Reborn in the 1980s: I made my fortune hunting wild game in Changbai Mountain

"Manager, something seems off about this order, doesn't it?" Fifth Master asked with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"Oh? What's wrong?"

Qian Dazhong didn't even lift his eyelids, asking in a flat tone.

Fifth Master pointed to a line of small print on the list and said, "Grains, medicinal herbs, and liquor are all normal, but how come penicillin and sulfonamides are on this list!"

These things are more expensive in China than in Russia; there's no reason for a trade line to be more expensive!

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenhui realized that something was amiss.

In this day and age, there is a huge shortage of penicillin and sulfonamide drugs in domestic hospitals; they are very scarce Western medicines.

Normally, the goal of shipping goods is to smuggle them from Russia to China and profit from the price difference; there's no reason for the price to be reversed.

When confronted by Fifth Master, Qian Dazhong chuckled.

"Not bad, not bad. It seems that Brother Long Zilong is an expert in dealing with things. The Western medicine listed on the order is indeed priced in reverse!"
However, this thing cannot be crossed out!
Based on the quantity details on the order, the price of this inverted Western medicine is roughly the profit from one shipment!
You just mentioned the rules for joining: the three water bills go into the treasury! These outstanding amounts will be used to offset this cost!

Upon hearing this explanation, Fifth Master frowned slightly, somewhat unsure of what to do.

Other things are easy to obtain; basically, if you have money and receipts, you can get them through domestic channels.

But these Western medicines are different; they're in high demand in China, and people are hoping to make a profit by reselling them from the other side.

Without strong connections and influence, you can't buy these Western medicines even if you have money!
Seeing that Fifth Master was frowning and silent, Zhang Wenhui asked in front of everyone, "Is there any other problem?"

Fifth Master nodded slightly but did not explain in person. He looked up at Qian Dazhong and asked, "Manager, everyone who comes here wanting to join the gang receives the same requirements on their forms, right?"

Qian Dazhong nodded: "Yes! This is also part of the test!"

Being able to reliably control a mature production line is no small matter; it requires a high level of expertise from the team involved and cannot be decided hastily or casually!

If things are handled too carelessly, bloodshed and death will occur frequently in this small town of Mandalay.

We're taking risks all for money, but as the saying goes, harmony brings wealth; this isn't right!

Having said that, Fifth Master nodded: "Alright, we brothers will take it! The timeline says a week for preparation, but when does it start? Tomorrow? Or some other day?"

"We have one more day free tomorrow, so let's start counting from the day after tomorrow! If you're able, it's perfectly fine to prepare in advance before then!"

However, things aren't peaceful on the border now that it's the twelfth lunar month; there are bound to be carrion-eating jackals watching! Be careful!

“Alright! We understand!” Fifth Master glanced at Zhang Wenhui and readily accepted the answer.

"Erhu, see the two shopkeepers out of the village! One last reminder, you're the fourth to accept an order now!"

"Excuse me!"

……

Just like when they came in, they were blindfolded and led around in a maze of twists and turns before Zhang Wenhui and Fifth Uncle were finally led to the edge of the village.

Er Mang and Ma Leizi, who were lying in ambush outside, immediately came over with their guns on their backs when they saw their elder brother and Fifth Master come out.

"How's it going, Brother, Fifth Master! Has the deal been settled regarding the thread?" Ma Leizi asked eagerly.

Zhang Wenhui shook her head: "It's not that easy. Let's go back first and talk about it when we get home!"

The four of them groped their way back to the house they had stayed in through the dark. After entering the house and closing the courtyard and room doors, they began to discuss the matter.

"Wenhui, the quantity of these Western medicines on the list is quite tricky!"

Fifth Master’s first words were the same ones he hadn’t said at the village chief’s house.

Zhang Wenhui realized on the way that Qian Dazhong's purpose was to obtain Western medicine, which was a major hurdle.

The main purpose is not to deduct water fees, but to screen out teams with connections to mainland China.

These items are highly sought-after and strictly controlled goods in China. Obtaining Western medicine is almost impossible for ordinary people; it inevitably requires a certain amount of personal connections.

Having connections makes it easier to process and distribute supplies from Russia once they enter China!
Of course, if we don't consider this approach, there are other shortcuts.

For example, you could try to find other backpackers who travel on the same routes to do the work, but you might end up getting ripped off and spending more money.

Zhang Wenhui clicked her tongue: "Even if it's a difficult problem, we have to do it! We can just spend more money!"
Er Mang, you should know other people in the same business who sell less-than-truckload (LTL) goods, right? Could we raise the price and get some to make up the quantity?

Er Mang scratched his head: "I can give it a try, but it's hard to say right now!"

