The young man's face fell instantly, but he didn't give up. Smiling, he said, "Sister, it's just me and my old grandma at home. She's old and coarse grain hurts her throat. She's craving for white flour. If you could spare some for me, I won't let you down, big sister! I've been watching at the door for a long time and have followed quite a few people, but they all refused to trade with me. Also, very few of them grind white flour. I'm looking to buy fine grain, not coarse grain. If I wanted coarse grain, I could just go to the black market directly."
The black market has been doing well lately.
Every time after the summer and autumn harvests, the farmers come into possession of grains. If they lack money and rations, they sneak into the black market for a quick visit to sell at high prices. City dwellers, who can hardly feed their families on public rations, take their chance there. But mostly, they find coarse grains, and rarely fine grains.
