Chapter 19: The Provincial Capital Black Market

Xia Ning’an carefully observed and locked onto an older woman. She followed her to the black market. It turned out that the black market was near the hospital.

Black markets in cities usually exist near hospitals and train stations.

This time, she didn’t follow the older woman into the black market. Instead, she found an alleyway with no one around, released an old tricycle, loaded it with 10 pots and 20 army water bottles, and rode it to the entrance of the black market.

The person guarding the entrance of the black market charged her 10 cents, glanced at the things on the tricycle, and let her in.

After entering, Xia Ning’an found an empty spot and waited there.

A man saw that she was selling army water bottles and came over to ask the price. He bought two directly. Xia Ning’an received 40 yuan and put it in her small wallet. She secretly took out two more from the space to replenish her stock.

A while later, an older woman and a young woman came over. They each bought a pot, bringing in another 64 yuan.

At this time, the guard at the entrance brought over a man in his twenties.

The man introduced himself as the person in charge of the black market, named Li Qiang.

“Little sister, do you have more of this stuff?”

“Yes.” The fish was finally hooked.

“How much?”

“I have 50 more iron pots. If you want them, they’re 28 yuan each. I have 100 water bottles, 16 yuan each.”

“Okay, I’ll take them all. When will you deliver them?”

“I’ll deliver them later. Take these first.”

“You’re so straightforward, little sister. Lao San, pay the little sister for these first.”

Xia Ning’an received 768 yuan and rode away on her tricycle.

A while later, she came back pushing the tricycle. It was loaded with 50 iron pots and 100 water bottles.

Lao San paid Xia Ning’an 3,000 yuan this time. She took the money and left again.

A while later, she came back pushing another load of goods.

This time, it was 500 jin of noodles and 500 jin of eggs.

Lao San didn’t let her in this time. He took the goods directly at the entrance.

“Can I exchange all these goods for tickets and overseas Chinese coupons?”

“Yes, these goods are worth 750 yuan. I’ll give you tickets for the whole amount.”

Xia Ning’an waited for a while, and Lao San came with the tickets.

Xia Ning’an rode away, and a while later, she came back pushing the cart again.

This time, the cart was loaded with a sewing machine and half a pig.

Lao San and Li Qiang were both at the entrance this time. Seeing her pushing another load of goods, they both laughed. This girl was quite cautious, afraid that they would cheat her, huh? She wasn’t tired of going back and forth.

This time, the goods sold for 400 yuan. “Little sister, what are you going to bring next time?”

“I have a new tricycle like this one. Do you want it?”

“Of course, we’ve been wanting to get a tricycle like this for a long time. How much is it?”

“580 yuan each.”

“That’s so expensive?”

“If you can help me get a license plate, I’ll give you two for 500 yuan.”

“Okay, we’ll take care of it.”

Xia Ning’an made three trips and rode over with three new tricycles. She received 1,000 yuan, made an appointment to come back at 9 am tomorrow to pick up the vehicles, and rode away on her old tricycle.

“This girl is quite amusing, she’s got a sharp mind,” Li Qiang said with a hint of admiration.

Xia Ning’an had earned 4,872 yuan on this trip.

Humming a tune, she changed her makeup and went to the Chinese medicine shop.

There was a middle-aged man and a young man working there.

Xia Ning’an walked to the medicine cabinet and asked, “Do you buy lingzhi here?”

“Yes, we do,” the young man replied.

“Fresh lingzhi is 3 yuan per liang, and dried lingzhi is 1.5 yuan per liang.”

“Is there a limit on the amount you purchase? I mean, I have a lot this time.”

The young man smiled. “There shouldn’t be any limit. We’re a state-owned pharmacy, and we get supplies from all over the country. If we can’t use it, we can give it to other pharmacies.”

“Oh, I understand. Thank you.”

It was almost 6 pm when she left the pharmacy. She had eaten a simple lunch, and she planned to go to the First State-Owned Restaurant for dinner. She had heard that it was the best state-owned restaurant in the provincial capital. It was a good opportunity to try the cooking skills of the provincial capital’s chefs in this era.

When she arrived at the state-owned restaurant, it was indeed a provincial restaurant. The menu was filled with dishes, about 20 or 30 different ones. This was rare in the north. It wasn’t like summer when there were many vegetables. There were no plastic greenhouses at this time, and there weren’t many vegetables in the north. She ordered a plate of sweet and sour pork, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and a pound of donkey meat dumplings. She could take the leftovers home. She had never eaten donkey meat dumplings before. She had only heard that the best meat was dragon meat in the sky and donkey meat on the ground. She thought donkey meat dumplings should be delicious.

There were many people eating at this time. She looked around but couldn’t find an empty seat. At this time, an older woman next to her called out to her, “Daughter, my grandson will be finished eating soon. Why don’t you sit here for a while?”

The older woman was very kind. Xia Ning’an thanked her and sat down.

After a while, she heard that her food was ready. She went to the window, picked up her food, and came back. The dishes were surprisingly large. She first took out a few lunch boxes and put some of the food in them, leaving only the amount she would eat.

The sweet and sour pork was very delicious. It was worthy of being made by a chef. The donkey meat dumplings were also very flavorful. Xia Ning’an closed her eyes in satisfaction, happily enjoying the delicious food.

She had no idea how pleasing to the eye she looked while enjoying her food.

After dinner, Xia Ning’an put on her backpack and left the state-owned restaurant. She planned to find a guesthouse near the Public Security Bureau to stay. It would be safer near the Public Security Bureau.

It was a good idea, but as soon as she left the state-owned restaurant, she was stopped by a greasy man.

“Little sister, where are you going? It’s so late. Why don’t you go home with your brother?” He said this and reached out to grab Xia Ning’an’s hand in a lewd way. Xia Ning’an quickly dodged.

“Bond, quickly give me a handy weapon.”

“There’s a knife, a stun gun, and a baton.”

Xia Ning’an retreated cautiously. The man was followed by four more people.

She pretended to be scared while observing the escape routes.

One of the thugs seemed to have seen through her plan.

“Little girl, it’s your good fortune to be noticed by our Brother Chao. There are many people in Yangcheng who want to curry favor with Brother Chao. If you go with him, you can just wait to eat and drink well.”

“I don’t know you. My mom told me not to talk to strangers.” Xia Ning’an continued to stall for time.

“My name is Su Jianchao. My little brothers call me Brother Chao. Now we’re not strangers anymore. Come on, go home with your brother.”

“I can’t go home with you. My family will be worried.”

“Don’t push your luck. Our Brother Chao is the only son of Vice Mayor Su in Yangcheng. There’s no woman he can’t get in this city. I advise you to be obedient, and you’ll suffer less.”

With that, they surrounded her.

Xia Ning’an put her hands behind her back. A stun gun appeared in her right hand, and a bag of chili powder in her left hand.

When they approached again, Xia Ning’an raised her left hand and stabbed the man closest to her with the stun gun in her right hand.

The electric current was at its maximum. The man screamed and fell to the ground. Xia Ning’an raised her leg and ran towards the alleyway. She hid in the space before anyone could stop her.