Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 450 449 Shipment
In order to keep it secret, Tong Wang came alone.

It was cold and there was no fire at the Bell and Drum Tower, so Tong Wang asked his son to move the stove from the tricycle down, load some firewood and coal, and plan to make do with it for today.

Because Tang Zhitong said yesterday that he would come over in the afternoon, Tong Wang made preparations to have lunch here at noon today.

I baked a steamed bun in the stove and had it with some Gaobabao pickles from Liubiju for lunch.

Gao Babao is Tong Wang’s favorite pickle and the top pickle of Liubiju’s Babao pickles. It is made from cucumber, kohlrabi, lotus root slices, cowpea, sweet dew, and silver sprouts, and is supplemented with walnut kernels, almonds, peanut kernels, shredded ginger and other ingredients.

In the past, the six musts were very particular.

The yellow soybean paste must be made from soybeans produced in Majuqiao, Run County and Yongledian, Tong County. The soybeans must be full and oily, and the best of the best must be selected.

Sweet noodle sauce must be made with first-grade wheat from Laishui County in western Beijing, and the sweet sauce must be produced from the black soil in the suburbs of Beijing.

The cucumbers have to be produced in Daxing, BJ, and they must be fresh and tender, with flowers and thorns on the top. There are also requirements for size and appearance. There must be six cucumbers per pound, and they must be "smooth" in shape. They cannot be too big, too small, or crooked or distorted.

But nowadays, the ingredients and workmanship are not up to par. Tong Wang shook his head while eating. The taste of Gao Babao is not as good as before.

In the past, putting such eight-treasure pickles on the market would damage the brand. After buying such pickles, Tong Wang dared to bring people to smash the signboard of Liubiju.

But what about now? I'd be lucky if I could buy it.

In addition to Liubiju, Tong Wang is also a frequent customer of Donglaishun, so given his wealth he could tell at a glance that the hotpot was from Donglaishun.

Tong Wang used to go to Donglaishun often, but he went there less often since the joint venture.

In the past, Donglaishun also used carefully selected ingredients, especially mutton. They only used small-tailed sheep weighing 35 to 42 kilograms. The quality of the meat was amazing, in one word: tender!

But later on, this rule was no longer followed. They just used whatever they could catch, sometimes goats, sometimes old sheep, and sometimes even frozen mutton.

Even so, he didn't cut it properly. He originally wanted it to be as thin as a cicada's wing, but now he wants it to be as thick as a finger.

The price has come down. It used to be 1.28 yuan per pound, but now it’s 1.08 yuan. The key is that I’m short of these 20 cents? ?

The more Tong Wang thought about it, the angrier he became. He had money, but he couldn't find a place to spend it comfortably.

At this moment, he couldn't help but think of Tang Zhitong again.

When Tang Zhitong told him how big and small fish and shrimp he could catch, Tong Wang was surprised. It was not because he was surprised by this, but because he was surprised that Tang Zhitong knew all this.

At the same time, I was more convinced that the young man had the goods. The reason was simple: a one-meter-long Spanish mackerel, a four-finger-wide hairtail, and an abalone as big as a casserole. These were things that ordinary people could see.

Even if the young man was lying to me, he should have seen it first, right? Even blind Gil couldn't make it up so accurately.

Tong Wang had just eaten the kind of seafood that Tang Zhitong described.

Not fresh of course, but frozen.

Ever since Tong Wang could remember, he had seen servants deliver frozen fish and shrimp to his home from Tianjin every winter.

In order to prevent the fish and shrimp from thawing, they not only have to be wrapped in quilts, but also have to stay indoors during the day and come out at night.

In addition, Tong Wang is also familiar with dried sea cucumbers, dried abalone, dried scallops and other seafood delicacies, having eaten them since he was a child.

At that time, the only "seafood" that the peasants in the old city could eat were "smoked fish", shrimp paste and shrimp skin.

Now, thanks to the new society, they can buy frozen yellow croaker, horse mackerel and hairtail in winter.

Alas, the new society, Tong Wang shook his head as he thought about it, is not friendly to people like him.

