Era: 1962, the rise of vocabulary and related terms

The next day.

Xu Chunwang got up early and went straight to the countryside without going to the department to report for duty.

He planned to test Yan Xiao's ideas himself, feeling both excited and uneasy.

This method sounds ingenious, and there's a real-life example of Yan Xiao right in front of me, but I'm still a little unsure if I should actually use it.

"It has to work no matter what!" Xu Chunwang silently encouraged himself.

We arrived at the village where we had made purchases yesterday.

Upon Xu Chunwang's arrival, the villagers showed no welcome whatsoever; on the contrary, they mostly disliked him.

Ring ring—

Ringing his bicycle bell, Xu Chunwang rode and shouted, "Hey everyone, come and get together, I have something to say."

The villagers who came out looked at each other, none of them listening to his advice.

Seeing this, Xu Chunwang had no choice but to say, "Don't worry, everyone. This is my last visit this month. I won't contact you if anything comes up after this."

Hearing Xu Chunwang's harsh words, everyone gave him some face and gathered together.

Xu Chunwang got straight to the point: "It's still about what we talked about yesterday, the steel-for-grain deal."

As soon as he finished speaking, many of the villagers who had gathered immediately turned around.

Without bothering with further pleasantries, Xu Chunwang cut to the chase, calling out to someone, "Brother Li, you're not getting any younger. Have you thought about marriage? Have you bought a house? Have you settled on the furnishings?"

"Making furniture, rigging buckets, and crafting farm tools—all of these require good iron. Adding some practical items to your home will earn you praise from everyone who visits, and it'll make your wedding more respectable, won't it?"

Brother Li stopped abruptly, his previously nonchalant eyes lighting up instantly.

He had delayed his wedding for several years, originally planning to wait until after the New Year, but getting all the household items took time.

"Once this opportunity is gone, it'll be gone forever. It won't be easy to get steel again. We can't get married without even an iron pot, can we? What girl wouldn't run away if she saw that!"

These words instantly stunned all the villagers present.

"Procurement Officer Xu, is it really true that 2 jin of grain can be exchanged for 1 jin of iron?" This is like a pillow for someone who is sleepy.

"Absolutely true! The factory supports our unity as workers and peasants!" Xu Chunwang quickly patted his chest to assure him.

"I'll donate 10 jin!"

"I'll donate 8 jin!"

The first to get restless are the young men of marriageable age. Everyone else has changed, but they haven't. What will they do when they have no furniture?

Instantly, a crowd of villagers swarmed over.

"Don't push, don't push, everyone line up! Register first!"

Looking at the bustling scene before him, Xu Chunwang was so excited that his hands trembled slightly.

Quickly record how much grain everyone contributed.

After a final tally, there were initially 800 jin of grain.

800 jin is not a small amount. Not all villages have a population of nearly 1,000 like the Hongxing Commune Brigade. Many villages have around 400 people.

"Okay, okay!"

Looking at the stack of names and numbers on the list, Xu Chunwang finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart, replaced by indescribable joy and excitement.

Yan Xiao's thinking is brilliant!

He completed most of his purchase quota in one go!

at the same time.

Zhang Fan and several other junior purchasing agents, who shared the same "nothing to lose" mentality, were enacting almost identical scenarios in different villages.

When steel and marriage became linked, it immediately caused a sensation in various brigades and villages.

This wasn't a cold, hard exchange of steel for grain; it concerned their marriage.

Each purchasing agent went from initial trepidation and doubt to being overwhelmed by the villagers' enthusiasm.

Similar to Xu Chunwang, everyone initially ordered about 700 jin of grain.

sunset.

An unusual atmosphere permeated the office of the Third Department.

No longer the oppression and shame of the previous day, but whispers filled with excitement and anticipation.

When Xu Chunwang, Zhang Fan, and the others returned one by one, looking travel-worn but with rosy cheeks, the entire department fell silent.

"Sun Ke, I...I purchased 820 jin of grain!" Xu Chunwang's voice was loud and clear, filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"I, I ran through two villages, and I weighed 1,100 jin!" Zhang Fan immediately reported the number, his face filled with unbelievable excitement.

"I weigh 950 pounds!"

"I weigh 780 pounds!"

......

As the numbers were read out one by one, Sun Yongkai's originally serious face first showed astonishment, which was then replaced by great joy.

The expressions on the faces of mid-to-senior level purchasing staff such as Song Guangfu and Feng Shoucheng were even more fascinating.

Carelessness, shock, disbelief, and finally, regret.

"Give me all the lists, I'll calculate it!"

Xu Chunwang immediately handed the form issued by the finance department to Sun Yongkai.

After some calculations, they found that they had purchased more than 7000 jin of grain today. Combined with the nearly 2000 jin that Yan Xiao purchased yesterday, they completed the task of purchasing 1 jin of grain in just two days!

"Ten thousand jin!" Sun Yongkai slammed his hand on the table, his voice trembling with excitement. "Great! Excellent! We're just one step away from our goal of forty thousand jin!"

"Each of you still has at least five or six villages under your command, right? At this rate, exceeding the target is just around the corner!"

"good!"

The entire office erupted in excitement!

The junior purchasing agents excitedly patted each other on the shoulder and cheered.

Everyone could almost picture the scene of the procurement quota being met.

The 4-jin target that had been suffocating them a few days ago now seemed like a piece of cake.

The junior purchasing staff all looked at Yan Xiao, their eyes filled with gratitude.

"Xiao Yan! Brother Yan Xiao!" Xu Chunwang was the first to rush over, tightly grasping Yan Xiao's hand, and said excitedly, almost incoherently:

"It worked! It really worked! Your method is amazing! Over 800 jin! I, Xu Chunwang, have never had such a smooth experience in all my years of purchasing!"

