Chapter 20: Village Chief Wang Seeks Help

Zhou Xuqiang saw his wife approaching and immediately knew what was going on without needing a hint. He quickly informed the team leader that he was leaving work early and would make up for it tomorrow.

“Alright, go on then!”

Since it was for Zhou Yimin’s sake, the team leader didn’t stop him.

Watching Zhou Xuqiang leave with his wife, someone sighed enviously, “That guy is so lucky.”

“He’s definitely going home for a feast.”

“No doubt! In our village, only Uncle Sixteen can afford to eat meat—he works at the steel factory.”

“If only I could get a job at the steel factory too.”

The team leader glared at them. “It’s not even dark yet, and you’re already daydreaming? Hurry up and finish the work, then go to the cafeteria. Aren’t you all hungry?”

At the mention of the cafeteria, stomachs started growling.

Sweet potatoes weren’t very filling, but there was no other choice! At least Zhou Family Village still had sweet potatoes—word had it that Shangshui Village was surviving on wild vegetable soup.

Compared to that, eating sweet potatoes felt like a blessing.

—

Before Zhou Xuqiang even stepped inside, he smelled the aroma of food and quickened his pace.

His wife had already told him—Yimin had cooked white rice, egg custard, stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts, and stir-fried greens. The cooking oil alone was enough to last them ten days.

Even New Year’s meals weren’t this good.

“Whoa! Uncle, what’s this liquor?” His eyes locked onto a bottle next to the old man.

“None of your business. It’s not for you. Yimin brought it for me. If you want a drink, pour yourself half a bowl of homemade sweet potato liquor. Otherwise, just eat your food.” The old man huffed.

Zhou Xuqiang swallowed hard, his eyes full of longing.

“Uncle, just a taste?” he asked shamelessly.

Zhou Yimin couldn’t stand it. “Grandpa, just let him have a sip.”

Since his eldest grandson spoke, the old man reluctantly poured out a tiny amount—really just two small sips.

But even that satisfied Zhou Xuqiang. He cautiously took a sip, smacked his lips, and savored the taste.

If he wasn’t mistaken… this was Moutai!

Now he could brag to others—he had tasted Moutai.

—

“Grandma, eat more. This egg custard is good for you—nutritious and easy to digest.” Zhou Yimin scooped a big spoonful for his grandmother.

“Alright, alright! Grandma will eat.” The old lady almost teared up. Even her own son had never picked food for her, but now her grandson was doing it.

Laifu and the others only started eating after the adults took their first bites. They ate like little piglets.

They craved the meat but had been warned by their mother, so they didn’t take too much, behaving relatively politely.

Everyone enjoyed the meal—except Zhou Yimin, who was preoccupied with other thoughts.

Especially Laifu and his siblings, who sat with round, full bellies, dreaming that every meal could be like this. Meat and eggs were delicious.

They hoped their big brother would return to the village more often.

Only when he came home could they eat well.

While everyone rested, Third Aunt cleaned up the dishes without complaint.

Before leaving, Zhou Yimin’s grandmother handed her two bags of milk powder.

“Yimin cares about his three younger cousins. Take this back for Laifu and the others.” The old lady made sure to emphasize that these were from her eldest grandson.

Third Aunt couldn’t hold back her tears.

“Alright, go home now,” the old lady said, knowing her words had deeply moved her.

—

Meanwhile, the village cafeteria was also “opening for dinner.”

Just then, a group of outsiders arrived at Zhou Family Village, led by none other than Village Chief Wang from Shangshui Village. He had heard that Zhou Family Village had somehow obtained a batch of sweet potatoes.

Another person had starved to death in his village today, leaving him no choice but to swallow his pride and come.

But as they neared the village cafeteria, they were stopped.

Village Chief Wang had already caught the scent—sweet potatoes, and maybe even potatoes. The villagers with him couldn’t help swallowing their saliva as their stomachs rumbled.

They had been forcing themselves to endure hunger, but the smell made their bodies rebel.

“Where is your old branch secretary? I need to talk to him,” Village Chief Wang said.

“Wait a moment!”

Someone ran off to report.

Before long, the old branch secretary arrived. Seeing Village Chief Wang, whom he had a decent relationship with, he still looked wary. “Old Wang, what’s the matter?”

Please don’t ask for food, he prayed silently. If that was the request, he’d have to refuse. Zhou Family Village didn’t have any extra food—not even sweet potatoes. He had to prioritize his own villagers.

Village Chief Wang frowned deeply, handed over a cigarette, and sighed. “Sigh! Another person starved to death today. I heard your village got sweet potatoes, so I came to ask—where did you buy them?”

He had brought all the village’s remaining money.

If he didn’t get food soon, more people would die tomorrow. This damned world.

The old branch secretary had been reluctant to share the source, but hearing how desperate the situation was, he remembered what Yimin had told him—that supplying game to the steel factory counted as “helping him boost his performance,” making it a mutually beneficial deal.

So he said, “We have someone in our village who works as a procurement officer at the steel factory. He can trade food from the factory, but they don’t want money—they want wild boars and other game.”

Village Chief Wang’s eyes lit up.

“Really?”

“Why would I lie? The steel factory feeds tens of thousands of workers. Just a small portion of their surplus is enough for villages like ours. But don’t go spreading this around.”

Village Chief Wang understood immediately.

With so many workers, the factory could easily spare some grain without noticing. And instead of money, they wanted meat—makes sense. The steel factory wasn’t short on money, but they lacked protein sources.

It all clicked. Suddenly, everything made perfect sense.

He immediately assured, “Old Zhou, don’t worry, I won’t leak this information.”

Leak it?

The more villages that knew, the harder it would be to trade for food in the future. Spreading the news would only be digging a grave for his own people.

“How does the trade work? What’s the exchange rate?”

“Da Ming, go get your Uncle Sixteen,” the old branch secretary said, not wanting to overstep his authority.

After all, the deal for 4,000 pounds of sweet potatoes had been secured by Yimin for Zhou Family Village. Other villages probably wouldn’t get the same favorable rate.

Soon, Zhou Yimin arrived.

“Yimin, this is Village Chief Wang from Shangshui Village—you’ve met before.”

Zhou Yimin nodded. “Yes, I remember. Hello, Village Chief Wang.”

“Comrade, hello! I’m here to discuss the food exchange. It’s shameful to admit, but people in my village are starving to death.” Wang immediately began appealing to sympathy.

“One hundred pounds of meat for 3,500 pounds of sweet potatoes or potatoes. Is that acceptable?”

The old branch secretary was relieved that he hadn’t made a decision himself and was grateful that Yimin had negotiated a good deal for their village.

“Yes, no problem! Comrade, thank you so much!”

Village Chief Wang agreed almost instantly.

He knew better than anyone how hard it was to obtain food. Even on the black market, high-priced grain was nearly impossible to find.

Having secured the deal, Village Chief Wang didn’t linger. His people were starving—he had to return and organize a hunting party immediately.

On the way back, he warned his group not to tell anyone about the food exchange with the steel factory. They would say they were simply selling game for money and using that to buy grain.

(End of Chapter)