Chapter 418 - 352: New Gun
"Wait a minute!" The old man stepped in front of Zhao Jun and raised his left hand.
Of course, he wasn’t about to hit him.
The old man’s palm faced Zhao Jun. He had curled his index, middle, and ring fingers, leaving only his thumb and pinky extended.
He was making the sign for the number six.
The old man looked at Zhao Jun with a serious expression and said, "Young man, this is the most I can give you!"
Zhao Jun glanced at the hand sign, taken aback. He asked in surprise, "Six thousand?"
The old man froze, then shook his head violently. He raised his hand signal a little higher and said, "It’s two thousand six hundred!"
"Ah!" Zhao Jun grunted, nodded, and shifted to the right, walking around the old man to leave.
The old man quickly turned to follow him. Seeing Zhao Jun already at the door, he hurriedly grabbed him and asked, "That number’s no good either?"
The nearby pharmacy employee didn’t dare to speak, but he nodded along. His job was different from Zhao Jun’s. Zhao Jun was a timber scaler at the Forest Farm, which was piece-rate work, earning him upwards of forty-five yuan a month.
But he just did odd jobs and maintained order at the pharmacy for only thirty-two yuan a month. The two thousand six hundred the old man had just offered was enough to cover his salary for several years.
Hearing this, Zhao Jun turned back with a smile. "Sir, you see, I’m young and don’t really know how much this ginseng is worth. Shouldn’t I go shop around and ask? I’ll sell it to whoever offers the highest price."
"Well..."
The old man wanted to say more, but Zhao Jun had already stepped out the door and was heading straight for the stairs.
"Young man!" The old man tried to call out again, but he couldn’t stop him. He glanced to the side and saw the employee still standing there. He barked, "What are you standing around for? Go see him off!"
"Yes, yes!" The employee answered twice and was about to leave when the old man grabbed him. He heard the old man say, "You follow him. When you get to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, see how much they offer him. As long as it’s not over three thousand, you have the authority to make the deal."
"What?" The old man’s words terrified the employee. He stammered, "Uncle Ji, three thousand yuan... how could I possibly have the authority to decide that?"
"You don’t have to. I do!" The old man slapped him on the shoulder. "Go! Follow him. If you get this done, there’ll be something in it for you."
Hearing there was a reward, the employee hurried after Zhao Jun. He chased him from upstairs to downstairs, and seeing Zhao Jun disappear out the front door, he rushed outside.
There was only one road to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, so they figured Zhao Jun couldn’t have gotten far.
But when the employee reached the entrance, he saw Zhao Jun sitting in a truck. The next second, the engine started, and it sped away in a cloud of dust.
The employee quickly turned around, went back into the pharmacy, and ran up the stairs.
The old man hadn’t returned to his room. He was pacing back and forth in the hallway with his hands behind his back. He happened to turn and see the employee returning. The old man froze, then frowned angrily. "Why are you back?"
"Uncle Ji, the guy took off in a truck!"
"A truck?" The old man was stunned. He yelled, "Quick, find the manager! Tell him to get the cargo three-wheeler from the backyard! We have to chase that kid down!"
...
Zhao Jun sat in the truck, giving Li Baoyu directions. As he drove, Li Baoyu asked, "Brother, how did it go?"
"Not bad," Zhao Jun said. "We’re heading to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative now to find Brother Jie Zhong’s brother-in-law. If the Cooperative gives us a high price, we’ll sell to them. If not, we’ll come back."
"Got it!"
The truck made its way to the Lingnan Supply and Marketing Cooperative and pulled over outside the store. Just as Zhao Jun was about to get out, he saw someone walk out of the cooperative.
The man was carrying a long canvas gun bag on his back. It was obvious he had just bought a gun from inside!
Back then, guns weren’t restricted. You didn’t need any permits; you could buy one as long as you had the money, and they were sold at all the major state-run stores.
The thing was, not many people were willing to spend money on a new gun.
More importantly, Zhao Jun knew the man who had bought it.
It was none other than Du Chunjiang, the Leader of the No. 77 Logging Camp.