Zhang Wenhui nodded: "Okay, there's still plenty of time. Let's do some research in advance!"

At this moment, Fifth Master shook his head: "This path is not feasible. The orders are the same; we need them, and others naturally need them too!"
Let alone ordinary people selling small quantities, even if they could, the competition would drive the market price to astronomical levels!
The quantity of other goods on the list was also considerable; such a large amount of supplies could basically fill a horse-drawn cart.

This was deliberately designed by Qian Dazhong, who calculated the cargo throughput for a single shipment!

After Fifth Master said that, Zhang Wenhui realized what was going on.

People who make a living on the border are no pushovers. Unless there is some special relationship, there is no morality to speak of between strangers.

Scarcity increases value, and nobody wants to turn down money.

For a moment, a thought of hesitation arose in Zhang Wenhui's mind.

He hesitated, wondering if he should try to contact Yue Feng for some help.

If Yue Feng is willing to help, with his connections and background, this amount of Western medicine is not a problem.

However, he abandoned this idea in an instant.

The debt of saving her life had already caused Yue Feng a lot of trouble. Now that she had gotten into trouble and run away, Zhang Wenhui didn't have the nerve to ask him for help again.

He was still thinking that he could make a name for himself on this side of the border and then repay Yue Feng and Zhao Dashan for their kindness.

A few seconds later, Zhang Wenhui took a deep breath.

"It's difficult, but we still have to do it! If buying it won't work, let's try a different approach!"

Fifth Master looked at Zhang Wenhui's profile: "Do you have any other ideas?"

Zhang Wenhui's face tightened, and she said in a somewhat cold tone, "Besides money, you can also steal a gun!"

We don't need to get it ourselves; we just need someone else who took the order to get it! That's what we're relying on!!

As she spoke, Zhang Wenhui patted the Type 56 semi-automatic rifle lying next to her.

The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the room instantly turned cold.

Fifth Master glanced at Ma Leizi and Er Mang, and grinned. "Haha, you're on the same page as me! Ma Leizi and I each have a single-barreled pistol, you have a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle, and Er Mang has the double-barreled shotgun you gave us! As long as the intelligence keeps up, our firepower should be sufficient!"

Fifth Master and Ma Leizi's crime was shooting and killing someone. They were very confident in their marksmanship, and this psychological advantage was naturally revealed in their speech.

After experiencing that crazy night at the private coal mine, Zhang Wenhui changed her previously somewhat conservative views.

Objectively speaking from an outsider's perspective, of the four people in the room, three have blood on their hands, while only Er Mang's hometown is that of natives from Wacheng, so his background is slightly cleaner.

Zhang Wenhui shook her head and said, "Since we don't plan to buy supplies, then the money we've set aside for supplies should be used to buy other things!"
A single-barreled gun is too weak in firepower! It would be at a disadvantage in a real firefight!

We're outnumbered, so our gear can't be too shabby. Here's what we'll do: I'll pay for it, and we'll get two more Type 56 semi-automatic rifles. Ideally, we could even get an AK-47; those have the most firepower and are the most handy!

Hearing Zhang Wenhui's words, even Fifth Master gasped.

This person, who looks fair-skinned and not extreme, turned out to be quite fierce when he got serious.

Leaving aside the AK-47, the firepower of just three Type 56 semi-automatic rifles would be enough to wipe out a transport team of less than ten people in a single round of fire if used in an ambush.

"Alright, you're the boss, so we'll do as you say! As for the gun deal, can Er Mang contact someone to back him up? We need to be especially careful about this; we can't let any word get out!"

There are also small-scale arms dealers on the border. Many guns and weapons in China are smuggled into the country. As long as you are willing to spend money, buying a gun is not difficult.

Er Mang looked up and said, "You can buy them! I know someone who does this kind of thing!"
However, firearms imported from Russia aren't cheap!

Zhang Wenhui waved her hand and said, "No matter the price, if we want to get this line, we have to sell everything we own to buy it!"
Oh, and besides the rifle, buy some ammunition for the Type 54 pistol. I also have a short weapon on hand!

"Okay! I got it!"

……

After a closed-door meeting, the four brothers reached a consensus. Instead of trying to obtain Western medicine like other legitimate supply chains, they staked their entire fortune on secretly acquiring weapons and equipment.

In the following days, undercurrents were swirling around Mandalay.

Just as Fifth Master had predicted, the prices of the Western medicines on the list had been driven up by the black market on the border, making them extremely scarce. Many teams without connections were hoping to spend money to buy expensive Western medicines to complete their shipment lists.

……

While Zhang Wenhui was working hard to gain a foothold on the border, Yue Feng was back at home as a full-time stay-at-home dad.

