Miss. Pierce, you really have it?"
"Why would I deceive you?"
She flourished a 'grain coupon' in front of everyone, then continued, "My husband used to be a soldier, and yesterday he brought home a bunch of these tickets.
He has lots to spare, more than our family can consume, so I thought I could trade with you guys.
You can exchange anything with me, grains or money, it's all fine."
Even among tickets, national grain tickets were particularly selected.
People could no longer remember their past negative impressions of Elena as they rushed off to their rooms to grab things to trade with.
Elena had brought about sixty tickets, which she had now entirely traded off.
She glanced at what she now held in her hands: thirty bags of rice, ten bags of flour, and a pile of money.
She'd struck it rich.
The grin on her face was irrepressible.
"I've traded all I had today, but if anyone else wants to trade for national gold tickets later, you know where to find me.
