Chapter 107

"Heh, Uncle Zhang, I heard you're getting married?" Xu Damao popped out from nowhere.

"Mm, next May."

Zhang Ping'an didn't intend to hide it; most of the women in the courtyard already knew, and he couldn't have hidden it even if he wanted to.

"Is it Wang Xiaoling?"

"That's right, how did you know?"

"So it really is! Uncle Zhang, turns out you becoming an apprentice at the Pharmacy was just to get a head start, you've been at it for four or five years. That's just too beastly—ah, no, I mean, that's too inspiring."

"……"

Even though what Xu Damao said was very close to the truth, why did it feel so uncomfortable to hear? Zhang Ping'an's gaze toward Xu Damao also gradually turned dangerous.

"Uh, Uncle Zhang, I have something to do, I'll be going first."

"Mm." After Xu Damao walked a few steps away, a loose snowball appeared in Zhang Ping'an's hand.

"Damao."

"Huh? Ah! Uncle Zhang, you don't play by the rules!" As soon as Xu Damao turned his head, a snowball hit him square in the forehead. It didn't hurt, it was just cold.

"Hahaha."

Xu Damao started silently packing a snowball to retaliate. The two chased each other and soon moved far away from the main group.

"Heh, they aren't married yet, still just kids."

"Hahaha, that's right."

Several middle-aged men exchanged glances and quietly moved a bit further away, and before anyone knew it, they had several snowballs in their hands too...

Zhang Ping'an let Xu Damao go after he surrendered. The two walked slowly, waiting for the main group, only to find that Jia Dongxu and the other six young men all had some snow on their heads.

"What's the situation?"

"Ahem, Ping'an, it's getting late, hurry up and go to work."

"That's right, Damao, hurry up and go." The four old guys were all rushing toward the factory, while Jia Dongxu and the other six young men looked on with resentful expressions.

"Dongxu?"

"Those old guys don't play by the rules. Uncle, I'm not talking about you."

"……" You would have been better off not saying that last part.

"Just now, while we were walking, we got smacked in the face with snowballs. Those old guys each had three or four in their hands. They threw them and ran, and by the time we packed our own, it was too late. When we finally caught up, they even played dirty and used their seniority to pressure us."

"Hahahaha." The old guys still had their youthful spirits.

No wonder the old guys waited until he left to start; if Zhang Ping'an had been there, they definitely would have been hit too.

"Let's ambush them when we get off work, they can't outrun us anyway."

"Uh, forget it, they are our elders after all."

"Mm, that's true, it would look bad. Let's wait until we're back in the courtyard to throw them."

"……"

The two arrived at the Procurement Section. Only two people had arrived so far, and they were both unfamiliar faces. The current Procurement Section was divided into three groups; Zhang Ping'an and his original team were Group One, while Group Two and Group Three were newly expanded.

"I'm Zhu Jianshe from Group Two, he's Li Weiguo. What should I call you, brother?"

"Zhang Ping'an from Group One, this is Jia Dongxu."

"Come, come, brother, have a cigarette and tell us about your procurement techniques."

"There aren't any techniques, it's nothing more than procuring everywhere and running to all the surrounding villages. If you go often enough, people will naturally recognize you." Zhang Ping'an took the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear.

"How do you get there?"

"Pedal a tricycle. You can just apply for one when you need to go out for procurement."

"Isn't that very tiring? It would be better to just go to the Slaughterhouse..."

"Ahem, Jianshe, just ask humbly."

"Right, right, right, off-topic." Zhu Jianshe also scratched his head in embarrassment.

Zhang Ping'an understood immediately; these two probably had some connections, likely with the Slaughterhouse. If they could pull in a few pigs, they would be the stars of the Procurement Section.

Before long, people arrived in twos and threes. Excluding those who registered to go to the countryside for procurement, twenty-one people were present.

"Since everyone is here, we have a heavy task at the end of the year, so let's briefly distribute the assignments," said Section Chief Zhu Weiguo. Zhu Weiguo was a man in his thirties.

"Group One, you are the veterans of the Procurement Section, you should shoulder the burden. Group One, three hundred catties of meat and three hundred catties of eggs before the New Year."

"Group Two and Group Three are newcomers, your task is also three hundred catties, but it can be reduced at your discretion. Does everyone have confidence?"

"Yes."

