When she had been a soul she had seen this and had not known if it worked, but she decided to try it.
Without thinking too much, she popped the pill and tried speaking. "Hauuughhh—Haugh—can I? Wow. I sound like a man. This is awesome."
She looked at herself and felt satisfied.
She checked the space with her consciousness to see if anyone was nearby. Seeing no one, she hurried out of her space.
She remembered where the black market had been six years ago—her memory had sharpened, and she could recall many things clearly if she tried.
As she remembered, the black market was still in the same alley.
She walked confidently to the entrance, which was guarded by two men, acting like a regular.
The guards stopped her and asked for the entrance fee—an old rule.
Su Miao Miao handed over the money she had prepared. The guards took the money and let her in.
She looked at the people quietly sitting on both sides of the alley. Some had displayed small goods for customers to see; others sat with big bundles behind them. People flowed through, asking about goods and haggling over prices.
Disguised as a young man, with a large bundle on her back that was actually empty and used only as cover, she approached an old man selling seeds, "What seeds do you have and how much are you selling them for?"
"Young man," he said, "I have vegetable seeds and grain seeds. Vegetable seeds cost 50 fen (0.5 yuan) per jin without coupons. Grain seeds are a bit more expensive—1.5 yuan per jin. I wouldn't have brought these to sell instead of planting them myself if I wasn't in dire need. Look—they're in the best condition."
Su Miao Miao looked at the seeds; they were indeed in good condition. After toiling for six years in the countryside, if she couldn't tell the quality of seeds, then those years would have been wasted.
She had learned many things, even if those years indeed were lived in vain.
Compared to the cooperative, the black market was more expensive, but it did not require coupons—so it was a fair deal.
Su Miao Miao said, "Old man, how much of these seeds do you have? I want to purchase all of them."
The old man frowned slightly thinking he was asking to lower price like others. "Well, I can't lower the price any… What did you say? You want to purchase all? I have brought 5 jin of vegetable seeds—various kinds—and for grain seeds, I have 12 jin."
He knew his seeds were of good quality and would sell eventually, but he didn't expect anyone to just buy everything without bargaining. He was suprised.
Still, he needed the money immediately—his only grandson was sick, and if he didn't get the funds soon, he couldn't afford treatment.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to sell at all. These seeds would have brought him a good harvest if planted himself.
Su Miao Miao nodded calmly. "Okay. I will take them all. Where are the seeds?"
The old bundle he had didn't seem to hold all 17 jin of seeds, so she asked for clarification.
The old man replied, "Come with me outside to get the goods."
For a moment, Su Miao Miao felt the old man might be trying to cheat her. But thinking about her space, she was confident she could escape if any problem arose, so she followed him.
They reached a large tree, and the old man asked her to wait there while he fetched the goods. Soon, he returned with an old woman, both carrying baskets.
"This is my wife. Here are the goods—check to see," the old man explained, trying to reassure her.
There was no one around; most people had gone to work early—some to the fields, some to factories.
Su Miao Miao carefully checked the goods. Satisfied that everything was in order, she handed over 21 yuan to the old man, telling him that 0.5 yuan was for the baskets.
At that time, anyone could make a bamboo basket, and it didn't cost much to sell, so the old couple agreed readily. After counting the money, they hurried back into the alley, eager to use it for their grandson's treatment.
Seeing no one around, Su Miao Miao took the baskets and placed them inside her space, then returned to the black market, this time to sell.
She approached the guards and asked about the person in charge, saying she had a few wild boars to sell. One guard stayed behind while the other hurried to call someone.
He entered a courtyard and reported, "Boss Wen, someone wants to meet you. He says he has a business—he has a few wild boars to sell."
Boss Wen, in the middle of a discussion, paused when he heard this. He asked the man to bring the person to him.
At this time, meat was scarce. The supply and marketing cooperative had very limited stock each day, and most people couldn't buy even if they stood in line from four in the morning. As a result, the black market's meat trade was bustling.
"Okay, Brother Huang, I'll make sure to keep an eye out for what you need," Boss Wen said.
Brother Huang represented someone influential and was searching for rare good 500-years-old ginseng.
He wanted to secure connections, but since the good was hard to obtain, he could only promise to keep an eye out.
For now, the immediate business of a few wild boars interested Boss Wen more.
Su Miao Miao followed the guard into the courtyard, where Boss Wen sat leisurely, a faint air of authority around him.
The moment he saw her, he rose to his feet with a polite smile. "Call me Boss Wen. How should I address you, young man?"
The guard slipped out, closing the door behind him.
Su Miao Miao gave a calm nod and glanced around.