Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

He yanked the cloth off the tricycle to show everyone what kind of trash this young man had brought to make up the numbers. Everyone gathered around, and after just one glance, their eyes were glued to the surface.

About 20 jin of rice! 5 jin of pork! 5 tubes of dried noodles!

5 catties of eggs, 2 catties of walnuts, 2 catties of chestnuts, 3 catties of dried shiitake mushrooms, 1 catty of almonds and 3 catties of dried apricots, as well as 1 cured chicken and 1 dried wild rabbit.

There were some walnuts, chestnuts, preserved duck, dried wild rabbit, and cured meat given by the old hunter. Zhang Dabiao kept some for himself, and his family also needed to replenish some mountain products and cured meat.

However, he also provided the factory with some rice and pork, as well as a few pounds of eggs and flour, which he had plenty of in his small apartment.

Firstly, to make up a quantity, since it's the first time I'm seriously receiving and delivering supplies, it can't be too shabby.

Secondly, I also supplement some things myself in order to earn a little extra money.

There aren't many of these things, but—

The comprehensive utilization plant only has a little over 60 people!

If they use this sparingly, it'll be enough for them to eat meat for a week!

You have to understand that in 60, the average person in Beijing only had one or two meat coupons per month!

Moreover, rice is a rare commodity now; it's considered a high-quality grain!

Everyone was stunned, and then their mouths watered uncontrollably.

"What are you doing?! What are you doing?!"

"What are you all doing here! Aren't you going to work? Don't you want your wages?!"

It turned out that Tian Baocheng, the logistics director, had come downstairs to investigate the commotion outside.

Seeing that Zhang Dabiao and Liu Guangqi were surrounded, and Huang Suyou was pulling a cart, they immediately understood what was going on.

"Comrade Zhang Dabiao... classmate, don't let his young age fool you, he can procure supplies that aren't part of the planned program!"

"That's why the factory hired him as a purchasing agent, and he hasn't even graduated yet; he's a temporary purchasing agent with no basic salary!"

"They don't take advantage of the factory in the slightest!"

"If you could also procure so many rare supplies, just report to the factory manager! You could become purchasing agents too!"

Since Tian Baocheng has spoken, no one has any objections.

Putting everything else aside, just take these 5 jin of meat, for example. The factory has a purchase price for them.

It's only 6% higher than the market price, while the black market price has already increased sixfold!

If ordinary family workers had this ability, they could take 5 pounds of meat (7 cents a pound) to the black market and sell it, making a difference of 14 yuan!

If you do it twice a month, that's 28 yuan!

That's comparable to the salary of a first-level regular employee at the main factory!

Buying meat on the black market and then delivering it to the factory as if it were your own purchase, essentially becoming a temporary purchasing agent without even a basic salary, is another option.

Even a fool wouldn't do that!

So these supplies must have been purchased by this child. That's impressive!

He deserves to be a purchasing agent.

These family members of the workers have no say in the factory's decisions; they just hope that the factory's canteen will have meat and vegetables at noon tomorrow!

We haven't eaten meat at home in a long time.

Tian Baocheng pointed at Huang Suyou in mid-air: "Huang Suyou, everyone knows what you're thinking."

"Your son is highly educated, but for procurement, it's all about ability. He's highly educated but can't get supplies, so what use is he to me?"

"Your own son is a disappointment, and you, at your age, come here to make things difficult for a kid? What kind of trash are you!"

"If you have any complaints, go tell the factory manager and the Party Secretary. Now get out of here! Or I'll go tell the factory manager about how you bullied our purchasing staff?"

"Did you understand?"

Well, since things have come to this point, Huang Suyou had no choice but to sheepishly go back to work.

Liu Guangqi and Tian Baocheng took Zhang Dabiao to the logistics warehouse. After the supplies were weighed, and after deducting the advance payment given to Zhang Dabiao for the purchase, plus some supplies that Zhang Dabiao replenished himself, the total profit from this trip to the countryside was 15.5 yuan.

It's not much, but if it's once a week, the salary is quite considerable.

After handing over the supplies, I chatted with Tian Baocheng and Liu Guangqi for a while. Tian Baocheng said that he had already completed half a month's worth of work for a purchasing agent.

