Chapter 245: All Come Asking for Things

Seeing Jiang Mengmeng's curious expression, Lu Cheng gave a wry smile and said.

"I tell you, Comrade Jiang Mengmeng, you being a Broadcaster is a waste of talent; you should be an intelligence officer. Back then, if we had planted you inside the enemy as a mole, you'd surely have gathered a lot of intelligence."

Facing Lu Cheng's teasing, Jiang Mengmeng was unperturbed: "Just tell me whether that ever happened or not."

"It did happen! But I'm puzzled—so far only the inside knows, the Announcement hasn't been issued yet. Where did you hear it?"

Jiang Mengmeng smiled: "There are no walls that don't let wind through; this matter has already spread throughout our station."

Lu Cheng shook his head helplessly; the speed of that spread was truly fast.

"So you came to me to verify whether it's true or false?"

"Of course not. Since you'll be the warehouse manager, I want you to set aside a watch for me."

"A watch? Aren't you at the department store? Getting a watch wouldn't be hard."

Jiang Mengmeng waved her hand: "That's different. I heard the items in that warehouse are all imported and don't require Foreign Exchange Vouchers, so I want an imported watch."

Lu Cheng understood; Jiang Mengmeng has always liked a modest, stylish life, especially admiring high-end goods from abroad.

She feels wearing a foreign-brand watch carries more face than a domestic one.

But in these times, buying foreign goods isn't that easy; one must go to the specialized Friendship Store and also need Foreign Exchange Vouchers.

So Jiang Mengmeng heard that the Smuggled Goods in the Beijing Station warehouse were about to be sold, with Lu Cheng still the person in charge, and she came to find him at once.

Lu Cheng certainly couldn't agree immediately; even when a task is easy, he must act as if it's difficult.

It's simple: things that are too easy to obtain are often not cherished.

Others would think this is merely a trivial favor for you; even if you manage it, the other side would just see it as a convenient kindness.

Thinking that, Lu Cheng said, "Then you can buy it at the Tea Stall. From now on, our Beijing Station will set a fixed point here; I'll have the Tea Stall set one aside for you."

Lu Cheng was about to enter the Tea Stall when Jiang Mengmeng hurriedly grabbed him.

"Oh dear, if I wanted to buy it here, why come to you? The Tea Stall would definitely charge extra."

I was thinking you're the manager, so just set one aside for me in the middle, at the shipment price.

That way, she could save nearly half the money and afford a foreign watch.

"That doesn't seem right; it's basically helping you go through a back door. If everyone did this, I'd be prone to making mistakes."

In fact, Lu Cheng said that on purpose; routing it to the Tea Stall is at shipment price, and internal handling among us is also at shipment price.

As long as the goods can be moved, it doesn't matter who they ultimately go to; the principle is the same.

The reason he said so, of course, was to prevent Jiang Mengmeng from thinking it's that easy.

"Oh dear, there's no one else—just me," Jiang Mengmeng held up a finger: "I promise not to tell anyone, just say I bought it at the original price from the Tea Stall."

Regarding Jiang Mengmeng's promise, Lu Cheng merely shook his head.

Jiang Mengmeng pursed her lips: "Look how you are—when you lost my leather shoes before, I didn't hold a grudge, yet you won't even help me with a favor."

Ahem! Lu Cheng was speechless for a moment; the woman still held a grudge, remembering something that happened ages ago.

"Besides, the few times you were on my train, wasn't it I who fetched water for you and gave you a shoulder massage?"

"Indeed, this little girl is nice; if Lu Cheng kept pressing his strength, it'd easily hurt her feelings."

"Alright then, I'll try to handle the middle operation for you; after all, we're close."

"Hmm hmm hmm."

"But you also have to tell me something."

"What is it?"

"What does your spouse actually do?"

Lu Cheng was quite curious; every time Jiang Mengmeng would inquire about other people's aunts and uncles in great detail, yet never mentioned anything about her own husband.

When Lu Cheng asked about her husband, Jiang Mengmeng seemed reluctant to answer.

"Oh, don't ask. He's just an ordinary person, nothing worth discussing. I'm leaving now; remember to set aside the watch for me."

Watching Jiang Mengmeng's departing back, Lu Cheng muttered to himself that her husband's job was still quite mysterious.

He thought leaving a watch for Jiang Mengmeng would wrap things up, but Lu Cheng didn't expect so many people would come to him.

During this vacation period, some people learned the address and came straight to his home; all of them sought the manager to set aside items—some like Jiang Mengmeng wanted a watch, others wanted a television and a radio.

Of course, some also wanted Magnetic Tape, but that kind of item is prohibited from entering the market; it's all destroyed or repurposed.

It's one thing when people from the Kehuyun Section and Jiwu Section come; we're all familiar, so it's hard to refuse when they ask.

But even people from the Tongxin Section, Gongdian Section, and Room 308 Section, whom he doesn't know well, also came.

The worst part was they even found his home; Lu Cheng felt overwhelmed and simply slipped out.

Yet even so, some people would reach him through bureau connections.

When the Announcement was officially issued, more people came to him, because the Announcement clearly stated that Lu Cheng is the warehouse manager.

Everyone knows the Smuggled Goods in the warehouse are all foreign goodies, with better quality and styles than domestic ones, and getting them through Lu Cheng means cheaper prices.

During dinner, Chen Xianglan also asked.

"San'er, why have so many people been coming to you these past few days?"

Lu Cheng picked up the pickled radish strips from his bowl and ate: "It's not the stuff from our warehouse that's being prepared for sale; everyone thinks the items inside are good, so they ask me to set some aside for them."

"Ah yo, I told you, why did so many people show up all of a sudden!"

Chen Xianglan sat beside him and picked a piece of scrambled egg for her son.

"Since you have that connection, just set aside a watch for Mom too; Mom will pay for it."

Lu Cheng glanced sideways: "If you want it, the son is already being filial, why would you need to spend any money?"

"Oh, it's not that. It's for a comrade in my factory, that Wu Yi you've met, who keeps nagging—her daughter wants a watch but has no voucher. I'm usually on good terms with her, so just consider it a favor for Mom."

Lu Cheng kept eating: "No problem, if Mom's already asked, I'll definitely take care of it."

"Hehe, you little brat, eat more."

"Hmm, Mom, your cooking is still the tastiest."

"Right? You only realize it now, yet you still go out to eat every few days. From now on, eat more at home; when Mom gets old someday, you might not be able to get what you want to eat."

Lu Cheng simply nodded in silence.

People only know, after having lost, that a mother's cooking cannot be replaced by any other delicacy.

Time passed in the blink of an eye; the willows along the Capital City moat swayed gently, and even the old locust tree in Hu Tong Li sprouted fresh buds.

When Lu Cheng took off his thick Cotton-padded Jacket, he realized that the harsh, long winter had passed, replaced by a warm spring.

And at Beijing Station, the month‑long Assessment Score has arrived again.

Several team leaders rubbed their fists in anticipation, each confident they could earn that point.

But only one point is awarded each month, so whose side will get it in the end still depends on today's meeting results.