Chapter 0004: The Ambition of the Middleman

In the countryside, how about I drive the donkey cart? Liu Dazhuang's father is the livestock keeper of the production team, so he does have some authority; otherwise, how could he show off by driving the donkey cart into town

However, after searching high and low, there were only the purchasing vessels from state-owned aquatic product companies from other provinces and regions, marked with the signal flags of "Su Province" and "Pujiang" floating on the sea, and there were no purchasing vessels from "Zhe Province"

Brother, a stall with 300 jin should not be a big problem; at most, it will take some time, and selling it over a few days is not an issue. However, these are all regular customers from the neighborhood, and they can't eat this every day, can they? Moreover, today is just the first day, and we haven't spread the word much yet, yet our family has already received 600 jin. The others will also get the news, and we won't stop at just 2000 jin.

Li felt a sense of amusement in his heart, "Would our father be pleased with that?"

Now he is somewhat anxious, a total of over 600 pounds. If it cannot be sold tomorrow, it will be a big problem. In two lifetimes, he has never dealt with aquatic products.

You are his son, and whether he is willing or not, he must comply. Wang Yulan sighed again, not knowing when her husband would return, "When your father left, he only had one yuan on him, and he has suffered greatly."

"What are you talking about? I have a pile of it in my cellar, and it's not worth anything. I just keep it for the sows to nurse. Having more of it is useless. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have just left it there." In this day and age, there aren't many well-fed people like that, and Chen Yongqiang really doesn't know what he's been eating to get so plump.

If there is no change in the trajectory, he thinks to himself that his father will be back soon, recalling that in his previous life, it was just half a month after his college entrance examination.

"Is it far to the provincial capital?" Li Long had only been to the county at most, and he was unclear about the direction of the provincial capital.

After the acquisition and processing of these fish by the state, a loss of over 2,000 yuan was incurred

It's nothing, I have it under control. Sister, give the third one 0.1 yuan to buy a pack of cigarettes for Old Guaitou, and borrow the production team's cart. The production team's items are usually stored over by the cow shed, managed by Old Guaitou, who is a recipient of the five guarantees. If he receives cigarettes or money, this old man is also willing to lend out the production team's items as a favor.

With no other options, they had no choice but to turn the boat around and return home with the fish.

After weighing, Li He said, "Thank you, brothers, for your support. Just come over at this time tomorrow afternoon, and I will settle the payment for you."

Li Mei handed the notebook in her hand to Li He, saying, "Take a look for yourself, you haven't done anything yet, and you already owe 31 yuan, 2 jiao, and 1 fen."

According to current regulations, fish produced by fishermen can only be sold to the state-owned fishery company within the county, and sales across counties or provinces are strictly prohibited

Li He sometimes reflects on the first half of his father's life; apart from Wang Yulan's unwavering love for him, there were not many people around who held any fondness for him

If it really doesn't work, then we have to set up two stalls. He will go to North Street to reopen his stall, while Li Long will go to South Street, which he is already familiar with.

You two are the good people, and I am the bad one, is that right

As for the current local policies, Li is uncertain and can only make a trip to the provincial capital tomorrow to take a look

"What is there to show off? Who are you putting on a long face for? It's none of your business." Li was calculating that he must find a fishery supply and marketing company. Eels and loaches are not rare in the countryside, but they are considered valuable in the city. The supply and marketing company in the small county town is only a third-level station and generally does not engage in purchasing; he can only go to the provincial capital.

Li finished sending off the person, and upon checking the small notebook, he was astonished to find that there were over 300 more pounds.

I won't go in, you explain it well to the family, and tomorrow come with me to the county town to help me check the stall. Li He was not being pretentious or polite either; this guy had basically spent half his life being a subordinate, so he was well aware of his temperament and nature.

Dazhuang swallowed the last mouthful of porridge and said, "What are you thinking? He asked me to accompany him to the county tomorrow to take care of some matters."

Dazhuang's mother glared, "What could possibly be the matter that you would leave before dawn?"

It takes more than 4 hours to drive a donkey cart, which is two and a half times longer than going to the county. Li He did not say much, stood up, and headed towards Liu Dazhuang's house. Although his elder sister was also capable, being a young woman in the county, unfamiliar with the surroundings, he still felt uneasy. Any bumps or scrapes would make him anxious. Boys have one advantage; they are bold and tough, and in case of any trouble, they can run fast and take a beating.

Li was not polite either; at worst, the friendship could be made up later

During the subsequent economic reforms, Li He also heard a joke about fishing grounds, which said that fishermen from Zhejiang Province went to the Yellow Sea to fish and had a bountiful harvest, catching over 20,000 jin of large yellow croaker in just a few nets

Pan Guangcai is quite shrewd, so he first took 5 jin to try it out. Once he received 0.7 yuan, he claimed that he had more at home and went back to get more.

They toiled until 3 o'clock before finally finishing the task, leaving the two brothers with no time to go out and catch eels for themselves

I will bring Dazhuang with me tomorrow, and you two will each have a stall. I will find some time to go to the provincial capital.

