Chapter 53: Everyone Wants to Buy

Seeing half a box of cakes, the customers were also a bit surprised; supplies aren't that plentiful nowadays, and it looks like the Steel Rolling Mill really splurged on this side.

After work, He Yuzhu hurried home to cook; the Courtyard House is now calm, with hardly anyone outside chatting, as if everyone is avoiding something.

"Brother, where did that cake in the warehouse come from? I tried one and it's delicious." Yushui asked with a smile, "I've never seen anything like it before."

He Yuzhu brought over four boxes at once; aside from those sent to the Steel Rolling Mill, the rest are stored in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative's warehouse.

"These things are useful; don't eat them all."

After thinking it over, He Yuzhu still decided not to sell cakes at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, because supplies are indeed scarce now, and suddenly appearing such a pastry would easily trigger a rush to buy.

That way, if the higher-ups investigate, it could still easily cause trouble.

Then why bring so many over?

He knew there were basically no secrets in the Steel Rolling Mill; today he brought the cakes there, and tomorrow almost everyone in the factory would know, and those with less pressure might just buy a piece to try.

As expected, the next day, just as he arrived at the Supply Group, a worker came over asking the cake's price, wanting to buy some for a betrothal gift.

"One dollar per jin, and you also need grain coupons or side-food coupons."

"That price isn't cheap; those who want to buy also need to weigh their own finances."

"Director He, why is this cake so expensive? It's even pricier than meat—what's the point of eating cake when you could just eat braised pork for more nutrition?"

"Indeed it's a bit pricey, but this thing is rare; you can buy meat at the market, but you might not be able to get this."

"Ah!" the worker exclaimed, a bit surprised, "Didn't you say you contacted a lot of cakes? Shouldn't they be cheaper then?"

"What a joke—the cake's stock was never large to begin with, and he doesn't plan to use the System to make more, so how could there be plenty? In an instant, He Yuzhu caught a whiff of conspiracy."

He had the worker explain the news in detail.

"I heard it from Lao Jin; he said you brought back a batch of cakes, saying they're nutritious and taste especially good, and even the experts who came over praised them."

"Exactly, we're planning to buy some to give as gifts; I heard a few veteran workers in the Second Workshop intend to buy more to keep for entertaining their kids, and they've already gone home to scrape together money."

He Yuzhu broke into a sweat; the fact that these old workers are scraping together money doesn't mean they're broke—they often pocket three or five dollars on the job, so this is shaping up to be a big purchase.

"When did the Supply Group start taking care of them entertaining grandchildren? This place is for serving workers with family matters; these old comrades have no sense of duty—they just jump at any benefit."

Liu Lan spoke bluntly, telling He Yuzhu not to sell to them.

That also counts as a reason.

He Yuzhu strictly tallied according to standard, and that day also had pre-orders for nearly fifty jin going out.

But things won't end like that; tomorrow we'll probably see all sorts of slips coming in.

This matter is surely a plot by the Deputy Factory Director Li; after work, He Yuzhu returned to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative to think of a way to break the situation. Knowing the Steel Rolling Mill has over ten thousand workers, if they all bought, even with the System he might not be able to withstand it.

After all, it's not creating something out of nothing.

"Brother, it's that Li bastard stirring up trouble, right?" Yushui also knew Deputy Factory Director Li, "Let Sister Character give him a beating."

"What are you saying, Yushui? She's supposed to become a gentle woman someday." Character shoved Yushui, "Don't come up with such rotten ideas."

The three of them were still here brainstorming when Yi Daye, who had weathered many years, suddenly came in through the door, his face looking a bit embarrassed, as if someone had forced him to come.

"Zhuzi, this business isn't bad—half the stock is gone already." Yi Daye's smile was a bit fake, "This is really rolling in gold."

He Yuzhu said with a cold face, "This is a public Supply and Marketing Cooperative; no more talk of rolling in gold."

"Brother, I think Yi Daye isn't wrong either—this person always mixes public and private, otherwise how could he dare call himself morally corrupt?"

Yi Daye's face darkened.

"Well, I heard you have a decent cake here; some old comrades in the workshop want to buy some—how much?" Yi Daye took out some money from his pocket, "Give me a few jin."

He Yuzhu shook his head helplessly, not knowing what to say; saying Yi Daye doesn't understand things—after all, he's that old—yet to say he understands, normally no one would do something like this.

He thinks he knows everything.

"Here we have peach pastries and biscuits; take a look and see what you want to buy." Character pointed at the counter.

Yi Daye only wanted to buy cake.

"We don't have that here; why not check elsewhere?"

"Isn't this what Zhuzi took to the factory? Why isn't it here? These are old coworkers' commissions; Zhuzi, what's going on? You've got something good, yet you don't think to honor the elders."

"You're really something—these cakes are what I contacted, and they have nothing to do with the Supply and Marketing Cooperative here." He Yuzhu shook his head, "You're not a kid either; can't you tell the difference?"

Yi Daye knew he couldn't win the argument with He Yuzhu, so he just wanted to buy some cake.

"There are some cakes, but they're reserved for workers with happy events at home; you're also old comrades—don't you know what the Supply Group is for?"

"I know, it's not that we think we're all from the same Courtyard House and want to buy through me; rest assured, it definitely won't leak out."

If you believed Yi Daye, you'd definitely be an idiot.

Before coming up with a good solution, this opening must not be easily opened.

Character said the Supply and Marketing Cooperative's peach pastries are actually not bad, no worse than those cakes, worth trying a bit.

"What's there to compare? They just want cake." Yi Daye stared at He Yuzhu, "We're neighbors; we don't need to make relations so stiff—heck, I haven't even thought of taking advantage yet."

"Heh, you actually think our relationship is fine?" Yushui mocked, "Are the people who entrust you with tasks brainless, or has your critique bulletin already been taken down?"

Yi Daye had readily agreed in the factory, but now with this result, tomorrow he fears losing face to his grandmother's house. He turned and walked out, not believing that in such a big city there isn't another place selling it.

"Ding, the Host slightly angered Yi Daye—this degree is really too light; the System still wants to see Character perform another mantis-blocking-the-cart move."

"Reward: five jin of grain, two jin of oranges."

He Yuzhu shook his head; this is the System complaining that his killing power isn't enough.