Double-Cut During the War of Resistance: My Wife Came from 1937

In the past, fried noodles didn't refer to fried noodles, but rather fried flour.

During preparation, flour, soybean flour, corn flour, sorghum flour, and some salt are stir-fried together.

It contained no sugar, no oil, and no milk powder; it was extremely simple and rudimentary.

During periods of food shortage, the food supply consisted entirely of sorghum flour and corn flour; there was no wheat flour available.

On the Korean battlefield, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers would mix a handful of dry powder with a handful of snow, which was very easy to choke them.

Only when conditions permit will melted snow water be used to stir the dough into a paste.

Because they couldn't cook with fire at that time, as any fire they lit would be detected and bombed by American planes.

Compared to fried noodles, compressed biscuits are already a very nutritious and delicious food.

Moreover, these compressed biscuits are only for short-term emergency use, and Ma Hongwei will not supply them long-term.

Once the space is upgraded, it will be able to transport refined grains such as rice and flour to the other side, and even provide meat and fruits and vegetables.

Ma Hongwei pulled Xia Weiwei to sit down on the sofa and said to her, "Weiwei, I just thought of an emergency food. It's easy to store and only needs to be transported once, which is enough for the current Eighth Route Army for four days."

"What kind of food?"

Xia Weiwei asked.

Ma Hongwei opened JD.com and handed his phone to Xia Weiwei.

"90ml compressed biscuits, milk-flavored, tub-packaged snacks?"

Xia Weiwei glanced at it and couldn't help but frown, saying, "8 jin (4 catties) costs 97 yuan? That's too expensive!"

She calculated that it would cost 12 yuan per jin (500g), enough to buy more than 4 jin of rice.

"I also want to ship rice and flour over there."

Ma Hongwei shrugged, looking helpless, and said, "But this space is just too small now; it's not enough to hold much food."

"Taking rice as the largest volume, a single shipment of 48 cubic meters is barely enough for them to eat for two days."

"But……"

Xia Weiwei said, "But we don't eat rice for every meal. We don't eat millet for every meal either. We also mix in a lot of black beans, sorghum, sweet potatoes, and pumpkins."

"I think the soldiers would be very happy to be able to eat fragrant rice."

On ordinary days, the soldiers don't get to eat rice and flour. They can only have a meal like that during holidays.

And even then, it's not guaranteed; during difficult times, people might not even be able to afford food, let alone during holidays.

"If you just think it's too expensive, then it's completely unnecessary."

Ma Hongwei said, "Think about it, in the Republic of China era, one Yuan Shikai silver dollar could only buy 25 catties of rice, but here, even if we take the most ordinary 1000 yuan as an example, one Yuan Shikai silver dollar could buy more than 80 catties of compressed biscuits."

"If it were a special Yuan Shikai silver dollar, how many tons could you buy with just one?"

"That's true!"

Xia Weiwei nodded.

She felt that she was being a bit too petty.

What's wrong with giving the soldiers some biscuits?

Ma Hongwei said, "Besides, the original price is too expensive, so we can buy the near-expiry version. Near-expiry goods are always discounted."

"Approaching its expiration date?"

Xia Weiwei asked, "What do you mean by 'nearing its expiration date'?"

Ma Hongwei said, "Here, all packaged food has a shelf life."

"Within the shelf life, the price is full price. As the shelf life approaches, the price will be reduced. The closer to the expiration date, the cheaper the price will be."

"Because products that have expired are not allowed to be sold, as that is illegal."

"If we buy compressed biscuits that are close to their expiration date but not expired, the price will be much cheaper."

Xia Weiwei nodded, having understood what the other person meant.

She didn't think there was anything wrong with eating food that was close to its expiration date.

You see, the people there will continue to eat food that's moldy; they don't really care about whether it's expired or not.

The future is a bit too complicated.

"I happen to have a childhood friend who owns a shop in Ancheng that specializes in selling near-expiry food. I'll ask him how much he charges for it!"

As Ma Hongwei spoke, he opened WeChat, found a contact with the nickname "Mao Hai" (meaning "hairy child"), and made a video call.

"Mao Hai" is the other person's nickname; his real name is Song Pengfei.

"Ring ring ring!"

The video call connected quickly, revealing a slightly tanned face.

Ma Hongwei asked with a smile, "Hey kid, how have you been lately?"

"That's just how it is, what else can you do?"

Song Pengfei looked at Ma Hongwei and said, "What brings you to me today? Are you inviting me for drinks?"

"I haven't had a drink since I quit my job, and you're still going to invite people out for drinks!"

Ma Hongwei rolled his eyes and said, "I need to talk to you about something this time!"

"What's up? You don't mean you want to borrow money from me, do you?"

Song Pengfei asked, "My wife is pregnant again, so I don't have any spare money to lend you. I can only lend you five thousand at most, that's all!"

Ma Hongwei offered his congratulations: "Congratulations! Is it a boy or a girl?"

Song Pengfei said, "It's another girl, I'm so worried."

"Girls are so popular these days!"

Ma Hongwei laughed and said, "You should learn from them and ask for a bride price of 18.8 yuan. That's almost 40 yuan for two people!"

"I won't sell my daughter!"

Song Pengfei said, "I don't really care, but my dad wants a boy every day and wants me to have three kids. We can barely afford to raise two!"

"Let me know when your daughter is born, and I'll give you a red envelope!"

Ma Hongwei laughed and said, "Seriously, I'm not asking you for money this time."

"Aren't you selling near-expiry food? I'd like to ask what the wholesale price is for near-expiry food?"

Upon hearing that it wasn't a loan, Song Pengfei immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought for a moment and said, "Generally, items nearing their expiration date are priced at 20-40% of the original price. If the expiration date is very close, you can buy them for as little as 10% of the original price."

"What, you want to sell near-expiry goods too?"

"Um!"

Ma Hongwei casually said, "There aren't many people in the village now. My little shop only replenishes stock sporadically. The price I pay for the goods is 75% of the retail price, so the gross profit is only 25%. A pack of spicy strips costs 50 cents, so I can only earn a little over 10 cents. I can't make much money in a day."

"These near-expiry foods are cheap, and you can make more money by buying some near-expiry foods."

Song Pengfei said, "Then I'll send you the WeChat ID for restocking in a bit. You can add him on WeChat and chat with him directly!"

"Do they sell compressed biscuits and canned goods inside?"

Ma Hongwei asked again.

Song Pengfei nodded and said, "He belongs to a food company and mainly produces various food products. You can discuss the specific prices yourselves."

"Thanks, bro!"

Ma Hongwei said with a smile, "When you come back to the village someday, I'll treat you to a drink!"

"Haha, great!"

Song Pengfei said, "It's nothing, let's leave it at that then!"

"Bye-Bye!"

Ma Hongwei waved and hung up the video call.

He said to Xia Weiwei, "Did you hear that? The price is as low as 20% off for the pre-order items. Eight pounds of compressed biscuits will cost less than 20 yuan."

"Less than 20 yuan?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Weiwei said, "Then it's definitely worth buying!"

So, it costs a little over two yuan per kilogram, which is about the same price as rice.