Chapter 105: The Middleman’s Profit
Hearing Zhao Wendong’s plan, the men went wild.
"Fuck yeah, this is gonna be awesome! I’d show up for something this exciting even if you weren’t paying!"
"I’ll call everyone from my village to come help."
After chatting a bit longer and finalizing the details, Zhao Wendong got up to leave. He still had a lot to arrange. He needed to get to the county seat early to find Zhang Dadan and his men, and pay them to recruit more people. Wang Dana’s family had considerable pull in Wang Family’s Hut, and Wendong didn’t want to suffer an unexpected defeat. These hooligans from the Commune were the perfect tool to use against his rivals. The bigger the scene he created, the fewer people would dare to cross him in the future.
As Zhao Wendong walked out of the courtyard, one of the young thugs clicked his tongue in admiration.
"Dongzi’s really made it big. He’s loaded and acts like it, fucking awesome. Usually, we’d just help out, but he’s not only feeding us, he’s paying us too. What a guy! We’ve gotta call everyone we know, put on a huge show for him, and knock out all of Wang Dana’s teeth!"
"Yeah! We’ll take a few dozen guys and wipe out their Wang Family’s Hut!"
Zhang Dadan stroked his chin. "We’ll definitely call everyone we can. But we’re not giving them a full yuan. Fifty cents is more than enough. Remember, when you’re rounding people up, tell them the pay is fifty cents. As for the rest... we’ll just ’hold on to it’ for Dongzi!"
"Yeah, yeah, sounds about right. We could probably get plenty of guys to show up just for the free food, never mind the money!"
"Haha, nice! Brother Dadan, you’re one cunning bastard!"
"Get the hell out of here. If you can’t talk right, then shut your trap."
Zhao Wendong had no idea the middlemen were already skimming off the top. Even if he did, he wouldn’t have cared. One yuan per person wasn’t much, especially if it meant resolving the matter quickly and building his reputation. What he needed now was popular support; with that, everything else would follow. Back at the sleigh, Zhao Wendong was still a little worried about Zhao Wenjun and the others being alone in the mountains. After a moment’s thought, he said.
"Big Brother, when you get back, file down the tips of the bullets if you get a chance. They’ll have more stopping power that way. Don’t stay out after dark, don’t wander too far, and don’t be afraid to use your ammo. Safety first, got it?"
Zhao Wenjun nodded.
"Don’t worry, Third Brother. We’ll remember. File the bullets and stay safe."
"Once you’re done with the cotton fluffing, don’t forget to go to Big Wang’s place to pick up the goods. I’ll drop the meat off there first. Just take whatever he gives you. We can’t let ourselves get taken advantage of."
"Got it!"
"We’re off, then!"
Having given all his instructions, Zhao Wendong drove the horse-drawn sleigh with Lin Zhiyin, heading first to Liangzi’s house. Liangzi had gone to work, so Zhao Wendong gave several pounds of wild boar meat to his parents.
"Oh, Dongzi! We still haven’t finished what you gave us last time! You should keep this for yourselves, don’t bring it over here!"
Liangzi’s Mother waved her hands excitedly, adamantly refusing the meat. Zhao Wendong just smiled. "We got this boar on our last trip up the mountain. It was a big one, two or three hundred pounds! We have plenty at home. Come on, Auntie, take it. Don’t be like that."
Only after seeing Liangzi’s father nod did his mother finally accept the meat. Her gaze fell on Lin Zhiyin, and she looked her over with a curious and joyful expression.
"Is this young lady your girlfriend, Dongzi?"
"You could say that!"
Zhao Wendong said with a grin. Lin Zhiyin glanced at him but didn’t object.
"Oh, well then, come inside and sit for a bit! Have some hot water!"
"We can’t, Uncle, Auntie. We’re in a hurry to get our papers from the Commune before heading to the county."
Even when the horse-drawn sleigh was far down the road, they could still see Liangzi’s parents standing in the doorway, watching them go. Lin Zhiyin suddenly felt a pang of envy. A life like Zhao Wendong’s seemed wonderful, surrounded by so many people who cared for and helped one another.
They first went to the agricultural technology station, but the main gate was locked tight. When they got to the purchasing station, they asked Zheng Guangrong and found out that Little Shanghai had managed to get a ticket home for the New Year just yesterday. He’d asked Zheng Guangrong to tell Zhao Wendong that he’d see him after the holidays and had even left half a barrel of diesel for him, which Zheng Guangrong was holding onto.