I can buy some seafood delicacies, and cook them whenever I want, but the frozen fish and shrimp in winter are not as big and varied as before, and I have to queue up like a peasant...

It would be misleading to say that there is no psychological gap. It is just that this emotion cannot be expressed.

After lunch, Tong Wang strolled in the yard for a while, then sat on a stool with his back against the wall to bask in the sun.

He didn't sleep well last night, and he almost fell asleep in a daze.

Just when Tong Wang was confused, he heard the door open.

"Second Master Tong?" Tang Zhitong's movements were extremely agile from the moment he pushed open the door. He hooked the door with his foot and kicked it back. As he half-closed the door, a lively sack appeared on the ground and a bunch of leeks appeared on the handlebars.

The last time he came, Tang Zhitong had already observed that by using the screen wall, he could block the sight of people in the room, making it easier for him to use the cheat device.

"Hey, my good brother, you're here at last." As soon as Tong Wang heard Tang Zhitong's voice, all sleepiness disappeared and he walked towards the gate nimbly.

Tang Zhitong put his bicycle aside, let the sack bounce around, and turned around to lock the gate.

“What is this???” Tong Wang walked past the screen wall and was shocked to see a sack of people struggling on the ground. If there had been no sound, he would have thought there was a living person inside.

"Fish and shrimp." Tang Zhitong kicked it lightly with his foot, and the fish inside jumped even more happily.

"It's really alive?" Tong Wang widened his eyes in disbelief. He had lived for so many years, and he had never seen or even heard of it. It was estimated that even the richest emperors in the world had never eaten a living thing, right?
"It's alive. I'll open it for you and check the stuff." Tang Zhitong carried the sack into the yard, intending to show it to Tong Wang. But when he turned around, he saw someone on the Drum Tower!
Looking at the bell tower again, there were people there too.

"Master Tong, let's go into the house. There are people on the bell tower and drum tower. It would be bad if we were seen." Tang Zhitong thought he was careless, and without waiting for Tong Wang's response, he walked into the house quickly.

Tong Wang followed closely behind, entered the house and carefully closed the door.

"Come, Master Tong, check the goods." Tang Zhitong saw the axe that Tong Wang used to chop firewood on the ground, so he took it and prepared to hit the mackerel on the head with it to give it a good beating.

"Be careful, be careful, don't hurt your hands." Seeing Tang Zhitong's behavior, Tong Wang took a step back, fearing that he would be accidentally hurt.

"Okay!" Tang Zhitong held the axe in one hand and untied the knot with the other, and shrimps jumped out.

Tong Wang watched from the side and sobbed, it was dirty, dirty.

Tang Zhitong ignored the shrimp and aimed at the Spanish mackerel. He hit it on the head through the sack with an axe. The Spanish mackerel successfully got its lunch box and its jumping amplitude was greatly reduced. "Second Master Tong, come and check the goods. Look, how beautiful this hairtail is!" Tang Zhitong didn't mind the fishy smell and grabbed a snake-like hairtail from the sack and took it out to show Tong Wang.

Tong Wang was stunned. He had never seen or even heard of a live hairtail fish in his life. He murmured, "How beautiful."

"It's bright, right? Each one weighs three pounds, and there are five in total." Tang Zhitong also thought it was very beautiful. The surface of the fresh hairtail seemed to be coated with a layer of color-changing film, just like a stainless steel pipe covered with a layer of oil film, showing brilliant colors as the angle of light changed.

"Well, not bad, not bad. Put it back quickly, otherwise it will die." Tong Wang nodded with satisfaction, feeling a little distressed, because these were his own things.

"It must be dead. It can't live long out of water. I'm bringing it to you alive this time, but next time I'll have to kill it and bring it back to you. My goodness, you don't know how many people have looked at the sack with curiosity all the way up the mountain." Tang Zhitong made up an excuse and threw the hairtail back into the sack.

"Okay." After hearing what Tang Zhitong said, Tong Wang said nothing. He knew very well that only by keeping a low profile can one live longer.

