Chapter 71: The Director of the State‑Owned Restaurant Personally Welcomes Us

In the blink of an eye, it was the fifth day of the first lunar month.

The morning chill had not yet fully lifted, yet outside the village commune's courtyard in Shanwan Village, a crowd had already gathered.

Men and women, old and young, all craned their necks, gazing toward the village entrance road.

On every face lay unrestrained excitement and anticipation; the white breath they exhaled condensed into puffs in the frigid air, then quickly dissipated.

Several older children could barely contain themselves, occasionally dashing to the crossroads to look, only to be called back by adults.

Lu Qingshan stood at the very front of the crowd, with Village Chief Zhao Yongnian and Squad Leader Zhao Dazhi beside him.

He still wore his sturdy mountain gear, hands tucked into his sleeves, his expression calm.

Only the occasional puff of white breath he exhaled stood out sharply in the cool air.

"Qingshan," Zhao Yongnian said, hands in his pockets, unconsciously grinding his feet in the snow, still a little uneasy as he whispered a question.

His voice, dry from tension, asked: "Director Zhang's side… will it work out?"

After all, this was a sizable "deal," concerning the village's food supply for the next half year; everything hinged on this transaction.

If anything went wrong, he, as village chief, couldn't explain it to everyone.

Lu Qingshan gave a slight nod, his tone steady: "Chief, rest assured—Director Zhang promised it himself, there's no mistake."

His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried a reassuring strength.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhao Er Zhuang, sharp-eyed among the crowd, shouted: "Here it comes! Here it comes! The vehicle's coming!"

His voice was so loud it nearly startled the dozing dog beside him into jumping up.

The crowd's spirits lifted, and they all turned their gaze in unison.

In the distance, on the snow‑covered dirt road, a black dot gradually grew larger.

Accompanied by a "huff‑huff" engine sound, a Liberation-brand truck came jolting along.

The wheels rolled over the thin‑ice‑covered muddy road, emitting a dull thud that rang especially clear in the quiet morning.

The truck came to a steady stop at the gate of the village commune's courtyard, kicking up a cloud of dust and snow spray.

The cab door creaked open, and a middle‑aged man in a blue cadre uniform and a cotton hat jumped down.

He was the purchasing staffer of the County State‑owned Restaurant, introducing himself as surnamed Wang.

As soon as he stepped down, his face broke into a smile; he rubbed his red‑chilled hands and hurried toward Zhao Yongnian and Lu Qingshan.

From afar he already extended his hand: "Chief Zhao, Comrade Lu, happy New Year!"

"Director Zhang specifically instructed me to come early, so as not to delay your village's business."

"Worker Wang, you're too kind—happy New Year, happy New Year!" Zhao Yongnian's face split into a grin as he firmly shook Worker Wang's hand, shaking it repeatedly.

The force of his grip made Worker Wang's eyebrows twitch.

Lu Qingshan then calmly directed: "Everyone, lend a hand and load the goods onto the truck."

"Be careful—don't bump or dirty the mats and oilcloth; they're public property."

The able‑bodied workers waiting nearby responded with a unanimous shout, each cracking their fists and rubbing their palms.

With many hands, they hauled the pre‑cut meat chunks and animal bones, tightly wrapped in clean straw mats and oilcloth, plus the small amount of cleaned offal the restaurant had specified—such as pig tripe and liver—sorting them by type into the truck bed.

The heavy meat loads made the carrying poles creak, and the men's foreheads beaded with fine sweat.

Lu Qingshan also took two small bundles wrapped in clean oilcloth from home, turned to Zhao Dazhi who had followed him, and said quietly: "Uncle Dazhi, these two packages are mountain products—a pheasant and a hazel grouse, smoked over pine branches."

"When we get to the county, I'll tidy them up and say they're a little token of goodwill from our Shanwan Village, also a New Year greeting."

Zhao Dazhi nodded, understanding that Lu Qingshan was laying the groundwork for favors.

This youngster, though young, has a lively mind and knows how important these connections are.

These days, if you have contacts in the court, things go smoothly wherever you are.

He patted Lu Qingshan's shoulder, said nothing more, but his eyes shone with approval.

Village Chief Zhao Yongnian had already arranged for the village's most experienced carter, Li Laonian, to hitch the village's only decent mule cart.

Zhao Qiang, Zhao Tiezhu, and Liu Fugui also changed into the clean clothes they only wore for the New Year.

Though still patched, they were full of spirit.

They eagerly jumped onto the mule cart, ready to accompany Lu Qingshan to the county to broaden their horizons—and to bring people back as well.

