Chapter 13: The First Pot of Gold
After Yue Feng arrived at the Ghost Market, he first pretended to be a buyer and strolled around the main street. Besides observing the crowd of people buying and selling for anything suspicious, he paid special attention to potential escape routes.
This street was adjacent to several alleys, making it accessible in all directions. Unless someone physically restrained his hands on the spot, with Yue Feng's speed, he could escape even if someone tried to catch him.
Many people were squatting by the roadside. In front of them were either small flour sacks or wicker baskets, among other things. At least a hundred people were either squatting or standing by the roadside, yet the entire street was silent.
This Ghost Market had been around for over half a year. With the relaxation of national policies, the enforcement against speculation and profiteering had gradually loosened. As long as one wasn't too unlucky or targeted, selling small quantities of goods was no longer strictly controlled.
Yue Feng found an empty spot where no one was, squatted down, and took out the Sand Grouse and Flying Dragon he had brought from his pocket, placing them at his feet.
The trick of putting live poultry in a sock leg was very effective. The Sand Grouse only had its head showing and didn't struggle at all.
Soon, someone noticed the live poultry in front of Yue Feng. A middle-aged man wrapped in a grey coat squatted down.
"Are these Sand Grouse and Flying Dragon for sale? Comrade, what's the price?" the man asked in a low voice.
Yue Feng said without hesitation, "Sand Grouse are seventy cents each, and the male Flying Dragon is one dollar ten cents! They just came down from the mountain yesterday, fresh, alive, and unharmed!"
"So expensive? I'll take them all if they're cheaper!"
If the other party hadn't said he'd take them all, Yue Feng might have genuinely lowered the price by three or five cents. Hearing the other party bargain like that, Yue Feng shook his head.
"I can't lower this price. These are genuine mountain delicacies, and they're whole, alive, and unharmed! It's not easy to catch just a few of these birds!" Yue Feng shook his head.
Seeing that Yue Feng wasn't budging, the other party hesitated slightly, stood up, and left.
It was still over an hour until dawn, so Yue Feng wasn't in a hurry.
Soon, several more people came by to inquire about the price.
In this Ghost Market, most people sold grain and ration coupons. There were also scattered sellers of eggs, cloth, and pork, but live Sand Grouse and Flying Dragon like these were unique. Many people, even if they couldn't afford to buy, came over to ask about the market price.
Yue Feng had prepared himself mentally before coming, so he wasn't anxious and quietly waited for his buyer.
After a while, a short man in his thirties came over.
This Brother was wearing a Red Star Coal Mine uniform. After circling the Ghost Market, he came before Yue Feng.
"How are the Sand Grouse and Flying Dragon selling?"
"Sand Grouse are seventy cents each, and Flying Dragon are one dollar ten cents! They're whole, unharmed, and alive. It's better to eat half an ounce of flying birds than a pound of walking beasts; they're very nutritious! These are mountain delicacies, whether you eat them yourself or give them as gifts, they're rare!" Yue Feng said very animatedly.
"You're selling them too expensively! I bought some a few days ago, Sand Grouse were only thirty cents! Flying Dragon were only fifty cents!" the short man bargained in a low voice.
"Those were caught dead with snares or traps! The blood wasn't even drained! Mine are whole, alive, and unharmed! How could the price be the same!" Yue Feng said very confidently.
"Alright, give me two Sand Grouse and one Flying Dragon!" the short man pointed to the birds on the ground and said.
"Okay, did you bring a bag? I'm not selling the socks used to hold the birds! Pick which ones you want, and I'll get them for you!"
"I brought one!" The buyer took out a small cloth bag from his body, shook it open, and at the same time pointed to two slightly larger Sand Grouse.
Yue Feng took the birds out one by one, put them into the other party's bag, and then said, "That's two dollars fifty cents in total!"
The other party took out money to pay, picked up the little birds still struggling in the bag, turned around, and left.
With two dollars fifty cents in hand, this trip wasn't in vain; business was open!
It might sound like two dollars isn't much, but considering the purchasing power at that time, it was a significant amount.
According to the grain store prices, wheat that hadn't been ground into flour was thirteen cents a pound, corn was ten cents, and pork was only eighty cents a pound. Of course, these prices required ration coupons. If you bought them on the Ghost Market without coupons, the price would be higher.
Yue Feng had brought a total of seven Sand Grouse and one Flying Dragon. After selling three of them, only five Sand Grouse remained.
The previous buyer who had bargained and intended to buy them all circled around for a while and then came back.
"How much for the five Sand Grouse bundled together?"
Yue Feng: "Seventy cents each, that's three dollars fifty cents! If you're serious about wanting them, the lowest I can go is three dollars forty cents!"
It seemed as though the three birds Yue Feng had sold put considerable pressure on the other party. Seeing that Yue Feng had voluntarily lowered the price by ten cents, this buyer no longer tried to manipulate the seller and continued bargaining.
Yue Feng's behavior might seem like leading someone backward by pulling them forward, but he actually had his own strategy. For buyers who immediately wanted to buy everything, he couldn't appear too eager to lower the price easily just to sell his goods, as if his things wouldn't sell otherwise. If he did, it would be easy for the other party to gain control of the negotiation..
The other party temporarily left and returned after a while. In reality, he had already accepted Yue Feng's initial offer in his heart.
At this point, Yue Feng's voluntary concession was equivalent to both showing his sincerity and giving the other party a psychological step down. In this push and pull, he had already taken control of the transaction.
After all, Yue Feng's main purpose for coming to the Ghost Market in the city was to find a stable sales channel, such as coal mine canteens or procurement for guesthouses, rather than just selling things piece by piece.
"Okay, pack them all up for me!" The other party took a folded fertilizer bag from his lower back. Yue Feng took off the socks one by one, and all five Sand Grouse were put into the bag.
After counting the banknotes, Yue Feng put the money into his pocket and stood up, intending to leave.
This buyer couldn't help but ask, "Are you coming tomorrow?"
Yue Feng hesitated slightly: "Hard to say, most likely I won't be able to come! My home is in a village at the foot of the mountain, and it's over twenty li to walk into the city!"
"Alright, I come to the Ghost Market every morning! We'll talk about it next time you come! By the way, how did you catch these birds?"
Yue Feng: "If you want to catch them alive, you can only use an eagle! Traps or snares basically won't catch them alive!"
"Using an eagle? No wonder! Can you help me catch more Flying Dragon? If so, I can be a long-term buyer!"
"Yes! The eagle has just been released, I'll try my best. If I catch some later, we can meet here again!"
"Okay!"
...
Watching the man leave, Yue Feng stood up, patted the dust off his body, and strode towards the pork stall not far away.
At this pork stall, the owner cut the meat into strips of about one jin each, tied them with wire, and displayed them on a woven bag. However, business didn't seem good. Yue Feng had already sold out, but he hadn't sold much of his meat.
Yue Feng looked down and glanced. No wonder he hadn't sold out; most of the remaining meat was lean meat from the hindquarters, and there wasn't much fatty meat with grease.
In this era, oil and fat were scarce, so people preferred fatty pork. This lean meat wasn't very popular.
"Brother, how is the meat sold?"