"Look at these prawns. They're pretty big, right? One weighs two taels, no more, no less. I've got twenty for you." Prawns jump the most happily. Their tails can easily scratch one's hands. Tang Zhitong stepped on one with his foot, pinched its tail with one hand, and pinched its head with the other before he picked it up to show Tong Wang.

"Okay, okay, very good." Tong Wang was very satisfied with the size of the shrimps. He was already thinking about what to eat in the evening. He just saw the leeks on Tang Zhitong's handlebars.

"Look at this mackerel, thirty kilograms." Tang Zhitong threw the prawns on the sack and let them jump around. He opened the sack, but didn't take action this time. The mackerel has teeth and its gills are quite sharp. So he picked up a thick piece of firewood, held its gills, and tried to drag it out.

(The Spanish mackerel in the picture is about 2.4 meters long and weighs 178 kilograms.)
"Okay, okay, I won't look at it anymore. I believe you." Tong Wang felt sorry for the fish and was afraid that Tang Zhitong would break it, so he simply stopped looking at it.

"Okay, there are still two abalones in it, you can take a look yourself later. We've done it this time, I still need you to get some fish and shrimp." Tang Zhitong threw down the wooden stick, looked at the water in the basin, and went over to wash his hands without asking Tong Wang's opinion. As for the shrimps on the ground, let Tong Wang clean them up himself.

"Well... good brother, I won't ask about your name or work unit. But where do these fish and shrimp come from? In the past, this would be called an act of usurpation, and I'm a little nervous." Although there was no one else in the room, Tong Wang still lowered his voice.

Tong Wang is well-informed. He has seen fish and shrimp of this size frozen, but never alive. The transportation and preservation of live fish are much more difficult than frozen fish. This made him wonder, what unit are these live fish from? Who are they for?

After Tong Wang finished speaking, he made the number three with his hand, then extended another finger, making it four. Then, perhaps feeling unsatisfied, he pointed his hand towards the lake.

"Second Master Tong is so kind. I won't tell you my name or my place of work. It won't do any good for you or me." Tang Zhitong didn't use Tong Wang's towel. He shook his hands and bowed to Tong Wang with his wet hands. Then he said, "As for the source, if it's not the two places you mentioned, you don't need to ask. Just eat quietly and don't get caught."

"If an old man hangs himself because he thinks he has too long to live, I will definitely not make it public. I will go back and cook or stew it, no matter how light the taste is." Tong Wang quickly shook his head.

"You are this." Tang Zhitong gave a thumbs up, "I can assure you that as long as you are not discovered, I guarantee that there will be no problem on my side, absolutely no mistakes."

"Okay, okay." Tong Wang nodded worriedly and asked, "When is our next meeting?"

"Next Tuesday, at this time, I will just throw you into the yard and not come in, how about that?" Tang Zhitong could cheat, but as long as he entered the yard, he would inevitably increase unnecessary risks.

"Okay, but after this second time, how are we going to keep in touch next time? I'll wait for you at the intersection again?" Just as Tang Zhitong said, these were things that even the emperor could not have. Tong Wang agreed with this, but he had no other channels at the moment, so he was unwilling to give up this line.

"No, Mr. Tong, are you planning to stay with me for a long time?" Tang Zhitong asked, pretending to be surprised.

Firstly, Tang Zhitong has seen a lot of hunger marketing. Rushing to supply goods will definitely not bring a sense of urgency. Only by creating the illusion of shortage will consumers be eager to spend money.

Secondly, in special periods, you have to take three steps ahead and take one step at a time. The more transactions you make, the greater the risk will be. Tang Zhitong is already considering withdrawing in time after earning enough start-up capital.

"Good brother, look, you have the goods and I have money. It's better to do business with an old friend than a new one. It's more reassuring to do business with an old friend." Hearing what Tang Zhitong said, Tong Wang felt nervous and tried to persuade Tang Zhitong.

Things are in short supply right now, and Tong Wang hasn't been able to find a stable supply opportunity. He did try to find his old friends to share some of the remittances, but those who agreed turned him down politely, and those who did were interested only set their sights on the cultural relics passed down from their families.

