Chapter 36: Pigeon Market
2 hours ago
After leaving the hospital, Su He planned to wander around.
Xiao Nanhua wanted to follow, but Su He thought, Pigeon Market isn't a place that could be called lawful.
If they encountered problem, it could get troublesome trying to escape.
"Xiao Nanhua, big brother has things to do today, it's not suitable for you to come. Wait for me at the hospital, I'll bring you something delicious later!" Su He squatted down, speaking softly to Xiao Nanhua.
Thinking it over, Su He then pulled out a handful of milk candies for Xiao Nanhua. "These are for you to eat!"
He didn't mention not to eat too much; Xiao Nanhua wouldn't overindulge anyway.
Children these days, when they have something to eat, they tend to save it and eat slowly.
Because they often lack food or rarely get a chance to eat, they learn to save what they have.
This is called "making do with what you have"!
Putting the milk candies in Xiao Nanhua's worn pocket, Su He nodded. "Okay, stay at the hospital and wait for me to come back!"
Su He nodded and watched Xiao Nanhua go inside before turning towards the city.
The military hospital was on the outskirts, a bit of a distance from the actual city center.
But it wasn't too far; walking there would still take some time.
Someone rode by on a bicycle nearby, which gave Su He an idea.
Actually, assembling a bicycle wasn't difficult, at least not for Su He, who was skilled in mechanics.
"However, getting various parts of the cycle isn't that easy."
Typically, places that repair bicycles have all sorts of parts, but Su He lacked sufficient funds, and even if he wanted parts, they wouldn't just be given to him.
"It seems like I need an opportunity, or rather, I need someone with a high status."
He did have some bicycle materials in his warehouse, but those were materials for mountain bikes from the 21st century.
If he assembled one, it would look too modern and unlike any mountain bike seen before, too advanced.
Su He thought, everything needs moderation; going too far is never a good thing.
Arriving in the city, there were quite a few people with bicycles.
"I remember buying a bicycle also requires a bicycle ticket, which isn't easy to obtain. If I can really assemble one, selling it won't be difficult!"
Su He understood; products planned out like this, where government controlled people and product, couldn't possibly satisfy an entire society.
By then, if the bicycles he assembled didn't require tickets, even if they were a bit expensive, plenty of people would buy them.
There were always people in society who could afford bicycles.
The problem was finding them.
Pigeon Market wasn't easy to find, but it wasn't as difficult as imagined.
Su He circled the market a few times and saw people heading towards a certain place, carrying empty baskets or holding empty bags.
Observing carefully for a while, Su He noticed an alley where these people were going.
Before entering, they seemed to talk to a few people nearby.
"It seems like they're all acquaintances or referrals?"
Su He found a secluded spot and took out a bag of cornmeal.
It was his first time here, so he didn't want to bring out anything too valuable; he'd start with thirty catties of cornmeal and test the waters.
Approaching the alley, Su He was stopped by someone.
This wasn't unexpected; Pigeon Market seemed organized.
It made sense; without organization, who would know where to hold it?
Moreover, without the backing of organization and high level official or person, this place would've been seized long ago.
"What are you doing? Why are you here?" a bald man asked. The man looked tough and menacing.
Su He smiled, "I need money urgently at home, so I came to exchange grain for some things."
As he spoke, Su He took down his bag and showed it to the bald man.
Although Su He's clothes were clean, they were covered in patches.
Anyone could tell he wasn't from an official background; otherwise, he wouldn't be wearing such clothes.
It was Su He's demeanor that made him stand out as not quite rural, which led to him being stopped.
Yes, Su He seemed unfamiliar to them; they were probably afraid he was trying to gather information.
But seeing the cornmeal and noticing Su He looked quite young and innocent, the bald man didn't say much more.
"Go inside, but be careful. If you hear any noise, run!" Surprisingly, the bald man even gave Su He a reminder.
“Noise, run.” Su He nodded, appreciating the man's kindness.
With the bag on his back again, Su He entered the alley and discovered it had openings at both ends.
