In a courtyard in Zhongjianzi Hutong.
This courtyard is one of the many houses of Mr. Fu Zuo. There was a fire around the house a few years ago. The biggest fear of the courtyard was water leakage, which burned many people to death.
Therefore, this courtyard has been idle, surrounded by ruins after the fire, like a haunted house.
Precisely because this place was unpopular and unnoticed, it was used by Lin Sanqi and Mr. Fu as a place for grain trading.
Today, a group of nobles from the former Qing Dynasty were entertained in this ghost house. What was originally planned as a product promotion meeting has now turned into a group visit party for the elderly and the young.
Inside the main room, fifty or sixty people, old and young, crowded in.
Everyone was shouting about Prince Cheng, Duo Luobele, Gu Shan Beizi, Duke Zhen and Duke Fu.
Fortunately, they are all wearing Chinese tunic suits. If they were wearing zombie outfits and wearing rat tail money braids, some people would think that the Qing Dynasty was still alive.
When these old people and young people meet their peers, they give in to each other, and when they meet their elders, they treat them like a millionaire. It’s like watching a palace drama in the Qing Dynasty. Lin Sanqi watched Zhi Le beside him. This is like encountering living history.
Only Lin Sanqi present knew that these princes and ministers of the former dynasty were already grasshoppers after the fall and could not survive for a few more years, especially those whose hands were stained with the blood of the people.
However, this group of old people and young people are also quite tenacious, like little strong men who cannot be beaten to death.
In 2023, Lin Sanqi also saw someone online who claimed to be a descendant of Qianlong, and then wore a dragon robe all day long, regarded himself as a character, and held an ancestor worship ceremony at the Temple of Heaven. It was very funny and looked like a mental illness.
Fortunately, a diversified society saved his life, otherwise if you tried it in the buzzing era, humming.
Lin Sanqi looked at the group of nobles and nobles from the side as if they were monkeys, but Fu Zuo couldn't help it:
"Everyone, please be quiet. Time is precious. Do you still want food?"
Fu Zuo was ranked in order of seniority, and he was not the tallest among the people present. There were people from the Yi generation and Zai generation.
But because Mr. Fu is the emperor's biological brother and can be given the title of prince according to the rules of the previous dynasty, he has the highest title among the people present, so his words naturally carry weight.
Hearing Prince Fu shouting stop, the scene immediately became quiet.
During this silence, many people's stomachs began to growl. It was obvious that the lives of the princes and princes present were not as easy as they seemed.
Prince Fu was a loyal man and did not laugh at anyone. He just continued:
"Call everyone to Zhongjianzi Alley. Everyone knows what is going on. Time is precious. Under the cover of night, if anyone wants food, you can trade with this little guy behind me."
Everyone looked at Lin Sanqi.
Lin Sanqi swallowed his saliva. He didn't have the spirit of a bastard. The group of people in front of him were also very powerful back then. Their eyes were full of vigilance, scrutiny, curiosity, and even... contempt...
In their eyes, Lin Sanqi was just a low-ranking food dealer.
Lin Sanqi also bowed her hands to everyone: "Nice to meet you. My surname is Wang. You can just call me Xiao Wang."
At this time, an old man jumped out and asked in a soft voice:
"Xiao Wang, I heard that one small yellow croaker here can only be exchanged for 50 kilograms of white flour. Isn't this too bad? You can't even get a fraction of what it was during the Republic of China."
"That's right, 50 kilograms of grain is too little, so why not give me 500 kilograms..."
"I won't accept this kind of exchange condition anyway..."
One person took the lead, and the others started talking in a chaotic manner, which seemed to be a bit exciting.
Lin Sanqi is not annoyed. It is a seller's market now. If you have food, are you afraid that you won't be able to exchange it for gold? The worst option is to go to the black market, although it will be slower.
"Uncles and brothers, don't worry. I don't need to tell you how precious food is now, right? If you could get food, I don't think you would come to Zhongscissor Alley today, so there is no need for us to test each other.