Calling him a full-time stay-at-home dad isn't quite accurate, as Yue Feng also did a lot of mundane tasks that no one else could do.

According to the customs of Northeast China, once the twelfth lunar month arrives, families begin preparing for the New Year.

Before the Lunar New Year, the village's purchasing station staff had to prepare some bonuses and New Year's goods for themselves.

In addition, Yue Feng also needs to make the most of the connections he has built up over the past few years before the New Year. This inevitably involves giving gifts, which may seem like a cliché.

There are still routine quotas for purchasing goods for the New Year at the forest farm.

In previous winters, Yue Feng and his hunting team didn't face much trouble hunting wild game for the forest farm. After all, they had strong guns and all the necessary equipment. A single raid in the mountains was enough to meet their quota.

This year, which is traditionally considered the Little New Year, the number of livestock on the mountain behind the house has decreased significantly. Yue Feng, along with Xiao Tao and the three brothers Xiao Wen (Xiao Wu was recovering from an injury), spent several days working on the mountain, but they still couldn't count them all.

Even with his temper flaring up, Yue Feng wasn't about to give up. After resting at home for two days, he led his hunting party's belongings into the deep mountains again, continuing northwest along the dead pine forest. This round trip took five days.

Deeper into the heart of the remote forest, the number of wild animals increased significantly.

When Yue Feng and his two brothers came down the mountain, the large sleds on the back of the three vehicles were carrying a bountiful harvest of wild game.

According to rough estimates, in a five-day trip deep in the mountains, the hunting team killed six sika deer, 13 roe deer, four wild boars weighing less than 200 pounds each, and also caught a female bear cub weighing less than 300 pounds.

With such a large harvest, plus some from the previous trip into the mountains, there was more than enough to meet the quota for New Year's goods. The rest, after a simple processing, were distributed among the brothers to their respective homes for the New Year.

For a time, every household's cellar was filled with fresh wild game meats. Even if they ate as much as they wanted during the Lunar New Year, they could easily keep it frozen until spring when it thawed.

……

Meanwhile, three days have passed since Zhang Wenhui's team received the order.

Other individuals who were starting out were using their own channels to prepare the materials on their orders and deliver them.

Aside from having Er Mang buy an inconspicuous donkey cart from the border black market, Zhang Wenhui's team made almost no public moves.

It's just like that joke: others hoard grain, I hoard guns; my neighbor is my granary.

Through Er Mang's connections, the team bought two second-hand AK47 rifles, each at least 80% new, plus several hundred rounds of ammunition, at a high price of 1800 yuan each.

After getting the guns, Zhang Wenhui and Fifth Master personally went to an inconspicuous mountain forest far from the settlement to test their performance. Although the Russian second-hand guns they bought were not in good condition, the barrels had very little wear, so they were indeed good products.

Zhang Wenhui spared no expense in preparing for this waterline competition.

He stole less than 10,000 yuan in cash from the coal mine, but spent nearly 4,000 yuan just on guns and bullets.

Adding in other miscellaneous preparations, almost half of his fortune was invested. This doesn't even include the information fees Er Mang paid to gather information from various channels.

If you include everything, this huge sum of money would be more than enough to buy expensive Western medicine to complete your mission.

However, hard work pays off. With continued investment and betting, Zhang Wenhui and Fifth Master's ability to control the overall situation of this competition for the waterline has been significantly improved.

Several teams were interested in this water line project. Information about the quality of these people and who bought the Western medicine needed for the mission at a high price was all gathered by Fifth Master and Zhang Wenhui.

In addition, Fifth Master and Zhang Wenhui personally went to scout out the location and terrain, thoroughly understanding the area where they would be working. They truly took their preparations to the extreme.

And so, time passed slowly until the day agreed upon on the delivery slip arrived.

Each team, determined to succeed in this shipment via waterway, began setting off along their respective channels towards the border's "smuggling routes."

Here, a basic description of the current waterline situation in Mandalay is needed.

Privately speaking, there are two types of wiring: dry wiring and wet wiring.

The dry route is a land route that follows a natural boundary, while the water route is a route that uses small boats to smuggle goods across the border.

Winter temperatures are low, and the border river freezes over, so even Liberation trucks can pass through without risk. Compared to other seasons, there are more routes to choose from in winter.

The delivery address on Qian Dazhong's bill of lading was the secure customs clearance channel he controlled.

According to the rules, regardless of where the goods are sourced, as long as the materials on the order are delivered to the destination before the specified time, the task is considered complete.

Starting from the outskirts of Mandalay, it is about a day's journey to the delivery location.

Teams continued to depart with supplies, while Zhang Wenhui and his three brothers waited at the chosen location. (End of Chapter)