Kissed and Seduced By the Most Rough Man in the Village-Chapter 115: A Black Market Quite Different from Her Imagination
They couldn’t resist pressing even closer, but a sudden noise from outside the door frightened them, prompting them to separate in a hurry. Each claimed a corner of the bed and took some time to regain their composure.
"I’ve already asked around, and it seems the black market here operates well. They usually go on until 9 PM," Jiang Yexun cleared his throat. His husky voice remained but became even more sensual.
"Is it tightly monitored?" Su Xiaoxiao blinked her hazy apricot eyes, showing some concern. She had lived two lifetimes, and this was her first time going to a black market. Even with her cheat system with good luck from the Guo family ancestors, she couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.
"It operates once a week, always starting after 8:30 PM, and it seems to be quite regular. However, there are guards in the black market, and you’ll be informed the entrance fee when you enter. As long as you remember the time and the fee then you should be fine," Jiang Yexun explained. Seeing Su Xiaoxiao’s concerns, he shared all the information he had.
Su Xiaoxiao stared at him with a hint of astonishment and asked, "This is your first time in Beijing, right? How did you manage to learn all this within the time it took to grab breakfast?"
She knew Jiang Yexun was very resourceful in such matters, but she didn’t expect him to have this level of knowledge.
"Big Gao and the black market in Beijing have a connection," Jiang Yexun explained. "There are many wealthy people in Beijing, but the meat, especially pork and poultry, is rationed. If you want to eat something different, you have to snatch it. Some people, with a lot of money, want to enjoy something special. Both black markets have people in the transport team, who travel for four or five days back and forth. They get advance information about extra live game. They only kill the animals when they reach Beijing to ensure the meat is fresh."
"Wow, your business is quite extensive," Su Xiaoxiao marveled. She looked at Jiang Yexun with admiration in her apricot eyes.
Jiang Yexun felt his heart warm and quickly turned his head, urging, "You should eat your breakfast; the buns will taste bad if they get cold."
"Oh," Su Xiaoxiao pouted her lips. After a while, Jiang Yexun turned back and saw the young girl who had plumped up her cheeks by eating. He found her incredibly adorable, so he lightly poked her soft cheek. He got up before the girl had a chance to throw a tantrum and made her a cup of milk tea.
After Su Xiaoxiao finished eating, they left the room together. The guesthouse was not very close to the black market. They walked for almost half an hour to reach the alley.
“Five pennies per person for buyer and one cent for seller. They checked yesterday and will do so next week on Thursday," a young man smoking by the side whispered when they approached. Jiang Yexun handed over one cent, and they were allowed to enter.
When they walked a few meters out of the entrance, Su Xiaoxiao, curious, asked Jiang Yexun, "Brother Yexun, is the fee they charge high? Aren’t you afraid people can’t get in?"
"People in Beijing are rich, and there are many visitors. Setting a threshold keeps random people from entering and wandering aimlessly, which wouldn’t be safe," Jiang Yexun held her small hand, saying, "There may be many people inside later, so we should stick together to avoid getting separated."
"Okay," Su Xiaoxiao replied softly, tilting her head to the side.
However, the blushing blush on her white, porcelain-like cheeks due to excitement exposed her feelings of heart-throbbing and shyness. She didn’t struggle anymore and held onto the man who had tempted her into such a state, even leaning tightly against his arm.
Although there were many people in the black market, they were all there to do things that weren’t permitted, so no one would report them. The black market was quite different from what Su Xiaoxiao had imagined. It was packed with people, yet it was strangely quiet. People didn’t even haggle, and everyone walked as quietly as possible.
She was curious about everything since it was her first time in a place like this. She craned her neck to look at each stall one by one.
Some stalls sold pork, while others offered second-hand clothes, shoes, or baskets of eggs. There were also homemade pastries and fashionable clothes brought from other cities. However, even small stalls drew crowds of over ten people due to the rarity of their offerings.
Su Xiaoxiao kept exploring, and it wasn’t until she reached the end of the alley that she found a few stalls selling antiques. They didn’t have much to offer; having five or six items on display was already considered a lot. There were replicas from the Republic of China era, late Qing Dynasty porcelain, and even a painting that seemed to be the work of a famous Ming Dynasty artist. However, it had been stripped of its top layers, leaving only the thin and pale third layer. While it might have some collectible value, its price wouldn’t be too high in the future.
