Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 87 Ticket

The man in the navy blue suit didn't say a word, turned around and entered the elevator.

Wang Jianjun said, "This man in the suit looks unusual; he must be the manager of the roast duck restaurant, right?"

Director Wei said, "He is the manager of the Heping Store, and he has a position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

Wang Jianjun interjected, "How did the restaurant manager get involved with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?"

“This restaurant often hosts foreign guests, even state guests, so it can’t be treated like an ordinary restaurant…” Director Wei didn’t elaborate further, but instead said, “Come on, ignore them, let’s drink our own drinks.”

Before Li Zhe even put the liquor to his lips, he could smell the rich aroma of soy sauce. When he was young, Li Zhe didn't like soy sauce-flavored liquor, finding the taste too strong; as he got older, he had the chance to drink two cups of Moutai and finally appreciated its mellow aroma, but unfortunately, he couldn't afford to buy it himself, having only tasted it once in his previous life.

Drinking Moutai again this time is a completely different experience.

A waiter carried over a lacquered wooden tray and placed a plate of mustard duck feet on the table. Wu Fanghua picked up her chopsticks and put a piece on each of Wang Jianjun and Li Zhe's plates. "Jianjun, try this. Your mother used to love this dish the most. Xiao Zhe, don't be shy, eat more."

Li Zhe had never tried this dish before. As soon as he put it in his mouth, a spicy sensation shot straight to his nasal cavity, which was quite stimulating...

The restaurant was quite crowded. After waiting for almost an hour, a chef wearing a white hat finally came over with a cart and skillfully sliced ​​the roast duck. The service process and side dishes were almost identical to the previous ones, except that cucumber strips were missing.

Worried that Wang Jianjun and Li Zhe wouldn't know how to eat it, Wu Fanghua rolled it up for them and put it on their plates. "Roast duck is crispy when it's hot, try it." Wu Fanghua rolled up another one and put it on Director Wei's plate.

Director Wei paused for a moment, then grinned widely, picked up the wrap and stuffed it into his mouth. "It still tastes the same, but it's a bit greasy without cucumber strips. I should have gone to the Qianmen store; it's not far from there."

Li Zhe laughed and said, "Uncle, next time I'll treat you to Peking duck at Qianmen Store."

"Come on, you've only made a few bucks. Save them for your wedding, haha. Come over if you're craving something sweet, it's on me."

Li Zhe leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "Uncle, do you know where the cucumbers at the Qianmen store come from?"

Director Wei put down his chopsticks and asked in return, "So, you know something about this?"

Li Zhe pointed to himself, then to Wang Jianjun, "I planted them; my brother gave them to me."

"Really?" Now it was Director Wei's turn to be surprised. He was well-informed and knew that some cucumbers had recently been circulating in the market, and the price had been driven up to six or seven yuan per kilogram.

"Uncle, it's true. I delivered the vegetables to them this morning. Manager Liu even treated me to a staff meal at the store, and the food was quite good."

"Brother, how come I didn't know about this?"

"You can't even get any, so telling you would just make you anxious..."

"Haha..." The three burst into laughter.

In contrast to the lively and warm atmosphere at the dinner table, an office on the fifth floor was exquisitely decorated. A man in a navy blue suit sat behind his desk with a gloomy expression.

He looked at the lean man standing opposite him. "How's the investigation going? Where did the cucumbers come from at the Qianmen store? How many groups of customers have caused this disturbance already?"

"Manager Han, I asked the supply department, and the supply of cucumbers to the front store is only 5 jin a day, which hasn't changed. They must have found a new source of supply."

"Hmph, do you even need to tell me that! If it were through legitimate channels, our Heping store would definitely be given priority." Manager Han's expression was grave, his words urging, "I'll give you two more days, is that enough?"

"That's enough. I will find out the truth within two days."

"Okay, you go out first."

The lean man bowed slightly, closed the door, and left Manager Han's office.

Manager Han pinched his forehead. "That old Liu always likes to play dirty tricks. What are you trying to do, competing with my Heping store for such a tiny space at your Qianmen store?"