"……" Damn it, a bunch of slackers; only Zhang Ping'an spoke up.

"Ahem, very good, worthy of being the big brothers of Group One, you have a sense of responsibility. Everyone, give them a round of applause."

"Clap, clap, clap, clap."

"Meeting adjourned."

Zhu Weiguo also let out a long sigh of relief. It was a good thing someone picked up the conversation, otherwise it would have been awkward. His gaze toward Zhang Ping'an became much kinder.

Only Zhang Ping'an felt a bit awkward, but it wasn't his fault; it was just a subconscious reaction from his military training in his past life.

"Brother Zhang, the heavy lifting is up to you. We brothers will try our best to scrape together ten or eight catties."

"Done..." Since he'd already bragged, he had to finish it no matter what.

"Uncle, let's go hunting in the mountains."

"Fine, you go to the foot of the mountain and set a hundred or so snares, fill them with rabbits, don't go deep into the mountains. I'll go collect some eggs."

"Good."

The two registered the tricycle and the scale, took their gear, and set off separately. Zhang Ping'an also happened to be on the way home.

Right, there's also Fang Dahu; he must have saved up quite a bit during this time. I'll go help him clear his inventory. I'll avoid using what's in my own space if I can; after all, the meat quality is much better than what's outside.

Speaking of the space, the tigress is doing well too; she seems to be pregnant again, and the tiger is much larger than before, with a head-and-body length of nearly three meters and weighing close to three hundred kilograms, though he is still indifferent toward Zhang Ping'an.

The three tiger cubs, now over two years old, have also grown quite a bit; they are taller than Zhang Ping'an when they stand up, and they weigh over two hundred kilograms, yet they are very affectionate toward Zhang Ping'an.

The Back Mountain of the space has now been occupied by this family of five, and Zhang Ping'an plans to release the three cubs into the Back Mountain of his hometown; in any case, the tiger cubs can understand his words now, so he will have them act as the "sneaky one" of the tiger world when the time comes.

The original Huangmao eagle has also grown up, and the eaglet it hatched is over two years old now, similar in size to its parents; the eagles are fine, as they don't take up much space, though Zhang Ping'an still lets them out to scout for a few hours every time he goes out.

Returning to Zhang Family Village, Zhang Ping'an headed straight for the depths of the Back Mountain and released one tiger; if there are tigers here, perhaps they might even produce a litter, as there is no reproductive isolation between different types of tigers anyway.

"Go on, stay active in the depths, and run if you see people, especially those carrying guns; don't go around roaring 'aowu aowu' for no reason." After sending the tiger away, Zhang Ping'an went to the home of his uncle, Zhang Laiyuan.

"Uncle, do you have any stock at home? I'll take it with me when I return to Sijiucheng this afternoon."

"I do, just come over this afternoon."

"Alright."

After eating lunch at home, Zhang Ping'an went to the depths of the Back Mountain in Fang Family Village, where he similarly patted the tiger's head and gave it some instructions before heading to Fang Dahu's house.

"Is Brother Fang home?"

"Uncle Ping'an, my dad went to the village to deliver meat."

"Who is he delivering meat to?"

"It's Wang Yi." Fang Xiaojun hesitated for a moment before telling Zhang Ping'an.

Zhang Ping'an's heart stirred, and he understood instantly; it seemed this Wang Yi was most likely Fang Dahu's sweetheart.

"Alright, then I'll wait here for a while; there are some dried fruits in this bag, take them and eat."

"Mm, okay, thank you Uncle Ping'an, I'll pour you some water."

"Good, very well-behaved."

Zhang Ping'an hadn't had more than a few sips of hot water before Fang Dahu returned.

"Ping'an is here, is there a mission?" Fang Dahu knew that unless it was urgent, Zhang Ping'an would usually hunt on his own.

"Hahaha, I can't hide anything from Brother Fang; the year-end mission is heavy, so I have to make a trip."

"Alright, it just so happens I've saved up quite a few good things over the past six months; I've hunted four Wild Boars alone, plus wild rabbits and such, though I've traded most of them for grain."

"Impressive." Zhang Ping'an truly admired these veteran hunters.

Fang Dahu brought out three smoked pig legs from the house, along with over a dozen dried wild rabbits and dried pheasants.

Zhang Ping'an took them, weighed and packed them, and settled the payment, all in one smooth motion.