RIRW – Chapter 37

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Zuo Dan couldn’t smoke meat, and she made a mess of the bamboo baskets. Grandmother Zuo thought she was wasting materials and decided to stop her from working. She thought Zuo Dan was a good person, but her mind just wasn’t sharp. However, once Zuo Dan showed her the sketches of the baskets, Grandmother Zuo was impressed. It turned out that the girl was naturally talented with a pencil.

So, Grandmother Zuo assigned Zuo Dan a more suitable task—drawing the basket designs. Surprisingly, Zuo Dan was quite good at it, and the baskets she drew were far prettier than the ones they used at home to hold vegetables.

For the next few days, the Zuo family was busy from morning till night—some smoked meat, some collected mountain goods, and others wove bamboo baskets.

After about four or five days of hard work, the house was filled with baskets, and Zuo Chengcai discussed with Zuo Dan how to sell them for money.

He knew that they had been accumulating goods without selling any, which made him uneasy. Also, the thirty yuan Zuo Dan and he had invested had already been used up buying mountain goods, and there wasn’t much left. If they didn’t make any money soon, they wouldn’t even be able to pay Grandmother Zuo and the others for their work.

These past few days, Grandmother Zuo had been asking him when they would be getting the money.

“Uncle, I’m sure we’ll make it, don’t worry,” Zuo Dan replied with a smile.

After finishing work that afternoon, Zuo Dan wrapped up a piece of smoked rabbit meat, about the size of her thumb, in brown paper, along with a small piece of apple. She tucked them into her pocket and headed for the male intellectuals’ group.

For the past few days, the intellectuals had to walk to their designated area at dawn. To punish them, the village didn’t let the horse-drawn carts take them; they had to walk. When they came back in the evening, they had to carry a basket of coal.

If they didn’t listen? Fine, they had to stay at the coal yard a few extra days. They could only return to the village once they behaved properly.

The intellectuals weren’t particularly capable, except for Li Chenliang and Li Hongbing, who were the troublemakers. After this punishment, they were both exhausted and no longer had the same defiant spirit they had before.

When Zuo Dan arrived at the male intellectuals’ area, the three of them were lying on their beds, barely moving.

Only three intellectuals were left in the house. Xu Dapeng had gone to stay at the town’s coal yard, and Shen Yiming, under the team leader’s arrangement, was living in a separate house. Since Shen Yiming wasn’t around, Zuo Dan felt it was safe to directly approach Li Chenliang. If Shen Yiming had been there, he would have likely noticed something.

“Wow, are you all this exhausted?” Zuo Dan said from the doorway.

The three inside only moved their eyes. Li Chenliang, weakly, said, “Don’t tell me you’re here to watch me make a fool of myself.” He was still a bit upset. He had been so exhausted these past few days, and this little girl hadn’t come to check on him. He felt unappreciated, especially since he had thought of himself as somewhat of a friend to her.

Zuo Dan sighed, “Why am I like this? Li Chenliang, come out for a minute, I need to talk to you.”

Li Chenliang didn’t move.

Zuo Dan turned around, “Fine, don’t come, but don’t regret it later.” She said this and started walking away.

After taking just a few steps, Li Chenliang jumped off the bed and ran after her, speaking in a low voice, “If it’s not something good, I’ll….” but he didn’t know what he could do.

Zuo Dan rolled her eyes. “You really don’t know what’s good for you.” She then pulled out a small bundle of brown paper from her pocket and handed it to Li Chenliang. “Here, this is something my uncle brought back for me to eat, but I didn’t want to eat it, so I’m giving it to you.”

When Li Chenliang heard it was food, his lips twitched as he eagerly took it. He ran outside to the small kitchen of the intellectuals’ point, opened the brown paper, and smelled the fragrance.

Sure enough, when he opened it, there was a piece of meat. “Why is it so small?” Li Chenliang frowned.

Zuo Dan snorted, “Do you think we’re as well-off as you city folk? This meat, we had to scrape together from the smallest bits. If I hadn’t seen how hard you’ve been working these past few days, I wouldn’t have brought it to you.”

