Ham was a rare treasure in these times. If you rationed it carefully and used it only as a flavor enhancer, you could easily make a single leg last a year.
"Fine." Jing Shu fished out one of the hams and tossed it toward Mister Liu.
The heavy meat landed on the stone floor with a dull thud.
Mister Liu dropped to the ground beside it, hugging the cured leg like a cherished baby while grinning as if he had struck gold.
President Gong immediately lifted a sharp, glinting knife and shouted, "Collect the tax! Collect the tax!"
Everyone in the chamber stared with blazing envy. They wondered how this big fool could be so lucky. He had handed over his supply of paper and walked away with a whole ham. There was still one massive ham left in the case, and the sight of its deep, marbled flesh made everyone swallow hard.
"You see, Lass, we have got plenty of other things over here."
"Lass, I have got tons of canned fruit. Do you want some?"
"Shampoo and body wash; are you interested?"
"How about padded jackets? It's getting colder by the day."
In an instant, several people surrounded Jing Shu, their voices rising as they excitedly pitched their goods. On the other side of the circle, Fan Jianqiang had already gone slack-jawed. He muttered "Holy shit" under his breath again and again. He had assumed she was some country bumpkin seeing the world for the first time, but she was way too loaded for that.
At this point in the apocalypse, throwing out two hams was like tossing out a mountain of gold. They were hard currency, plain and simple.
"Easy now. What are you panicking for? Let her earn some points first. Lass, how should I address you? You don't have a membership yet, right? Do you want to get one? There are lots of perks." President Gong beamed at her with a motherly smile while carefully holding the thin slice of tax he had just carved off.
"My surname is Jing. I won't get a membership," Jing Shu said, shaking her head. She wondered if she would ever come back to the capital again.
"Then Lass Jing, who brought you here?"
She pointed toward the thoroughly confused Fan Jianqiang. And just like that, the hierarchy shifted.
"Congratulations, young man. You are now a Gold Member. Keep it up, and bring more quality clients like this to the black market. You will get plenty of benefits."
Fan Jianqiang felt like he was dreaming. He had struggled for years to barely upgrade his status to Silver, and he had only just walked in today. Now he had been bumped to Gold without lifting a finger.
Once the formalities were settled, President Gong kept smiling. "Well then, Lass, tell us what you need. We will help you get whatever you want."
Jing Shu hesitated. She still needed plenty of supplies, and resources would only get rarer as time went on. As long as it was something her space couldn't produce, she wanted as much as she could get her hands on. But she couldn't just say she wanted everything. She tried to remain polite. "Why don't you all go first? I will look around. If I need something, I will speak up. Is that alright?"
"No problem. Xiao Liu, get Lass Jing a table and a few chairs. Let her sit up there so she can see everything clearly and won't miss anything she wants." President Gong didn't even give her time to object.
"That isn't really necessary, is it?" Jing Shu was stunned. Sitting on the main stage with everyone staring at her was far too much attention.
"It's perfect. Come on, take a break." President Gong's smile was firm, and soon enough she was seated in the front, in a spot more prominent than the Diamond-tier big shots.
Fan Jianqiang was trembling a little from the shock of his promotion. Song Bin, on the other hand, calmly helped Jing Shu tidy away the rolls of paper. He had long since gone numb to her surprises. Still, this seat was too conspicuous, especially with that remaining ham resting nearby.
The trading continued according to tradition. The canned-fruit boss and his secretary explained their needs. They wanted to trade their inventory for basic food, blankets, padded clothes, and other survival supplies. In no time, more than a thousand bottles of canned fruit were gone.
Under the boss's pleading gaze, Jing Shu unwillingly sliced off a tiny bit of ham in exchange for several dozen bottles of peach and lychee cans. She planned to take them home so her family could try something different. That way, bringing out fresh fruit from her space wouldn't look quite so strange to outsiders.
Then came a big shot who needed a huge amount of cotton and was willing to pay with rice. Jing Shu had stocked plenty of cotton in the past, and her space could grow rice in the future, so she didn't make a fuss or join the bidding.
The capital really did have good stuff. It didn't let her down. A rich, second-generation youth with a pile of medical equipment finally appeared. He was one of the few Diamond-tier members who hadn't rushed forward even after seeing her massive ham. He sat calmly behind his decorative barrier. He wasn't short on food; even the ham didn't seem to tempt him. Otherwise, he would have asked about it already.
He possessed a gentle, cultured air. His looks were average, but he spoke politely, which made Jing Shu view rich kids in a more favorable light.
"Let JOKER state his request," President Gong announced.
JOKER waved his hand, and two assistants carried his goods onto the stage. "Everyone knows what my family does," he said. "These supplies go directly to the authorities, so the quality speaks for itself."
"Ah, Ninth Young Master, we know your family lacks nothing. Food, supplies; everything is top-notch. But your requests are always strange."
"Exactly."
President Gong chuckled. "So, Xiao Jiu, how about taking that last ham? Lass Jing definitely wants your goods. In the apocalypse, lifesaving supplies are always in demand."
JOKER frowned slightly, then his expression softened into a smile. "I would like to trade for some things too, but with this ratio, neither of us will be satisfied. Besides, I'm mainly here to collect seasonings this time. High-quality ones only. Nothing expired, smelly, or damp."
Good stuff came with high expectations. The audience groaned at his words. Plenty of people had seasonings left in their kitchens, but this was already the fourth year of the apocalypse. They wondered where they were supposed to find high-grade spices that hadn't gone bad or lost their potency.
President Gong called out repeatedly while showing off JOKER's supplies. "Everyone, take a good look. Don't hide anything. He is from a medical family. Check out these lifesaving supplies."
It wasn't that no one had spices. They either didn't match JOKER's standards, or the ones who had them refused to trade because they were hoarding the flavor for their own meals.
Jing Shu's eyes lit up as she looked at the piles of iodine, saline solution, and the real gem: a whole box of concentrated 84 disinfectant effervescent tablets. A single tablet could last a long time when dissolved. She had bought plenty before the apocalypse, but she had nearly used them all. The worst part was she hadn't stocked enough 84 disinfectant. Disinfection and pest control were becoming more important by the day. These supplies were priceless now.
"Ahem. How do you want to trade these?" Jing Shu asked.
JOKER looked up and gave her a polite smile. "Looks like I'm not getting seasonings today. If you want to trade for the ham, that works too."
"No, no, we are trading for seasonings. What kind do you want? Oyster sauce? Soy sauce? Vinegar?" Jing Shu asked.
JOKER shook his head with a small laugh. "None of those. I want natural spices. Star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, dried tangerine peel, black pepper, Chinese five-spice, cumin; that sort of thing."
Soy sauce and vinegar were still fairly common, but natural spices had taken a huge hit in production. After years of relentless bad weather, they had become incredibly rare.
"No problem." Jing Shu snapped her fingers and opened the bottom layer of her box. Every compartment was packed tight with sealed bags filled to the brim with exactly the spices he had named.