The road was so uneven that carts were useless. After some discussion, they decided to load all the charcoal they planned to sell into the backpacks each of them had brought.
To keep them from slipping, Lao Gao had worked through the night to make special shoe covers that could grip on ice. Once worn, they allowed them to walk freely on frozen ground. He also worried they might fall, so he carved each of them a balancing stick from the wood in his home. With their gear ready, they walked to the marketplace without much trouble.
When they arrived at the market, not far from their residential compound, they were so stunned that they couldn't close their mouths.
The setup looked exactly like the old night markets. People had brought small tables from home, covered them with cloth, and arranged goods for passersby to choose from. Stall after stall stood in a neat row, and just like that, a market had formed.
Counting carefully, there were more than twenty stalls here. This clearly wasn't something thrown together in a single day.
Huang Jinghe sighed. "So it's been going for a while, and we're the only ones who didn't know?"
Just then, someone passing by overheard and explained, "You mean this market? It only started after the freezing rain. The higher-ups set it up so people could survive. Residents with goods to trade can set up stalls here for free. There are people on guard too, so no one dares cause trouble."
She pointed toward a corner not far away. Only then did they notice the guards stationed there. If anything got out of hand, troublemakers would be dealt with immediately. This market was far safer than any black market.
There was no chance of double-crossing here.
And since it had only appeared after the freezing rain, the market was actually just a few days old. To grow to this size in such a short time—she had truly underestimated the residents.
The woman finished explaining, then eyed the big packs the four of them carried. She guessed they were here to trade and asked, "So, what are you swapping? There's an empty spot over there. Go set up before someone else takes it. I'll see if I can trade for something too."
"Charcoal," Lao Gao replied evenly.
The woman blinked, thinking she'd misheard. "What did you say? You have charcoal, big brother?"
Lao Gao didn't mind being called that, but the way she rushed toward him was too much. He quickly stepped back, wary. "Hey, what are you doing? No grabbing!"
She laughed awkwardly. "Sorry, big brother. I was just surprised. Come on, find a spot and set it out. I want to trade for some."
They found an empty space together. As soon as Lao Gao opened his pack, the woman gasped. "You really do have charcoal. And this stuff looks good—it burns long."
Whether it burned long or not, Lao Gao didn't know. But Huang Jinghe was thorough, and this charcoal had been made with care.
"I'm only trading for food," Lao Gao said. "More food, less food, doesn't matter. Only food."
At first, Lao Gao had planned to trade everything at once. But then he realized these ordinary residents probably didn't have enough food to take all the charcoal, so he changed his approach. However much food they offered, he'd match it with charcoal—one piece, two pieces, it didn't matter. As long as it left his pack and turned into food, that was enough.
Because he wasn't picky about the amounts, people quickly gathered around. The noise even drew the attention of the guards.
The guards first thought a fight had broken out. But when they arrived, they saw it was just people buying. Then they spotted the charcoal.
They pushed through the crowd, picked up a piece to inspect, then took a few more sticks as if to confirm something. Finally, they asked, "Where did you get this charcoal?"
"Made it myself," Lao Gao answered, a bit confused.
"Made it yourself?"
Before they could ask more, Ling Jiang spoke up. "My grandma taught me. Why?"
The guards exchanged glances, then set the charcoal down. "No problem. Go ahead and sell."
With that, they left and returned to their post.
The four of them were left puzzled.
"What's the big deal? It's just charcoal. Haven't they seen it before?" Lao Gao muttered.
One of the residents explained, "Think about how thick the ice is right now. Where's anyone getting wood for charcoal? The higher-ups recently lost a huge batch of it, and they've been worried. But if they let you sell, it means it's not from that batch."
"Of course not," Lao Gao said. "This wood came from the office building we cleared out. Nice and clean."
When the others heard that, they regretted it bitterly. They had searched the same office buildings but left as soon as they found no food, while Lao Gao had dragged back wood. Now that wood had turned into food.
Lan Jin, however, was more interested in how these people had heard the news.
The resident shrugged. "It's normal you didn't know. I've got a radio. I listen every day."
"That's strange," Lan Jin said. "I have one too. I listen every day, but I never heard that."
"Then you must not sit and wait for it. News doesn't play around the clock anymore. It comes at random. If you miss it, you miss it. Just keep the radio on when you're home. When there's news, it'll come on by itself."
So that was it. Lan Jin understood now. But did she actually have a radio?
The other three stared at her.
She nodded. Yes, she had one. Hadn't she mentioned it? She couldn't remember.
Still, this wasn't the time for small talk. Their stall was stacked high, and after trading both large backpacks of charcoal, they had filled one big pack with all kinds of food.
Two more packs of charcoal remained, untouched.
"I think that's the limit," Lao Gao said. "Even if they've still got food, people won't want to part with it. How about we go take a look around the market?"
"Sure."
They packed up their things and began to wander among the stalls.