Chapter 149: Uncle's Baby

"Brother Zhang, our Procurement Section Two still relies on you."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Ahem, alright, everyone, as long as you diligently go to the countryside and build good relationships with the villagers and hunters, procurement isn't difficult."

"Right, right, right."

"Listening to Brother Zhang is never wrong."

How much these people actually listened, Zhang Ping'an didn't know, but given their nature, it was likely hard for them to really take it to heart. After all, many workers these days felt they were a cut above, looking down on the farmers who scratched a living from the soil.

Some would go to the villages to procure supplies with their noses in the air, and the villagers would have to force a smile when selling things, terrified that they would be offered a low price. This was just how it was now; in a few years, it would be the other way around.

Yet they didn't stop to think that without farmers planting crops and paying the public grain tax, whether they could even get enough to eat would be a question.

Casting aside these miscellaneous thoughts, Zhang Ping'an didn't intend to continue lecturing them; if he said too much, they would only grow resentful. In any case, he had already said what needed to be said; if they didn't change, they would only have to suffer the consequences themselves later.

After returning home, Wu Guohua told his father, Wu Qiang, everything he had seen today.

"Mm, listening to Ping'an is never wrong. Our family isn't short on money, there's no need to squeeze out that extra ten or twenty percent. In short, just learn more from Ping'an and you'll be right."

"That's right, Guohua, it's not easy for farmers these days either," Wu Guohua's mother also said. After all, she came from the countryside and understood the situation there all too well.

"Mm, okay, Dad, Mom, I understand. By the way, my master also told me to go to Mom's hometown to procure supplies."

"Mm, that's definitely doable. If you offer a high purchase price, your maternal grandparents will also have face in the village, and they will certainly remember your kindness."

"You go out with Ping'an a few more times to get familiar with the process, then go take a look at your mother's parents' home, and buy some things to bring along while you're at it."

"Alright, Dad."

As for Qin Dabao, he didn't need Jia Dongxu to teach him. Jia Dongxu and Zhang Ping'an had procured supplies in Qin Family Village many times, and he had witnessed it personally; for now, he just needed to get familiar with the prices.

Of course, he didn't count on going to the countryside to procure; going into the mountains to bag a Wild Boar would be enough to cover his procurement quota for several months if he split it up.

For procurement, the time before the New Year is always the busiest. Zhang Ping'an took Wu Guohua out three times before letting him go off on his own. The kid had a quick mind and should be able to achieve decent results.

Li Family Village—this was the third time Zhang Ping'an had come today. During the previous two visits, he had already collected over a hundred catties of Black-skinned Pig meat as people slaughtered their year-end pigs.

"Ping'an, come, come, come. My family is slaughtering our year-end pig today. You must stay for a drink at noon and have some Pig-slaughtering Dish," said the village head, Li Zhiyuan.

"Hehe, alright."

Zhang Ping'an didn't stand on ceremony. He took out cigarettes and distributed them to everyone—Qianmen, the "Cadre" cigarette. Many were reluctant to smoke them and hung them directly on their ears, saving them to show off during the New Year.

"Uncle Li, how many more households here still need to slaughter their year-end pigs?"

"Not many left, two or three households, I reckon it'll be these next two days."

Pigs grew slowly nowadays; generally, a pig that reached two hundred catties by the time it was slaughtered after a year was considered a big one. Moreover, rural markets were now regulated, with locations designated by the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and some items required vouchers to purchase.

So, people didn't want to travel far, and since the price difference wasn't large and the procedures were cumbersome, it was less trouble to just sell directly to Zhang Ping'an.

"Alright, I've got it."

At noon, Zhang Ping'an ate until his mouth was glistening with oil. You have to say, you really have to say, the Pig-slaughtering Dish was just fragrant—more fragrant than just eating Braised Pork or stir-fried meat slices; it was quite strange.

"How is it, Ping'an? Not worse than the food at your factory, right?"

"That's much better, it's truly fragrant."

"Hahaha."

After chatting a bit more with the village head, he began to procure and weigh the meat.

"Sixty-eight catties, at six mao per catty, that's forty yuan and eight mao in total."

"Good, good, good."

"Uncle Li, here is forty-one, no need to give me change. Also, take this half-pack of cigarettes to smoke."

