In her previous life, although she had lived in the provincial capital, she was not familiar with the riverside area. The road there was close to the river and far from the Lu family's residence. Moreover, at that time, she was so exhausted both physically and mentally from the torment inflicted by the Lu family that she had no time to wander around.
Later, when the construction industry boomed and the riverside area was developed into a prime location in the city, with various gimmicks and sky-high housing prices, she didn't even have enough money to buy a toilet. Naturally, she didn't pay close attention, only catching brief glimpses as she passed by in a car.
However, when Chen Lishu got off the bus and looked at the area before her, which was almost a shantytown, she was still shocked. It was a world away from the developed area with tall buildings that would emerge later.
She saw rows of low, dilapidated houses scattered in the distance. Further away, the glistening river surface could be vaguely seen, with a row of large willow trees along the bank. As the weather gradually warmed, groups of half-grown children were playing in the water.
Following the address Liang Chunsheng had given, Chen Lishu saw a crowd gathered behind a row of civilian houses from a distance. The scale was much larger than the black market she had visited in town before, almost rivaling a small rural fair.
When Chen Lishu got closer and saw what people were displaying on their stalls, she was even more surprised.
The small items were incredibly varied, ranging from handmade hats and baskets to needles and threads. There was nothing you couldn't think of, and nothing you couldn't find.
There were quite a few people coming to the underground market. It was almost an unspoken agreement that no one spoke loudly. If they saw something they liked, they would stop and talk in low voices. Once a deal was struck, they would immediately pay, take the goods, and leave.
Chen Lishu walked around and finally stopped in front of a small stall.
It was called a stall, but it was actually just a tattered cloth bag with piles of items on it. There were acrylic buttons, colorful plastic beads of various sizes, zippers, and elastic fabric.
"Comrade, what would you like to buy? I have plenty of popular goods from the south, as much as you want," Dong Jianan said enthusiastically, seeing a young and beautiful girl standing at the stall.
"Even if you buy less, the price will be a few more cents higher."
After all, setting up a stall carried risks. The sooner it was sold, the sooner it could be packed up, and then it wouldn't matter even if the Red Guards came.
Chen Lishu nodded and began to look slowly.
She planned to make summer clothes with her batch of seersucker. Zippers and such were not needed for now. Chen Lishu's gaze fell on the beautiful plastic beads. The larger ones were slightly smaller than her fingernail, while the smaller ones were about the size of rice grains.
The plain-colored seersucker she had bought from the textile factory would look very nice if it were adorned with these when made into finished garments.
"How much are your plastic beads?"
Dong Jianan glanced in the direction of her finger and quickly replied, "Ten of the larger ones for one mao, and a bag of the smaller ones for two mao. There are about fifty in a bag."
Chen Lishu looked up. "Can I get a discount if I buy more?"
"If you buy a hundred of the larger ones, you get ten free. If you buy fifty bags of the smaller ones, you get one bag free."
"How about two hundred of the larger ones and two hundred bags of the smaller ones?"
Dong Jianan repeatedly waved his hands. "These are small items, and I don't make much profit. I only earn my travel expenses on this trip."
"I want to buy a lot."
Thinking it was another haggling tactic, Dong Jianan smiled and shook his head. "If you want a lot, how much do you want? This is really a small business, I..."
"Two hundred of the larger ones, and one hundred bags of the smaller ones."
Dong Jianan swallowed all his words.
Then he thought, no wonder he saw a magpie perched on a branch chirping as soon as he went out this morning. It turns out he met a benefactor! "Alright, I'll pack them for you," Dong Jianan said, turning to find the newspaper bags he had previously glued at home. He quickly packed two hundred and forty large beads and one hundred and four bags of small beads.
Chen Lishu also counted out twenty-two yuan.
After paying and putting the beads he handed her into her shoulder bag, she heard the man opposite say, "Come back to me next time you buy something, and I'll give you an even better price."
Chen Lishu smiled. "Okay."
After putting away her things and preparing to leave, she suddenly heard the sound of a whistle from not far away. The whistle was urgent and sharp, and after two sounds, it stopped.
Chen Lishu initially thought it was someone's child blowing a whistle out of boredom and didn't pay much attention. However, as soon as she turned around, she saw all the stall vendors quickly packing up their goods and fleeing in all directions in a panic.
"The patrol is coming this way, comrade, let's run quickly."
Because he had sold a lot to Chen Lishu, Dong Jianan packed up more easily than usual. He quickly rolled up the cloth, grabbed Chen Lishu, and ran into one of the low, flat houses.
Seeing everyone running, Chen Lishu also felt nervous. After running a few steps, she automatically followed his pace without Dong Jianan having to pull her. They flipped over two courtyard walls, and finally hid behind a woodpile in a yard.
Soon, the sounds of men and women cursing could be heard outside, along with the unwilling pleas of those who were caught before they could hide.
Just as Chen Lishu was rejoicing that she had escaped, she suddenly heard the noisy voices getting closer: "I just saw a few people jumping over walls into various courtyards. These people are too rampant. They've been caught several times but still haven't been apprehended. Today, we must search them all out."
Chen Lishu's heart sank upon hearing the other party's words.
Judging by their posture, she might not be able to escape today.
"There's one hiding here!"
"There's one here too!"
"..."
One by one, people were discovered, accompanied by the frustration and annoyance of those found. The sound of footsteps gradually approached their hiding place.
Dong Jianan frowned subconsciously as he listened to the approaching sounds.
In the past, these people would come, catch a few people as a warning, pack up their goods, and leave. This time, not only were they catching people, but judging by the situation, they seemed determined to pursue them relentlessly.
"Did you find anything on your side?" a voice suddenly asked from a distance.
"Not yet."
The young man seemed to be standing not far from the woodpile, and his voice was exceptionally clear. Chen Lishu and Dong Jianan unconsciously held their breath and pressed themselves tightly against the wall, wishing they had the ability to pass through walls and escape through the courtyard wall behind them.
In her state of extreme tension, Chen Lishu felt as if she could hear her own heartbeat like a drum.
As time passed, she saw one of the other party's feet poking out from behind the woodpile, and her heart jumped to her throat.
If the other party took one more step forward, they would definitely discover their presence.