Chapter 352

The person blocking the way took the proof that Zhou Dazhong handed over, examined it carefully, and, seeing no issues, asked, “Comrade, are you here to purchase goods from our village?”

Zhou Dazhong quickly stepped forward and offered the two men a couple of cigarettes. As the saying goes, cigarettes build bridges and liquor paves roads.

The two men took the cigarettes and, at a glance, saw that they were Da Qianmen, a brand usually smoked by cadres in the capital.

Without any hesitation, they pulled out matches, lit the cigarettes, and took a deep drag, their faces immediately showing satisfaction.

Perhaps the cigarettes had opened the way, so they spoke plainly, “Comrade, you might leave empty-handed this time.”

There had been a severe drought last year. The township barely harvested enough grain, and with everyone eating at the communal canteen, almost no one had food stockpiled at home.

Zhou Dazhong understood, of course, but after cycling such a long way, he wasn’t about to give up easily. “Comrade, may I go into the village and ask around?”

“Sure. By the way, what’s your name, comrade?”

“I’m Zhou Dazhong,” he introduced himself.

“I’m Li Ming, and he’s Li Qiang,” Li Ming responded.

Li Ming then led Zhou Dazhong into the village, leaving Li Qiang at the entrance to keep watch for any passersby who might need attending to.

Sure enough, giving out cigarettes made all the difference—he took Zhou Dazhong straight to the village chief’s home.

The chief was an old man with a full head of white hair, his face sallow and thin, likely from years of insufficient food. Despite his frailty, his gaze was sharp as a blade, locking eyes with Zhou Dazhong in an instant.

Zhou Dazhong felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively looked away, not daring to meet the old man’s eyes again.

At that moment, Li Ming said, “Chief, this is a buyer from the steel factory. He’s come to our village hoping to trade with the villagers.”

“All right,” the chief replied with a nod, indicating no objections.

“Go let the villagers know. Anyone who wants to trade should bring their items here.”

Li Ming immediately went to carry out the order.

Only Zhou Dazhong and the village chief remained.

Zhou Dazhong quickly tried to strike the right tone. “Chief, have a smoke.”

As he spoke, he handed over another cigarette.

The chief took it without hesitation and lit it up.

“Comrade, what brings you all the way from the steel factory in the capital to collect supplies here?”

“Please, just call me Dazhong, Chief. It’s just that supplies are hard to come by these days, and I’ve had no choice but to travel farther out to try my luck.”

Zhou Dazhong sighed. If he had a choice, he wouldn’t have come this far. But relying only on the connections he’d built up previously wasn’t enough to hit his targets—he had to explore new, untapped areas.

The village chief could tell that Zhou Dazhong was speaking truthfully. The two continued chatting for a while.

After ten or twenty minutes, Li Ming returned, having notified the villagers. Quite a few people came with items in hand, so Zhou Dazhong stepped outside.

Seeing the crowd and the items they carried, he finally relaxed. Looked like there would be plenty to trade.

“Folks, what would you like in exchange? Cash or grain coupons—either works.”

The moment the villagers heard there were grain coupons, their eyes lit up. These days, food was rare and precious.

Li Ming thought to himself, No wonder he’s a buyer from the steel factory—he even brought grain coupons. And grain coupons meant they could buy government-priced grain, not the overpriced stuff from the black market.

The villagers were overjoyed and rushed forward, eager to trade, afraid that if they waited too long, the coupons would be gone.

The village chief stepped out and shouted, “Line up!”

At his command, the crowd quieted and immediately formed a queue.

Zhou Dazhong was deeply impressed. The chief clearly commanded great respect—just one word from him calmed what had almost become a mob.

The first villager in line brought out an item he had prepared in advance—a cylindrical, grayish-brown piece that wasn’t see-through.

“Comrade, let me tell you—this is a real treasure.”

If his family weren’t in such dire straits, he wouldn’t have parted with it.

Zhou Dazhong examined it but couldn’t tell what it was.

“What is this?”

“Tiger Whip (p*nis),” the man whispered in his ear.

Upon hearing that, Zhou Dazhong realized what it was. He knew Tiger Whip was valuable—even if he couldn’t use it himself, it would make a great gift, especially for higher-ups.

“What would you like in exchange?”

Since he wasn’t familiar with the market price for Tiger Whip, he had to ask.

The man thought for a moment and said, “I want 20 yuan and 30 jin worth of grain coupons.”

If not for the current food shortages, he would’ve asked for more. But since no one else had come to buy, he didn’t want to scare off the only buyer they’d seen in a long time.

Zhou Dazhong considered the price. It wasn’t unreasonable. He had come prepared with more money and coupons to open up this “new market,” otherwise this trade would have been out of reach.

“Deal.”

The villager was pleased by Zhou Dazhong’s decisiveness, though he knew he might have undersold the item. Still, he didn’t dare raise the price further and risk losing the trade.

Zhou Dazhong handed over the cash and coupons.

Some villagers didn’t know what had just been traded to warrant such a high price, but those who recognized it looked on with longing. If only they could’ve had it for themselves.

The man who’d completed the trade left for home, full of joy, ready to share the good news with his family. The money and coupons meant they could get by for a bit longer.

Soon it was the next person’s turn. Their offering was far more mundane—just a few eggs.

There weren’t many, not even enough for one unit of grain coupon, so Zhou Dazhong gave just a few coins in exchange.

As time passed, nothing particularly remarkable came up again.

More than half the villagers had traded. Many were happy with what they received—some got grain coupons, others just a few coins or a yuan or two.

Still, Zhou Dazhong was close to completing his monthly quota. Although something like Tiger Whip wasn’t usually part of his official procurement list, it would be perfect for trading with a superior. Doubling its value would be a breeze.

When it was Li Ming’s turn, he brought out a long-cherished stash of cured meat, made from game he had hunted secretly in the mountains.

Everyone around him gulped. It had been so long since they’d seen meat.

Zhou Dazhong was stunned too. The chunk of meat was at least five jin.

“Brother Li, what would you like in return?”

Li Ming thought for a bit. “I want 2 yuan and 10 jin worth of grain coupons.”

Zhou Dazhong did a quick mental calculation. Five jin of cured meat was worth about seven yuan. Two yuan plus ten jin of grain coupons wasn’t a bad deal.

“Deal.”

He counted out two one-yuan notes and ten jin worth of coupons.

Li Ming beamed with satisfaction.

These supplies were life-saving, no exaggeration.

(End of Chapter)