Chapter 7: Helping Others in the Black Market

Soon, a middle-aged woman carrying a basket and bundled up tightly approached. "Selling fish? How do you trade?"

Tu Shan spoke up: "Money, coupons, or goods are all fine. I'm selling by the piece: carp are one yuan and eighty cents each, grass carp are two yuan each, snakehead are two yuan and fifty cents, and soft-shelled turtle is six yuan.

If you want to buy by weight, carp are sixty cents a jin, grass carp seventy cents, soft-shelled turtle one yuan, and snakehead eighty cents.

If you have coupons, it’s ten cents cheaper per jin, or thirty cents cheaper for the whole fish.

If you buy the whole lot, I can give you a better price."

This pricing was what Tu Shan had inquired about before coming; it was the standard black market rate—slightly more expensive than the market, but no coupons were required.

However, despite the river outside the city, fish were not common because they were difficult to catch, making them a high-demand commodity.

The woman didn't think the fish were expensive. Previously, someone had sold various fish for ninety cents a jin, and they still required coupons.

Although the black market had a standard rate, because goods were scarce, few people were as honest as Tu Shan in selling at that rate; most would hike the price up a bit. The black market management didn't care about such trifles, and the buyers could afford it.

But the woman didn't have the means to buy the whole lot, so she circled back and forth several times.

"I want a snakehead and a grass carp. Can you make it a bit cheaper?"

Tu Shan shook her head: "I can tell you're a capable homemaker, and your family is well-off. You buy fish often, so you know the prices better than anyone. You know I'm not overcharging for such fresh fish. Any cheaper and I'd be losing money.

I went into the water at dawn to catch these; look, my clothes aren't even dry yet, and I'm freezing. Please don't haggle over these few cents of hard-earned money."

The subtle flattery made the corners of the woman's mouth, hidden under her scarf, curl upward.

She glanced at Tu Shan’s still-damp clothes and stopped haggling: "Fine, give me two big ones. I'll buy them by the piece." Buying by the piece was more cost-effective; anyone with eyes could see that.

Tu Shan sold them this way mainly to play on people's desire for a bargain, which helped her sell faster.

Of course, there was also the reason that she didn't have a scale and found it troublesome.

She picked out a large snakehead and a large grass carp for the woman, wrapped them in lotus leaves she had plucked along the way, placed them in the basket, and collected four yuan and fifty cents.

Not long after, a man came by and bought two snakeheads to make soup for his pregnant wife.

A young woman haggled for a long time, but when Tu Shan refused to budge, she settled for a carp.

There were ten fish left, which were bought in bulk by an old man who needed them for a banquet. Tu Shan averaged them out to two yuan each, bringing in twenty yuan.

Soon after, a refined-looking old lady, accompanied by a middle-aged woman, bought the large soft-shelled turtle.

In total, she brought in thirty-seven yuan and thirty cents.

There were no coupons, which left Tu Shan feeling a tiny bit regretful.

However, earning two months' worth of a regular worker's income in one morning left her quite satisfied.

She picked up her straw bag and began to wander the black market, planning to buy some food and supplies.

By now, the sky was bright, and most of the people in the black market had left.

Tu Shan wanted to buy unprocessed grain so she could use her ability to sprout it at home.

But she didn't see a single grain; everything had been processed.

In the end, she bought two jin of corn grits and three jin of broken rice, costing one yuan and forty cents.

She wrapped them in the remaining lotus leaves, put them in her straw bag, and left.

Today's black market was located at the very back of the abandoned residential area, requiring a long walk through a narrow alley to get out.

Tu Shan planned to go to the recycling station, so she chose a shortcut that was even harder to traverse.

The path was lined with broken walls and ruins; not a single wall was intact, and the ground was pitted and uneven. It was hard to tell what this place had been through.

Tall walls blocked the sunlight and the view, and looking ahead, it was dark and eerie.

These places were often frequented by petty criminals; decent people wouldn't walk this way.

"Have you confirmed the number of people, their positions, and their weapons?"

"Confirmed."

"Are all the exits guarded?"

"People have been assigned."

"We must ensure no one escapes. Pass the word: execute."

"Yes."

