Chapter 8 Selling grain in the black market is also a Technical Job

When they arrived at the firewood market, the sun was already very high.

Firewood market is right next to the moat at the end of the Beiguan bridge. It wasn’t known since which year and which month it started, people had spontaneously formed a market in this area. Besides firewood as the main commodity, other fruits and vegetables were also sold by others, even though there are only a few that sell them, moreover it’s all still being done sneakily. But selling firewood is not a kind of illicit trading. It’s a kind of goods that are allowed to be sold publicly.

If it hadn’t been for both his children that scored in the exam today, Mei Zhonghua did not plan to come out today. These days, when people want to buy things, they will still look at the date. It was only on every third, sixth and ninth day that people would spread out goods for sale in booths, and only then that everyone would go to the market. At other times it wouldn’t be that many people in the market.

When they were just walking forward, Mei Xiaoran noticed that there was an old uncle in front of her that was dressed neatly. It’s just that he always looked left and right that made him didn’t seem normal. She then just rushed to him and asked in a low voice, “Uncle, what do you want?”

The man was shocked. When he saw that Mei Xiaoran was just a child, he was relieved. “As only a small child, don’t talk nonsense. I ……I don’t want anything. Don’t talk nonsense. “

This situation made Mei Xiaoran aware of something as she busily said in a low voice, “Uncle, my younger brother and I have been admitted to Junior High School. My dad wants to save the tuition for us. Why don’t you see if there’s something that you need?”

The man’s eyes brightened as soon as he heard it. He looked up at Mei Zhonghua and gave a dry cough. “The weather’s so hot and it’s so inconvenient to talk directly under the sun. I think this big brother that pulled along the firewood must also be thirsty. Let’s go to the side and have a drink.”

This is equivalent to making a secret signal.

Mei Zhonghua then laughed, “Agreed with big brother’s words. Let us go for a drink of water then.” He happily pulled the firewood under the big tree by the river, secretly opened the sack and revealed the corn flour inside for the man to see.

The man took a look, shook his head and asked, “Is there anything else besides this?”

“Big brother, just say it directly, what do you want actually?”

The amount and variety of grains that Mei Zhounghua brought along was not small, but he dared not reveal all of them for others to see .

That man gazed left and right for a while before he whispered quietly,” Is there any wheat flour?”

Mei Zhonghua smiled, “How many do you want?”

“How much is the price?” As soon as the man heard this, he knew that the other party had the goods in his hand.

This is the era of a planned economy* where one can only buy the wheat flour when they get the food stamps, and without food stamps, one can only buy grains with a high price. The reason why Mei Zhonghua dares to do this was because his hometown was a farmers village, and his Second Older Brother is the accountant of the production team so he has a channel to secretly get the grain out and sell it. Otherwise, he would not even dare to toss himself into the city.

(TN : an economy in which production, investment, prices, and incomes are determined centrally by the government.)

He moved his lips towards the man.

The man was agitated when he heard it, “Twenty five cents? Isn’t that too expensive? Is there a price like this? Even the grain store only asked for fifteen cents, but you dare ask for twenty five cents?”

Mei Xiaoran quick-wittedly took it over and said, “Uncle, the grain store will ask for the food stamps but with us, there’s no need for the stamp. Even with the use of food stamps there’s a limited amount but with us here, there’s no limit. My dad’s hard work was not easy too, just to earn an errands fee. “

Mei Zhonghua thought that her daughter had really grown up, for the things that she said can penetrate into people’s hearts. Opening another sack, he revealed the wheat flour and showed it to the man, “Brother, you see, this quality is not worse than the one from a grain store run by the state. This is an eighties wheat flour* one!”

(TN : this was the type/quality of the flour, as it stated 80面 which literally translated as 80 noodles but it seems strange to me so I changed it to eighties wheat flour. Any suggestion is very welcomed and CMIIW.)

At that time, eighties wheat flour was second only to the Fuqiang flour*. The market price that time was also at eighteen cents. So morally speaking, Mei Zhonghua’s twenty five cents really was not too much. Others’ opening price was already at twenty eight cents.

(TN : Fuqiang flour refers to a kind of high-gluten flour that is finer, has higher gluten content, less impurities, and is whiter than fine flour.)

The man looked at it carefully and it really was an eighties wheat flour. Then he was not as agitated as before anymore. After thinking for a long time, he took two Yuan and fifty cents from his pocket and handed them over. “Then give me ten jin* first.”

