Li Xiangdong asked, "Sister, does every family in our village have ginseng fields?"
Cui Xinni nodded, "Yeah, every family grows ginseng!"
"They're all sold to the medicinal herb company!"
"right!"
After saying that, she looked around to make sure no one was there before leaning closer to Li Xiangdong and saying, "Some people are also secretly transporting ginseng to the south to sell, and it's said that the price can double!"
Li Xiangdong knew that there was never a shortage of quick-witted and daring people.
Cui Xinni continued, "However, we are unwilling to sell the ginseng to them."
Why?
Li Xiangdong was puzzled.
Cui Xinni whispered gossip, "They don't pay more than a few cents compared to the medicinal herb company, and they settle accounts later. Once, Huang Mao from Houtun was greedy and sold them 100 catties of red ginseng. But a few days later, he came back saying he had been arrested for speculation and profiteering. Not only were the goods confiscated, but he was also fined 500 yuan!"
Zhou Hongsong frowned and said, "That's their own fault. They won't stop paying Huang Mao just because of that excuse!"
Cui Xinni clapped her hands. "Isn't that the logic? But they insist that they've already lost money and can't give him any, which has Huang Mao's family in a panic. Huang Mao and his wife are fighting three times a day!"
"Doing business this way is definitely not sustainable."
He Chaochao asserted.
In their business dealings, they always settle accounts as soon as they receive the goods. Whether they lose money or not is none of the farmers' business.
Cui Xinni shook her head with a smile, "Not at all! Although Huang Mao's incident happened, many villagers did make more money selling their goods there, so everyone says that Huang Mao was just unlucky."
If a pound of red ginseng sells for two cents more, then one hundred pounds would cost twenty yuan.
These days, eggs cost two cents and matches cost three cents a box, so twenty yuan could buy quite a lot of things.
So it's normal that someone is willing to sell.
There is, however, a problem.
Li Xiangdong asked Cui Xinni, "Are you cracking down on speculation and profiteering so strictly here?"
"It's alright here; most of the time they turn a blind eye. But I heard from that group that they're cracking down harder in Jiangsu Province. Their shipment was meant to be transported to Guangzhou, but it was seized when they passed through Jiangsu Province."
Zhou Hongsong and He Chaochao exchanged a glance and thought to themselves, "Why is no one arresting the mountain goods they transported from western Sichuan to Yanjing and Bincheng?"
Li Xiangdong seemed to have figured something out. His calm gaze swept over Cantian. "We're affiliated with a legitimate brigade collective enterprise. No one will arrest us."
"oh--"
"I see, but we..."
"We've paid the management fee every time!"
He Chaochao was puzzled. He knew exactly how much profit he made each time he sold mountain products, so how come he didn't know that he also had to pay management fees?
Everyone always splits the profits equally. Since they didn't pay this fee, it must have been taken by Li Xiangdong from his own share...
It seems he needs to discuss this matter with Bai Yulong and Luo Yonggang.
In the early stages of China's reform and opening up, a special dual-track pricing system was adopted. The planned portion was subject to a state-controlled price, while products sold by enterprises exceeding the planned quota could be sold at market prices.
At this time, a group of "scalpers" emerged, engaging in various "rent-seeking" activities to profit from the difference between the auction price and the market price. Among them, the most serious cases constituted the crime of speculation and profiteering.
As for what constitutes a "serious situation," its definition is often influenced by specific economic, political, and social environments. Therefore, the boundaries of a "serious situation" are not entirely clear during implementation.
Although he had clung tightly to Liu Donglai, Li Xiangdong still made preparations in advance to avoid unnecessary trouble.
After getting a general idea of what was going on, the group headed home.
By this time, the sun had risen high in the sky, the temperature had increased, and the dew on the branches and leaves had dried.
In the forest, the wind keeps people cool, but if they go to a place without shade, they can feel the scorching heat of the sun.
"Oh, little garlic! Let's get some to take home and have dumplings!"
Suddenly, Cui Xinni noticed a clump of plants that looked like scallions growing by the roadside and stopped to say something with delight.
"Aren't wild garlic harvested in winter? Can't it be grown in summer too?"
Li Xiangdong had eaten stir-fried eggs with wild garlic before and knew that it was a unique wild vegetable in Northeast China during winter, with a spicy, fragrant, and crisp taste.
"Yes, we still have them now, but they're not as tender as they were in winter."
Cui Xinni picked up a twig from the side and began digging into the soil at the bottom of the small garlic cloves.
In no time, a small pit was dug out, revealing the round, white roots of the garlic cloves.
With everyone working together, they quickly dug up all the wild garlic growing by the roadside, enough to fill a large arm.
"Go back and wash it clean, then make a cold dish and scrambled eggs."
Li Jiabao cheered, "Great! I'm going to taste some fresh and delicious food again!"
When they got home, Aunt Cui had already started making dumplings.
Two and a half rings of dumplings were placed on the lid, and freshly rolled dumpling wrappers were placed on the work surface. The filling of elm mushrooms and wild boar meat filled a large porcelain basin.
Wow, such a huge bowl of dumpling filling!
As soon as he entered, Zhou Hongsong's eyes were drawn to the dumpling filling. How many dumplings must he have made!
Aunt Cui had a kind face. She said with a smile, "You're all grown men, each of you can eat a whole pot. If I don't pack enough, I'm afraid you'll start fighting!"
"Hehe, that's true!"
He Chaochao often helps his wife cook at home. He washes his hands thoroughly and helps Aunt Cui make dumplings.
With everyone's help, the dumplings were quickly made. Four trays of dumplings were reserved for Lao Cui, Li Jin, and Niu Santiao, and the rest were cooked.
The big iron pot boiled until it crackled open, and the plump white dumplings rolled around a few times. Aunt Cui used a spoon to scoop one out and let Li Xiangdong taste it to see if it was cooked.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"
Li Xiangdong blew on the dumpling a few times, then carefully took a bite. "Hiss—it's so hot! It smells so good!"
After eating one dumpling, Li Xiangdong said to Aunt Cui, "The dumplings are cooked, you can take them out now."
Everyone had a hearty lunch, and their bellies were full. They actually ate seven trays of dumplings!
This fighting power made Aunt Cui secretly gasp in amazement; this guy can eat an incredible amount!
After finishing their dumplings, Zhou Hongsong and He Chaochao took Li Jiabao out to digest, while Li Xiangdong went back to his room to lie down and sleep.
What a rare and beautiful day!
Cool, comfortable, and absolutely fantastic!
Li Xiangdong lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), his toes tapping slowly, comfortably muttering to himself, "Stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life!"
Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep again.
Li Xiangdong was awakened by a commotion.
Outside, the sounds of laughter, talking, the high-pitched barking of hunting dogs, and the mournful squeals of wild boars mingled together, instantly pulling Li Xiangdong from his dream.
When I went outside, I saw that it was Li Jin and the others who had returned.
"Uncle, did you kill this bright red fox?"
He Chaochao asked in surprise. He picked up the dead fox and examined it carefully. Sure enough, there were no bullet holes on its body!
The only wound was on the fox's eyes!
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