The black market is actually a place that sells things that are not allowed to be sold by officials, or that are restricted from being sold.
The most common items are various tickets and smuggled electrical appliances.
In addition, some people will sell antiques or rare items.
In short, it was a huge mishmash.
As a result, the black market is a melting pot of all sorts of people, and double-crossing among gangsters is common.
“I’ll go with you!”
Seeing that Chen Yansheng had already made a decision, Yu Bingjie immediately said so.
Upon hearing this, Chen Yansheng was about to speak when Yu Bingjie interrupted him first:
“The black market is such a chaotic place, I’m worried about you going alone.”
“If you don’t go, you’re not allowed to go either!”
Seeing that Yu Bingjie had said that, Chen Yansheng smiled helplessly: “Alright then, but once we get to the black market, you have to listen to me.”
Yu Bingjie nodded obediently.
After deciding to go to the black market, the two changed their clothes, took the jackal’s pelt and the century-old blood ginseng, and went out.
The two boarded a rural bus on the county road, entered the town, and after arriving at the town’s bus station, they transferred to another rural bus and left the town, heading in another direction.
Because of the sensitivity of the traded goods, the black market in this county is not located in the city itself, but in a ravine called “Black Mountain” in the northern suburbs of the county.
The reason for choosing this location is that Black Mountain is backed by deep mountains, so if anything happens, we can escape into the deep mountains.
“If you’re going to Black Mountain, get off here and walk along the mountain road for another 20 minutes.”
The bus driver stopped the bus on the side of the road and said to Chen Yansheng.
He frequently travels this route, so he knows about the black market.
“Thanks, driver.”
Chen Yansheng casually took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes and stuffed it into the driver’s hand.
They say cigarettes build bridges and liquor paves roads.
He rarely comes to the northern suburbs of the county town; delivering a pack of cigarettes is just a way to establish a good relationship.
Seeing how cooperative Chen Yansheng was, the driver’s eyes lit up. He calmly took the pack of Daqianmen cigarettes and said:
“Young man, there aren’t many rural buses running this route. There are only four trips a day: at 9 a.m., 12 p.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. If you want to go back today, you’d better pay attention to the times.”
“Otherwise, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”
Chen Yansheng quickly thanked him, saying, “Driver, I’ll remember that.”
Before leaving, the driver added a reminder: “Young man, the higher-ups are cracking down hard lately. Be careful once you get into Heishan. If you hear any rumors, get out of there as soon as possible.”
Upon hearing this, Chen Yansheng raised an eyebrow slightly.
In this day and age, drivers who can drive rural buses are not ordinary people.
They are basically protected by local tyrants, or they work directly for those tyrants.
Their sources of information are also more well-informed than the average person.
The driver’s reminder undoubtedly indicated that the black market was not safe lately.
Before he could ask any more questions, the driver had already driven away in the country bus.
“let’s go.”
Chen Yansheng turned to Bingjie and said.
Yu Bingjie nodded, and the two followed the same route into the Black Mountain.
After walking for more than ten minutes and passing through a dense jungle, the two heard a cacophony of voices.
Looking closely, you can see that many stalls have already been set up in the clearing behind the woods.
The market was thriving, selling smuggled electrical appliances, stolen bicycles, and all sorts of rare items.
This is the gray area that exists outside the law.
The two found a secluded corner, set up their stall, and displayed the jackal’s pelts and the century-old blood ginseng.
As soon as these two items were displayed, people came to ask the price.
“Hey buddy, how much for your jackal pelt?” a middle-aged man asked, approaching him.
“It’s 100 yuan a piece, all the same price, it depends on which one you want,” Chen Yansheng replied.
Upon hearing the price, the other party immediately shook their head and said, “100 yuan a piece is too expensive. Your jackal skin is already somewhat damaged.”
As he spoke, he pointed to the cuts on the jackal skins.
Chen Yansheng didn’t refute, and said bluntly, “It’s precisely because of the blade that I offered this price.”
“You should know better than me what price a fine fur can fetch.”
