Chapter 22: The Black-Market Dealer in the Alley

When they reached the corner, Qin Xiaodong looked left and right before pulling a small stack of fabric coupons from his coat.

Zhang Huacheng took them and inspected the stash: two coupons for one foot of fabric, four for two feet, seven for five feet, and two for ten feet. He was pleasantly surprised; he hadn't expected such a rich supply.

"How much for a foot of fabric coupons?" Zhang Huacheng was satisfied. This amount of fabric was more than enough.

"The current black market price is fifty cents per foot, but since you're a big brother, I'll give them to you for forty cents." Qin Xiaodong offered a reasonable rate rather than the standard black market markup.

Zhang Huacheng nodded and did the math; it would cost twenty-six yuan to buy the lot.

"Do you take industrial coupons?" Zhang Huacheng suddenly asked.

"I do," Qin Xiaodong replied.

Zhang Huacheng pulled one from his pocket and handed it over. "See if this one is acceptable?"

This was part of the illicit goods he’d taken from the black market vendor. Qin Xiaodong was likely the only person who could unload it; otherwise, he would have had to travel to the city's black market.

Qin Xiaodong took the crisp industrial coupon, paused, turned it over, and looked confused. "This is a Shanghai industrial coupon? Where did you get this, big brother?"

Shanghai industrial coupons were hard currency in major cities but were useless in small towns.

"I bought it at the morning market. The guy selling them claimed they could be used to buy bicycles directly—fifteen coupons for one bicycle voucher. I bought them, but when I tried to use them, they told me it wouldn't work; that I needed a government seal and official documentation." Zhang Huacheng spun a plausible lie.

"That punk—he’s lucky he ran fast. If I catch him, I’ll kill him! Coming to my territory to pull a scam like that. You were swindled, big brother. These coupons are genuine, but they can only be used in big cities. They’re useless in a small place like this, and even in big cities, they’re a huge hassle—you need a local enterprise to seal them and issue a certificate before you can even use them to buy anything." Qin Xiaodong explained.

Seeing that they were chatting amicably, Luo Cheng quietly approached.

"So, what should I do? Is it all wasted? I bought so many of them." Zhang Huacheng feigned distress.

"That can't be right. How many did you buy?" Qin Xiaodong’s eyes lit up.

Zhang Huacheng held up his palm to gesture.

"Five?" Qin Xiaodong looked disappointed.

"Fifty. I figured they’d be worth two bicycle vouchers and two sewing machine vouchers, so I bought fifty at two yuan each. Spent a whole hundred yuan." Zhang Huacheng looked pained.

Tie Zhu, standing to the side, scratched his head. Weren't these from the black market vendor's bag?

"Fifty?" Qin Xiaodong was thrilled, then began cursing and regretting that he had arrived too late yesterday. By the time he got the news and brought his men to find the seller, he was already gone.

He didn't know that the seller was currently lying in a ditch, long dead. Even if they had met him, several of them likely would have died; a group of small-time ticket scalpers like them were no match for that vendor.

"Big brother, why don't you sell them all to me? I can give you three yuan each. They’re useless to you, but I have connections—I can get rid of them."

Industrial coupons were hot items in big cities. If one could forge the necessary documents, a single coupon could fetch six or seven yuan. Even by just flipping them on the black market, he could easily sell them for five yuan each.

"That sounds great!" Zhang Huacheng took out a bundle of industrial coupons. He had thought about this when he came out this morning and had brought a bundle, not expecting to actually offload them.

Qin Xiaodong reached out to take them but suddenly looked embarrassed. "Um, big brother... I... I don't have that much cash on me."

"Coupons are fine, too. Grain, fabric, or meat coupons will do." Zhang Huacheng gestured at the fabric coupons in his hand.

"That's still not enough. This is all I have for now."

***

Qin Xiaodong immediately emptied all the coupons he had brought, even counting the few that Luo Cheng had on him. Even with the fabric coupons he had just given Zhang Huacheng, the total didn't even reach one hundred yuan, while the industrial coupons were worth one hundred and fifty.

He also emptied his pockets of cash, which totaled only twelve yuan and fifty cents.

"Just take them for now, and give me the rest after you sell them. I'll be coming around often." Zhang Huacheng shoved the industrial coupons into his hand and pocketed the cash and other coupons.

Qin Xiaodong was overjoyed, thumping his chest to guarantee there would be no problem.

Seeing that Zhang Huacheng was reasonable, he probed, "Big brother, could you... could you return that military overcoat to me? It took me a lot of effort to get that."

"Be careful when you offload those industrial coupons. I suspect that black market vendor robbed someone to get them and fled here."

Dreaming, were they? Zhang Huacheng changed the subject.

"Don't worry, big brother. Rats have rat paths, and snakes have snake tracks." Seeing that he wouldn't get the coat back, Qin Xiaodong stopped asking.

As for the sheer volume of industrial coupons, he knew they couldn't have been obtained legally; otherwise, the guy wouldn't have brought Shanghai coupons to a small town to sell. He had his own channels, so it didn't matter how "dirty" the coupons were.

Just as he was about to leave, Zhang Huacheng asked, "Do you know where I can buy a flatbed cart? Preferably a new one."

A flatbed cart would make everything much more convenient.

Qin Xiaodong thought for a moment. "Hmm, as a matter of fact, I do. But I have to take you there myself, or he won't open the door."

"Let's go!" Zhang Huacheng understood—an underground carpenter working off the books.

Engaging in such trade was considered speculation and was a serious offense if caught. True to his reputation as a local wheeler-dealer, buying a flatbed cart in the county town was a complicated affair.

They followed Qin Xiaodong for quite a while, weaving through alleys until they arrived at an old house. The building was tucked into the corner of the alleyway, its blue brick walls mottled with grey-brown age, with withered, snow-dusted foxtail grass sprouting from the cracks.

The black wooden door was slightly crooked. Zhang Huacheng looked at Qin Xiaodong skeptically. This was a carpenter's house?

"Old Ding!"

"Old Ding!"

Qin Xiaodong knocked on the door and called out in a low voice. Soon, the sound of boots crunching on snow came from inside.

"Who is it?" a low voice asked.

"It's me, Xiaodong!"

"What do you want?"

"Need big goods!"

The door opened, revealing a scruffy, middle-aged man. He sized up Zhang Huacheng and his companions, then poked his head out to check the depths of the alley before fully opening the door.

"Come in," the man said in a hushed tone.

Only then did Zhang Huacheng notice that Old Ding was a cripple.

They followed him into the courtyard, where a wobbly eight-immortal table stood in the center of the main room, topped with a stack of chipped ceramic bowls. The air in the courtyard was thick with the smell of wood.

Carpenter Old Ding put his head together with Qin Xiaodong to whisper.

"The east room," Qin Xiaodong signaled.

The entrance to the east room was blocked by firewood. After moving it aside, Old Ding unlocked the door. The room was also filled with firewood, and there was a faint scent of rotting vegetation.

When Old Ding moved the firewood away, a brand-new flatbed cart, a new handcart, wooden buckets, two small stools, and two chairs with backrests were revealed.

"How much for the flatbed cart?" Zhang Huacheng touched it, a flicker of joy in his eyes. It had brand-new iron wheel axles, solid timber, and the craftsmanship was exceptionally fine.

Old Ding thought for a moment and held up one finger.