Chapter 19: Fresh from the black market, he runs into a scalper; Qing Shan gets his first lesson in business

Lu Qingshan tightened the collar of his ragged clothes.

He walked out of the gloomy, damp alley with long strides.

The darkness before dawn was finally ripped open, and the eastern sky became bright.

The cold air also grew a bit fresher, washing away the black market's lingering foul odor.

He drew a deep breath of the chilly air.

The icy sensation instantly flooded his lungs, jolting his mind and clearing his head considerably.

He clutched five bundles of heavy "Great Unity" in his arms.

Five thousand!

This huge sum weighed on his chest, its heavy weight making him feel especially reassured.

It was a sense of security he had never known.

In his past life he was muddled; in this life he walks on thin ice.

This five thousand is not just money.

It is also the hope for him, Yue E, Xiao Xue, and this family to start anew!

His steps grew light on their own, and his fatigue dissipated by half.

His mind held only one thought: he wished he could fly home at once.

Tell Yue E this wonderful news.

Tell her that from now on, they'll never have to worry about food or clothing again!

Suddenly, a voice sounded from beside him.

"Hey brother, you're in such a hurry—are you chasing rabbits behind you? Where are you rushing off to make a fortune?"

The voice carried a hint of oily smoothness, abruptly emerging from the shadow of the wall beside him.

It carried a hint of probing and a hint of scrutiny.

And also a hint… of something indescribable.

Lu Qingshan halted his steps abruptly!

His heart jolted!

His muscles tensed instantly!

Mountain Wild Heart, like a bow drawn to full tension, vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

He didn't turn back right away, merely glancing casually at the wall corner with the corner of his eye.

A man.

Wearing a puffy cotton coat that made him look like a ball, with a greasy dog-skin hat on his head.

His face bore a broker's smile.

He leaned lazily against the wall, a half-smoked cheap cigarette between his fingers, smoke curling around.

The man narrowed his eyes, staring at him like a venomous snake eyeing a toad.

His gaze lingered a moment on his bulging chest.

Then it flicked over his somewhat hurried steps.

He curled his lips, revealing a meaningful smile.

Like a weasel that had just stolen a chicken.

A ticket scalper?

The term instantly sprang to Lu Qingshan's mind.

These days, supplies are scarce to the point of being infuriating.

For food, clothing, and daily use, everything requires coupons.

Where there is demand, there is a market; the "yellow bulls" who scalp coupons arose accordingly.

Their noses are sharper than a dog's, their eyes keener than an eagle's.

They specialize in loitering at black markets, train stations, and docks, seizing every profitable opportunity.

He hesitated slightly.

Yet he stopped his steps.

Ticket scalping, in this era, is nothing unusual.

It can even be said to be a kind of "rigid demand" in a gray zone.

He now holds a huge sum, worrying how to turn this hot potato into tangible goods to ease his family's plight.

Buying coupons is currently the most convenient and safest way.

But he must be careful.

"Big brother, what's up?"

Lu Qingshan lowered his voice, trying to sound calm and detached.

He sized up the other man without showing any emotion, inwardly on guard.

"Heh heh, looking at your attire, brother, all dusty and travel-worn, with a food bundle in hand—you must have just swapped for good stuff at the black market, right?"

The middle-aged man rubbed his hands, grinning as he stepped closer.

He lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously.

"How about it? Want coupons or not? I'm the big ticket boss of Wan Gou Zhen—got every kind of coupon, guaranteed to satisfy you!"

"Coupons?"

Lu Qingshan deliberately put on a clueless look.

His brows furrowed slightly.

He countered: "What ticket? I don't understand what you're saying, big brother!"

Hey, brother, you're being aloof, aren't you?

Seeing Lu Qingshan seem somewhat shaken, that person's eyes grew eager.

He rubbed his hands, speaking mysteriously.

These days, without tickets, you can hardly move an inch!

Eating, drinking, defecating, urinating, firewood, rice, oil, salt— which of these can be done without tickets?

Grain tickets, cloth tickets, meat tickets, oil tickets, industrial coupons...

Anything you can think of, brother, I can produce for you here!

It just depends on what you need, brother!

Lu Qingshan secretly chuckled.

This ticket scalper is indeed sharp; in just a few words he figured out his background and needs.

He stopped pretending to be clueless.

He straightforwardly asked: "Do you have cloth tickets, cotton tickets, thread tickets? At a fair price, how much?"

"Yo! Brother, sharp eye! You hit the 'hard currency' right away! These tickets are hot commodities now!"

That person's eyes lit up.

His face instantly filled with an even more obsequious smile.

As if he'd seen mountains of gold and silver, he was so pleased his mouth almost split to his ears.

"Of course! Let me tell you, I'm Dao Piao Li— in Wan Gou Zhen, there's no ticket I can't get! Only what you can't think of, nothing I can't obtain!"

While saying that, he glanced left and right warily.

Making sure no one was paying attention.

Then he carefully pulled out a wrinkled, greasy cloth clip from his pocket.

Like opening Pandora's box, he opened it layer by layer.

Revealing inside a colorful assortment of various tickets.

He pointed to several of them, whose color had yellowed and paper was rough.

Lowering his voice, he spoke mysteriously.

"Brother, take a look— this is a genuine Jilin Province Special Issue Individual Voucher!"

"This thing is even more precious than gold!"

"One voucher equals a pound of top-quality cotton! It's more cost-effective and useful than those cotton tickets!"

Jilin Province Special Issue Individual Voucher?

Can it still be used in place of cotton tickets?

Lu Qingshan's heart stirred slightly.

He had never heard of this before.

But if it can substitute for cotton tickets, then it's a good thing!

What we lack most at home right now is cotton.

Yue E and Xiao Xue's cotton coats are pitifully thin.

In this freezing winter month, if we don't get some cotton, we might freeze to death.

"How much for one of these individual vouchers?"

Lu Qingshan pointed at those few yellowed documents and asked casually.

But in his heart he had already started calculating.

"Hehe, brother, you really know your stuff— you spotted this hidden gem at a glance!"

Dao Piao Li became even more pleased.

Rubbing his greasy hands, he smiled until his eyes narrowed to slits.

His voice also dropped lower, more mysterious.

"These individual vouchers are hard to come by these days."

"Brother, I only managed to get these few from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and private hands by pulling strings and exerting tremendous effort."

"Well then, seeing you're straightforward and a genuine person..."

"One yuan fifty each— how many do you want?"

"Brother, today I'm opening shop with good luck; I'll sell you a few extra to make friends!"

"One yuan fifty each, one voucher equals a pound of cotton."

"Sounds like a fair price."

"One could even say it's a bit of a bargain."

"Just now at the black market, cotton had been bid up to two yuan a pound, and though it had a price, there was no market— you might not be able to buy it even if you wanted to."