The black market boss paused his hand as he polished the jade bracelet and looked up at Lin Ruxia. Setting the bracelet aside, he asked gently, “May I ask your surname?”
“My surname is Lin,” Lin Ruxia replied. Only now did she clearly see his face—he looked like a refined, elegant young gentleman, completely different from the rough and fierce image she had imagined of a black market boss.
“A distinguished guest has come—how can we not have some tea? Come, let’s sit and talk.” He led her into a side room furnished with an old-style tea table. “Old Qi, brew a pot of top-grade Longjing tea.”
Brother Qi was still stunned by the mention of ten thousand jin of rice and only snapped out of it when called to make tea.
“Please, sit.” The boss poured her a cup of warm water. “The tea isn’t ready yet—have some warm water first.”
“Miss Lin, may I ask—are your claims true?” he asked calmly, studying her pale face. “It’s not that I don’t want to believe you—I simply don’t dare to. You should know that things are tightly controlled these days.”
“I have my own channels,” Lin Ruxia said. Then she paused. “May I ask how to address you?”
“My surname is Xu, given name Jin,” he replied.
“I’m Lin Ruxia. You don’t need to worry about the source of my goods. Although I can’t reveal where they come from, I can guarantee they are obtained through legitimate channels, and no one will trace them.”
“Would you be interested in joining us?” Xu Jin suddenly asked.
“Thank you, but I’m not interested in joining for now. Can we do business without that?” Lin Ruxia had no intention of getting involved in something so risky. She only wanted to live peacefully and raise the children left behind by the original owner.
“Of course,” Xu Jin replied immediately. He had only been testing her. Someone capable of producing such a large supply must have an unusual background—he had to be cautious.
“How would you like to sell your goods?”
“You can decide the price,” Lin Ruxia said honestly. She had no idea how much rice sold for.
“Do you want all cash, or a mix of money and coupons?” Xu Jin asked.
“A mix—but not just grain coupons. Other types are fine too.”
“Alright. Based on the current market price—one yuan plus one jin of grain coupons per jin of rice—that would come to ten thousand yuan, four thousand jin of grain coupons, one hundred feet of fabric coupons, one hundred jin of meat coupons, and one hundred industrial coupons…”
Hearing the list, Lin Ruxia was surprised. In the original owner’s memory, only grain, fabric, and meat coupons were commonly used. Many of the others she had never even seen.
“What do you think?” Xu Jin asked.
“I can’t reveal the location of the goods right now. How about we meet at 1 PM to exchange money and goods at the storage location?” Lin Ruxia suggested—she hadn’t even taken out the goods yet.
“Are you worried about something?” Xu Jin asked cautiously.
“Not really. I just promised my children I’d be back in an hour,” she replied. “To reassure you, I’ll leave this as collateral.”
She handed over the pouch of watches.
Xu Jin opened it and found brand-name watches, each worth several hundred yuan, all brand new with packaging.
“I’ll sell these to you as well. Bring the money and coupons this afternoon,” Lin Ruxia said. She didn’t have time to sell them individually and preferred to deal directly with him.
“Alright. Come find Old Qi later,” Xu Jin said.
“I’ll take my leave now—my children are waiting,” she said, standing up.
“You can contact Old Qi next time. There are multiple entrances to the market—he can show you the closest ones,” Xu Jin added as he walked her out.
“Boss, the tea’s ready!” Brother Qi rushed in, proudly announcing, “Steeped for exactly thirty minutes!”
“Would you like some tea before you go?” Xu Jin asked politely, though inwardly regretting asking Brother Qi to make it.
“No, thank you,” Lin Ruxia said with a faint smile.
“Old Qi, escort Miss Lin back,” Xu Jin instructed.
Back at the elevator, Yu Minzhi had been waiting anxiously.
“You’re finally back!” she said.
“Let’s go,” Lin Ruxia replied, still puzzled. When the market closed, she expected crowds waiting to leave—but everything had cleared out quickly.
“Where did everyone go?” she asked.
“Most of them live here,” Yu Minzhi replied.
Lin Ruxia was stunned—living underground meant they had no official registration. They were people who couldn’t exist in the open.
This was dangerous territory—curiosity here could be fatal. She decided not to think too much about it.
Back at Yu Minzhi’s courtyard, the three children stared at her anxiously.
“Mom, you’re back!” Sanbao ran over first.
“Yes, I’m back. What do you want to buy? I’ll take you,” Lin Ruxia said.
“We just want to look around,” Erbao said softly.
“Alright.”
She then asked Yu Minzhi, “Can you watch them after 12:30?”
“Sure,” Yu Minzhi agreed.
Lin Ruxia took the children to send a telegram to their father:
“Family divided. Pregnant. Send money to us.”
Just ten words cost three yuan.
Afterward, they went shopping—buying cloth, flour, and snacks. She also ordered an iron pot, which required industrial coupons, so she paid a deposit and planned to complete the purchase later.
Finally, Lin Ruxia thought about her body—after having so many children, she worried about her health. She decided to visit a clinic first, and later go to a hospital for a full check-up.