People in the alley: A woman dressed as a man shouldn't be foolishly filial, Zhuang Chaoying

[System, do you offer a wake-up service? Please wake me up at 1 AM.]

[Okay, please rest assured and go to sleep.]

Zhuang Chaoying took a shower.

Lying in bed, he gently fanned himself, and the slight breeze carried to Ah Ling's side.

The hand that was fanning itself gradually slowed down, and drowsiness crept in.

The room was pitch black, and the only sound was the even breathing of the family of four.

[Ding ding ding! Host, wake up!]

The system's crisp, loud notification sound buzzed in Zhuang Chaoying's mind, startling her. She slowly opened her sleepy eyes, rubbed them, and slowly sat up.

Huang Ling groggily opened her eyes, her voice still heavy with sleepiness: "Chao Ying, are you going?"

Zhuang Chaoying pulled the blanket back over A-Ling's stomach, lowered her head, and kissed her cheek: "Go to sleep, I'll be back in a bit."

Huang Ling nodded slightly, but her eyes were still bulging as she tried to look at Zhuang Chaoying.

Zhuang Chaoying got up, took her clothes from the chair, and quickly dressed. The money Ah Ling gave him had already been quietly transferred to the system's shelf by the system.

He quietly pushed open the door, his gaze falling on Ah Ling again, then turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Once inside the courtyard, he bought a forward-looking hat from the system and put it on, the hat fitting snugly over his head.

Pushing his bicycle, he walked to the alley entrance and rode towards the black market.

Zhuang Chaoying rode her bicycle, with only the whooshing wind and the sound of the wheels turning in her ears.

After riding for half an hour, I finally arrived at the entrance of the black market, where I saw several people standing guard vigilantly.

Zhuang Chaoying pushed her bicycle and walked inside calmly.

This time it went very smoothly, and no one stopped him from collecting ticket money.

The main reason I came to the black market this time is to see if there are any bargains I can find.

Secondly, he also wanted to ask the black market middlemen if they had any connections to help him find out if anyone was selling old houses, preferably old houses near textile factories.

I bought the washing machine directly from the system store without needing a coupon. I just bought it when I got home and carried it into the house. It was dark, so no one saw me.

The black market was bustling with people.

This place mainly sells daily necessities, including rice, flour, cooking oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, as well as chicken, duck, fish, meat, and vegetables.

The vast majority of people come to the black market to buy food. Under the planned economy with unified purchase and distribution, you can't do anything even if you have money without ration coupons.

On the other side of the street, a variety of goods were sold, including cigarettes, alcohol, clothes, shoes, and hats, with new and old items mixed together.

Zhuang Chaoying pushed her bicycle, looking curiously at the items on the stall.

Suddenly, he saw a stall ahead with very few items.

He pushed the bicycle aside and bent down to look at a round, disc-like object on the ground.

When the stall owner saw a customer coming in, his eyes lit up, and he quickly moved the stone lamp next to him closer.

By the light of the fire, Zhuang Chaoying was able to see the words on the discus: "Five Sons Pass the Imperial Examination".

He knew this; it was a Ming Dynasty mirror depicting five sons passing the imperial examinations.

[System, how much will the system recycle this mirror for?]

[In response to the host, the Ming Dynasty "Five Sons Passing the Imperial Examination" mirror, 12.6 cm in diameter and 6.8 mm thick, is in excellent condition. The system's buyback price is 3,200 yuan.]

Having made up his mind, the corners of his mouth subtly turned up.

If you take this mirror, you can make a fortune in the system by reselling it.

Zhuang Chaoying composed herself and casually asked the stall owner, "How much is this mirror?"

Seeing that he seemed to know his stuff, the stall owner's eyes darted around, and he cleared his throat: "This mirror is five yuan. It's been passed down from my ancestors. Look at its condition, it's flawless."

Zhuang Chaoying remained calm, reached for the mirror, and pretended to examine herself carefully.

He looked at it over and over for a while before slowly asking, "Will you sell it for three yuan?"

