Chapter 253 Buying Food? Mr. Hua's Connections
Chapter 253 Buying Food? Mr. Hua's Connections (Subscribe!)
2.26, Thursday.
The three people in the transport team who had no tasks were completely free.
While the other masters were busy completing tasks and selling food, the three of them were leisurely sitting in the lounge smoking and chatting.
It is a vivid expression of having food in hand and not being worried.
The three of them just sat there, waiting for the end of get off work.
'Jingle Bell--'
"Get off work, go home, today is another beautiful day!"
Return to the courtyard.
Li Kailang went straight home and prepared to cook.
"Hey, boss, is the kid from the Li family back? Go find him quickly!" The third aunt hurriedly reminded Yan Bugui who was resting.
"Oh, I'll go now!" Yan Bugui, who was lying in the room, jumped up from the bed immediately after hearing this.
Yan Bugui hurriedly put on his clothes and walked out of the house, just in time to see Li Kailang about to close the door.
"Xiao Li, Xiao Li, wait for me."
Li Kailang turned around and looked at him suspiciously: "Uncle, what's the matter?"
Yan Bugui looked around and saw people coming into the yard one after another. Now was the time when everyone was going home after get off work, but it was not a good time to chat.
"Xiao Li, can we go in and talk?"
Seeing Yan Bugui's hesitant look, Li Kailang nodded and moved aside to let him in.
As soon as he entered the room, Yan Bugui couldn't wait to close the door, fearing that others would hear their conversation.
"boom!"
"Uncle, what do you want to talk to me about?"
"Well, it's like this." Yan Bugui rubbed his hands and smiled flatteringly:
"Xiao Li, do you have any extra food? I want to buy some more, is that okay?"
Li Kailang was puzzled: "Uncle, I remember you bought a lot of food at the beginning. How come you have eaten it all now? I see there is still a lot in the cellar."
Yan Bugui smiled and said, "Yes, there are some, but you said that there is no fixed time for the food shortage, and we don't know how long it will last. I also want to buy more to be on the safe side."
Yan Bugui had a little plan in mind. After buying food from the black market, he calculated the price and decided that it would be more economical to buy food from Li Kailang.
So I thought I'd try my luck and see if I could buy some more.
"Food? Let me see if there is any left?" Li Kailang said
Hearing this, Yan Bugui said hurriedly: "Take your time to think about it, I'm not in a hurry!"
Li Kailang sat on the sofa and thought about this problem seriously.
He has a lot of space to grow food, it’s not a question of whether or not there is enough food, but whether or not he should use it.
This is the key point that Li Kailang needs to think about.
After thinking for a moment, Li Kailang came up with the answer.
He suddenly looked embarrassed and had an expression that was difficult to speak.
This made Yan Bugui very anxious. He said hastily, "Xiao Li, just say whatever you want to say. I can bear it."
"Okay, since Third Uncle said so, I'll just say it straight." Li Kailang didn't beat around the bush with Yan Bugui.
"Uncle, it's not that I don't want to sell you food, but I just don't have any extra food on hand. Not to mention that I don't have any now, I'm afraid I won't have any in the future."
Yan Bugui got anxious when he heard this: "Xiao Li, how can you say that? Didn't you get all the food in our yard?"
Li Kailang explained: "Uncle, I did get the food, but you have to see when I got it. It was October last year. When is it now?"
"It's almost March now. Five months have passed, and people don't have much left. Besides, when I was trying to get food, there was no food shortage. Now there is a food shortage, and everyone wants food, but I can't get any."
Yan Bugui said unwillingly: "Can't you get some more?"
Li Kailang shook his head helplessly: "Uncle, do you think food can be easily obtained?"
Then, he asked, "Uncle, I see you still have 700 to 800 kilograms of food at home. It won't be finished so quickly, right?"
"Aren't you just thinking about saving more?" Yan Bugui said embarrassedly.
Li Kailang said unhappily, "Uncle, this much food, even if it's not rationed, it will take you at least half a year to eat it normally."
"You still have a ration now. You may not be able to finish it in a year, let alone half a year. Don't forget that you still have 100 to 180 kilograms of winter vegetables at home."
