As Lu Zhiyao reached the intersection, she was stopped.
“What are you doing here?”
“Little brother, I’ve got some extra things at home. Came to trade for a bit of money…”
Lu Zhiyao deliberately imitated a hoarse male voice while speaking, slipping a dime into his hand. She didn’t finish the sentence—those who understood, understood.
After receiving the money, the man let her in.
“Go ahead.”
The scene inside opened Lu Zhiyao’s eyes. It looked like a small marketplace, filled with people exchanging goods.
She casually found a spot and waited. Soon, someone approached—a refined-looking man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking like an important official.
“Old sir, what do you have in your basket?”
Lu Zhiyao lifted a corner of the basket to show him.
“I’ve got rice, millet, and two wild rabbits I caught in the mountains.”
When the man heard about the millet, his eyes lit up. Millet was a great nourishing food, especially since his wife was about to give birth—it would be perfect for her recovery.
“Old sir, how much for the millet?”
“Rice is 0.3 yuan per jin, millet is 0.2 yuan per jin.”
The man calculated—it was a reasonable price even for the black market.
“Old sir, give me three jin of millet and one jin of rice.”
Lu Zhiyao weighed and handed over the goods.
The man paid promptly—0.9 yuan in total.
Seeing that she had fine grains, others quickly gathered to ask.
Before long, Lu Zhiyao sold all the rice and millet in her basket. Even the two rabbits were sold for 8 yuan each.
After selling everything, she left the black market.
She found a secluded place, changed her disguise, and continued toward another area.
In such a large county, there was definitely more than one black market. She planned to sell more goods elsewhere.
The previous market was in the west of the city. Now she arrived in the east and found another hidden entrance.
Just like before, she paid and entered.
After making a round, she sold everything in her basket again.
Combined, she earned about 40 yuan from the two markets—equivalent to a worker’s monthly salary.
【Ding! System task issued: Host must find a black market partner to sell space goods! Total value not less than 1,000 yuan. Time limit: 3 hours. Reward: points equal to transaction value. Failure: all points deducted.】
Lu Zhiyao’s head started to ache. She did want to cooperate with the black market—but being forced into it felt different.
Still, since she had to cooperate anyway—and could earn points—it was killing two birds with one stone.
She approached the man at the entrance and handed him 0.5 yuan.
“I have a business proposal. Please introduce me to your manager.”
Seeing the money, the man grinned. “Old sir, wait here. I’ll get someone.”
Five minutes later, he returned with a man in his forties.
“Old sir, you want to cooperate with me?”
Lu Zhiyao replied calmly, “Yes. Let’s find somewhere private to talk.”
The man immediately realized this was a big deal and led her to a room that looked like an office.
“Please sit. May I ask your surname?”
Outwardly calm, Lu Zhiyao was actually nervous. She regretted being impulsive—she didn’t know any martial arts. She made a mental note to learn some self-defense.
She chose her grandmother’s surname: “My surname is Zhong.”
“Uncle Zhong, I’m He Yong, the manager here. You can call me Xiao He. All black markets in Pingwu County are managed by my boss. What kind of business do you have?”
“No rush. Look at the goods first.”
Lu Zhiyao took out an apple, a banana, and a handful each of rice, millet, and flour.
“This… this…”
He Yong was stunned. The fruits were flawless, and the grains were extremely fine—he had never seen such quality before.
“How are these goods?”
“Excellent! Very excellent!” He Yong was overjoyed. “Uncle Zhong, how much do you have?”
“I have plenty. As for the price…”
“No problem. Previously, apples from Guangdong weren’t as good as these—we bought them at 2 yuan per jin. Yours are better, so I’ll offer 3 yuan per jin. Same for bananas. Rice, millet, and flour—I’ll take them all at the highest rate, 0.5 yuan per jin.”
Lu Zhiyao calculated and found it acceptable.
“I also have peaches, watermelons, beef, lamb, pork, and wild rabbits. Do you want those?”
“Yes, of course!” He Yong was even more delighted. These were all scarce goods.
He became even more respectful—this “old man” clearly had a powerful supply network.
“Peaches at 4 yuan per jin, watermelons at 2 yuan per jin, pork at 0.8 yuan per jin, beef and lamb at 1 yuan per jin, rabbits at 8 yuan each. How about that?”
“Peaches don’t store well—5 yuan.”
He Yong hesitated. Peaches spoiled easily and had high loss rates.
After thinking it over, he agreed. High risk, high reward—these goods would definitely be in high demand.
“Alright, Uncle Zhong, we’ll go with your price.”
“Prepare a warehouse. I’ll deliver goods every three days. Remember—no one should be there. If I find anyone around…”
Lu Zhiyao’s tone turned sharp, making He Yong uneasy.
“Don’t worry, I understand the rules.”
She continued, “How much do you want for the first batch?”
“5,000 jin each of rice, millet, and flour; 3,000 jin each of pork, beef, and lamb; 500 jin of watermelon; 100 jin of peaches; 500 jin of apples and bananas; and 100 rabbits.”
Lu Zhiyao nodded. Her space had enough stock.
“The total is 29,200 yuan. Pay me 1,000 upfront. The rest upon delivery.”
In this era, 1,000 yuan was a huge sum. He Yong hesitated—what if she took the money and didn’t deliver?
“You’re afraid I won’t deliver? I’m afraid you won’t pay.”
Realizing he had no choice, He Yong gritted his teeth and handed over the money.
“Alright, Uncle Zhong. I trust you.”
Lu Zhiyao raised an eyebrow. “I appreciate that.”
He Yong took her to a warehouse in the suburbs. They agreed on delivery at 4 PM the day after tomorrow, and every three days thereafter. She emphasized again—no one must be present.
After getting his guarantee, she nodded in satisfaction and asked him to prepare around a hundred sacks.
With everything settled, Lu Zhiyao left the black market.
After confirming no one was following her, she changed her appearance in a secluded alley and walked out openly.
【Congratulations, host! Task completed. Reward: 29,200 points. Future transaction amounts will also convert into points.】
“Not bad, Jiujiu—you finally did something satisfying.”
She then went to the supply and marketing cooperative. She remembered her brother had given her a bicycle coupon, so she planned to buy a bike—it would make traveling to the county much easier.
If she could also find a job in the county, that would be even better…
Just thinking about it made her smile.