Chapter 513 | Chapter 514 | Chapter 515
Chapter 513: The Capital Black Market: Blackie
After mailing the letter the next day, she began preparing for the recruitment of the small workshop.
“Tingxiao, do you know where to buy second-hand sewing machines?”
When Gu Tingxiao heard her words, he knew she was about to open the clothing store.
“I do. I’ll take you there this weekend.”
Second-hand items could only be bought from people in the black market, and Gu Tingxiao knew exactly where the black market in the Capital was located.
The black market was no longer as strictly regulated as before, and the state turned a blind eye to private trade now.
“Alright.”
On Friday evening, Sheng Wanyan’s family of three went back to live in their courtyard in the city. Yi Yi took Maodou into the yard to go exploring.
Sheng Wanyan was quite tired. After taking a bath, she lay down on the bed and fell asleep before she knew it. The academic pressure had been heavy lately, and she found herself wanting to sleep often.
Gu Tingxiao carried Yi Yi inside, only to see that she was already fast asleep.
“Mama~”
“Shh! Mama is tired.”
Yi Yi nodded, covering her mouth with her chubby little hand. She looked at Gu Tingxiao with her bright, watery eyes and shook her head.
“Yi Yi be quiet,” Yi Yi said in a tiny whisper.
With a smile in his eyes, Gu Tingxiao placed her into the crib.
Yi Yi, wearing milk-white pajamas, lay in bed clutching her stuffed animal, her eyes wide like copper bells as she stared at Gu Tingxiao.
“Go to sleep.”
Yi Yi blinked, looking at Gu Tingxiao longingly with the exact same expression Sheng Wanyan used when she acted spoiled with him.
“Sleep by yourself.”
Without Yi Yi saying a word, Gu Tingxiao knew exactly what she wanted.
“Humph~”
Yi Yi pouted her little lips and turned her head away to ignore him. Daddy is a baddie, stealing Mama from me.
Yi Yi stewed in her little tantrum, but as she stewed, she eventually fell asleep, tightly clutching her little rabbit doll whose fur had already rubbed off until it was bald.
The next day, the couple dropped Maodou and Yi Yi off at the military compound and headed out alone toward the black market.
Gu Tingxiao wore plain clothes today. He led her to a courtyard and knocked on the door. Soon, a scrawny young man came out to open it.
“Looking for Blackie.”
Hearing this, the scrawny young man led them inside. The moment she entered, Sheng Wanyan discovered that this courtyard was a second-hand goods trading market.
Second-hand radios, second-hand sewing machines, second-hand bicycles, second-hand watches, as well as some antique items and jade jewelry—it could be said that everything was available here.
The young man led them to a small room at the very back of the courtyard. Upon entering, they saw a dark-skinned, slightly lame middle-aged man.
The moment the middle-aged man saw it was Gu Tingxiao, his originally stern expression softened with a hint of a smile.
Sheng Wanyan followed him inside without speaking, letting Gu Tingxiao handle the negotiation.
“A rare guest,” Blackie said, looking at Gu Tingxiao.
Gu Tingxiao nodded expressionlessly.
“Is this your wife?”
Blackie looked at Sheng Wanyan with sharp eyes. Very few people knew about his place, and Sheng Wanyan’s sudden intrusion wasn’t necessarily a good thing for him.
“Yes.”
After hearing Gu Tingxiao acknowledge her, the wariness in Blackie’s eyes faded significantly as he looked at Sheng Wanyan.
“Sit.”
“Pour some tea.”
Blackie ordered the young man beside him. The young man hurriedly poured two cups of tea and placed them in front of Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao.
Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao sat down, and neither side spoke, instead leisurely sipping their tea.
“What do you want?”
Blackie spun the jade ring on his thumb, playing with it while looking at Gu Tingxiao.
“Ten second-hand sewing machines and five wall fans.”
Gu Tingxiao stated his needs. Hearing this, Blackie was practically amused by his audacity. How did he have the face to say that?
