, as though he was speaking to a senior.

Ye Xin found this surprising. She guessed Shen Zhuo must have often come here with his father, so they were familiar with each other, and Doctor Xu, in turn, treated him with a kind and patient attitude, like a junior.

Doctor Xu set his basket aside and picked up an empty one. “You’ve been in the mountains gathering herbs? Let me see what you’ve got.”

Ye Xin quickly handed over the basket, and Doctor Xu turned his attention to her, seemingly a bit puzzled but not asking any questions for now. He started pouring out the herbs, examining them carefully.

After a quick inspection, he nodded. “Not bad, you gathered them well, and they’ve been dried properly. Looks like you’ve inherited your father’s skills.”

Then he turned to grab a scale. “But, you didn’t gather much. I’m afraid it won’t be worth much.”

Shen Zhuo replied, “It’s my first time collecting herbs, so I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right or if you’d even be buying. I just took a little to test the waters.”

Doctor Xu, still weighing the herbs, smiled and said, “Why wouldn’t I buy? People are always getting sick, so there’s always a demand for medicine. We’re always buying herbs, year-round.”

But then his expression darkened slightly. He sighed, shaking his head. “These days, things are chaotic. I’ve heard that many medicine shops in other places have been broken into, even injured people, all in the name of ‘anti-feudalism.’ They’re even rejecting ancestral knowledge. These people—tsk, it’s really something. We’re stuck here in this remote mountain, poor but safe. At least my shop’s still intact.”

Ye Xin understood he was talking about the current turmoil, when many things were being destroyed. Not just medicine shops, but valuable ancient buildings and books were being wrecked. Some people, afraid of drawing trouble, hid their family’s books away, not daring to take them out until the chaos died down.

Living in the mountain village, buried in the daily grind of farm work, Ye Xin rarely thought about the wider world, but today, it hit her how turbulent the times really were.

Ye Xin had momentarily forgotten they were living in such turbulent times. Hearing Doctor Xu’s words now, a heavy feeling settled in her chest. But at the same time, she found herself agreeing with him—being in a remote place, with difficult transportation, had its advantages. It kept them away from some of the dangers of the outside world.

Of course, she didn’t dare to voice this thought.

Shen Zhuo, as usual, remained silent.

Doctor Xu was merely expressing his frustrations, but once he was done, he focused back on his work. One by one, he weighed each herb, scribbling down the weight in a small notebook as he went.

The scale was an old-fashioned type, with a circular dish at the front and a heavy iron weight at the back. Little white marks on the rod showed the measurements. Ye Xin tried to make sense of it, but she found herself utterly confused.

Once everything was weighed, Doctor Xu picked up an ancient abacus and began clicking the beads, making Ye Xin’s head spin even more.

When he finished, he recorded the amount in the notebook and said, “Four yuan and eighty-five cents.”

It was a bit less than expected. Most herbalists who went to the mountains would sell their herbs in bulk, gathering enough over a month or even two or three months. They could make twenty or thirty yuan in one go.

Doctor Xu opened the drawer, took out the money, and said to Shen Zhuo, “If you have time, feel free to keep gathering. I’ll always buy as long as nothing happens to the shop.”

Shen Zhuo nodded. “I will.”

Then he paused, remembering something, and added, “Doctor Xu, I need two liang of realgar powder.”

“Oh, for driving off snakes, I suppose?” Doctor Xu paused, put down the money, and turned to retrieve the powder.

After weighing the realgar powder and subtracting the cost, he handed the remainder to Shen Zhuo along with the powder.

The transaction at the herb shop was done, and Ye Xin re-strapped her basket, politely saying, “Thank you, Doctor Xu. We’ll be on our way now.”

Doctor Xu, still curious about her, glanced at her again before asking Shen Zhuo, “Who’s this…?”

Shen Zhuo hesitated, unsure how to answer.

Ye Xin, with a bright smile, answered for him, “Doctor Xu, I’m Shen Zhuo’s fiancée. His father betrothed me to him before he passed.”

Doctor Xu suddenly understood. “Oh, that explains it. I hadn’t seen you before. You’re from Feng Shui village, right?”

Ye Xin nodded, smiling. “Yes, I’m Ye Xin. You’ll probably see me often from now on. I go up the mountain to gather herbs with Shen Zhuo, and I help him sell them too.”

Doctor Xu chuckled, “That’s good, that’s good. You two will have each other as company.”

After leaving the herb shop, Shen Zhuo glanced at Ye Xin, as if he wanted to say something, but then hesitated.

Ye Xin, busy scanning the street, didn’t notice his odd expression. She said, “Let’s buy some meat. It’s been so long since we had some. The last time we ate meat was… well, the last time.”

She had barely finished speaking when she realized she had said something unnecessary, but it had been true—since coming here, they’d only eaten meat once.

She turned to Shen Zhuo and asked, “Do you have any meat ration coupons?”

Shen Zhuo shook his head. “No.”

