60s: I have a store

Chapter 643 The Old Man

Da Peng touched the bundle of meat tied to his waist and said to Li Youde with a wry smile, "I really didn't expect that the meat we brought specially would be of no use."

"Before, on the black market, no matter what you exchanged for, meat was always acceptable. Today is the first time I've encountered someone who doesn't want meat."

Li Youde nodded, his heart filled with surprise. In those years of scarcity, meat was a hard currency, whether it was used to exchange for goods or food.

Most people would agree to buy meat, but the old man I met today was the first to be taken advantage of. He only cared about grain and didn't even glance at the meat.

"It's possible that the elderly are in a real hurry for food, since meat can't be eaten as a meal, and they still need to rely on coarse grains to fill their stomachs."

As he spoke, he untied the bundle of meat from his waist: "Since we're not going to use the meat, let's hurry up and sell the rest. It'll save us the trouble of carrying it back and also attract attention."

Dapeng quickly agreed, and the two of them found a corner, put the bundle on the ground, and opened it with a "whoosh".

The remaining five pounds of pork and two pounds of beef, once spread out, emitted a meaty aroma. Although they hadn't been cooked, the good quality meat still had a pleasant fragrance.

In this era where everyone is struggling to get enough to eat, people are very sensitive to the aroma of this food, and it doesn't take long for someone to notice it.

"They even sell meat?!" A middle-aged man who had just bought some fabric was the first to come over, his eyes fixed on the meat in the bundle, his tone full of surprise.

He arrived too late and missed out on buying any fabric. Disappointed, he went to buy cloth, but luckily he ran into a butcher.

"Pork is 1.8 yuan per pound, beef is 2 yuan, hurry up and buy!"

Dapeng cleared his throat and shouted in a low voice. Although he didn't dare to shout too loudly, it was enough for people nearby to hear.

As soon as these words were spoken, the people who had been scattered in front of the various stalls instantly gathered around, making it even more lively than when they first started selling meat.

"I want two jin of pork! Save two jin for me!" An older woman in a cotton-padded coat squeezed to the front, clutching her money tightly in her hand, afraid that someone else would snatch it first.

"I want a pound of beef!" a young man shouted urgently, his voice trembling slightly.

Li Youde and Dapeng didn't limit the quantity; they just wanted to sell it all as soon as possible. They had no obligation to let more people buy the meat.

Soon the two of them got busy.

One person was responsible for weighing the items, and the other was responsible for collecting the money; their movements were even faster than before.

Li Youde picked up the small scale, quickly weighed the meat, wrapped it in old newspaper, and handed it to the buyer, reminding him, "Take good care of it, don't forget to take it all."

Da Peng carefully folded the money he received and stuffed it into the cloth bag in his arms, while occasionally having to deal with the urging of the people behind him: "Come one by one, if you don't line up, don't even think about buying meat."

The area was already packed with people, and the beams of flashlights were focused on the flesh. After hearing Da Peng's words, they had no choice but to obediently line up.

Hopefully, when it's their turn in line, they'll still be able to buy meat.

However, this possibility is still too low.

When it was a middle-aged man's turn, he lowered his voice and said, "I want the rest."

Although Li Youde and Dapeng found it a bit strange, they didn't refuse and simply wrapped up all the remaining meat.

"Eight yuan in total!"

Those around who witnessed this began to criticize the middle-aged man: "How can a person be so selfish?"

The middle-aged man ignored the accusations, paid the money, and left the black market.

People around, seeing that there was no meat, could only leave dejectedly. They had thought they could buy meat, but it turned out they had wasted their time.

However, due to the rules of the black market, no one could do anything about it, even if they were unhappy.

Li Youde and Dapeng then "re-realized" that meat still holds a significant place in the hearts of most people.

From setting up the stall again to selling out the last bit of meat, it took less than five minutes.

"I didn't expect it to sell out so quickly, even faster than before," Li Youde said with a smile, wiping his sweat.

Da Peng nodded, patted the bulging money bag in his arms, and felt relieved: "That's great, the meat is sold out and the money is made. Tomorrow I'll bring grain to exchange for the old man's things. This trip to the black market was worthwhile."

The two packed up their empty bundles and the small scale, then cautiously looked around.

