Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 793 Dark Night Gold Rush: Hunting the Black Market
late at night.

After several months, the black market has finally become active again.

Do you have cloth coupons?

"Thermos! Thermos ticket!"

"Don't push! First come, first served, don't you understand?!"

Long queues formed in front of ticket scalpers, a scene as lively as the daytime scene outside the supply and marketing cooperative.

The entire black market was bustling with activity, but there wasn't a single stall; everyone was selling tickets.

No matter how good the goods are, they are not as valuable as tickets now, especially tickets that can only be redeemed with industrial coupons.

Textiles and daily necessities go without saying, but even tea, cigarettes, and alcohol require industrial coupons, and many men couldn't resist buying them too.

"Line up properly and don't push! One at a time. Each person is limited to one ticket of each type. We don't have any more!" the ticket scalper shouted.

Finally, it was Yan Bugui's turn in line. He rubbed his hands together, put on his usual calculating smile, and asked about the price.

"Comrade, what are the prices of these tickets?"

The answers I received were all the same.

"Thermos bottle ticket, one yuan each. No bargaining, no haggling."

"Enamel tickets are cheaper, 5 cents each!"

The price has actually increased during the day!

Yan Bugui's heart sank to the bottom.

He tried to bargain: "Comrade, isn't this price a bit too high? How much does a thermos cost at the supply and marketing cooperative? This voucher is..."

"Supply and Marketing Cooperative?" The ticket scalper scoffed, his voice low but mocking. "That's the going rate now! Take it or leave it! There's a long line of people waiting!"

He gestured with his chin toward the people behind Yan Bugui, where there were indeed several others also eagerly eyeing the ticket.

"If you don't want it, move aside! I want it!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" How could Yan Bugui possibly let go of this long queue? He gritted his teeth and took out money from his pocket to buy a ticket.

The thermos ticket was naturally of utmost importance.

This is a consumable item; it could easily break if dropped, or it could suddenly explode.

Most importantly, this is a necessity for marriage; you can't get married without it!
In a corner not far away, Jia Zhangshi was putting on an even more intense show.

She clutched a crumpled two-yuan note tightly, spitting as she spoke to a ticket scalper:

"Five cents! Just five cents! You dare to ask for a dollar for a cloth ration coupon?! Why don't you go rob a bank? Are you trying to bully us orphans and widows?"

"Old Jia! Dongxu! If you're watching from heaven, see for yourselves! These heartless bastards are taking advantage of our misfortune and trying to drive us, mother and children, to our deaths!"

"Five cents, fine if you want, otherwise I'll just sit here and not leave!" She made a move to sit on the cold ground, trying to throw a tantrum.

The ticket scalper was clearly used to this kind of scene; he remained unmoved, even showing a hint of disdain.

"Old lady, save your energy, one yuan, not a penny less! If you want to sit, then sit down, but don't blame me if you get cold."

"Hey comrade in the back, do you need a cloth ration coupon? One yuan!"

He walked straight past Jia Zhangshi and greeted the people behind her.

When Jia Zhangshi saw that her tantrums were ineffective and that someone else had actually taken out a dollar to buy a ticket, her eyes turned red with anxiety.

He cursed under his breath, but dared not stop them any longer, fearing that even the last chance would be lost.

"Why didn't you do this earlier! Stop throwing a tantrum and acting like a spoiled child. Don't you know who I am? What else do you want? Hurry up and stop interfering with my business!"

Jia Zhangshi was still grumbling and cursing, but the ticket scalper wasn't going to tolerate her: "Come on! Next one!"

"Old woman, get out of the way, don't interrupt my business!"

Before Jia Zhangshi could get angry, she was shoved hard by an old woman behind her!
"Do you have any cigarette or alcohol coupons? I need them. Do you also have any enamel coupons? Yes, you do."

Ticket scalper Liu Lishun was among them. He was on the edge of the black market, making money by selling tickets while keeping an eye on the outside world, always watching for anything amiss.