Upon hearing this, the stall owner's expression immediately changed, and he snatched the bronze mirror back from Zhuang Chaoying's hand: "Go look somewhere else."

"Hitchhiking is normal, isn't it? How about I add another fifty cents for you, making it three dollars and fifty cents, bro?"

The stall owner, a man in his forties, looked Zhuang Chaoying up and down again, and after a moment said, "Four yuan, just four yuan, not a penny less."

This price is within an acceptable range.

Without further hesitation, he pulled out four one-yuan bills from his pocket and handed them over: "I'll take them, you can count them."

The stall owner took the money and counted it skillfully with his fingers: "One, two, three, four, that's right, the mirror is yours."

Zhuang Chaoying put the mirror directly into her pants pocket.

Pushing her bicycle, Zhuang Chaoying hurriedly left the stall, her steps filled with a mixture of urgency and anticipation.

Not far ahead, they saw two young men standing together. Their eyes were darting around, and their posture was rather loose and casual. They were obviously ticket scalpers who often operated in this black market.

Zhuang Chaoying pushed her bicycle over.

Weiwei cleared her throat slightly: "Hello, I'd like to ask if you have any vouchers for washing machines?"

One of the young men, in his early twenties, had a neat short haircut and a clever look in his eyes. When he heard Zhuang Chaoying's question, he quickly looked her up and down and said, "No, but I can help you find one. At least thirty jin of grain coupons will get you a washing machine coupon."

Zhuang Chaoying smiled and said, "I also want to ask you something. Do you know anyone who wants to sell the whole house?"

Upon hearing this, the young man's eyes lit up slightly, sensing a greater business opportunity. He quickly pulled Zhuang Chaoying aside and asked in a low voice, "You want to buy a house?"

Zhuang Chaoying nodded firmly: "Do you have any connections, young man, to buy a house?"

The young man immediately patted his chest, making a loud thud: "Brother, you've come to the right place if you want to buy a house. I know this whole area like the back of my hand! How much are you willing to pay for the service fee for this one house?"

Zhuang Chaoying looked at the middleman in front of her, who looked young but exuded worldliness: "How much do you buy?"

The young man smiled and said, "Brother, my name is Wang Quan. You can just call me A-Quan. What's your name?"

As he spoke, he even offered him a cigarette.

Zhuang Chaoying took the cigarette and tucked it behind her ear: "My surname is Zhuang."

"Brother Zhuang! We charge fifty yuan to help a buyer find a house. You won't waste your money. We'll help you negotiate the price, and the property rights are definitely not a problem."

Do you know of any houses that are for sale right now?

Wang Quan lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "My classmate's distant uncle is going to sell two houses, but he wants to sell two at once. I wonder what Zhuang-ge's plans are?"

Zhuang Chaoying was worried that this person was a swindler, after all, buying a house is no small matter: "Can't private houses be transferred now?"

Wang Quan answered decisively, "Yes, of course I can."

"Okay, Quan, let's meet at the entrance of the Cultural Palace at 5:30 tomorrow afternoon. You can take me there to take a look."

Wang Quan was originally a young man from the streets, without a proper job. He made a living by buying and selling, and spent his days running around the black market and the streets and alleys. Naturally, he knew a lot of information.

Upon hearing Zhuang Chaoying's words, he quickly nodded: "Brother Zhuang, it's settled then. Tomorrow at 5:30, Brother Zhuang, don't stand me up, otherwise we won't be able to do business together anymore."

Zhuang Chaoying patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, see you tomorrow."

Wang Quan watched Zhuang Chaoying's departing figure. These days, everyone waits for their work unit to allocate housing, but this person actually wants to buy a house. It's really strange.

The news that his classmate's distant uncle was selling his house has been out for two months, but there hasn't been a single buyer. He wonders if he'll finally get lucky and sell it this time.

Zhuang Chaoying rode her bicycle home.

on the way home.

Just to be on the safe side, he even circled around his house to check for any suspicious people or signs before slowly pushing his bicycle into the yard.