"Let's have a seafood hotpot," Song Zhijun said grandly, throwing the menu on the table. "Then make us a few of Zuixianju's best dishes. As long as they're good, we don't mind the price. We'll make them around 10 or 20 yuan a dish, and you can order more. We'll have one of everything that flies in the sky, swims in the sea, crawls on the ground, and grows in the soil. You can make your own."
Boss Hou smiled, thinking the person who ordered the food was indeed a distinguished guest. He was determined to do everything he could to satisfy the customer, so he said, "For those that grow on the soil, we'll make you a candied sweet potato. For those that swim in the sea, we'll make you a braised kingfish. For those that fly in the sky, there's a shortage of local supplies. How about using poultry instead? Or a crispy chicken? As for those that crawl on the ground, I wonder which one you'd like to order?"
Song Zhijun smiled slyly and said, "There are a lot of crawling things on the ground. Are there any snakes? Are there any turtles? What a pity! I want to try the turtles from Daling River. So how about a plate of fat crabs from Xihai?"
While writing the menu, the boss said, "It seems from their accents that these three guests are from other places."
Song Zhijun's long career as an itinerant artist had morphed into a mix of Beijing and Cantonese accents. He handed Boss Hou a business card and said, "I'm from the Tieling City Material Supply Station. These two are from Hebei Province and are in Shishan doing business."
Boss Hou picked up the business card as if it were a treasure. He carefully examined it and saw that it was indeed the name of Cui Niubi, Section Chief of the Tieling Material Supply Station. The boss nodded in confidence and said hesitantly, "Section Chief Cui, please wait a moment and have a cup of tea. I'll make it for you right away..."
Wang Deyin saw that Section Chief Cui had run out of cigarettes, so he hurried to Jinming Store to buy a pack of Daji cigarettes and dumped them on the table. Song Zhijun casually lit a Daji, blinking a few times as the smoke swirled around him, his spirits rising. Then he said, "We'll have to wait an hour for dinner, and the troops are very close. How about we pay first and pick up the goods then eat? We can also invite Commander XXX of the troops to have a drink with us at Zuixianju, and then ask the military transport truck to send us some cigarettes to Hebei to save us a thousand or eighteen yuan in transportation fees. Wang Deyin, we have to go and ask him in person."
"Chief Cui, I'll follow your instructions on everything here." The honest and kind Wang Deyin did things efficiently and he trusted and admired Song Zhijun very much.
"Then it's a deal. Wang Deyin, we'll go pay and pick up the goods, and we'll also invite Commander XXX to Zuixianju for a drink," Song Zhijun said decisively. "Zhang Zhaolong, wait for us at the hotel. After we pay, we'll come back for dinner. Besides, if too many people show up, things might get leaked, and if we mess things up, it'll be all over. I gave this to you without the company's knowledge, so don't bring too many people and arouse suspicion, which will ruin things."
"Okay, you two go to the army to pay the money, and I will be responsible for arranging meals at the Zuixianju Restaurant." Zhang Zhaolong, who was escorting 15,000 yuan in cash for Wang Deyin, felt that he had arrived at the Shishan army pick-up location and was only going to the army to pay the money and pick up the goods. He thought this was a foolproof thing, so he sat in front of the warm stove without moving, puffing out fragrant puffs of cigarettes, waiting to drink.
Song Zhijun led Wang Deyin, who was carrying a brown leather bag, out of the door of the "Zuixianju" restaurant when they suddenly saw a "donkey jeep" (the name for donkey carts in Northeast China) parked not far away with five young people sitting in the car.
The driver of the taxi said, "Comrades, take a taxi. It's only one yuan to Shishan Town. It's cheap."
The journey from Shishan Station to Shishan Town was eight li long. The trains that picked them up were all donkey jeeps. Due to the cold north wind and heavy snow, there were few passengers. The drivers would pick up passengers like mosquitoes, stalking them like blood. The more the drivers clamored for them to get in, the more Song Zhijun waved them off, saying, "We're going to the Shishan Army, not Shishan Town."
"We'll take you to the Shishan troops. Let's go in one car," the driver pleaded, still unwilling to give up. Then, several young people from the car swarmed out and surrounded Song Zhijun and Wang Deyin, pushing and shoving them to take the donkey jeep. Wang Deyin, carrying a briefcase and cash, clamored and refused to comply. The owner of the Zuixianju restaurant, hearing the news, stepped in to help, saying, "These two comrades are guests of our restaurant. They just bought a carton of cigarettes from this store. Don't be rude..." The young people got into the car dejectedly. The donkey jeep driver, cracking his whip, regretful for not having earned two yuan, complained bitterly about the barbaric young people, and drove north, gradually disappearing around a bend in the icy road.
Wang Deyin, wearing color-changing glasses, looked at the disappearing "donkey jeep" and said indignantly: "Shishan is too barbaric. If you don't take a car, you will hit me. Fortunately, they didn't know there was money in my wallet, otherwise they would have robbed me. It's really worrying to do business here."
"It's okay, there's the army up ahead." Song Zhijun smiled slyly and soothed, "It's still daylight. Who would dare to commit robbery right under the army's noses? You're incredibly audacious! The Shishan Police Station is incredibly powerful. There's never been a robbery here before. Besides, you have 15,000 yuan in cash in your pocket. No one knows about it except me, so don't worry."
Wang Deyin let out a long sigh and followed Song Zhijun closely, staggering northward on the snow. The sky gradually darkened, and the sparsely populated icy road leading to Shishan Town became a white, cold and terrifying world.
The steaming hot pot from the Zuixianju Restaurant was served in the private room. A burst of fragrant aroma filled Zhang Zhaolong's nose. He looked at the tempting seafood hot pot that made his mouth water and glanced at his watch anxiously. Half an hour had passed. He muttered to himself that it was time to go back. He couldn't help but ask the boss, "Boss, how far is the Shishan Army from here?"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com