Chapter 214 The consequences are serious

Chapter 214 The consequences are serious

Chapter 214 The consequences are serious

Ghost Street is on the Dongzhimen side, quite far from his home. Fortunately, Li Jiayi ran quite fast.

But even so, it took him almost half an hour to get there.

As soon as he entered the intersection of Ghost Street, someone came out to stop him.

However, when he saw A Sheng following Li Jiayi, he immediately took a few steps back.

Asked: "Buy or sell?"

"Not buying or selling, just come and take a look first."

"go in!"

The black market is different from the pigeon market. The pigeon market is unattended and is just like a market.

But the black market is managed by someone to ensure everyone's safety. After all, buying and selling things on the black market is illegal.

The managers of the black market are responsible for maintaining order in the black market and also for keeping watch.

If there is any sign of trouble, the managers of the black market will report it. Whether you can escape then depends on your own ability.

Of course, this mainly targets people who come to the black market to sell things.

And the money they collect is from those who come here to sell things. There is no need to pay if you come here to buy things.

Similarly, even if someone who comes to buy things is unlucky enough to be caught, nothing will happen to them.

At most they would give them a few words of advice and then confiscate their things.

But for those who come here to sell things, it’s another story.

Once these people are caught, not only will all their belongings be confiscated, but they may also be involved in illegal crimes.

It’s okay if there are fewer things, but if there are too many things, it is basically certain that you will go to jail.

This is no joke, because the things sold by people who come to the black market are basically shady.

Speculation and profiteering can even be considered a good thing, and many of them even involve theft and corruption.

This is also why the black market is being cracked down on, because many people sell the embezzled items on the black market or exchange them for other things, so there is no evidence.

After entering the black market, Li Jiayi looked around and saw that there were really all kinds of things for sale!
Antique calligraphy and paintings, large and small yellow croakers, and various kinds of tickets, including food tickets.

Is this the price? Li Jiayi was speechless. A pound of local noodles cost only 60 cents.

This thing used to cost only 20 cents, which means it has tripled in price.

Li Jiayi even saw someone selling flour, and the price was particularly high, but even so, it was quickly bought out.

The people who sell flour are either employees of grain stations, or those who are in charge of logistics or warehouses.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to have so much flour to sell.

You know, not only has the ration been reduced, but the proportion of flour in the ration has not changed!

It only accounts for 20 percent of the quota.

Calculated based on a family of five, with all the members being adults, the monthly ration is just over 100 kilograms.

Among these more than 100 kilograms of grain, flour would definitely not exceed 30 kilograms.

And the man who was selling flour just now must have sold about 100 kilograms of flour.

Li Jiayi walked to a stall with large and small yellow croakers in front of it, squatted down and asked, "How much is this big yellow croaker?"

"Not for sale."

"Uh!" Li Jia was stunned for a moment and asked, "If I don't sell it to you, what are you doing..."

"Change!"

"Change? What for?"

"Food coupons or food will do."

"Oh! How do you change it?" Li Jiayi became interested.

"One small yellow croaker can be exchanged for 150 jin of flour or rice tickets. If you exchange it with grain, it will be 100 jin."

"Then your price is too high. I see that other people's flour tickets are sold at 60 cents per pound. According to your calculation, your one gram is equivalent to three yuan."

You should know the price of large and small yellow croakers. Under normal exchange rate, one gram is only about two dollars and fifty cents.

This is calculated based on the international gold price. The current international gold price is approximately US$35 per ounce.

According to the current exchange rate of US dollars to RMB, one gram of gold is about RMB 2.56.

Also, food is very expensive now! It is much more expensive than gold, and gold cannot be eaten or drunk.

No wonder he has no one here.

In fact, it was not just his place. Basically, there were no people at the stalls displaying large and small yellow croakers.

It seems there are a lot of smart people.

Know the importance of food.

Let me put it this way! If I could exchange this small yellow croaker for 50 kilograms of flour, it would be great. I would also like to exchange it for 100 kilograms.

It is estimated that within a year, even if it is a large yellow croaker, one can be exchanged for 200 kilograms of grain. That would be a blessing, and someone has to exchange with him.

Li Jiayi shook his head, took Asheng away from the stall and continued walking inside.

Soon Li Jiayi came to a stall selling antique calligraphy and paintings and squatted down.

You know what, there are quite a lot of things.

Li Jiayi pointed to a painting and asked, "Whose painting is this?"

"Of course it's Mr. Qi's."

"Mr. Qi?"

The stall owner said: "It is a painting by Mr. Qi Baishi."

"Qi Baishi, are you sure?"

"Of course I am sure. You can take a look."

Li Jiayi opened the painting and looked at it with the dim light of the lantern. It was indeed a picture of shrimp. As for whether it was by Qi Baishi, Li Jiayi really didn't know.

There's nothing he can do about it, because he knows nothing about it.

"Let me make it clear first. Are you sure this is Mr. Qi's painting? If you lie to me, the consequences will be serious."