What is food now? Food is life! After traveling forty-nine miles, you see Tian'er and ask where there is food in the country? If you have relatives and friends in other places, you can ask, what is it like there now?
You are all members of the royal family of the Qing Dynasty, so you naturally know the price of food in the famine years. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is one price per day, right? Today you feel that exchanging 50 kilograms for one small yellow croaker is a big loss. Believe it or not, tomorrow one small yellow croaker can only exchange for 30 kilograms or 20 kilograms? ”
In feudal society, once there was any natural or man-made disaster, one of the direct manifestations was the soaring price of food.
At that time, the prices of the big grain merchants were simply multiplied several times, and grains worth tens of cents per dou could be sold for thousands of cents, and the backers behind the big grain merchants were these royal relatives at the scene.
So these old guys pretended to be confused and were very bad, a bit bullying Lin Sanqi because he was a young man.
When Lin Sanqi said this, many people fell silent.
Mr. Fu Zuo also helped:
"This transaction is entirely voluntary, and no one is forcing anyone. If you want food, just trade with Comrade Wang. If you don't want it, just treat it as if we are gathering today, so as not to harm the harmony. But I can say it first, Comrade Wang's food Limited time, no wait until stocks last.”
There was another discussion at the scene, and it was obvious that everyone had their own little Jiujiu.
At this time, Lin Sanqi took out another box of medicine from his pocket:
"In addition to food, what I have in my hand is penicillin. Ameili has imported it and has higher purity. One bottle contains 800,000 units. It can save many people if it is taken apart and used. I also took it out today to give a big reward on the spot."
When they heard about Penicillin, many people stood up. Apparently no fool present knew how precious Penicillin was.
"Xiao Wang, right? How are you going to exchange this plate of nicillin?"
"Still the old rules, 10 bottles of penicillin are exchanged for a small yellow croaker, and 100 bottles of penicillin are exchanged for a piece of rhubarb. Don't think it's expensive, I brought this back all the way. The key is that this medicine can save lives and is more valuable than food. ”
In the era of lack of antibiotics, penicillin = life-saving medicine, this view is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
The key is that after liberation, due to the external blockade, penicillin was almost unavailable even in hospitals, and even if you had money, you couldn't use it, which shows how precious this drug is.
Therefore, no one raised any objection to Lin Sanqi's demanding transaction ratio.
Lin Sanqi secretly calculated in her mind that 10 bottles of penicillin only cost 5 yuan, but they had to be exchanged for a small gold bar worth 20,000 yuan. What is black? He is really fucking black.
The profits of the pharmaceutical industry are really huge profits among huge profits.
At this time, someone in the crowd questioned again:
"Comrade Wang, how do you ensure that you can deliver the goods on time? You don't want us to pay first and then pick up the goods, right?"
The person who said this must have downloaded an anti-fraud APP and was very vigilant, fearing that he would be defrauded of his money and lose all his money in the end.
Lin Sanqi chuckled:
"Don't worry about this. If you want to trade tonight, we will pay you and deliver the goods. I will not default on the supplies you want. Don't tell me that you owe money first if you are short of money.
Of course, I also want to state that my food is limited, first come, first served. If it’s sold out, don’t regret it. Don't worry, if you don't want it, I will sell it on the four major black markets, and people will rob me if I have any. ”
Fu Zuo continued to help Lin Sanqi cover:
"In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, tonight's transaction will be conducted in private. Whoever wants how much food will go to the backyard to trade one-on-one. After the transaction is over, just take the things and go out the back door. No one is allowed to inquire."
When everyone heard this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Chinese people always believe that wealth should not be revealed.
If I trade a large amount of grain and it becomes known, believe it or not, all my poor relatives will come to borrow grain tomorrow.
So Lin Sanqi deliberately arranged a one-to-one transaction. No outsider knew who took away how much food. This also made it easier for Lin Sanqi to keep taking out food and avoid being suspected of having so much inventory in a small room.