Li Chenliang was deeply moved when he heard this. He quickly said, “Okay, okay, I shouldn’t have said that. But, well… if you want, you can take it back.” Although he said this, his eyes were fixed on the meat. After so many exhausting days, the commune hadn’t given them any good food, and it had been days since he had tasted meat. He really wanted to eat it…

Zuo Dan waved her hand. “Fine, you can eat it, just hurry up. Don’t let anyone see.”

Li Chenliang immediately stuffed it into his mouth. It was so fragrant and chewy, the more he chewed, the better it tasted.

He chewed for a long time, reluctant to swallow it, savoring it even after he swallowed. “It’s so good.”

He then opened the other paper package, revealing a small piece of apple, its surface slightly yellow. Li Chenliang swallowed and stuffed it into his mouth. The crunching sound filled the air.

The meat was savory, the apple sweet—this combination was so delightful.

Li Chenliang felt like he was tasting happiness. Ah… but it was a bit too little.

Zuo Dan asked, “Tasty, huh?”

Li Chenliang nodded eagerly, then stared at her expectantly.

Zuo Dan waved her hand. “Don’t look at me, it’s all I’ve got. This is all from my uncle’s work on the car. He said this stuff is expensive, and ordinary people can’t afford it. The festival is coming up soon, and people in big cities are buying nice gifts for others. My uncle said they’re selling baskets like this, filled with the same kind of meat and apples you just ate, for four yuan and twenty cents each. He also said that people in big cities are rich and willing to buy. People like your relatives, working as officials and laborers, would definitely buy them.”

“Only four yuan and twenty cents?” Li Chenliang was shocked. Such delicious smoked meat and apples were only four yuan? He was from the provincial capital and had seen the world. Fruits of this quality, even with rationing, would cost at least thirty to forty cents per pound. A basket would likely hold a few pounds, and smoked meat was hard to come by. Usually, it could only be found on the black market, and even then, it wasn’t guaranteed.

Although these things weren’t really rare, they were hard to get, and that made them expensive.

Four yuan for meat and fruit… He remembered the last time they made money selling grain.

Li Chenliang’s eyes lit up, then he coughed and asked eagerly, “Zuo Dan, where are these baskets of fruit and meat being sold?”

“My uncle said they haven’t even reached the big city’s department stores or supply and marketing cooperatives yet.” It wasn’t available yet, so she wasn’t lying.

“Can I buy them from your uncle? How many can I get if I want to buy some?” Li Chenliang asked, almost impatiently.

Zuo Dan replied, “If anyone else wants to buy them, I wouldn’t bother. But since we’ve worked together collecting grain before, if you want to buy, I’ll ask my uncle. If you buy in bulk, I can even get him to talk to the seller and get each fruit basket for a dime cheaper.”

“A lot? Hurry up and ask him for me!” Li Chenliang urged.

Zuo Dan was surprised. “Why are you in such a hurry? What do you need this for? You’re not trying to make a quick profit, are you? I’m warning you. Although you can take this stuff to the city and resell it for five yuan, and you could make a lot of money if you sell a lot, we can’t just think about making money like that.”

“Make money? I’m buying it to give as a gift. We have a lot of relatives, and they’re all well off, what’s wrong with that?” Li Chenliang replied, putting on a serious face.

Zuo Dan eyed him suspiciously. “If that’s really the case, then fine.”

The next day, when Li Chenliang returned to the village from the town, he didn’t lie down. He was still thinking about the gift baskets Zuo Dan mentioned the day before. To him, that was all money. There was nothing to be done; his family had a lot of relatives. The last time he sent grain back home, he made a small profit. When relatives need grain, they can’t just take it for free—there’s definitely money to be given. And since they didn’t ask for refined grains with rationing stamps, the price could still be a little higher. After flipping it, he would get his capital back and make a little extra pocket money. He didn’t need to ask his family for money anymore. When Zuo Dan told him about the gift baskets, he knew that this could make him even more money than the grain. His family was a cadre family, so he knew about these under-the-table deals. During holidays and festivals, people give gifts to their superiors. They can’t give money, so they give practical food instead. Ordinary things aren’t impressive enough, so it’s common to spend half a month’s salary to buy expensive white flour and noodles for gifting.

Now, he could buy a good-looking and practical gift for just four to five yuan. How could he not jump at the chance?