Bah! Is that possible? Tong Wang was afraid that his ancestors would come up to him in the middle of the night and kill him!
Think about it from the perspective of the old guys. They are not short of money, and remittances from overseas only come in and never go out, making them more valuable than the goldfish in their hands.

Those who have money outside can send as much as they want to China, but people either consider family ties or "friendship". Those who wash dishes outside have very little money, and they have to squeeze it out of their own teeth to send it to their families, so it is impossible for them to split the money.

So for the time being he can only focus on Tang Zhitong, who is almost like a life-saving straw.

"You have a point. But in this matter, I have no say on whether there is goods or not. I have spent a lot of effort on your two shipments." Tang Zhitong shook his head and declined. The goods still had to be shipped, but he had to negotiate for it, otherwise his good talk would be taken as indicating that he had sufficient goods and was in a hurry to sell them.

"Oh, good brother, thank you for your concern." Tong Wang was an experienced man. Tang Zhitong didn't say anything definite, so it was just a game of bargaining. Without saying anything, he immediately took out a heavy and shiny yellow croaker from his arms and stuffed it into Tang Zhitong's pocket.

"Second Master is very open-minded! I really want it, but I really can't have it." Tang Zhitong shook the heavy yellow croaker in his hand, looking reluctant, and pretended to give it to Lao Tong.

"Hey~ Since you call me Second Master, I can't let you, my good brother, suffer any loss. So, the small yellow croaker yesterday is my gift to you. This time's goods will be deducted from the big yellow croaker today, and you can give me the rest of the goods at the current price, and we can talk about the future after that." Tong Wang saw the greed in Tang Zhitong's eyes, and took decisive action, hitting him with the goldfish.

"Second Master, you are so generous! Do you really trust me? Aren't you afraid that I will run away?" Tang Zhitong sighed, but he was already very happy in his heart. The fish has taken the bait! If Lao Tong knew how many people this cheater had, he would definitely not be so straightforward, right?
After a conflicted look on his face, Tang Zhitong put the yellow croaker in his pocket, then took out a cigarette and gave one to Tong Wang.

"If you wanted to cheat me, you wouldn't have come today." Tong Wang took the cigarette and said this, but what he was thinking in his heart was that this goldfish was easy to hold but hard to swallow. If she broke the contract, he would not be a soft persimmon.

"Okay. Since Second Master trusts me, I'll make this clear today. Before the New Year, I will supply Second Master with no less than 300 kilograms of goods, with the same specifications and quality as today." Tang Zhitong thought about it for a moment and agreed.

Tang Zhitong had experienced the methods of this group of old guys once from Lao Wan, but he knew them inside out, while Lao Tong knew very little about him. At worst, he could just change the route to and from school in the future. What's more, Tang Zhitong didn't want to offend Lao Tong and just wanted to make some money peacefully.

As for using a hack to steal yellow croaker? Tang Zhitong had never thought about it.

If you can steal yellow croaker, you can steal food. If you can steal food, you can disregard human life. If you can disregard human life, you can commit crimes. Some of these thoughts are very dangerous and should not be even considered.

In short, Tang Zhitong believes that you can take ownerless things, but you cannot steal ownerless things, otherwise you would be no different from an animal.

"Okay, I'll wait for you here every Tuesday afternoon." Seeing Tang Zhitong agreed, Tong Wang smiled.

After the two of them made an agreement, Tang Zhitong said goodbye. Before leaving, he left the leeks hanging on the handlebars to Tong Wang and took away the sack prepared by Tong Wang.

After going out and making sure that no one was following him, Tang Zhitong's first thing was to ride his bicycle to find a People's Bank of China to sell small yellow croaker.

I only placed one bid and successfully earned 130 yuan, which I used as pocket money.

A horse cannot grow fat without night grass, and a man cannot become rich without outside wealth.

Xiangzi believed that he didn't work hard enough until his death.

Work hard, work hard, one "slave" puts in two "strengths", what's the result? Tang Zhitong thinks he should save some of his energy and use it on classmate Xiao Wang, wouldn't that be more fragrant?

(End of this chapter)