Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

The black market is much more lively than imagined.

Passing through the narrow alley, the open space surrounded by three crooked locust trees was crowded with people. Not to mention the hidden streets behind them, there were dozens of people just under the trees.

Chen Caiqing pulled down her blue cloth headscarf, revealing only her eyes, and observed for a moment before she walked over carrying a dozen pounds of peanuts and walnuts.

This time she came mainly to observe the situation and inquire about information to pave the way for long-term sales in the future, so she didn't bring much with her, only about ten pounds of shelled peanuts and some walnuts and dried fruits.

These things are not as popular as rice and flour, nor as scarce as sugar and oil. They will not attract attention because they are too outstanding, nor will they be unsalable because they are too unpopular. They are most suitable for her to sell at this time since she has no foundation in the black market.

"New here?" As she had just spread out the contents of the package, the old man selling eggs nearby asked.

Upon hearing this, Chen Caiqing looked at him and saw that he was covering his face with a straw hat, and his voice leaked out from under the brim of the hat. In front of him was a bamboo basket with straw inside, and a dozen eggs were lying inside like treasures.

Chen Caiqing lowered his voice, picked up two peanuts and handed them over, "This is my first time here. These are grown at home. Please try them."

The old man peeked through the crack in his straw hat, then quickly picked up the peanuts with his fingers like dry branches, shelled them deftly, and stuffed them into his mouth. Then he opened the straw hat a little, revealing his tanned face. "Where are these from?"

"From the Red Flag Commune," Chen Caiqing said, having prepared the answer in advance. He then grabbed a handful of peanuts and shared them with the man in a gray coat selling mountain products nearby. "Big brother, would you like to try some too?"

The man in the gray coat didn't take it. Instead, he gathered the wild mushrooms in front of him closer to his chest and said, "The inspections have been strict recently, so don't talk to strangers."

As he spoke, his eyes were always glancing at the entrance of the alley. The straw rope tied to the pheasant at his feet was tied into a loose knot, ready to be picked up and run away at any time.

An old woman selling coarse cloth across the street came over and nudged Chen Caiqing with her elbow: "How do you exchange it for peanuts?"

Chen Caiqing lowered his voice and said, "Two and a half cents a pound. You can exchange it for food coupons."

"Can I exchange the cloth with you? I weave it myself, it's very sturdy." The old lady picked up a peanut and looked at it. Seeing that Chen Caiqing didn't react, she put it in her pocket and said a little embarrassedly.

"Auntie, I just want money or rice and flour. My family is still hungry." Chen Caiqing ignored her little action and shook her head to refuse.

"Oh, forget it." The old lady sighed and returned to her stall.

"It only requires banknotes, which is hard to exchange. I also think your peanuts are good, so I want to exchange two eggs with you for some." The old man in the straw hat curled his lips when he heard this, picked up an egg and wiped it.

The man in the gray coat who had been silent suddenly interrupted, "Are you from the Red Flag Commune? Your accountant Liu..." He deliberately left the words unsaid, staring at Chen Caiqing.

"Accountant Liu was transferred to the Agricultural Machinery Station last month." Chen Caiqing remained calm, scratching his fingers through the pile of peanuts. "Director Ma is in charge of the accounts now. His wife teaches at the commune primary school. Why are you asking this? Are you his relative?"

"No, we've only met a few times." The man in the gray coat's tense shoulders finally relaxed. He said something perfunctorily and stopped talking.

Chen Caiqing didn't care about his temptation. After all, when buying and selling things here, money and bills are trivial matters. It is better to be careful than to be in trouble. It is understandable that others are more vigilant.

Nearing noon, the sun climbed directly overhead and the number of people in the black market gradually decreased.

Chen Caiqing moved his stall twice under the pretext of selling goods, distributed a lot of peanuts and talked to people, and only then did he get a clear idea of which items were the most popular and what prices were the most appropriate.

Seeing that it was getting late, she gathered the four corners of her bag, shook off the peanut shells, tucked them under her armpits, and slipped out of the alley along the wall.

As Chen Caiqing turned out of the alley where the black market was located, he noticed two more footsteps behind him. The footsteps were neither fast nor slow, not even deliberately quiet. At first glance, they sounded like ordinary passers-by.

But after living his life again, in addition to the memories of his previous life, what Chen Caiqing gained most was his keen intuition about danger.

She calmly tightened the bag in her arms, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force. She really couldn't understand why nothing about her, from her status and dress to the things she sold, was outstanding. Logically, this shouldn't attract anyone's attention.

But it is no use worrying about these things now. The most urgent thing is to get rid of the tail behind us.

Thinking of this, Chen Caiqing forced himself to slow down and pretended to casually turn into a fork in the road. The footsteps behind him still maintained a fixed rhythm, following not far away.

She deliberately walked back and forth at several alleys, but the two men were like shadows, and she couldn't get rid of them no matter how hard she tried. It seemed as if they would not give up until they found out where she came from.

As the sun rose higher and higher, it was almost time to go to the state-owned hotel as agreed with everyone. Chen Caiqing gritted his teeth and suddenly quickened his pace, trying to shake off the people who were following him.

The footsteps behind him became more rapid. Chen Caiqing ran faster and faster. In a panic, he turned a fork in the road and ended up in a dead end.

Before her was a towering blue brick wall, flanked by tightly closed heavy wooden doors. Chen Caiqing's heart sank to the bottom. She turned abruptly, wanting to turn back quickly, but at this critical moment—

With a creaky sound, the wooden door on the left suddenly opened a crack, and a rough big hand suddenly pulled her in. Before Chen Caiqing could scream, someone covered her mouth.

"Don't make a sound!"

The sound of messy footsteps could be heard faintly, accompanied by the breathless voices of two men.

"What about people?"

"Didn't I tell you to follow closely? How come he disappeared in the blink of an eye?"

"Don't talk about me, aren't you the same?"

"Stop talking nonsense and take a look over there. This woman went in with such a big bag and came out with a bundle of cloth. She must have exchanged a lot of money. If we catch her..."

The voice gradually faded away, and Chen Caiqing calmed her frantic heartbeat and looked at the man who was covering his mouth.

The man was tall, with dark skin and a neat crew cut. The hand that was pulling her arm was rough and powerful. He had a clear outline and a firm face. Although it was the first time they met, Chen Caiqing felt a sense of familiarity in her heart, and her body, which had originally wanted to struggle, couldn't help but relax a little.

As if noticing that Chen Caiqing showed no signs of struggling, the man released his hand that was covering her mouth. Chen Caiqing pursed her lips and was about to ask about the man's identity when a familiar cold voice suddenly came to her ears.

"Why are you here?"

Only then did Chen Caiqing notice that there was someone standing in the corner. She quickly turned around and saw Song Guanwen looking at her with a frown.