Li Chenliang had already figured it out. He had to get Zuo Dan to help him handle this. He would be happy to give her a cut.

He waited anxiously, and it wasn’t until it was getting dark that she finally came.

“Why are you so late?” Zuo Dan asked.

“I’ve been waiting for you!” Li Chenliang replied impatiently.

Zuo Dan sighed. “Do you think it’s easy to handle? Yesterday I went back and persuaded my uncle, and he finally agreed to talk to the seller. My uncle just came back and gave me the final word. He said they can sell it, but the minimum price is four yuan each. If it’s any less, they won’t give it to us. They’re supplying only the big city department stores right now, and if we take the goods, the unit will be held accountable.”

Li Chenliang’s heart settled when he heard this. “Fine, four yuan. But I still have to see the goods first. Such expensive stuff, I can’t just buy it without checking.”

“Okay, here’s the deal: after you finish with the coal yard, I’ll let you see them. Is that alright? This is such a hassle,” Zuo Dan said, clearly annoyed.

Li Chenliang seemed to feel a little guilty about taking advantage of Zuo Dan, especially since she had even brought him food. “If this works out, I’ll definitely give you a good reward. How about five yuan for your trouble? The holiday’s coming up, you should buy some food or clothes with it.”

Zuo Dan felt a bit embarrassed. “How can I take that?”

Li Chenliang waved his hand generously. “As long as it gets done, that’s all that matters.”

Li Chenliang placed a one-time order for a hundred gift baskets. Although a hundred seemed like a lot, when spread out, it wasn’t that much. Some would be sold in the market where his cousin worked, while others would be promoted by his relatives at their workplaces. He worried it might not be enough. However, there was nothing he could do. He didn’t have that much money in hand.

Since Zuo Dan had said she would pay a deposit to get the goods, Li Chenliang could only give her fifty yuan. This was not a small amount of money. But given that Zuo Dan had shown reliability with the grain deal, Li Chenliang wasn’t worried she would cheat him. After all, he had a receipt for the deposit.

Back home, Zuo Dan asked her uncle to arrange for the gift baskets to be packaged, as she was planning to go to the county to sort out the apples and, hopefully, get the deposit back so she could continue collecting mountain goods. She was in a rush, so she asked Zuo Chengcai to handle it quickly and also urged Grandmother Zuo and the others to prepare the baskets in case the mountain goods arrived. That way, they could use the baskets right away without delaying business.

Zuo Chengcai almost couldn’t believe that Zuo Dan had already found buyers for the gift baskets. He was astounded.

“Dandan, when did you find them? Where are they from?” Zuo Chengcai was surprised. He had been away for two days, and his niece had already solved the problem?

“I found them before I came back from the county last time. As for where they’re from… Uncle, I can’t say. They won’t let me say. It’s a delicate matter,” Zuo Dan replied with a mysterious look.

Zuo Chengcai understood. Deals like these weren’t something anyone could talk openly about. Everyone was just earning their own money, and that was all. Still, he was impressed with how capable Dandan was. “My niece really is something.”

Zuo Dan thought to herself that she wasn’t really capable. These days, without a letter of introduction, she wouldn’t even be able to leave the commune, let alone go to the provincial capital to sell things. Luckily, the distributor she found was quite good. After the grain collection, Zuo Dan had decided to make Li Chenliang the company’s distributor. He had money, connections, and was bold, making him perfect for downstream sales. Plus, Zuo Dan knew exactly what Li Chenliang was thinking. He probably thought she was naive. Buying hundreds of pounds of fine grain to give to relatives and friends, expending so much effort, and Li Chenliang still didn’t expect to make a profit? That guy was no saint.

As for the money Li Chenliang was making from reselling, Zuo Dan wasn’t worried at all. As the upstream supplier, she only cared about getting her goods taken away. How much the buyers sold them for was none of her concern. After all, it was a one-time deal, a quick transaction. No one was really supplying the same product long-term. A single profitable sale could last for months.

As for Li Chenliang realizing that the gift baskets were from her family, she wasn’t concerned. Helping others process goods wasn’t exactly legal, and if they were hiding something, it wasn’t a big deal. If he could engage in speculative trading and say he was gifting them to relatives, who was to blame? They were both doing the same thing.