"That's true!" Yan Bugui smiled awkwardly.
"Okay, I'll leave first."
Since Li Kailang couldn't get any food here, Yan Bugui didn't linger and opened the door.
"Ouch——" a trembling sound of fear squeezed out of Yan Bugui's throat.
I saw a group of people gathered outside the door, including people from the front, middle and back yards.
They were either standing or sitting, some whispering or talking to each other, and everyone's face was filled with anxiety.
Yan Bugui couldn't help but shudder, muttering to himself: "This is a scene, is it to cause trouble for me?"
"Xiao Li, are you at home? We just happened to want to talk to you about something." Liu Haizhong said.
"Wow, so many people! When have there ever been so many people in my house?" Li Kailang was also shocked, but he remained calm.
"What's up, big guy?"
Suddenly, everyone started talking at once, but they all expressed the same idea.
They wanted to buy some food from Li Kailang and store it in case of emergency.
Li Kailang also told them according to Yan Bugui's explanation.
"Xiao Li, you can't lie to us! Did the third uncle really not buy any food?" Liu Haizhong asked cautiously, with a hint of doubt in his eyes.
"Really not. If you don't believe me, go ask yourself!" Li Kailang replied.
When Yan Bugui heard this, he immediately flew into a rage: "Second uncle, how can you be so vulgar? I am the third uncle after all, how can you doubt me!"
The two of them immediately started arguing, and the others ignored them.
"It seems that we still have to go to the grain station to buy grain. We can't leave the grain on the black market. We have to buy it too."
Since we couldn’t buy food, everyone went home and figured out how to make it on their own.
"Huh! They're finally gone!" Li Kailang breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, I didn't agree to buy food from Yan Bugui. Otherwise, with so many people asking for food, it would be a hassle even if I could get it."
“If you get used to buying food from me, you’ll get into trouble in the future, especially if someone wants to get rich.”
Once they have a stable source of food, Li Kailang doesn't believe that these people won't sell it.
Every household has at least 300 to 400 kilograms of food. If they eat sparingly, they can get through the year.
The most important thing is that at this time, even if each household only needs 100 kilograms of food, it will add up to 2,000 to 3,000 kilograms.
Li Kailang was able to get it, but there was no reasonable reason to explain why he did so.
With this calculation, Li Kailang really has no need to do it, and making money is not necessary for Li Kailang.
"Speaking of food, I wonder if Mr. Hua is short of it? I didn't bring much with me during the New Year, so I don't know how much is left?"
Thinking of this, Li Kailang rode his bicycle to find Mr. Hua.
After a while, Li Kailang arrived outside Hua's house.
"Mr. Hua, here I come!"
"Coming!"
With a creaky sound, the door slowly opened.
"You are finally here, I have been waiting for you for a long time!"
As soon as he opened the door, Mr. Hua couldn't help but blame Li Kailang. He had been waiting for Li Kailang for more than ten days.
Before Mr. Hua could continue speaking, Li Kailang interrupted him.
"Mr. Hua, did you miss me? I'm so sorry, I was so busy at the beginning of the year that I forgot to come and see you!"
"By the way, if you need anything, tell me and I'll bring it to you at the weekend. I'll tell you if there's enough food."
Old Hua waved his hand and said, "That's enough. I'm just an old man and I can't eat much. Sorry to bother you!"
Mr. Hua also knew what the situation was outside and didn't want Li Kailang to worry too much.
Seeing Mr. Hua's reluctant look, Li Kailang was still worried and went straight to the place where the grain was stored.
There is still some food, about enough for ten days or half a month, but not much.
"Mr. Hua, there isn't that much food left. I'll bring you some at the weekend." Li Kailang said directly.
Then he entered the house, wrote down his address and gave it to Mr. Hua, reminding him:
"Mr. Hua, here is my address. If you need anything at home, come to this address to find me!"
"Oh, okay, okay!" Mr. Hua responded repeatedly.
"Okay, I won't bother you anymore." Li Kailang was about to leave.
"Wait, I almost forgot to tell you something important." Just as Li Kailang was about to leave, Mr. Hua suddenly called him.
