There was certainly more than one black market in Beijing. Today, Sheng Jinshe planned to visit them all, mainly to look for what she needed—chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cows, and sheep. Admittedly, it was a bit wishful thinking; if she could at least buy live chickens and ducks, it would be great.
Earlier, when she cooked, there were no eggs in the space, so she couldn’t be careless. She still needed to raise chickens for eggs!
He Miao had been right all along. Back then, she hadn’t taken it seriously—youth, indeed. One doesn’t appreciate the cost of daily necessities until running a household.
Before heading to the black market, Sheng Jinshe stopped by her mother’s house to see what Xu Han had prepared for her.
The house was a large three-bedroom apartment. As soon as she opened the door, Sheng Jinshe instinctively gaped.
“Wow, Hanmei really outdid herself!”
The living room was packed—absolutely packed. No exaggeration.
Apart from the “three-turns-one-sound” items, there was literally everything: ceramic basins, steel thermoses, lunch boxes, honeycomb coal stoves… even glass baby bottles shaped like doves! These were genuinely good items, though the dove-shaped bottles were a bit over the top.
Well, there was also baby formula and Friendship brand condensed milk.
“Money sure has strong purchasing power at this time!”
Sheng Jinshe muttered to herself, impressed.
She then stored everything in her space and had He Miao sort and organize it.
She also discovered a thoughtful note from Xu Han:
“Jinshe, it’s already 8 PM. It’s too late for me to come to your place. I bought everything you wanted with the money and vouchers you gave me. It was a rush to move everything here, so tomorrow at noon I’ll come by to pack and mail them to you.”
Sheng Jinshe knew Xu Han had gone out of her way and smiled. The original owner’s friends were genuinely reliable!
Alright, after the black market trip, she planned to stop by the supply and marketing cooperative before Xu Han finished work, tell her the mailing was done, then take everyone out for a final meal at a restaurant—also giving them farewell gifts as a token of thanks.
Without wasting more time, she headed to the black market farthest from her place.
Riding her bicycle, she sped along and arrived after more than half an hour.
She briefly disguised herself as an older woman in the space, scoped out the upcoming trading spot, and then entered the black market.
“Buying or selling?”
“Selling. Not wholesale. Check it yourself.”
Sheng Jinshe pulled a small ceramic cup from her crossbody bag and handed it to the gatekeeper.
“Looking for our boss?”
“Yes.”
“Follow me.”
It was Sheng Jinshe’s first time dealing with a black market boss. After a winding path, they finally arrived.
“Boss, this lady here has fine rice. Smell it yourself.”
A sniff confirmed it was good rice.
“Please sit. What’s your name?”
“Miao.”
“Miao sister, just call me Brother Liang.”
“How much of this quality rice do you have? I’ll buy it all. You set the price. When can we trade?”
Brother Liang was straightforward. Sheng Jinshe liked that—no beating around the bush. Efficiency was her top priority.
“In half an hour, at the run-down house behind the district, we’ll have 2,000 pounds of rice, 2,000 pounds of white flour, 5,000 pounds of cornmeal. Do you want soybean oil?”
Sheng Jinshe pulled out a small bottle and handed it over.
“Yes!”
Without hesitation, Liang accepted it and smelled it.
“Alright, 1,000 pounds.”
“As long as it’s money or gold. Rice 0.7 per pounds, flour 0.6, cornmeal 0.5, soybean oil 1.5—this is my quote.”
Sheng Jinshe quoted the usual black market prices from the original owner’s past purchases.
“All rice, flour, and cornmeal at 0.7 per pounds, oil at your stated price—I have no problem. Will you have more stock later?”
Liang asked.
Sheng Jinshe remained calm, thinking this man was indeed a businessman.
“Yes, during the New Year period.”
“If you can handle it, we can give an extra 1,000 pounds of each type for you.”
“Good. See you in half an hour!”
Liang agreed.
Sheng Jinshe didn’t say more and went straight to the trading spot. The run-down house at the back of the district was hidden but had a big road behind it—easy for a quick exit. She wasn’t afraid of shady dealings anyway.
“He Miao, keep watch!”
“Got it! The grain and oil you wanted are ready. Just take that pile out!”
“Thanks!”
Sheng Jinshe brought out her Hummer from the garage and drove it to the main road, then returned everything to the space.
Her villa wasn’t large, so the garage was small—one Hummer, one Koenigsegg, and one motorcycle filled it.
Apart from the sports car, the other two were quite practical here.
She had also discovered last night that her vehicles consumed no fuel—truly miraculous!
Sheng Jinshe quickly completed the transaction in ten minutes, then sat on a chair by the house door, waiting.
She pondered what to sell at the next black market.
The first two markets were small; the last one was her main destination. She hoped to find live animals there.
Brother Liang had been precise—half an hour, not a minute early.
“Miao sister, I’m here!”
“Count it!”
Liang brought many people but handed over bulging packages immediately.
“Alright, you inspect the goods too!”
“No rush, I trust you, sister!”
Sheng Jinshe paused counting the money, then resumed.
“Extra!”
“No worries, just rounding up to make friends!”
Sheng Jinshe nodded.
“Check it out. All good. I’m pressed for time, I’ll contact you next time!”
“Sure, go ahead. Reach out when needed!”
Liang was refreshingly straightforward.
She took her bicycle from the corner, rode off—it had been left there in advance.
“Boss, aren’t you worried about the goods?”
A henchman asked.
“Worried? Didn’t you see the tire tracks? She’s not alone.”
“This type of person can’t be offended, and this batch equals our profit for a whole year.”
“Brothers, let’s work!”
Liang laughed heartily.
Even from afar, He Miao relayed this conversation to Sheng Jinshe. She smirked, performed the same smooth operation at the second black market, earned another sum, and happily headed to her final destination.
What she never expected was that she would meet Li Zhanye’s good brother there. Only then did she learn that this “good brother” was actually Ji Huaifeng, the boss of Beijing’s largest black market.