The next day, Zuo Dan went to ask Zuo Shuisheng for leave and also to get a letter of introduction. The reason was that the holiday was coming up, and she needed to go to the city to buy some things.

While giving her the letter, Zuo Shuisheng asked, “What time are you leaving tomorrow? Yiming is also going through the county, maybe you two can go together.”

Upon hearing that, Zuo Dan’s heart skipped a beat. She was planning to handle important matters and couldn’t afford to go with Shen Yiming. That fox-eyed man—who knew how many tricky things he might have planned.

“Uncle, what’s Shen Yiming going to the county for?”

Zuo Shuisheng replied, “He’s going to take a bus back to the provincial capital. The holiday is coming up, and he said he wants to visit his elders.” He then added, “He’s been helping our village a lot, so I have to do this for him.”

Hearing that he was just passing through, Zuo Dan relaxed.

Zuo Dan still needed to buy things in the county, and neither Zuo Dacheng nor Li Hui objected. They had been busy these days and couldn’t take care of their daughter’s matters. They only asked when she would return, and Zuo Dacheng offered to go to the town to pick her up. Zuo Chengcai immediately volunteered, “I’ll pick her up. You two stay busy. I’m out running errands, so it’ll be easier for me.” He mainly wanted to hear news about his niece’s dealings as soon as possible. The two of them would take the opportunity to discuss things on the way. After all, this was a big deal.

Zuo Dacheng had no objections. The family was busy, and if he could help, he might even make more money.

The next day, as the morning light broke, Zuo Dan got up, had a quick breakfast, and prepared to leave.

As soon as she stepped outside, she bumped into Shen Yiming heading in her direction. When he saw her, he wasn’t surprised. “I heard from the old team leader that you’re going to the county today. He asked me to go with you for company.”

As he approached, Zuo Dan noticed that Shen Yiming was dressed differently than usual.

Normally, he dressed simply, like the other young men in the village. The only difference was that his clothes were always neat. But today, he was dressed sharply in a green military uniform, with all the regulation buttons fastened, and carrying a military-green canvas bag across his body. He wore leather shoes.

This was the rhythm of returning home in fine clothes. It must be said, with that outfit, his entire demeanor changed. He had gone from being the handsome young man of the village to suddenly transforming into an urbane, artistic youth.

When Shen Yiming saw Zuo Dan looking at him, he smiled and said, “I don’t want to worry the elders at home.”

Zuo Dan was about to tease him but swallowed her words, nodding, “You look very spirited.”

This was a personal matter, but there was no car to take. Even though the team wanted to help Shen Yiming, public resources couldn’t be used casually. Even Zuo Shuisheng, when not dealing with official matters, couldn’t ride in the horse-drawn cart.

Once they left the village and looked at the long road ahead, Zuo Dan let out a sigh.

Shen Yiming took out a pastry wrapped in kraft paper from his pocket, broke off a piece, and handed it to Zuo Dan. “Eat something.”

Zuo Dan was about to say that she had already eaten and didn’t want any more, but when she saw the golden, scallion-filled flatbread in his hand, she swallowed. She had only had a bit of corn porridge this morning. Seeing the appetizing flatbread now, it was truly tempting.

Seeing that she didn’t take it, Shen Yiming urged, “Eat it, I’ll be bored eating it alone.”

She took the piece, left half of it behind, and handed the other half back to him. “I ate already this morning.” The grain was precious, and she couldn’t take too much advantage of it.

She then took a polite bite, and a burst of scallion flavor filled her mouth. “Hmm, it’s delicious.” Zuo Dan said, “Who made this? Who in our village can make something like this?”

Shen Yiming, taking a bite from the half she had passed him, replied, “I made it myself. When I was little, my grandmother made it for me. I watched her, and after coming here, I tried making it myself.” He sighed, “It’s a shame I didn’t do it very well.”

Not good enough?! Zuo Dan, biting into the flatbread, felt a bit frustrated. Talent like that was truly unfair. She didn’t have the same gift for cooking. Even after her grandmother had painstakingly taught her, she still couldn’t cook properly. Her grandmother often said that if she hadn’t lived in such a good era with restaurants and takeout everywhere, she would have starved herself.