Chapter 7

As a city built by a commercial entity like the Coal and Steel Union, the commercial district of Black Flame City naturally sits in the best location in the city—away from the production area and in the upwind position of the Upper East Side. The commercial district of Black Flame City is extremely prosperous. Several major commodity exchanges, where each transaction amount is daunting to ordinary people, are located in the bustling area of the commercial district. The abundant coal and steel production of Black Flame City supports the city's prosperity. Trains seem to run 24 hours a day, transporting these specialties from Black Flame City to the outside world.

The small grocery store where Zhang Tie works is also located somewhere in the bustling commercial district of Black Flame City. However, compared to the grand and luxurious storefronts and headquarters of large commercial groups, free trade zones, and exchanges, the location of the small grocery store where Zhang Tie works is much more remote and down-to-earth. Less than 300 meters from the store is the Black Flame City train station, where all kinds of people come and go. The store itself is right next to a flea market spontaneously formed by local residents and newcomers. Every day, it is bustling with people. However, from their attire, it is clear that most of the people who frequent this area are from the lower and middle classes. The reason these small people linger here, besides the physiological motivation to fill their bellies, is also the urban fairy tales that have been passed down for years, such as a street vendor receiving an extraordinary item one day and rising to prominence. These fairy tales support many ordinary people in lingering in this area day after day and year after year, and also support a steady stream of newcomers who march with high spirits to the unknown lands to the west and north of Black Flame City. Of course, if you have enough luck and insight, you might also find some good things here.

When Zhang Tie arrived at the grocery store, the store owner, Tang De, was curled up on a recliner at the store entrance. Tang De was enjoying the afterglow of the sunset, half-opened his eyes, and casually observed the crowds on the street. Only when some well-endowed or beautiful women passed by the store did Tang De's fat head turn slightly, staring at them as they walked away.

As usual, the first thing Zhang Tie did when he arrived at the grocery store was to clean the store, then inventory and organize the shelves and counter, and finally start calculating and keeping accounts. After a year of working here, Zhang Tie felt that his biggest gain was learning how to use the abacus, a strange mathematical tool. This is a very practical skill that he had not learned in school, but Zhang Tie estimated that it would be helpful for his future work—his father had been planning to find him a job as an accountant at the coal exchange in Black Flame City, but that would have to wait until he finished his military service. For ordinary people, having a job in the city after completing their military service, regardless of the job, as long as it could provide for their basic needs, was already quite good.

Just as he finished the accounts, a customer came into the store. Tang De's fat body was still lying on the chair, not getting up. Zhang Tie closed the account book and began to serve the customer.

"May I ask, what would you like to buy?" The new customer was in his 40s, still wearing the work uniform of a loading and unloading worker from the Black Flame City train station, and still had a coal dust smell. Judging by the time, the factories in the city should have closed by now, so this person probably came by after work.

"I want to see the white crystals!" The 40-year-old loading and unloading worker said as he began to browse the crystal boxes behind the counter. The boxes contained various crystals, but most were ordinary first-grade crystals, with a few second-grade crystals. Among all the crystals, white crystals were the most common, both natural and artificial. For crystals of the same size and quality, double-headed crystals were more expensive than single-headed ones, and natural crystals were much more expensive than artificial ones. Artificial crystals looked more beautiful, but in terms of effect, they were not as good as natural ones. It is said that before the Great Catastrophe, the main use of crystals was for decoration, and their function in aiding human cultivation and their secrets were not widely known. Now, this is something even the street vendors know. In this era, crystals are standard strategic materials and one of the sources of human confidence in surviving in this era.

"Is that all there is?" The 40-year-old man's face showed a slight disappointment, indicating that the ordinary items in the counter did not satisfy him. His expression was somewhat unexpected to Zhang Tie, as even these ordinary first-grade crystals were not cheap for ordinary people.

"The store has better items, but they are more expensive. Would you like to see them?"