Although he complained, he couldn't help but admire him. "Where did this guy get all those cucumbers? He can even supply ordinary customers. How big of a quantity must he be?"

"No way! If his Qianmen store has it, my Heping store must have it too; if his Qianmen store doesn't have it, my Heping store must have it too!" Manager Han stood up and paced around the room for a long time, still unable to figure out where the cucumbers from the Qianmen store came from.

“Why don’t we ask the higher-ups? If Lao Liu uses cucumbers from outside, he’ll definitely have to report it…” Then he rejected the idea, “If we really ask, it will just show off Lao Liu’s abilities.”

"Go ahead and investigate. I refuse to believe that Old Liu can find the supply channels, but I can't?"

……

The front courtyard of No. 7 Courtyard in Suzhou Hutong.

Li Zhe sat by the coal stove as usual, brewing tea and pouring a cup of tea for each person who came to pick up goods.

Today, however, a yellow dog appeared at his feet, barking twice whenever a stranger came. Though not large, it had the air of a guard dog.

Everyone shared the cucumbers according to the agreed-upon quantity.

Li Zhe looked at everyone and said with a smile, "When it gets cold, I just want to eat some meat. Do any of you guys know a butcher shop that doesn't require coupons?"

Hong San said, "In the past two years, many things no longer require coupons. In the summer, some butcher shops allowed you to buy things without coupons. But as soon as the weather gets cold, the supply of goods becomes tight. Not only are vegetables scarce, but meat and grains also become scarce. It's really hard to buy things without coupons."

Li Zhe pressed further, "Do any of you guys know how to smuggle coupons? I want grain coupons, meat coupons, and oil coupons."

Sun Tao said, "Brother Li, you'll have to ask on the black market. I really haven't inquired about it."

Seeing that the others remained silent, Li Zhe said, "Alright, let's leave it at that for now. You guys go get busy."

After saying goodbye to Li Zhe, the group left one after another.

Lu Dayou, who rarely spoke, stayed behind. Li Zhe sized him up. "Mr. Lu, is there anything else?"

"Mr. Li, I have a way to buy tickets."

"Let's sit down and talk." Li Zhe gestured for him to sit down and poured him some tea. "Mr. Lu, what kind of tickets can you buy? And at what prices?"

"I can buy meat coupons, oil coupons, and grain coupons. The prices aren't fixed; they fluctuate with the year, and they get more expensive closer to the end. I'll check the prices early tomorrow morning and let you know."

Li Zhe didn't show it on his face, but he was somewhat surprised in his heart—he didn't expect that Boss Lu, who usually kept a low profile, had this kind of ability.

"Boss Lu, I'm planning to turn on the heating in my house, which might require a lot of coal. Also, we have a large family, so we'll need some pork, beef, and mutton coupons."

"No problem, just tell me the amount, and I'll bring the receipt later so you can pay me."

"Mr. Lu, you're very generous. I'll be waiting for your news."

"See you tomorrow, Mr. Li." Lu Dayou stood up as if to leave.

Li Zhe stopped him again and asked abruptly, "Boss Lu, can you buy foreign exchange certificates?"

Yesterday, Director Wei went straight into Quanjude with his foreign exchange certificates without having to queue at all. Li Zhe also started to think things through. Now it's a dual-track economy – having a little money in hand isn't necessarily useful, but you have to use coupons for anything in high demand.

Not to mention televisions, washing machines, refrigerators, and air conditioners, you needed coupons even to buy a White Rabbit candy or a bag of sugar. But if you had foreign exchange certificates, you could buy whatever you wanted.

After thinking for a moment, Mr. Lu replied, "Mr. Li, foreign exchange certificates are indeed useful, but the exchange rate is also high; when they're in demand, the rate can be three to five times higher..."

"Could you please help me exchange ten foreign exchange certificates? I need them." After seeing Lu Dayou off, Li Zhe closed the door and began counting the money.

Around noon, a clear voice rang out from outside, "Is Mr. Li here?"

(End of this chapter)