Chapter 102: To the City

Translator: Henyee Translations  Editor: Henyee Translations

Brother Qiang continued, “The city’s supply and marketing club is on Xianglin Avenue, which is next to Peace Street. The black market is a little far away. It’s at a place called Dongge Road. It’s a long way. If you go there, find two banyan trees side by side. The black market is next to them.”

Xiao Sheng’s eyes flickered. Brother Qiang had told him this because he wanted him to go to these two places to inquire about the market before negotiating the price. This was to prevent him from not knowing the price when he went to negotiate.

Xiao Sheng’s expression became even more earnest. “Thank you for your advice, Brother Qiang!”

Brother Qiang smiled, but said nothing. He liked dealing with smart people like this. It saved him a lot of trouble!

Soon, it was their day off. Before dawn, Xiao Sheng rode his bike into the county. When he arrived at the county, he got into a car and took out the few sweet potatoes that he had steamed in the morning to eat.

They arrived at the provincial capital, City H, an hour later. It was after nine when they arrived.

It was Xiao Sheng’s first time in the city. When he saw the huge station parking lot filled with people, he didn’t know which way to go. He observed the direction of the crowd and chose the direction with the most people.

Then, he asked around and found the black market. Xiao Sheng carried a basket and strolled around like he usually did.

Although he didn’t show it on his face, he was actually surprised that the black market in City H was much larger than that in Pingjiang County. The variety of things sold was also very comprehensive. He also saw the cake that Yu Bing bought from the supply and marketing club last time. However, the difference was that there were more layers of white of the version sold here. They said that this was some cream cake. It was very beautiful and had flowers on it.

The dazzling array of items dazzled Xiao Sheng. He also asked about the prices of many agricultural products and finally discovered a pattern.

Any agricultural products produced in the village would be sold in the city at a higher price than those produced in the county. However, if it was novel Western-style pastries or fabrics, they would be more expensive in the county than in the city.

After shopping for more than half an hour, Xiao Sheng went to the supply and marketing club.

After investigating both sides, he went straight to Peace Street and found that it was actually City H’s sugar factory.

The guard that Xiao Sheng found helped to call the person over. After waiting by the door for more than ten minutes, he saw a middle-aged man in his forties come out. He had a square face, wasn’t very tall, and was a little chubby. He was wearing a patched tunic suit and a pair of old shoes.

After they left the door, Xiao Sheng took a few steps forward and called out softly, “Uncle Ping.”

Qin Ping glanced at Xiao Sheng with confusion in his eyes. He was cautious and didn’t reply.

Xiao Sheng calmly recited the code words Brother Qiang had given him. After the code words matched, Qin Ping brought Xiao Sheng to an inconspicuous corner in the distance.

Xiao Sheng explained his intentions and quietly revealed the vegetables in the basket. There were two bags of pickled vegetables.

Qin Ping realized that the pickled vegetables were very colorful. He reached out and pinched a little to taste it. It also tasted better than what he usually bought.

In the north, there were fewer vegetables as winter progressed.

Qin Ping was the person-in-charge of the canteen. Many workers had reported to the higher-ups that the amount of food provided by the canteen was getting smaller and smaller, but there wasn’thing he could do if the supply agency couldn’t supply them. Even so, he still specifically sent people to keep an eye on them every day since he was afraid that the supply agency would supply their food to other units.

Xiao Sheng’s arrival made Qin Ping happy, but he didn’t show it on his face. He only asked, “How much is the price?”

There were many people in the city, so there were people who didn’t pickle vegetables or didn’t pickle enough and wanted to go out to buy them. Therefore, there were also many vendors selling pickled vegetables on the black market. Xiao Sheng estimated the price based on the information he had obtained from the black market and the supply and marketing society. “0.08 yuan per catty.”

The price was reasonable for this season’s pickled vegetables. Qin Ping asked again, “How many catties can you supply?”

Xiao Sheng quickly replied, “About 1,700 kilograms.”

Qin Ping asked tentatively, “Do you have any other vegetables? What price?”

Xiao Sheng’s eyes lit up. In winter, the prices of vegetables were more expensive. The county city was closer to the countryside, so they could sell them for a good price in the city. “There’s also cabbage and radishes. They’re all 0.05 yuan a catty.”

Qin Ping estimated according to the amount given by the supply and marketing club every day. “I need 200 catties of pickled vegetables a week, and 100 catties of cabbage and radish each, but you have to give me a discount of 0.01 yuan per catty.”