Chapter 9: In Trouble? Find Eldest Uncle

On the way back to the courtyard, Zhou Yimin loaded the ox cart with sack after sack of sweet potatoes, totaling 2,000 pounds. Even the old ox pulling the cart was starting to get temperamental.

At home, Zhou Daguai and the others looked enviously at the supplies in the cupboard—rice, flour, eggs, beef jerky…

Yet, not a single one of them reached out to take anything, despite their hunger.

When Zhou Yimin returned and saw them all sitting obediently at the table, he asked, “Aren’t you hungry?”

“Uncle Sixteen, we’re not hungry,” one of them responded.

But as soon as he spoke, someone’s stomach let out a loud growl.

Yeah, right—who wouldn’t be hungry? They hadn’t even eaten their fill before hauling a wild boar into the city.

Zhou Yimin rolled his eyes and instructed, “Someone go watch over the cart outside. Don’t let anyone sneak off with our goods. You—help me start a fire. I’ll just make some noodles. Be quick about it.”

Zhou Daguai immediately took someone outside to guard the cart.

That was the village’s lifeline!

Zhou Yimin took out some noodles, cracked in a few eggs, and quickly cooked up a big pot.

“Eat up, eat as much as you can. Once you’re done, hurry back. It’s getting late,” he urged.

Zhou Dali and the others swallowed hard.

Noodles! And with so many eggs! They couldn’t even remember the last time they had such a good meal—probably back in the early days of the communal kitchen. That was two years ago.

They eagerly took the large bowls Zhou Yimin handed them, squatted down, and began wolfing down the noodles without any pretense.

Each of them ate three bowls, leaving them completely satisfied.

“Daguai, tell the village chief to send people to pick up the remaining 6,000 pounds as soon as possible. Be careful on the road,” Zhou Yimin reminded them before they left.

“Got it! Uncle Sixteen, you head back now!”

They hurried off with the ox cart, heading back to Zhoujia Village.

As they got farther away, someone patted their belly and sighed, “It’d be great if we could eat like this every time we came.”

At those words, the others licked their lips, savoring the memory.

No matter what, they were determined to seize the chance to go to the city again. You couldn’t get egg noodles in the village.

Zhou Daguai glared at them. “What are you dreaming about? Move faster!”

Eat like this every time? Why don’t you all just fly to heaven while you’re at it?

After Zhou Daguai and the others left, Zhou Yimin grabbed a piece of beef jerky and headed toward the backyard.

“Third Uncle, are you home?”

A little kid poked his head out. “Brother Yimin, my dad’s inside.”

His eyes locked onto the beef jerky, and he nearly started drooling.

“Yimin? Come in and sit,” Third Uncle’s voice called from inside.

Zhou Yimin took out two pieces of candy and handed them to the little boy. “Share one with your sister.”

Third Uncle had four children. The two oldest were only slightly younger than Zhou Yimin, so he didn’t give them any, just the younger two.

The little boy took the candy excitedly. “Thanks, Brother Yimin!”

Then, without hesitation, he ran off to find his sister.

“You even brought something?”

Seeing the beef jerky in Zhou Yimin’s hand, Third Uncle immediately knew he was here for a favor.

“I’d like to ask for your help making something.” Zhou Yimin placed the jerky on the table.

“What kind of thing?”

As a blacksmith, Third Uncle’s work mainly involved swinging a hammer. If it was something intricate, a machinist would have to handle it. He figured Zhou Yimin wanted to hire an experienced craftsman through him.

Zhou Yimin pulled out a “blueprint” and said, “This thing shouldn’t be too difficult to make. I’ll cover all the costs.”

Third Uncle glanced at the paper. It wasn’t a precision part or anything complicated. The only issue was that it required materials from the factory.

But since Zhou Yimin was willing to pay, there was no problem.

“Alright! I’ll find an experienced hand at the factory to take care of it. It should be done by the day after tomorrow at the latest,” Third Uncle agreed.

Getting a whole pound of beef jerky just for acting as a middleman? Only a fool would refuse.

Since Third Uncle’s family was about to have dinner, Zhou Yimin tactfully took his leave. In times like these, when everyone was struggling to eat, lingering at someone’s house during mealtime would be inconsiderate.

“Honey, look at this beef jerky—it’s amazing,” Third Aunt said joyfully. It was way better than the aged cured meat they had stored away.

Third Uncle nodded. “Mhm, we’ll save it for hosting guests.”

—

By the time Zhou Daguai and the others finally returned to Zhoujia Village, it was past 8 PM.

The village chief led a group out to inspect the goods.

“These are top-quality sweet potatoes, Chief. Look, they’re all this big! We brought back exactly 2,000 pounds—everything checks out.”

One by one, they opened the sacks and checked every last sweet potato.

“Good, good, good!” The village chief clapped his hands, unable to hide his excitement.

Zhou Daguai relayed, “Uncle Sixteen said we should send people to pick up the remaining 6,000 pounds as soon as possible.”

The villagers erupted in joy.

Trading two wild boars for 8,000 pounds of sweet potatoes? That was all thanks to Yimin! Having the right connections really made a difference.

“Then head back tomorrow. Bring more carts so we can transport everything in one trip,” the chief instructed.

Better to be safe than sorry.

The sweet potatoes were stored in the communal kitchen’s warehouse. To prevent rats from stealing them, they set up traps and assigned people to keep watch.

With so much food secured, the villagers finally felt at ease.

As the old saying goes: “With food in hand, the heart is at peace.”

Before, as they watched their grain reserves dwindle, anxiety had been creeping in.

“Chief, should we go hunting in the mountains again?” someone asked.

These sweet potatoes would be enough to scrape by, but just barely. It’d be best to get another wild boar or two.

“We’ll see.”

Now that they had enough food to survive, the chief didn’t want to risk lives unnecessarily. Wild boars weren’t easy prey. If they hadn’t brought guns last time, who knows if someone would have gotten hurt—or worse.

—

The next morning, Zhou Yimin woke up and checked the “one-yuan flash sale” section in his shop.

Today’s deals were 100 pounds of corn and 100 pounds of milk powder.

Holy crap—100 pounds of milk powder?!

Milk powder was a luxury item! Expensive, hard to find, and requiring ration coupons that were nearly impossible to get.

Zhou Yimin immediately spent two yuan to claim the items.

The 100 bags of milk powder, each weighing one pound, appeared in his inventory. He took one out—there were no brand markings or production details, making it look like a generic product.

Even so, just one bag could easily sell for at least 10 yuan.

The most expensive dairy product was malted milk powder—800 grams per tin, costing around 40 to 50 yuan. It was the ultimate luxury supplement and a go-to gift for social visits.

Corn was cheaper than rice or flour, going for less than a dime per pound.

Looking around his home, Zhou Yimin considered remodeling.

At the end of the day, life was all about food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. With food and clothing covered, improving his living conditions was the next step. Ideally, he wanted an indoor bathroom.

The public restrooms outside were just too unpleasant.

His house was spacious enough to section off a small area for a bathroom, which would make things much more convenient.

The only problem? He didn’t know any builders.

But that was no issue—if he needed help, he knew exactly who to find.

Zhou Yimin got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, grabbed a few eggs, and headed to Second Uncle’s house across the way.