Chapter 154: One Pound of Rice for Two Abalones
Mao thought about it and realized that if Lin Sanqi was not interested and did not plan to stay longer, he would definitely pay for the herbs and leave. Who would have the time to visit the abalone warehouse?
But Lin Sanqi knew that there were many rules and troubles in this era, so he must not speak first if he wants to purchase these dried abalone.
If I am suspected by the locals and taken to the police station, I will not be able to withstand scrutiny.
So you need to guide and let the other person speak first.
Director Li's motives are not pure, and Lin Sanqi's motives are not pure either. It's just an old fox versus a young fox.
So Lin Sanqi intentionally or unintentionally turned the topic around abalone, and even deliberately tried to slip Director Li's mind.
Sure enough, Director Li was about to cry when he heard this, not to mention the bitter smile:
"Oh my, Comrade Lin, you people from the capital don't know how hard it is for us islanders.
The dried abalone you see here was indeed a tribute during the Qing Dynasty. Officials and their families loved it, so sales were a breeze. Even after the Qing Dynasty fell, the warlords and capitalists were still around, so sales were no problem.
But, but…"
Director Li was about to complain when he suddenly thought of something and stopped talking.
In fact, how could Lin Sanqi not understand? After the liberation, the officials, capitalists, and warlords of all sizes were gone, and these people happened to be the largest consumers of Nanri abalone.
Now the consumers are gone. Except for a few old brands, most restaurants of all sizes across the country have closed down. Who should we sell dried abalone to?
Director Li saw that there was no one around, so he sighed and continued to complain:
"Right now, our abalone is mainly purchased in small quantities by the supply and marketing cooperatives. But Comrade Lin, as you know, our country has been plagued by natural disasters in recent years. Ordinary people can't even afford to eat. Who has money to buy abalone?"
Lin Sanqi This is a bit strange:
"That's not right. I had Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in Xiamen a few days ago, and they charged me 20 yuan for a bowl. It's super expensive. You guys should be selling abalone at a high price."
Director Li shook his head slightly:
"Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is a famous dish in our Hujian Province, right? But there are only three restaurants in the province that can make it, and they only sell a few servings a day. How much do you think abalone consumption can be?"
Another reason why abalone cannot be consumed is actually the restrictions on consumption areas.
In China, abalone is mainly consumed in coastal provinces, such as Dongguan and Hujian. Due to the limitations of transportation and economic conditions, the northern and inland regions do not have the tradition of eating abalone.
For example, the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall mentioned earlier is only popular in several southern provinces.
Another major consumer region for abalone is South Korea and Japan. Unfortunately, my country’s relations with these countries were not very good in 1959, so don’t even think about exporting.
There is no market for domestic sales and no way to export them. No matter how good the abalone from Nanri Island is, it can only be piled up in the warehouse and moldy.
But the fishermen need to eat, and the island does not produce grain. This contradiction is very real and very acute.
The high-end goods became stockpiles, which was a disaster for the people of Nanri Island, but it was great news for the time traveler Lin Sanqi.
Lin Sanqi listened to Director Li for a long time, then sighed, pretending not to understand.
"Yeah, what can we do? The people of Nanri Island have such a hard life. They are so poor that they can only eat sea cucumbers and abalone every day."
Director Li had been laying the groundwork for quite some time, and now he decided to reveal his true intentions:
"Well, well, Comrade Lin, you are a great doctor, expert, and leader from the capital. You should know that abalone is not only a food, but also has very high medicinal value. It can nourish yin and kidney, nourish liver and improve eyesight.
So, hey, Comrade Lin, could you please tell your unit about our actual difficulties and help procure some abalone? I'm sure the people of the capital will be very welcome to this precious medicinal material."
After hearing this, Lin Sanqi suddenly burst out laughing. Well, in order to promote abalone, seafood has been directly turned into a medicinal ingredient.
At the same time, Lin Sanqi was secretly happy in his heart. He finally waited for the other party to say this. Whether Hu Jianzhi could make money and realize traffic monetization this time depended on how he performed next.
So Lin Sanqi pretended to be surprised and embarrassed, and his acting skills soared:
"Ah, Director Li, you want me to purchase dried abalone? Well, our unit doesn't have any instructions for that."
Director Li quickly continued to cry poor:
"Comrade Lin, you're from a big hospital in the capital, but you don't know how hard it is for the people here. Look at this delicious dried abalone. It's very nourishing. It can also be used as a tonic or medicine. If all else fails, you can give it out as employee welfare. Brother Lin, I beg you."
Lin Sanqi continued to be embarrassed:
"Director Li, this...this...I'm just an ordinary buyer. This, this is inappropriate..."
Director Li was willing to risk everything to sell his dried abalone:
"Brother Lin, could you please ask your dean for help, or if you have any other friends in the capital, could you help me buy some for me? The price is negotiable. For such a large abalone, I'll only charge 50 cents. Or you could give me a pound of rice."
Brother Lin, there is really nothing we can do. You see, abalone grow on the seabed. Our fishermen have to risk their lives to go to the bottom of the sea to pick them up one by one. A few die every year. Even if they don’t die, the fishermen are sick from working in the sea for a long time.
