Siheyuan: I can always stay out of it

Chen Xu had already prepared all the food reserves. He looked at the pond of small fish, stroked his chin, and wondered whether he should feed these creatures something.

Although he put some water plants and floats in, there was obviously nothing else in the space to provide food for these small fish. It was obviously not so easy to form a complete ecological chain.

After thinking for a few seconds, Chen Xu decided to give it a try first. He took out a steamed bun, thought about it, and put it back.

Giving Xiao Yuzi white flour buns was somewhat extravagant. He not only had white flour buns, but also a lot of other buns made of two-grain flour and corn flour. He picked up the corn flour from Jia Dongxu...

Break the steamed bread into small pieces and throw them into the pond. Small fish will immediately swarm over and eat all of it before long. A large number of fish will still stay where they are and will not disperse.

Chen Xu felt ashamed. He thought that these fish might be very hungry, so he threw a few more steamed buns into the fish and stopped.

Feeding fish with grains may be okay occasionally, but if he does it for a long time, his space won't expand much and he will go bankrupt first.

Unfortunately, he really lacked knowledge in this area. Even though he knew that there were things like aquatic plants that could provide food for fish, space was not the outside world, and the methods used on Earth might not be suitable in space.

In the end, Chen Xu felt that he had to take things one step at a time. Fortunately, the fish were not difficult to get, so at worst he could just buy some more.

After expanding the small pond a little more, Chen Xu left the space.

Chen Xu, who was planning to go to the black market, stopped just as he was about to go out. He remembered something very important.

The last time he found the location of the black market, he had to follow Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu. But after the police's actions, it was doubtful whether the black market was still open. Moreover, he didn't know the locations of other black markets.

After thinking for a few seconds, Chen Xu decided to go out and try his luck. He couldn't sleep anyway, and he couldn't just stare at the fish.

Chen Xu, who had just taken a step forward after opening the door, immediately took it back. Now he was in the dark when he heard movement at the door of the deaf old lady's house next door.

Chen Xu carefully observed through the crack in the door. This deaf old lady shouldn't come out.

Sure enough, it was Yi Zhonghai who came out.

Chen Xu didn't know why this old guy was here with the deaf old man. It couldn't be that the two of them were having an affair. Although she admired Yi Zhonghai for being able to talk to Jia Zhang, people couldn't, at least...

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai, who had just come out of the deaf old lady's house, was walking towards the central courtyard with a worried look on his face. He did not notice that the door of Chen Xu's house next door was slightly opened, and a pair of dark eyes were staring at him.

After all, it was pitch dark at night and you couldn't see clearly if you were a little far away.

The deaf old lady finally agreed to help, but Yi Zhonghai felt unsafe. They did it together, and He Daqing was not friendly to him, and might not give face to the deaf old lady. But now he had to try his luck.

I even had some hope in my heart, what if He Daqing didn't find out...

Chen Xu watched Yi Zhonghai disappear and waited for a few minutes before walking out of the room.

He walked out of the courtyard in the dark.

Half an hour later.

Chen Xu stood at the place where the black market was originally located with an expression of "as expected" on his face.

The once bustling black market here has become empty, without even a ghost. Obviously, either the black market is not open now, or it has moved to another location.

Chen Xu unwillingly wandered through the streets and alleys of the old city until around two o'clock in the morning, when he followed a few people dressed similarly to him and found another black market.

Chen Xu, who paid the money and entered, was disappointed when he saw the black market which consisted of only an alley. He didn't know that this was the norm in the black market. Black markets of the scale he encountered last time were usually formed by chance.

But since I'm here, I have to take a look.

As usual, Chen Xu walked halfway down the alley but didn't find anything he wanted.

Until he was blocked by a guy who also only showed his eyes.

"Brother, do you want a ticket?"

Chen Xu frowned. He knew this kind of people, ticket scalpers. He could go to them whether he wanted to buy or sell tickets.

These people are actually middlemen who make a profit from the price difference, but they are still powerful, especially those who can do business with grain coupons and meat coupons. The capital they spend is also not small, and they carry a lot of bills with them. If something unexpected happens, they will probably cry to death.

But there is another saying that these people are all from the black market. After all, those who dare to carry large amounts of bills and move them around in other people's territory are either ruthless characters or have good connections.

Chen Xu didn't want to pay attention to this guy. To him, the food coupons that were in short supply now were not a necessity, and he didn't plan to buy food coupons at a high price to hoard food. Anyone who wanted to buy the food coupons that cost more than three yuan per pound could buy it. Anyway, Chen Xu definitely didn't want it.

But the next moment, a word from this person aroused his interest.

"It doesn't matter if I can't afford it, do you want bran?"

Chen Xu stopped walking forward and turned to look at this guy.

"How much does it cost per pound?"

The man smiled, but Chen Xu obviously couldn't see it.

In his opinion, the man in front of him should be trying his luck in finding cheap grain in the black market. Food is hard to find these days, but there are always people who want to try their luck. If such a good thing really came, it would have been bought by people in the black market long ago.

As for the news that people buy low-priced grains on the black market from time to time, it is nothing more than an illusion that they take out a little bit of grain and sell it at a slightly lower price. Otherwise, why would these people be willing to come to the black market.

There is a saying that all businessmen in the world are dishonest, and these people are naturally the same, which proves the saying that all crows are black.

"Eight cents!"

"Farewell!"

Chen Xu left without any hesitation.

He cursed this guy to death in his heart. Even if you were going to rip me off, you wouldn't sell the bran for only 80 cents. Although he didn't know the price of bran, it was definitely not that outrageous.

The man was a little confused. He quoted this outrageous price so that Chen Xu could bargain. However, this guy did not play by the rules at all and just left.

Suspecting that he had shouted too high a price and scared the man away, the man hurriedly followed.

"Brother, you know that food that can fill your stomach is expensive now..."

Chen Xu glanced at him speechlessly.

"Why don't I buy sweet potatoes, pumpkins and potatoes for 80 cents?"

The man was a little embarrassed. Apparently, the things Chen Xu mentioned could be considered staple foods, and their prices were only a few cents, and the price had increased in the past two years.

In the past, things like sweet potatoes usually cost only a few cents per pound, but even though the price has increased tenfold, it is still the first choice for people who now have trouble getting enough food.

After all, this stuff is eaten by humans. No one would want to eat bran unless they have no other choice.

"Brother, give me a price and sell it cheaply."

Chen Xu was a little puzzled. Logically speaking, there would be plenty of people who wanted the bran now, but what did this guy mean by being so impatient? Or was there something wrong with the bran?

"I don't remember anything like bran being unsalable. Don't expect me to buy it unless you tell me the reason."

The man lowered his head and thought for a moment, then sighed.

“In fact, bran was indeed easy to sell in the past, but it is different now.”

Chen Xu said you continue.

"Now the population of Sijiu City is saturated."

The man just mentioned it casually, and Chen Xu already understood what was going on.

Now Sijiu City no longer accepts refugees, which has led to a significant reduction in the number of people who rely on bran to fill their stomachs. No matter how poor the people in Sijiu City are, they can still buy some sweet potatoes and the like to fill their stomachs.

Without a large number of migrant population, it would be extremely difficult to sell bran.

“Why not transport it out?”

The man looked at Chen Xu like a fool.

“Who do you think can afford it?”

Chen Xu sighed. It was true. If the price was too high, people couldn't afford it. If the price was too low, it wouldn't be cost-effective to ship it out. And if you dared to sell it in the countryside openly, you would probably be arrested.

These days, speculation is a serious crime, and it is obviously not worth taking the risk for such a small amount of money.