There were others coming from the opposite direction, and the walls weren't very high; with some flexibility, jumping over wouldn't be difficult.
This setup suited Su He; if someone came to catch him, he would have an escape route. As for suddenly entering the warehouse, that was not a good idea. If his secret was discovered, he would be in a big trouble.
Su He entered and looked at what others were selling. There was a variety of goods, mostly grains and eggs.
Su He found a vacant spot. As soon as he set down the bag, a middle-aged man approached.
Seeing it was cornmeal, the man asked directly, "How much?"
When Su He came in earlier, he had roughly heard the prices. Most sellers of coarse grains charged between 25 to 31 jiao per catty! Naturally, it was cheaper outside. The prices outside were about 10 jiao for coarse grains, but that required coupons. As for finer grains like rice, they sold for about 20 to 25 jiao outside!
In the pigeon market, prices doubled to 50 jiao!
Su He's cornmeal was coarse, but it was finely grounded, almost like half-fine grain.
Su He said, "40 jiao per kilogram!"
The middle-aged man replied, "Too expensive. Coarse grains usually go for 25 jiao. Yours is too high!"
Su He smiled, "Their coarse grains are too coarse. Look at this cornmeal of mine, finely ground and delicate. Each grain is almost the same size and very smooth. It can be eaten like fine grain, especially if you mix in some white flour. The taste will be excellent."
The middle-aged man didn't leave on the spot, realizing this. He was also surprised to see such finely ground cornmeal; he had never seen it before.
After thinking it over, the middle-aged man decided, "Okay, I'll take it."
But he added, "If you have this kind of product in the future, sell it to me. I'll definitely pay you a high price!"
Su He swiftly weighed it for him, allowing the middle-aged man to see: over 30 pounds, on the dot.
After receiving the money, Su He handed him the bag. He had to give it to him; how else would he carry it back?
Su He looked at him then smiled, "Okay. You seem to be a leader in the pigeon market. When I have goods, I'll get in touch with you.
Chapter 36: Pigeon Market
2 hours ago
After leaving the hospital, Su He planned to wander around.
Xiao Nanhua wanted to follow, but Su He thought, Pigeon Market isn't a place that could be called lawful.
If they encountered problem, it could get troublesome trying to escape.
"Xiao Nanhua, big brother has things to do today, it's not suitable for you to come. Wait for me at the hospital, I'll bring you something delicious later!" Su He squatted down, speaking softly to Xiao Nanhua.
Thinking it over, Su He then pulled out a handful of milk candies for Xiao Nanhua. "These are for you to eat!"
He didn't mention not to eat too much; Xiao Nanhua wouldn't overindulge anyway.
Children these days, when they have something to eat, they tend to save it and eat slowly.
Because they often lack food or rarely get a chance to eat, they learn to save what they have.
This is called "making do with what you have"!
Putting the milk candies in Xiao Nanhua's worn pocket, Su He nodded. "Okay, stay at the hospital and wait for me to come back!"
Su He nodded and watched Xiao Nanhua go inside before turning towards the city.
The military hospital was on the outskirts, a bit of a distance from the actual city center.
But it wasn't too far; walking there would still take some time.
Someone rode by on a bicycle nearby, which gave Su He an idea.
Actually, assembling a bicycle wasn't difficult, at least not for Su He, who was skilled in mechanics.
"However, getting various parts of the cycle isn't that easy."
Typically, places that repair bicycles have all sorts of parts, but Su He lacked sufficient funds, and even if he wanted parts, they wouldn't just be given to him.
"It seems like I need an opportunity, or rather, I need someone with a high status."
He did have some bicycle materials in his warehouse, but those were materials for mountain bikes from the 21st century.
If he assembled one, it would look too modern and unlike any mountain bike seen before, too advanced.
Su He thought, everything needs moderation; going too far is never a good thing.
Arriving in the city, there were quite a few people with bicycles.
"I remember buying a bicycle also requires a bicycle ticket, which isn't easy to obtain. If I can really assemble one, selling it won't be difficult!"
