Chapter 35: Delivering Goods to the Second Canteen

Yesterday evening before the end of his shift, the mine issued an order to Master Niu: a high-ranking leader would be coming to the mine for an inspection at noon today. He was told to make sure all his signature dishes were prepared in advance, as the VIP wanted to taste Master Niu's famous Flying Dragon Soup.

The Ghost Market had been restless for the past two days. It was no longer just symbolic harassment or scaring off vendors; instead, there were organized groups of people blocking both ends of the street to make arrests. If it were something like a grain coupon, carrying it on your person might be fine, but for anything slightly bulky, no one dared to sell. Once the authorities arrived, there was no way to run.

Lately, Yue Feng had been busy training the hawks for his team and taking apprentices up the mountain, so he only made it into town once every other day. Consequently, the supply of Flying Dragon birds could only barely maintain the basic needs of the kitchen.

As the reputation of this signature dish grew, Master Niu's influence in the Second Canteen increased, but the pressure regarding ingredients rose sharply alongside it, leaving him quite anxious.

Walking all the way to the end without seeing Yue Feng's stall, Master Niu scratched his head in frustration. This was an important matter; if he couldn't find him, he would have to send someone to Yue Feng's house in the village.

Just as Master Niu was becoming increasingly agitated, Yue Feng caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye.

"Brother Niu?" Yue Feng called out softly.

Niu Fusheng snapped his head up toward the sound.

Seeing that it was indeed Niu Fusheng, Yue Feng nodded to him and began pushing his bicycle toward the street corner.

Niu Fusheng didn't make a scene; he simply lowered his head and followed.

It wasn't until they reached the adjacent Mining Bureau Street that Yue Feng finally found an inconspicuous spot to stop.

"Did you bring the goods today? I was wandering around the Ghost Market and couldn't find you. I was almost about to send someone to your village! A big leader is coming to inspect the city today!"

Yue Feng lifted the burlap cover. "Don't worry, I've got it handled. There's plenty of stock today; it definitely won't delay your lunch!"

Niu Fusheng glanced inside. The wicker basket was packed densely with Flying Dragon birds, arranged like corn, with an estimated count of at least fifty or sixty.

In an instant, Niu Fusheng felt a wave of immense relief. Even a master chef is helpless without ingredients, but with these live Flying Dragon birds and Sand-half Chickens, the signature dish for the midday reception was absolutely guaranteed.

"So many!"

"Yeah! The newly trained hawks are starting to work on the mountain! Yesterday was their first day on the job, so we caught a few extra!"

"Follow me. I don't know when this crackdown at the Ghost Market will blow over. Starting tomorrow, deliver directly to the procurement department at the back gate of the coal mine canteen!"

"Will do!"

Yue Feng agreed and pushed his bike, following closely behind Niu Fusheng toward the Hongqi Coal Mine.

To be precise, Fengcheng was a small county town built around the primary industries of the Hongqi Coal Mine and the Qianjin Lead-Manganese Mine. Aside from basic administrative units, the vast majority of the residents worked at the mines.

The sky had just begun to brighten, and there were almost no pedestrians on the streets. Following Niu Fusheng, Yue Feng soon arrived at the procurement department of the Second Canteen.

As he pushed his bike into the canteen area, the night watchman heard the barking of a dog but merely glanced over before returning to his nap.

Niu Fusheng was a major figure in the Second Canteen, holding absolute authority over both procurement and kitchen supplies. He was the kind of person whose word was law on his own turf.

"This is a directed procurement letter issued by our canteen. If anyone inspects you, this will come in handy! But even with this, it's best not to be too conspicuous at the Ghost Market. Our mine doesn't get along well with the market regulators. Keep a low profile to avoid any trouble," Niu Fusheng said, handing Yue Feng a letter stamped with the official unit seal.

"Got it, I'll remember! Where should I put these wild game? I'll need you to help me count them!"

"Put them in the back. There are cages there. Untie them and stuff them into the cages! It's better to use those cloth wraps like before; these wire ties are leaving marks on their legs!" Niu Fusheng said casually.

"Alright, I'll have my mother sew some cloth wraps when I get home! I've been using old socks to wrap the birds, but now that production is up, I don't have enough!" Yue Feng nodded. He wouldn't be unreasonable with his "big spender" client; if he could satisfy a request, he naturally would.

"Socks? Fine, I'll figure something out for you during the day! Those are issued regularly by our logistics department!" Niu Fusheng took charge of the sock situation.

Soon, the total count of the "chicks" was tallied.

49 Flying Dragon birds, 12 Sand-half Chickens, totaling 62.3 yuan!

"Sixty-two yuan and thirty cents—just give me sixty even! Fill out the procurement slip however is most convenient for you!" Yue Feng said readily.

"Deal! We have a long relationship ahead of us, so let's take it slow!" Niu Fusheng pulled a stack of blank procurement slips from a cabinet, scribbled quickly, and handed the duplicate to Yue Feng.

With the goods tallied, six large ten-yuan notes, smelling of fresh ink, were placed into Yue Feng's hands.

Out of this sixty-yuan payment, after deducting the costs of social obligations, Yue Feng's share consisted of: his own catches (21 Flying Dragons, 4 Sand-half Chickens), the Zhang brothers (16 Flying Dragons, 4.5 Sand-half Chickens), and the Li father and son (12 Flying Dragons, 2.5 Sand-half Chickens).

The Zhang brothers' total sales were 20.75, and the Li father and son's total sales were 14.95. As the one providing the hawks and managing the sales, Yue Feng took two-thirds of the total.

Yue Feng didn't plan to charge the other two families for the small change. After all the math, out of today's sixty yuan, Yue Feng himself would take 48.22 yuan.

At this rate of earning, he should have enough to buy a bicycle in just a few days.

Waking up early every day to go into town was exhausting; having a bicycle would greatly save both travel time and physical strength. This was his highest priority for the current stage.

As for a shotgun and a dog, those would have to wait. According to Yue Feng's memory, Uncle Li didn't buy Old Chen's No. 16 barrel until after the first snow of winter, so there was still plenty of time to earn money.

Originally, Yue Feng had planned to sell the birds today and then buy some supplies at the Ghost Market to improve everyone's meals at home. But now, since no one was selling rice, flour, or oil at the Ghost Market, he had to wait for the supply and marketing cooperative to open and use his family's grain coupons to cover it.

After leaving the Hongqi Coal Mine Second Canteen, Yue Feng waited by the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative until it opened, then went in for a massive shopping spree.

Fifty pounds of white flour, fifty pounds of cornmeal, ten pounds of soybean oil, and ten pounds of pork belly.

A total of over a hundred pounds of essential supplies cost him only a little over thirty yuan.

The meeting yesterday evening about cooking more frequent meals at home wasn't just empty talk; this hundred pounds of grain, plus the oil and meat, would be enough to last a while. Spending all day wandering the mountains required some fat in the diet; otherwise, health issues would inevitably arise over time.

With the help of the shop assistant, Yue Feng loaded the flour and other supplies into the basket on the back of his bike. Then, he pedaled furiously all the way home!