Chapter 210: A Hidden Master
Director Wei ordered the salesperson to be suspended for reflection, primarily because this had happened in public. As a leader, Director Wei had to ensure he won the people's approval in such moments.
Otherwise, a dispute like this would be considered the smallest of small matters in a supply and marketing cooperative; no leader would ever bother with it!
Furthermore, a suspension for reflection was already the maximum penalty. Normally, a salesperson would not be punished because their professional status was that of a worker!
One must understand that in this era, workers and peasants were the masters of China. Moreover, for any salesperson capable of working at a supply and marketing cooperative, who among them didn't have some backing or connections?
After reprimanding the salesperson, Director Wei said, "Come with me to the office."
Having spoken, Director Wei walked away without looking back.
Because he had been slapped for quite a while, the salesperson's cheeks were red on both sides. He glared fiercely at Wang An before following Director Wei.
In truth, Wang An hadn't actually slapped him that effectively. The salesperson was also a man; although he wasn't as tall or as sturdy as Wang An, he had been resisting and blocking.
This resulted in Wang An's palms never fully swinging in a wide arc, and by the time they landed on the salesperson's face, the force had been diminished.
Thus, the salesperson's face just hurt a bit and he had lost some face; he hadn't suffered any substantial physical injury.
As for apologizing to Wang An's trio, that was absolutely never going to happen in this era, because the supply and marketing cooperative was always right.
However, an older salesperson soon took over the previous one's position with an expressionless face.
This time, before Mu Xueli or Wang Li could speak, Wang An immediately adopted the persona of an honest man and asked the salesperson politely, "Big brother, do you happen to know where that comrade from just now lives?"
After speaking, Wang An smiled and pulled out a cigarette, offering one to the salesperson. The salesperson glanced at Wang An, accepted the cigarette, and said with a smile, "What's this? You're looking for revenge?"
Wang An put on a frightened expression and said, "How could I have the guts for that? It's just that the way that comrade looked at me was a bit off, and I'm a little scared. I thought I'd go to his house and apologize."
Wang An's voice wasn't quiet, so the salespeople at nearby counters and the customers shopping heard everything clearly.
This caused the expressions of those who heard him to become very strange. Some whispered, "This guy is finished," while others genuinely worried for Wang An.
After all, buying things at the supply and marketing cooperative depended entirely on the salesperson's mood, so everyone had, to some extent, suffered from senseless, infuriating treatment!
However, most people simply dared not speak their anger. Wang An's actions just now were no different from venting that frustration on behalf of everyone!
Yet, Wang An's words left everyone truly perplexed.
He was decisive when hitting, delivering a "crack-pop" beating, but immediately turned into a "coward" after the fight. Anyone who knew the sequence of events couldn't figure out what Wang An was actually trying to do.
The older salesperson, however, just looked at Wang An and smiled without speaking after hearing his words. This made Wang An feel a bit awkward, but with his thick skin, it didn't really matter. He smiled and said
"Big brother, uh, I'm here to buy guns. Could you get me five new Type 56 semi-automatics?"
The older salesperson had experienced a lot in his life, so he didn't show a hint of surprise upon hearing Wang An wanted to buy five guns. He turned around and took five Type 56s wrapped in greaseproof paper, placing them one by one on the counter.
Then, the salesperson asked seemingly casually, "Who gave you the nickname 'The Big Lunatic'?"
Wang An, who was about to open the greaseproof paper to inspect the guns, was stunned. The cigarette in his mouth nearly fell to the ground. He snapped his head up and looked at the salesperson in shock, unable to speak.
What the hell is going on these days! Instead of just selling goods, how does this salesperson even know about these trivial matters?
Looking at the salesperson's half-smiling expression, even Wang An's thick skin struggled to cope. His secret had been exposed!
However, Wang An's reaction was quick. Flattery cost nothing, so he gave a thumbs-up and said, "Turns out Big Brother is the real expert! A true master in disguise!"
"Ah? Is that so? Hahaha..." the salesperson laughed.
Then, without looking up, Wang An checked the guns one by one. Although it was a bit awkward, it didn't really matter.
It had to be said that the guns of this era truly had no faults; there wasn't even a single flaw!
After Wang An finished checking them, the salesperson used a small notebook with blue carbon paper to issue five separate receipts, writing a gun serial number on each. Once finished, he had the three of them sign, then opened the ink pad and had them press their fingerprints.
The salesperson then tore off ten receipts and handed them to Wang An, directing the three of them to the cooperative's finance office to pay.
With expressions of heartache, Mu Xueli and Wang Li took out the "Big Unity" bills they had prepared. One gun cost 1,150 yuan, so each person had two stacks and one small stack, totaling 2,300 yuan. Wang An, of course, also took out money, but his was in cash.
Looking at their slightly trembling hands, Wang An felt speechless. They were clearly wealthy now, yet they were still so afraid of spending money!
After the three of them took the money and receipts to the finance office, the staff collected the payment and stamped all ten receipts. Only then did the three return to the counter to collect the guns!
Of course, the receipts with the fingerprints—the bottom copies under the carbon paper—were kept by the cooperative, while the ones without fingerprints—the top copies—were handed to Wang An's group along with the guns.
Unexpectedly, each gun came with three magazines and 30 rounds of ammunition, though the bullets were separate and not loaded into the magazines.
Although these items should have been included, Wang An still said to the salesperson, "Thanks, Big Brother," and offered another cigarette.
After taking the cigarette, the salesperson smilingly handed over a piece of used, ragged cotton cloth and said, "Use this to wipe the guns. Be careful on your way back."
Hearing this, Wang An's eyes narrowed slightly. He smiled, took the cloth, and said, "Thanks a lot, Big Brother. We're off."
In this era, although no one strictly managed guns and there were few formalities when the cooperative collected them, the procedures for selling guns were quite formal. These sold guns were essentially recorded in a registry.
However, this kind of registration was actually useless—it was like burning newspapers at a grave to fool ghosts!
The registration Wang An was waiting for was the kind where they went house-to-house in the village every few years.
After the three left the gun counter, Wang Li, who was fiddling with his gun as he walked, suddenly looked up and said, "Fourth Brother, we haven't bought ammunition yet."
"No need to buy that stuff. I'll go ask for two crates in a bit," Wang An said casually.
In truth, Wang An was pondering the salesperson's words. Under normal circumstances, why would a salesperson say that? And why give him a ragged cloth?
He wondered if it was the salesperson who had been beaten looking for trouble, or someone else?
What puzzled Wang An was that the three of them had bought guns! Five guns with ammunition!
Just how powerful a figure would it be? Someone who wasn't even afraid of guns?