After the two phone calls, Cao An gave the team leader two dollars.
Just now, when they were on the phone, Xiao Hai had already asked the team leader about the fruit situation here, and learned that there was an orange orchard planted by the team itself, and the fruits were ripe and waiting to be picked.
A few people asked the captain to take them upstairs to take a look and said that they could collect the oranges there.
"What are you collecting oranges for?" The captain was very wary. He was making phone calls and collecting their oranges. Especially when he saw the fierce and strong man, he obviously didn't look like a good person.
Cao An: ...
Seeing that the other party was on guard, Xiao Hai took out his Hua University student ID and letter of introduction, "We are students of Hua University. We collect oranges to sell in Beijing. There is not much fruit there."
Even though he spoke so sincerely and had a letter of introduction, the captain still didn't quite believe them and shook his head to refuse.
Xiao Hai had no choice but to ask something else, "Do you know of any other places where there are large groups growing oranges?"
"Yes!" This time he was very straightforward. "The land on the other side of the mountain belongs to the collective land of Gannan Commune. It's facing away from us. They also have oranges there."
After getting the confirmed information, the few of them did not stay here. They said goodbye to the captain and rode to the place he pointed.
Xia Youyou actually didn't quite understand why the team leader was unwilling to sell oranges, so Qi Siling explained to her.
"Each commune has production targets. Their orange orchards are located on the hillside, with less sunlight, so the oranges are likely to be more sour and have lower yields. This means they won't meet the targets when it comes time to pay public grain."
"What about Gannan Commune?"
"The yield there should be good, and the taste should be great." Qi Siling pedaled slowly, turning around the bumpy road. "They'll sell it." Or rather, they should exchange it.
"If we exchange it with seafood, it should be possible."
Seeing how confident he was, Xia Youyou nodded. She believed everything he said.
The little girl nodded obediently, which made Qi Siling feel itchy. He glanced at the two people in front of him, quickly tilted his head and kissed her on the cheek, "So good!"
Xia Youyou turned around and glared at him, "Can you please be more careful outside!"
"Don't be afraid, I've noticed everything."
In order to appease the grumpy little girl, several people also went to the Gannan Production Brigade.
Every time there was such a social occasion, Xiao Hai would come forward, so the three of them would just wait behind.
The leader of the Gannan production team was Li Zhenguo, a serious-looking man in his fifties. He glanced at the three people behind Xiao Hai and didn't say much, only asking them how they planned to collect the money.
Seeing that there was a chance, Xiao Hai said that he could exchange it for seafood or money.
"What seafood?"
Cao An took off the sack tied to the back seat of the bicycle, held it in front of him and opened it. "Uncle, do you think this will work?"
Li Zhenguo glanced at the seafood he had brought out and was quite satisfied with its appearance. "Is that all?" How much could this amount be exchanged for?
"Also, if uncle is sure it's okay, we still have it."
He pondered for a moment, "Let me ask first, is it okay to have part money and part seafood?"
Cao An nodded. "It's all fine. It's up to you. But we want to try oranges first."
Li Zhenguo nodded and called his grandson behind him, "Dazhu, you run fast, go up and pick some oranges."
"Okay, Master!"
The little boy, who was about ten years old, turned around and ran away, and disappeared in an instant.
"Come in with me and sit down. I'll go gather some people for a meeting."
Not long after they sat down, Li Zhenguo went to the broadcasting room, and the boy named Dazhu had already run back panting.
Xia Youyou took out a handful of candy from her bag and said, "As a thank you, I'll treat you to some candy."
Dazhu's face turned red when she looked at him. He put the orange in his pocket on the table and was about to run out.
Qi Siling quickly grabbed him, took the candy from Xia Youyou's hand and stuffed it into Dazhu's pocket, "Candy in exchange for your orange."
"My master doesn't allow me to eat other people's things casually." After saying that, she wanted to take the candy out of her pocket, but was held down by the man again.
"Then I'll give you the money?"
Dazhu was in an even more difficult situation. The old man only said that he would pick oranges, but didn't say whether he would charge for it.
Xia Youyou saw that although his clothes were patched, his body and face were clean, unlike his original adopted brother who was dirty and had snot hanging from his nose. It was obvious that his family loved cleanliness and had good upbringing.
"Take it and eat it. We are here to buy oranges from your grandfather. Don't worry."
Dazhu couldn't refuse, so he could only say thank you quietly and turn around and run away.
Qi Siling pulled her to sit down. Cao An had already peeled an orange and handed it to her.
Just as she was about to reach out to take it, the man next to her took it with his big hand, broke off a petal and put it to her lips.
She smiled sweetly at him, and Cao An was so angry that he turned away and ignored her.
Xiao Hai sneered at the sight, but when Cao An glared at him, he quickly pursed his lips and looked away.
Shortly after the announcement was made, a group of people arrived at the front yard of the brigade headquarters. Li Zhenguo led Dazhu out of the broadcasting room and headed outside.
Dazhu had a candy in his mouth and looked back at Xia Youyou as he walked out, obviously with his grandfather's consent.
The brigade headquarters building was a little higher than the square meter. Li Zhenguo stood under the higher eaves and cleared his throat.
"Is everyone here?" He glanced at the crowd and confirmed that most people were here before continuing.
The crowd was just buzzing, but as soon as the captain spoke, they all stopped talking.
"Some guests came to the brigade headquarters today. They want to buy our oranges. They can exchange them for money or seafood. I just wanted to ask what you think." He took out some dried sea fish from the sack that Cao An brought over and held it above his head. "I took a look, and the sea fish are all good quality. It depends on what you think."
After the words fell, the crowd began to whisper to each other again.
"Then how do we pay the public grain tax?" A shirtless man standing in front of us, still wearing an old man's shirt in autumn, raised his voice.
"Our rice is setting ears well this year, and the oranges are also bearing fruit. So I decided to leave 10 oranges on each tree to be handed over to the government, and pick the rest to sell."
The man nodded and said, "That's fine." These people contributed money and exported goods. The team had its own income, which was definitely better than taking a share and then exchanging it for money!
Over the past few decades, they've grown tired of paying the public grain tax. Sometimes, when the harvest is poor, they pay it in but have nothing to eat and have to buy it from outside. Since the rice yield is good this year, they might be able to sell some of the oranges.
"Captain, how about this?" A woman with short hair and a righteous face raised her voice in the crowd. But then she realized it was a bit difficult to speak like that, so she pushed through the crowd and went up the steps. "How about exchanging some seafood, giving each family in the team an equal share, and then turning the rest into cash?"
Li Zhenguo also thought so and nodded, "What do you think?"
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