After all, the truck couldn't bring people back to the village.

Zhao Tiezhu grinned wide, slapped his chest with a simple smile, showing a mouthful of white teeth: "Brother Qingshan, we'll be your bodyguards!"

He looked as if he were about to charge into a dragon's pool and tiger's den.

Liu Fugui chimed in, though he still had a slight stutter, his tone firm: "Exactly, exactly—whoever dares to mess with Brother Qingshan's money… money ticket… we… we'll just… beat him up!"

He swung his fist, but the motion was too big, nearly pitching him off the mule cart, which made a few pretty young daughters‑in‑law nearby purse their lips and giggle.

Everything ready, the Liberation truck led the way, the mule cart followed behind with a "clip‑clop‑clip‑clop," and the whole procession set off mightily toward the county town.

The truck swayed as Lu Qingshan sat in the passenger seat alongside Worker Wang.

Worker Wang was talkative, chatting about the county's latest news along the way, with Lu Qingshan occasionally responding.

Lu Qingshan watched the snowscape and bare trees fly past outside the window, mulling over what lay ahead.

The proceeds from this meat sale, aside from the village's public expenses and the villagers' dividends, plus the bear paws, bear gall, and antler from his home, would also net him a considerable personal income.

This sum would be the first startup fund for building his new house and planning for the future.

He even wondered whether he could sound out Zhang Jianguo to see if the Supply and Marketing Cooperative might be interested in other mountain products, such as fungi and medicinal herbs.

Guandong Mountain holds many treasures; relying solely on hunting is not a long‑term solution.

Upon arriving at the courtyard of the County State‑owned Restaurant, before the truck had even come to a full stop, they saw Zhang Jianguo, clad in a brand‑new wool coat, his face glowing red, personally stepping out to greet them.

The wool coat gleamed in the sunlight, making him look all the more vigorous.

He seized Lu Qingshan's hand as he stepped down, exuding enthusiasm: "Ah, Comrade Lu Qingshan, you've finally arrived! Happy New Year, happy New Year!"

That enthusiasm surpassed their previous meeting, and his grip was no less firm.

"Director Zhang, happy New Year." Lu Qingshan smiled and replied, neither humble nor arrogant.

Unloading, weighing, bookkeeping, and counting tickets proceeded in an orderly manner.

The staff of the state-owned restaurant were so busy their feet barely touched the ground; looking at the pile of game as high as a mountain, they all clicked their tongues in amazement.

Their eyes were full of astonishment, mixed with a hint of envy they could not hide.

Over a thousand jin of game, stacked up almost filling half the room, also drew many onlookers from inside the state-owned restaurant, who clicked their tongues and marveled.

"Goodness, Shanwan Village really struck it rich this time!"

"That's right, this much meat will last our restaurant a while!"

When the final account was cleared up, Zhang Jianguo personally took up an abacus and clicked it clean, confirming there was no error, then solemnly handed over a thick stack of Great Unity notes and a fresh pile of cloth coupons, grain coupons, oil coupons, sugar coupons, meat coupons, industrial coupons, and other vouchers to Lu Qingshan. His face beamed with smiles: "Comrade Qingshan, you really saved us this time! You've resolved our urgent crisis!"

"To be frank, the county has an important reception banquet on the fifteenth of the first lunar month, and the superiors have specifically requested some hearty dishes; we were worried we lacked good ingredients, but this batch of mountain produce from you is literally a godsend in the snow!"

He patted Lu Qingshan's arm, his tone earnest.

Lu Qingshan took the money ticket settled face‑to‑hand, feeling its weight in his palm, and his heart eased considerably.

He handed over the oil‑cloth bundle he had prepared earlier: "Director Zhang, this is a little mountain trinket, not much of a gift, for you and your family to try—consider it our Shanwan Village's New Year's greeting to you."

Zhang Jianguo's eyes lit up; he opened a corner of the oil‑cloth bundle and saw the fragrant, golden‑brown smoked hazel hen and pheasant inside—the hazel hen being a rare delicacy, the finest of game, its aroma shooting straight up his nose.

He was not shy about it, smiling as he took it: "Comrade Lu, you're being too polite! I'll remember this favor."

"From now on, whenever Shanwan Village bags any good stuff—game or mountain produce—just send it my way; I'll take it all, and I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the price!"

Those words undoubtedly gave Lu Qingshan another reassurance, and paved the way for future cooperation.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Zhang Jianguo and agreeing on the procedure for delivering mountain goods, Lu Qingshan led Zhao Qiang and the others out of the state-owned restaurant.