Chapter 211: Making Money to Marry a Wife
Unable to figure it out, Wang An subconsciously looked down at the ragged cloth in his hand.
Suddenly, it clicked. The salesman meant for the three of them to wipe off the gun oil!
New guns were coated in grease; if the grease wasn't wiped away, the guns couldn't be used.
Did the salesman mean that these guns might have to see blood today?
Holy shit, what a goddamn day!
"Want some? Where are we supposed to get some?" Wang Li stopped his movements and asked with a face full of confusion.
"Hanging out with your fourth brother, why would you spend your own money on bullets? You don't understand a thing," Mu Xueli said. Although he was also fiddling with his gun, his mouth was restless.
Only this time, Wang Li ignored him, seemingly still pondering where to get the ammunition.
Once Wang An understood the crux of the matter, he said to the two of them, "Do you two want to buy anything else?"
Mu Xueli thought for a moment and said, "How about two cans of food? That stuff tastes good."
Wang Li echoed, "Yeah, I've had it once, it's delicious. I want to buy two cans too."
Hearing this, Wang An immediately wanted to give these two idiots a few kicks, but there were too many people around, so he decided to save them some face. He frowned and said displeasedly
"Look at how stingy you two are. It's not like you don't have money. Who is two cans enough for? Buy two cases of canned food each, and a case of malted milk. Every single day! You're hopeless."
Wang An truly could not understand the mindset of people who risked their lives to make money but were reluctant to spend a single cent.
While the phrase "thrift and frugality are traditional Chinese virtues" was indeed correct, once you weren't short on cash—or rather, once you were already wealthy—wasn't it a bit unnecessary to be so stingy?
In his previous life, when Wang An was "squatting by the fence" in prison, he often felt annoyance and regret. He had been so rich back then; why hadn't he thought to give some to his family? Was he a moron?
The most discussed topics among his cellmates were "if only back then" or "if I could start over," but what the hell was the point?
Fortunately, Wang An had wished in his heart, "If only I could live another life..." and unexpectedly, it had actually come true!
It had to be said, one must have dreams; you never know if they might actually happen.
Mu Xueli and Wang Li looked at each other and obediently complied. Wang An naturally bought the same amount of malted milk and canned food.
After buying those, Wang An led the two to buy 10 pounds of biscuits each. Only then did the three of them leave the supply and marketing cooperative, carrying their guns and hauling the boxes.
After covering the canned food with burlap sacks and straw mats, Wang An told the two of them to wipe the gun oil and load the bullets. He did the same; after tinkering with his Type 56 semi-automatic, Wang An pulled a Type 54 out of his pocket to check it. He had come to the county town today to buy guns, so he hadn't brought his usual Type 56 semi.
However, since the salesman had given such an obvious hint, wouldn't he be a complete idiot if he continued to ignore it?
In truth, Wang An's actions were also meant to tell whoever was hiding and spying on them that all three of them were armed. Some people should know when to stop and when to get lost.
However, the sight of the three of them on the sled caused passersby to quicken their pace after a single glance.
To be honest, the scene was quite frightening. Three people, all fiddling with guns—what were they planning?
Once everything was ready, Wang An reached into his pocket for a cigarette, only to find he was out. He returned to the cooperative, bought six cartons of Harbin cigarettes and a bundle of soda, and then drove the sled toward the county government.
On the way, Wang An tossed two cartons of cigarettes each to Mu Xueli and Wang Li, saying, "Our accounts seem to be off by a few yuan. Consider these cigarettes as compensation; the exact amount doesn't matter much."
The two took the cigarettes, naturally overjoyed. These were the "One-Bar-Two" cigarettes they had never dared to buy!
Two cartons cost 2.4 yuan—two days' salary for a formal employee!
Seeing their happy expressions, Wang An handed each of them a bottle of soda. After they had bitten open the caps and finished drinking, Wang An thought for a moment and said earnestly
"We go into the mountains to hunt, putting our heads on the line, just to make money. But what is making money for? Making money is..."
Before the emotion-filled Wang An could finish, he was suddenly interrupted by Wang Li, who was fiddling with his gun after finishing his soda.