(TN : 1 Yuan= 100 cents. Jin is a traditional unit of weight in China, comparable to the English pound. One jin=1 1/3 pounds or 604.79 grams.)

Mei Xiaoran knows that her father brought out fifty jin of wheat flour today. On such a hot day, of course, it’s best to sell it out all at once. Otherwise, the two of them, this pair of a father and daughter, will have to still bask longer under the harmful sunlight.

So she went forward and said, “Uncle, this fine of a flour and you only need ten jin of it? It’s also not an easy matter for my dad to obtain it, and others also won’t be able to get it. Why don’t you just buy more? Who knows if my dad can still get this kind of flour next time, and whether he can bump into you again. “

She noticed that the man was dressed in a clean and tidy way. She knew that he was not a farmer, but an office worker. These days, workers are considered to have the best wages. To have a salary of tens of Yuan per month was already great. Even if the family was supported by only one single office worker, they already lived far more comfortable than farmers!

The man hesitated for a moment, it’s not that he couldn’t get that much money out at once, but only felt that it was a bit expensive. If the price was cheaper, he would even dare to take all of the flours.

Mei Zhonghua stares closely at the man’s eyes. He was too scared to even let out the heavy breath, afraid that the other side would go back on their own word and didn’t even want these ten jin of flour anymore. At the same time, he secretly complained about his daughter’s talkativeness. Even though it was only ten jin but it was sold at least. Even if it was only ten jin of flour but he will be able to earn seventy cents.

Please read this translation only on pinnochies (dot) wordpress (dot) com. If you read it somewhere else, it means it is a stolen translation.

“Uncle, it’s really not easy for my dad to collect tuition fees for us. I also want to sell out my dad’s grain and let him take me to buy some school supplies. How about, if you buy all the fifty jin flours that my dad brought, I’ll let my dad give you two cents cheaper, twenty three cents for one jin. Do you think it will work? “

Mei Xiaoran had already calculated in her mind that although a jin of flour is two cents cheaper and fifty jin is already cheaper by a Yuan, but if it was sold in one breath, there’s still a profit of two Yuan and fifty cents. But if the customer only buys ten jin, they can only earn seventy cents. Small profits with a quick turnover is also a type of management method.

When Mei Zhonghua heard this, the colour of his face even changed.

How much money will he be able to earn with fifty jin of flour? This talk of his daughter’s, and he even has to earn a Yuan less!

“It won’t do, it won’t do. My daughter doesn’t know how to calculate. It’s not possible to be lowered this much at once. If it was lower, even I will have to drink the northwest wind*. I dare not sell it at this price.”

(TN : having nothing to eat.)

The man’s eyes rolled around and with a face full of smiles, “Big brother, your daughter is a good daughter. I think that you and your daughter are very honest, and will then follow accordingly to her price. This fifty jin of wheat flours, I want them all then.”

“No, no. My daughter doesn’t understand and just talked randomly! If I sell it at this price, there’s really nothing to be earned, not even enough for this laborious fee this trip.”

Mei Zhonghua is very much distressed. It’s not the right date today and he’s also in a hurry to collect tuition fees for the children. Originally, the price was already low, coupled with his daughter messing it up like this, then this business of his, won’t have any profit again.

When that man saw Mei Zhonghua’s face was red with anxiety, he yielded a step. “Big brother, let’s discuss it nicely. How about like this, you take a step back and I’ll also take a step forward. Twenty four cents, what do you think? If it works, we’ll make the deal with twenty four cents. This fifty jin wheat flour of yours, I will have it all. “

Mei Zhonghua is still hesitating, “How can it be done like that? Fifty jin of wheat flour, even if sold separately will still have fifty cents more to be earned.”

“Dad, I think this Older Uncle is quite honest. Let’s just do it as he says, and you should also make a compromise.” Mei Xiaoran exaggeratedly said, “Just treat it as if we are making a friend with Older Uncle. And later if Older Uncle needs anything, he can still come and find us again.”

In the past life Mei Xiaoran had done business on her own, and this little trick of doing business she nevertheless still understands.

“Ai*……my silly daughter. Forget it, forget it. Just sell it as you say.”

(TN : an exclamation, alas.)

Mei Zhonghua bear the pain reluctantly and sold fifty jin of flour to the man and received over twelve Yuan.

“Uncle, is your home far away? If it’s far away, let my dad send it back for you. Fifty jin of flour is quite heavy. “