Li Kailang looked at Mr. Hua in confusion, only to see Mr. Hua said with a happy face:
"I have already given your wine to other people to taste. They liked it very much and asked for your wine by name. They also wanted to meet you by the way."
"Are you free this weekend? I'll take you to meet him."
Hearing this, Li Kailang refused without a second thought: "Forget it, Mr. Hua, what season is it now? Everyone is short of food. There will be no food to make wine in the future. It will be useless to see it."
Mr. Hua stamped his cane angrily and said, "How can you say that? He is a person of status after all. There is no harm in meeting him and getting to know him."
"Besides, they've already drunk the wine, and you haven't asked them for money yet, so how can you not go?"
Unable to resist Mr. Hua's persuasion, Li Kailang finally had to nod and agree.
"Okay, okay, I promise, I'll go with you to meet him this weekend."
"You are such a fool. If you had agreed earlier, there wouldn't be so much trouble!" Old Hua groaned and waved his hand: "Okay, go back. Be careful on the road!"
Before the weekend, Li Kailang has been thinking carefully over the past few days.
Originally he didn't plan to brew wine anymore, but after thinking about some things, he decided to continue selling it since he had enough raw materials anyway.
All the connections introduced by Mr. Hua are rich and prestigious people, and Li Kailang can make a lot of money from them.
During a famine, food will become even more scarce. Even if they have a lot of money, there will be times when they cannot buy food, and there will be times when they go hungry.
In addition to these, the most important thing is that they have a lot of gold antiques, which is Li Kailang’s real purpose.
Li Kailang has no shortage of money, and it is even useless.
But there is a shortage of gold antiques!
During famine, these things depreciated greatly, and sometimes you couldn't even buy food with a yellow croaker.
Li Kailang can take this opportunity to exchange food, and even several kilograms of food for a small yellow croaker.
Isn't it for this that Li Kailang stored so much food? How much money could he make from selling food before the famine?
"Hehe, this is a good time for me to make a fortune."
Li Kailang had no choice but to take advantage of these people's evil intentions.
He had no identification skills and could not determine the authenticity of the gold antiques, so he could only look at the background of the owner.
These wealthy people usually have genuine items in their homes. If they were fake and were discovered, wouldn’t they lose face? Li Kailang started from this point.
"Hey hey hey!"
Li Kailang couldn't help but smile when he thought about the ring being filled with gold antiques in the future.
weekend.
Li Kailang arrived at the door of Hua's house and brought a pile of food with him.
"Mr. Hua, here I come!"
"Squeak-"
As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Hua opened the door and Li Kailang pushed the cart in.
"Mr. Hua, I have brought you some food. You should eat and drink as needed. Don't be stingy."
Li Kailang reminded as he moved.
"Okay, okay, I get it." Old Hua waved his hand impatiently, obviously he had heard this kind of words many times.
He also urged: "Hurry up, let's leave as soon as we finish moving!"
Although he said this, Mr. Hua was also very touched in his heart.
After a while, Li Kailang clapped his hands and said, "Okay, let's go!"
Mr. Hua sat on the back seat of the bicycle, pointing at the road ahead and guiding Li Kailang to ride.
Not long after, they finally arrived at their destination.
Li Kailang arrived at the gate of a residential area similar to that of later generations, and only entered after being questioned by a security guard.
This is a group of quadrangle courtyards with independent gates and courtyards, and each courtyard looks simple and elegant.
Li Kailang observed the people living here. The children all behaved politely and well-mannered, not to mention the adults.
The clothes they wore were clean and tidy, without even any patches, and it was obvious that they lived a superior life.
In addition, Li Kailang also noticed a number of servants moving around in the courtyard. It was obvious that those living here were either rich or noble.
Mr. Hua reminded: "Xiao Li, the people who live here are either rich or noble, so be careful when you come here. Although they can't do anything to you, it's still better to be careful."
Li Kailang nodded and said nonchalantly: "Yeah, I can see that, but since they can't do anything to me, then I'm naturally not afraid of them."
Now workers are the main theme, how can these "capitalists" be compared with workers?
He was only here to complete the deal and didn't need to please them by selling alcohol.
Seeing Li Kailang being so arrogant, Mr. Hua didn't say anything.
