After much anticipation, Song Weining finally told his elder brother and sister-in-law that he had found the one he loved and wanted to get married. Song Weian and Du Juan were overjoyed.
At his brother’s urging, Song Weining soon brought his partner home to meet them. His girlfriend, Liang Jingyi, was beautiful, possessed an elegant and refined temperament, and was polite in her speech. Her parents were also cadres working in prestigious units. Song Weian and Du Juan were extremely satisfied with their future sister-in-law.
The two families soon met and set a date for the wedding this coming weekend. However, with the current shortage of supplies, organizing a proper wedding banquet was no easy task. Both Song Weian and Song Weining had some savings, and they naturally wanted the banquet to be as impressive as possible to show their respect and sincerity to the bride’s family.
Song Weian suggested that he and his wife head to the commune’s market to search for supplies, hoping they might find more high-quality goods to bring back. Before they left, Song Weining gave all the money and coupons he had saved to Song Weian, telling him to buy whatever good things he saw without worrying about the cost.
Song Weian and Du Juan had visited the Shigang Commune market many times and were quite familiar with it. This time, each riding a bicycle, they arrived at the entrance to find it so crowded that “a sea of people” was not an exaggeration. There was even a long queue stretching out. It was so packed that the couple couldn’t even squeeze their way in.
Song Weian spotted a middle-aged man who had just managed to squeeze out of the crowd, carrying meat and bright red apples in his hands. His eyes lit up instantly. He hurried forward to stop the man, asking politely, “Old Brother, excuse me, but is someone selling meat inside?”
The middle-aged man replied with excitement, “Yes, yes! Not just meat and big apples, but there’s also rice, eggs, white sugar, and brown sugar. It’s a shame I didn’t bring much money today; I only had enough for these. Otherwise, I would have been like the others, buying five, ten, or even twenty pounds at a time.”
Seeing the long queue, Du Juan couldn’t help but ask, “Big Brother, with so many people waiting, will there still be anything left to buy?”
The man laughed and replied, “I heard someone ask that earlier. The stall owner said they brought a whole truckload of goods today; it should be enough for everyone.”
Du Juan asked in a low voice, “Brother, are they selling all of this without anyone interfering?”
The man gave a loud laugh. “Haven’t you noticed? Among those in line, many are well-dressed cadres. In these times, who doesn’t want to buy something good to satisfy their cravings?” As he spoke, he gave Song Weian and Du Juan a knowing wink, implying they understood how things worked.
“Thank you, Old Brother!”
After thanking the helpful man, Song Weian turned to Du Juan. “Wife, how about you line up here while I take a look around the other stalls to see if I can find anything else good?”
Du Juan nodded readily. “Alright, I’ll join the queue. You go ahead and look around.”
The couple went to the designated bicycle parking area, dropped off their bikes, and split up. As Du Juan stood in the long line, watching the crowd ahead, she felt a bit anxious. High-demand goods like these were a rare find. Everyone was afraid that if they didn’t buy now, they wouldn’t know when the next opportunity would come. When it was their turn, most people wanted to empty their pockets and buy as much as possible.
This meant Jun Ning’s goods were selling incredibly fast. Du Juan worried that everything would be gone before she reached the front. Fortunately, the line was moving quite quickly, which brought her some peace of mind.
However, Jun Ning’s booming business did not go unnoticed. It made the surrounding vendors turn green with envy. One or two malicious individuals immediately sprinted toward the office of Director Tan Xingwang to report her.
At that moment, Director Tan was in his office, in the heat of a tryst with a female clerk named Mo Xiaofeng. Just as the two were getting worked up and ready for “business,” they were interrupted by a loud, urgent thump-thump-thump on the office door.
The sudden, sharp knocking gave Tan Xingwang such a fright that his passion was instantly extinguished. His mood ruined, he flew into a rage and roared at the door, “Who is it? What do you want?”
Outside the door, the scoundrel who had come to report her, Gou Daxiong, felt his heart skip a beat upon hearing the roar. Remembering the various rumors about Tan Xingwang, Gou Daxiong wondered if he had just walked in on something he shouldn’t have. But at the thought of Jun Ning’s lucrative business, he felt a surge of resentment. He steeled himself and called out, “Director Tan, it’s like this: there’s a couple outside at the market entrance. They’ve brought a whole truck of scarce goods and are selling them! You should bring some men to take a look!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Gou Daxiong hurried away. But he didn’t leave completely; instead, he hid in a corner and peeked back at Tan Xingwang’s office.
Sure enough, the office door opened, and a woman with swaying hips and a flirtatious expression walked out. Tan Xingwang followed her to the doorway. He poked his head out to check the corridor, and seeing it was empty, his suspicion faded. He then leaned in and gave the woman a bold kiss on the cheek, saying with a greasy grin, “Xiaofeng, bad luck today. Let’s try again next time.”
Mo Xiaofeng gave him a light, playful swat and replied in a cooing, high-pitched voice, “You’re terrible!”
Hiding nearby, Gou Daxiong felt goosebumps break out all over his body at the sound of her voice. He stared greedily at her curvaceous figure, thinking to himself how wonderful it would be if he could develop an intimate relationship with a woman like her.
Only after watching Mo Xiaofeng return to her own office did Tan Xingwang turn back into his room. He picked up the telephone and dialed the Joint Defense Team, ordering the captain, Tan Guowei, to bring his men over immediately to patrol the market with him.
Tan Guowei, the captain of the Joint Defense Team, was Tan Xingwang’s cousin and had always followed his lead. He arrived shortly with his team, and the group set off aggressively toward the market.
Gou Daxiong, who had been watching from the shadows, followed excitedly behind them, eager to see what kind of miserable end awaited Jun Ning.
Those at the market who had already paid their stall fees weren’t afraid of the inspection. But those who hadn’t paid felt their hearts sink when they saw Tan Xingwang and his group approaching. They either scrambled to pack their things or prepared to pay the fee. However, they soon noticed that, for once, the Tan brothers weren’t interested in shaking them down; instead, they headed straight for the commotion at the market entrance.
Everyone realized it then. The Tan brothers were targeting the person who had driven the truck in to sell goods. They instantly began to feel sorry for Jun Ning.