He wasn't the only one; other ticket scalpers were also on the fringes of the black market.

This was not a coincidence, but rather a result of being forced into this situation by being arrested by the police during the day, and also a way of learning from past mistakes.

All ticket prices are roughly the same, which ensures maximum profit and also creates an invisible barrier.

Purchase restrictions prevent ordinary buyers who want to take advantage of bargains from doing so, leaving them with no choice but to accept being overcharged.

At this time, the black market was a little further away.

Police Captain Xie Yong remained calm and composed as he stared at the sounds emanating from the black market.

Beside him were a dozen or so equally silent teammates, each holding their breath.

Their mission was to guard one of the entrances and exits of the black market, while the other entrances and exits were guarded by police officers from other police stations.

At this very moment, an invisible net is trapping the black market.

The objective of this operation was very clear: to focus on arresting ticket scalpers who hoarded and inflated prices, especially the "old faces" who were rampant near the supply and marketing cooperative during the day, such as Liu Lishun.

If a large number of tickets are redeemed, it will inevitably have a huge impact on the market, which is absolutely unacceptable.

This operation was far more difficult than ever before, because these ticket scalpers were all shrewd, buying and selling on the black market, and would run away at the slightest sign of trouble.

But no matter how difficult it is to catch them, we must catch them!
Fortunately, ticket scalpers tend to congregate in areas with better lighting in order to attract business, which provides an advantage for the raid.

The key lies in the timing and the suddenness and coordination of the actions.

Arresting everyone in the black market is neither realistic nor necessary.

"It's almost time, everyone get ready! Strike at the first sign of trouble!" Xie Yong ordered.

"Yes!"

Immediately, more than a dozen police officers left one after another.

“Swoosh—Bang!!!”

A sharp, piercing shriek ripped through the deathly silence of the night!
Fireworks explode!

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, a mere 0.1 seconds.

Immediately, a tremendous panic erupted like cold water thrown into boiling oil!

"Lei Zi is here!!!"

"Run!"

"They've arrested someone!!"

"My ticket! Don't push! Move aside!"

Terrified screams and the sounds of rough pushing and shoving instantly replaced all the sounds of transactions.

The crowd scattered like startled sardines in all directions!

The situation is completely out of control!

People instinctively ran out of the black market!
"Action! Catch ticket scalpers! Block the main exits! Be careful!"

At Xie Yong's command, all the police officers were mobilized!

They directly blocked the exit from the black market.

Several beams of powerful flashlight beams, like sharp swords, instantly pierced through the chaotic darkness, sweeping across and firmly locking onto all the ticket scalpers.

"Oh no!" All the ticket scalpers immediately realized what was happening. Without thinking twice, they threw their tickets up and rushed into the depths of the black market.

There's no way to escape by running; the only way to survive is to run inside.

"Don't run!" several policemen shouted and chased after them, while the others guarded the entrance and exit.

Those who were originally at the back of the line, seeing that the police encirclement had not yet been formed, immediately pushed their way through the police.

"What do you think you're doing! Trying to force your way in!" the police officer yelled.

But the few people who were closest, clutching their tickets, gritted their teeth and broke through the encirclement.

Several police officers wanted to chase after them and bring them back, but Xie Yong stopped them: "Don't worry about them, it doesn't matter if a few run away!"

A few people running away won't affect the overall situation.

However, we cannot let those few individuals affect the overall plan for arresting people in the black market.

Soon, an encirclement was formed.

"Anyone who dares to force their way in again will be shot!" Xie Yong shouted a threat.

Seeing that the encirclement had been formed, the general public had no choice but to give up their hopes.

Seeing that everyone had calmed down, Xie Yong said again, "Everyone, behave yourselves, squat down and don't move! We're not here to arrest you!"

"If you cooperate with the police, everyone can get home safely!"

These words completely quelled everyone's restlessness.

Inside the black market.

Liu Lishun immediately took off running, heading straight for the depths of the black market. His heart was pounding wildly in his chest, and blood rushed to his head.

