Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

Zhao Lei lit a cigarette, took a slow puff, his eyes calm and collected, indicating that he had already made his plans.

"Now that we're in town, let's not go anywhere else, let's go straight to the black market."

Qin Bowen was taken aback: "The black market? What are we going there for?"

"It's very simple."

Zhao Lei slowly began, "This thief stole three priceless musk pods. Keeping them is like keeping dead objects; they're completely useless."

"He's desperate to cash out, so he'll definitely take the risk and find a way to sell on the black market. He doesn't dare go to Fatty Chen at the supply and marketing cooperative, so his only way to get rid of the goods is through the town's black market."

Besides this, Zhao Lei had another important matter on his mind.

He had already become friends with Deng Changhai of the black market and had arranged to personally visit him to invite him to his housewarming party next weekend.

He originally planned to make a special trip to formally invite them after everything was ready and everything was settled.

Now, due to a series of unfortunate events, he has run into the thief's misfortune and is taking advantage of the opportunity to visit the black market to kill two birds with one stone.

While investigating leads on the shipment of musk pods, they also visited Deng Changhai in person to finalize the invitation to his housewarming banquet.

Kill two birds with one stone.

The two dared not delay and hurried to the black market behind the Jinxiu Textile Factory warehouse.

The black market was much quieter than last time.

The last time I came here to buy cement, this place was packed with people, so crowded that it was impossible to move.

There aren't many customers coming and going right now.

Qin Bowen looked around, his face full of doubt: "Brother-in-law, why are there so few people at the black market today?"

Zhao Lei smiled faintly: "Today isn't market day, and we came at noon, so it's still early. The black market will be really lively in the afternoon."

After saying that, the two strolled around the black market.

There weren't many customers, but most of the vendors were still in their spots.

The vast majority of goods were covered tightly with coarse cloth, with only a small corner showing; the goods were never fully exposed.

Zhao Lei knew perfectly well that this was the unwritten rule of the black market.

Before the reform and opening up, doing business privately is a gray area. If you get caught, you will be labeled as a speculator, and no one can afford to take that risk.

Without introductions from acquaintances, many business deals simply cannot be done.

The vendor only shows a corner of the cloth, which is also a way of testing the waters. Only when an interested buyer takes the initiative to talk to them will the vendor lift the cloth and reveal the real goods.

Because they had been here before, and Deng Changhai and Lao Hei had seen them off, many vendors recognized Zhao Lei and his companion.

Unlike when they first arrived, no one was looking at them with wary eyes. Some stall owners even took the initiative to solicit business.

"Brothers, come and take a look at my place. I have the latest imported goods, all rare items brought from overseas. Even the supply and marketing cooperatives need a permit to buy them."

Qin Bowen immediately became interested and quickly walked towards the stall.

"What foreign goods?"

"Young man, come and take a look. I guarantee you'll be amazed."

The stall owner reached under the black cloth covering the watch and pulled out an electronic watch.

Qin Bowen's eyes lit up instantly when he saw it.

Electronic watches! These are rare finds in supply and marketing cooperatives, and even rarer in Qingfeng Town. They are considered a rarity that only city dwellers can afford.

He took it and examined it closely. It had a rubber strap, a square case, and a small black-and-white display screen, no bigger than a little fingernail, that could only show the time.

In this day and age, it's considered a very trendy gadget.

Qin Bowen liked it more and more as he looked at it, and he couldn't take his eyes off it.

Seeing this, the stall owner quickly pressed his advantage, saying, "I only have three pieces on hand, and they're extremely hard to come by. With more people this afternoon, they might get snatched up. It took me over a month and many other efforts to get these three."

Qin Bowen asked, "Boss, what should we do if this watch runs out of power?"

"Young man, this imported product is of excellent quality. It has a small button battery inside, so it doesn't need to be replaced for more than half a year, making it very convenient to tell the time."

The stall owner then raised the mechanical watch on his wrist: "I still have these kinds of watches here. Only high-ranking state leaders are qualified to wear them. Ordinary people can't buy them even if they have money. I've kept one for myself. If you're interested, I'll reserve one for you next time I get a new one."

Zhao Lei took a few steps forward, then looked back and saw that Qin Bowen was nowhere to be seen. Turning around, he saw him squatting in front of the stall, engrossed in watching something.

Zhao Lei walked over quickly.

"Bowen, what are you doing here?"

"Brother-in-law, look at digital watches! I want to buy one."

Zhao Lei glanced at the watch and recognized it at a glance.

It is the very same classic electronic watch that became famous in later generations. It is waterproof and durable, and it remains popular even in the 21st century, especially in the Middle East where it sells extremely well.

Its function is very limited; it can only tell you the time. The design has hardly changed in decades.

Zhao Lei was somewhat tempted, but he had more important matters to attend to. Wearing such an eye-catching watch would be too conspicuous.

He reached out and grabbed Qin Bowen: "Forget it, Bowen, let's take care of business first. We can talk about this later."

Qin Bowen reluctantly said goodbye to the stall owner, and the two continued forward, heading straight for the warehouse where Deng Changhai was.

As soon as I approached the warehouse, I saw Old Black, a burly man as big as a black tower, dozing off in his chair.

The sound of Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen walking woke him up.

Old Hei suddenly opened his eyes, stood up abruptly, and looked wary.

Upon recognizing Zhao Lei, he paused for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face.

"Brother Lei, what brings you here? Is it because you're still short of cement for the new house?"

Zhao Lei stepped forward and handed Daqianmen cigarettes to Lao Hei and several other workers.

"Brother Hei, I'm here to see Boss Deng. There's something I need to discuss."

Lao Hei knew very well that his boss valued Zhao Lei highly.

Although he felt a little jealous, he had to admit that Zhao Lei was a smooth operator, and even a ruthless character like Deng Changhai treated him differently.

Because he loved Zhao Lei, he treated him kindly, but the smile that forced a smile onto his fierce face still made people feel uneasy.

Old Hei led the two into Deng Changhai's small office where he was resting.

Deng Changhai was quite surprised to see Zhao Lei come to his door.

"Hey, Lei Zi, what brings you here today? Is your landmark house finally finished?"

Zhao Lei smiled and nodded: "Brother Deng, I came here specifically to invite you to my housewarming party."

"Oh? That's great. I've been saying it all along; it's been over a month, I reckon your house should be finished by now."

"Exactly. The date is set for next Saturday, just below the bamboo slope at the east end of Heping Brigade Village. My new house can be seen from far away."

Deng Changhai thought for a moment: "Next Saturday? Okay, that time is fine, I'll definitely be there."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhao Lei smoothly steered the conversation to the real purpose of his trip.

"Brother Deng, I'd like to ask if there are any people in our black market who specialize in buying wild game and mountain produce?"