In the 1960s and 70s, jackals were considered “pests” by the people, and the authorities encouraged and even rewarded the killing of jackals.
In the 1980s, although the authorities no longer encouraged it, many hunters still hunted jackals and wolves because their fur was valuable.
In the current market, a good quality jackal pelt can sell for more than 120 to 150 yuan.
In two years, due to overhunting and the endangered population, this jackal will be listed as a Class II protected animal by the state.
By then, the price of jackal skins will have skyrocketed.
Chen Yansheng only asked for 100 yuan, which is already a bargain.
The middle-aged man fell silent upon hearing Chen Yansheng’s words.
After a moment, he took out 500 yuan from his wallet and handed it to Chen Yansheng.
“I’ll take all five jackal skins.”
Chen Yansheng was taken aback. He hadn’t expected that this middle-aged man, dressed in such a rustic style, would be so generous.
Five jackal skins—he said he’d take them all, and he did.
really.
In this black market, you can’t judge a book by its cover.
“Thank you, boss.” Chen Yansheng took the money, handed it to Yu Bingjie to count, and then started packing.
After Bingjie counted and confirmed that the number was correct, Chen Yansheng handed over the five jackal skins that had been packaged to her.
Seeing Chen Yansheng’s caution, the middle-aged man was not angry.
After taking the jackal skin, he glanced at the last remaining blood ginseng on the stall and hesitated before saying: “Your blood ginseng looks quite old, probably close to a hundred years old.”
“Unfortunately, I didn’t bring enough money today. We’re not meant to be.”
He asked Chen Yansheng about the price of jackal skins earlier just to confirm whether the other party was knowledgeable in the field.
If we can lower the price of jackal skin, then we can also lower the price of blood ginseng.
However, it seems that this young boss is knowledgeable about the market for mountain products, so it’s impossible to find a bargain.
He was somewhat annoyed, wondering why he hadn’t brought more money to the black market today.
People come to the black market to quickly sell their goods, unlike merchants who can place orders and pick them up the next day.
Hearing the middle-aged man’s words, Chen Yansheng chuckled and was about to say, “Boss, fate is a thing…”
Before he could finish speaking, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that there were many figures with red cloths tied around their shoulders on the mountain path he had come from.
“Oh no, the inspection team is here! Run!”
Chen Yansheng quickly packed up the century-old blood ginseng on the stall, grabbed Yu Bingjie’s hand, and ran into the deep mountains.
In this day and age, even if you set up a stall in the city, if you encounter an inspection team, the result will be the confiscation of your goods and a huge fine.
Not to mention, this is a black market, selling smuggled, stolen, or other shady items.
Although Chen Yansheng was only selling superficial items, once he was caught by the inspection team, it would be impossible to explain himself clearly.
In the black market, many people noticed the arrival of the inspection team, and chaos erupted as people packed up their stalls and ran around in a frenzy.
Fortunately, Chen Yansheng’s stall was relatively remote and close to the deep mountains, which allowed him to easily escape the inspection team’s encirclement and disappear into the mountains.
Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man also fled in this direction.
Upon seeing Chen Yansheng, who had grabbed his female companion and run towards them, he paused for a moment, then hurriedly shouted:
“Buddy, it looks like you’re not going to sell your blood ginseng today. Let’s go to the Longfeng Teahouse in the county town tomorrow and talk face to face. I guarantee I’ll give you a satisfactory price.”
Seeing that the other party had spent quite generously when buying the jackal skin, Chen Yansheng nodded and called out:
“Okay, see you in the county town tomorrow.”
It’s unclear whether their shouts attracted the attention of the inspection team, but several members of the team immediately gave chase.
Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man quickly and skillfully slipped into the dense bushes like an eel and disappeared in no time.
On the contrary, Chen Yansheng was new to Heishan and unfamiliar with the terrain. In addition, he had Yu Bingjie with him and had to pull her along from time to time when they were escaping. As a result, he was gradually pulled closer by the inspection team.
It looked like the two were about to be surrounded by the inspection team members who were chasing after them!