“Do you take my place for a wholesale market?”
“Should I go and rob them for you?”
Where was he supposed to find so much stock for him? And those wall fans—he didn’t even have any himself, yet this guy directly asked for five.
“If you can rob them, I’ll naturally take them too.”
Gu Tingxiao gave him no chance to refuse. Blackie was exasperated by his words, but with Sheng Wanyan present, it was hard to blow his top.
“There are plenty of newly arrived novelties outside.”
“Imported goods too,” Blackie added.
Hearing this, Sheng Wanyan smiled, turned to look at Gu Tingxiao, and said, “I’ll go look around outside and buy some new toys for Yi Yi.”
Gu Tingxiao squeezed her hand and gave her a few instructions before letting her go out to browse.
“Give my younger sister-in-law a proper introduction.”
“Go bring out that music box newly imported from abroad, and give it to my little niece as a welcoming gift.”
Blackie kicked the young man next to him. The young man nodded repeatedly and followed Blackie’s orders, acting as a guide for Sheng Wanyan.
Blackie watched Sheng Wanyan’s retreating figure without speaking. Once the door closed, he turned his sharp gaze back onto Gu Tingxiao.
Sheng Wanyan followed the young man out, and he gave her a brief introduction to the layout.
“You can take your time picking through the items here. The stall over there has the latest imported goods.”
The young man pointed to a stall, and Sheng Wanyan nodded upon hearing this.
“Take your time browsing. If you see anything you like, you can just pay for everything together at the entrance later.”
“Alright, thank you.”
“You’re too polite.”
The young man left her to browse on her own and went to fetch the music box as ordered by Blackie.
That music box was a rare item, a piece from Country D. He heard it was something played with by aristocratic young ladies abroad.
The music box was beautiful, blue with different patterns on top, and it would move when the button at the bottom was turned.
A Country D music box from 1978.
Blackie had only managed to get his hands on one, yet he just gave it away like this.
If it were put up for sale, it would easily fetch several hundred yuan.
Sheng Wanyan browsed slowly. She saw quite a few collectible watches here, and none of them had any damage.
Sheng Wanyan selected three of the most valuable watches and moved on to the next stall.
She reached the jade and gemstone stall and crouched down to look closely. Though she wasn’t an expert in this field, the elders around her since childhood had always loved these things, and her own jewelry had all been luxury goods.
Courses for socialite ladies included training in this regard; even if she wasn’t proficient, she could still distinguish between real and fake.
Sheng Wanyan’s eyes shone as she looked at them. More than half of the items here at Blackie’s place were actually genuine. This Blackie was truly capable.
But thinking about it, it made sense. If he weren’t capable, he wouldn’t have run a black market in a place like the Capital for so long while remaining perfectly safe and sound.
Sheng Wanyan wanted to take all of them, but she didn’t dare to, fearing that Blackie would find her behavior strange.
Even so, she didn’t hold back and selected twenty to thirty of the most valuable pieces of jewelry.
Especially a pink bracelet and a pearl necklace, which Yi Yi could wear in the future.
Sheng Wanyan had to admit this was a great place, but it was a pity she couldn’t come often.
She also caught sight of cassette tape recorders. There were actually quite a few cassette tapes here, including many popular songs from Hong Kong as well as some old classics.
Sheng Wanyan was thrilled to see this. She loved old songs; they possessed infinitely more charm and feeling than modern pop music.
Sheng Wanyan selected some of her favorite tapes. Playing some music at home would be incredibly cozy.
Chapter 514: Good Stuff from the Black Market
Sheng Wanyan made her way over to the stall selling imported goods. Most of the items here were children’s toys, including toy cars, puzzles, and decorative models of famous foreign buildings.
She picked out a few items that Yi Yi didn’t already own. Puzzles were a particular favorite of Yi Yi’s, so Sheng Wanyan selected a few extra sets.
