While He Yuzhu was speaking at the courtyard gate, Xu Damao secretly watched from the window.
When he saw the two old faces of Second Uncle and Third Uncle covered in fawning smiles, anger surged in his heart!
He Yuzhu had been exceptionally pleased with himself lately. Somehow, Factory Director Yang had taken a liking to him, and he had received every possible benefit.
According to information he had secretly gathered, the factory had already decided to raise He Yuzhu’s wage grade by three levels this year!
Now he had even learned to drive. That was a skill everyone envied. Before long, that damned Silly Zhu would probably be transferred into the cadre establishment.
What he found most unbearable was having his beloved stolen from him!
He had already won over Lou Xiaoe’s mother, and the girl herself had not shown any sign of disagreement, yet this Silly Zhu had snatched her away with just a few words!
If he did not completely ruin He Yuzhu’s reputation, how could he swallow this resentment?
Xu Damao was so furious that he could not sleep all night. When he arrived at the factory the next day, he began running around and making inquiries.
He asked about everything, no matter how trivial: whom He Yuzhu had met recently, what he had done, what he had said—he investigated it all, whether relevant or not.
Sure enough, within two days, Xu Damao really did uncover something important.
Apparently, He Yuzhu had already given Factory Director Yang a military order, promising to procure supplies for the Canteen.
He had also heard from the Factory Director’s secretary that He Yuzhu himself claimed to know people in Hongxing Commune!
When it came to Hongxing Commune, Xu Damao was extremely familiar with it. In the early 1960s, the workers and farmers were brought together, and factories frequently organized cultural troupes to perform in the countryside.
As a projectionist, Xu Damao had to travel from village to village nearly every time he showed a film. He had dealings with the brigade secretaries and village Party secretaries of those communes.
Although they could not be called friends, they were certainly acquaintances. If anyone knew the current situation in the countryside, it was Xu Damao.
Hongxing Commune was a breeding base supplying the city. Eggs and pork were among its main products.
However, trying to obtain supplies from Hongxing Commune was simply wishful thinking. The reason was very simple: what the Commune needed was not money, but grain.
During this difficult period, everyone in the cities had grain ration books and received ration grain, while after turning over their public grain, rural communities often found themselves unable to make ends meet.
The Old Party Secretary of Hongxing Commune had tried every possible way to keep the villagers from going hungry, but grain was far too precious in those days, and there was simply nowhere to barter for it.
That Silly Zhu could have made any military order he wanted, but he had to claim that he could obtain non-staple food supplies from Hongxing Commune. That was absolutely impossible.
The factory had sent people to make contact long ago. They had merely proposed using money to purchase some off-plan supplies, but they had been sternly refused.
Although the Commune could obtain supplies through certain clever methods, such as using damage reports to move goods around, even if they got money, they could not buy grain. Therefore, they would never trade with the factory.
After Xu Damao learned this information, he took a long-distance bus to the suburbs on Sunday and hurried to Hongxing Commune.
Since Hongxing Commune supplied the city with non-staple food, its location was fairly convenient, with a highway leading directly to it.
The bus jolted along the rough, uneven road for most of the day before finally reaching the Commune. Xu Damao knew the place well, so he went straight to the village committee.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he shouted at the top of his voice, “Party Secretary Liu, I’ve come to see you!”
The Party Secretary of Hongxing Commune was Liu Dashan. When he recognized Xu Damao’s voice, a wave of irritation immediately rose in his heart.
Every time Xu Damao went to the countryside to show a film, he inevitably demanded some benefit. Either he would carry away several pounds of eggs or ask for some tobacco leaves. In any case, he would never leave empty-handed.
If you did not give him those things, the man would start tampering with the projector during the screening, guaranteeing that the film would jam at the most crucial moment.
Thus, Liu Dashan was extremely disgusted with Xu Damao, but because of appearances, he could not openly fall out with him.
“Xu Damao, what brings you all the way out here?” Liu Dashan said without warmth or hostility.
“Forget about why I’m here for now. Old Party Secretary, look what I brought you!” Xu Damao said excitedly, placing two bottles of Erguotou on the table.
This greatly surprised Liu Dashan. A man like Xu Damao, who cared only about profit, always took but never gave. Had the sun really risen in the west today?
“Old Party Secretary, let me give you a tip. In a few days, the Steel Rolling Mill will send someone to discuss selling supplies. The person coming is no good at all. Everyone at our factory calls him Silly Zhu!”
“He rose to become Canteen Director through connections, but he is not actually a cadre at all. He is merely a worker serving as a cadre. That man has sticky fingers and embezzles public funds!”
“What? How do you know?” Liu Dashan was also startled and hurriedly asked.
“Everyone knows. The higher-ups are investigating him now, and he’ll be arrested in a couple of days. Old Party Secretary, we’re acquaintances, so I was afraid you might get dragged into this with him. That’s why I came to warn you.”
Liu Dashan remained silent for a long time. Judging by Xu Damao’s usual conduct, he could not refuse to believe these words, but he certainly could not believe them completely either.
However, after thinking it over, if this really was true, the Commune’s transaction would already be skirting the line. If it became public, it would cause enormous trouble.
With that in mind, Liu Dashan said, “Even if you hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t sell canteen supplies to your factory. People have come before, but these days, money can’t buy grain.”
“Unless this fellow called Silly Zhu brings grain to exchange, not even the Jade Emperor himself could take away a single egg or a pound of pork.”
When Xu Damao heard this, he was positively delighted!
He hurriedly said, “Old Party Secretary, we need to make this absolutely clear. I came all this way because we’re acquaintances, and I was afraid you might make a mistake!”
Liu Dashan could not be bothered to respond. He merely nodded slowly, puffing on his tobacco pipe. After that, he said nothing more.
Seeing how coldly he was being treated, Xu Damao rose to take his leave. He spent the rest of the day traveling and did not return to the Siheyuan until evening.
Enemies were bound to meet eventually. As it happened, He Yuzhu and Lou Xiaoe had spent the day shopping and were returning home in high spirits when they ran into him at the courtyard gate.
“He Yuzhu, I heard you’re going to procure supplies for the Canteen? You should ask around. People from the Canteen and the factory office have already gone there. Who actually succeeded?” Xu Damao said with undisguised contempt.
“Others may not be able to do it, but when I, He Yuzhu, step in, there’s nothing under heaven I can’t accomplish. If you’re useless, keep your mouth shut,” He Yuzhu said.
That was exactly what Xu Damao had been waiting for. Seeing that several neighbors happened to be in the courtyard, he shouted, “If you manage to pull this off, then from this day onward, I, Xu Damao…”
Before he could finish, He Yuzhu interrupted him. “Stop spouting nonsense. Let’s make it practical. Only real gold and silver prove a man’s word.”
“If I can bring back the supplies, you’ll give all three months of your meat coupons to the Deaf Old Madam. If I can’t, I’ll give you six months’ worth. Do you dare?”
Xu Damao hesitated slightly, and He Yuzhu said with a laugh, “Look at that cowardly face of yours. No wonder you can’t find a wife. I bet you’ll die without descendants!”
Those words struck Xu Damao right where it hurt. He immediately thrust out his neck and shouted, “Who’s a coward? I’ll take that bet!”