Chapter 24: So Much Grain!

Director Hu was feeling a bit agitated.

He felt he had been too trusting of Lu Qiaoge.

He should have waited until the vegetables actually arrived before giving the notice.

But Lu Qiaoge had said that with the hot weather lately, leafy greens couldn't be stored for long; it would be best to swap them out as soon as they arrived to avoid spoilage.

So, he had believed her.

"...It's nothing. Aren't you supposed to head back to your unit? Why aren't you leaving yet?"

The union official felt somewhat bewildered by being chased away, but he couldn't afford to delay. Just as he was about to leave, he heard someone shout: "They're back! The vegetable truck is back! My goodness, a whole truckload of lush green..."

Director Hu and Huang Juan exchanged a glance, and instantly, their faces lit up with smiles.

As they walked out of the Street Office, they saw a large, army-green truck pulling up steadily at the entrance.

At the gates of the military factory, Lu Qiaoling and Lu Xiao Si had already gotten off the vehicle.

The two siblings were responsible for meeting Captain Zhao from Guzi Village.

At that moment, Lu Qiaoge hopped down from the driver's cab, her eyes shining as she looked at Director Hu, saying with a beaming smile, "Mission accomplished! The leafy greens have been swapped back. I invite both leaders to inspect and accept the delivery."

Director Hu's eyes crinkled into slits from smiling so widely.

Was an inspection even necessary? Because Gu Wenbo, who followed closely behind from the transport team, said leisurely, "I watched them load it. The villagers from Guzi Village are incredibly honest; they picked off every single damaged leaf immediately."

Director Hu craned his neck to look.

Several layers of ropes were crisscrossed to secure the load.

Even though it was piled high, not a single vegetable fell out, and everything was neatly bundled.

They were fresh and vibrant, looking as if they had just been picked.

Satisfied, extremely satisfied!

Lu Qiaoge said, "Director Hu, please give the security guard a call. Captain Zhao's horse carriage will be here shortly. He said using a truck consumes too much fuel, so he'll use the carriage to haul the daily necessities back."

Old Hu hurriedly sent Ren Xiaocui to make the call, while a row of tables was already being brought out.

Old Hu shouted, "Do you see? This is all vegetables, so don't crowd or scramble. Everyone will get their share. Do you see the detailed list posted on the wall? Exchange according to this. And don't take too much—these are leafy greens and they don't keep long. If you take too much and it rots because you can't finish it, it's a waste, and others who want them won't be able to get any..."

"Director Hu, you're being too long-winded!"

"If you keep rambling, even the cucumbers will get cold."

"Let's get started! I'm the first one here. I want five pounds of chives, five pounds of spinach, five pounds of bok choy, and five pounds of green onions. I've already bought tofu, so I'll have some green onion mixed with tofu for lunch—pure and simple! Hahaha!"

"You're being greedy! Five pounds of everything? Do you even have enough to carry, and can you even take it all back?"

The Street Office had always been lively, but now it was even more so, though everyone was smiling.

The dormitory buildings didn't have vegetable gardens; eating vegetables relied entirely on buying them, and eating fresh leafy greens was truly not easy.

Seeing Ren Xiaocui nod at her with a smile, Lu Qiaoge knew the call had been made. She then picked up several pre-bundled bunches of leafy greens and walked up to Director Hu, telling him directly that these were for Director He.

Beside her, Huang Juan said with a smile, "Go deliver them first. We'll have plenty of questions for you when you get back."

Lu Qiaoge hadn't expected to run into Sun Qin, who had come to pick her up halfway. Lu Qiaoge handed the vegetables to her: "Don't be stingy with them. I'll come to exchange more another day."

Seeing there was still enough time, Lu Qiaoge ran back to the main gate.

Lu Qiaoling was talking to the Captain who had just arrived, while Lu Xiao Si stood in the shade holding the tabby cat.

The guard had just received a call and saw that Captain Lin had his letter of introduction, so he let them through readily.

Lu Qiaoge said to Lu Qiaoling, "You and Xiao Si walk slowly behind us."

