Chapter 008: The Legendary White Special

The female salesperson, who had just done quite a bit of physically demanding work rummaging through boxes, was clearly very dissatisfied with Gu Ao

The middle-aged person became displeased and put on a stern face to intimidate him

Given this situation, those who have ways to obtain a letter of introduction to Hujiang from various places are all bringing meat back home from Hujiang, with the farthest records even including some individuals from Yunnan and Guizhou who came to Hujiang on business trips

The middle-aged man immediately felt relaxed: "Hmph, just a small-town factory's little brat, daring to come to Hujiang to request assistance from the local authorities? A toad yawning, boasting grandly!"

Do the disciples of the old scoundrel still wish to turn the world upside down

Gu Chao remarked: "I only need one copy of other journals, but for the 'Self-Study Series on Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry', I want two sets. Please remember to issue separate invoices for the journal and the series."

The female clerk was astonished and perplexed, not understanding why the store manager's demeanor changed so quickly, yet she complied nonetheless

On the return journey, thanks to the introduction letter, Gu Ao and Ma Feng easily purchased long-distance bus tickets, thus eliminating the need to spend another night on the boat

He unfolded the letter of introduction, and without looking at the content, he first examined the official seal at the bottom

The follower's eyes were wide open in astonishment.

Oh dear! Comrade, your thoughts are quite dangerous! You are about to embark on the misguided path of 'satellites ascending to the heavens, while the red flag falls to the ground'! Such words should not be spoken lightly; I can choose to be benevolent and pretend I did not hear that. If we were to turn back six months, this would be considered a current counter-revolutionary act...

You know nothing! You have no idea who they are! If I dare not sell to them today, I would be the biggest counter-revolutionary in all of China! Do you know which great project they are serving?

The official response is that the "Self-Study Series on Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry" has not been printed for over ten years, and since this set of books is specialized, there is no stock available

After the other party left, she whispered in the middle-aged man's ear: "Manager, I think these two little rascals are just white specialists. Why didn't you take them to the police station just now and report their current counter-revolutionary actions..."

Only eating meat ... ... until full ? !

The aunt was taken aback, seemingly unable to comprehend the lifestyle of the wealthy. However, she confidently replied, "Of course, we in Hujiang don't need tickets to buy meat; having money is enough. You outsiders probably don't know that."

The three sets total 60 pieces, and with these few journals, the total comes to 68. The middle-aged man calculated the price in his head and, with a smile on his face, asked Gu Ao for the payment

The middle-aged man hurriedly flipped to the back, only to see the official seal of a central ministry and a certain mysterious special committee, and cold sweat immediately broke out.

The store manager could only allow the female sales assistant to take 3 sets

He pretended to go and fetch the letter of introduction

The middle-aged man delivered a backhanded slap.

Damn, had I known that I only needed food coupons and not meat coupons, I would have brought some woolen dry rations. I could have just rushed into the store and eaten my fill of meat, wouldn't that have been better?" Gu Ao thought to himself while devouring his food.

Hmph, if this is false, I must send this kid to the police station!" he thought to himself

This fellow's business acumen is truly cunning

Then... then that means there is no stock! The female shop assistant was confused and afraid of taking responsibility

Middle-aged individuals are bewildered and uncertain, yet internally they still lean towards the judgment that "Gu Ao is merely bluffing"

The most exaggerated thing is that there is a small restaurant in the long-distance bus station, where originally one needed a national grain coupon to eat here

Gu Chao said leisurely, "You may take a look, but this is top secret. Once seen, it must not be disclosed, and certainly not shown to others. You just need to cooperate with me."

Gu Chao did not know what the Wu Jing Factory mentioned by the middle-aged man was for, so he directly asked back.

Gu Chao secretly found it amusing and reminded, "Take a look at the last section, I told you to check the appendix."

Then I asked the store clerk

The middle-aged man saw the red seal on the letterhead, and his heart skipped a beat, secretly pondering whether he had encountered some troublesome and difficult matter.

