The crowd buzzed with talk, all of it about Ye Yaodong buying two shops.
Everyone was astonished.
They had hesitated over buying even one, thinking it over again and again before finally steeling themselves to pay the deposit. Some had probably scraped together the balance from every source they could.
There was no shortage of people with foresight in those days, either.
Some were very optimistic about the Aquatic Products Market's prospects. Seeing how busy the old market was, most people had a fair idea. It was just a question of whether they could bring themselves to take the plunge.
Some knew buying a shop would make them money later, but simply could not bring themselves to do it and kept hesitating. Others had families who neither understood nor supported them, so the matter went nowhere.
Others still might have known perfectly well that the prospects were excellent, yet simply could not come up with the money.
Someone like Ye Yaodong, buying two shops on his own, was not merely rare-no one present had done it before. He was the first to buy two, and he looked so young, too.
Everyone began speculating about what he did and how he had so much money.
The people nearby kept talking, but it did not interfere with his drawing lots in the slightest.
The market supervisor beside him said with a smile, "This comrade is one of only two people who bought two shops. The other hasn't come today yet. This young comrade has a good eye. Come on, show everyone which shop you drew with your last slip."
Ye Yaodong pressed his lips together, then opened the slip in his hand with a faint smile and looked down.
Sure enough, Lady Luck would not keep singling him out.
"It's shop 6