Xiao Zhang’s eyes widened more and more as he listened. This was even cheaper than the prices his own relatives gave him, especially for the mountain products, which were incredibly low.
Xiao Zhang’s mind was racing. He looked at Xu Ying, his eyes gleaming with an idea. “Xu Ying, where do you usually get your produce? Why not sell it to the restaurants?” Private selling was against the rules, but official, structured trading was allowed. If he could lower the prices like this, he’d save a lot of money for his bosses. He’d look better than his rivals, and he’d even get a bonus! This seemed like a win-win situation.
Xu Ying immediately became serious. “I’m not sure if this can really happen, but we’re colleagues. As long as the price you offer is fair, I’ll try my best, even if it’s a huge headache for me.”
Xiao Zhang was instantly grateful. He looked at Xu Ying with approval. “The price can definitely be discussed!”
“Okay, I’ll go ask the leaders of our commune first,” Xu Ying said. “If it works out, everyone will be happy. If it doesn’t, you can’t blame me!”
How could Xiao Zhang be ungrateful? He smiled. “If this happens, I’ll treat you to dinner. If it doesn’t, I haven’t lost anything, so why would I be angry?”
Xu Ying’s face, which had been full of worry, suddenly broke into a wide smile after hearing his words. Seeing her sudden cheerfulness, Xiao Zhang thought even more highly of her.
Xu Ying was secretly thrilled, a huge smile blooming on her face where Xiao Zhang couldn’t see it. This deal was going to work. She knew that the commune and the local food store probably didn’t have such a system. But the villages around them definitely weren’t selling their extra vegetables. For country people, who didn’t have a vegetable garden? There were gardens inside and outside every courtyard. Even if families weren’t large, the combined produce of many families could easily supply a restaurant. Plus, there were hunters in every village who could add to the meat supply. It was because people back then were simpler and less tricky, combined with old traditions and slow communication, that gave her this perfect chance to use a loophole. Private deals were out, but official commune procedures would be just fine.
After realizing all this, Xu Ying decided not to stay in the county town that night. She hurried home to tell her father. Her father’s big goal was for the people in their village to live better lives. She might not have much power, but she could help in any way she could.
Xu Ying was in a great mood all afternoon. She was the first one to slip away after work.
“Third brother, why are you here?” Xu Ying exclaimed, surprised, as she stepped out with her bag and saw her third brother waiting.
Xu Shengwu looked annoyed at his sister’s hurried exit. “Why are you running so fast? What if you fall?” He worried that some careless person might bump into his little sister. She was too reckless. “Mom and I are both here. Mom doesn’t trust you living alone. She wants to stay with you for one night first.” Xu Shengwu was genuinely worried and stayed to keep an eye on her.
“I’m not staying here tonight,” Xu Ying said, suddenly anxious. “I’m going home to see Dad. Something important has come up! As for Mom, let’s just go home now!”
Seeing how worried his sister was, Xu Shengwu quickly brought her back, found their mother, and drove all three of them back to the village.
Father Xu was quite surprised when his daughter came to him looking troubled. “What’s wrong, Dad?”
“It’s great news! Dad, if someone offered to buy the vegetables grown by our villagers, would they be willing to sell them?” Xu Ying went straight to the most important point.
“If someone’s buying, then of course they’d be willing to sell!” Father Xu said, a little surprised. Could it be what he was thinking? “Someone wants to buy our food?”
“Yes, and it’s all within the rules, so there’s no need to worry about trouble,” Xu Ying said, taking a sip of water, almost dying of thirst.
When Father Xu heard this, he sat up straight, his eyes widening behind his glasses. “You’re not lying to your dad, are you?”
“Why would I lie about something like this!” Xu Ying said, sounding a little annoyed. Was she the kind of person to make things up?
Father Xu still didn’t quite believe it. Xu Ying then told him the whole story. When Father Xu heard the details, he couldn’t sit still. They needed to go to the commune leaders right away!
Xu Ying quickly stopped him. “Dad, if you go now, the leaders have already gone home from work and are probably asleep. This matter is pretty much decided. What are you so worried about? You can ask early tomorrow morning. Don’t worry about our buyer. He wants this deal to happen. It’s up to us now, so why are you so anxious?”
Even after Xu Ying said all that, Father Xu still didn’t sleep well that night. Not because he was scared, but because he was so excited. He woke up very early, not even bothering with breakfast, and insisted that his third son drive him to the commune right away.
Initially, Father Xu planned to walk. After all, his third son’s truck was for work, not for personal use. How could he use it for his own gain? But in the end, Xu Ying insisted that her third brother drive their father, and Father Xu agreed.
The commune leaders were incredibly busy, and they usually wouldn’t want to see him even if they had free time. Especially these past few days, with top officials planning to visit the countryside, the commune director was even busier. As soon as he heard that Father Xu was there, he refused to see him without even looking up.
But then the gatekeeper mentioned that Father Xu had arrived in a large truck. The commune director immediately felt uneasy. None of the commune directors even had a large truck, and Father Xu, a small village team leader, was riding in one? Could a big boss have come with him? The commune director suddenly dared not be rude. He quickly put on a smile and hurried to invite them in.
“Brother Xu, please, sit down quickly. All of you, sit down. Xiao Liu, go pour some water for our guests.” Seeing Father Xu and Xu Shengwu, the commune director thought the young man next to Father Xu was the important leader, secretly admiring that this “leader” was so accomplished at such a young age.
“Director, I’m here with good news,” Father Xu said, getting straight to the point.
Director Sun was stunned. He looked at Xu Shengwu, who was standing quietly, confused. “What good news?”
“State-owned restaurants want to buy vegetables from our commune,” Father Xu announced, his voice filled with excitement.
Director Sun was so shocked he almost dropped the cup in his hand. “Brother Xu, please don’t joke with me.”
Father Xu immediately stopped him. “Director Sun, would I lie about something like this?” He was an older man, and he was being treated like a child.
Seeing that Father Xu was annoyed, Director Sun knew he’d made a mistake and quickly said sheepishly, “I’m just too happy! Can this really happen?”
“It can definitely happen. The price has already been set. As long as you think it’s okay, we’ll sign a contract. Then, all the areas handled by Zhang Procurement will buy our goods. Not just vegetables, but also mushrooms and wild plants from the mountains. And it would be even better if we could get wild animals too.”
Director Sun suddenly felt like this was too good to be true, like a trap. He looked at Xu Shengwu suspiciously. This young man wasn’t the “boss,” but someone from the restaurant’s purchasing side. He leaned closer to Father Xu, whispering in his ear, “Is this price low?”
“No, the price is…” Before Father Xu could finish, his mouth was covered. He glared at Director Sun. He used to think Director Sun was a smart man, but now he seemed to be acting very strangely, doing something so silly to a grown man like him.