Su He understood; products planned out like this, where government controlled people and product, couldn't possibly satisfy an entire society.
By then, if the bicycles he assembled didn't require tickets, even if they were a bit expensive, plenty of people would buy them.
There were always people in society who could afford bicycles.
The problem was finding them.
Pigeon Market wasn't easy to find, but it wasn't as difficult as imagined.
Su He circled the market a few times and saw people heading towards a certain place, carrying empty baskets or holding empty bags.
Observing carefully for a while, Su He noticed an alley where these people were going.
Before entering, they seemed to talk to a few people nearby.
"It seems like they're all acquaintances or referrals?"
Su He found a secluded spot and took out a bag of cornmeal.
It was his first time here, so he didn't want to bring out anything too valuable; he'd start with thirty catties of cornmeal and test the waters.
Approaching the alley, Su He was stopped by someone.
This wasn't unexpected; Pigeon Market seemed organized.
It made sense; without organization, who would know where to hold it?
Moreover, without the backing of organization and high level official or person, this place would've been seized long ago.
"What are you doing? Why are you here?" a bald man asked. The man looked tough and menacing.
Su He smiled, "I need money urgently at home, so I came to exchange grain for some things."
As he spoke, Su He took down his bag and showed it to the bald man.
Although Su He's clothes were clean, they were covered in patches.
Anyone could tell he wasn't from an official background; otherwise, he wouldn't be wearing such clothes.
It was Su He's demeanor that made him stand out as not quite rural, which led to him being stopped.
Yes, Su He seemed unfamiliar to them; they were probably afraid he was trying to gather information.
But seeing the cornmeal and noticing Su He looked quite young and innocent, the bald man didn't say much more.
"Go inside, but be careful. If you hear any noise, run!" Surprisingly, the bald man even gave Su He a reminder.
“Noise, run.” Su He nodded, appreciating the man's kindness.
With the bag on his back again, Su He entered the alley and discovered it had openings at both ends.
There were others coming from the opposite direction, and the walls weren't very high; with some flexibility, jumping over wouldn't be difficult.
This setup suited Su He; if someone came to catch him, he would have an escape route. As for suddenly entering the warehouse, that was not a good idea. If his secret was discovered, he would be in a big trouble.
Su He entered and looked at what others were selling. There was a variety of goods, mostly grains and eggs.
Su He found a vacant spot. As soon as he set down the bag, a middle-aged man approached.
Seeing it was cornmeal, the man asked directly, "How much?"
When Su He came in earlier, he had roughly heard the prices. Most sellers of coarse grains charged between 25 to 31 jiao per catty! Naturally, it was cheaper outside. The prices outside were about 10 jiao for coarse grains, but that required coupons. As for finer grains like rice, they sold for about 20 to 25 jiao outside!
In the pigeon market, prices doubled to 50 jiao!
Su He's cornmeal was coarse, but it was finely grounded, almost like half-fine grain.
Su He said, "40 jiao per kilogram!"
The middle-aged man replied, "Too expensive. Coarse grains usually go for 25 jiao. Yours is too high!"
Su He smiled, "Their coarse grains are too coarse. Look at this cornmeal of mine, finely ground and delicate. Each grain is almost the same size and very smooth. It can be eaten like fine grain, especially if you mix in some white flour. The taste will be excellent."
The middle-aged man didn't leave on the spot, realizing this. He was also surprised to see such finely ground cornmeal; he had never seen it before.
After thinking it over, the middle-aged man decided, "Okay, I'll take it."
But he added, "If you have this kind of product in the future, sell it to me. I'll definitely pay you a high price!"
Su He swiftly weighed it for him, allowing the middle-aged man to see: over 30 pounds, on the dot.
After receiving the money, Su He handed him the bag. He had to give it to him; how else would he carry it back?
Su He looked at him then smiled, "Okay. You seem to be a leader in the pigeon market. When I have goods, I'll get in touch with you.
