Come to think of it, the price of this winter-grade diesel really wasn't cheap.
Ordinary diesel was 42 cents per jin, but winter diesel had jumped to 54 cents per jin—and that was already the discounted price they had proactively offered.
However, it had always been this way, so no matter who it was, there wasn't much they could do.
Consequently, Wang An pulled out some cigarettes and handed one to the warehouse keeper and another to his father. After lighting them, he attempted to haggle
"Let's just make it 50 cents. I've got over 130 jin in this barrel; if you make it 50, I'll fill the whole thing."
The warehouse keeper frowned and said
"50 cents is definitely out. Tell you what, if you fill this barrel, I'll give it to you for 53 cents a jin."
Wang An also frowned and said
"It's only a one-cent difference. Big brother, take one more step back—let's do 52 cents. Otherwise, there's no point in me stockpiling this much winter diesel; by next spring, we'll be back to using the cheaper ordinary oil."
The warehouse keeper smacked his lips and said
"52 cents it is, then. But we agreed on a full barrel, alright? Otherwise, I won't sell it to you at this price."
Wang An nodded with a smile
"Of course. When men give their word, it's set in stone."
And so, Wang An spent another 70 yuan at the agricultural machinery company to buy a barrel of diesel to keep on the vehicle.
Just as Wang An had expected, the money for the diesel didn't go through the finance department; instead, it was pocketed by the warehouse keeper.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Wang An. After all, Wang An was the one getting the bargain, and he wasn't the type to act smug after getting a good deal.
Thus, Wang An simply gave the warehouse keeper a meaningful smile and said
"When spring comes next year, I'll come find you for oil again, big brother?"
Having taken the money, the warehouse keeper said happily
"That would be great, brother! Don't worry, I'll give you an even better deal, hahaha!"
One wondered just how much of the agricultural machinery company's diesel these people had stolen and sold privately, considering they were selling it so far below the normal market price.
But as the old saying goes, "He who lives by the mountain eats from the mountain, and he who lives by the water eats from the water." Leaning on the agricultural machinery company, they naturally had to survive by leaning on it.
Besides, all crows are equally black; it had always been this way, and there was no remedy for it.
After the laborious task of lifting the oil barrel onto the vehicle, Wang Dazhu and Wang An left the company.
They stopped by the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a few blocks of asphalt and a conveyor belt 10 centimeters wide and 6 meters long. Then, Comrade Wang Dazhu drove the four-wheeled vehicle home.
The so-called "belt" was used to connect the flywheel of the forage cutter to the flywheel of the diesel engine.
Because most machinery at the time relied on diesel engines for power, they needed a connection similar to a bicycle chain.
V-belts were less common back then, so they used this very simple conveyor belt.
As for the asphalt, it was used to increase the friction of the belt. Since the belts were made of nylon or cotton thread and had low friction, asphalt had to be rubbed onto them.
Of course, as time passed, these things gradually faded into history, but for this era, they were still considered very advanced.
After seeing Wang Dazhu off, Wang An wandered aimlessly around the county town, waiting until noon to meet Wu Dong and pick up his vehicle.
Truth be told, he was about to drive his first true "automobile" since his rebirth, and Wang An was feeling quite a bit of excitement.
Things like four-wheeled vehicles and tractors were categorized as agricultural vehicles or mechanical tools; they had zero comfort when driving and couldn't be counted as cars.
As for the sidecar, although it had three wheels, it was a motorcycle no matter how you looked at it, and a motorcycle was ultimately a step below a car.
Just as Wang An had been wandering for a long while and was planning to find a nearby place to eat, he heard someone shouting loudly
"Big brother! Big brother!"
At first, Wang An didn't think much of it. The street was crowded with people coming and going; who knew who was calling whom?
However, the shouting quickly grew very close to him.
Wang An instinctively looked toward the sound and saw Qiao Xiaohu riding a large 28-inch bicycle toward him. Qiao Xiaohu slammed on the brakes and jumped off the bike.
As soon as he reached Wang An, Qiao Xiaohu smiled happily
"Oh, big brother, why didn't you look back? I've been calling you from way back there!"
Wang An smiled
"I did hear someone calling, I just didn't realize it was you. What's up? What are you doing wandering the streets?"
Qiao Xiaohu scratched his head and said
"I've been busy since early morning distributing wholesale goods and haven't eaten yet. I thought I'd stroll through the market to see if I could find something to eat, hehehehe... Big brother, when did you arrive? Why didn't you stop by my place for a bit?"
Hearing this, Wang An said quite boastfully
"I'm here to pick up a vehicle. I'll go find my friend once he gets off work."
Qiao Xiaohu asked with great curiosity
"Pick up a vehicle? What kind of vehicle are you getting, big brother? I remember your family already has plenty of vehicles."
Wang An said with a look of pure satisfaction
"A car. A Jeep, you know? That style."
As he spoke, Wang An pointed into the distance, where a Jeep happened to be driving past.
Qiao Xiaohu looked in the direction Wang An pointed, then turned back with a face full of envy
"Big brother, you're way too fierce! You're already buying a car!"
Wang An waved his hand and said modestly
"It's alright, just something to get by with, hahahaha!"
But as soon as the words left his mouth, Wang An couldn't help but burst out laughing.
When Wang An laughed, Qiao Xiaohu laughed along with him. The two of them laughed loudly in full view of everyone, causing passersby to cast curious glances their way.
After the laughter subsided, the two chatted about some trivialities until Qiao Xiaohu said
"Big brother, about the things you asked me to check last time—the pine nuts, walnuts, and dried mushrooms—I've asked about them."
Wang An's gaze sharpened, and he asked
"And? Is there a market for these things?"
Qiao Xiaohu said very happily
"There is! The market is actually quite good. People from other places really value the mountain products from our area. It's just that... bringing them in small quantities isn't very meaningful. I've been thinking about discussing this with you these past couple of days."
Wang An looked at his watch and said
"It's almost dinner time. Come on, let's find a place to have a drink, and then we'll have a proper talk about this."
Wang An wasn't surprised at all that mountain products had a market outside. In his previous life, as policies further relaxed, many people made a living trading mountain products; in the later stages, many companies were even established specifically for that purpose.
Soon, Wang An and Qiao Xiaohu were sitting in a recently opened dumpling shop. They ordered a few side dishes to go with their drinks and began to chat as they ate.
Wang An asked
"Tell me, what are your thoughts now?"