The temporary purchasing staff have completed their basic tasks and can take a break this month.

However, it would be best to get as much as possible; the more the better. The factory can handle as much as you can get.

These days, everyone is short of food.

As for people like Huang Suyou in the factory, ignore them. You're a temporary purchasing agent now, just focus on purchasing and don't pay attention to what others say to you.

As for other matters, with Tian Baocheng and Liu Guangqi around, there's no need to worry.

Zhang Dabiao said he understood; he had taken over the job from someone else's son, and he wasn't afraid of Huang Su's retaliation.

Besides, wherever there are people, there is a world of conflict. What's there to worry about? If you're not convinced, just fight.

I sat in Tian Baocheng's office for half a day, but I didn't see him or Liu Guangqi doing anything busy. They just chatted, joked, smoked, and drank tea. These days, working in an office is comfortable—high pay, little work, and close to home.

After chatting for a while, Zhang Dabiao got up and said goodbye, returning the tricycle to the factory. He could just come back and apply to borrow it again next time he needed to go to the countryside.

Back at the courtyard house, it wasn't dinnertime yet, and Zhang Dabiao was wondering what to eat for dinner when Qin Jingru ran over and said it was the Lantern Festival. She suggested they go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some glutinous rice balls, or perhaps use their ration book to buy some glutinous rice flour and make them themselves.

Several families in the courtyard were making their own glutinous rice balls for the Lantern Festival.

Zhang Dabiao was taken aback—Lantern Festival?

You're eating glutinous rice balls, right?

There are still a few packages in my fridge, I don't even know how many years ago they were.

There are glutinous rice balls made with millet, glutinous rice balls made with black sesame seeds, and mini glutinous rice balls.

With a wave of his hand, he said, "No need, watch your brother Biao go and get the supplies!"

After leaving the house, I found a corner in the alley and slipped into my little nest.

If it's just for me and Qin Jingru, one pack is enough; this stuff is sickeningly sweet.

Let's bring He Yushui along too, since Qin Jingru lives with her.

Da Mao... should also send a pack, and Guang Qi should send a pack too.

Will that bastard Yan Jiecheng come over and try to take advantage of me?

And Yan Jiekuang was, after all, a classmate...

Ugh—this is so troublesome.

Finally, Zhang Dabiao took three bags of glutinous rice balls out of his little nest: two large bags and one small mini fruit-flavored bag. Sorry, these things aren't necessities, so he didn't keep taking them out to increase the quantity every day.

Let's cook together, and each family can send a small bowl. It would be best if that bastard Yan Jiecheng didn't come to freeload, as there won't be enough.

After returning to the courtyard, he handed the cloth bag containing glutinous rice balls to Qin Jingru: "Cook them together, invite Yushui to eat with us, and later give Da Mao and Guang Qi a bowl as well."

Qin Jingru exclaimed in surprise, "These are tangyuan? Not yuanxiao?"

Zhang Dabiao looked speechless: "Who cares what it is? As long as we eat it, it's a holiday. Hurry up and cook it. I'll get some other things too. We won't be full with just this."

Indeed, perhaps it's due to the fusion of bodies, or perhaps it's because of the excessive exercise in the past two days, but Zhang Dabiao's appetite is getting bigger and bigger.

It's also possible that it has just entered a rapid growth period?

Let him do as he pleases.

Qin Jingru was cooking glutinous rice balls outside, while Zhang Dabiao went back inside to lock the door, then went into his small apartment to roast a whole Bermuda chicken in the air fryer, steam a pot of multigrain cornbread in the Thermomix, and add four large cornbread buns. He also heated up two sandwiches in the microwave to eat.

He can't stand a diet full of carbs; he wants to eat meat!

Qin Jingru was used to his habit of locking the door as soon as he entered the house.

The roast chicken and steamed buns would take 30 minutes, so Zhang Dabiao came out first and happened to run into Mu Wanqing, who was carrying a small bowl and coming to find him.

"Um, today is the Lantern Festival, and my mom asked me to... bring you a bowl of glutinous rice balls..."

"I'll treat you to some Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls)."