"Okay, let's do this."
"Start quickly, I have to go back to sleep."
This group of old people and young people always wanted to show off wherever they went and take advantage of their words. Lin Sanqi didn't care. He pretended to turn around and leave. Suddenly, in full view of everyone, a gun fell from his body.
In everyone's surprised eyes, Lin Sanqi picked up the gun casually:
"Oh, I'm sorry, the waistband of these pants is too loose. Things always fall out easily. OK, I'll wait in the backyard. Anyone who wants to trade can come over."
Everyone is not a fool, so they naturally understand that this is Lin Sanqi's warning.
People are all good at thinking. In this era, anyone who dares to smuggle food and medicine is not an exaggeration to call a desperado, and people with careful thoughts are extinguished.
With "Prince Fu" personally in charge, everyone in the room soon began to figure out how much they wanted to buy.
For these princes and nobles of the previous dynasty who have not been severely beaten by society, money is not an issue. Gold and silver are also piled up in their own secret cellars.
Although it is not as exaggerated as Shanxi merchants, the amount accumulated by the family over several generations is definitely an amount that ordinary people can only dream of.
If it were different before, they would really be reluctant to dig out and trade, but now they have been hungry for two years, and they have begun to learn to behave, knowing that money is useless and life is the most important thing.
Lin Sanqi came to the backyard. There was a table and two chairs in the room. Because there was no electric light, a kerosene lamp was lit on the table.
The first person to come in was a middle-aged man. He looked more like a businessman than a playboy, because his eyes kept moving.
This man was also very polite. After entering the house, he put down a wooden box and made a silent sound on the table, which seemed very heavy.
"Master Wang, these are 50 large yellow croakers that we collected together. I want to replace them all with penicillin."
50 large yellow croakers are equivalent to 5,000 bottles of penicillin. You are definitely a big customer, and you will be a king when you come up.
Lin Sanqi was shocked, "No, you are eating penicillin? Why are you taking so much medicine?"
The middle-aged man smiled: "I used to run a pharmaceutical company."
Lin Sanqi understood in a second that everything was unspoken. Just like him, this man was also a second-rate dealer.
Since he is a second-rate dealer, he naturally has his own way to make a profit from the price difference. For the precious penicillin, he does not have to worry about selling even 500,000 bottles, let alone 5,000 bottles. "Okay, you feel good, I feel good too, wait a moment."
After a while, Lin Sanqi brought several cardboard boxes from another room: "5,000 bottles of penicillin, please order."
The middle-aged man's eyes lit up when he saw the penicillin, so he clapped his hands, and several young people came in and left holding the boxes.
"No need, I can trust the people introduced by Master Zuo. Xiao Wang, if I still want penicillin next time..."
Lin Sanqi chuckled: "Just contact Mr. Fu and I'll have as much as you want!"
"Okay, cool!"
The first transaction was completed, and Lin Sanqi harvested 50 large yellow croakers, which was almost 31 kilograms of gold. Calculated in future generations, that would be 10 million yuan.
The cost is 0.5 cents per bottle, and 5,000 bottles are only 2,500 yuan.
Lin Sanqi's ability to make money is comparable to that of a money printing machine. Lin Sanqi's self-confidence is now so swollen that she wants to grab the Hermès belt guy by the collar and shout:
Who else? ? ?
The second one came in was a little old man, in his fifties, with a good temperament. His clothes were very shabby but clean, but his head full of white hair showed that his life was not so satisfactory.
After the little old man came in, he glanced at Lin Sanqi indifferently and threw a small bag directly in front of Lin Sanqi.
That expression seemed to be dismissing a beggar. Anyone with eyes could tell that he looked down on small businessmen and hawkers like Lin Sanqi.
"Take it and see how much food you can exchange for it?"
Lin Sanqi wasn't upset either. Who would be upset if he saw the God of Wealth? If you can, throw money at me to death. Anyone who snorts is a coward!