"Ping'an, that's not appropriate. I'll keep the cigarettes, but here's two mao in change for you," the old village head said with a serious face.

Two mao was negligible to Zhang Ping'an, but it was different in the countryside; although half a pack of cigarettes wasn't cheap either, that was a matter of social etiquette, which was different from giving money.

"Hehehe, alright, I'll do as you say."

Only then did the old village head's face return to a smile, and he gave Zhang Ping'an some dried wild fruits that had been gathered in the mountains.

"Thanks, Uncle Li."

"What's there to thank? It's just some mountain goods that don't cost money; as long as you don't mind them, that's fine."

"Not at all, I couldn't be happier to have them."

"You kid."

Passing by Zhang Family Village, Zhang Ping'an went straight home to check. He replaced the water in the kitchen vat with Space Water, only to find that his parents and younger brother were not at home.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm back. Where are my dad and the others?"

"Your dad probably went to the edge of the fields. Your mom and brother went to your uncle's house. I heard your aunt gave birth to a baby boy."

Zhang Laohan was exceptionally attentive to this year's wheat seeds, going to the fields to check on them every few days.

"Really?"

"Mm, it should be true. I saw that the news was spreading quite convincingly."

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'm going to go take a look."

For all these years, Uncle Zhang Laiyuan's family had only had two girls; not having a son had been a heavy burden on the couple's hearts. He hadn't expected them to finally get their wish, and Zhang Ping'an was genuinely happy for them.

Whenever Zhang Ping'an had passed by Zhang Laiyuan's house on his way home before, he would add Space Water to their water vat, hoping to give them a helping hand. He couldn't control whether it was a boy or a girl, but at the very least, he could ensure their bodies had the condition to conceive.

Zhang Laiyuan was older than Qin Dabao and would be forty in two years; his wife was two years younger. Now it seemed his efforts had paid off.

Carrying two cans of Space-produced Milk Powder and four lively crucian carp, each about a catty, in a bucket, Zhang Ping'an walked to the entrance of Zhang Laiyuan's house. There were already many women in the courtyard who had come to watch the excitement, and his mother was among them.

"Ping'an, why are you here?"

"Brother Ping'an."

"Mm, Mom, I just happened to be passing by. I heard about this from Grandpa and Grandma, so I came to take a look. Er Ya, take this milk powder and the crucian carp to your parents."

"Oh, okay, thank you, Brother Ping'an." Er Ya was three years younger than him.

"Da Ni, your Ping'an is being too generous, two cans of milk powder!"

"What's the big deal? Zhang Laiyuan is Uncle Ping'an's mentor who taught him how to hunt and fish since he was a child; he's half a master, so isn't it only right for a disciple to show filial piety to his master?"

Only then did everyone remember that it was indeed the case; back in the day, among all the half-grown children in the village, only Zhang Ping'an had been personally brought up by Zhang Laiyuan.

Before long, Er Ya came out with Zhang Laiyuan.

"Ping'an, this Milk Powder and crucian carp really came at the right time, so I won't stand on ceremony with you."

"What are you saying, Uncle? By the way, Uncle, is it a little brother?"

"Mm." When Zhang Laiyuan mentioned this, he couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth from turning up.

"Congratulations, Uncle."

Having received personal confirmation from Zhang Laiyuan, the crowd no longer had the heart to watch the excitement and went home one by one.

"Hahaha, come, let me pick out two deer legs for you."

"Alright." Zhang Ping'an didn't stand on ceremony either, knowing that Zhang Laiyuan didn't like to take advantage of others.

Zhang Ping'an carried a deer leg in each hand, while his mother carried a water bucket in one hand and his little brother in the other; as they were leaving, Zhang Ping'an said:

"Uncle, if you need more Milk Powder after you finish this, go to the city and find me; I have some connections."

"Done."

Upon returning home, Zhang Ping'an placed one deer leg in the tricycle and hung the other from the roof beam; Zhang Laohan had also returned home by this time.

"Is the one at Zhang Laiyuan's place a boy?"

"Yes, Uncle said so himself."

"That's good then."

Zhang Laohan understood Zhang Laiyuan's state of mind all too well; he had been the same way back then, but fortunately, everything was now developing in a good direction.