The shopkeeper listened to Xiao Wu's heroic tone. Although his expression under the mask could not be clearly seen, his dark eyes were staring straight at him. After a while, he burst into laughter.

“The guest is so generous, I’m naturally happy, but since we are doing business, we have to follow the rules. You can tell us how much you want, and pay a 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 up front. What I want is fine salt. If it is crudely made, I will not accept it."

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

The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment when he saw his posture, and then he came to his senses.

 Immediately light the lantern in the shop and lead the two of them to behind the counter.

By the time those people reacted and caught up, they had long disappeared.

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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.”

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

 The sky was gloomy at this time, and there were not even a single 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.

"The difference between what the shopkeeper said is that the salt on the market is currently only 40 cents per catty, and when it is in short supply, it will not exceed 50 cents at most. You just opened your mouth to ask for 35 cents. Isn't it a bit too high?"

“Guests, please rest assured. We will hand over the money and inspect the goods. If the quality is not good, you can refuse to pay.”

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

“This is the voucher. Three days later, at the time of application, I will receive the goods with the sign in my hand in the poplar forest.”

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.

Hide for a moment, make sure no one is following you, and then speak in a low voice,

 “Get rid of someone.”

“It is now 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?”

"The guest is right. Since we are sincere in doing business, we must be frank. Please come here."

 It wasn’t until they left the black market that Wenyou spoke in a low voice.

“Sure enough, the private salt industry is related to the Hongxing Gang.”

By the time we got back to Guanyi, it was just past midnight. Xiao Wu put on casual clothes, washed briefly, and sat under the lamp.

"My master has agreed. You pay a deposit. Three days later, in a poplar forest five miles outside the city, you will pay with one hand and deliver the goods with the other."

"I came here because of the reputation, and it's my first time to cooperate. I have tentatively ordered 20,000 kilograms of refined salt. But I only offer 30 yuan for the price. 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."

“This customer, just don’t worry, if nothing else, no one dares to question the rules of our black market. It’s just because the salt we sell here is of the highest quality, and the coarse salt outside is incomparable.”

“We were stared at as soon as 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?”

Hold the iron plate and check it repeatedly, then handed it to Wenyou.

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

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

  There is an open space of five or six square meters behind the counter, and there are six baskets placed next to the wall. Open the lids on them, and they are filled with salt.

 “No need, just find a chance to get rid of them.”

 Listening to his tone, Xiao Wu raised his eyebrows.

 One hundred three. One two four. One hundred four. Two hundred

 “That’s natural.”

Xiao Wu didn’t even make any ink marks, so he directly put the two hundred taels of silver notes on the counter. “This is the deposit. Does the shopkeeper also need to give me a voucher?”

After saying 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.

 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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

“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.”

 Snowy white color, medium grain size.

“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.”

"So, we only carry bulk quantities, targeting merchants like you. The price is thirty-five cents per catty. If you transport it to the north, it will be doubled when it is resold. I guarantee you will only make a profit and not lose any money."

 “Then I’ll see you in three days.”

 Listening to Xiao Wu’s quotation and order quantity, the man’s eyes lit up.

“You two, please wait a moment, let me go up and report.”

"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 three The price of fifteen cents is definitely a fair price in the peaceful and prosperous times."

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

Hearing the shopkeeper’s tone, Xiao Wu calmed down and had an idea.

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

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

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

Hearing Xiao Wu’s question, the man patted his chest with a firm look on his face,

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.

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

  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 will go and meet with the gang leader to see if I can get the account?”

"Thank you, Sister Wen. Tomorrow I will ask Cheng Ye to go back 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."

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