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墨書 Inktalez
As the days passed, the corn in the fields grew taller, and the need for fertilizer became urgent. Even though a bag of fertilizer from Nine Yuan was expensive, it had to be bought.
So they would buy it; it was no use feeling pained about the cost now. If they didn't spend the money now, they would surely regret it when harvest time came.
Hu Ruoyun and his father hitched up the Donkey Cart and Ox Cart, teaming up with Second Uncle to head to the Township Supply Cooperative's fertilizer Retail Store. They were only three or four hundred meters away when their progress came to a halt. Ahead of them, Human-Pulled Carts, Ox Carts, Donkey Carts, and horse-drawn carriages formed a long line that completely blocked the road.
The fertilizer was only available at the cooperative, which served a population of sixty thousand in Agricultural Township. All the farmers in the area had to come here to purchase it, resulting in the current situation.
There was no choice but to wait in line; even if it was expensive, they had to buy it. Long waits were part of the process; land was essential for farmers' survival, and during this time, they had no alternatives.
From breakfast until nearly noon, with still fifty or sixty meters of vehicles ahead of them, all three of them were hungry, their stomachs growling loudly under the blazing sun that made them dizzy.
Hu Ruoyun had seven or eight yuan in his pocket. He jumped down from the cart and wandered around looking for some ice pops to cool off. Just as he was searching for a vendor, he suddenly heard someone calling his name: "Xiao Hu! Hu Ruoyun!"
Turning around, he saw Chai Hongmin, who had visited his home with the Town Chief and Deputy County Head Zhong. Chai Hongmin was dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt tucked into his Dacron Pants, with a pen clipped into his shirt pocket and a set of jingling keys hanging from his belt. His hair was stylishly slicked back as he stood across the road waving at him while pushing a brand-new bicycle.
Hu Ruoyun hurried over. "Chai Ge, what are you doing here?"
Chai Hongmin smiled broadly. "Don't worry about me; what are you doing here looking around?"
Hu Ruoyun looked dejected. "Don't mention it! I came with my dad and Second Uncle to buy fertilizer. We've been waiting all morning and still haven't reached the front! Chai Ge, wait here; I'm going to grab some ice pops. It's so hot I haven't even had a sip of water all morning—I'm dying of thirst!"
Chai Hongmin grabbed Hu Ruoyun's arm before he could leave. "Forget about the ice pops for now; let's talk business first. How much fertilizer does your family need?"
Hu Ruoyun thought for a moment. "My family and Second Uncle's place will need at least twenty bags; we brought two carts."
Chai Hongmin pulled him along. "Come with me; I have something to discuss."
At that moment, Hu Ruoyun suddenly realized: of course! Chai Ge was the Town Chief's liaison—essentially his secretary—and he surely had connections with people at the cooperative…
Chai Hongmin led Hu Ruoyun around the bustling crowd in front of the storefront and entered through a side door. They went up to the second floor and pushed open a half-closed door. Inside, a ceiling fan whirred gently, and as Hu Ruoyun stepped in from the scorching sun outside, he felt an immediate wave of coolness wash over him.
A stout man in his thirties was sternly reprimanding an older man, his voice filled with authority. "If you can't handle such a simple task, can you even continue working here? If you can't, just say so—there are plenty of people who want to take your place..."
As he looked up, he saw Chai Hongmin entering the room, and his angry expression instantly transformed into a bright smile. "Oh, little brother, that fragrant breeze must have blown you in..." After a brief chuckle, he asked seriously, "Did Township Head Feng give any instructions?"
Chai Hongmin did not accept the Golden Leaf Cigarettes offered to him; instead, he pointed to Hu Ruoyun behind him. "Director Lu, today is personal business. Let me introduce you to this..." He whispered the rest into Director Lu's ear.
As Chai Hongmin spoke softly, Director Lu's expression became increasingly animated. He nodded along, saying, "I know, I understand..."
Once they finished speaking, Director Lu extended his hand toward Hu Ruoyun. "I’ll take the liberty of calling you Xiao Hu, little brother. Nice to meet you. I’m Lu Guoshun from the supply and marketing cooperative. In this little corner of the world, my word carries some weight... Since we’re all from the village, if you ever need anything at home, don’t bother going elsewhere—just come find me directly..." He then turned back to the man he had just scolded mercilessly. "Old Li, my little brother needs to buy some fertilizer; please help him out!" Turning back to Hu Ruoyun with a smile, he added, "I won’t accompany you over; it wouldn’t look good if others saw us together... Brother, go with Old Li; he’ll make sure everything is done properly and clearly."