By the time she tallied everything up at the checkout, it came to over five hundred yuan. The three watches alone made up a significant portion of that amount.
Not long after Sheng Wanyan finished paying, Gu Tingxiao and Blackie walked out. Blackie looked rather displeased, whereas Gu Tingxiao was perfectly composed.
It seemed the matter regarding the sewing machines and wall fans had been settled.
Of course, the fact that Sheng Wanyan had purchased so many items at once could not escape Blackie’s watchful eyes.
“All done browsing?”
“Yes. I bought quite a few pieces of jewelry for Grandma, Grandpa, Mom, and Dad. The goods at your place are beautiful, Blackie.”
Blackie didn’t say much upon hearing this. A customer was a customer; his only concern was the revenue, not prying into his clients’ private affairs.
“I’m glad you like them, younger sister-in-law. This is a gift for my little niece.”
“Just a worthless little trinket. Take it back for my little niece to play with.”
Blackie glanced at the subordinate behind him, who quickly brought out the music box and handed it to Sheng Wanyan.
“Then I shall thank you on the child’s behalf, Blackie.”
Gu Tingxiao didn’t stand on ceremony. Since Yi Yi loved dancing, she would definitely adore this music box.
The corners of Blackie’s mouth twitched. A rare item worth several hundred yuan, and you don’t even hesitate.
“The items you requested will be delivered tomorrow.”
“Don’t come around if you don’t have to.”
Blackie’s face had been dark ever since he walked out. Every time Gu Tingxiao came by, he always presented him with difficult demands.
Each time, he either bought nothing at all, or he cleared out an entire chunk of inventory.
That was one or two months’ worth of stock, which his men had worked painstakingly to gather just so they could have a smooth, restful couple of months ahead.
He hadn’t wanted to sell, but he couldn’t bear to turn away the massive sum of money Gu Tingxiao offered either. In the end, he could only swallow his grievances.
It disrupted his upcoming plans every single time he showed up. It would be a wonder if Blackie weren’t angry. Truly, the old saying held true—the one who pays is the ancestor.
“Understood. I’ll try my best,” Gu Tingxiao replied expressionlessly before leading Sheng Wanyan away.
Blackie watched their retreating figures in silence. A scout from the shadows immediately stepped forward to report Sheng Wanyan’s actions from moments before.
“Boss, that woman bought a lot of jewelry.”
“Should we look into them?”
Hearing this, Blackie slapped the man across the back of his head. What a bunch of brainless fools.
“Look into what! That couple is sharper than ghosts.”
“Behave yourselves! Don’t go looking for trouble.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Blackie kept a dark face and said nothing more. That woman was no simple character either; his men hadn’t managed to pry a single useful piece of information out of her mouth.
Even after all these years, he still didn’t know the full extent of Gu Tingxiao’s background. When he had sent people to investigate in the past, he had received a stern warning from the higher-ups instead.
People like that were the absolute most dangerous to provoke.
On the way back, Sheng Wanyan couldn’t help but ask about the situation. Learning that the requested items would be ready by tomorrow, she instantly rewarded Gu Tingxiao with a great big kiss.
“A reward for you.”
Gu Tingxiao looked at her with amusement. When things went well, there was a reward; when they didn’t, she was all cold shoulder.
“Let me show you my spoils.”
Sheng Wanyan took out the jewelry she had selected piece by piece. Gu Tingxiao raised an eyebrow when he saw the sheer amount she had purchased.
“You like jewelry?”
“Of course, what woman doesn’t?”
“Now that things are opening up, I want to dress up nicely, wear different jewelry, and put on different clothes.”
Sheng Wanyan openly displayed her desires on her face. She had never hidden her love for beautiful things. Gu Tingxiao looked at her thoughtfully.
Sheng Wanyan had no idea that her casual comment would be taken so deeply to heart by Gu Tingxiao, eventually leading to a house so overflowing with jewelry that there would be no room left to store it.
