Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife
Chapter 1349: Preparing to Leave Beijing 4

Chapter 1349: Chapter 1349: Preparing to Leave Beijing 4

Feng Qingxue took it and saw that the third East Pearl had a deep scratch on its surface that wasn’t just from regular abrasion; it appeared to have been made with some kind of sharp object, which greatly diminished the pearl’s luster.

The rank of the princess in question meant that the pearls on this necklace were not of a high grade, probably third class East Pearls.

"Do you remember so clearly?"

"Of course, there were records of most of the princess’s dowry." Lu Jiang explained and, pointing at the scratched pearl, said, "I’ve told you about how mischievous I was as a child; I had quite a temper and would throw and smash things when I got angry. I don’t remember why I was angry, but I do recall taking my mother’s awl and scratching the surface of the pearls. The pearl wasn’t the only thing that got damaged; I didn’t get away with it either."

Feng Qingxue looked at him. "You cut your own hand?"

It was the most likely thing to happen when a child wielded a tool without precision.

Lu Jiang just chuckled and didn’t say anything further.

This expression, no matter how one looked at it, was very similar to Erxiong’s. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree.

The next morning, after leaving the child at home under the care of the security officer and Lu Tianzhi from Guan Yu, and after sending Guan Cheng off in the car, the couple went around the nearby black market for a few rounds. They sold some grain and also bartered some for old items.

Not far from the black market, an old man grabbed hold of Lu Jiang.

"I’ve been watching you at the black market for a long time. I know you have grain and want those old things. Boy, you have a good eye, and so do I, though alas, they can neither be eaten nor worn. How about we make a deal?"

Lu Jiang looked back at him. "What kind of deal?"

The small and skinny old man, covered in filth, chuckled and said, "I want grain and oil, nothing else. I’ll take any sort of grain or oil, but if you give me ten jin of fine grain, I’ll give you a treasure."

Feng Qingxue said nothing, while Lu Jiang asked, "Why should we trust you? How do we know you’re not pretending to trade when you’re really planning to report us?"

The old man slapped his thigh. "Boy, you’re wrong there. If I were to report you, wouldn’t I end up reporting myself too? My status is not good; I rely entirely on the black market for food. I wouldn’t report my own source of survival! I’ve seen plenty of people like you before – those who have a comfortable life, money, and grain are the ones who patronize the black market for old items. In the future, it will be people like you who get rich."

Lu Jiang and Feng Qingxue smiled at each other but didn’t answer.

The old man felt a little disappointed, paused, and then continued, "How about this, you don’t trust me, and I’m afraid you’ll report me for intentionally bartering old things for food, especially since I have priors. I’ve been caught twice, but fortunately, I acted quickly and threw everything far away. I didn’t have a single item on me, so they had no evidence and had to release me. They monitored me for a while afterward, and it nearly starved me to death. You choose a place. I’ll show up first, and after you make sure the coast is clear, you can come out and we can make the trade. How about that?"

That was actually doable – it was a common practice among those who engaged in black market transactions.

Lu Jiang chose a secluded and empty spot in the suburbs where they hid out of sight. Once they saw the old man sneaking around with a large basket on his back, scanning the area to make sure no one was following him, they emerged.

"Good, good, keeping your word!"

The old man sat down and started pulling out many items from his basket one by one.

Lu Jiang and Feng Qingxue were immediately impressed; just by the items he brought out, it was clear the old man had once been very well-off.