"We can't get caught! We can't get caught!"

Hearing the police shouts approaching, Liu Lishun forced himself to calm down and analyzed the situation. There was no escape; the exits were definitely blocked! His only option was to feign innocence!

"Luckily I prepared in advance, otherwise it would have been terrible!"

As he ran, he moved with lightning speed: he ripped off his signature old felt hat and threw it away.

He unbuttoned his slightly worn, navy blue cotton-padded coat, flipped it over to reveal the old, patched, gray cotton-padded coat underneath, and quickly put it on.

The same applies to trousers.

While changing his clothes, he arrived at his secret hiding place.

He quickly pulled out a small stack of unsold tickets from a specially made pocket sewn into the lining, and wrapped them together with most of the cash he had on him in oil paper.

He slipped it deep into a crack in a brick he had prepared long ago; this was his secret hiding place, known only to him, and absolutely safe.

After doing all this, he crumpled up the few loose bills and a few yuan he had left and stuffed them into the pocket of his tattered cotton-padded jacket.

He was absolutely certain that he was the only one who knew about this hiding place; it was extremely safe! Absolutely safe!

"Whoo~"

At this point, Liu Lishun felt a great sense of relief and looked at his changed clothes.

"That way, no one can tell I'm a ticket scalper."

He changed into that outfit at home; unless you've seen his face, anyone could tell he's a ticket scalper.

Then he immediately ran towards the crowd at the black market entrance.

Seeing the police lights shining everywhere, Liu Lishun immediately covered his head with his hands and squatted down on the ground.

When a beam of light finally swept over him, all he saw was an "honest man" wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat, trembling with fear, huddled in a corner, looking no different from the other ordinary citizens around him who were also in a state of panic.

Liu Lishun even managed to utter a few tearful, indistinct pleas: "Don't arrest me! I just wanted to buy a bar of soap, I didn't do anything!"

The police action was swift and precise.

The blockade effectively deterred most of those who wanted to escape, especially those carrying burdens and acting furtively.

Several ordinary citizens who tried to climb over the wall actually attempted to escape, but were easily apprehended by the police as if picking fruit.

"Everyone! Crouch down where you are! Hands behind your heads!"

"Don't move! Submit for inspection!"

"Take out all your tickets and warrants!"

Stern commands echoed throughout.

Under the threat of the powerful flashlights, most people, including Yan Bugui, Jia Zhangshi, and Liu Lishun in disguise, crouched on the ground in terror, covering their heads.

The cold wind swept through the ruins, chilling them to the bone, but what was even colder at that moment was their hearts.

"Everyone, line up and get checked one by one. Take out all your passes and identifications. Don't even think about hiding anything! Anyone who dares to hide anything will be going to jail!"

"If you still have money, take it out. Don't worry, we don't want anyone's money!"

The body search began.

The police officers moved swiftly and meticulously.

They focused on checking the amount of tickets and cash each person was carrying.

"Comrade, I... I only bought one soap coupon, which cost one dollar. This is all the money I have."

An honest, middle-aged man, his voice trembling with tears, voluntarily pulled a ticket and three one-yuan bills from his pocket.

The police officer looked him over, confirmed that his expression was genuine and that he had no other suspicious items on him, and nodded.

"Take your money, ticket confiscated! Don't come back again! Go home now!"

As he watched his ticket being confiscated, the man let out a soft "Ah," clearly reluctant to let it go.

"What? You don't want to spend a day in jail, do you?"

"No, no," the man shook his head repeatedly.

"Aren't you leaving yet!" the policeman shouted.

The man slunk away, not daring to look back even once, for fear of being arrested.

Yan Bugui's heart was in his throat.

When it was his turn to be examined, he felt his blood run cold.

He trembled and very slowly pulled out the thermos ticket, which he had just bought for a huge sum of one yuan and which still held his body heat, from the inside pocket of his cotton-padded coat and handed it over.

That small piece of paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, as if it had drained all his strength.

