Chapter 8: The Black Market

As she lifted the pot lid, the rich, savory aroma seemed to sprout wings, darting straight into everyone’s noses. The steaming, braised crucian carp made its glorious debut!

The villagers of Xiaogou Village once again caught the scent wafting from She Yuqi’s house, their eyes reddening with envy.

"My goodness, is She Yuqi possessed or something? How is her cooking always so fragrant?"

"I reckon she traded her virtue for it, the hussy! Ptooey!"

The villagers of Xiaogou were all dirt-poor, and they couldn’t stand to see anyone living better than they were.

"Taste it and see how it is."

She Yuqi didn't care at all about how the villagers gossiped; as long as they weren't whispering to her face, their words simply bounced off her. As long as she and her family lived well, that was enough. Let those long-tongued ghosts outside choke on the scent.

With a smile, She Yuqi picked up a piece of meat from the fish's belly, carefully removed the bones for Xiaoxiao, and gently placed it into the little girl’s bowl.

Xiaoxiao, already drooling with anticipation, lifted her bowl and took a huge, enthusiastic bite.

Crucian carp is full of tiny bones and can taste muddy and fishy if not cooked properly. But after one bite of She Yuqi’s braised fish, Xiaoxiao’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She took a bite of her cornmeal bun, tucked into the fish, and found it so delicious that her cheeks puffed out like a little hamster’s—truly adorable.

Seeing how much she enjoyed it, She Yuqi felt hungry herself and picked up a piece of fish. Wow, the taste was incredible—exactly like the fish she used to cook, perhaps even fresher and sweeter!

"Big Sister, who are you saving the other fish for?"

After Xiaoxiao had eaten her fill, she noticed She Yuqi had set aside a separate bowl of steaming braised carp and asked curiously.

"You're just a little kid, why ask so many questions?"

Xiaoxiao pouted, "Fine, then come back quickly, Big Sister."

"Such a good girl, Xiaoxiao."

She Yuqi patted Xiaoxiao’s head, picked up the large bowl of fish, and stepped out. She covered it with another bowl, worried it might get cold before she reached her destination.

There were only a dozen households in Xiaogou Village, and only one kept an ox. She didn't need to ask to know where Jiang Bei lived.

She Yuqi stood outside the gate of Jiang Bei’s courtyard, stretching her neck like a little giraffe to peer inside.

Little Fatty Jiang was playing with mud in the yard. Suddenly catching a whiff of something delicious, he followed the scent and spotted She Yuqi holding a large bowl. His intuition told him it was something good. His small eyes lit up, and he eagerly opened the gate, shouting excitedly, "What delicious food are you holding? Why does it smell so good?"

"You must be Little Fatty Jiang, right?"

"Yeah, that's me."

She Yuqi recognized him; he was the little boy who had helped her out with Jiang Bei last time. Rumor had it he was Jiang Bei’s half-brother. She had a good impression of him, so she decided to let him deliver the fish to Jiang Bei as a thank-you for his repeated help.

"Take this to Jiang Bei."

"Don't worry, leave it to me!" Little Fatty Jiang patted his chest and took it carefully.

When She Yuqi returned home, she found Xiaoxiao fast asleep and tiptoed onto the kang. She had to wake up early to sell eggs at the black market, so she needed her sleep.

...

At the first light of dawn, She Yuqi woke up. She glanced at the sleeping Xiaoxiao; she couldn't bring her to the black market. After heating two eggs and two pancakes in the pot, she locked the door. Under the reluctant and resentful gaze of the village head, she pedaled her bicycle out of Xiaogou Village.

To avoid attracting attention, she only carried two baskets of eggs, keeping the rest in her storage space. The black market in Pingyang County was quite far from Xiaogou Village, requiring over an hour of cycling.

The black market was filled with all sorts of people, and few used their real identities; She Yuqi was no exception. Women had little status in this era, so to avoid trouble, she disguised herself as a man. With a hat and a face mask covering everything possible, she looked like a slender young man.

"How much for the eggs?"

She Yuqi deepened her voice, "With grain coupons, the market price is 0.1 jiao each. Without coupons, it's 0.3 jiao. Buy more, and I’ll throw in an extra one."

The original owner used to come here with Old Lady Han to sell eggs, so she knew the price difference well.

"So expensive? Can you make it cheaper?"

"The black market price is 0.2 jiao, why are you charging 0.1 more?"

An older woman began to haggle, but She Yuqi shook her head. She had done her research; the most expensive eggs on the market went for 0.4 jiao. Her eggs were large and cheap; selling them for 0.3 jiao would surely cause a frenzy. Clearly, this woman was just trying to take advantage.

"Buy ten, no bonus. Buy twenty, get two free. Buy thirty, get four free."

The woman scratched her head, feeling a bit dizzy, but seeing how large, round, and high-quality the eggs were, she couldn't bring herself to leave. The other stalls she’d seen had eggs covered in chicken droppings, were smaller, and cost 0.4 jiao each. Plus, getting free eggs for buying in bulk didn't seem like a loss at all—it was a deal.

"Um... how many eggs do you have?"

"Over a hundred." She Yuqi answered truthfully. The woman stroked her chin, pondering. "Wait here a moment."

Before long, the woman returned with a group of her friends.

"She’s selling eggs cheap!"

One of the stout women picked up an egg and—*smash*—threw it onto the ground!

She Yuqi was stunned. Passersby gathered around, whispering to one another.

"What’s happening? Why smash perfectly good eggs?"

"Oh, my heart aches! Don't smash them, give them to me!"

"Is there something wrong with these eggs?"

"It looks suspicious. A few days ago, an outsider came to sell cheap eggs, and when people got home, they were all rotten!"

"Right, right, I heard that too. That outsider didn't dare show his face again. People who sell rotten eggs deserve a beating."

She Yuqi calmed herself, watching the stout woman frantically smash the eggs. One by one, the round eggs were shattered, whites and yolks spilling everywhere.

"What's going on? This shouldn't be happening!"

"I'm asking you... is there something wrong with your eggs? Selling them cheap and giving extras—only a fool would believe there’s no trick."

The first woman laughed behind her hand, gloating. "Little girl, you look guilty. Why else would you be dressed like that? Was it you selling rotten eggs the other day? Or are you all in on it?"

She Yuqi had been observing them, and when she saw them reach into her basket to pocket her eggs, she couldn't help but sneer.

"Are you looking for trouble, or are you just plain stealing?"

"You're selling rotten eggs and you still have the nerve to talk? Pay up, or this isn't over!"

"Oh? And if I don't pay, what... what can you do to me?"

The stout woman grabbed an egg from the basket and hurled it straight at She Yuqi’s head...