The key is that food is so hard to come by on the island. Eating fish, crabs, and abalone every day makes everyone malnourished. It's so hard, so hard."
Lin Sanqi pretended to sympathize with him, his eyes reddening.
"We're all brothers in the same class, and we're all one family. We really want to help you if we can. So, Director Li, I have some connections in the capital, but I need to send a telegram to ask if they have any needs. I'll let you know when I have a result."
When Director Li heard that this young man from the capital was really easy to please, he took the initiative to help sell the product after just a few words.
"That's great, Brother Lin. If the abalone can be sold, you will be the benefactor of our Nanri Island. Let's go, let's go, we are a poor place in the countryside and only have seafood. Let's go eat a meal first."
Lin Sanqi doesn't want to waste time. Of course, making money comes first and he wants to put the money in his pocket. However, he still has to put on a show.
"Director Li, there's no rush for dinner. I'm going back to the mainland first and going to the county post office to send a telegram to the capital. I'll ask which organization is interested in abalone. If I have an answer, I'll let you know tomorrow."
Director Li was delighted when he heard this: "Okay, okay, then I'll wait for your good news, Brother Lin."
The Nanri Island Abalone Cooperative specially sent a boat, and Director Li personally drove the boat to bring Lin Sanqi back to the mainland dock.
It is called a port, but it is actually a wasteland by the sea. There are still some people moving around during the day, but it is pitch black at night and there is not even a ghost in sight.
When Director Li saw that Lin Sanqi came in a car, his respect for the capital's senior cadres deepened.
"Director Li, I'll be leaving first. I'll let you know if there's any news tomorrow."
"Okay, okay, Brother Lin, I'll be waiting for your good news at the dock early tomorrow morning."
Director Li was really impatient. If Lin Sanqi hadn't objected, he would have wanted to go to the county with them.
The next day, when Lin Sanqi returned to the dock, he saw Director Li standing by the dock, craning his neck to wait for him.
When Director Li saw the jeep coming, he ran so fast that his shoes almost fell off.
"Brother Lin, how's it going? Do you have a way?"
After Lin Sanqi turned off the engine, he whispered in Director Li's ear:
"I used my family's connections and finally found a company that wants to purchase your dried abalone. However, this company is quite special and I cannot disclose its name."
Director Li nodded repeatedly, thinking that who can drive a car these days is a simple person?
As for matters in the capital area, the confidentiality level is definitely high, and he can understand that. Director Li Weihua just wants to sell the abalone, and he doesn't care who it is sold to. If you have the ability, go sell it to Xiaozi.
"Brother Lin, I understand the rules. This is an extraordinary period. It will have a bad impact on anyone buying abalone."
Lin Sanqi thought, this Director Li is quite sensible, that's fine, I can continue to fool people:
"Director Li, I've also negotiated a favorable deal for you. They've agreed to exchange one pound of rice for one pound of dried abalone, but the requirement is that it must be two-headed or single-headed abalone. The minimum cannot be more than three-headed abalone. Any smaller will be rejected."
Look, is this human language? One pound of rice for two abalones.
In fact, Lin Sanqi felt compassion for the conditions. He also saw that the islanders were living a very difficult life. Although giving them money was safer and more convenient, the islanders might not be able to buy food even if they had money.
In 1959, grain was more precious than gold. So Lin Sanqi was prepared to do his best to send the Buddha to heaven and give them rice directly.
Sure enough, Director Li jumped up excitedly after hearing this:
"Really? Give us rice? That's great! This will save more than 2,000 people in Nanri Township. We will exchange it immediately."
Lin Sanqi signaled Director Li to be silent and said in a low voice:
"Hush, Director Li, you know how precious food is right now. Think about it, if a large amount of food appeared at the docks right now, wouldn't your county come to grab it? Wouldn't your region come to grab it? How could your little Nanri Township get its turn?"
Upon hearing this, Director Li immediately realized the seriousness of the problem and nodded repeatedly:
"Brother Lin, you're right. This matter must be kept strictly confidential and no one can be told. If anyone knew that we on Nanri Island had obtained food, I'm afraid the fishermen from the surrounding islands would come and steal the food."
Do you really think that the Japanese pirates lived a simple life? In fact, most of the Japanese pirates were disguised as ordinary people from coastal areas like Nanri Island, and robbing them was a tradition.
Lin Sanqi then asked the question that concerned him most: "Director Li, how many kilograms of dried abalone do you have available for trade?"
Director Li calculated in his mind and said with certainty:
"Single-head abalone is rare, but including double-headed and triple-headed abalone, there are a total of 30,000 catties."
Lin Sanqi thought that the quantity was not much, only more than 10 tons.
By 2013, the abalone production of Nanri Island reached more than 7,000 tons, which is indeed a large output.
But it was 1959, and all abalone was wild. Fifteen tons of high-quality abalone was considered quite good. According to the swelling ratio, fishermen had to fish out at least 150 tons of fresh abalone with their bare hands. Every grain was truly hard-earned...
(End of this chapter)
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