Being scolded as a poor widow, I relied on supernatural powers to counterattack in ancient times

The shopkeeper listened to Xiao Wu's bold tone. Although his expression behind the mask could not be seen clearly, his dark eyes were staring straight at him. After a while, he burst into laughter.
"The customer is so generous, I am naturally happy, but since we are doing business, we have to follow the rules. You can tell us how much you want, and pay the deposit first before taking delivery of the goods."

"Of course, since we are doing business sincerely, we will not break the rules of the black market, but I will also say ugly things at the front. What I want is fine salt. If it is crudely made, I will not accept it."

Xiao Wu said, taking out two banknotes from his body and holding them between his fingers, but did not hand them out.

The shopkeeper looked at his posture and was stunned for a moment before he realized what he was doing.

He immediately lit the lantern in the shop and led the two of them behind the counter.

"The guest is right. Since we are sincere in doing business, we must be honest with you. This way, please."

The shopkeeper held a lantern and led them to the back of the cabinet.

"This is the salt we store. You can inspect it first."

No wonder the shopkeeper stopped them, there was something else going on.

In the open space of five or six square meters behind the counter, there are six baskets placed next to the wall. When you open the lids, they are filled with salt.

The color is snow white and the particles are medium.

Xiao Wu stretched out his hand and pinched a handful, twisted it, put it to his nose and smelled it, tasted it briefly, and nodded.
"If it's all of this quality, it can't be better."

"Guests please rest assured. When the time comes, we will hand over the money and inspect the goods. If the quality is not good, you can refuse to pay."

Listening to Xiao Wu's question, the man patted his chest with a firm look on his face,

"The salt produced in our salt wells is all high-quality and top-grade. Since we want to do long-term business, we are also honest."

Listening to his tone, Xiao Wu raised his eyebrows.

"After all, this is the first time we have cooperated. I hope that both of us will treat each other with sincerity. Please also ask the shopkeeper to give us an accurate word on the price."

"Don't worry, this customer. Apart from anything else, no one dares to question the rules of our black market. Just because the salt we sell here is of the highest quality, the coarse salt outside is incomparable."

"So, we only carry bulk quantities, targeting merchants like you. The price is 35 cents per catty. If you ship it to the north, it will be doubled when it is resold. It is guaranteed that you will only make a profit and not lose any money."

"The difference between what the shopkeeper said is that the salt on the market is currently only 35 cents per pound. When it is in short supply, it will not exceed [-] cents at most. You just opened your mouth to say [-] cents. Isn't it a bit too high?"

Listening to Xiao Wu's counter-offer, the shopkeeper not only didn't get angry, but patiently explained to him.

"What the customers don't know is that this is our current price, which is absolutely fair. It is exactly the same quality as the refined salt sold by the government outside, and it is absolutely not adulterated. To be honest, during the turmoil the year before last, our price rose to forty. Give the customer 35 The price of the article is definitely a fair price in the peaceful and prosperous times."

Listening to the shopkeeper's tone, Xiao Wu calmed down and had an idea.

So far, no one has stepped forward to stop the proliferation of private salt. The seriousness of the collusion between government and businessmen has exceeded his imagination.

Thinking of this, Xiao Wu stretched out his hand with three fingers,

"I came here because of the reputation, and it's my first time to cooperate. I have tentatively ordered [-] kilograms of refined salt. But I only offer a price of [-]. If the shopkeeper can make the decision, I will pay the deposit now. If you can't make the decision, just pay the deposit." Report it to the superiors. Business cannot be done without mercy. We came to the black market alone and don’t want to cause any trouble to ourselves."

After listening to Xiao Wu's quotation and order quantity, the man's eyes lit up.
"Please wait a moment, both of you, and let me go up and report."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper pushed the wall panel behind him.Only then did Xiao Wu realize that the wall behind him was actually movable.

After pushing it open, the wooden stairs were exposed. The shopkeeper gave the two of them a fist and ran up the stairs.

Xiao Wu and Wen You looked at each other. After a moment, the shopkeeper turned around and ran down again, laughing at the two of them.

"My master has agreed. You pay a deposit. Three days later, in a poplar forest five miles outside the city, we will hand over the money and deliver the goods."

Xiao Wu didn't even make any ink marks, so he directly put the 200 taels of silver notes on the counter. "This is a deposit. Does the shopkeeper also have to give me a voucher?"

"That's natural."

The shopkeeper picked up the banknote and checked its authenticity under the light, then put it away and took out an iron plate from the cabinet and put it on the counter.

"This is the voucher. When applying in three days, you will receive the goods with the sign in your hand in the poplar forest."

Xiao Wu picked up the iron plate and looked at both sides. There was only one word "Hong".

"Then see you in three days."

After that, he took Wenyou out of the shop and stood on the street. He couldn't help but look back at the grocery store before turning and leaving.

It was not yet midnight, and the streets were still bustling with people coming and going.

Wenyou didn't speak in a low voice until she left the black market.

"We were stared at right after we came out of the grocery store, and now there are at least four pairs of eyes behind us."

"Should we let Cheng Qian and Cheng Ye stop them?"

"No, just find a chance to get rid of them."

Wenyou held the sword in her hand and was alert to the surrounding situation. She was not afraid of being hit no matter what.

But taking Xiao Wu with her was a bit timid, so she was still confident if she could just escape.

It will be gloomy now, and there won't even be a star in the sky.Wenyou walked with Xiao Wu on the street. She seized the opportunity and grabbed Xiao Wu's wrist to hide in the alley. Then she jumped up and disappeared into the night in a few leaps.

By the time those people reacted and chased after them, they had long disappeared.

As for how those people went back to report, Wenyou didn't care. She jumped across several streets before putting Xiao Wu down.

He hid for a moment, made sure no one was following him, and then spoke in a low voice,
"Get rid of people."

Xiao Wu took a breath, raised his hand to his chest, and nodded.

The two rested for a while, and Wenyou picked up Xiaowu again and disappeared into the night.

When we returned to Guanyi, it was just past midnight.Xiao Wu put on casual clothes, washed briefly, and sat under the lamp.

He took the iron sign and checked it repeatedly, then handed it to Wenyou.

"Sure enough, the private salt is related to the Hongxing Gang."

Wenyou took the iron plate and looked at it, "What are you going to do?"

"Now it is confirmed that the private salt has flowed to the black market, but there is still a lack of an account book. The salt officials resell official salt privately. The quantity is huge, so there must be a transaction account book. I am just not sure whether they are trading with the Cao Gang or directly with the Red Star Gang?"

Xiao Wu looked at the iron sign in front of him and could only confirm that it was the Hongxing Gang who came to deliver the goods.

The Cao Gang was hiding behind the scenes, and he had no clue as to how involved it was.

Wenyou pondered for a moment,
"Leave this to me. Since the Hongxing Gang is responsible for the delivery, I'll go meet the gang leader and see if I can get the account?"

"Thank you, Sister Wen. Tomorrow I will ask Cheng Ye to return to Tongning County to dispatch troops. This time I will catch them all. Completely put an end to the proliferation of illegal salt in Liang County."