Chapter 242: Zong Feiying

Old Lady Xu said, “Son, you’d better hurry up and deliver this grain to Feiying!”

If they didn’t send it over soon and the neighbors found out, they might come asking to borrow or buy some grain, and that would be troublesome.

Then what? Should they lend it out?

If they did, there wouldn’t be enough left for Zong Feiying. But if they refused, it could strain relations with the neighbors—or worse, provoke someone jealous enough to report them.

“Alright. But it’s a lot of grain, and transporting it by myself would be a hassle. I’ll go get Feiying to come help carry it together,” Xu Xiangbei said.

With that, he dashed out the door.

Zong Feiying’s house wasn’t far from theirs—barely a four- or five-minute walk.

Soon enough, Xu Xiangbei arrived at Zong Feiying’s door.

He knocked, and when Zong Feiying opened it and saw it was Xu Xiangbei, he looked surprised. Normally, Xu wouldn’t come looking for him at this time.

“Old Xu, is there something important you need to talk to me about?”

He then opened the door wide and let Xu Xiangbei in.

Xu Xiangbei didn’t stand on ceremony. He walked in, sat down, and poured himself a glass of water.

Once inside, he noticed there wasn’t a single “three-turn-one-sound” appliance, and not even a decent piece of furniture. There used to be a bicycle, but it had been pawned for cash to buy food.

Normally, even though Zong Feiying’s salary wasn’t as high as Xu Xiangbei’s, the gap shouldn’t be this wide.

Zong Feiying earned over fifty yuan a month, but with three kids and a wife all registered as rural residents, they didn’t have ration quotas in the city. They had to buy expensive, market-rate grain.

The drought had drastically reduced harvests, rations kept shrinking, and prices skyrocketed. His whole monthly salary wasn’t enough to feed the family, so they were down to eating just one meal a day—barely enough to survive.

His wife had considered taking the children back to the village, but rural areas were faring even worse. They would’ve only suffered more there, so she stayed.

Fortunately, Zong Feiying got free meals at the factory canteen during lunchtime. Without that, the family might not have made it this far.

After downing his glass of water, Xu Xiangbei said, “Old Zong, I managed to get you some grain. It’s at my place now—so how are you going to thank me?”

He grinned as he looked at Zong Feiying.

Zong Feiying was a little startled. Given how scarce grain was now, there was no way to get any without connections. He blurted out, “Old Xu, you didn’t do anything you shouldn’t have, right?”

He was worried that Xu Xiangbei had compromised his principles just to help him. Even if he got food out of it, he wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt.

“Relax, Old Zong, you’re not that important,” Xu Xiangbei teased. “I was helping out in a rural village these past few days. One of the people there—you’ve probably heard of him—is a team leader in the purchasing department at the steel factory.”

Zong Feiying finally relaxed. Hearing the context, a name popped into his mind—was it Zhou Yimin?

“Do you mean Zhou Yimin?” he asked.

“That’s right. Zhou Yimin,” Xu Xiangbei confirmed.

Zhou Yimin’s name carried serious weight in their research institute. He had a knack for sourcing large amounts of meat and grain, and he was a highly capable technician who’d invented several useful devices and helped the country earn significant foreign currency.

And foreign currency was a big deal for the nation—whether for receiving aid from “Big Brother” or purchasing machinery, it was all essential.

“How much grain did you get for me, Old Xu?” Zong Feiying asked.

If it had been just a small amount, Xu Xiangbei would’ve brought it over with him. Since he didn’t, it must be a sizable haul—too much for one person to carry, which explained why he came to fetch help.

“Three hundred catties of corn. Should be enough to last you a while,” Xu Xiangbei said.

If they rationed carefully, three hundred catties could last half a year without issue.

When he heard that number, Zong Feiying couldn’t help but beam. But then he remembered how expensive food was and how tight money had been. He said, “Old Xu, I’ll pay you back for the grain in six monthly installments. I’ll keep ten yuan a month just in case of emergencies.”

That made it three hundred catties for roughly three hundred yuan. With his sixty yuan monthly salary, he could pay it back in six months. It might cost the same as buying from the market, but at least this was reliable.

Xu Xiangbei looked confused. “Grain didn’t cost that much. Comrade Zhou Yimin sold it to me at just forty cents a catty. You don’t have to repay that much.”

Zong Feiying was stunned. He hadn’t expected the price to be that low.

Even before prices soared, forty cents per catty was what it went for on the black market. All he could say was, “Old Xu, thank you.”

Without Xu Xiangbei’s help from time to time, he might not have made it this far.

“There’s no need for all that. Let’s just go get the grain before someone else ‘borrows’ it,” Xu Xiangbei said.

Zong Feiying knew full well how valuable food was now and didn’t waste time with small talk.

The two of them quickly made their way to Xu Xiangbei’s house.

When Zong Feiying saw the neatly stacked sacks of grain, his eyes nearly welled up. As the man of the house, watching his wife and children grow thinner day by day had eaten away at him.

But what could he do? He just wasn’t capable enough. If he’d gotten certified as an engineer like Xu Xiangbei, at least they wouldn’t be worrying about money for food.

As Zong Feiying stood frozen, Xu Xiangbei nudged him and said, “Old Zong, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and move this stuff!”

In less than half an hour, they’d gotten all the grain safely to Zong Feiying’s house.

Xu Xiangbei checked his watch. Seeing the time, he said, “I’ve got to head back to Zhoujiazhuang tomorrow, so I’d better get some rest.”

With that, he left straight away.

All that noise from carrying grain had woken Zong Feiying’s wife, Ren Qiuyue. When she saw the sacks on the floor, she asked, “Old Zong, what’s all this?”

“It’s grain!” Zong Feiying said happily.

He knew they were almost out, and now, with this supply, they didn’t have to worry about running out anytime soon.

The two of them were overjoyed. Ren Qiuyue was curious about how they managed to get so much grain, but she didn’t ask too many questions.

The next morning, Xu Xiangbei brought money and meat coupons to Zhoujiazhuang. He originally hoped to catch a glimpse of Zhou Yimin.

But after looking around and not finding him anywhere, he figured he’d just have to wait until Zhou Yimin showed up to hand over the goods.

When the village head and old Party secretary saw Xu Xiangbei, they quickly came forward to greet him.

(End of Chapter)