Chapter 81: Purchasing Price
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The thin man led the way, and Ye Ling followed.
On the way, the thin man probably wanted to leave a good impression on Ye Ling, so he introduced a lot of things about the black market. Of course, he didn’t go into depth and only introduced some basic information. These people earned money from information disparities, so they naturally couldn’t tell Ye Ling all the information.
Through the thin man’s introduction, Ye Ling got a basic understanding of the black market.
The black market had many types of transactions. Some of the transactions involving large sums of money were strictly prohibited by the country. If caught, the consequences ranged from jail time to even being shot.
The most common and relatively safer transactions were daily necessities. If caught, the punishment would be relatively light, usually imprisonment for education or a few days of labor reform.
Of course, for government officials, being caught was a grave matter. They would lose their jobs, and the punishment would be severe.
Ye Ling was an educated youth. Although she wasn’t considered a civil servant in the government, if she was caught, the situation would still be quite serious.
Thinking this, Ye Ling became even more cautious and was thankful for her thorough disguise.
The thin man talked for a while. Seeing that Ye Ling wasn’t talking much, he couldn’t figure out if she was mute or just didn’t feel like talking.
After about twenty minutes of wandering through winding alleys, the two finally reached a wooden door.
The thin man Imocked on the door, and when it opened, a youth with a pockmarked face poked his head out and shouted, “Cousin.”
The thin man introduced Ye Ling, “This is my cousin. If you want to sell any herbs, just tell him. Don’t worry, with him around, he will not lower your price. If you were dealing with someone else today, it wouldn’t be as smooth.”
Ye Ling knew that the thin man was hinting that he had been a great help to her. Ye Ling did not say anything and crossed the threshold to enter the door.
As soon as she entered, Ye Ling could smell the rich fragrance of herbs. She continued to walk in and saw medicinal herbs being processed on both sides of the courtyard. Most of them were relatively common, and she could occasionally see precious medicinal herbs.
Entering the front hall, the pockmarked youth wiped the stool beside the table and said, “Please sit.”
Ye Ling sat down, and the pockmarked youth asked, “What kind of herbs are you selling?”
Ye Ling took out three black cloth bags from her bosom and placed them on the table. The pockmarked youth adeptly opened the bags.
Once the herbs were poured out, the pockmarked youth was stunned.
The thin man knew nothing about herbs. Seeing his cousin’s blank expression, he was puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong? Aren’t these herbs good?”
The pockmarked youth snapped out of it and rolled his eyes at the thin man.
“Do you think these herbs are not good? I’ve never seen such a big Golden Lotus…”
He suddenly shut up.
He was so surprised that he forgot the rules of doing business.
He had praised Ye Ling’s herbs so much. How could he negotiate the price down later?
Ye Ling watched as the pockmarked youth kept touching the herbs he had taken from the small world, pretending to be impatient, she knocked on the table, rubbing her index finger and thumb together, signaling “money”.
The pockmarked youth coughed and said, “These herbs indeed look good, but they’re not considered precious herbs. Moreover…”
Upon hearing this, Ye Ling immediately stuffed the herbs back into the black cloth bags, as if she was about to leave.
The pockmarked youth was shocked. He immediately grabbed Ye Ling’s arm. “Hey, don’t take them away! The price is negotiable. Why are you in such a hurry?”
The thin man also realized Ye Ling’s herbs were quite valuable. He nudged the pockmarked youth, “Stop blabbering. Just quote a price.”
The pockmarked youth opened his mouth, intending to give a number, but upon seeing the herbs on the table, he quickly thought of something and couldn’t help but ask, “Do you have other herbs? Are they all of such high quality?”
Ye Ling thought this kid wasn’t stupid and nodded slightly. Her bamboo hat swayed a bit.
The pockmarked youth’s eyes lit up. After hesitating for a few seconds, he named a price and immediately added, “Other herb merchants in the black market won’t offer a higher buying price. If you’re okay with it, I can buy your herbs at this price in the future. However, you can only trade with us and no other herb merchants..”