Longfu Temple, also located in the Dongcheng District, was not far from Zhaojialou. After driving for about half an hour, the car suddenly stopped.
Chen Lan poked her head out to look outside. It was pitch black all around, eerily silent, with not a trace of light nearby. A few distant lights flickered.
Chen Lan thought that they were probably still some distance from the black market. She guessed that they stopped the car here because Xiang Dong and the others were afraid of alerting the snake and didn't dare to drive too close to the black market.
After everyone got out of the car, Er Zhuang, Xiang Dong, and the others checked their gear, as well as their walkie-talkies and earpieces. Finding them all in working order, they each shouldered a bag containing the samples Chen Lan had specially prepared for the night and prepared to set off immediately.
Chen Lan asked Jia Hui to go with them to broaden her horizons and repeatedly cautioned them to look out for each other and stay safe.
Chen Lan did not accompany them to the black market this time because she was responsible for preparing the goods in the car based on their final negotiation results.
After Xiang Dong and the others left, the area outside the car was quiet. The weather in the capital in late February was still quite cold, especially at night in the open.
With nothing to do but wait, Chen Lan felt a bit cold and bored. So, she opened the system warehouse with her mind and took out the lazy boy sofa she had been keeping there. Then, she reached out, turned on her earpiece, and comfortably reclined on the lazy boy sofa to wait for news.
Just as Chen Lan was drifting off to sleep, Xiang Dong's voice came through the earpiece. He said, "Young man, we've brought a lot of scarce goods today. These are the samples we brought. We're looking for someone in charge here to negotiate with."
Immediately after, Chen Lan heard a man's hoarse voice speak dismissively, "I'm in charge here. Where are you from? Don't you know your own capabilities? You're not qualified to see our boss." Sudannovel.com
Next, she heard cries of pain. Then someone shouted, "Brothers, grab your weapons! Someone's here to cause trouble!"
Followed by sounds of fighting, Chen Lan knew that the two groups had clashed. However, Chen Lan didn't worry about Xiang Xi and the others at all. They not only had the most advanced weapons, but Er Hu and Xiang Dong were also battle-hardened veterans.
Although they were old now, after all these years, these people living in the valley, like Xu Mingxuan, had never stopped their daily training, regardless of the season, be it harsh winter or scorching summer. They could all be considered as sharp as ever, with formidable combat strength.
Coupled with Jia Hui's great strength and Xiang Xi, Xiao Shuan, and Lin Mao assisting, Chen Lan was confident that the fight would be over quickly.
Chen Lan's guess turned out to be correct. After about five or six minutes, the fighting suddenly stopped, and Chen Lan only heard sounds of pleading.
Then, she heard footsteps, and not long after, voices. She heard the other party say cheerfully, "Come, come, let's sit down and talk. We didn't know each other before the fight! Are you brothers from out of town? My subordinates were rude and didn't treat you properly! Please don't mind!"
Then, Er Hu's deep voice said, "It's fine. Let's look at the samples first. I'm not bragging, these are rare items in the market. We've come tonight genuinely wanting to befriend you. Give us a fair price."
Thus, the buyer and seller connected, and then they proceeded to discuss the quantity and price of the goods. Of course, the pricing of the goods was remotely controlled and directed by Chen Lan.
Once they decided on the quantity of goods on their end, Chen Lan placed the order in the system to prepare. With the system as an incredible cheat, doing business in the black market was incredibly convenient.
What followed was the three steps of black market trading: inspection, counting, and payment.
Although there was a small hiccup in tonight's transaction, the final transaction was completed perfectly.
Both parties were very satisfied with tonight's transaction. The other party was happy to have found a stable source of high-quality goods, while Xiang Dong and his group were happy to have found a fixed major client.
Finally, the other party intended to confirm the time for the next transaction. They requested another batch of such high-quality goods ten days later, guaranteeing payment upon delivery, just like this time.
Xiang Dong and Er Hu did not immediately agree to the other party's request but did not refuse outright. They said they would deliver more good items when they got them.
Chen Lan and the others waited until all the goods were taken away before driving off with the money.
Staying in a hotel was inconvenient. They quietly climbed through the window back to their respective rooms.
When Chen Lan and Jia Hui returned to their room, Little Tenth Sister was already fast asleep. Fearing they would make noise, the mother and daughter went to bed without turning on the lights or washing up.
Before falling asleep, Chen Lan was thinking about how inconvenient it was to stay in a hotel. Tomorrow, she must remember to ask Er Hu and Xiao Shuan to urge the housing authority to speed up the construction.
After Er Hu and the others had urged the housing authority, Chen Lan planned to take her two daughters, along with Er Hu and Xiao Shuan, back to their hometown during the few days when there was nothing much to do, to pay respects to their ancestors. This was because Jia Hui would soon be reporting to school.
Xiang Dong and Xiang Xi also said they wanted to visit their ancestral graves and see if they could find a way to offer sacrifices. Chen Lan warned the brothers to be careful and not to get into any trouble at this critical juncture.
Lin Mao and Xiao Shan also planned to go home together for a visit. Chen Lan had also repeatedly given them careful instructions.
This time, they planned to drive back home. Chen Lan and the others set off from the hotel at 3:30 AM. This startled the person on duty at the hotel, who suspiciously asked, "Comrade, it's so early, and it's not even light yet. What are you going to do?"
Er Hu took out money from his pocket to check out and explained, "Comrade, we're catching the earliest morning train back to our hometown."
Upon hearing this, the duty staff member stopped asking questions. He only muttered, "Why didn't you mention this yesterday?"
Since they were close to the train station, customers catching early morning trains often left the hotel at this time, so he wasn't surprised.