Chapter 134 Buying a bicycle at the department store
Grandpa Li is really something!
That's how tough he was, fearless and daring to directly confront the staff at the grain station.
You can tell from this posture that Grandpa Li must have powerful backers.
Hey, I have to say, it really proves that saying—your grandpa is still your grandpa!
Upon arriving at the grain depot's warehouse area, we indeed saw several workers squatting in the shade, smoking and chatting.
Grandpa Li pushed through the crowd and walked straight to a young man who looked like a minor leader. Pointing at the sacks on the oxcart, he shouted in a loud voice, "Xiao Zhang! What's going on with your warehouse?"
"Look at this! Look at the soybeans you sent to the Public Security Bureau's canteen! How much sand is mixed in with them? You're cheating the public and have no conscience!"
The young man named Xiao Zhang was taken aback by the shout. He glanced at the sack and Xu Zhili, who had a sullen face next to him, and a hint of panic flashed across his face, but he still spoke with a straight face: "Uncle Li... Uncle Li, please don't talk nonsense."
"The goods from our warehouse are all properly sealed with lead seals, how could there be sand? It must have gotten in during the journey, right?"
Xu Zhili stepped forward, her tone firm but not humble: "Comrade Zhang, the intact seal only proves that the sack was not opened midway, not that the grain inside is safe."
"The sand was found deep inside the sack, not on the surface dust. And,"
She pointed to the warehouse wall and said, "When we inspected it at the bureau just now, we washed it with water on the spot. The sand couldn't be washed off at all; it was mixed in. If you don't believe me, you can open a bag of soybeans from the same batch in the warehouse right now and check!"
The surrounding workers and people who came to pick up their goods gathered around, discussing the matter animatedly.
Xiao Zhang's face turned even paler, and he stammered, "This...this..."
He didn't dare to actually open the bags in the warehouse to inspect them.
At this moment, Old Liu, the warehouse manager, rushed over upon hearing the noise, frowning: "What's all the commotion? What's going on?"
Grandpa Li immediately rattled off the whole story, pointing to the bag of soybeans: "Old Liu, you're in charge of the warehouse, come and take a look, are these beans still edible?"
Old Liu was experienced. He walked to the oxcart, untied the sack, reached in and grabbed a handful of soybeans from the bottom. He didn't even need to transfer them; he could see the sand grains mixed in between the beans with the naked eye.
His face darkened instantly, and he glared fiercely at Xiao Zhang: "You bastard!"
He picked up a few beans with sand in them, then walked to the stack of soybeans from the same batch piled up at the warehouse entrance, grabbed a handful of beans from the back again, and spread his hand out—they were also mixed with sand.
"Well, it really was your warehouse that did this."
Grandpa Li was so angry that his beard stood on end. "You've got some nerve mixing sand into the grain tax!"
The onlookers were in an uproar:
"My God! It really got mixed with sand?"
"Won't these beans break your teeth if you eat them?"
"That's outrageous! They're ripping off the police station's cafeteria!"
"Investigate! A thorough investigation is necessary!"
Old Liu, losing face, roared at Xiao Zhang and the other workers, "You lot! Come here and tell me! Did you slack off during the sifting and drying process to save time? Or did you fail to properly supervise the grain collection?"
Xiao Zhang and the other workers shrank back in fear, not daring to utter a sound.
Old Liu turned around, bowed deeply to Xu Zhili, Grandpa Li, and the onlookers, his voice filled with shame and sincerity.
"I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry, young comrade, Uncle Li, and fellow villagers. It was our negligence in warehouse management that caused this major blunder."
We'll take back all of this batch of soybeans and guarantee to send 100 jin—no, 120 jin—of top-quality, clean new soybeans to the Public Security Bureau canteen. We'll arrange for someone to load them onto a truck and deliver them immediately.
He then looked at Xu Zhili, his attitude becoming even more humble: "Young comrade, I'm so sorry for causing you and the Public Security Bureau so much trouble. How about we handle it this way?"
"I will definitely deal with these unpromising individuals severely later, strengthen management, and never let them repeat this mistake."
Seeing Lao Liu's fairly sincere attitude and his promise to immediately send out the replacement beans, Xu Zhili's anger subsided considerably.
She nodded, her tone calm but principled: "Manager Liu, food security is no small matter, especially the supplies provided to the police officers who protect our peace. I hope you can truly learn from this lesson and strictly control the quality. I will carefully inspect the reissued beans with the logistics staff."
"Definitely! Definitely! Don't worry!"
Old Liu repeatedly assured him, immediately ordered people to unload the problematic soybeans, repackage them, and sent two people to accompany the truck to the police station.
With the matter resolved, Grandpa Li accompanied Xu Zhili out of the grain station.
He smiled and said to Xu Zhili, "Girl, you did a great job. In the future, when you're buying things in the county, you'd better keep your eyes open like today. If you have any difficulties, just come to me!"
Xu Zhili was sincerely grateful: "Uncle Li, I really owe you a lot for speaking up for me today. Otherwise, this matter wouldn't have been resolved so easily. Thank you."
She breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that the problem had been resolved in time and her work hadn't been disrupted.
After saying goodbye to the kind-hearted Grandpa Li, Xu Zhili watched the oxcart carrying beans disappear into the distance, thinking to herself: "The purchasing business is quite complicated."
In the days to come, I must be more cautious and careful, both to live up to the organization's trust and to take good care of my younger brother.
Taking advantage of a break from shopping, Xu Zhili decided to go to the county department store to look at bicycles.
She led Xu Zhian into the most magnificent building in the county town.
The room was bustling with people, and the shelves were filled with a dazzling array of goods: radios, thermos flasks, enamel basins, floral fabrics...
It was dazzling to look at, and the air was filled with the smells of new cloth, fragrance, and sweat.
Xu Zhili had no interest in looking at anything else; her eyes quickly searched among the crowded counters and shelves.
Finally, in the area selling hardware and transportation equipment, she saw several bicycles that were polished to a shine, lined up against the wall like proud soldiers.
The most eye-catching were the tall 28-inch "Forever" brand motorcycles, and several equally sturdy but slightly smaller "Flying Pigeon" brand motorcycles.
Xu Zhili's eyes lit up immediately. She pulled Xu Zhian through the crowd, carefully reached out, and gently touched the cool, smooth handlebars, feeling the texture of the metal and the luster of the paint. Her heart was filled with longing.
With it, I can save more than half of the time traveling between the county town and the brigade, and it's much more convenient to take care of An'an!
A middle-aged female sales clerk wearing a blue work uniform and arm sleeves noticed her focused gaze, walked over, and had the distinctive look of a sales clerk in a state-owned store on her face.
With a professional expression that was neither too enthusiastic nor too indifferent: "Comrade, looking at bicycles? They're all good brands, 'Forever' and 'Flying Pigeon,' top-notch quality. You can ride them for ten or eight years without any problems. It's just that..."
She paused, then looked Xu Zhili up and down. "This old-fashioned bicycle has a high frame, so it might be a bit inconvenient for women to get on and off. They'd need some leg strength."
"Young comrade, are you satisfied with this bicycle?"
The saleswoman, with a smile on her face and expectant eyes, looked at Xu Zhili and asked.
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