Mr. Hua brought Li Kailang to a courtyard. After greeting the servants, the two were led into the courtyard.
The landscape in the yard is very exquisitely arranged, with various flowers, plants and trees dotted around, giving people a sense of tranquility and elegance.
What surprised Li Kailang the most was that he found quite a few antique items in this yard, and each one looked not cheap.
These antiques are either placed on the table or hung on the wall, all of which demonstrate the taste and status of the owner here.
"Please wait!"
The servant led the two to the living room and then turned into the inner room.
"Master, we're here."
"Got it. You entertain them. I'll be there later."
"Okay, sir!"
Li Kailang listened to the conversation between the servant and her master without any surprise.
After all, Beijing was established almost ten years ago, but some concepts cannot be changed easily, just like Lou Zhenhua's family also has servants.
"Please wait a moment, both of you. The master will be here soon!" The servant poured tea for them both.
After a while, a middle-aged man wearing silk satin pajamas, with messy hair and untidy beard walked over.
"Mr. Hua, I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting for so long!" the middle-aged man apologized with a fist clasped.
Mr. Hua waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "It's okay. We just got here not long ago."
"I'm really sorry. By the way, who is this?" The middle-aged man looked at Li Kailang.
"Mr. Lin, this is the winemaker I told you about a few days ago, Li Kailang." Old Hua introduced.
"Xiao Li, this is Mr. Lin, a famous wealthy man in our city."
"Alas, I don't dare to be a wealthy man. I just have a small amount of assets. How can I be worthy of the title of rich man?" Mr. Lin waved his hands repeatedly.
Then he looked at Li Kailang, clasped his fists and introduced himself: "My name is Lin Jingchen, Master Li, you can call me Mr. Lin, and everyone else calls me that too."
"Mr. Lin!" Li Kailang clasped his fists.
Since Lin Jingchen gives Li Kailang so much face, Li Kailang should also give him face. After all, it's just a title.
"I am not worthy of the title of craftsman. Mr. Lin is older than me, so you can just call me Xiao Li!"
"How can that be? This is the first time we meet, so you should call me Master Li by another name." Lin Jingchen quickly refused.
Li Kailang couldn't help but sigh: He is indeed a wealthy man, giving him such face. If it were someone else, they would most likely accept it like this.
Lin Jingchen's behavior brings great honor to everyone.
Seeing the two of them trying to shirk responsibility, Mr. Hua interrupted and said:
"Mr. Lin, it doesn't matter what you call him. Xiao Li has just reached adulthood. According to his age, there is nothing wrong with calling him Xiao Li."
Li Kailang nodded and replied, "Indeed, Mr. Lin, we are just talking about age, there is no other meaning."
Lin Jingchen hesitated for a moment: "Since you two said so, if I don't do this, it would be my fault."
"Master Li, I am being too arrogant and calling you Little Li. I hope you can forgive me."
As he spoke, Lin Jingchen clasped his fists and apologized to Li Kailang.
The three of them sat down, and after some opening pleasantries, the atmosphere of the conversation became a little more lively.
Lin Jingchen was the first to speak: "Mr. Hua, you are really a hidden talent! The wine brewed by your disciple Xiao Li is simply the best!"
"These past few days, I've had a drink every night, and the next day I feel refreshed, as if I were ten years younger!"
Mr. Hua waved his hands quickly: "Mr. Lin, don't talk nonsense. Xiao Li is not my disciple. It would be great if he was really my disciple!"
Lin Jingchen realized his mistake and quickly stood up and apologized to Li Kailang:
"Master Li, I'm really sorry. I saw that you were so young and thought you were Master Hua's apprentice. I took it for granted. I'm really sorry."
"Well, I'll use tea instead of wine as an apology."
As he spoke, Lin Jingchen drank the tea in one gulp.
Li Kailang explained: "Mr. Lin, there is no need to do this. Although Mr. Hua and I are not master and apprentice, it was Mr. Hua who taught me the art of brewing wine."
"It can be considered half a master and a disciple, after all."
Hearing what Li Kailang said, Mr. Hua felt very relieved.
Unfortunately, without a disciple, there is no real master-disciple relationship. Mr. Hua is more grateful to Li Kailang in his heart.