Ye Xin sighed. “I don’t have any either. Looks like we won’t be able to buy any meat at the butcher’s. Maybe we can find someone selling eggs instead.” In those days, it wasn’t just about having money to buy meat—you needed a ration coupon.

Shen Zhuo then held out the money he had just earned from selling the herbs. “Take this and buy something with it.”

Ye Xin was taken aback. “All of it? Aren’t you keeping some for yourself?”

Shen Zhuo simply said, “There isn’t much.”

Ye Xin realized he seemed a bit down, and assumed it was because they hadn’t made much from the herbs. She quickly tried to cheer him up. “Actually, it’s quite a bit. Eggs are three cents each. This can buy us more than 160 eggs! And pork is seventy-five cents a pound. That’s more than six pounds of meat!”

Shen Zhuo was stunned, thinking she might buy all eggs or pork, but that seemed a bit too extravagant. Besides, they didn’t even have a meat coupon. He said, “Well, take it. Buy whatever you need.”

Worried she might refuse, he quickly added, “I’ve been using your money for food, seeds, repairs, and tiles. This time, I can’t let you pay for everything.”

Ye Xin chuckled, “I never said I wouldn’t take it. Since you’re giving it to me, I’ll just take it and buy some eggs.” With that, she took the money from him.

Shen Zhuo let out a long sigh and pushed the cart to follow her, back toward the area where the villagers gathered to sell their farm goods.

Their luck was even worse this time. They managed to buy only fifteen or sixteen eggs, and after going around the stalls again, there were no more available. They settled for buying some garlic bulbs instead. Afterward, they stopped by the supply store to pick up two jin of white wine. Ye Xin wanted to buy a thermos, but after searching, all they had were large water kettles, which were too bulky, and without a ration coupon, she gave up.

“Here, there’s a bit more than a yuan left. I’ll give it back to you,” Ye Xin said as they walked out of the supply store, handing the leftover money to Shen Zhuo.

He didn’t take it. “You can keep it.”

“Why would I keep it? Everything we bought was with your money,” she said, glancing at his young, stubborn face. Knowing his personality, she added, “You can’t walk around with no money on you, right? What if you need to buy something later?”

Shen Zhuo remembered the last time, in front of everyone, when he couldn’t even come up with a few cents to pay for the roof tiles at the village chief’s house. He had felt quite embarrassed then.

He pursed his lips, finally taking the money and stuffing it into his pocket.

“Shall we head back?” he asked.

Ye Xin shook her head. “Wait, we still haven’t bought any meat.”

Shen Zhuo was puzzled. “But don’t we need a meat coupon?”

Ye Xin was scanning the stalls when she glanced at him and whispered, “That’s why we’re going to look for a place where we don’t need a coupon to buy meat.”

Shen Zhuo blinked in surprise, then understood.

In these times, the country operated under a planned economy—grain and industrial products were strictly controlled. You couldn’t buy them freely in the market. Meat was the same—you could only buy it at the slaughterhouse with a coupon. But the planned economy didn’t meet everyone’s needs. Some people were wealthier and wanted better food but lacked the coupons; others who had once been wealthy were now struggling and sold off their belongings; and there were those who wanted to make a little extra money, secretly selling grain or hunted game…

All these demands led to the creation of a hidden market—a black market.

In the black market, everything from grain to meat and industrial goods was traded. No coupons were required, and prices could be higher or lower than in regular stores, depending on what you were buying.

Ordinary, honest folks wouldn’t even know about the black market. Those who did were usually well-informed and sharp-minded.

The only reason Shen Zhuo knew about it was because his father had mentioned it to him before. His father had been a smart man, after all—if he hadn’t been, he wouldn’t have managed to save enough money to buy a bicycle.

But now, he couldn’t believe that Ye Xin knew about the black market too—and was bold enough to want to find it.

He glanced around nervously and lowered his voice. “This is too dangerous. What if we get caught?”

Ye Xin waved him off. “It’s not that dangerous. We’re not buying anything big. Just a little meat to put in the basket. No one will even notice. Think about it, there’s so little meat that gets rationed to each person each year. It’s never enough. If we don’t find another way, even if we have money, we won’t be able to buy meat.”

Shen Zhuo was momentarily speechless.

He hadn’t realized how fixated she was on meat. To think she was willing to go to the black market just for some! But… well, meat did taste good.

Seeing his hesitation, Ye Xin leaned in, offering more convincing words. “Just think about it. We’ve worked so hard to gather herbs and grow all those vegetables in the garden. Isn’t it all for making money? If we earn money and can’t even enjoy a good meal, what’s the point of it all? Trust me, let’s check it out this time, and next time we’ll know exactly where to go.”

With that, she set off in a direction, confident. When she noticed Shen Zhuo silently following behind, she couldn’t help but smile to herself.

She wasn’t just looking for the black market to buy meat, though. She had bigger plans. The crops in her space grew so fast and were of such high quality that selling them outside wasn’t very profitable—it attracted too much attention. To maximize the profit, finding the black market was the best option.