When I opened it, I saw that there were small yellow croakers and big yellow coins inside, but more of them were gold bracelets, gold chains, gold rings, etc.
"Comrade, I see that many of these jewelry are old items, but they can only be counted as ordinary gold here. You see..."
The little old man looked impatient: "Hey, do you care about these gold people?"
Lin Sanqi was asking for trouble, thinking that it was another down-and-out prince who, for the sake of money, endured it!
After weighing, Lin Sanqi calculated that one large yellow croaker, one small yellow croaker, and the jewelry added up to two small yellow croakers.
"Comrade, I will give you a total of 650 kilograms of grain. Do you want flour or rice?"
"Only 650 pounds?"
The down-and-out prince was obviously a little worried, and then he took out a thick cloth bag from his arms and placed it gently on the table:
"Hey, who are you? Take a look at the jewelry here. How much food can be exchanged for it? Give me some more penicillin."
Lin Sanqi opened the cloth bag and took a look, and then her mouth was watering. There was nothing she could do about it. Women were not the only ones who couldn't resist this kind of glitter, but men were the same.
There is also a small cloth bag inside. When you open it, you will find two pairs of green and transparent jade bracelets, and two pairs of mutton-fat jade bracelets with white flowers, as if wrapped in a layer of grease.
Under the dim light of an oil lamp, it can still shine with dazzling light, which shows how extraordinary the eight bracelets are.
The little old man saw Lin Sanqi's unseen look on his face and snorted:
"I can tell you that these four pairs of bracelets were all made by the craftsmen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Did you see the green bracelets? The two with red strings were worn by Lafayette. Later, my mother-in-law It’s a gift when you get married, and even money can’t buy it!”
In fact, jadeite was not that precious in the Qing Dynasty or the Republic of China. Only Cixi and the third girl of the Song Dynasty liked it. It would take more than 30 years for the price to rise.
The ancients still liked mutton-fat white jade, which is a good thing that can be used as a family heirloom.
Lin Sanqi himself has no appreciation ability. He later checked Baidu and found out that antique counterfeiting was quite popular in the Republic of China. He was really afraid that these bracelets were made of glass.
So I invited Mr. Fu over.
Fu Zuo saw the four pairs of bracelets on the table. Without looking at them carefully, he cursed secretly: "Prodigal things..."
"Enahai, you are really willing to give up. These are all things from the palace. Are you kidding?"
The little old man had a good attitude towards Fu Zuo: "Fifth Master, my family is so big and there are so many brothers relying on me, there is nothing I can do."
Fu Zuo was a little angry: "Forget about my family, what do you think of your bad friends? You are so poor that you are considered your ancestral property, and you still support others for the sake of face. Are you angry?"
The little old man was dissatisfied: "This is all we men rely on, why are we still alive if we don't have any face?"
Lin Sanqi understood. It turned out that he was an old dude again. At the same time, he thought to himself, this old man is also stupid and blessed.
Now he has lost his fortune in time and sold out all the things he could sell. Oh, he has changed his identity, and he can become awesome again.
This is the so-called principle of blessings and disasters, and misfortunes and blessings.
Since the things are fine, Lin Sanqi doesn't mind helping the little old man become a proletarian for a time. Let Lin Sanqi, this rich evil man, be the proletarian.
Such a glass imperial green jade bracelet, such a white, smooth and delicate mutton-fat jade bracelet, could not have been fetched for less than tens of millions of dollars at the last auction.
"Okay, old comrade, since this is your family heirloom, I won't let you suffer. I'll give you four pairs of bracelets, one ton of flour, and 200 bottles of penicillin. What do you think?" br>
When the little old man heard this, his face lit up with joy: "Sure, I'm satisfied with the price, it's a deal."
Fu Zuo didn't say anything, shook his head and went out again. Several young people came in and carried the food away again, while the little old man held a few boxes of penicillin and walked toward the back door while humming a tune.