The man smiled and patted his waist pouch. Zhang Tie then said no more, put on a pair of white gloves, and turned to take a more exquisite box from the drawer behind the counter. He carefully placed it on the counter and opened it in front of the man. Inside the box were four white crystals, two double-headed and two single-headed, with a clear and transparent quality and very few impurities. The most striking feature was that each of the four crystals contained a misty, sand-like shadow in the shape of a pyramid. The pyramid in the best and largest double-headed crystal, when examined closely, had each side shimmering with an indescribable light—this was the work of nature, the natural convergence of energy in the universe. The greatest effect of the white pyramid crystals was not only to help the user quickly enter a meditative state and calm the mind, but also to allow the user to absorb the energy of the universe more quickly during cultivation, stimulating the body's potential and vitality.

Sure enough, the 40-year-old man's eyes were immediately fixed on the pyramid shadow crystals, much like Zhang Tie's reaction when he first saw them. These third-grade white crystals were the highest quality items in the small grocery store, each priced at over two gold coins. In Black Flame City, one gold coin could buy enough food to sustain a family of three for two months.

Each crystal in the box had a price tag, and the man saw the price but hesitated, pointing to a single-headed crystal and asking Zhang Tie, "Can this be cheaper?"

"218 silver, this price is already very low. All the items in our store are clearly priced. May I ask, are you buying this as a gift?"

"Yes, my son is turning 16 tomorrow, and I want to give him a surprise. My son is a genius!" The 40-year-old man smiled, his face, still stained with coal dust, suddenly filled with warmth and pride. The man's smile reminded Zhang Tie of his own father.

"Alright, then 215 silver, and I'll give you a gift box and two ounces of crystal sand. This is the lowest price and the best offer we can give you..." Zhang Tie said sincerely, and this was indeed the store's bottom line. The 40-year-old loading and unloading worker had probably heard about the store's reputation and might have been referred by a friend. This price was very fair in Black Flame City, and with the added gift of a box and crystal sand, he agreed immediately.

The man carefully took out his money bag from his clothes, paid two gold coins and 15 silver coins, and left with the item Zhang Tie had packaged and the gifted crystal sand. A transaction over two gold coins was considered a big deal in the store. Perhaps the store's luck was used up for the day, as after the man left, there was no more business for over an hour, except for two people who came in to browse.

Zhang Tie sat behind the counter, his hands supporting his chin, looking out at the street, thinking about the events of the day, lost in thought...

The sun finally set, and the sky outside turned dark. The "dead fish" on the recliner finally moved, twisted his body, and reluctantly stood up, moving the chair back into the store.

"What, did someone beat you up today?"

The scars on Zhang Tie's face made the grocery store owner laugh with schadenfreude.

"No, I fell!" Zhang Tie said stubbornly.

"Alright, kid, don't pretend. There's no shame in it. When I was your age, I fought three to five times a day, either beating someone up or getting beaten up. It's perfectly normal. If you lose, just find a way to get back at them!" The grocery store owner said bluntly.

At that moment, Zhang Tie was thinking about the embarrassing scene he had been in front of Teacher Daina. Hearing Tang De's words, he could only mutter, "What if I can't get back at them?"

"Kid, that's because you're still young. There's no situation you can't get back at, only cowards and fools who are afraid to win. If the other person is stronger, you have to work ten times harder to surpass them and beat them up. If you still can't beat them, then you have to resort to underhanded tactics—cover your face and hit them from behind, use a brick, anything to keep them from knowing who you are!" The grocery store owner said with a sinister tone, gesturing as he spoke. Zhang Tie was slightly stunned. Seeing Zhang Tie's dumbfounded look, the grocery store owner seemed very dissatisfied and patted Zhang Tie's shoulder hard, "Kid, I'm only telling you this because you seem like a decent person. When your fists aren't enough, you use your head...” The grocery store owner pointed to Zhang Tie's head and proudly raised his head, “Today I'll teach you a famous saying—'A soft tongue can break hard bones, and a wise head surpasses any weapon!'”

Tang De's last words made Zhang Tie's heart stir. The young man felt it made a lot of sense, "Who said that?"

"Tang De!"

"Ha, I don't believe it!"

"Fine, don't believe it. Well, as usual, I won't keep you for dinner today!" The miserly Tang De said.

...

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