Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 581 Buying Rice
After walking a few steps forward, Tang Zhitong found someone selling pork.

Judging from the size of the unsold pork on the chopping board, it was obviously a piglet.

The butcher was holding a cigarette in his mouth. Although his nose was not pointing in the air, at least he seemed to be fearless.

No one was shaking hands here. When someone asked for the price, the butcher quoted directly: "With skin, eight yuan a pound, no bargaining, whatever you cut is fine."

The price increase is a bit more dramatic than that of live chicken, but the advantage is that it’s all meat.

Tang Zhitong stood nearby and observed that the people surrounding the meat stall were all dressed like city dwellers.

It seems that this is hard to buy in the city, so you buy it here?

"Master, this meat doesn't look very fresh. Can you give me a discount?" Someone nearby tried to lower the price and pointed out the flaws in the meat.

"How is it not fresh? Look at the color, look at the elasticity. In this weather, stale pork would have frozen solid long ago." The butcher slapped the pork with his palms, making a "pa pa" sound. It was obvious that the pork was fuller than the old man selling chicken just now.

Seeing that the start was not going well, other buyers stepped forward to help: "Master, this is pig meat, it doesn't taste good, please lower the price, give it a lower price, we will buy it. Don't you agree?"

"Yes, yes, Master, please make it a little cheaper. It doesn't have to be much, just one dollar cheaper will do." The others echoed.

"What are you thinking about? I can't even make a dollar from selling a pound of meat! If you don't want to buy, just make way and don't block others from buying." The butcher "spit" the cigarette butt on the ground and started to drive people away.

The meat is indeed not cheap, but it is not difficult to sell.

Even if we can’t sell all of them today, we can just freeze them and sell them later.

In a year of famine, are you still worried about selling food?
Seeing that the butcher was unmoved, someone finally wavered and stepped forward and said, "Give me two pounds, no more, unless it's a gift."

"Hey, I'm a good cutter! If there's more, it's yours. If there's less, I'll give it to you." When the butcher heard that business had come to him, his tone softened a lot.

The butcher cut the pork with his knife and hung it on the hook. He held the rope with one hand and moved the weight with the other, showing the star on the scale to the buyer: "Look, two pounds, very high."

"That's fair." Although the buyer said this, he still took out the money.

"It's good that the scale is fair. I only have this one little pig in the whole market, and it will be gone once I sell it. I don't know if there will be pigs next time." The butcher complained as he skillfully tied up the meat with a straw rope, handed it to the customer, and took the money and gave him the change.

With someone taking the lead, others who wanted to buy pork could not wait any longer and came forward one after another.

The butcher received each customer with a smile on his face.

Tang Zhitong didn't look at it for long. The meat of this little pig was far inferior to the ones he had stored. It was mostly lean meat with only a little fat.

Walking further ahead, you will see the stall selling grain, which is also what Tang Zhitong wanted to purchase in large quantities this time.

There are all kinds of common and uncommon grains. The finer ones include Jingxi rice, wheat, and flour. The mediocre ones are corn and millet. The worse ones include dried sweet potatoes and sorghum rice. There is also some Tang Zhitong powder that you can't tell what it is. It looks like the product of crushed roots and leaves. I guess it doesn't taste good.

Each type of food has its own customer base.

Fewer people buy fine grains, and more buy coarse grains.

Most of those standing in front of the fine grains are people from the old city, while people from nearby rural areas prefer cheaper coarse grains.

"Uncle, how much is this rice per pound?" Although this is a market, customers are not allowed to touch the rice, as if they are afraid that customers will just grab it and stuff it into their mouths.

The uncle selling rice took his hands out of his sleeves and made a gesture towards Tang Zhitong, with no intention of shaking hands to bargain. Tang Zhitong guessed that he might feel that shaking hands was too much effort.

Tang Zhitong understood it this time. Four dollars and fifty cents a pound was fifty cents cheaper than what the girl sold it to him yesterday.

"Can it be cheaper?" Tang Zhitong looked at the rice and found it looked good, so he bargained for a lower price.

"The Jingxi rice in the entire market is priced the same. If it weren't for the price limit written on the sign, I could sell it for a higher price." The uncle finally spoke, pointing in the direction of the administrator.

"Okay, how many kilograms do you have? I want them all." Tang Zhitong couldn't see the price limit on the administrator's side, and he understood why the girl went to the city to sell rice. She probably wanted to get a higher price, and besides, it was close to the inner city, so she could save a lot of effort.

As for the extra fifty cents per kilogram, Tang Zhitong didn't care at all. It was what people deserved for risking their lives.

There are six pounds in total here, and Tang Zhitong readily paid 27 yuan. He borrowed the scale from a vendor next door and gave the vendor ten cents as compensation for using the scale.

Tang Zhitong was very happy, as if he had done a good thing. He bought everything so that the uncle could close the stall early and go home to rest.

Tang Zhitong changed to another stall and bought five kilograms this time.

After getting more than ten kilograms of Jingxi rice, Tang Zhitong squeezed out, intending to go out and get some fresh air.