Gu Chao could not help but laugh: "What do you need this for? You barely passed your middle school math, so this is of no use to you. Moreover, it costs 20 yuan for a set, which is not a small amount."

Gu Chao was still relentless: "I heard that your store collaborates with Hujiang Publishing House. They store their unsold inventory here. I have asked all over the country, and everyone says that the only place it might be available is here with you! Did I come all the way from Qiantang just to buy a book?"

Gu Chao was amused by Ma Feng's simple worldview

Upon hearing Gu Ao's words, the middle-aged man immediately had all his doubts dispelled, and a smile blossomed on his face. He hurriedly instructed the female clerk to find the books: "Quick! Bring all the materials that this young comrade needs, without missing a single one!"

He can clearly see that this appendix is genuine

Ma Feng turned his eyes slyly and said, "Brother Gu, could you buy 3 sets? I would also like to have a set."

Therefore, the middle-aged man, as the store manager here, possesses a certain level of insight

Gu Chao felt a wave of displeasure

Seeing the boss being humiliated, the nearby Ma Feng felt a surge of blood and rolled up his sleeves, displeased: "Who are you calling a country bumpkin?"

Perhaps hearing the commotion here, other salespeople discreetly informed the manager, and soon a middle-aged man dressed in a Zhongshan suit approached, likely serving a role similar to that of a store manager

However, the disdain for knowledge that has permeated society over the past decade has led him to lose hope in the potential of intellectuals

Currently, there are no intellectual property laws in the country; laws such as the Copyright Law and the Patent Law will not be enacted until seven or eight years later.

I insist on buying the old version, as it contains more substantial content. Gu Ao is unwavering.

Fortunately, Hujiang is also one of the most industrially developed cities in the country today

Gu Chao thought for a moment and nodded, saying: "Silicon tetrachloride crystal glass? That should be the same, they make containers, and we provide the protective gas that fills the containers"

No need for food coupons

This statement is indeed not an exaggeration; after 1971, meat became scarce nationwide, and it was almost entirely supplied through ration tickets. However, Shanghai did not have meat tickets—there were grain tickets and other types of tickets, but no meat tickets. (By the end of the 1970s, meat tickets were required again, and this policy lasted only six or seven years)

The red seal on the first page is not intimidating; it is issued by the "Qiantang Oxygen Machine Factory". Moreover, all the content above is handwritten

Therefore, the academic journals in universities are very inexpensive, calculated solely based on printing costs. Editing and creation are considered voluntary labor, supported by the salaries from their respective institutions

At this moment, he felt Ma Feng secretly poking his waist beside him

Several minutes later, the saleswoman returned to the front counter, struggling with nearly forty heavy books. (3 sets of series totaling 30 volumes, but there were also regular refrigeration academic journals)

The middle-aged man patiently explained: "Wujing Factory produces artificial crystal glass. Their director, Miao, asked me last month for the latest chemical engineering journal from Jiaotong University, and I helped him find it... I noticed that the headings in your introduction letter and the appendix are the same."

"Hey, don't be like that, I am just a country person." Gu Ao stopped Ma Feng with a hand.

He cannot imagine where Gu Ge derives such great energy from

The demeanor and depth of character surpass even the big shots in "Mongkok Carmen" who confront the Fly Guy, "She has never been more powerful in her life! Let her be powerful for two days!"

Even the lady serving food at the small restaurant in the station seems to have been briefed, as she enthusiastically promotes her dishes: "Braised pork knuckle, 2 yuan each, each weighing 2 kilograms, how about trying one?"

Upon hearing that he was an outsider, the female shop assistant's sense of superiority immediately surged: "Hey! You from the countryside, what do you know about this? Even if you do, you still can't buy it. What can you do about it?"