Su Xiaoxiao sighed, feeling like she might return empty-handed today. Suddenly, a purple clay cup about the size of her palm entered her sight.
A purple clay peach-shaped cup?!
Su Xiaoxiao remembered that in the late 1990s, Jiang Yexun had purchased one at a price of four million from an overseas auction at Sotheby’s.
Following Su Xiaoxiao’s gaze, Jiang Yexun noticed the cup and frowned slightly.
It’s really ugly. Little educated youth wouldn’t like it, would she?
Just as he was thinking about this, Su Xiaoxiao had already grabbed his hand and crouched down at the stall.
"Uncle, how much for this cup?" she asked.
The man glanced at Su Xiaoxiao as if he didn’t care much. She appeared well-dressed and wealthy.
"Twenty-five," he bluntly stated.
"Uncle, twenty-five is more than an ordinary worker’s monthly wage. Plus, this isn’t an exceptionally antique, nor is it crafted by a famous artist," Su Xiaoxiao furrowed her beautiful eyebrows. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
"You’re quite young; what do you know?" the man lightly chuckled. Though he tried to conceal it, Jiang Yexun could sense the disdain in his words.
"Three yuan," she retorted directly, offering a discount.
The man’s expression immediately changed, and he was about to curse when Jiang Yexun, with a nonchalant tone, said, "An antique shop would give, at most, one or two yuan for it. If it were truly valuable, you wouldn’t be willing to sell it. Even if you took a quick glance, with so many knowledgeable people here every day, do you think they wouldn’t notice?"
"Well... You can’t just charge one yuan more than an antique shop, can you? One yuan can only buy a pound of pork. This isn’t a joke. If I’m willing to sell it so cheaply, I would’ve gone to an antique shop. There’s no need to take the risk and pay to set up a stall in the black market," the man argued.
Now there are antique shops?
Aren’t those from the 1980s?
Su Xiaoxiao was a little surprised.
"Ten yuan, and that’s already quite cheap."
"Final offer: four yuan. Take it or leave it," Su Xiaoxiao didn’t want to haggle any longer.
This was an item from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The cup had a red-brown glaze color and exquisite craftsmanship. It was a peach-shaped cup, with peach branches forming the handle, and peach leaves and fruit as three-dimensional elements. The workmanship was exceptional, and it was quite collectible.
Most importantly, Jiang Yexun liked it.
"Okay, okay," the man finally gave in.
Jiang Yexun took four yuan from his pocket and handed it to the man. The man quickly wrapped the purple clay cup in newspaper and handed it over.
Jiang Yexun stashed the item in his clothing. They didn’t want to linger any longer in the black market, so they left right away.
They returned to the guesthouse first and placed the purple clay cup in their luggage.
"Is it safe to bring this back?" Su Xiaoxiao crouched beside Jiang Yexun, tilting her head as she asked.
"Of course, it’s just a small item. It won’t be discovered when hidden in the luggage. Once we’re back home, I’ll bury this cup along with the other things in the mountains," Jiang Yexun reassured her.
"Why would there be shops openly dealing with antiques at this time? Won’t they be criticized for hoarding such things?" Su Xiaoxiao, who had been holding in her questions for the entire journey, finally asked.
"These shops only opened in the past two years in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Antiques from our country have fetched high prices in foreign auctions, so the government has started to protect them. They even called back some experts in antiques. They prioritize the protection of exceptionally valuable and rare items. The rest are sold through antique shops to generate foreign exchange and income," Jiang Yexun explained. Because he had collected quite a few such items, he had always been attentive to the trends in this field.
"Are these items only sold to foreigners visiting our country?" Su Xiaoxiao sighed with a hint of regret.
The country was indeed going through a difficult development phase. The food production was not sufficient, and the industrial development lagged behind. Without exporting items abroad, the currency could not circulate internationally. To buy foreign products and technologies, foreign exchange was necessary.
"Foreign exchange tickets can be used for purchases as well. They will be registered, and a certificate will be issued to the buyer. When the disciplinary office investigates, presenting the certificate will protect you," Jiang Yexun explained.
Su Xiaoxiao was truly surprised to learn about these operations in such times, and her large, watery eyes lit up like a clear sky after a heavy rain. However, her expression soon turned into one of disappointment as she lowered her brows.
