Chapter 361 - 238: The First Big Ship

Chapter 361: Chapter 238: The First Big Ship

A figure squeezed into the room. It was Liangzi, wearing a fairly new cotton-padded jacket and carrying two bottles of liquor and a bag of pastries. Someone else followed close behind, and when Zhao Wendong got a good look, he was surprised to see it was Little Shanghai.

"Damn, Dongzi! I’ve missed you to death!"

Little Shanghai started shouting the moment he walked in. His Shanghai accent, mixed with a Northeast twang, sounded particularly comical.

"Haha! When did you get back? How’d you two end up coming here together?"

Zhao Wendong laughed and went to greet them. The three men shared a round of hugs and playful punches before he finally ushered them into the house.

"I got back yesterday, and I’m still reeling. How did I suddenly become a station chief? Hahaha! Liangzi and I had already planned to visit you today, and we happened to run into Old Zheng and Brother Wang, who were also looking for you. Brother Wang had arranged for a big truck, so we just hitched a ride over."

Little Shanghai had just finished speaking when Big Wang and Old Zheng entered. Everyone exchanged greetings. At moments like this, the small size of the house really stood out; with so many guests, there was no room for a private chat. After sitting for a short while, Zhao Wendong could tell they felt a bit constrained with his family around, so he said with a smile,

"Let’s go. We’ll take care of Brother Wang and Brother Zheng’s business first. To the production team’s warehouse."

A large truck was parked not far from Zhao Wendong’s front door. He and the others simply started walking, letting the truck follow behind them.

Big Wang was bundled up in a brand-new military greatcoat. While it wasn’t as fine as Zhao Wendong’s officer-grade wool coat, it was still quite respectable. The only issue was that he wasn’t very tall, making him look a little comical in the oversized coat. His spirits, however, were sky-high. After all, in this day and age, anyone who could afford clothes without a single patch was considered a cut above the rest.

"After the New Year, the grain situation changes daily," Big Wang said. "It’s getting harder and harder to trade for it. We can still rush to the regional center to trade before spring arrives, but once planting season begins, nobody will have any surplus grain to trade for meat."

Zhao Wendong nodded, his expression grim. A duck is the first to know when the river warms in spring; he knew Big Wang’s assessment was spot-on. The most difficult year was upon them. All he could do was stockpile grain and lead the entire village in surviving it.

When they reached the production team’s warehouse, Third Master Zhao and his men were already waiting. The old man stood at the entrance in his cotton-padded jacket, hands tucked into his sleeves. He smiled and greeted Zhao Wendong’s friends. They, in turn, offered belated New Year’s greetings and auspicious wishes to Third Master and his group. Third Master Zhao and the others were exceptionally courteous in return; after all, Big Wang was the capable man who could help turn their meat into even more grain.

The farmers of that time found it hard to understand why anyone would willingly trade twice the weight in grain for meat, just as people in later generations would find it hard to understand why anyone with access to refined grains would choose to eat coarse ones instead.

The militiaman on duty unlocked and opened the warehouse doors. Inside, a large pile of wolf pelts and chunks of wolf meat were laid out, neatly sorted. Big Wang walked in, looked around, and did a quick tally.

Old Zheng and Big Wang had a clear division of labor: one handled the meat, while the other handled the pelts and other goods destined for the purchasing station.

’Whoa! I’d heard you’d taken care of the wolf infestation, but damn, this is a lot!’

Big Wang marveled inwardly. He’d never heard of anyone bringing in such a haul from a hunt. Every time Zhao Wendong went into the mountains, it was like he was placing a wholesale order. Old Zheng, on the other hand, had immediately spotted the White Wolf Hide set off to one side.

"Brother Dong, that White Wolf Hide... you’re not selling it?"

"Nope. I’m keeping it as a memento."

Zhao Wendong shook his head. It wouldn’t fetch a huge amount of money, and a hide like this was incredibly rare. Besides, he and the wolf shared a... complicated history.

"Yeah, for something this good, it’s better to keep it for yourself," Old Zheng said. "This fur is just... incredible."

Old Zheng stroked the White Wolf Hide a few times with a lecherous look on his face, as if he were caressing Big Sister Hua.

Big Wang squatted down and squeezed a piece of wolf meat. "Frozen solid," he noted. "This weather is perfect for transport. It won’t even start to thaw by the time we get it there."

Zhao Wendong asked him, "Brother Wang, how long do you estimate we can keep this arrangement going?"

Big Wang stood up and dusted off his hands. "Dongzi, I’ll be straight with you. Before the New Year, we could trade one pound of meat for two pounds of grain. Now? Not so much. A pound and a half, at best. Right before spring planting, it’ll be a question of whether we can even get a one-for-one trade. And that’s assuming we take it all the way to the regional center."

"Alright, Brother Wang. Just do your best for us. We’ll head into the mountains again in the next few days to hunt some more. We’ll trade as much as we can, and whatever’s left over, we’ll give to the villagers to build up their strength."

"Don’t you worry, Dongzi."

Big Wang slapped his chest, then began directing his brother-in-law to help load the wolf meat onto the truck. With plenty of helping hands on Zhao Wendong’s side, everyone pitched in, and they quickly finished loading all the meat and pelts.

Zheng Guangrong pulled Zhao Wendong aside. "Brother Dong, since you’re not selling it, you should definitely hold onto it. That hide is an absolute rarity. Only the Russians have white wolves, and theirs aren’t even like this one. I’ve got a good eye for these things, trust me. I can’t be wrong."

Zhao Wendong nodded with a smile. "Alright, I get it."

"Brother Dong, there’s one more thing."

Zheng Guangrong looked awkward and embarrassed. "You’re on good terms with Station Chief Wang, right? Could you... could you talk to him for me? I... I don’t want to be transferred back to the county seat."

"What?"

Zhao Wendong was stunned. He’d heard from Wang Defa himself that Old Zheng’s contributions had been substantial this time, and that he was going to be transferred back to the county to serve as a deputy station chief. It even came with the potential to one day take over Wang Defa’s current post. Why on earth would Zheng Guangrong want to pass up such a golden opportunity?

"You don’t want to go back? What are you planning to do?"

"Shh! Brother Dong, keep your voice down."

Seeing that his voice was a little too loud, Old Zheng quickly raised a hand to shush him.

"I... I can’t bear to leave Hua Hua."

"Hua Hua? You mean that black dog of yours?"

"No! I mean Big Sister Hua!"

Zhao Wendong was utterly dumbfounded. A herd of alpacas might as well have stampeded through his mind.

"Brother Zheng? Are you serious? Aren’t you married?"

"Sigh... my wife was forced on me by my family. She’s a total clam, we go days without exchanging a single word. I’m just not happy!"