Chapter 34: The Black Market

"What do you think, Second Brother, Third Brother?" asked Boss Qian.

"What's there to think about? I'll just drag those two over here. If they don't tell the truth, I'll beat them until they do." One-Eye shook his muscles, clearly a man of simple mind and brute force.

"Don't be so hasty, Second Brother. We must bring them here, but we shouldn't do it by force," said the man known as Third Brother, a scholar-like figure, calm and unfazed by One-Eye’s outburst.

"Let’s hear it, Third Brother," Boss Qian signaled.

The scholar said, "We just lost a shipment, suffered significant financial losses, and many of our brothers were killed or injured. Now is not the time to make new enemies."

Boss Qian nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

"We can invite them over first to see what they have to say. If they are just selling some farm produce, so be it. But if they happen to have a supply, we can test the waters. If they were truly sent by someone else, it won't be too late to take action then."

Boss Qian found this reasonable. "Second Brother, Third Brother, please go and handle this, and keep a civil tone."

Meanwhile, Mu Xingjue and Xu Xingyu were huddled in a corner. The cloth covering their baskets was slightly lifted, revealing the goods inside.

"What do we do now?" Xu Xingyu whispered.

"We still need to sell. Keep some back. Our target is the boss of this black market. Just wait."

Xu Xingyu nodded.

There were many people in the black market. Nowadays, people had money but no ration coupons, so they had to come here to buy things.

Mu Xingjue and Xu Xingyu sold their goods while waiting. Their items sold quickly, mainly because the rice and flour were of higher quality than what was sold at the supply and marketing cooperatives. There were plenty of people with money who didn't hesitate to buy.

By the time One-Eye and the scholar arrived, the two were almost ready to pack up and leave for the day.

"Greetings, brothers. I am called Scholar, and this is my second brother, One-Eye. Our boss would like to invite you two for tea. Would you do us the honor?"

Mu Xingjue felt relieved; they had finally arrived. However, to avoid letting them see that they were the intended target, he feigned confusion: "Your boss wants to see us? What for? We’re just two brothers out to sell some things and make a little pocket money. We paid the entry fee at the gate and haven't broken any rules, have we?"

"You worry too much, brother. Our boss just wants to invite you over to meet and get acquainted," the scholar said, gesturing for them to follow.

Mu Xingjue hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright then, please lead the way."

The scholar and One-Eye brought them to the room. Boss Qian had tea poured for them. "Please, sit. My surname is Qian; people here are kind enough to call me Boss Qian."

Mu Xingjue was thirsty, and the tea was welcome. After taking a sip, he set the cup down and asked, "I wonder what business Boss Qian has with us?"

"Your accent doesn't sound like a local's. It sounds more like someone from the capital," Boss Qian probed.

"Yes, we are indeed from the capital," Mu Xingjue admitted directly; after all, their accents were a dead giveaway.

"The capital is a fine place. What brings you here, and to my black market, of all places?"

"Got bored of the capital, so we came out to look around and make some pocket money on the side," Mu Xingjue said with a lazy tone, as if he were truly just drifting through, though his eyes held a flicker of resentment and bitterness.

"I see." Boss Qian signaled to the scholar, who stepped forward. "Brother, may I see what you're selling? We are in this line of business, too."

Mu Xingjue acted as if he didn't catch the implication, his eyes lighting up before he immediately assumed an indifferent attitude. "Sure, take a look. Just selling some bits and pieces."

The scholar stepped forward and lifted the cloth, revealing rice, flour, a few apples, oranges, and some green dates.

Upon seeing the fruit, both the scholar and Boss Qian were stunned. Fruit was hard to come by, and even if one had transport, it was useless; fruit dried out quickly, and if it didn't look good, it wouldn't sell. Yet, this fruit looked as fresh as if it had just been picked from the tree.

"The rice is plump, the flour is pure white without impurities. Not bad, brother. You even managed to get your hands on fruit?"

These items made Boss Qian and the scholar incredibly eager. If they had this source of supply, they wouldn't have to worry about profits. If they monopolized these goods and sold them, who wouldn't be currying favor with them?

"Pfft, how hard is it to get some fruit? I… ahem, I just brought a little to see if anyone would buy it," Mu Xingjue said, intentionally revealing just enough to pique their interest.

The three brothers were hooked. Though he only said half a sentence, it was clear he had a significant supply. The prospect of a reliable source made them instantly greedy.

"Please wait a moment, brothers. We have a small matter to attend to; we'll be right back," Boss Qian said, leading One-Eye and the scholar out of the room.

"Fine, make it quick. We’re expecting to head back soon."

"Of course, of course. Just a moment."

After the three men left, Xu Xingyu spoke up. "It seems they’re interested. But, do we really have that much stock?"

"More than enough." His wife had said the grain grew in cycles—harvest one, and more would appear. The fruit was the same; it would grow back right after being picked. It only took a few days from blossom to fruit, so much so that she was afraid to pick it all, leaving it to just grow on the trees.

"Watch for my signal later."

"Understood." Xu Xingyu didn't ask further; he trusted his brother.

Before long, the three men returned. The scholar spoke directly: "To be honest, we are very interested in the goods you have. Could you introduce us to your supplier?"

"What goods? We don't have any goods. We’re just two brothers out to sell some things for money. You’re overthinking it. We’re leaving." Mu Xingjue feigned ignorance, stood up, and headed for the door.

"Please stay, brother," Boss Qian said, blocking their path.

"What is the meaning of this, Boss Qian? Are you trying to keep us here by force?" Mu Xingjue's face darkened instantly, his aura flaring. This sudden shift made Boss Qian feel that there was more to them than met the eye.

He quickly explained, "A misunderstanding, brother, just a misunderstanding! To be honest, we were robbed of a shipment recently and lost quite a bit. We’re just desperate to make a profit."

Mu Xingjue instantly retracted his aura, showing a sympathetic expression. "An introduction is impossible. Even I haven't met the supplier myself."

Boss Qian looked at the scholar. After some thought, the scholar suggested, "Could we purchase the goods from you instead? But the price would have to be lower than the market rate, otherwise we can't make a profit."

"That goes without saying," Mu Xingjue replied quickly, then paused, "Wait, I didn't say I was selling to you."

He gave Xu Xingyu a look.

Xu Xingyu caught on quickly. "Brother, Xiaomin. I want to marry Xiaomin. Isn't that why we're out here earning the bride price?"

"This... but Xiaomin is a local. If you really marry her, you aren't going back?"

Xu Xingyu said indignantly, "Go back for what? If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have ended up here. I’m not going back. Once I marry Xiaomin, I’m staying here."