The mother and her five children walked and chatted. Perhaps because it was noon, there weren't many people strolling on the street. The mother and children browsed casually as they walked. Chen Lan, having decided to visit the black market in the evening, felt it was necessary to first understand the price levels of the era. This meant a visit to a local supply and marketing cooperative or department store. Thus, Chen Lan decided to ask a passerby for directions.
Just as Chen Lan was looking around, she spotted four young women walking towards them, chatting and laughing, not far ahead. Chen Lan, with Jia Hui and the other three, walked up to them and politely asked, "Little comrades, please stop. Could you trouble me to ask if there's a department store or supply and marketing cooperative on this street?"
A round-faced girl looked up at the mother and children, then at their clothing. She replied with great enthusiasm and a smile, "Auntie, judging by your accent, you're not from Harbin, are you? You sound like you're from the capital. Are you here on a business trip? We're actually heading to the Songhua River Department Store not far ahead. It's the Qiulin Company, opened by Russians before liberation. That place has the most comprehensive selection of goods in Harbin, with items that can only be described as dazzling. You should be able to find anything you want there. Auntie, if you'd like to go, why don't you walk with us!"
"Qiulin Company," Chen Lan had heard of it in her previous life. It was said to be very famous in Harbin. Originally, it was the Qiulin Foreign Firm, founded by a Russian Jewish merchant. Later, another Russian merchant opened a branch of Qiulin Foreign Firm in 1900 at the intersection of Xiangfang Junzheng Street and Caoliao Street in Harbin. To expand its business, it moved from Xiangfang to DaZhi Street in Nangang District in 1902, opening the current Qiulin Company. However, it has since been renamed the Songhua River Department Store.
Chen Lan, hearing that someone was offering to lead the way, how could she refuse such a good opportunity? She immediately turned with the children and followed behind the four girls, smiling as she replied, "You're right, young lady. We are all here on a business trip from the capital. We wanted to buy some local specialties from Harbin at the department store here to take back as gifts." Sudanshuwang
At this, another long-faced girl stopped and turned back, exclaiming with exaggerated surprise, "So you're all from the capital! No wonder your clothes are so neatly cut, especially the white shirts you're wearing inside. The color is so pure, and the fabric looks of good quality too."
Hearing her, another tall girl turned and said, "I've wanted to buy a white shirt like this to wear in the summer, but I've never had enough cloth coupons."
A thin girl beside her chimed in softly, "Me too. I've even thought about buying expensive cloth coupons on the black market, but they're so pricey that I haven't been able to bring myself to do it."
Chen Lan heard this and felt her luck had turned. It was truly a case of searching high and low and finding it unexpectedly. So, she quietly inquired, "Young ladies, we are all here on a business trip from the capital and don't have any local coupons. Could you tell me where we can exchange for various kinds of coupons?"
With that said! She took out four shiny crystal hair clips from her pocket, intending to give one to each of them. She explained, "These are specially brought from the capital as gifts for new friends. I thought I'd give these four to you to wear and play with."
The four girls refused to take the hair clips, saying repeatedly that they were too valuable and they couldn't accept them. Jia Hui took the hair clips from Chen Lan's hand and handed them directly to the girls, saying, "They're just small trinkets. We're all young people, let's get to know each other and make friends! Please don't be so polite with us. Consider them gifts for our first meeting. Please take them!"
The girls had never seen such exquisite and unique hair clips before. What young girl doesn't like pretty things? Seeing the sparkling rhinestones now, they were naturally delighted. Hearing Jia Hui say that, they accepted the hair clips from Jia Hui with a broad smile and thanked her profusely.
Then, they looked around and, seeing no one, they quietly told Chen Lan and Jia Hui how to get to the black market. They gestured as they spoke until Chen Lan understood exactly how to get there.
Seeing that the mother and daughter understood, they cautioned, "It's best if you go on a weekend. Go empty-handed, don't bring anything. Once you've negotiated, find a place to trade. Remember to be careful!"
They also repeatedly and softly warned the mother and daughter to be cautious, to always have someone on the lookout, and that if they were caught by the Revolutionary Committee, they would be paraded and sentenced.
At this point, the round-faced girl quietly said, "Auntie, if you have a lot of things you want to exchange, it's best to go directly to the black market and find Brother Hu. It'll be safer that way. I've heard from people who frequent the black market that Brother Hu has connections and a broad network. He often gets hold of good things there, and most importantly, he has protection from above, so he's less likely to get into trouble. I've also heard that he's righteous and doesn't bully strangers. Unfortunately, I haven't met Brother Hu myself, so I can't tell you what he looks like."
After speaking, she turned to the other three and asked, "Have any of you seen that black market Brother Hu?" All three shook their heads in unison.
Then, the thin girl said, "I heard someone saw him in a tri-forked alley next to Xinhua Market. They said Brother Hu is burly, with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a full beard. Others say he looks like an intellectual, very thin and wearing glasses."
Chen Lan heard this and had a good idea. She figured Brother Hu must be disguised. At the same time, she couldn't help but sigh inwardly, the people of the Northeast are truly both enthusiastic and sincere. Making friends with Northeasterners is reassuring.
It turned out there were three black markets here. One of them was located in the alleys around Xinhua Market. People usually found their trading partners in Xinhua Market first, and then took them to the alleys or other places for transactions.
The group walked and chatted. After all, they were young people. Jia Hui quickly hit it off with the four girls. The group soon arrived at the Qiulin Company—Songhua River Department Store, located at the intersection of Nangang East DaZhi Street and Gogol Street.
"Qiulin Company" was a three-story brick-concrete structure. The facade was painted green with white decorative lines. The overall building was brightly colored, with gray and white granite column heads and cornice reliefs inlaid on the top of the entrance and the left and right walls. It was a typical "Baroque" style building, both ornate and unconventional. It seemed to be flaunting its wealth to passersby, looking extremely extravagant and luxurious.