Chapter 73: Completing the Mission
Young Aunt Bai Zhi was truly annoyed by her mother this time. Her sister had only been dating for a few days, and already she was bringing her boyfriend home.
Today, that four-eyed nerd even brought a matchmaker along—her sister was clearly heading toward a whirlwind marriage!
The matchmaker was quite the smooth talker, praising that Song fellow as if he were a blooming flower. Upon hearing the matchmaker’s introduction and learning that Song Huaimin came from a good family, Cui Li beamed with delight.
Both sides talked happily and agreed to arrange a formal meeting between the families next time, when they would officially set the wedding date.
As soon as the guests left, Cui Li turned around and began reciting her magic spell at Bai Zhi, “Xiao Zhi, your sister is already preparing to get married. You’re twenty now, not young anymore—it’s time for you to find someone too.”
Bai Zhi rolled her round eyes and pouted, saying, “Mom, just because my sister found someone, I have to find someone too? If my sister suddenly dies someday, do I have to follow her to the grave? Elder Brother is almost twenty-five and still hasn’t found anyone—why don’t you urge him instead?”
Did they think she was young and easy to bully? Even though many female comrades married at eighteen or nineteen, she still wanted to marry later. At the very least, she had to wait until she successfully lost weight.
“You unlucky child, what are you saying? Once both you and your sister are married off, we’ll have an extra room free. Naturally, girls will come knocking on our door. Those who have their eyes on your brother are just waiting for you two sisters to marry.”
If there were two young aunts at home, any new bride would surely have a headache. Taking care of in-laws was one thing, but who would want to serve two young aunts right after marrying into the family?
Besides, soundproofing in houses these days wasn’t great—even turning over in bed could be heard next door. If the young aunts were still at home, wouldn’t everything the couple wanted to do be heard by the neighbors?
Once the young aunts were married off, having an extra room for future children would be so much better!
Bai Zhi finally understood—her mother wasn’t really eager for her to marry; she just wanted her to make room for her brother.
They always said the youngest was the most favored, but in this family, she was the least liked by her mother. But with her current appearance, where could she find someone to marry?
Bai Zhi searched her mind but couldn’t find a single suitable male comrade to date. Heaven really seemed determined to doom her.
She made up her mind: starting tonight, she would seriously commit to losing weight, focusing on both dieting and saving money. Once she became prettier and had money, would she still worry about not finding an outstanding male comrade?
After all, she couldn’t rely on anyone in the family—in the end, she could only rely on herself. Time to work hard and do her best.
If we’re talking about pushing oneself, who could compare to Gu Yan’an? To save on travel expenses, he transferred trains several times, sitting in hard seats the entire way.
Sometimes, when he couldn’t get a seat, he would simply roll out his bedding and sleep on the floor of the train car, completely disregarding his image. After a long, bumpy journey, they finally arrived in Xinjiang.
Looking at the man with hair as messy as a bird’s nest and a face full of stubble, Liu Heping and Lu Ming couldn’t help but laugh—was this their new director?
Gu Yan’an had his own grievances to bear. Damn, taking the train was even harder than training. Even when he had a seat, sitting upright for days and nights was exhausting.
His long legs could never stretch out properly, and sitting for too long would make them go numb. Sometimes, his calves would swell up badly. It was honestly more comfortable sleeping under the seat.
At the first transfer, Gu Yan’an pretended to coincidentally run into Xu Duo, then introduced Xu Duo to several of his colleagues. In the end, Xu Duo followed their group to the Construction Corps, and no one said anything about it.
Tan Xiaoru had also heard that Luo Jianjun from the Xinjiang Construction Corps had once been Gu Yan’an’s squad leader. That was why he specifically sent him over, to see if he could find a way to get more cotton back.
Actually, the amount of cotton allocated to each province had already been decided by the higher-ups. But wasn’t this year a bumper harvest for cotton? The extra cotton would go to whoever could secure it through their own abilities.
To earn money and marry a wife, Gu Yan’an was going all out. Before leaving, he even managed to squeeze three thousand yuan out of his grandfather, so that Xu Duo could also bring back more goods.
After running around for several days, pleading with everyone they could, the team from the Materials Bureau had worn their legs out just to secure an extra hundred tons of cotton.
Gu Yan’an decided to take cigarettes and liquor to visit his old squad leader, Luo Jianjun, the regiment commander of the Xinjiang Construction Corps.