Then the third person came in...
In one night, Lin Sanqi received a total of more than 260 large yellow croakers, more than 500 small yellow croakers, and a bunch of various jewelry and antiques. It was a great harvest.
This amount is already astonishing, but Lin Sanqi is far from satisfied. This gold can only be considered a well-off society at best, and it is far from enough to complete the accumulation of original capital.
Fortunately, in Sijiu City, there were quite a few Manchu survivors, old and young, who had been taken advantage of. Later, the news became popular in small circles. Friends introduced friends, and the news spread quickly.
Everyone knows that you can buy food and medicine in Zhongjianzi Hutong, and you can get as much as you want.
In the end, things started to get out of control.
Just like a concert, I originally planned to hold one, but because the people buying tickets were so enthusiastic, Lin Sanqi had to add one after another.
Every night, a group of people come in and a group of people leave Zhongjianzi Hutong.
When I arrived, I came with boxes, and when I left, I packed trucks with large and small bags and pulled things away. Many of them even drove away in trucks.
Do you really think that all the aunts in Dongcheng District are dead? As time goes by, it will naturally attract people's attention.
It was Lin Sanqi who was distracted and forgot the lessons he learned when purchasing in the three provinces of South China. Such illegal and disciplinary matters must be dealt with in a different place. Over time, they will definitely be exposed.
This is still the case in a remote rural place like South China, but in the most beautiful place, Sijiu City, this kind of surveillance has reached its peak.
Of course, it was the street offices and police stations that attracted attention, not the national public security department.
Aunt Qian from the Jingshan Subdistrict Office and Director Qin from the police station led a group of people to ambush at the entrance of the alley, staring at the courtyard house with house number 20.
Director Qin asked: "How many people came in tonight?"
"Report, a total of 56 people entered."
Aunt Qian was a little nervous, "Old Qin, what do you think this group of people is for? Is it a gathering of enemy agents? Should we apply for support from our superiors?"
Director Qin waved his hand, but stared at the door:
"No support is needed. According to our many days of reconnaissance, this group of people should be engaged in speculation, most likely trading grain. This is an economic crime and is not too dangerous. Whether it is true or not, we will find out today."
Aunt Qian secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she heard this, but a street worker next to her brightened up after hearing this:
"Director Qin, if he is a grain dealer, then the seized grain will be distributed by our street, right?"
As soon as these words came out, the eyes of all the staff nearby shone.
These days, civil servants do not have any privileges. They all receive a dead salary, and the food ration is the same as that of workers, or even less. After all, workers do hard physical work, and civil servants are ordinary workers.
So all the staff at the sub-district office were hungry, and two of them started to growl when they heard about the food.
If the streets are allowed to distribute dirty food, then it’s not up to them to decide how to distribute it? Except for a small amount of money given to needy people, most of it is distributed by the internal staff of the street.
Director Qin chuckled: "When the time comes, divide it into three parts and hand it over to us. We will keep one part at the police station and one part for your street."
The more than 30 people who were in the ambush nodded repeatedly after hearing this. This is a sign that everyone has a share. If they can have a full meal after working for a long time, everyone will be more motivated.
In the darkness, a policeman suddenly ran out of the alley:
"Director, we caught three people at the back door and found 2,000 kilograms of grain and 500 bottles of penicillin from their truck."
When Director Qin and Aunt Qian heard this, their hearts beat faster. Everyone knew now that they had caught a big fish.
Director Qin stood up immediately, holding a pistol in his right hand, and shouted at the person behind him:
"Attention everyone, rush into the yard immediately. We must catch all the criminals at once. Don't let any of them escape. Deputy Director Zhang, you go to the back door and wait. We are going to solve a shocking case today."
good! ! !
Director Qin gave an order, and an agile policeman immediately climbed over the courtyard wall and opened the courtyard door. People from the street and the police station immediately rushed into the courtyard. (End of chapter)