"I am absolutely not lying to you. This is indeed a painting by Mr. Qi Baishi," said the stall owner.

"Okay, since you're so sure, I'll take it. How much?"

"I don't want money." "No money? You don't want food or food coupons, do you?"

"Yes."

"Okay! How many food coupons do you want for this painting?"

The stall owner held up a finger and said, "At least a hundred kilograms of noodle tickets or rice tickets."

"I don't have flour tickets or rice tickets." Li Jiayi shook his head.

"Why are you making trouble here without you?" the stall owner glared at Li Jiayi and said.

"Although I don't have local flour or rice coupons, I have national food coupons. I wonder if these national food coupons can be used."

"Okay, okay, of course."

Are you kidding? If even the national food coupons don’t work, what else will work?

You should know that national food coupons are much more expensive than local food coupons.

"Are the national food coupons also 100 jin?"

"Yes."

"Okay, one hundred pounds is one hundred pounds."

If it is really a painting by Qi Baishi, it would be worth even a thousand kilograms, not to mention a hundred kilograms of national food coupons!

So he didn't care too much, a few pounds more or less didn't matter.

Li Jiayi handed over a hundred kilograms of national food coupons and left with the painting.

But before leaving, he made a small gesture towards Asheng.

Ah Sheng walked up to the stall owner, smelled it, and then followed Li Jiayi.

The stall owner wouldn't think that he wouldn't be recognized because he had his face covered!

Yes, everyone who comes to Ghost Street, whether they are here to buy or sell things, will cover their faces, and even Li Jiayi is no exception.

This is to prevent being recognized.

He had already figured out the black market, so there was no need for him to stay and he just left.

When I got home, it was already past two o'clock, so I went straight upstairs to sleep.

The next morning, Li Jiayi got up early and ran to Liao Kai's house with the painting.

"Uncle Liao, are you up?"

"Wake up, come in!"

Li Jiayi pushed open the door and entered the room, seeing Liao Kai making breakfast.

"What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"Uncle Liao, can you help me look at this painting!" Li Jiayi put the painting on the eight-immortals table.

When he heard about looking at the painting, Liao Kai went over to wash his hands first, then dried them, and then came over to open the painting.

After carefully looking at it, Liao Kai frowned and asked, "Where did you get this painting?"

"What's the matter, Uncle Liao? Is this painting fake?"

"Of course the painting is real, but it depends on who you bought it from?"

"Qi Baishi's."

Hearing what Li Jiayi said, Liao Kai shook his head and said, "This painting is not by Qi Baishi. I once saw a painting by Qi Baishi in Liulichang, and it was completely different from this one."

"Ah! So I bought a fake painting?"

"It can't be said to be a fake painting. This painting is quite old. It is probably from the late Qing Dynasty. It is also a painting by an unknown painter."

"Uncle Liao, that's still fake."

"You kid, why can't I explain it to you clearly! This is not a painting by Qi Baishi, but it is not a fake painting either. If you buy it thinking it is a painting by Qi Baishi, then it is fake, but if you don't think it is a painting by Qi Baishi, then it is real."

"But I just want to be a Qi Baishi painting?"

"Okay! Then it's fake."

"Yes! I understand. Thank you, Uncle Liao."

Just as Li Jiayi was about to leave with the painting, Liao Kai said, "Boy, don't act rashly if you don't understand."

"Uncle Liao, I understand. I'll go back first."

"Well! Go back!"

After returning home, Li Jiayi went straight upstairs, threw the painting on the table, and sat down angrily. He didn't expect that he had been cheated.

Although he didn't care about the 100 kilograms of national food coupons, he felt very uncomfortable being cheated.

Li Jiayi couldn't muster any energy the whole day.

That night, Li Jiayi went out again, still with Asheng.

Half an hour later, Li Jiayi came to the black market again and went to the place where he bought the painting yesterday.

But the person here today is not the one who sold him the painting yesterday.

"A Sheng!" Li Jiayi called out softly.

Ah Sheng seemed to understand, and then he ran forward, about two hundred meters, and then stopped.

Then it whined a few times in one direction. Li Jiayi looked over quickly. Who else could it be but the person who sold him the painting yesterday?

Although this person changed his clothes today, even the things he used to cover his face were changed.

But there are some things that cannot be exchanged, and those are the things he sells.

The items on his stall were basically the same as yesterday.

Li Jiayi did not go over, but turned and left. Of course, he did not go far, but just looked at the stall not far away.

Li Jiayi told the other party yesterday that the consequences of cheating him would be serious.

Time passed minute by minute, and in the blink of an eye it was already past four in the morning, and many people began to pack up their stalls.

It's getting light early now, around five o'clock, so people on the black market have to return home before daybreak.

This way you can avoid being seen.

The guy who sold him the fake paintings was also closing up his stall, and doing so very quickly.

　PS: Please give me a monthly ticket and recommendation ticket! Thank you!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)