Lu Qiaoling nodded obediently.

Captain Lin said, "It's fine. The horse carriage can handle it. No need to walk; come up and sit in the carriage."

Lu Qiaoling and Lu Xiao Si happily climbed onto the carriage.

Lu Qiaoge glanced at the carriage and asked Captain Lin to drive toward the Lu family home first.

The grain was covered with straw sacks, so it was hard to tell exactly what was inside, but they were bulging and seemed to be quite a lot.

It wasn't until they were unloading that Lu Qiaoge realized there was even more than she had imagined.

Meng Xia and Old Lady Lu hadn't gone anywhere; following Lu Qiaoge's instructions, they waited at home anxiously.

But they couldn't truly be at peace.

What if they couldn't exchange it back? Not only would it be a waste of effort, but would it be embarrassing?

But since everyone had already left, worrying was pointless.

To their surprise, a large horse carriage actually arrived at their doorstep.

Lu Qiaoge hopped off the vehicle and scanned her surroundings; the neighbors were all dual-income workers and were all at work at this time.

The area was very quiet.

Lu Qiaoge and the others helped Captain Lin unload the grain.

Meng Xia stared in shock at the sacks of grain placed under the tree.

There must be about five hundred pounds here.

How could they have exchanged for so much?

Fifty pounds of white flour, two hundred pounds of corn grits, two hundred pounds of cornmeal, twenty pounds of rice, plus soybeans and mung beans, and fifty pounds of millet in a flour sack.

Beside them was a large bamboo basket, overflowing with leafy greens.

Meng Xia was dumbstruck, her voice trembling slightly, "...This... this is too much. Will it... cause trouble for you, Captain?"

Captain Lin waved it off. "It's no trouble. Besides, the things you're taking are things the village needs. Some things can't even be bought without industrial coupons... This was given to you according to the price of the grain you handed in."

Feeling uneasy, Meng Xia insisted on pressing a pair of rain boots into Captain Lin's hands.

They were a pair Old Lu had been allocated but hadn't been willing to wear yet.

Captain Lin was startled; a pair of black men's rain boots was far too precious—how could he accept them?

However, Lu Qiaoge gave him no chance to refuse. She pulled him out of the Lu house, placed the boots in a canvas bag, and tossed them into the carriage. She told him to continue driving, her tone warm and friendly: "Uncle Lin, there's no need to be so precise with the math. I didn't even expect you to be able to exchange for so much grain. I'll remember this. If you ever need help with anything in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

Captain Lin was not one to be overly formal; hearing Lu Qiaoge call him "Uncle Lin," he readily agreed.

However, these rain boots were different from rubber shoes; they were truly hard to come by. The Lu family was far too honest and kind-hearted.

He kept this favor in his heart.

But he couldn't wear these rain boots himself, so he planned to deliver them to Director Zhu on behalf of Comrade Lu.

The carriage arrived at the Street Office smoothly.

Because the organization was good, the families had originally intended to scramble for the goods, but with the presence of Street Office cadres and the union officials who had come to help, order was quickly established.

Mainly, because commotion would attract even more people, and then there wouldn't be enough meat for all the wolves.

Spoilage of leafy greens was inevitable, but because they were so highly valued and bundled tightly, there was very little loss.

The most convenient part was that they could be counted bundle by bundle.

They weren't allowed to pick and choose; they were taken layer by layer.

It was just like how shop assistants sold goods in this era—you couldn't be picky.

You took whatever was given to you; there was basically no room for choice.

As a result, aside from the reserved portion, almost the entire truckload of vegetables was exchanged.

Many pages of the ledger were filled, and the large baskets at the entrance were also full of goods.

As previously mentioned, the Street Office had reserved some vegetables for the transport team, which were kept in the truck.

Lu Qiaoge took the initiative to grab a broom and climb onto the truck to sweep out the stray leaves in the carriage.

After tidying up a large pile of leafy greens and eggs, she nimbly jumped down and gave a smiling thanks to Brother Gu...

(End of Chapter)