Upon hearing that there was no cash available, he turned back halfway; otherwise, he could have collected more

Dazhuang's mother, feeling a surge of anger, immediately scolded, "You little brat, not recognizing the kindness of others. Those two brothers are quite clever; I fear that if I sold you, you wouldn't even realize it while counting the money!"

I will not be polite with you either; you can find a place to sit by yourselves, the heat has not yet subsided. " He then said to Li Long, "When someone arrives, you should also call me up.

As long as one has their own ideas, it is sufficient. Li Mei did not say much more; she followed her younger brother in the afternoon and observed everything clearly. His manner of receiving guests and handling matters was impeccable, generous, and magnanimous, far superior to that of the average person. Moreover, he is well-educated, which places him at a level of sophistication far beyond that of ordinary individuals.

Life is actually quite simple. Although he is unproductive and idle, he is not a bad person at heart, lacking the habits of a rogue or a scoundrel, and he would never bully others; in fact, he is somewhat timid and avoids trouble

Li Zhaokun's habit of being lazy and indulgent can be attributed in part to the influence of Wang Yulan

Upon seeing Li Long's expression, the two brothers had the same thought.

Upon waking, I found several people standing in the yard, who had also come to deliver eels.

When Li and Yi left, Da Zhuang's mother came over and asked, "Why is Er He coming over? I heard he is continuing his university studies; could it be that he is here to borrow money?"

The two brothers discussed it and concluded that this was the only way forward

Li had indeed heard from a friend with four bracelets about this before. They started raising eels and fish in production teams in Sichuan during the 1970s. Li was curious and asked whom they sold them to, and the friend replied, "Of course, we sell them to the aquatic product companies. Every county has an aquatic product supply and marketing cooperative. It is much more convenient for those along the coast, as the fishing teams can sell the fish directly to the purchasing boats of the aquatic product companies at sea"

Wang Yulan listened from the side, unsure of what to say. "Your father used to deal with rat poison and has been in trouble several times. Thinking about it now makes me anxious. I hope nothing happens to you."

Although he only spoke to a few people, over ten suppliers sent over yellow eels and loaches, and in the end, approximately 305 pounds were received, most of which were not paid for in cash

You don't need to worry about it; those two brothers took care of me while they were fighting. Have you forgotten how I used to be bullied? Those two brothers helped me out in many fights, and even the second one spoke up for me. The blood was flowing everywhere, yet they never complained about me. And you, on the other hand, just sent a few eggs and thought that was enough.

Li also knew that once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of the well rope for ten years. "My dear mother, it's nothing to worry about. Haven't we already reformed and opened up? I heard that the land will soon be contracted to households. Don't fret unnecessarily; you haven't been to the county town to see. Now there are street vendors everywhere. We are not the ones to stick our necks out; it doesn't concern us."

Li He felt grateful for his mother's care for him, but he couldn't help but notice that her last words were still directed towards Li Zhaokun. She was worried about whether Li Zhaokun was doing well outside, yet had Li Zhaokun ever considered whether there was enough food at home

There is neither a cement pool nor a large basin at home, so I simply put it in a bag, tightened the bag's opening, and threw it into the ditch. I will retrieve it later in the night before setting off.

Thus, after two days and two nights of long-distance transportation, not only did a boatload of shimmering yellow croakers turn into foul-smelling inferior fish, but the fishermen also lost a valuable opportunity, which adversely affected production

Liu Laohan, Dazhuang's father, said, "What is there for the two of you to argue about? These two brothers have grown up under our watch and are considered loyal people. You should not worry unnecessarily."

Wang Yulan steeled herself, "Alright then, I will just prepare myself mentally. When the time comes, if anything happens, I will push it onto your father. He has plenty of worries already. If your father doesn't come back, then it will fall on me. After all, you have your studies to focus on."

"Not for now, I have already asked Lao San to borrow a cart from Lao Guaitou, since there isn't much to carry." Li He is preparing to go to the provincial city to find good channels, and then borrow livestock from Liu Dazhuang's father in the team. If he really has to go to the provincial city on foot, it would be exhausting.

As a father, he cannot provide more love for himself and his younger siblings; as a husband, he is unable to support the family; as a businessman, he lacks sufficient knowledge to cope with the rapidly changing economy; as a farmer, he does not possess the necessary labor skills

Liu Dazhuang was squatting on the threshold drinking thin rice porridge, "Come in, would you like a bowl?"

Once again, I rinsed myself by the well and changed into the large shorts that my sister had altered for me. Finally, I felt a refreshing sensation, and drowsiness swept over me as I drowsily collapsed onto the bed

Li and Liu Dazhuang finished weighing, and it was time to settle the payment. Liu waved his hand and said, "You sell it first and come back to give me the money. When I came here, I saw several places where they were digging for loach, so you probably can't spare your hands right now"

"It was my fault for not letting him shout; look, you are drooling in your sleep." This Li Hui is a relative of Li He, who has not yet reached the age of five, and is about the same age as Li He, having played together since childhood.

He would not dare to tell his mother that he is engaging in speculation and profiteering