His lips trembled as he tried to say something, such as, "Officer, I'm a teacher, my thermos is broken."

But in the end, he couldn't say anything.

Oh no, five yuan gone, and the thermos is still nowhere to be found.

Yan Bugui, who had been thrifty all his life, felt dizzy and the world was spinning around him; the pain was worse than having his flesh ripped out.

Jia Zhangshi's performance was much more "wonderful".

When the police asked her to produce her ticket, she initially pretended not to hear, but after being ordered, she reluctantly and slowly pulled the cloth ticket out of her bosom.

"Damn it! My money! One yuan! Just like that, gone! Old Jia! Dongxu! Open your eyes and see! I can't live like this anymore! The police are robbing ordinary people!"

She slapped her thigh and started wailing in a hoarse voice, trying to gain sympathy by throwing a tantrum and even attempting to snatch the tickets back.

Two police officers immediately stepped forward and restrained her.

"Behave yourself! If you cause any more trouble, we'll take you all back with us!"

The stern rebuke instantly deflated Jia Zhangshi, but she continued to mutter curses under her breath.

"Swear again? If you swear one more time, believe me, I'll arrest you!"

Madam Jia was completely deflated, her mouth tightly shut, afraid to utter a single word.

"roll!"

It was Liu Lishun's turn.

He tried to control his breathing so that he would look like everyone else.

He proactively pulled out the few crumpled bills and a few cents from the pocket of his tattered cotton-padded jacket, held them out in his palm, and spoke with a perfectly measured tremor in his voice:
"Comrade, that's all. I wanted to buy some thread for my mother, but I haven't been able to yet."

The police carefully examined what he had taken out and searched his body again.

The tattered cotton-padded coat was empty, containing nothing but a few bills and a few cents.

His drab appearance, terrified eyes, and reason of "filial piety" successfully fooled the search.

The policeman picked up the few worthless bills: "These are confiscated! Take the money and get out of here! Don't ever come to a place like this again!"

"Yes, yes, yes! I won't do it again! I'll never do it again!"

Liu Lishun felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He scrambled to his feet, his back hunched, and mingled with several other "lucky" people who had also been allowed to pass, quickly disappearing at the exit leading to the dark alley.

Only after turning several corners and confirming that he was completely out of the police's sight did he lean against the cold wall, panting heavily, his undershirt already soaked with cold sweat.

A wave of fear washed over me.

But soon, a sense of elation, as if he had survived a disaster, and a sense of pride in his quick wit quickly took over.

The ticket and money are still there!
The greater the risk, the greater the reward!
"Fortune truly favors the bold! I've made at least a hundred dollars today!"

"It's true what they say, 'No business for three years, but once you do, you live off it for three!'"

Liu Lishun wanted to burst into laughter, but fearing he would attract the police, he held back.

"take away!"

The arrest operation was basically completed after about twenty minutes.

Xie Yong looked coldly at the six dejected ticket scalpers who were handcuffed.

Two of them were ticket scalpers and were arrested on the spot.

The remaining four ticket scalpers tried to keep their activities hidden from the police, but they couldn't escape their notice and were immediately arrested.

Naturally, these six ticket scalpers are in for a rough time and will inevitably face imprisonment.

There were also eight ordinary people who tried to deceive everyone, but they all failed at the last minute.

These people only need to be detained for a couple of days as a form of discipline; it's impossible for them to actually be sent to prison.

The various tickets and receipts confiscated, along with the money from ticket sales, filled several bags.

Although there wasn't a precise count, there were still several hundred tickets, and the amount of money involved wasn't small.

The operation achieved its main objectives, arresting several active individuals and seizing a large number of tickets for illegal transactions.

While there will certainly be some who slip through the net, it is enough to deter unscrupulous individuals and curb the spread of panic buying through illegal channels.

"Fall back!" Xie Yong ordered, his voice sounding particularly cold in the night.

The police escorted the man away and took the seized items.

(End of this chapter)