Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

The guesthouse was located at the northwest corner of the cross street in the East District. It was a three-story building with light yellow paint on the exterior walls.

When Chen Xiangdong and Zhu Zhengcuo arrived at the guesthouse, it was already dark, and they saw a faded sign hanging at the entrance.

The lights in the lobby were on, their dim yellow light filtering through the glass windows and gently illuminating the two concrete steps leading to the entrance.

Chen Xiangdong went in first, tiptoed and peeked through the small window on the west wall. He saw the old man on duty dozing off in a recliner, with Qinqiang opera playing from the radio in front of him.

The door to the duty room was pushed open, and the old man on duty, hearing the noise, groggily opened one eye. Seeing the person who came in, he mistook him for a guest and mumbled, "Checking in?"

Zhu Zheng shook his head and gestured toward the table by the wall: "I'm looking for someone. A friend of mine stayed here a couple of days ago and left some things behind. I'm just checking the room number in the register."

He spoke casually, but Chen Xiangdong had already walked over and opened the register hanging on the wall.

The old man on duty said "Oh," and didn't ask any more questions. He closed his eyes again and went to listen to his radio.

Chen Xiangdong and Zhu Zheng stood at the table, flipping through the register a few pages under the dim light. Chen Xiangdong's gaze swept over the lines of messy handwriting, quickly settling on one line:

"Lin Zhaotang, male... Place of origin: Gangcheng, Employer: Gangcheng Zhaotang Trading Company, Purpose of visit: Investigating inland trade cooperation, Check-in time... Room number: 303"

He read through those lines word by word, then frowned and exchanged a glance with Zhu Zheng.

From the registration information alone, there is really no problem.

They have no way of verifying the authenticity of either the place of origin or the work address, which is the most troublesome part...

Zhu Zhengguo remained silent as he walked back to the theater troupe from the guesthouse, seemingly pondering how to verify Lin Zhaotang's identity.

Chen Xiangdong didn't say anything and went back to his dormitory. He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of the matter.

He didn't know exactly what time it was before he finally drifted off to sleep...

Two days passed in this way. Every day before dawn, Chen Xiangdong would go out and wait in the morning mist in the alley diagonally opposite the county guesthouse, waiting for the jeep to drive from the direction of the Education Bureau, and then pick up Lin Zhaotang to drive to various places in the county.

After two days, Chen Xiangdong finally figured out Lin Zhaotang's next intention.

With the bandage still stuck to his nose, Lin Zhaotang rode in a jeep and visited all the supply and marketing cooperatives and stores in the county.

Before getting out of the car each time, he would press the gauze in the rearview mirror, as if afraid that the plaster would affect his "foreign businessman image".

With Chu Shengli by his side around the clock, he was always greeted with smiles by the heads of the supply and marketing cooperative whenever he went out.

Chen Xiangdong knew without guessing that this guy definitely wanted to take a huge cut from the supply and marketing cooperative.

That afternoon, as the sun began to set, the jeep stopped in front of the Xiguan Supply and Marketing Cooperative for about an hour. When it came out, the cooperative director, who followed him out, had a big smile on his face, his face all wrinkled together. He shook Lin Zhaotang's hands several times until the jeep started moving.

As the jeep kicked up a cloud of dust and turned the corner, a head slowly peeked out from the shade of the old elm tree opposite the supply and marketing cooperative.

It was Chen Xiangdong, who had been waiting for a long time, who crossed the road and pushed open the green-painted, mottled wooden door of the Xiguan Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

Just as I stepped through the door, I saw the supply and marketing cooperative director, who had been all smiles at the door, lift the curtain next to the counter and enter the backyard.

The plump saleswoman behind the counter, who was wiping the counter with a rag, looked up, her face immediately lighting up with a smile. She put the rag down on the counter and said, "Oh, aren't you from that county theater troupe? What, you've finished your peanuts and melon seeds? Want to buy some more?"

The saleswoman was Lin Qiuyue's sister-in-law. Chen Xiangdong smiled at her and said, "Oh, last time I was running errands for the group. This time I want to buy something."

As he spoke, he leaned closer to the counter and casually asked, "Ma'am, I just saw a Jeep parked at the entrance, and a guy in a suit got out. He looked really impressive. Who was he?"

Upon hearing this, the sales clerk's eyes lit up. She leaned forward, lowered her voice, and said excitedly, "Then you've come to the right person! He's a Hong Kong businessman! The big boss, you know?"

Before Chen Xiangdong could even ask, she couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out, "That Hong Kong businessman was chatting with our director for ages, saying he wanted to buy all of Dongping's local specialties—red dates, walnuts, daylilies, and even wood ear mushrooms! He wanted everything, as much as he could get!"

The woman got so excited that she spat all over Chen Xiangdong's face: "The price is 20% higher than the county purchasing station's! And they said they'd settle in Hong Kong dollars! My God, Hong Kong dollars! Our supply and marketing cooperative has been open for over twenty years, when have we ever seen what Hong Kong dollars look like?"

She got more and more excited as she spoke, her eyes practically sparkling: "They even said they'd sign a long-term contract! Not just a one-off deal! Our director was so excited, you couldn't believe it, his face was practically beaming from ear to ear!"

Chen Xiangdong's expression shifted, and he feigned surprise, then smoothly continued, "Wow! Your supply and marketing cooperative is going to make a fortune! Settling in Hong Kong dollars, doesn't that count as export earnings? If this deal goes through, your director will definitely treat you to a good meal at the state-run restaurant!"

The saleswoman's eyes narrowed into slits with a grin: "A meal is nothing! The director said if this works out, my year-end bonus will double! When has this god of wealth ever come to our poor, remote Dongping County? We've really burned incense in gratitude this time!"

"Oops! It's way crooked!"

Chen Xiangdong gave a thumbs up and made a series of shocked expressions, which satisfied the saleswoman's vanity to the greatest extent.

Then, he brought up the topic he most wanted to know: "By the way, did the Hong Kong businessman say when he would order the goods? Does your supply and marketing cooperative have enough dried goods to meet his needs?"

The sales clerk propped his chubby hands on the counter and chuckled, saying, "The guy said it would be best to load the truck within three days, take it to the provincial capital first, and then settle the payment after they inspect the goods. Each item needs at least two tons, and the supply and marketing cooperatives in the county can easily scrape together enough."

Chen Xiangdong nodded, but secretly thought to himself, "It seems Lin Zhaotang is eager to close the net and run away..."

Actually, upon closer examination, it's not hard to find the flaws here.

Why do we have to bring the goods all the way to the provincial capital for inspection? Can't we just open and inspect them in person in Dongping?

Just as he was lost in thought, the saleswoman seemed to only just remember that he had come to buy something, and blinked as she asked, "By the way, what did you say you wanted to buy?"

Chen Xiangdong was taken aback, his expression faltering for a moment before he chuckled sheepishly and waved his hand, "Oh, I almost forgot about it. I have something else to do, I'll buy it next time, next time!"

With that, he turned and walked towards the door.

The saleswoman blinked, watching his retreating figure for a long time without moving. After a while, she couldn't help but mutter, "Hey! What kind of person is that? He chatted for so long, then ran off faster than a rabbit without buying anything..."