No One Would Set Up a Scheme These Days, Right?

"It's my first time here. I just came in to check things out and buy some items. I thought it was safe, so I decide to bring my goods to sell," Su Yijia said with a seemingly honest smile.

The men finally relaxed a bit. "What are you selling?"

"Oil."

Their eyes immediately lit up. "How much are you planning to sell?"

"No receipts, 3.2 yuan per pound. There's eight pounds of oil here in total"

Facing their probing questions, Su Yijia became cautious. She quickly glanced at the group of men, pondering if she could escape from them if they decided to get violent.

"Open it up and let us have a look. If it's good, we'll take it," one of the men said, signaling to his companions, who promptly moved a bit further away.

Su Yijia pursed her lips and then took out the plastic bucket, pouring a bit of oil onto the lid. The man sniffed it and even tasted a drop.

Satisfied, he raised an eyebrow and handed the lid to his companion. After they both confirmed, they nodded to each other.

"Three yuan per pound, we'll take all your oil. If you have more in the future, we'll buy it directly from you," Qiu Yanqing negotiated.

"I won't sell it. This oil is quite rare. A city dweller reached eighteen years old only gets coupons for half a pound of oil per month. Selling it for 3.2 yuan is not high at all," Su Yijia refused firmly, without any room for compromise.

Without coupons, the soybeans were sold at 1.2 yuan, which was one-third higher than the 0.9 yuan price at the supply and marketing cooperative. Selling the oil for 3.2 yuan, with most people lacking the skills and equipment to refine it, was a reasonable price increase.

Qiu Yanqing stared straight at Su Yijia, his eyes carrying a hint of oppression. However, Su Yijia wasn't someone who could be easily intimidated. With her top-notch family background and her own potential, she had encountered many influential and wealthy individuals before.

She tilted her head back, pretending not to understand anything as she stared back.

In the end, Qiu Yanqing relented. "Fine, you wait here. I'll go get something to fill it."

Indeed, 3.2 yuan per pound wasn't expensive. He had ways to sell them later, and people would still eagerly buy it at 4.1 yuan per pound.

Soon, her companions returned with identical plastic buckets and funnels. Qiu Yanqing led Su Yijia into a small courtyard in the black market. After pouring the oil into his bucket, Su Yijia asked, "I still need to go inside and buy some things. Do I need to pay again?"

This back-and-forth, even if it was just a few cents, made her feel reluctant.

"No need. Since you've already sell something, you can enter for free," Qiu Yanqing said, watching her with a chuckle as she counted her money.

Knowing that this person was not ordinary, Su Yijia pretended not to hear and turned to leave. However, Qiu Yanqing suddenly spoke up, "Where did you get the oil?"

"It's a secret," Su Yijia refused to answer.

The things traded in the black market were already shady, so prying into their origins was already dubious. Watching the girl walk away, Qiu Yanqing shook his head.

Su Yijia, carrying her bamboo basket, found the man she had bought soybeans from earlier. No one had inquired about his beans since she made her purchase.

Seeing her squatting down again, the man's eyes immediately lit up. "Do you need more?"

"Yes, I'll take them all," Su Yijia said. She had money in her pocket now, so there was no need to haggle.

The man's hands were rough and even slightly cracked, clearly indicating a hard life. It must have been difficult for him to save up these beans to sell.

"9.12 yuan, I'll take it for 9.12. But I can't give you the sack," the man quickly said.

"Do you sell the sack separately?" Su Yijia didn't want to take advantage of him.

After some consideration, the man said, "15 cents."

Su Yijia was more than willing and handed over the money. She then placed the remaining 76 pound of soybeans into her bamboo basket.

She had processed 60 pound of soybeans directly. Seeing the additional 20 pound of oil in the plastic bucket, her panic about being penniless eased a bit. Unfortunately, although she still had one more processing opportunity, there wasn't enough soybeans left.

In the black market, she spent 3 yuan to buy 2 pound of pork ribs and 1 pound of winter melon, planning to supplement Qin Kaize's diet when she returned.

However, after some thought, she spent another 5 yuan to buy the 30-liter plastic bucket before leaving the black market.

The men under the tree didn't pay attention to her as she left. Making sure no one was following her, she squatted in an empty alley for more than ten minutes before circling back.

"I have another 20 pound of oil to sell," Su Yijia said as soon as she opened her mouth, startling the men.

"There's more?" Qiu Yanqing asked curiously.

"The plastic buckets weren't enough to store it. After selling these, I won't have any temporarily," Su Yijia replied. She knew this would raise their suspicions, but she didn't care. They were all involved in shady dealings, and as long as she wasn't caught by them and stuffed into a sack, she had nothing to fear. Plus, now that she had money, she wouldn't be visiting the black market for the next few days. If she needed to sell more goods, she would go to other black markets instead.

In Hu City, there were three different factions, each vying for dominance, constantly plotting to merge with or take over the others.

After completing her business, Su Yijia didn't feel like wandering around aimlessly, and she headed straight home.

She had told Qin Kaize that she would be out for two or three hours, but considering all the purchasing and selling, it had been at least four hours. She hadn't fed him breakfast, and with her focus on making money and reporting her grievances, she hadn't even thought about his lunch. Now, she feared that Qin Kaize might be starving.

Su Yijia became increasingly anxious as she thought about it, and she quickened her pace.

"Help me... Help!" Suddenly, a weak cry reached her ears. She initially hesitated to get involved, but when she heard the person let out another pitiful wail, she stopped.

On the roadside, an elderly woman with graying hair was lying on the ground and looking at her with pleading eyes.

"Young lady, please help me," the old woman said.

Was this a case of someone trying to stage an accident?

Su Yijia was frightened and instinctively took a couple of steps back. She looked around for someone else, hoping to find a companion. However, she had taken a shortcut in her hurry to get back to work, and there was no one else in sight.

The old woman's face froze in an expression of pleading, and she appeared to grow even weaker.

"Young lady, I'm not a bad person. I was on my way to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some things, but the heat got to me, and I must have suffered heatstroke and fainted earlier. I have no strength left in my body, and it took me ages to finally wait for someone to help. Could you please be so kind as to help me get back home? I'm living nearby, just two streets over, and it's only about ten minutes away." The old woman looked pitiful and pleaded earnestly.

Could there be scam artists like this in this era?

Looking at the frail appearance of the old lady, which didn't seem like an act, Su Yijia finally decided to take her back. As she helped the old lady up, the full weight of the elderly woman immediately pressed onto her.

Despite the old woman being small and thin, she was definitely not light.

Su Yijia assisted her all the way and didn't see a single passerby, which made her growingly wary.