Chapter 53: Initial Cooperation
Once they reached the county town, Su Qing made an excuse about visiting an elder and separated from Aunt Cuihua and the others.
She found a deserted spot, quickly put on a disguise and changed her clothes. She then placed three wild rabbits and five wild pheasants in her back basket, added a cloth sack of mushrooms, and expertly navigated her way to the black market she had visited before.
Apparently, the woman guarding the entrance to the black market had a photographic memory. She gave Su Qing a single glance, said nothing, and simply took the fee before letting her inside.
The wild rabbits and pheasants Su Qing brought were genuine meat, and better yet, they were fresh. They were extremely popular. In no time at all, all the game she had brought was sold, and someone even bought her entire stock of mushrooms.
Su Qing left the black market, found a secluded spot to refill her basket, and returned once more.
Just like before, the game and mushrooms she brought this time sold out quickly. So, Su Qing repeated the process, making another round trip to the market.
On Su Qing’s third trip to the black market, the woman at the entrance gave her a couple of probing looks. However, she didn’t say anything and still let her pass.
But Su Qing knew someone would approach her soon. This was exactly the outcome she was hoping for today. After all, she still had two large wild boars and a roe deer she was planning to sell.
Sure enough, just as she finished selling everything in her basket, a young man about eighteen or nineteen years old approached her and whispered, "Ma’am, could I have a word with you in private?"
Su Qing, disguised as a middle-aged woman, heard him and asked, "Is there something I can help you with?"
The young man smiled. "Ma’am, please don’t get the wrong idea. It just seems like you have quite a supply of mountain goods and game, so I wanted to ask if you have a hunter in the family."
Su Qing nodded. "That’s right."
The young man’s heart leaped with joy. He quickly said, "My boss is in charge of this area. Since you have a hunter in the family, we’d like to propose a business arrangement. Would you be interested, Ma’am?"
"You’re in charge of this black market?" Su Qing asked, sizing up the young man.
"That’s right." The young man nodded eagerly. "If you’re willing, Ma’am, please come with me so we can talk properly."
"You’re not trying to trick me, are you?" Su Qing said. "I’m just a simple woman from the countryside. I don’t know anything about these things."
"Of course not! Rest assured, Ma’am, we don’t engage in that kind of shady business. We just want to discuss a deal. If we can work together, it’s a win-win for everyone, right?" the young man said with a cheerful laugh.
Su Qing lowered her head in thought for a moment, then said, "Alright, then. Lead the way."
"Excellent! Follow me."
Su Qing followed the young man to a relatively secluded courtyard. He pushed open the gate, led her inside, and called out, "Brother Erlai, I brought her."
Hearing this, Su Qing raised an eyebrow, her expression otherwise unchanged.
’Brother Erlai?’
’It couldn’t be Zhang Erlai, could it?’
With this thought, Su Qing followed the young man into the main hall. Sure enough, she saw Zhang Erlai sitting at a large, square table. The young man smiled at him and said, "Brother Erlai, this is the woman who was selling the wild game."
Zhang Erlai looked at Su Qing, his face wreathed in smiles. "Hello, my surname is Zhang. And how should I address you, Ma’am?"
"Are you the one in charge of this black market?" Su Qing asked, looking at Zhang Erlai.
’The day I saved him in the mountains, I remember those two men mentioned he had a boss. But now this black market is under Zhang Erlai’s control. It looks like he’s doing pretty well for himself. He must have some influence with his boss. No wonder someone went to the trouble of kidnapping him and taking him into the mountains.’
"I am. And I still don’t know your name, Ma’am." Zhang Erlai maintained his pleasant smile, gesturing for Su Qing to take a seat.
Su Qing replied, "My surname is Feng."
"Hello, Aunt Feng." Zhang Erlai didn’t waste any time and got straight to the point. "You’ve been in and out of the black market three times today, selling a lot of game. I assume you were deliberately waiting for us to approach you for a deal. If I’m guessing correctly, you must have something big you’re looking to sell, don’t you?"
Su Qing just smiled without saying a word. Inwardly, she gave Zhang Erlai a thumbs-up. ’He really is smart.’
’Too bad his Combat Power is so pathetic.’
Seeing her reaction, Zhang Erlai smiled. "It seems I guessed right. I wonder what you have on hand, Aunt Feng. We are genuinely interested in doing business with you. If the price is right, we’d love to establish a long-term partnership."
Zhang Erlai was keen to secure a partnership with her. Brother Cheng had told him that regulations were starting to relax everywhere, and their connections to the provincial capital were now mostly established. Wild game was a rare delicacy there, and his men couldn’t possibly hunt enough to meet the demand. Acquiring it from local hunters was their best option.
"Since you’re being sincere, I won’t beat around the bush," Su Qing said. "My husband’s a hunter and he’s in the mountains often, so he brings back a lot of game. We’ve actually been thinking about finding a regular buyer. It would save us a lot of time and effort."
"As for the game we have right now..." Su Qing looked at Zhang Erlai and continued, "We have two large wild boars, each weighing around three hundred jin. We also have a roe deer, which is about fifty to sixty jin. I’d like to hear your offer first. If the price is right, we can certainly work together long-term."
Su Qing trusted Zhang Erlai’s character, so she had no intention of wasting time probing and testing him.
Zhang Erlai was inwardly thrilled to hear this, but his expression remained calm. "Two large wild boars and a roe deer?"
"That’s right." Su Qing nodded. "But they haven’t been butchered; you’ll have to handle that yourselves. What price can you offer? Make me an offer."
Zhang Erlai studied Su Qing for a moment, then smiled. "It seems you’re no stranger to business, Aunt Feng."
Su Qing nodded and smiled back. "You’re being upfront, so I am too."
"Excellent!" Zhang Erlai clapped his hands. "In that case, I’ll be straight with you, Aunt Feng. Since the boars and the roe deer haven’t been butchered, we’ll have to factor in the labor costs on our end. That means the price per jin will be a little lower."
After a moment’s thought, Zhang Erlai said, "How about this: for the whole wild boars, as is, with hide and all, we’ll pay you eight mao per jin. For the roe deer, one yuan and two mao per jin. What do you say?"
Roe deer was worth even more than wild boar in the provincial capital. Zhang Erlai hadn’t tried to lowball her; he offered the highest price he could, hoping it would lead to a long-term partnership. After all, hunters capable of venturing deep into the mountains were a rare find indeed.
"Fine. It’s a deal." The price was acceptable to Su Qing, so she didn’t haggle. She then said to Zhang Erlai, "However, I have one more request. I don’t know if you’ll be able to agree to it."
"What is it?"