Seeing him, an idea struck Zhao Jun. He quickly got out of the truck and called, "Du Leader!"
Du Chunjiang was walking west when he heard someone call his name. He turned around and was surprised to see it was Zhao Jun.
"Zhao... Technician Zhao." Du Chunjiang walked toward him and asked, "What a surprise seeing you here. What are you up to?"
"Just looking around," Zhao Jun said, not telling him the truth. But Du Chunjiang had already noticed the Jiefang truck parked by the roadside and Li Baoyu in the driver’s seat.
Du Chunjiang raised a hand to Li Baoyu in the cab as a greeting. When he looked back at Zhao Jun, something suddenly occurred to him. He said, "Technician Zhao, it’s already noon. How about we find a place to eat?"
"Sure," Zhao Jun agreed without a second thought. He had originally been thinking that if Jie Zhong’s brother-in-law, Sun Haizhu, proved reliable and helped him sell the ginseng for a good price, he would treat Sun Haizhu to lunch.
But now that Du Chunjiang was suggesting a meal, Zhao Jun could save that money.
’This is what it means to be frugal.’ Earlier that morning, back home, Zhao Jun had even heard Zhao Youcai muttering the old saying: "Earning money is like digging earth with a needle; spending it is like water washing away sand."
Zhao Jun looked left and right, then said to Du Chunjiang, "Du Leader, are there any restaurants around here?"
Although Zhao Jun knew where to find restaurants, since he intended to let Du Chunjiang treat them, it wouldn’t be right for him to pick the spot.
Du Chunjiang raised a hand. "Follow me, I know a place."
"Then let’s get in the truck." Zhao Jun gestured for Du Chunjiang to get in. The two of them squeezed into the passenger seat. Then Zhao Jun said to a completely baffled Li Baoyu, "Baoyu, since we ran into him, we’re going to have a meal with Du Leader."
"That’s right," Du Chunjiang chimed in from the side. "Master Li, I’m treating you and Technician Zhao to a good meal at a restaurant."
This was a Northeast dialect phrase, meaning to go out to a restaurant for a meal.
Besides, Du Chunjiang had made it very clear that he was treating, so Li Baoyu wasn’t going to be polite about it.
After all, Li Baoyu was now a driver for the Forest Farm. As a Leader of a Logging Camp, sucking up to the drivers was a must.
Li Baoyu started the truck and drove away from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
Not long after they left, the employee Zhao Jun had seen at the pharmacy arrived at the front of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, having pedaled the old man there on a tricycle.
The two of them got off and rushed inside. They searched the place high and low but couldn’t find Zhao Jun.
Meanwhile, with Du Chunjiang giving directions, the three men arrived in front of a restaurant.
Seeing the blue banners hanging on either side of the entrance, Zhao Jun laughed and said to Du Chunjiang, "Du Leader, you’re a true friend to us brothers. Only picking the expensive places to treat us."
A blue banner indicated a place that served beef and mutton. In those days, there was no beef or mutton transported here from the great grasslands, so it was a rare delicacy, and naturally, the price was high.
Hearing this, Du Chunjiang let out a hearty laugh. "Of course! When I’m treating you two brothers, how could I take you to just any old place?"
"Alright, then thanks in advance, Du Leader." Zhao Jun gestured to Li Baoyu. "Let’s get out, brother."
The three men got out of the truck and went straight inside. It was already past eleven-thirty, and the restaurant was moderately busy. Most customers, however, were just having mutton soup and sesame seed flatbread.
Even that was more than the average person could afford.
The restaurant had no private rooms, only large rectangular tables and small ones. A small table could seat two, and a large one could seat four. If there was a bigger group, they would have to push tables together.
The three of them sat down at a large table. Du Chunjiang glanced at the wall menu, asked for Zhao Jun’s and Li Baoyu’s opinions, and then ordered four dishes, three savory pancakes, and two steamers of shumai.
While they were waiting for the food, Du Chunjiang picked up the gun bag that was leaning nearby. He held it out horizontally toward Zhao Jun and said, "Technician Zhao, take a look at this gun. Tell me what you think."