After finishing his meal, Ye Zhiqiu put on his warm gear and went outside.
As soon as he walked out of the street, he noticed something different. Looking towards the street office, he could see a lot of trucks parked in the distance, as if they were lined up.
Ye Zhiqiu walked slowly over there. The snow on the road here was piled on both sides of the road. There were already driveways and sidewalks, so it did not affect travel.
A few minutes later, he watched the people loading and unloading bags and saw Director Gao from the Subdistrict Office chatting with someone. He was familiar with him because he had met him several times and had always chatted with him.
Ye Zhiqiu walked over, took out a cigarette, and greeted with a smile: "Director Gao, long time no see! Come on, comrade, have one too."
Director Gao took the cigarette, thought for a moment, and then smiled and said, "It's you, Xiaoye! I was wondering why you looked so familiar. You've lost weight and become a little darker. I almost didn't recognize you!"
Director Gao then explained to the middle-aged man beside him, "This is the son of a woman from the neighborhood office. He used to be a buyer for the brewery. My daughter-in-law was short of milk at the time, so Xiaoye helped her make crucian carp soup!"
The middle-aged man smiled and nodded. Ye Zhiqiu struck a match, and the three of them lit their cigarettes together.
Only then did Ye Zhiqiu say with a smile, "Director Gao, I've been demobilized and returned to work. I'm still working at the brewery, but I've changed my job position. I'm now the transport team leader."
Director Gao exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! Xiaoye, you've made a contribution? Oh my god, you're only twenty-one years old this year? And you've become the transport captain. If I remember correctly, that's a regular section chief, right?"
Ye Zhiqiu nodded and said, "I have achieved some minor merits, and I am also lucky. Otherwise, I would have retired from the army instead of changing careers."
"Good fellow, I underestimated you!"
"Hey, what's the big deal? I'm just lucky."
"This isn't a matter of luck. Without sufficient strength, you won't be able to get the salary of a regular section chief after demobilization."
Others may not know, but Director Gao himself is a retired person, how could he not know about this!
Even the middle-aged man next to him looked up to Ye Zhiqiu. Because without connections, there was no way he could get the full-time treatment upon returning.
Ye Zhiqiu chatted for a while, then asked curiously, "I just heard from my boyfriend this morning that due to a shortage of supplies, a batch of war reserves were urgently mobilized for citizens to purchase. I guess these are them, right?"
The middle-aged man was surprised and said, "Little brother, you are really good. You received the news so quickly. Your partner's place is really not simple. It should be a compound with strict security, right?"
Ye Zhiqiu smiled and nodded. Although he seemed to be taking advantage of the power of others, there was nothing he could do as his strength did not allow it.
Director Gao smiled and said, "Hey, Xiao Ye has a wide circle of friends. I think we should ask him for help! Oh, by the way, look at my confused brain, I forgot to introduce him.
"Xiao Ye, his name is Han Zhicheng, and he's my daughter-in-law's older brother. I'd like to ask you for help with something. His wife just gave birth to her third child, and she wants to use some eggs and hens to nourish her body to prevent her from developing any underlying illness. Could you please help?"
It turns out that he wanted me to help him with something. There is nothing wrong with that, but how do I put this thing?
Now hens are sold by the pound and eggs are sold by the individual, and they are so expensive that he really doesn't know how to start the conversation.
He said a little embarrassedly: "Secretary Gao, you are my mother's leader. Logically, I should help with this little thing, but I just came back and I really don't know the price of these things.
I can indeed find people who deal in these things, but now all the supplies are brought back from other provinces, and the prices are really outrageous..."
When Han Zhicheng heard this, he quickly said, "Xiao Ye, I'm more than ten years older than you. Do you mind calling me that?"
Ye Zhiqiu smiled and nodded. What was there to worry about? People in the factory would not dare to shout nonsense because of their positions. He was not from his unit, so there was no need to say so much.
Seeing him nod, Han Zhicheng continued, "It's like this. I understand these rules. Chicken is now 3.5 yuan per pound, and chicken feathers are 90 cents each. Is this the right price? I'll give you a little extra, Xiaoye. Can you help me get some?"
Ye Zhiqiu almost choked on the smoke because the last time he came back, Wang Xiaolan said chicken was three yuan a pound and eggs were eighty cents each! It hadn't been that many days and the prices had gone up again?
Nowadays, chickens generally weigh two or three pounds, so one chicken is actually not as valuable as one pound of eggs. This is because people believe that eggs are more nutritious than chicken and have additional uses.
For example, when a child is born, red eggs are given to relatives and friends, and the number of eggs given must be even. Therefore, when there is no supply of eggs, the eggs sold on the black market reach such an exaggerated price.
In fact, all food is priced sky-high these days! Sweet potatoes, which used to cost a few cents per pound, can now be sold for one or two yuan. But there's no other way. There's not enough food, and we're starving. We have to buy it no matter how much it costs!
The key point is that even at such a high price, you can’t buy it!
Ye Zhiqiu quickly explained: "That won't work. How can I still make money from Director Gao? Director Gao has been taking care of my mother like this. I can't do such a thing.
Okay, I'll go over there tonight and see if they have any stock. "Brother Han, how many chickens and eggs do you want? If they have them, I'll buy them directly and have my mom take them to Director Gao tomorrow."
Director Gao grinned and said, "Good boy, I'll remember this favor for you. Zhicheng, don't say anything more. Xiaoye is a straightforward man. There's no need to dither."
Han Zhicheng could only nod in agreement, saying that he would take as many chickens and eggs as he could get.
Ye Zhiqiu didn't dare to do anything rash. It was reasonable to get a few chickens, and it wasn't outrageous to get dozens of eggs, but how could he really do so much for him!
After chatting for a few more minutes and agreeing on this matter, Ye Zhiqiu no longer had the desire to watch the fun, so he said goodbye and left.
Director Gao also reminded Wang Xiaolan that she would come to work in the afternoon and go door to door to notify people to line up to buy things. Families working in the neighborhood office, however, wouldn't have to queue because there would be a limited supply, so there would be extra supplies. Any remaining supplies would be kept as a stockpile for the neighborhood office, ready for emergency use, so they could just buy them before leaving get off work that evening.
When Ye Zhiqiu returned home, he told Wang Xiaolan about this, and Liu Cuihua, who was standing beside him, couldn't sit still anymore.
"Old Qian, you have to go and queue up first, right? Otherwise, you don't know how long it will take you to get in line!"
Ye Zhiqiu said with a helpless smile: "Aunt Liu, please don't bother my Uncle Qian! Why go so early? It's so cold now! Why don't you go with my mother later and buy it in advance?
Director Gao's wife's older brother even asked me to help him get some chickens and eggs. He definitely wouldn't say anything about cutting in line.
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