So, the two sisters went to the black market near the train station.

The result—

The street was deserted.

However, under a dim yellow streetlamp, a young girl dressed in patched-up clothes was setting up a stall.

Taotao pulled her sister over.

Seeing the sisters, the girl in patched clothes became excited and quickly greeted them, “Big sisters, come take a look at these hair ties! They’re really cheap, just one cent each!”

Taotao squatted down and flipped through the leather cords neatly arranged on a clean cloth. She asked the girl, “Sister, is it always like this at night? No one selling anything?”

The girl stared at the hair tie in Taotao’s hair for a moment before answering in a small voice, “At night, almost no one sets up a stall because the public security patrols the streets.”

As she spoke, she even gave Taotao a smile.

Taotao suddenly understood.

The girl then asked, “What are you looking to buy?”

Taotao thought for a moment before saying, “We want to do some speculative trad—”

“Shh!” The girl was quick-witted. She immediately understood what Taotao was about to say and quickly raised a finger to her lips, stopping her from continuing.

“Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday night, starting at seven and ending at seven-thirty, they sell small daily necessities here—soap, handkerchiefs, sewing kits, things like that. Every Tuesday and Thursday, it’s usually bartering, and the prices are set freely, with reference to the supply and marketing cooperatives, but about twenty percent cheaper. On Saturday nights and Sundays, it’s mostly food and homegrown agricultural products…” The girl spoke in a hushed voice.

Taotao also lowered her voice and asked, “‘They’—who are they?”

The girl hesitated for a moment before answering softly, “‘They’ are peddlers. They travel back and forth between the city and the countryside, reselling goods. Each of them has their own fixed sales territory. Which village, which town, which county they sell in… it’s all carefully arranged.”

Taotao understood, her eyes shining. “Thank you, sister!”

The girl pursed her lips and smiled. “I should be the one thanking you!”

“Huh?” Taotao was stunned, her face full of confusion.

The girl pointed to the hair tie in Taotao’s hair and said with a smile, “I made that myself. I remember that night—I was driven crazy by my little brother’s medical bills, and in desperation, I came here to set up a stall. A kind older brother passing by gave me ten yuan and bought all my hair ties, even though they were practically worthless. That money… that money let me buy medicine for my brother.”

Hearing this, Taotao’s face filled with pride. “That was my brother Nansheng. My brother is the best in the world!”

Bai Lili, on the other hand, asked, “How is your brother now?”

The girl’s eyes reddened slightly. “Not yet… He has tuberculous meningitis. The doctor said it’s a very dangerous disease and hard to cure… My eldest sister died from it. I… I’m really afraid my brother won’t make it either. If that happens, I’ll be all alone…”

Taotao asked, “What about your parents?”

The girl shook her head. “My mother died in childbirth with my brother and my father raised the three of us alone. The year before last, my eldest sister passed away. Last year, my father was crushed while working in the factory… He didn’t make it.”

Bai Lili felt a pang of sympathy. “Then what are you doing now?”

The girl said, “I’m not old enough to take over my father’s job, so for now, I can only do odd jobs at the factory or set up a small stall myself. Once I turn eighteen and can officially work at the factory, my wages will be stable, and things will get better.”

Taotao asked, “How old are you now?”

The girl replied, “Sixteen. I still have a year and seven months to go before I turn eighteen.”

Taotao sighed. This was too difficult! It seemed like city folk weren’t necessarily better off than people in the countryside.

The three of them chatted for a while, and as the girl became more familiar with Bai Lili and Taotao, she couldn’t help but say, “Today is Wednesday. Later tonight, there will be people selling small daily necessities. Do you want to stock up on some goods? I know the market well. I can help you!”

Bai Lili hesitated.

Taotao immediately agreed and asked the girl how the trade worked.

The girl introduced herself, saying her name was Cheng Zhujun, and her little brother was Cheng Zhuming.

She first led the two sisters to her home. It wasn’t far, just about a hundred meters from where she set up her stall.

But her “home” was actually at the end of a dead-end alley. The alley was about two meters wide, with a few asbestos sheets as a “roof.” The “walls” were tattered oilcloth draped down, full of holes. The door was made of two broken wooden boards. To enter, you had to take the “door” apart.

Cheng Zhujun didn’t go inside. She called out, “Zhuming, I brought some friends over for a look around!”

From inside the “house,” there was the sound of a child coughing, followed by a question: “Sister, do you need me to step out for a bit?”

“No need. Just stay inside,” Cheng Zhujun replied.

She led Taotao and Bai Lili a few steps away before lowering her voice. “The doctor said my brother’s illness is contagious. So after my father passed away, the neighbors wouldn’t let us stay in the factory dormitory, and we had to move here.”

“I hope you understand. That’s why I didn’t invite you inside… I brought you here so you could see where I live, so you know I’m not lying to you. I know you must be from out of town. You don’t normally live in the city, do you?”

Bai Taotao was curious. “How did you know we’re from out of town?”