Wang Li suddenly blurted out, "Making money is to marry a wife."
This abrupt sentence from Wang Li, while perfectly logical, left Wang An stunned for a moment. He immediately swallowed the words he was about to say and fell silent; the situation had simply become impossible to continue.
Meanwhile, Mu Xueli burst into laughter, saying through his giggles, "Old Fifth makes money, hahaha, to marry a wife, hahaha!"
In reality, Wang Li had answered subconsciously, speaking his inner thoughts aloud. Upon hearing Mu Xueli's laughter, he immediately realized what he'd said. His face turned bright red with embarrassment. He opened his mouth to explain, but nothing came out.
Looking at Wang Li's predicament, Wang An couldn't help but laugh as well. At sixteen, it was exactly the age to crave the opposite sex. Nothing wrong with that!
The three soon arrived at the county government. When the old man surnamed Cao saw Wang An arrive, he seemed genuinely happy and walked out of the guardhouse with a smile.
"You've arrived, young man. Come to find Wu Dong again?" Old Man Cao greeted Wang An with a smile.
Wang An was proactive, offering a cigarette and lighting it before speaking, because he had already discovered that this old man wouldn't work without cigarettes!
"Yes, Uncle. Is Wu Dong in the office?" Wang An asked after the old man took a puff.
"He didn't come in today. Go find him at his house..." The old man was indeed happier after smoking.
"Then I'll be going, Uncle," Wang An said helplessly. There was no other way; this old man simply wouldn't acknowledge you if you didn't give him a cigarette.
The three didn't linger and hurried to Wu Dong's house, only to find the four of them, including Wu Dong, playing poker!
Seeing Wang An and his companions, the four stopped their battle. After introductions and pleasantries, Wang An asked with a smile, "Is it appropriate for you to be staying home instead of working?"
"Are you kidding? Who dares to manage Brother Wu? Brother Wu going to work is giving them face; not going to work is the normal operation," Wang Shu joked.
"Get the hell out of here! Why the fuck would I go if there isn't a major case? Sitting there all day, are you crazy?" Wu Dong retorted.
Wang Shu ignored Wu Dong and said to Wang An, "What's up, brother? Did you hunt anything good again?"
"Just a lynx. I was in a rush this time and forgot to bring it," Wang An said.
"Don't even mention lynxes. My old man ate one whole lynx for a single meal and then never wanted to eat it again. But my old man said it would be a waste, so he forced my uncles and my brothers to eat it. Now they all hate me to death," Wu Dong said, sounding genuinely distressed.
"Hahaha, I was wondering why you didn't just crash at your grandfather's place when you returned to Harbin," Wang Shu laughed.
"The key is that the old man made the police officers boil the lynx meat in plain water. He wouldn't let them add any seasoning, then made them dip it in salt. He said that's how they ate it back in the day, and it was delicious!" Wu Dong continued with a bitter face.
"Hahaha!" Everyone in the room burst out laughing.
It had to be said that the older generation had indeed suffered a lot for China. Of course, those who survived had received corresponding rewards!
In these great mountains, the meat of medium-to-large carnivores tastes bad—that's a law of nature. The gamey smell is too strong and it tastes sour! The ancestors had discovered this long ago, which is why they raised herbivores.
If one wanted to eat it, a large amount of seasoning was required to suppress the natural sourness and gamey odor of the meat!
As for lynx meat boiled in plain water and dipped in salt... to be honest, a normal person really couldn't stomach it.
Wang An had never eaten shit, but he felt that eating it this way was probably not much different from eating shit!
And Wu Dong's grandfather had actually forced his sons and grandsons to eat it. It had to be said, the way the older generation did things was truly unique!
After chatting for a while, Wang An finally said, "Brother Wu, could you get me some Type 56 semi ammo? The three of us will use it, so get plenty."
Before Wu Dong could speak, Wang Shu was quick to respond, saying directly, "Wu Dong has plenty of ammo. Come, let's go move a few boxes."
After speaking, Wang Shu led the three of them to the back room and hauled out three boxes of Type 56 semi-automatic ammunition.