Zheng Guangrong had been looking refreshed and energetic lately, in an exceptionally good mood. Zhao Wendong’s massive fish haul had not only earned him praise, but Wang Defa had already hinted that he would be getting a promotion after the New Year.
Seeing Lin Zhiyin trailing behind Zhao Wendong, Zheng Guangrong gave him a suggestive look.
"Brother Dong, who’s this young lady?"
"A comrade for studying the work manual."
Zhao Wendong’s single sentence shut Zheng Guangrong right up. Not daring to tease any further, he obediently weighed the pig bristles, pigskin, and other items Zhao Wendong had brought.
"Brother Dong, you’re a real legend! It’s only been a few days since the big fish haul, and now you’ve bagged a boar this huge!"
Zhao Wendong took the 34.60 yuan he was handed and said with a smile.
"Just a stroke of good luck. You can’t be lucky forever. Right now, it’s my turn, but soon enough, it’ll be someone else’s."
Zheng Guangrong shook his head in disagreement.
"Brother Dong, your luck will always be the best."
"By the way, Brother Dong, did you know? Your fish were shipped out the very same day they were bought. I bet after going up the chain of command, they’re headed all the way to Beijing!"
Zhao Wendong remained noncommittal. ’Those things are too far off,’ he thought. ’I just want to focus on the here and now.’ He didn’t have any grand ambitions or extraordinary talents; he just wanted to take care of the people and things immediately around him.
’I’ve only just solved the problem of feeding the family for the next few days, but there’s still so much more to do. We can eat our fill now, but what about the future? What about the other necessities of life—clothing, shelter, transportation? And what about my friends and family, or the villagers from Dragon King Pond Village, people like Zhao Lao Nian who are just struggling to get by?’
"Let’s talk more when I get back. I’ve still got a lot to do!"
Zhao Wendong bid farewell to Zheng Guangrong, who walked him out of the room and all the way to the door. Seeing the big black dog, Dahei, staring hungrily at his Golden Roc, Zhao Wendong laughingly gave it a light kick on the rear.
"Getting hungry for meat, are you? Brother Zheng, you should treat him well. This dog will definitely bring you good fortune!"
"Really?"
Zheng Guangrong’s eyes lit up. He truly valued Zhao Wendong’s words, so if Wendong said it, he would definitely take it seriously. Zheng Guangrong thought back and realized that, come to think of it, the big black dog really did seem to have brought him a double harvest in both his career and love life. He couldn’t help but nod, deciding to start upgrading Dahei’s meals today.
After saying goodbye to Zheng Guangrong, Zhao Wendong took Lin Zhiyin and hurried straight to Big Wang’s house. As before, he gave him the wild boar meat to deal with, having him trade it for a large quantity of common grain that would feed many mouths.
"Don’t you worry, brother. The folks in the county have plenty of grain; what they’re short on is meat. Just bring over whatever you can get!"
Big Wang was happy, too. ’This isn’t just business; it’s about connections,’ he thought. ’When the leading cadres and big shots are eating this meat, they’ll have to think to themselves that this Big Wang fellow is pretty capable, a man who gets things done.’
"Oh, right, Brother Dage. My big brother, Zhao Wenjun, and another one of my younger brothers are over fluffing cotton. The two of them will come by later to pick up the grain."
"Sure thing. They can take whatever I have on hand. If it’s not enough, you can come back for the rest tomorrow!"
"If it’s not enough, just hold onto it for me. I’m leaving on a long trip. I’ll get it when I return."
"Alright then, brother! Have a safe trip!"
After leaving Big Wang, Zhao Wendong took Lin Zhiyin and headed straight for the Commune offices.
He parked the horse-drawn sleigh in the courtyard of the Commune’s administrative committee and asked Lin Zhiyin to watch it. Taking a familiar path, Zhao Wendong went to find Li Dawei’s office first. He used to be dragged there for "re-education" all the time, so he knew the place better than anywhere else.
When Li Dawei saw Zhao Wendong, his face fell. He stood up and said bluntly.
"What kind of trouble did you get into this time, kid?"
As soon as he said it, he realized his mistake. The kid seemed different lately; he’d even made a big name for himself just a few days ago.
"Police Li, you’ve got me all wrong. My heart is red and my spirit is high. I’m just here to get some papers authorized."
He handed over the identity papers requesting permission for travel. Li Dawei checked them and stamped his seal on them. Then he noticed another slip of paper underneath. He picked it up, and his eyes went wide as he stared at Zhao Wendong.
"What? You’re the new Civilian Militia Captain?"
"Did you threaten the cadres on your team’s committee?!"