Everything was over, and it was almost three in the morning. In an hour, the sky would start to brighten, leaving enough time for the other party to handle their business.
Both parties were very satisfied with the deal. Besides having ample time, the middle-aged man appreciated Zhang Guoqing’s generous and straightforward manner.
As for Zhang Guoqing, he was pleased to see the other party keeping his promises, even gifting him with two sacks of cotton. Especially the three pigs being calculated at twice the price of the purchase station.
The things weren’t worth much, but they revealed the other person’s character. If not for too many concerns, Zhang Guoqing wished he could establish a brotherly bond with him.
The couple drove their vehicles out of the neighboring city; as they approached the junction, Zhang Guoqing didn’t wait for Zhou Jiao’s prompt and took the lead to turn into a dirt road, driving a few hundred meters before stopping.
Zhang Guoqing was very satisfied with the advantage compared to the future. There were fewer vehicles, and he noticed nothing trailing behind their two cars, which made him feel at ease.
Zhou Jiao looked behind and got out of the truck.
"Exhausted?"
Zhou Jiao stretched out her hands, smiled, and said, "Quite interesting, very thrilling."
Zhang Guoqing burst into laughter at her words, giving her a thumbs up. He had worried for so long, but he didn’t expect this girl to be so courageous!
"Listen for any sounds. I need to put away the truck, and I’ll swap vehicles at the next intersection."
Zhang Guoqing understood this was to prevent the other party from investigating. Without taking much time to chat, he stayed at the back of the truck for a while, carefully noting the surroundings.
After about ten minutes, he signaled with a nod to Zhou Jiao that they could proceed. Just as he nodded, the large truck was immediately stored in her space. If he remembered correctly, his wife mentioned the space was only as big as a classroom. Could it be a tiered one?
Zhou Jiao packed away the truck and dragged him towards the car. She opened the driver’s seat and pushed him in, then went around to the right side door and swiftly got into the co-pilot seat.
"That’s quite queenly!"
"Let’s return to the palace!"
Zhang Guoqing chuckled foolishly, quickly started the vehicle, and drove off.
"Today, I finally know what counting money until your hands cramp feels like."
"Oh?"
Zhou Jiao stuck out her tongue, "I want to throw up!"
Zhang Guoqing was focused on driving; he didn’t want to let happiness turn into trouble. Curious, he asked, "You really counted? I saw there were not just ten yuan notes, but quite a few five and three yuan notes inside. Comparing is enough."
"But your wife was being silly. Later, seeing that man being so generous with the pig price, I realized I was thinking like a petty person."
"It’s not your fault. Being cautious is never a big mistake. The guy hopes for another collaboration in the future. He bought from us at double the market price without needing tickets. As a seller, he wouldn’t want to give up, otherwise, he wouldn’t calculate everything for us at this ratio."
Zhou Jiao sighed, "It’s a pity that this is as far as it goes. I see the other person is not simple, the outside yard is rundown, but inside even has a scale; definitely doing big business. Near the sea, if my guess is right, it’s tied to smuggling groups, probably connected to foreign forces."
Zhang Guoqing admired her with a glance. He was still listening to their discussions and analyses, but she managed to analyze all this just from sitting at the driver’s seat the entire evening.
Zhou Jiao clapped her right hand on her leg, "Let’s not talk about them. Let’s discuss something happy. Honey, should we play a distribution game?"
Zhang Guoqing smiled and said, "Is it those flour sacks that make you love and hate?"
Zhou Jiao laughed heartily. Exactly! She couldn’t bear to sell them, they take up space when stored, but she wouldn’t admit it.
She snapped her fingers, "A few days ago, so many cans and spirits were shipped out; the black market nearby is probably circulating well and not noticeable. How about we send out cans and wine next? Of course, add a bag of white flour."

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