It was so crowded here that it was inconvenient for Tang Zhitong to cheat, so he could only slowly move outside with his full bag on his back and the chicken in his hand.

The area where grain is sold is the most popular place. Tang Zhitong estimates that at least half of the people in the entire market are here, and among this half, only a small half are city dwellers, and the rest are members of nearby cooperatives.

After leaving the grain trading area, there were fewer people. This side was selling vegetables. There were not many people and not many vegetables, only cabbage, radishes, potatoes, etc., and they didn't look very good.

Tang Zhitong walked a few more steps and saw the "sign" that the uncle had just mentioned. There was a "guide price" on it, indicating how much each item cost.

Tang Zhitong stayed in front of the sign for a while, mainly to remember the price of grain.

Jingxi rice is the most expensive, followed by flour at 2.5 yuan per catty, followed by corn and millet at 2 yuan per catty, and as for sorghum rice, dried sweet potatoes and unidentified food, they are 1.5 yuan and 80 cents respectively.

Except for unidentified food items, other food items can be found in the grain stores in the city, but the prices vary greatly.

Taking into account the money spent on buying tickets from ticket scalpers and paying the grain store, the prices at the market here are still higher than in the city.

What was the reason? Tang Zhitong didn't understand.

Tang Zhitong walked to the edge of the market with his things and stepped on the rooster.

He first pulled the brim of his hat down to cover his face as much as possible, then pulled down his scarf a little, intending to observe the market under the pretext of smoking.

The market is not big, but there are quite a few management staff. Some patrol the periphery, and some check at the entrances and exits.

In the time it took to smoke a cigarette, Tang Zhitong understood that the administrator did not check people who entered the market empty-handed, nor did he check people who came out with things, but only checked people who brought things in.

Most people who want to enter the market with bags or baskets to sell things have to pay first before being allowed to enter.

This may be what the man on the train meant by collecting taxes.

After understanding what was going on, Tang Zhitong was thinking about finding a deserted place to put away his things, change his clothes and come back to buy some Jingxi rice. Then he saw the uncle who had just sold him rice, carrying a basket, paying the tax and entering the market.

It seems that they didn’t take a break, but set up the stall again. They seem to be professionals!
"Interesting." Tang Zhitong temporarily gave up the idea of ​​changing clothes and planned to continue waiting for him here.

After waiting for another half an hour, the uncle finally came out of the market with an empty basket. Tang Zhitong picked up the chicken and followed the uncle far behind.

This is a rural area and there are no buildings that can block the view. Tang Zhitong watched the uncle leave the village and enter an independent yard on the side of the road.

After a while, the uncle came out again, still carrying the basket.

This time, Tang Zhitong confirmed that although this uncle looked honest and simple, he actually had a team behind him!

Seeing that there were not many people on the road, Tang Zhitong walked up with the chicken in his hand and said, "Uncle, do you still recognize me? I just bought some rice from you."

"Oh, it's you! What's the matter?" The uncle recognized Tang Zhitong. These days there are few customers who pay promptly. If all of them did this, it would save him a lot of trouble, so he spoke in a friendly manner.

"It's like this, my friend also wants to buy some rice. Can we stand aside and talk for a while to make way for others?" Tang Zhitong said, glancing at the uncle's basket, which probably contained about ten pounds of rice.

"Okay, okay. How much more do you want?" When the uncle heard that business was coming, a smile appeared on his face, he leaned to the side of the road and asked in a low voice.

"If I buy more, I can get a discount, right?" Tang Zhitong no longer had much sympathy for the dealer and started bargaining directly.

"That depends on how much you want. It's always cheaper than at the market." The uncle said with a smile.

"How much is one hundred kilograms? How much is two hundred kilograms? How much is five hundred kilograms?" If you have money in your pocket, you will feel more confident when speaking.

"Hey~ You brought so much money? How do you plan to trade?" The uncle took a breath, playing such a big game? However, he didn't get hit on the head by Tang Zhitong's big pie, so he asked rationally.

"Here!" Tang Zhitong took out two thick stacks of bills from his arms. These were the income from selling fish in the forest farm at that time.

After waving it in front of the man for a few times, Tang Zhitong stuffed it back into his arms and made a request: "If we can reach an agreement, you can help me carry it out. There is a big intersection ahead. You can unload it on the side of the road and someone will come to haul it over here."

"No problem, I guarantee I'll take care of it for you." As soon as he saw the money, the uncle immediately smiled and agreed without hesitation.

"Let me ask one more question. Do you have rice with husks? The rice is durable." Before starting to quote, Tang Zhitong planned to find out more about the uncle. Rice with husks is naturally durable, but Tang Zhitong's main purpose is not to store it for a long time, but to use it for seed preservation.

"Yes, but not much, only about 200 kilograms." The uncle certainly knows that the rice with shells can be stored for a long time, but it is troublesome to eat. Among the city people who come here to buy Jingxi rice, how many are willing to remove the shells themselves?
"Okay, I want it too. Let's talk about the price?" Tang Zhitong nodded. He was determined to get the rice with shells.