After leaving Director Lu's office at the supply and marketing cooperative, Chai Hongmin said, "Brother, it’s not convenient for me to accompany you; just follow Master Li." Hu Ruoyun repeatedly expressed his gratitude to both Chai Hongmin and Director Lu. Chai Hongmin waved his hand dismissively. "We’re brothers; no need for formalities."
After seeing off Chai Hongmin, Hu Ruoyun turned to the man referred to as Old Li. "Uncle Li, my father and my uncle have two carts of livestock over there..."
Old Li looked surprised. "You go tell them to turn back and come in through the back door; I’ll get things arranged here."
Hu Ruoyun ran out to find his father and Second Uncle. When Hu Qihua saw him approaching, he squinted in confusion. "What are you running around for?"
Hu Ruoyun replied, "I ran into an acquaintance and chatted for a bit." Noticing that no one was paying attention to them, he whispered to his father and Second Uncle, "Let’s go in through the back door."
His father and Second Uncle looked puzzled.
Old Li had been waiting by the seldom-used back door. As he saw the two carts being pulled by livestock approach, he greeted them with a big smile. "You’re here! Come on in."
At that time, the supply and marketing cooperative was a seller's market. These men usually held themselves with great pride; now they were taken aback by Old Li’s politeness. They could only respond with vague sounds of agreement as they led their livestock into the courtyard.
This was the back yard of the cooperative and also served as a warehouse. Huge piles of fertilizer were stacked like small mountains, leaving Hu Qihua and Second Uncle speechless. "How many big trucks would it take to haul all this away?"
Old Li called over a young woman responsible for issuing invoices and turned to Hu Qihua. "Brother, it's six yuan per bag; how many bags do you need?" Both Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua were stunned: Wasn’t it supposed to be nine yuan per bag? They had asked others while waiting outside who confirmed that price—how did it suddenly become six?
Hu Ruoyun chimed in quickly. "Uncle Li, let’s get thirty bags; that should be enough for both our families." He exchanged knowing glances with Second Uncle and his father. The first to react was Second Uncle who also added, "Right, thirty bags will do."
The little girl opened the ticket and collected 180 yuan. Old Li wouldn’t let Hu Qihua and Hu Zhenhua take action, instead shouting for a few temporary workers to help load thirty bags of fertilizer onto the truck. Once they reached the gate, he mysteriously leaned in and whispered, “When you get back to the village, say it’s nine yuan a bag. Don’t mention it’s six.”
Later, Hu Ruoyun learned that the government had a subsidized supply for fertilizers like this, priced at six yuan a bag. However, due to information asymmetry, the farmers were completely unaware of these subsidized fertilizers. With the tacit approval of the supply and marketing cooperative in the village, they were all sold at inflated prices, pocketing the three yuan difference per bag for certain individuals…
Who are these certain individuals? Don’t ask me; those who took the money know.
Hu Ruoyun couldn’t help but smile bitterly: she despised these corrupt practices, yet now she had become a beneficiary of this backdoor deal!
Thirty bags of fertilizer cost as much as twenty bags would normally. Her father Hu Qihua and Second Uncle Hu Zhenhua were thrilled; they felt like they had just scored ten bags of fertilizer for free. Saving ninety yuan was enough to make anyone happy.
The more you tell people not to speak of it, the less likely you are to keep it a secret. At the very least, Second Uncle and Second Aunt mentioned it. The next day, Second Aunt came over and quietly told Hu Ruoyun, “Xiaoyun, your Shangyun cousin’s uncle wants to buy some low-priced fertilizer too. Can you find someone to talk to?”
Second Uncle interjected grumpily, “Forget it! We’ve already benefited from this; if we go looking for more help, won’t people think we’re being greedy?”
Second Aunt looked dissatisfied. “But there’s a three-yuan difference per bag! If he buys five bags, that’s over ten yuan!”
Second Uncle sighed. “Didn’t we buy ten extra bags last time? Let your cousin take those five bags home. Who have you told about this three-yuan discount per bag? We can’t go around blabbing about this; it’s not something we should be discussing openly.”
Second Aunt felt a bit embarrassed by Second Uncle's reprimand. “I just mentioned it to him casually.” Then she turned to Hu Ruoyun with a bright smile. “Don’t worry; I’ll let your Shangyun cousin take his uncle’s share. I’ll charge him eight yuan per bag… I didn’t dare mention it was six when I talked to him; otherwise, he would insist on us finding someone else…”
Ah, people!
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