"Yeah, Xiao Yan! Thanks to you! If it weren't for you, we'd still be wandering around aimlessly!" Zhang Fan also joined in.

"Yan Xiao, we are truly indebted to you this time! If you ever need anything in the future, just let us know!" The other junior purchasing staff also gathered around, expressing their gratitude and admiration in unison.

At this moment, the way they looked at Yan Xiao no longer held the contempt and sense of superiority that they had shown as "seniors" just a few days ago.

Yan Xiao's idea directly solved their big problem.

This isn't some newcomer at all; this is clearly their lucky star and guiding light!

Seeing the change in everyone's expressions, Yan Xiao nodded, this time without being modest: "It's good if it can help everyone. I was worried that my idea would be useless and ruin everyone's plans. Just don't scold me."

"Hahaha! Look how humble Xiao Yan is. Your idea is great. Who would dare to scold you? I'll be the first to mess with him!" Xu Chunwang said.

"Let's go! We have to celebrate tonight! Xiao Yan, you did the best, so this meal has to be on us!"

A group of junior purchasing staff, laughing and chatting, surrounded Yan Xiao and left the office in a lively atmosphere, preparing to treat themselves at a small restaurant.

The office was instantly emptied, leaving only Song Guangfu, Zhu Fugui, and other mid-to-senior level purchasing staff.

Looking at the empty doorway, and then at the notes on their desks inviting clerks from the grain station and the Ministry of Coal to dinner the next day, no one could be happy; their faces were rather dark.

Some of them hadn't even started yet, while others had just begun. A group of junior purchasing staff completed a quarter of the total target on just the second day!

It is foreseeable that they will be able to complete their target of 4 jin of grain in the next few days, or even exceed it.

Once Yan Xiao's idea is known to the Fourth Division, the shortfall of 8 jin of grain can be covered in no time.

"What do you mean?" Zheng Shuangxi asked, looking at the invitation note from the grain station.

Zhu Fugui was quite frank: "What else can I say? I made an appointment, and I have to eat. I can't just stand them up. I'll just consider it... maintaining our relationship."

"But thanks to them, we can actually have an easier time with the food supply; at least we don't have to offer toasts anymore."

"That's true."

......

Small restaurant.

They chatted for a while while the food was still being served.

People come from all over the country, including the capital, the Northeast, the Northwest, the southern coast, and even Shandong province, known for its heavy drinking.

There were various reasons why people came to the capital: some settled there after their fathers fought in wars, some were fleeing from war, and some were chasing after relatives...

Soon, the food and drinks were served.

Zhang Fan and the others looked at Yan Xiao and said that no matter how much they talked about it, no matter how good their drinking capacity was, it was nothing compared to seeing it with their own eyes.

Yan Xiao smiled, understanding dawning on him, and looked at the three-qian wine cup.

When drinking with colleagues, there's naturally no need for excessive drinking.

"Hey buddy, could you please get me a bigger glass?"

The restaurant staff were busy attending to other customers, and casually took out a few large bowls for eating: "Take these, we don't have time to deal with you."

"Hey!" The guy's attitude instantly annoyed everyone, but Xu Chunwang stopped him: "Alright, alright, this is their attitude, it's not like you've never seen it before."

Yan Xiao looked at the large bowl he was eating from, which could hold at least two ounces of liquor. He glanced at the others, chuckled, and immediately filled it to the brim.

After exchanging a few polite words, he picked up the large bowl and said, "I'll finish mine, everyone else can help themselves."

Ancient Mounds —

[The "100-gram Unbreakable" effect is in effect...]

"ah!!!!"

He drank it all in one gulp with great gusto, then turned the large bowl upside down, and not a drop of wine was spilled.

Looking at the empty bowl and Yan Xiao, who remained calm and collected as if he had only drunk half a glass of water, everyone exchanged bewildered glances.

This time, it's certain that Yan Xiao has a good alcohol tolerance.

"How was it? Xiao Yan's alcohol tolerance is pretty good, isn't it?" Xu Chunwang said.

"He certainly has a good capacity for alcohol. Since Xiao Yan is so generous, we can't be outdone!" Ma Bing, whose ancestral home is in Shandong Province, naturally didn't want to be outdone.

"That's right, we can't refuse them." Jin Xiao, whose ancestral home is in Northeast China, was also unafraid.

Immediately, several people from Shandong Province and Northeast China also picked up their two-ounce bowls and drank them down in one gulp.

"Cough cough cough!!!"

The strong liquor burned his stomach and intestines, and he couldn't help but cough a few times to relieve the churning stomach discomfort and the strong smell of alcohol hitting his head.

belch--

A long burp escaped, and the group felt much better, though a faint blush appeared on their faces.

"Great drinking capacity!" Xu Chunwang and the others clapped and cheered. Although they didn't drink it all in one gulp, they did drink half of it.

Wu Xu, whose ancestral home is on the coast, explained, "We can't hold our liquor as well as you guys. This is about enough for us. If we drink any more, we'll pass out, and you'll have to carry me back."

Without any conflict of interest, Wu Xu and others believed that drinking alcohol should be done in moderation, rather than with a competitive spirit.

Yan Xiao, however, didn't care at all: "Just do whatever you want, just do whatever you want. We're just having a small get-together as colleagues, not flattering the boss in a business setting."

"Let's just have some small cups. It's late at night and winter is almost here. It wouldn't be good if we got drunk outside."

As he spoke, he removed the large bowl first, while Wu Xu and the others were eager to drink from the small cups.

"Come on, come on, let's eat!"