“Comrade Xiao Lei, we need two thousand catties of grain. The price will be the same as the black market. Do you have that much?!”
Although Xiao Lei was introduced by an acquaintance, Qiao Jiuru still cautiously stated her needs. She naturally had enough money to buy more than that amount of grain; buying five thousand or even ten thousand catties wouldn't be an issue. Her concern was being targeted if she bought too much.
Two thousand catties?! Not much.
“Comrade Dajie, for these two thousand catties, do you want coarse grain or fine grain?!”
Xiao Lei had to clarify this question. Two thousand catties of fine grain wouldn't be difficult, it would just need to be delivered over a few days.
“One thousand catties of coarse grain, five hundred catties of rice, and five hundred catties of flour. I need them tomorrow.”
“Do you need them tomorrow morning or tomorrow evening?!”
“Tomorrow morning would be best. I can pay an extra fen per catty.”
“Okay, no problem. Do you have any other needs?!”
“Do you have cotton?!”
“Yes, how much do you need?!”
“Thirty catties.”
“Dajie, thirty catties is a bit much. We can only give you twenty catties.”
“Alright. Do you have milk powder and malted milk extract?!”
“Yes, how much do you need?!”
“Five cans of milk powder and ten cans of malted milk extract.”
“We have ten cans of malted milk extract, but only three cans of milk powder.”
“Do you have eggs?! I want two hundred.”
“Okay, two hundred eggs.”
“Do you have chickens?! Ten of them.”
“Yes, we have those. I've noted down ten chickens.”
“Do you have pork?! I want one whole pig, slaughtered.”
“We have pork, but you need it too urgently. We probably can't give you a whole pig, at most half a carcass.”
“Half a carcass is fine, but it must be cut into strips.”
“That's a small matter.”
“If there's pork, there's lard. I want twenty catties of pork fatback.”
“I'll do my best.”
“If you have green beans, soybeans, black beans, and red beans, I'd like five catties of each.”
“We only have green beans, soybeans, and red beans, no black beans.”
“Do you have Overseas Chinese Coupons?! I want ten.”
“Yes, we have Overseas Chinese Coupons.”
“Do you have live fish and live shrimp?! I want fifteen live fish, and as many live shrimp as you have.”
“We have both.”
“Twenty catties of brown sugar.”
“Noted.”
“If you have fabric, no matter the color, give me fifty feet.”
“Do you want flawed fabric?!”
“Yes.”
… …
Xiao Lei quickly and firmly wrote everything down. He would immediately go find his boss to prepare the goods; this was a big order.
Such a large order, yet in the end, it only cost Qiao Jiuru a little over sixteen hundred yuan.
The deposit was one hundred.
Qiao Jiuru finally gave Xiao Lei a delivery address and asked him to deliver the goods there at five AM tomorrow. This place was also one of her grandmother's dowries, and the house was still in her grandmother's name.
Xiao Lei didn't even go home. After greeting Guangsheng, he headed straight to their base to prepare the goods.
It was getting late. Lu Baoguo, Guangsheng, Qiao Jiuru, and Su Huaiyuan bid each other farewell. The four of them were about to cycle home separately when Qiao Jiuru suddenly called out to them.
“Lu Dage, Xiao Guang, something just occurred to me. At noon today, Zhang Dage told Huaiyuan and me that he was worried about Hua Zhu, a young girl, going to the countryside so far away by herself. He suggested it would be best to have someone escort her. I wonder if Lu Dage and Xiao Guang know anyone reliable who could help escort her? We'll cover all lodging, food, travel expenses, and lost wages, and also give ten yuan as a thank-you gift.”
Qiao Jiuru had almost forgotten this important matter. She had only been focused on hoarding supplies and worrying about her children not having enough to eat or warm clothes to wear. Fortunately, she remembered it just as she was about to get on her bicycle.
This concern was not unfounded. Lu Baoguo was also someone who frequently traveled for work, and he was a former team member who almost joined the Public Security Bureau. He was very aware that there were many bad people outside now.
“Professor Qiao, Old Leader, where is the young lady going to the countryside? When is she leaving?!”
Unexpectedly, just after Qiao Jiuru finished speaking, while Lu Baoguo was still trying to think of someone, Guangsheng proactively asked, indicating that he knew someone in that area.
“The day after tomorrow, she's going to Baigou Village, Mentou Township, Hua County, Tong City, Ji Province.”
Hearing that there was a possibility, Qiao Jiuru immediately reported her youngest daughter's destination in the countryside with surprise and haste.
“That's perfect then. My wife's cousin's nephew is with the team next to Ji Province, and he's returning to his team the day after tomorrow. He can give her a ride along the way.”
Coincidentally, his wife's cousin's nephew had arrived in Beijing from the countryside today to take the train back to his team, and he was currently staying at his house.
“Xiao Guang, that's wonderful! Then we'll trouble this Comrade.”
That's wonderful.
It truly was a case of perfect timing. Qiao Jiuru and Su Huaiyuan were genuinely overjoyed and repeatedly thanked Guangsheng.