Chapter 302: Returning to Shishi Village

 Chapter 301: Go back to the Village to have a look

 Chapter 300: Buying Thank-You Gifts

 Chapter 299: Bao Ya is Just Like Her Father

 Chapter 298: Meng Yunzheng and Zhao Xi Are Not Around

Chapter 297: Shu Yu's Wild Imagination Ding Yuehua truly didn't know how to explain it. The term "black market" was known to those who should know, and completely unknown to those who shouldn't. It wasn't so secretive that it couldn't be discussed, but it wasn't something that could be casually talked about either. Seeing her having conflicted expression, Shu Yu sighed, "Forget it. If it's difficult for you, I won't ask. I'll find a way to inquire on my own. Those three young masters are not on good terms, so I need to be mentally prepared." "Inquire? No, no, no, you shouldn't casually inquire." "But I need to understand. The term 'black market' sounds like a dark place. Based on its literal meaning, it should involve illegal trafficking, like human trafficking, or hiring people to commit murder or arson, or even public executions resembling livestock slaughter. Or..." Ding Yuehua took a deep breath, "Stop, stop, stop! What's going on in your mind? Your imagination is getting more and more outrageous." Shu Yu trembled slightly, "I can't help it. When those three young masters talked about the jade pendant, they seemed like they wanted to kill someone. If they can't trouble me today, what if they come after my third uncle or other family members? I have younger siblings at home. My third uncle's daughter, Bao Ya, is only three years old. What if they seek revenge..." "Alright, alright." Ding Yuehua helplessly interrupted her, "I'll tell you, but the black market is not as serious as you imagine." "Not dark?" Ding Yuehua hesitated for a moment, "..." While it was indeed a dark place, it was completely different from the bloody thoughts in her mind, right? Ding Yuehua rubbed her forehead and said, "There is indeed a black market in Jiangyuan County. It's the only one in Dong'an Prefecture. It's called a black market because many transactions that take place there are not aboveboard." For example, the controlled salt and iron by the government. Of course, even in the black market, these things wouldn't be traded in large quantities. Otherwise, it would cause chaos and the black market would not be able to continue operating. Moreover, these items were also expensive. There were also stolen goods or valuable items that were easy to cause trouble, which were better off sold in the black market. Human trafficking did exist, but it happened to be the least common in the black market. After all, even if someone was bought, they couldn't simply be hidden away. They would need identification and it would be easy to get into trouble, which would be quite troublesome. "As for the killings and arson you mentioned, they won't happen. While it's a black market, there is still order. Unless there are special circumstances, harming others is absolutely forbidden." Ding Yuehua said, "Those who go to the black market are not small-time hooligans or vicious criminals. Instead, it's mostly wealthy people who go there, and the black market has to ensure their safety." Shu Yu's face suddenly lit up with realization. "So that's how it is. That puts my mind at ease." She moved closer to Ding Yuehua and asked with a smile, "Have you been there?" Ding Yuehua hadn't been there. Although she had taken over a part of the Ding family's business, that kind of place wasn't suitable for her to get involved in, and Old Master Ding would naturally not agree to her meddling. Shu Yu tried to subtly inquire further, and Ding Yuehua revealed what she could. However, despite Ding Yuehua's caution, many questions remained unanswered. Nevertheless, Shu Yu had her own way of extracting key information, and even without Ding Yuehua's explicit answers, she understood. For example... the location of the black market and the recent opening hours.

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Chapter 296: What is the Black Market? Young Master Zhang and the other two were shocked. "Don't try to deceive us. What do you mean by 'backing'?" Ding Wenxi had a serious expression on his face. "I'm not joking. You all know that some trouble happened in Jiangyuan County recently. The previous county magistrate was arrested, and the new one, Lord Xiang, is an unknown figure. None of us merchants in Jiangyuan County have any connection to him. But it just so happened that when her new shop opened, Lord Xiang sent two government officials to deliver a generous gift." Young Master Zhang choked, "That woman has the government as her backing?" "Exactly. I found it strange when you mentioned the incident in the Peach Blossom Forest earlier. The government officials brought by Lord Xiang were very busy, so why did they suddenly appear in the Peach Blossom Forest and get involved in your small matters? And it was clear that they were biased towards the young lady, right?" The three of them hadn't thought about it in detail before. At that time, they were only concerned with avoiding any involvement with the county government, so they were satisfied as long as they could dismiss the official named Hu as soon as possible. But now, thinking back, things indeed seemed off. The root cause was here. Young Master Zhang became nervous. "So, that woman won't trouble us through the county government officials, right?" Ding Wenxi pondered for a moment and shook his head. "I don't think so. If she really wanted to persist, wouldn't it be more convenient with the presence of the government officials yesterday? Obviously, they also don't want to escalate the situation. However, if you go to her on your own initiative, then..." "We definitely won't." "That's good. Besides, that jade pendant is probably not in her possession. Otherwise, given her relationship with Lord Xiang, the jade pendant would have ended up in his hands, and you would have been taken to the yamen for questioning long ago." The three nodded, still somewhat frightened. If the path through Shu Yu was blocked, then the chances of finding their jade pendant would be even smaller. "I estimate that the jade pendant is still in the Peach Blossom Forest. Hurry up and go look again. I'll lend you a few people to help." The three immediately thanked Ding Wenxi and quickly left the Ding residence. Ding Wenxi smiled and sipped his tea, feeling relieved. After a while, he instructed a servant by his side, "Go and tell Second Miss maid, Xiaoyun, to let the young lady know that the Young Master Zhang's side won't bother her anymore." "Yes." At this moment, Shu Yu had already been brought back to the courtyard by Ding Yuehua. As soon as they entered, Ding Yuehua looked at her with a curious gaze. "Tell me quickly, what's the deal with that Young Master Zhang?" Helpless, Shu Yu could only recount the events of the previous day. However, she didn't mention her identity when it came to the part involving the orchids, only referring to herself as a young lady. After listening, Ding Yuehua sneered. "Serves them right." Shu Yu rubbed her temples. "I didn't expect them to show up at your house. And they accused me of stealing their jade pendant. It's ridiculous." "They were probably anxious and panicked because they lost the jade pendant, so they wanted to find a scapegoat." Shu Yu was taken aback. "A scapegoat? Me?" She furrowed her brow. "Is this jade pendant really that important? By the way, they mentioned the black market. What is it?" Ding Yuehua sighed and rubbed her forehead. It was difficult to answer. Shu Yu tugged at her. "What's wrong? This is a serious matter. Can't you tell me? If that Young Master Zhang comes to bother me again and I don't even know what's going on, I won't know how I'll end up." (End of this chapter)

 Chapter 295: This Young Lady Has Backing

 Chapter 294: Crossing Paths with an Old Enemy