Dad knew Mom was going out, but Jie Jingchen didn’t. Qin i had wanted to call out for Jie Jingchen, but seeing Mrs. Xie’s cautious deanor, it was clear she was sneaking out. "Mom, maybe I should tell Jie Jingchen."
"He can’t know. If he finds out, he won’t let us go," Mrs. Xie said, patting the back seat of the bicycle. "Hurry, get on."
Hearing Mrs. Xie say that, Qin i suddenly found it thrilling. At the sa ti, she grew wary. ’Is it safe to go out this late?’
Seeing how anxious Mrs. Xie was, Qin i, with the resolve of soone risking it all to accompany a friend, gritted her teeth and got on the bicycle.
The night was cool, and the cold wind howled, stinging any exposed skin. They were bundled up, with only their hands showing. Mrs. Xie wore gloves, but Qin i didn’t, and she couldn’t stuff her hands in her pockets. Mrs. Xie wasn’t very steady as she pedaled with Qin i on the back; the bike wobbled so much that several tis, Qin i felt like she was about to fall off.
Since Mrs. Xie was going out at night and seed to be in such a hurry, Qin i assud sothing had happened to one of the patients at the hospital and that was why her mother-in-law was so anxious.
When they reached their destination, Qin i was stunned, shocked, and utterly surprised. "Mom, this is the black market..."
"Shh!" Mrs. Xie covered Qin i’s mouth, glanced around warily, and reminded her in a low voice, "Keep it down."
Under the moonlight, Qin i blinked and nodded. Mrs. Xie let go and pulled her into the black market.
Just that day, she had tricked Jie Jingchen into scoping out the area around the black market with her, and now, that very night, her mother-in-law was pulling her right inside. ’Oh, my poor heart! This is too exciting!’
She had been planning to check out the black market for a while, but she just hadn’t found the opportunity or the ti.
At the black market, you didn’t need ration tickets; all you needed was money.
Qin i felt her pockets and realized she was penniless. Her mother-in-law was, too. ’Mrs. Xie was so secretive about bringing here. If she had just told , I would have brought money. Great, now I’m broke and can’t buy anything I like!’
"Mom, I heard from Jie Jingchen that Third Brother works for National Security," Qin i said in a low voice.
"That’s why we have to be wary of him," Mrs. Xie said, pulling Qin i forward.
Qin i was speechless. ’What I ant was that she should use Third Brother’s connections. Even though the black market isn’t under his jurisdiction, he could still pull so strings. But from her answer, she seems to disdain the idea of using back-door connections. Thinking about it, I guess I can understand. Third Brother is her stepson, not her biological child, so there’s bound to be so emotional distance.’
The black market sold everything imaginable. Qin i was drawn to a pile of herbs, and one, in particular, made her eyes light up. She was about to go ask about it but was pulled away by her mother-in-law.
By the moonlight, Qin i watched the herb recede into the distance, feeling a pang of reluctance.
Mrs. Xie led Qin i to a young man selling potatoes. It seed Mrs. Xie and the young man were well-acquainted. The two of them put their heads together, whispering. They even covered their mouths with their hands as they spoke, so there was no telling what they were muttering about.
Mrs. Xie wore a cautious expression, and the young man was just as careful.
"Auntie, co find at the black market in a month. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed," the young man promised, patting his chest.
"Alright." Mrs. Xie smiled in satisfaction and pulled Qin i, preparing to leave.
"Mom," Qin i said, stopping Mrs. Xie and pointing at the potatoes in the basket. ’Wavy-cut spicy potatoes... It’s been so long since I’ve had them. I miss them so much!’
The sight of the potatoes made her mouth water.
"Auntie, you should buy so! They were just dug up this morning, absolutely fresh." The young man was sharp and imdiately started pitching his potatoes.
Mrs. Xie’s lips twitched. ’As if I don’t know him. Selling potatoes is just a cover.’
The key question was, what were they going to do with potatoes?
But seeing Qin i’s eyes light up as she stared at the potatoes, she knew she had to indulge her daughter-in-law. "How much are they?"
"Auntie, for you, it’s the regular’s price: two fen a catty." The young man took out a net bag and began filling it with potatoes as he asked, "Auntie, how much do you want?"
"Give us five catties, it’ll be easy to calculate," Mrs. Xie said.
"How about ten catties? I’ll bag them separately, five for each of you," the young man said with a smile. When he saw Mrs. Xie nod, he chuckled and added, "You know what, let’s make it twenty. Ten for each of you."
Qin i watched the young man pushing his luck. ’He really knows how to do business,’ she thought. ’He’s got a future.’
Just as the twenty catties of potatoes were weighed and Mrs. Xie took out so change to pay, sothing unexpected happened.
"The patrol is here!" soone shouted, and the black market instantly descended into chaos. Buyers and sellers alike scattered in all directions.
The young man’s reaction was swift. He snatched a one-yuan bill from Mrs. Xie’s hand. "Auntie, one yuan! The potatoes and the basket are all yours!"
Watching the young man take the yuan and make a run for it, Mrs. Xie and Qin i stared at each other, utterly dumbfounded.
If it weren’t for the basket of potatoes he’d left behind, they would have thought he’d just robbed them.
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