But that was a story for the future.
When Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao arrived back at the military compound, Gu Tingxiao was about to say they had arrived, only to turn around and find that she had fallen asleep.
He got out of the car and carried her inside. Over the weekend, the older children of the family were all out playing.
Grandfather Gu and Grandma Gu had also gone out for a stroll, leaving only the nanny at home. Yi Yi had tag-along with Grandfather Gu, and there was not a trace of the little girl to be seen.
By the time Sheng Wanyan woke up, it was already five o’clock in the afternoon. She was startled by the time; how had she slept for so long?
She quickly hurried downstairs to find that the children and the two elders had already returned.
The three children were chattering away in the living room about God knew what.
“Wanyan, you’re awake?”
“Grandma.”
Sheng Wanyan felt a bit embarrassed. Sleeping like this while the elders were awake at home felt somewhat discourteous.
“School must be exhausting, isn’t it? Is Old Zhao giving you a heavy workload?”
Grandma Gu took her hand, her face full of concern. Sheng Wanyan shook her head; Professor Zhao’s learning tasks were completely manageable for her, so it wasn’t a big deal.
“The workload isn’t heavy, it’s just that I’ve been a bit busy lately.”
“You child just can’t keep still. You need to take care of your health and get proper rest.”
“If there’s anything to be done, just leave it to Tingxiao.”
“Grandma, I understand.”
Sheng Wanyan felt deeply touched by Grandma Gu’s words. Most in-laws would want the daughter-in-law to do more chores while their son rested.
However, the Gu family had always been open-minded in this regard and never placed harsh demands on their daughters-in-law.
“You! On the rare weekend, you should rest well and have some fun.”
“The weather in the Capital is warming up nicely now; it’s the perfect time to go out.”
“Take Yi Yi out for a stroll, don’t just coop yourself up at home.”
Hearing this, Sheng Wanyan nodded. Since the weather was so nice, she would take Yi Yi to visit Tiananmen Square tomorrow.
“Grandma, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Yi Yi looked at Grandma Gu with a beaming smile upon hearing her words, and Grandma Gu pinched her little cheek.
“Look at our Yi Yi, she’s also been cooped up until she’s bored, hasn’t she?”
“Yes~”
Yi Yi hadn’t been out to play for quite a while, and she missed it terribly. However, knowing that her parents were busy, she hadn’t thrown any tantrums.
Yi Yi gave Grandma Gu a sweet kiss; Great-Grandma was the best.
Sheng Wanyan shook her head with a smile. Once Father Gu and Mother Gu returned, dinner was officially served.
“Grandma’s precious darling!”
“Has our Yi Yi lost weight?”
Mother Gu held Yi Yi and planted several kisses on her. She felt like the child had thinned down quite a bit since they last met.
“Not thin~”
Daddy had weighed Yi Yi before by putting her in a basket and lifting it up with a steelyard scale.
She had actually gained a few pounds. Even though she exercised and danced every day, her appetite had increased as well, so she was definitely heavier, not lighter.
“Right, right, right, not thin at all.”
“Our Yi Yi has the most meat, so squishy and fun to play with.”
Yi Yi’s eyes widened upon hearing Mother Gu’s words, and she tightly wrapped her arms around her own little body, her expression filled with absolute dread.
Why does everyone seem to love the meat on my body so much???
Yi Yi shook her little head violently, trying to shake the dangerous thought right out of her mind, the cheeks on her face trembling along with the movement.
Sheng Wanyan had long grown accustomed to Yi Yi’s strange thoughts and antics. A toddler’s little brain was always filled with the most bizarre things.
Chapter 515: The Sensation Caused by the Ceiling Fans
After dinner, the family of three returned to their double-courtyard residence. Ever since Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao started bringing Yi Yi back to eat on weekends regularly, Mother Gu had stopped nagging them about staying the night. Seeing them often naturally made her less clingy and reluctant to let them go than before.