"Come on, come on, let's hold hands." This was a big deal. The uncle stretched out one hand to Tang Zhitong, and then used his other hand to hold a basket to block the two people's hands.

Tang Zhitong first put the rooster on the ground and stepped on it, letting the rooster protest. He then stretched out his hand and communicated with the uncle about the price using his hands.

The uncle was very cautious. While holding hands, he observed his surroundings with the corner of his eyes, with an expression that showed that he would end the transaction at the slightest sign of trouble.

"Uncle, I have to be frank with you. What I want is authentic Jingxi rice. I don't want the adulterated ones." Before making the quotation, Tang Zhitong made a request.

"You can check anything you want. If there's even one grain of rice that's not Jingxi rice, I'll give you all the rice for free!" The uncle said this with full confidence. This means he would not come back empty-handed. If there was, he would probably pat his chest.

"Okay, you name a price." Tang Zhitong did not offer an offer on his own initiative.

"Five hundred kilograms, I'll give you this price per kilogram." The uncle took Tang Zhitong's hand and gave him a quote of four dollars and forty cents.

"No, it's too expensive." Tang Zhitong tried hard and returned three dollars and fifty cents.

Uncle Zhou said that Chinese people like to compromise. If you bargain for four yuan, the transaction price will be around four yuan and thirty yuan. If you bargain for three and a half yuan, the transaction price is expected to be four yuan per catty.

"No, no, it's too low. It's not enough for me to pay for the rice." The uncle refused to agree and made a new offer of four dollars and thirty cents.

"Selling so much at once can save you a lot of trouble. As for the money, it's better to put it in your pocket. This will not only reduce the risk on your side, but also allow you to grow bigger and stronger and create greater glory. So, let's make a concession." Tang Zhitong said in a roundabout way and bargained for three dollars and eighty cents.

The two sides negotiated back and forth, and it was very lively. Finally, the price was set at 4.15 yuan per pound.

"You can't sell rice at this price. One kilogram of rice is only worth seven taels of rice." Tang Zhitong offered a price of two yuan and eighty cents, a 60% to 70% discount on the rice price.

"No, no, this needs to be stored for a while, so it has to be more expensive than rice." The uncle seized Tang Zhitong's weakness and offered three yuan.

"Then let's go with 70%. It will save you the trouble of shelling the fruits. Labor costs money, too." Tang Zhitong bargained down to two dollars and ninety cents.

"Then this is the price. Let's make a concession. To be honest, I'm at a loss at this price, but rice husks can also be sold for money." Despite what he said, the uncle still agreed because husking rice is too troublesome and none of them are willing to do it.

"Okay! Let's calculate the total price." After the deal was settled, Tang Zhitong found a branch and scratched the ground. Jingxi rice was 4.15 yuan per catty, for a total of 500 catties; rice was 2.9 yuan per catty, for a total of 200 catties; the total was 2655 yuan.

Most of the cash on him was gone in an instant, but Tang Zhitong was secretly happy. The window period is only between the New Year and the New Year. As the drought worsens, the price will only be higher next year. It would be a good deal if he bought it now.

After both parties confirmed the amount, Tang Zhitong first gave a whole sum and asked the other party to provide the sacks and labor, which were all free and could not be charged extra.

The uncle no longer went to the market and led Tang Zhitong into the yard.

There were other people in the yard, they were big and strong, seemed to be a little slow in thinking, and seemed to be guarding the yard.

Money can make people happy. Since entering the yard, Tang Zhitong has been on a roll.

If they dare to have any bad intentions, the bullets in my space will come in handy.

The few of them didn't even have time to eat lunch and immediately started loading the goods onto the cart.

Before loading, the uncle asked Tang Zhitong to do some random inspection. Tang Zhitong pretended to be serious, but in fact he used an external plug-in to test the rice inside and out and confirmed that it was genuine Jingxi rice.

The next step is weighing and loading.

The whole set went on smoothly, and Tang Zhitong covered his face with a scarf from beginning to end.

A skinny mule pulled the cart in front, and two people pushed it from behind.

The uncle was responsible for controlling the direction, while Tang Zhitong carried the chicken and chatted with the uncle.

During the chat, I learned that there is a reason why coarse grains are expensive here. Because there is no rationing in the countryside, people in the city buy coarse grains from the urban area and sell them here to make a profit from the difference.

Those who buy meat may not necessarily eat it themselves, but take it back to sell to rich people. The price difference is quite large.

Many people in rural areas don’t even have money to buy food, so how can they have spare money to buy meat?

"Alas, it's winter now and there's less food, so the price of food is a bit high. It will be fine when spring comes. When wild vegetables sprout in spring, the price of food will fall." The uncle said with emotion.

Tang Zhitong found it particularly absurd that the city dwellers were moving grain to the countryside, and the farmers were clearly the hardest-working group of people, the producers of grain, and in the end...

Finally, Tang Zhitong asked the uncle to unload the grain on the roadside and paid the balance. Everything went smoothly.

Tang Zhitong watched them go away. When there was no one on the road, he put all his things into the space, took out his bicycle, and rushed to the city.

(End of this chapter)