1994: Starting with unpaid leave

After jumping off the tuk-tuk, Dong Jianguo felt that his legs were a little unresponsive.

After all, it was 1994, and more than half of the road from Angxi District to Hongqi Farm was a gravel road.

The worst part was that this trolley had no shock absorption at all, and it bounced around so much that my head was throbbing all the way...

Fortunately, we arrived at our destination safely, no matter what.

After paying, Dong Jianguo stepped into the Red Flag Farm.

Hongqi Farm is the farm that supplies the most goods to itself among the four farms.

Of the 1200 jin of eggs we received last time, a third came from here.

Therefore, it was only natural for Tung Chee-kwok to make this the first stop in consolidating the relationship.

To his surprise, the farm was quite formal, with red brick walls along the way and a small gatehouse next to the farm's iron gate.

Dong Jianguo walked through the open door to the gatehouse and peered inside.

Inside the gatehouse, an old man wearing a Qian Guang hat and a dark blue work uniform was engrossed in smoking and listening to the radio.

He took a closer look and recognized the brand of the cigarettes; they were Grape brand, which only cost 1 yuan a pack at the convenience store near his home.

Dong Jianguo reached out and knocked on the car window, revealing a set of white teeth: "Hello, sir, is Secretary Guo here? I need to speak with him."

The old man inside looked up and saw a handsome young man standing outside the window. He casually asked, "..."

"Who are you? What do you want with him?!"

"My second uncle was Secretary Guo's former comrade-in-arms, before..."

"Come in..."

"No need, just tell me the general direction, and I'll go to the secretary's office myself..."

This is my office.

Dong Jianguo was taken aback, but quickly realized that the old man in front of him was the person he was looking for.

He hurriedly entered the room, but before he could speak, Secretary Guo preemptively said:

"Wow, Xiao Dong, you're much more handsome than your second uncle was when he was young!"

He hadn't heard clearly through the glass, but now that they were face to face, Dong Jianguo recognized the other person as Secretary Guo, the same one who had spoken to his second uncle on the phone. He quickly smiled and said:

"Really? I heard that my second uncle and you were both top-tier handsome men in the army when you were young. How could I possibly be slightly better?"

This flattery pleased Secretary Guo greatly, and he nodded with a smile: "Yes, he is indeed more handsome than your second uncle, and compared to me... he's about the same."

Looking at his long, narrow face and his outfit that was the same as Uncle Benshan's, Dong Jianguo knew exactly what was going on, but he still smiled and agreed.

Secretary Guo had a good first impression of Dong Jianguo, finding the young man not only handsome but also polite, and casually handed him a Grape brand cigarette.

"How's Old Dong's health lately? Is he alright?"

"It's great! My second uncle comes home from work and helps his four grandsons with their homework. He's having a wonderful time!"

"Hehe, four... Why have so many?! Now we emphasize fewer births and better births here... Just the other day, family planning officials painted new slogans on the wall on the north side of our farm."

"To be honest, I'm just glad the chickens on the farm can't read, otherwise you wouldn't even have eggs to sell..."

Secretary Guo's words made Dong Jianguo burst into laughter.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Secretary Guo finally steered the conversation towards Dong Jianguo:

"Didn't Old Dong say you were going to sell eggs in the city? Why are you here today? Was there a problem with the eggs you delivered before?"

"No, Uncle Guo, the eggs your farm sent to me were all top-notch, hardly any were broken on the way! I sold them all this morning! I had nothing else to do, so I thought I'd come over and report on the sales!"

As Dong Jianguo spoke, he took out a pre-marked envelope from his backpack and handed it to Secretary Guo:

"Uncle Guo, this is the payment for this batch of eggs. I've written the details on the back of the envelope. You can also count the money inside."

"It's just a few eggs, nothing fancy. We'll have our farm accountant take them."

Secretary Guo squinted and placed the envelope directly on the table.

Seeing this, Dong Jianguo nodded, and then took out two packs of Hongtashan cigarettes from his schoolbag.

Upon seeing the cigarette, Secretary Guo was visibly taken aback: "Xiao Dong, what do you mean by this?"

"Ah, Uncle, it didn't mean anything by it, it was just a token gesture!"

Who knew that Secretary Guo's previously amiable face would suddenly darken:

"Xiao Dong, I appreciate your kind offer, but you should take this back."

"Uncle, I really didn't mean anything by it."

Secretary Guo waved his hand: "Old Dong already told me you're having some difficulties right now. Besides, the eggs I sent you aren't worth much at all; they're hardly worthy of such an expensive gift."

"I'm helping Lao Dong out of consideration for an old comrade. If you do it this way, people will say I'm only helping you fleece the socialist system for money!"

"Uncle Guo, you can't say that!"

Dong Jianguo patted Secretary Guo's thigh and placed two cartons of cigarettes directly on the envelope containing the money:

"As a junior visiting you, I can't possibly come empty-handed on my first visit, can I?"

"If word gets out, won't people say the Dong family doesn't know any manners?! That would be a huge loss of face for my second uncle. If he finds out, he'll definitely hang me up and beat me!"

"Besides, it's just two cartons of cigarettes. My friend got them at an insider price, which is much cheaper than the market price."

"Besides, grape tobacco is too strong; smoking too much will hurt your throat. Why don't you switch to Tashan tobacco? It'll be better for your health, won't it?"

The delivery drivers all said that the farm's in-demand products have all flowed into the North Third District through various channels, so the situation here is definitely not shallow.

How could Secretary Guo of the farm possibly choose to remain unscathed here?!

Therefore, Dong Jianguo was convinced that no matter how well Secretary Guo spoke, it was just for show and he would not actually be incorruptible.

Sure enough, after several refusals, Secretary Guo didn't say anything more and tacitly left two packs of Hongtashan cigarettes.

Moreover, he was well-versed in this matter, and after leaving a cigarette, he casually inquired about the specific sales situation of the eggs.

"Great, they're in high demand! Our farm's eggs, no matter how big or small, are snapped up like crazy as soon as they hit the market!"

"that is……"

"What is it? Xiao Dong, just tell me if you're having trouble! If I can solve it, I definitely will. If I can't, I'll still help you out as you're my comrade!"

Having heard the answer he wanted, Dong Jianguo continued:

"There aren't enough eggs..."

"Uncle Guo, I'm not forcing you to buy me more eggs. You know how it is with selling eggs; it's all about small profits and quick turnover."

"The problem is I don't have any stock. Even the most skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients!"

Secretary Guo took a deep drag on his cigarette, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the two packs of Hongtashan cigarettes on the table:

"Xiao Dong, although I can't give you a definite guarantee of the quantity, the eggs I get next time will definitely be more than this time!"

"Alright! That's exactly what I've been waiting to hear!"

Dong Jianguo chuckled, then added:

"Uncle Guo, is there anything else? How should we settle accounts from now on? Is it convenient for the delivery driver? Is it safe for me to pay him directly?"

Secretary Guo shook his head: "It's best not to let the money pass through other people's hands. How about I have the accountant come with me to collect the money from you every month?"

"I have no problem with that, but I'm wondering if it would be convenient for the accountant?"

Secretary Guo chuckled: "What's inconvenient about that? We'll provide pick-up and drop-off service, and it's safe too."

Upon hearing this, Dong Jianguo stopped insisting and nodded: "Alright, Uncle, we're really relatives, so we'll do as you say!"