The crowd had dispersed, and everyone was carrying meat toward the black market exit; no one paid them any more attention.

Taking advantage of the break, the two quickly walked towards the exit, planning to tell Zhou Yimin about exchanging items and buying meat as soon as they got back, so they could prepare the food they needed for tomorrow.

Since neither of them had a watch, they didn't know what time it was, but it was still dark, probably not even five or six o'clock yet.

Li Youde and Dapeng were extremely careful along the way, fearing that someone might follow them from the black market back to the courtyard house.

After taking a detour for more than ten minutes, the two felt safe and then returned to the courtyard house.

However, it was still early, so they didn't wake Zhou Yimin. They could come over and chat after they woke up.

Li Youde slept until noon, when his family woke him up for lunch, and he slowly got out of bed.

After quickly washing up and having lunch with my family, I went straight to Zhou Yimin's house.

Unexpectedly, they bumped into Dapeng on the road, and the two smiled at each other.

Then they knocked on Zhou Yimin's door.

Zhou Yimin had prepared a lavish meal to treat himself, but before he could even start eating, someone came to his door.
He found it a bit strange. The people in the courtyard were quite well-behaved. They usually wouldn't come over at mealtimes. Now everything was rationed, so if they invited others, they would go hungry themselves.

Zhou Yimin opened the door anyway, and as soon as he opened it, he saw Li Youde and Dapeng standing at the door.

"Come in!"

After the two went inside, they saw a sumptuous meal on the table, including braised pork, steamed buns, and braised meat.

After smelling the aroma, I couldn't help but swallow.

Seeing this, Zhou Yimin said, "If you haven't eaten, go get your own bowl and chopsticks!"

Luckily, I made a little extra, otherwise there wouldn't be enough to go around!

Although Li Youde and Dapeng had already eaten before coming over, seeing such delicious food made them feel hungry again.

They quickly went to Zhou Yimin's kitchen and brought over the bowls and chopsticks.

Zhou Yimin wasn't stingy; he even took out a bottle of Fenjiu liquor: "Would you like some?"

Li Youde and Dapeng had no idea why they should refuse.

And so, the three of them began to feast.

Zhou Yimin realized that Li Youde and Dapeng's "battle" should have gone on for more than just this.

"Are you two not feeling well? Why are you eating so little?"

Li Youde and Dapeng looked a little embarrassed and could only explain, "We had already eaten lunch before we came, but we couldn't resist seeing so many delicious dishes."

Zhou Yimin then realized what was going on, but he didn't care about these things. Although Li Youde and Dapeng had already eaten lunch, they ate just as much as Zhou Yimin, and even a little more, because of the temptation of meat.

Zhou Yimin looked at the two of them with a hint of teasing, as if to say, "Didn't you already have lunch? Why are you eating so much?"

Li Youde and Da Peng felt a little embarrassed under Zhou Yimin's gaze, and quickly changed the subject.

"Yimin, we've come here today to talk to you about something."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yimin guessed that they had found what they were looking for, indicating that the two were quite efficient.

"whats the matter?"

Li Youde spoke first: "That's right, the antique you wanted has been agreed upon, but he doesn't want meat, he only wants grain."

When Zhou Yimin heard this, he found it quite amusing that the person didn't want meat but wanted grain.

Most people would need both grain and meat to survive and maintain a certain quality of life.

Zhou Yimin suddenly wondered if the old man had many antiques and wanted to test Dapeng and Li Youde's strength.

This possibility still exists. If that's the case, it seems like we can cooperate for a long time.

"The flour is fine. I'll put it where we stored the supplies before. You can pick it up when the time comes."

Li Youde and Dapeng nodded, indicating that they understood.

However, Zhou Yimin advised: "When you make the transaction, you can ask if there are still such items available, and if so, you can trade them long-term."

"Yimin, don't worry, we'll ask them when the time comes," Dapeng replied.

After eating and drinking their fill, Li Youde and Dapeng returned home to rest. If they didn't have enough energy, it wouldn't be good if they went to the black market.

The two checked the time and realized it was about the same. They felt it was a bit inconvenient and thought they needed to buy a watch, otherwise it would be very inconvenient.

Li Youde and Dapeng quietly left the courtyard and went to the place they had agreed to meet Zhou Yimin.