Cheng Zhujun replied, “To be honest, I’ve lived here a long time. I recognize most people who pass by, but you two… you look completely unfamiliar.”

Taotao nodded.

Cheng Zhujun then explained what “stocking up on goods” meant.

It was essentially hoarding.

The black market didn’t have fixed prices. Some goods were rare and could be sold at a high profit. Doing this kind of business depended on the buyer’s sharp eye—buying low, selling high.

She then said, “We could work together on this… In business, I know the black market well, and my home has space to store goods. But I don’t have the capital…”

At this point, Cheng Zhujun looked a little embarrassed. “So, so… could you lend me some money? Once I make a profit, we can split it sixty-forty. You take sixty, and I take forty.”

Bai Taotao said, “Xiao Zhu, let’s go check out the black market first!”

Cheng Zhujun nodded, called out to her brother, and then led the sisters out of the alley.

By now, it was almost seven o’clock. There were already a few scattered people carrying baskets, wandering around.

Some even noticed that Taotao and Bai Lili were unfamiliar faces and approached them with baskets in hand, trying to sell small goods. “Little sisters, want some jasmine-scented soap? It’s cheaper than at the supply and marketing cooperative…”

As he spoke, the vendor pulled out a bar of soap wrapped in oil paper and handed it to Taotao.

Taotao took it and sniffed—it did have a strong jasmine fragrance. She asked, “How much is this?”

The vendor didn’t speak, just held up a hand gesture.

Taotao: …

Cheng Zhujun extended her hand and made a gesture.

The vendor sulked and turned around, walking off without saying a word!

Taotao: @_@ What just happened?

Cheng Zhujun didn’t speak, simply crossing her arms and looking at the vendor with determination.

Not long after, the vendor returned angrily and made another gesture at Cheng Zhujun.

Cheng Zhujun made another gesture.

The two of them went back and forth, like they were using sign language.

Finally, Cheng Zhujun whispered in Taotao’s ear, “The price is set. You give him 26 cents, and he’ll give you ten bars of soap.”

Taotao had been to the black market the first time she came to the city, so she knew the prices.

On weekends at the black market near the train station, soap cost five cents per bar, and soap near the county committee building was priced at six or seven cents a bar; soap at the supply and marketing cooperative cost six cents with a ticket.

Now, 26 cents could buy ten bars of soap???

If she resold them, those ten bars of soap could easily go for at least 50 cents, yielding a net profit of 20 cents!

Taotao thought about it seriously—although she made a nice profit from flipping eggs and fish before, that was based on luck and it was a rare opportunity.

Wholesale seemed like the more sustainable way to go.

Taotao nodded at her older sister.

Bai Lili took out 30 cents and handed them over…

The vendor made another gesture.

Cheng Zhujun whispered, “He says no change, but he’ll throw in two more bars of soap.”

Taotao nodded eagerly.

So, Taotao spent 30 cents and got twelve bars of soap—such a bargain!

Next, under Cheng Zhujun’s guidance, Taotao learned the wholesale prices of items like needles, thimbles, toothbrushes, small scissors, ear scoops, screws, cotton yarn, sanitary napkins, and other daily products.

She was quite surprised.

Afterward, Taotao didn’t buy anything else and asked Cheng Zhujun, “If we went into business together, how much capital should I contribute?”

Cheng Zhujun was a bit excited. “Two yuan!”

She quickly ran the numbers in her head—based on her experience and market knowledge, with two yuan of goods, flipping them once would give her a profit of at least twenty percent, or forty cents. If she was lucky, she could flip them three times a week. Even if not, she could manage twice. If we’re not counting compound interest and just simple profit…

Flipping twice a week would earn eighty cents; three times a week would make a full yuan.

The best part? Since they lived nearby, flipping goods could be done in just half an hour to an hour each night, without affecting her day job! If this income became stable, she could earn five yuan a month. Two yuan would be enough for her brother’s medicine!

Cheng Zhujun’s excitement grew.

Taotao thought for a moment. “Ten yuan!”

Bai Lili nearly fainted—Mom only gave her two dimes before she left! Now Taotao was saying ten yuan, but she didn’t have that much in her pocket.

Cheng Zhujun was overjoyed!

With ten yuan as capital, with a twenty percent profit, flipping twice a week could earn one yuan; flipping three times a week could make more than six yuan! That’s ten yuan a month! Six yuan would mean eight yuan in profit! It could improve their meals and help her brother get better!

Bai Lili was getting anxious. “Taotao? Taotao…”

Taotao squeezed her sister’s hand and said to Cheng Zhujun, “No, we need to set some rules!”

Cheng Zhujun was thrilled. “Go ahead!”

Taotao said, “First, you can’t touch the ten yuan. Not a single penny, even if your brother is seriously ill. You can’t use my ten yuan!”

Cheng Zhujun bit her lip.

T/N: I got tired of checking if the author was doing the right maths at the end, so if it isn’t correct let me know or ignore it.