My sister broke off her engagement to marry someone richer? My older sister married me and became in

The man in the blue work uniform held his chin high, his eyes full of impatience.

"Are you deaf? Get out of here!"

Old Liu, who was driving the carriage, turned pale, rubbed his hands, and dared not speak.

Lu Changgui, an honest and simple man all his life, had never seen such a scene in a state-owned factory in the city, and his legs were trembling. He jumped off the oxcart, put on a forced smile, and stammered an explanation.

"Comrade...we...we're here to sell, to sell meat."

The gatekeeper named Ma Li sized up Lu Changgui, and seeing his patched old cotton-padded jacket and rustic appearance, his disdain deepened.

"Selling meat? Our machinery factory is a state-owned enterprise. Do you think this is your village's vegetable market? Do you have inspection and quarantine certificates? Do you have letters of introduction?"

A barrage of questions left Lu Changgui completely bewildered, unable to answer a single word.

He could only keep bowing, "No, no... but, but our meat is good, it's, it's freshly hunted wild boar..."

Ma Li glanced at the four bulging sacks on the oxcart and snorted.

"Wild boar meat? Who knows where it came from? What if it died of disease? If someone gets sick, can you take responsibility?"

As he spoke, he walked around the oxcart, then reached out and patted a burlap sack. The heavy feel of it made his eyes light up.

The factory is worried about what kind of meat to give as a New Year's bonus. If it's really wild boar, that would be a good thing.

But he showed no sign of it on his face, instead adopting a businesslike demeanor.

"Our factory definitely can't accept items without proper documentation. However..."

Ma Li drew out his words, leaned closer, and lowered his voice, saying, "It must have been difficult for you to come all this way. Here's what we'll do: unload the meat, and I'll have someone 'inspect' it for you. As for the price... I'll just give you the clearance price, two cents a pound, that's the most I can offer."

Two cents a pound!

Lu Changgui and Lao Liu's faces turned green.

In the village, Lu Qingshan sold it for 80 cents a pound, which everyone thought was too expensive. But in the city, wild boar meat was a rare commodity, and it would cost at least a dollar.

This guy surnamed Ma just opened his mouth and cut the price down to two cents. What's the difference between that and outright robbery?

"Comrade, this, this is too..." Lu Changgui was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and could not even speak coherently.

"Too little?" Ma Li glared. "If it weren't for your pitiful state, I wouldn't even have these two cents! If you're not going to sell, then get out of here and stop getting in our way and ruining our factory's image!"

He was calculating in his mind.

These two country bumpkins are obviously unsophisticated. If you scare them a bit and give them a few treats, they can get these hundreds of pounds of meat in at a low price.

He could then resell it to the factory canteen or to small restaurants outside, making a fortune from the price difference.

Old Liu was getting anxious and kept giving Lu Qingshan meaningful glances, meaning that the deal was off and they should leave quickly to avoid offending the city folks.

Lu Changgui was completely at a loss, his face turning a deep purplish-red.

Just then, Lu Qingshan, who had been silent all along, slowly jumped off the oxcart.

He didn't look at Ma Li, but patted his father on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down.

When Lu Changgui saw his son, he felt a little more at ease.

Lu Qingshan then turned to Ma Li.

"Comrade, you may have misunderstood."

Ma Li glanced at him sideways. "What misunderstanding?"

Lu Qingshan pointed to the sacks on the truck. His voice wasn't loud, but his words were clear. In the noisy factory gate, every word was crystal clear.

"This meat isn't for the factory."

Ma Li was taken aback.

Lu Changgui and Lao Liu were also stunned. The two of them stared at each other, wondering what Lu Qingshan was up to.

"Not selling? If you're not selling, why did you bring me here? Are you playing me for a fool?" Ma Li's face darkened.

Lu Qingshan smiled.

"We're here to find someone," Lu Qingshan said. "The meat on the truck was specially brought to pay tribute to a leader in the factory."

"Offering tribute to a leader?" Ma Li's eyes darted around, and he stared at Lu Qingshan suspiciously. "Which leader?"

"That's not something I can tell you," Lu Qingshan said calmly, patting the meat.

He stopped speaking, but the meaning was crystal clear: someone was behind him.

Ma Dali's expression changed repeatedly.

In large state-owned factories, relationships are intricately intertwined, and it's impossible to know who works for whom or who is backed by whom.

If what this kid says is true, and I offend the bigwig in the factory for trying to gain this little advantage, I'll really be in deep trouble.

But if this kid is lying... how much money can he make from this truckload of meat!

Ma Li was reluctant to let the duck he was about to eat fly away, so he touched his face and started yelling loudly.

"Stop trying to pull the big guns! You're just a country bumpkin, what leaders could you possibly know?" Ma Li stepped forward, trying to snatch the goods. "You have to sell this today, whether you like it or not!"

Lu Qingshan grabbed Ma Li's wrist, his eyes icy: "Take your hand off. Try moving it!"

"What? You want to start a fight at the factory gate?" Ma Li struggled but couldn't break free. He lowered his voice and said fiercely, "Let me tell you, I have a hundred ways to make it impossible for you, a peasant, to survive in the city!"

Lu Qingshan not only didn't let go, but took a step closer, staring at him: "Then I'd like to see whether your method is faster, or whether your dismissal notice will come faster once the boss finds out."

"Don't try to fool me! Which leader? Give me your name!" Ma Li shouted, his voice trembling with fear.

"Tell me? Do you even deserve to hear it?"

Lu Qingshan sneered, "If this stuff is delivered late, and that person blames you, Ma Li, how many jobs do you have to cover the losses?"

"You...you're trying to fool me with lies..." Ma Li saw that Lu Qingshan didn't seem to be faking it, and fine sweat appeared on his forehead, his voice already weak.

"Whether you're lying or not, go ahead and steal it." Lu Qingshan abruptly released his grip, looking at him coldly. "If I give you the goods, can you bear the consequences?!"

Ma Li took a step back, and seeing Lu Qingshan's confident demeanor, he completely panicked.

For a moment, he was stunned and stood there, unsure whether to let them pass.

Lu Changgui and Uncle Liu were dumbfounded. They never expected that Lu Qingshan would not be afraid of city people and would subdue the fierce-looking gatekeeper with just a few words.

Just as Ma Li was caught in a dilemma, sweat began to bead on his forehead.

A loud, somewhat impatient voice came from the factory area.

"What's all the noise at the door?"

Before he finished speaking, a burly middle-aged man dressed in a cadre uniform strode out.

When Ma Li saw who it was, his legs went weak on the spot, and he quickly forced a smile to greet them.

"Zhang, Factory Director Zhang! What brings you out here?"

Factory Director Zhang completely ignored him, his sharp gaze sweeping over the oxcart and Lu Qingshan and his son beside it, finally settling on the several burlap sacks that were bulging full.

He frowned and asked in a deep voice.

"What's going on? I think I just heard someone saying they were going to give a gift?"

"I'd like to see who in our factory dares to accept gifts!"