I saw two large bags of things. It looked like there were not only seventy catties of flour, but also ten catties of pork and two catties of mutton.

They took all the items and soon arrived at the black market. The same man in the black coat was on lookout. When he saw the two carrying bags, he didn't ask any questions, took the money, and let them in.

The two walked straight into the depths of the black market and soon saw the stall at the back. The old man was still sitting on a small stool, holding a porcelain cup in his hand. When he saw them coming, his eyes lit up, and he put down the cup and stood up.

"You two have arrived. Did you bring the grain?" The old man's voice was lighter than last night, and his gaze fell on the bags the two men were carrying.

It seems I've encountered a big fish; dozens of kilograms of flour, which I can just hand over without hesitation.

Wait a minute, they asked if they could continue the cooperation long-term, explaining that their family was struggling financially, otherwise they wouldn't be selling these ancestral items.

Moreover, they don't even want meat, only grain. Three years ago, they certainly wouldn't have done this.

The old man also went through those three years. If he didn't have enough food at home, he would have no sense of security at all. He couldn't even survive, let alone eat well. He was lucky if he could eat his fill.

Dapeng said, "Sir, we've prepared everything. Is yours ready?"

After saying that, he opened the bag containing flour, revealing the flour inside.

When the old man saw it, his eyes widened in surprise. Moreover, it seemed that the quality of the white flour was even better than the white flour he bought at the grain station.

He quickly stepped forward, dipped his hand in the mixture, and then, with a look of enjoyment, put it in his mouth, swallowing it whole without even trying to stop himself from choking.

This scene made Li Youde and Dapeng want to give a thumbs up, because this was fresh noodles, not fried noodles.

After swallowing the flour, the old man said, "The flour is fine."

After saying that, he weighed the bag full of flour in his hand and found that the weight was not a problem, but it even exceeded his expectations. There were at least seventy pounds of flour in it, five pounds more than expected.

"Isn't this weight a bit off?"

Li Youde said, "We'd like to use the extra five jin to make friends. If you have any other stuff like this to sell, sir, you can come to us directly."

The old man was surprised; he thought he would have to speak first, but Li Youde and the others spoke first.

"Okay, I have quite a few of these at home. If you really want them, let's arrange a time and trade directly then?"

Upon hearing this, Li Youde and Da Peng were very impressed with Zhou Yimin. They knew they would never have thought of such a thing.

Judging from the appearance of this old man, he still had quite a few of these things, otherwise he wouldn't have said such a thing.

Li Youde said, "Sir, no problem. How about we find a place to talk tomorrow during the day?"

This time, the old man didn't refuse: "Okay, see you at Quanjude tomorrow?"

Li Youde replied, "No problem, sir!"

He knew that Zhou Yimin didn't lack these things, otherwise he wouldn't have agreed so quickly.

After receiving a positive reply, the old man nodded in satisfaction, then took the seventy catties of flour and left the black market.

This process did not attract much attention.

After seeing the old man leave, Li Youde and Dapeng put the things away. Since they didn't understand these things, they still wanted to take them back to show Zhou Yimin.

They did not leave the black market after completing this transaction.

They still had ten jin of pork and two jin of beef jerky to finish.

Soon, the old man opened the meat he had brought at the spot where he had just set up his stall.

Dapeng lowered his voice: "Meat, fresh pork and beef jerky."

Although the sound wasn't loud, it was enough for those around to hear, and soon those who heard it put down what they were holding.

They rushed to Li Youde's stall, afraid that if they were any slower, all the meat would be snatched up.

In less than a minute, Li Youde and his group were surrounded. In other places, they might have been scared.

Despite being surrounded by so many people, this is the black market, so as long as you don't get arrested, you're safe.

Many people immediately said, "I want two pounds of pork."

"One pound of pork and one pound of beef jerky."

"I'll take both pounds of beef jerky."

Amidst the fierce scramble, the meat brought by Li Youde and his group was completely devoured in less than three minutes.

Seeing the meat being snapped up, Li Youde and his group weren't too shocked. This was usually the case when they sold things on the black market.

The two packed their belongings and left as quietly as possible, trying not to attract the attention of others.

(End of this chapter)