Once back home, Yi Yi—who still hadn’t fully explored this new house—immediately began running wildly around the yard with Maodou.
Sheng Wanyan watched Yi Yi’s running form. This little girl was already two and a half years old, yet she still ran on her tiptoes, wobbling and swaying all over the place. She was truly curious about how on earth the child managed to dance.
Sheng Wanyan let out a sigh toward the sky, pulled up a small wooden stool, and sat in the courtyard to look at the stars.
“Mama~ What are you looking at?”
“Yi Yi, the stars are very beautiful tonight.”
Yi Yi looked up. The moment she saw the sky full of stars, she stopped running around and sat down beside her to watch with her.
“Mama~ The stars are so bright~”
“Yes, they are very beautiful.”
Sheng Wanyan absolutely loved the nights of this era—a sky filled with stars, accompanied by the chirping of cicadas in the trees. In the future, everything would be dominated by high-rise buildings, making it impossible to see such a breathtaking starry sky.
During the day, the sky was a crisp azure and the clouds felt incredibly close. At night, the sky was studded with countless stars while a gentle breeze rustled through.
As the mother and daughter took in the beautiful night scenery, Gu Tingxiao walked out of the house and gazed at their silhouettes from behind. One was a tender, youthful figure asking questions in childish baby talk, while the other was gentle and elegant, answering in a soft, low voice. This was the most beautiful scenery he had ever witnessed.
The next day, the family of three visited Tiananmen Square, where they ate roast duck and had douzhi with fried dough sticks. Having stayed in the Capital for a long time now, Yi Yi had gradually developed a taste for douzhi.
It had to be said that the little girl was ultimately evolving into an authentic the Capital lass.
Sheng Wanyan couldn’t help but marvel at the dominance of Gu Tingxiao’s genes. The dietary habits she had painstakingly cultivated in the child over the past two years couldn’t even beat a few months in this city.
“Ah~ So good.” After drinking a whole bowl of douzhi, Yi Yi comfortably patted her chubby, bloated belly.
Smelling the strong scent of douzhi coming from her mouth, Sheng Wanyan turned her head away, completely unwilling to get close to her.
“Mama, kiss kiss~” Yi Yi wrapped her arms around her neck and planted a massive, wet kiss right on her cheek.
Sheng Wanyan: “……” Her entire body went rigid.
In the afternoon, Blackie’s side was scheduled to deliver the goods to the small workshop. After Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao finished their lunch at the Gu family residence, they headed back.
“Don’t we have two courtyards over by the Beijing Dance Academy?” Sheng Wanyan began laying out her plans. “We’ll use one as the small workshop. We also need to recruit a few elderly aunts who know how to make clothes, and the clothing store needs three employees. If we recruit them now and train them for half a month, it should be just about time for the grand opening.”
Since she was busy with school and truly didn’t have much free time, Gu Tingxiao would need to pay extra attention to the recruitment process.
“Wife, when the time comes, I’ll put together a recruitment notice and paste it at the entrance of the general store.”
Sheng Wanyan’s eyes lit up upon hearing this. Right! We can paste the recruitment notice at the general store! Everyone who came to buy things would see it. Moreover, Mother Sheng could help screen the candidates—especially the older aunts, since Mother Sheng already knew a thing or two about the local ladies in the neighborhood. After all, gossip traveled fast.
“Then I’ll leave this matter entirely to you!”
Sheng Wanyan happily played the role of a hands-off boss. Later that afternoon, the sewing machines and ceiling fans were delivered, and Sheng Wanyan paid for them on the spot. The ceiling fans were brand new, and five of them cost a pretty penny, not to mention the ten sewing machines.
“One for our living room, one for our bedroom,” Sheng Wanyan distributed them. “One for the general store, one for the workshop, and the last ceiling fan will be sent to the double-courtyard house so it’ll be more comfortable when we stay there over the weekends.”