He would never admit the title of master and disciple, and he couldn't let Li Kailang lose his seniority, so he quickly explained:
"That's not the case. Even if I didn't teach you, with your talent, you would have learned it after watching it a few times."
"Ah, this..." Now it was Lin Jingchen's turn to be confused. Why did he fall to the ground?
Seeing this, Mr. Hua briefly explained the whole story, and Lin Jingchen finally understood something.
However, this time we are not here to talk about these things, but about wine.
Lin Jingchen said: "Xiao Li, the wine you brew is very good, I like it very much. So, from now on, you can brew 5 bottles of wine for me every month. You name a price for the wine, and I will pay it."
Li Kailang did not directly quote the price: "Mr. Lin has also drunk the wine I brewed and has personally experienced its effects. My wine is not cheap."
Lin Jingchen waved his hands proudly: "It's okay, no matter how expensive it is, I can afford it. As for the wine you brew, Xiao Li, no matter how expensive it is, it is worth it."
Mr. Hua echoed, "That's right. I've tasted Xiao Li's wine. It's much better than mine. Even after decades of brewing, I still can't match Xiao Li's."
Mr. Hua's words also indirectly raised the price for Li Kailang.
Li Kailang said: "Okay, I will brew good wine for Mr. Lin in the future, but I may not be able to deliver it in time."
Lin Jingchen waved his hand and said, "That's fine, I can ask the servant to get it. Just tell me a time so I can arrange it."
Li Kailang smiled and said, "Okay, then let's set it on the first day of every month. I'll leave the wine here with Mr. Hua, and Mr. Lin just needs to give the money to Mr. Hua."
Today happens to be the first day of the month. I will get ready in the evening, and Mr. Lin will send someone to get wine from Mr. Hua. "
"Okay." Lin Jingchen nodded.
After the matter was settled, the three of them had a brief chat, and then Mr. Hua and Li Kailang got up and went home.
"Why are you leaving so early? Why don't you stay a little longer and have lunch?" Lin Jingchen politely asked.
"No, we have something else to do later, so we won't bother Mr. Lin." Mr. Hua said politely.
"Okay, since you have something to say, I will force you two to stay." Lin Jingchen responded.
"It's okay, Mr. Lin, if you think the wine is good, please help me recommend one or two." Mr. Hua requested.
"Don't worry, I will." Lin Jingchen responded.
Mr. Hua took Li Kailang to visit the next contact.
Lin Jingchen watched the two people leave.
He ordered the servant beside him: "Go and check the origin of this Li Kailang."
"Yes!" the servant nodded and was about to leave.
"Wait!" Lin Jingchen suddenly called him.
Lin Jingchen frowned, as if he was weighing something, and did not speak for a long time.
Seeing this, the servants did not dare to leave without permission and could only wait quietly for his orders.
Lin Jingchen took a deep breath and said slowly: "Forget it, no need to check." He waved his hand to signal him to leave.
The servant tiptoed and turned away.
Lin Jingjingchen looked into the distance again, and saw the backs of Li Kailang and Hua Lao gradually disappearing from his sight.
Logically speaking, as a wealthy man like Lin Jingchen, there is no need for him to be so courteous to a young man.
But all this was Li Kailang's wine.
Every time Lin Jingchen tasted the wine brewed by Li Kailang, he could feel that his body had been greatly restored, and his body and mind seemed to become lighter and full of energy.
This is a feeling that Lin Jingchen has never experienced before. As he gets older, every time he doesn't sleep well, he feels that he doesn't have enough energy.
But since tasting Li Kailang's wine, he has never had this feeling again.
I feel full of energy throughout the whole day.
He was worried that if he asked the servants to investigate Li Kailang's background, it might anger Li Kailang and cause him to never be able to drink this magical wine again.
Lin Jingchen thought about it and gave up, and decided to maintain a respectful and friendly relationship with Li Kailang.
Don't forget, Li Kailang's wine is cooked with spiritual spring water, which has the effect of nourishing the body and prolonging life.
Every drop of liquor after distillation is essence, who wouldn’t like it after drinking it?
(End of this chapter)