The middle-aged man then noticed the handwritten text on the letter of introduction, which stated in the last paragraph, "This task of our factory is to cooperate with a secret project of the Ministry of Machine Industry, see appendix for details"

She also did not want to serve such a difficult customer, so she firmly stated that there was no stock available

Then someone took Gu Ao and Ma Feng to buy food

I would like to purchase the February and March issues of the Journal of Engineering at Jiaotong University this year, including the editions related to the refrigeration specialty of the Department of Physics. Additionally, I would like the set of the old version of the Self-Study Series in Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry that I mentioned earlier

This is likely already a stride into the era of communism

Ma Feng was eating with his mouth full of oil, and as a result, he was shocked by the wealthy man Gu Ao.

Can eating meat still satisfy hunger

However, the bus only runs 4 times a day, so after purchasing their tickets, they still have to wait for three hours

Gu Chao had endured long enough, so he took out a letter of introduction from his pocket and slapped it down on the counter

In seeking technical information and assistance in locating books for this mysterious project, Gu Ao is not the first to come here.

Ma Feng gritted his teeth and said: "I don't understand much either, but seeing how much effort you put into buying this set of books, I believe it must be very valuable! Regardless of whether I can learn it or not, I'll buy it first! Things that require people to go through great lengths to obtain are definitely good items. If I can't learn it, there will always be opportunities to sell it at a high price in the future. As for the money, I'll return you 1 yuan first—I've yet to eat the hairy crabs. In the future, I'll help you with tasks and gradually pay you back!"

The middle-aged man immediately put on a smile and kindly asked, "Excuse me, is this project from your factory the same as the one from the Wu Jing factory?"

Who would have thought that Gu Ao would not mention that he had come from out of town, but that is that

When Gu Ao was buying the ticket, he merely inquired, stating that he had forgotten to bring his national food coupons, and asked if he could buy food at a small restaurant while waiting for the train

If there is more talk and the road police conducting a random inspection discover it, then it would be considered speculation and profiteering, leading to detention in a custody center

The only cost is that the price of meat is slightly higher than in other regions, in order to maintain the superior image of the establishment.

Comrade, is there stock or not? What does it mean to say, 'There is no stock because this set of books is for free distribution'? Our great leader has taught us that we must speak in accordance with the laws of the objective world and cannot be idealistic. If there is stock, then there is stock; if there is no stock, then there is no stock. How can the facts possibly change based on whether it is for free distribution or not?

Gu Chao swaggered into the Xinhua Bookstore, as usual, looking for books on his own, but he couldn't find anything.

Buying two pounds of meat at once is already quite extravagant. However, driven by greed, Gu Ao still asked one more question: "Can one person buy a whole one?"

In this day and age, who among those seeking to check papers and purchase tutoring books for mathematics, physics, and chemistry would dare to claim they are irreplaceable? And still wish to stand firm?

Gu Ao and Ma Feng were both hearing about this matter for the first time, and they were immediately astonished. Gu Ao, without any sense of guilt, spent four yuan in one go to buy two large pig knuckles, one for himself and one for Ma Feng.

Although this Xinhua Bookstore is not the largest in all of Shanghai, it collaborates with several institutions such as Jiaotong University, Tongji University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press.

However, generally one does not dare to carry too much, at most four to five pounds

Gu Chao counted out seven large unity notes, then took two coins to find the head, asking Ma Feng to open the prepared large backpack and stuff all the books inside, before leaving the bookstore

Middle-aged individuals are clearly more articulate than the female sales clerk. After understanding the situation, he immediately reasoned with Gou Ao: "Comrade, the set of books you inquired about is indeed in our possession, but they have been in stock for many years and are classified as unprocessed illegal publications. The 'Self-Study Series on Mathematics, Physics, and Chemistry' has a new edition..."

What is the matter? Let's get down to business first! Gu Ao was puzzled

... ...

The ticket clerk actually went to consult the station leader on duty

Alright, then I will need three sets

The middle-aged man felt a sense of calm, secretly thinking that it must be someone trying to intimidate others with fake goods.

The importance of a matter is not determined by its content, but by the official seal.

However, Gu Ao slapped his hand on the back as soon as it touched the letter of introduction