Tu Shan had supernatural abilities and very sharp senses. Even though this body was weak, she could hear every sound within a one-mile radius.

In the quiet environment, the low-voiced conversation drifted into her ears without warning.

She didn't want to listen, but she couldn't control it.

She paused in her tracks, and just as she was deciding whether to continue or turn back, chaotic footsteps erupted in the area.

Judging by the sound, there were two groups, totaling no less than a hundred people.

Tsk, a large-scale operation.

Forget it, she’d just wait right here.

Soon, the sounds of fighting broke out, moving closer and further away, accompanied by roars, screams, and even gunshots.

The chaos lasted for a full half-hour.

As the various sounds gradually faded, Tu Shan figured it was safe and prepared to leave.

She hadn't gone far when she came face-to-face with a man covered in blood.

The man held a gun, his expression manic and fierce.

Seeing Tu Shan, he didn't say a word and fired directly.

Tu Shan was startled, secretly shocked that this man had no sense of honor, not even sparing a common, weak civilian like her. She immediately dodged to the side.

The silenced bullet pierced into a broken wall, sending brick dust flying and splashing onto Tu Shan's face.

The man was shocked; he hadn't expected this frail woman to dodge a bullet.

He then figured it was probably just a coincidence.

Afraid of being pursued, he didn't dare fire again. He glared fiercely at Tu Shan and turned to leave.

Tu Shan was amused. Who had she offended?

He attacked her and wanted to leave, and he was glaring at her?

She knocked a brick off the broken wall and hurled it at the man.

The man was surprised that Tu Shan dared to fight back and instinctively raised his arm to block.

The brick collided with his arm and shattered into fine dust. The man's face twitched involuntarily from the pain.

"Damn it," the bitch had such strength.

Enraged, he raised his hand, wanting to shoot Tu Shan, but was met with a kick from her.

The man was slightly startled—she was fast—and raised his arm to block again.

This kick was even more powerful than the brick. The man gasped in pain, which only fueled his fury.

"You're looking for death."

He swung his fist at Tu Shan.

Under her thick bangs, Tu Shan's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

She felt her bangs were a natural mask and liked presenting herself with this appearance, so she didn't comb them back.

Her gloomy, cowardly look was a perfect "playing the pig to eat the tiger," which was why the man had been caught off guard twice.

Of course, it was mainly because Tu Shan had the ability to make him suffer.

Their fists collided, and both Tu Shan and the man retreated several steps, hitting the broken wall, their arms trembling uncontrollably.

The man was secretly shocked by Tu Shan's strength. A woman so frail, going head-to-head with him—not only was she not at a disadvantage, but she was even faintly suppressing him.

Tu Shan, however, was annoyed by the uselessness of this body. She had used seventy percent of her strength, yet she had only fought to a draw. In the apocalypse, she would have shattered the bones in his hand.

Without a word, they clashed again, trading blow for blow.

When He Jiahuan, Xu Zhi, and Li Hao chased the man down, they saw this scene.

"Holy crap, the girl with the bangs is fierce," Xu Zhi exclaimed.

He Jiahuan glared at him: "Don't go around giving people nicknames."

Xu Zhi chuckled, his eyes fixed on the fight.

Shankui was someone even better than their captain, yet the girl with the bangs was fighting him to a draw. Tsk.

He snuck a glance at He Jiahuan; their captain wouldn't even rank second now.

He Jiahuan gave him a warning glare.

Xu Zhi laughed and looked away.

Li Hao was a man of few words but loved to fight; such a battle made his blood boil.

Seeing an opportunity, he joined the fight.

Shankui cursed their shamelessness and feinted to run, but He Jiahuan shot him through the knee.

He screamed, lunged forward, and fell face-first, completely disoriented.

Xu Zhi quickly stepped up and cuffed him.

"Finally caught you."

Shankui struggled, but when it proved useless, he fixed a cold, venomous gaze on Tu Shan.

"Just you wait."

Tu Shan narrowed her eyes. Threatening her?

"Behave yourself," Xu Zhi slapped Shankui on the head. Shankui was furious and roared at Xu Zhi.

Xu Zhi slapped him again before he finally quieted down.

(End of chapter)