Gu Yan’an took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to Luo Jianjun, saying, “Old squad leader, long time no see!”
“Good kid, you’ve come all the way to our Xinjiang? Why did you take off your military uniform? Did you demobilize?”
Gu Yan’an smiled and nodded, “I’m now working at the Jingshi Material Reserve Bureau. You know how tight cotton resources are domestically—cotton and cotton products have always been in short supply.”
“Yeah, that’s why the higher-ups specifically sent us here to grow cotton. Several provinces grow cotton, but none produce as much as we do in Xinjiang.”
“True, Xinjiang has vast land and plenty of sunlight, which is perfect for cotton growth. Old squad leader, you all have worked hard!” Gu Yan’an said sincerely.
Gu Yan’an usually wouldn’t actively seek out others to bother them. This time, he had come specifically to ask for a favor, so it must be about cotton.
Luo Jianjun’s sharp eyes quickly shifted, and he said with a smile, “You rascal, what brings you to me this time?”
Gu Yan’an didn’t beat around the bush either and got straight to the point, “Old squad leader, can you write a note to approve a bit more cotton for our Jingshi Reserve Bureau? I heard this year’s cotton harvest is exceptionally good.
To prepare for war and famine, and to ensure the needs of the military and civilians, about 92 cotton reserve warehouses have been established nationwide this year, with plans to store 750,000 tons of cotton.
Our Jingshi Material Reserve Bureau also has tasks to fulfill. Can you help me out?”
Luo Jianjun laughed helplessly, “Comrade Gu Yan’an, most of the extra cotton has already been allocated.”
“Old squad leader, Xinjiang is the top cotton producer in the country, and this year is a bumper harvest. Can’t you find a way to squeeze out another two hundred tons for me?”
Luo Jianjun thought for a moment and said, “Don’t even think about two hundred tons. I’ll try to get you an extra hundred tons.”
That would work too. His group had spent several days just to secure an extra hundred tons. Now, by personally stepping in, he had managed to get another hundred tons. That should count as completing the task.
Never mind, with official business settled, it was time to discuss private matters.
Gu Yan’an suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Luo Jianjun, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, “Old squad leader, I also want a few tons of cotton privately. Can you help me figure something out?”
“A few tons of cotton isn’t a problem, but we have rules against selling to private individuals. How about I have someone help you buy some cotton from the cotton farmers? What do you think? You rascal, are you getting into reselling now?”
Gu Yan’an would rather die than admit it. He shook his head like a rattle drum and calmly said, “Old Squad Leader, it really isn’t me. It’s a few friends of mine who want to earn some money to support their families.”
Back when the old squad leader hadn’t been transferred elsewhere, he had taken special care of Gu Yan’an. His character was beyond reproach—he had volunteered to come to Xinjiang despite how tough it was.
Luo Jianjun wouldn’t believe Gu Yan’an’s nonsense. If he wasn’t involved, would he be so kind as to run errands for others?
Still, seeing how far he had traveled, it couldn’t have been easy. Between brothers, if you could lend a hand, you should.
Luo Jianjun suggested, “Bringing cotton back should earn quite a bit, but bringing Xinjiang red dates back to Jingshi to sell during the New Year could also make a good profit.”
Red dates might sell well, but cotton had higher profit margins. Better to start with selling cotton first.
“Old Squad Leader, my friend didn’t bring much money this time. Next time, I’ll have him come find you again.”
“…”
After obtaining the approval slip, Gu Yan’an first called his superior to inform him that he had secured an extra two hundred tons of cotton this year.
He then left the remaining tasks to Liu Heping and the others to handle, while he secretly took Xu Duo to purchase cotton directly from the cotton farmers.
A few tons of cotton wasn’t much, and it was all collected within two days. He checked the train schedules for the next couple of days and decided to have Xu Duo take the few tons of cotton and leave first.
After seeing Xu Duo off, Gu Yan’an continued to work busily with his colleagues from the reserve bureau across various departments. He personally handled the communication for railway transportation.
Freight trains and passenger trains had different stops. When Gu Yan’an learned that the freight train carrying cotton had to transfer in Haishi, he decided to accompany the train himself, letting his colleagues go ahead by other means.
The last car of the train was called the caboose. Gu Yan’an ingratiated himself with the train conductor and managed to ride in the caboose for free.
To see his sweetheart, Gu Yan’an was willing to go all out. The last caboose shook violently, frequently swinging like a dragon’s tail. He was in for a rough ride.