Nan Sheng had walked quite a distance in the morning and was exhausted, so she rode her bike very slowly. It took her nearly an hour to reach the town.
She headed straight to the black market. As soon as she knocked, someone came to the door—the same burly man who had sold her grain before. Perhaps because he had gotten along well with the Nan Family father and son, there was now a touch of warmth in his tone.
"The knives are ready. I’ll bring them to you now."
Nan Sheng said, "The knives are just a side errand. I also want to order grain—ten thousand catties!"
The system had updated with twenty new chapters of plot recently, and while idly flipping through a couple of them earlier, she had decided to add an extra five hundred catties of cornmeal to her order.
"Ten thousand catties?"
The man looked Nan Sheng up and down. "Wait here. I’ll go ask inside. The amount you’re asking for is too large."
Nan Sheng didn’t think they lacked the grain. More likely, her frequent visits had raised eyebrows, and they needed to inform their superiors. She wondered just how much grain the black market had stored—enough to feed how many people?
Before long, the man returned with another man in tow. This newcomer was brazen, making no effort to conceal his identity.
His attitude, however, was polite. "Comrade, I’d like to buy some information from you. If you tell me why you’re buying so much grain, I’ll give you the ten thousand catties for free."
Xiao Yi’s success in the black market grain trade wasn’t due to connections but to his reputation for being both trustworthy and ruthless. He had brought many people under his wing, forming a powerful network that few dared to cross.
His instincts were sharp. The recent sale of several thousand catties had already put him on alert, and now this sudden increase in demand made it clear something was amiss.
Xiao Yi’s generous offer didn’t sway Nan Sheng. Instead, she joked, "Comrade, how’s your character? I’d like to make a deal with you too."
Xiao Yi raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "I’d say it’s decent enough—otherwise, business wouldn’t be this good."
Nan Sheng smiled. "Then I’m relieved. There’s a fortune-making opportunity right in front of you. The question is, are you willing to bet everything you have?"
"There’s nothing I’m not willing to do. I, Xiao Yi, have the courage to start over from scratch."
Revealing his name was the first step in building trust.
"Now, can you tell me your terms and the information?"
Nan Sheng took off her straw hat. If they were going to talk, she’d do it properly—cowering would only earn her disrespect.
"My condition is this: as long as your purchase price remains unchanged, you must keep the selling price for grain stable for all residents in town—no price hikes!"
"The whole town?"
Xiao Yi’s mind raced. The only reason for such a massive grain shortage was a natural disaster.
Combined with the recent weather, he guessed, "Is there going to be a drought in our area?"
Nan Sheng confirmed his suspicion and gave him more precise details. "Not just our town—the entire county. If you have connections, you should start transporting grain from other counties immediately, while the news hasn’t spread yet!"
Nan Sheng was playing the time difference. By tomorrow, villagers would flood in to place grain orders, and Xiao Yi would figure it out anyway.
She couldn’t do much for the people, but she hoped Xiao Yi could bring in enough grain to ease the crisis. As for prices—that would depend on his conscience.
"Is the information reliable?"
Xiao Yi believed about seventy percent of it, but like most people, his first reaction to news of a disaster was disbelief.
"Experts from the city came today to inspect. Our village hosted them. The news is absolutely accurate. And I suspect the authorities will suppress it for now—you have at least a week to prepare!"
Xiao Yi didn’t dare waste time. Now, time wasn’t just money—it was lives. As for grain, he planned to buy some and borrow the rest. Whatever he could transport, he’d take!
He assured Nan Sheng, "Don’t worry. The grain I sell will stay at the same price as before—no increases!"
Xiao Yi wasn’t that greedy. A profit margin of nearly double was enough for him. Once grain prices skyrocketed, he’d stop shipments.
When Nan Sheng left, Shitou personally escorted her out. Grinning, he said, "Comrade, if anyone gives you trouble in the future, just drop Xiao Yi’s name. It works like a charm in this town."
Nan Sheng asked Shitou for a rope and tied the machete and dagger to the back of her bike. It was nearly three o’clock—the Lin family would be arriving soon.
After meeting up with them, Nan Sheng told them the grain had been ordered and would be delivered to the village that night.
"Go buy whatever you need at the supply and marketing cooperative now. It’ll be hard to get later. I’ll ride back first."
Watching Nan Sheng cycle away, Third Brother Lin’s expression was exaggerated. "Dad, did you see that? Second Sister-in-law bought two machetes! With her temper, she might actually kill someone!"
Lin Guozheng glared at his son. "Don’t talk nonsense. With Second Brother away, what’s wrong with her buying a couple of knives for protection?"
The Lin father and son had mainly been worried about Nan Sheng traveling to town alone. Who knew she’d arrange everything so quickly? She was just as capable as Lin Han.
Lin Guozheng didn’t need to buy anything—he only knew how to earn money, not spend it. Third Brother Lin was short on cash, so only Lin Jianguo went to the cooperative.
When he returned, he carried two bags of candy—both for his parents. He couldn’t let Second Brother’s family be the only ones showing filial piety.
After arriving home, Nan Sheng went to pick up Qiqi. Seeing Zhou Wei lying in bed shocked her—was Lin Jianguo actually a wife-beater?
Not wanting to embarrass her sister-in-law, she considered leaving quickly, but Zhou Wei stopped her. "Second Sister-in-law, wait."
"Is something wrong, Sister-in-law? I still need to cook!"
Zhou Wei had reached her limit. With no money left, she could only beg her sister-in-law for mercy.
"Lin Han’s wife, if you have any money to spare, could you lend me some? I need to buy grain."
Nan Sheng was confused. "But that can’t be, Sister-in-law. Your family has money. Big Brother said you had enough for grain."
"I know my family has enough, but my parents’ home is poor. If I don’t buy grain for them, they’ll starve. Please help me. I’ll even kneel for you if I have to!"
With that, Zhou Wei burst into tears. It was hard not to feel for her.
"How much do you need? If it’s not too much, I can lend you some."
Zhou Wei gritted her teeth, resenting Lin Jianguo’s cruelty.
"I don’t have a single cent. Your brother refuses to let me buy grain for my parents. I just need a hundred yuan. I’ll pay you back next year when things improve!"
Something about this didn’t sit right. If Lin Jianguo disagreed, what was the point of lending money? Nan Sheng regretted not refusing outright.
"Sister-in-law, I don’t have that much. The dowry Lin Han gave me went into the watch and bicycle. After buying grain this time, I only have a few dozen yuan left for emergencies. If you need ten or eight yuan, I can spare that. But you should really talk this over with Big Brother properly."
Zhou Wei wasn’t the sharpest and actually believed Nan Sheng was short on cash—after all, she hadn’t outright refused and had even laid out the numbers.
Nan Sheng added, "Nowadays, you have to buy grain at the black market. If you show up with just a few dozen yuan, they won’t even look at you."
After successfully deflecting her sister-in-law, she took the child and went home.
Now she understood why Zhou Wei had been beaten.