Once Sheng Wanyan finished allocating them, Gu Tingxiao grabbed a ladder and set to work installing the fans. After finishing the ones at home, he went to install the ones for the workshop and the general store.
When Gu Tingxiao and Sheng Wanyan carried the ceiling fan into the general store, it caused quite a stir, particularly among the customers shopping inside.
“What’s this?”
“A ceiling fan. Just plug it in and it works.”
“What on earth?!”
Grandfather Sheng, Grandma Sheng, and Mother Sheng all rushed over to take a look. Nowadays, a ceiling fan cost a whopping 130 yuan, and it required a ration coupon too! Was this girl out of her mind, putting something so valuable inside a general store?
Mother Sheng pulled Sheng Wanyan to the side and chided her in a slightly reproachful tone. “How can you put such a precious thing out here? Hurry up and take it back home.”
“Mom, we already have them at home. I bought enough for everyone. Having it here will make things more comfortable for you, Grandpa, and Grandma during the day.”
Hearing this made Mother Sheng even more exasperated. Did this girl think electric fans grew on trees? Buying so many must have cost a fortune! “You’re just being wasteful. Just wait and see how many people come flocking here just to enjoy the free cool air.”
Sheng Wanyan shook her head with a smile upon hearing Mother Sheng’s words. Having more people come over was a good thing; it meant more business.
“Mom, I’m going to install them in the clothing store later too. That way, both the employees and the customers will be comfortable.”
Sheng Wanyan did the exact opposite of what was expected, leaving Mother Sheng completely speechless from exasperation. She talked about one thing, and her daughter argued another; she feared she would die of anger if she kept speaking.
Gu Tingxiao finished the installation very quickly, mounting it right above the cashier’s counter—the area where Grandfather Sheng and the others spent the most time.
The moment Gu Tingxiao plugged it in, the ceiling fan spun to life, sending a refreshing breeze all around the checkout area.
Mother Sheng kept nagging about the wastefulness, but she was very quickly drawn in by the cool air and began enjoying it. Man, this is going to be so comfortable in the summer.
“Is this a ceiling fan? How much does it cost?”
“My goodness, the new neighbors are way too rich.”
“Exactly. First a general store, now a ceiling fan. Just how wealthy are they?”
The customers who came to shop chatted animatedly among themselves, unable to resist walking over to experience the ceiling fan. It was great to catch a bit of free breeze from such a rare luxury item!
Many of the customers who shopped here were immediate neighbors or residents living near the other universities. Word about Sheng Wanyan’s household had long since spread around the area; after all, this family was wealthy and consisted of university students! Everyone wanted to build a good relationship with them. Who knew? Maybe they could help secure a bright future for their own children down the line.
As Sheng Wanyan looked around the general store, a tiny thought popped into her mind—a thought that would surely drive Mother Sheng up the wall.
Gu Tingxiao installed everything exactly as Sheng Wanyan had requested. The sewing machines were placed neatly inside the workshop, and Sheng Wanyan had already prepared the fabrics beforehand.
“Do you think you can find Blackie to buy five more ceiling fans?” Sheng Wanyan asked. “We’ll need to install two in the clothing store, and the general store and workshop will need another one each. The remaining two can be taken back to our courtyard in the city.”
Sheng Wanyan had looked over the layouts; because the general store, clothing store, and workshop were all courtyards with large spaces, a single fan definitely wouldn’t be enough.
“I’ll go tomorrow,” Gu Tingxiao agreed without a second thought. The husband and wife shared a flawless, unspoken understanding.
Blackie, miles away: “……”
Soon, the news of the recruitment for the workshop and clothing store became common knowledge. Sheng Wanyan only planned to hire five older aunts for clothes-making and three employees for the clothing store for the time being.
There weren’t too many strict restrictions for the clothes-making position; as long as they knew how to sew, were under 65 years old, and were nimble with their hands, they were eligible.
