Chapter 871: Finding the Salt Nest
The shopkeeper listened to Xiao Wu's bold tone. Although his expression behind the mask could not be clearly seen, 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 up 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 reacting.
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 thirty-five cents per catty. If you transport it to the north, it will be doubled when it is resold. We guarantee 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 40 cents per catty. 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?"
Listening to Xiao Wu's counter-offer, the shopkeeper not only didn't get angry, but patiently explained to him.
"What the customer doesn'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 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.”
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 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 boss. It’s not a good business. We come to the black market alone and don’t want to cause any trouble. "
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."
Xiaowu didn't even have any ink on his face, so he directly put the two hundred taels of silver notes on the counter.
"This is a deposit. Does the shopkeeper also need 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 the front and back. There was only the 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 she was a little timid with Xiao Wu, so she was still confident if she just ran away.
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 would report back, Wen You didn't care. She jumped across several streets before putting Xiao Wu down.
After hiding for a while and making sure that no one was following, she whispered,
"We got rid of him."
Xiao Wu took a breath, raised his hand to smooth his chest, and nodded.
The two rested for a while, and Wen You picked up Xiao Wu again and disappeared into the night.
When they returned to the inn, it was just half a quarter after midnight. Xiao Wu changed into casual clothes, washed up simply, and sat under the lamp.
After checking the iron plate repeatedly, she handed it to Wen You,
"Smuggled salt is indeed related to the Hongxing Gang."
Wen You took the iron plate and looked at it, "What are you going to do?"
"It has been confirmed that the private salt has flowed to the black market, but there is still a lack of an account book. The salt officials privately resold the official salt in huge quantities, so there must be a transaction account book, but I'm not sure whether they traded with the Cao Gang or directly with the Red Star Gang?"
Xiao Wu looked at the iron plate in front of him, and now he could only be sure that it was the Hongxing Gang that came forward to deliver the goods.
The Cao Gang was hiding behind the scenes, and he had no clue how much they were involved.
Wen You pondered for a moment,
"Leave this to me. Since the Hongxing Gang is responsible for the delivery, I will go to meet the leader of the gang and see if I can get the account?"
"Then please help, Sister Wen. Tomorrow I will ask Cheng Ye to go back to Tongning County to dispatch troops. This time I will catch them all in one fell swoop. Completely put an end to the rampant private salt in Liang County."