Siheyuan, Me and the Yu Sisters

Lou Xiao'e hugged Zhang Renkang and cried. Zhang Renkang hugged Lou Xiao'e in his arms and comforted her.

"It's still a long time. Even if you leave, it will be May or June next year. Why are you crying so anxiously?"

This caused Lou Xiao'e to tear up and twist the soft flesh on Zhang Renkang's waist.

. . . . . .

Lou Xiao'e tiredly watched Zhang Renkang, who was smoking by the window and fell asleep happily. Zhang Renkang covered her with a quilt and went downstairs. Seeing Lou's father and mother on the sofa, Zhang Renkang's face turned red. They forgot that Lou's father and mother were still downstairs. It was just right that they were caught. Lou Bancheng said meaningfully

"It's good to be young, but you still need to take care of your health"

Zhang Renkang laughed awkwardly and said

"You two elders should rest first. You don't need to send me off. I can go out by myself."

As he said this, he opened the door and left. Father Lou went upstairs and looked out the window. He could no longer see Zhang Renkang outside, and the people who were following him didn't seem to notice him either. He thought that Zhang Renkang might have some secrets. This skill was not something that ordinary people could have.

Zhang Renkang climbed over the wall of Lou's house and escaped through the surveillance camera. He drove past the people who were following him and rode to the black market after walking about 400 to 500 meters away.

In an alley near the black market, Zhang Renkang put the car back into the space, put on a disguise mask and turned into the middle-aged appearance last time, carrying 100 eggs and 300 kilograms of flour in his hands, paid 20 cents and went in.

Not long after they sat down, the middle-aged man in the brown gown and his two subordinates came over. Seeing Zhang Renkang, he walked up to him quickly and said,

"Good-bye, old man. Is this all you have?"

Zhang Renkang said in a hoarse voice

"One hundred eggs and three hundred kilograms of flour"

The man didn't even check the goods, but handed over 180 yuan and said

"I want it. Here's 180 yuan. Don't worry about the change. Our host wants to see you. What do you think?"

Zhang Renkang nodded and said

"Okay, lead the way."

On the way out of the black market, they turned two alleys, leaving a subordinate in the middle to check if anyone was following them. They took Zhang Renkang to a small courtyard. As soon as he entered the house, he saw an old man with a childlike face and white hair, looking vigorous, sitting there. When he saw Zhang Renkang, he smiled and said,

"Is this the person who provided the things? You invited me, what's your name?"

Zhang Renkang clasped his fists and said

"Kang Ren, do you have any advice for me?"

The old man said

"Mr. Kang, my ancestors are from the Arut clan of the Zhenghuang Banner. I used to be well-known in the city. People called me Master Lu San. But now it's not the same as before. I can't do it anymore."

"If you don't mind calling me Old Man Lu, that's fine too."

Zhang Renkang smiled and said

"It's true that things are different now than before, but I guess Mr. Lu San invited me here to give him some advice."

Master Lu laughed and said

"Mr. Kang, please be frank. We heard that you have some supplies and meat. I don't know if it's true or not."

Zhang Renkang nodded and said

"Of course I have some, but I wonder how much Mr. Lu wants."

Master Lu nodded and said

"Mr. Kang, let's not beat around the bush. You probably know our current situation."

"I am here to make a deal with you on behalf of our Zhenghuangqi clan."

“I just don’t know how much you can come up with.”

Zhang Renkang smiled and said

"Five times a month, each time I will give you 2,000 kilograms of chicken, 2,000 kilograms of sheep, 5,000 kilograms of rice and flour, and 5,000 eggs, okay?"

"If you eat rabbits, rabbits can provide 5,000 kilograms."

"But can you keep the secret?"

"I know there are a lot of dirty things going on between you two. If this stuff is really exposed, you will understand it, right?"

Master Lu thought about it for a while and said

"Okay, there won't be many people involved, only a few of us. Don't worry about the source. I'm the only one who will trade with you. I'm not going to live long, so I can handle this. At most, they can ask the dead. If anything goes wrong, they won't be able to find out about you."

"Those three are also our dead slaves, there won't be any problem."

Zhang Renkang nodded. He had heard that the remnant families of the Qing dynasty would adopt some children from infancy and train them as private slaves and loyal servants. They would live if their master lived and die if their master died.

"Master Lu, I want you to trade me yellow croaker or antiques. I don't want any money. It shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

Master Lu thought for a moment, nodded and said

"Okay, but we can't deliver large items, you'll have to pick them up yourself."

“How do you calculate the next price?”

Zhang Renkang smiled and said

"How about 8 cents per pound for chicken, duck and mutton, cents per pound for rice and flour, cents per pound for eggs, and cents per pound for rabbits?"

"I will let you know when there are pigs and cattle later. They will be sold at 95 cents per pound."

“Is this price appropriate?”

Master Lu nodded and said

"It's fair. Mr. Kang is really open-minded. The old man has no objection."

Zhang Renkang said, "According to the quantity you just mentioned, I will round it up to 8300 yuan per transaction."

I just passed by and saw an abandoned yard tomorrow night. It's right there. You can pick it up after we put it there. How about our first transaction?

“I only want small yellow croaker”

Master Lu San did some calculations and said

"Okay, I'll trade a few times at 35 sticks. Mr. Kang is open-minded and we won't hesitate."

In this way, the two men reached the preparation for their first transaction. Zhang Renkang was escorted out of the yard by Master Lu San. Seeing several people returning, Zhang Renkang turned on his senses and found that no one was there. He turned over and climbed over the wall of the yard and returned to Master Lu San's roof in the dark.

In the room, Master Lu was instructing a middle-aged man in a brown jacket.

"Quanzi, we must keep a close eye on this matter, especially those families. Tell them to keep their mouths shut, or I will die."

A middle-aged man named Quan Zi said

"Master, is this really that serious?"

Master Lu said with a smile

"Quanzi, you can get so many things without asking for money, but you have to ask for small yellow croakers and antiques. It's obvious that you are an insider."

"If something really happens, they may not do anything to us, but we will definitely be silenced."

Quan Zi said

"Then you still agree, sir?"

Mr. Lu said

“Why did I agree to continue the deal?”

"We are indeed short of food. We can protect the things our ancestors left us. But when the higher-ups come to deal with us, no one can protect us."

“It’s better to exchange it for some food.”

"When that time comes, maybe we can still seek protection from this line."

“You still have to learn.”

After discussing the details, Mr. Lu went back to his room to sleep. After listening to Zhang Renkang, he was sure that these people had no bad intentions and felt relieved. It seemed that these old people were not lacking in smart people. They had already sensed the changes above and knew that they were about to face a disaster.

Zhang Renkang turned over and left the courtyard, disappearing into the darkness.