sinovels Chapter 1806 Selling the Amber Dragon
Chapter 1806 Selling the Amber Dragon
Chapter 1806 Selling the Amber Dragon
After a night's rest, the seven members of the Zhao family had breakfast at the Shao family's house and then bid farewell to them. They took two cars and headed straight for Xie Chen's hometown, Xiangyang Village.
Since the Lunar New Year, the Xie family has gone to the Yong'an Forest Area. Only Xie Chen came back to stay for one night when he was on a business trip.
When he returned home today, he saw that the house was full of dust. He asked Zhao Jun and the others to wait a moment while he hurriedly went to the village to find someone to help clean the house.
Since Yong'an recruited workers, half of the labor force in Xiangyang Village went to Lingxi with Jie Zhong. Among those who remained in the village, there were not many young and middle-aged people; most were elderly people, women, and children.
At this time, most of the people who were supposed to be working in the fields had already gone to work in the fields. After searching around, Jie Chen found five elderly women who were at home taking care of their children.
These old ladies were quite efficient at their work, taking brooms and rags and tidying up inside and outside the Xie family's house.
When Zhang Yuanmin, Li Baoyu, and Zhao Jinhui returned from the convenience store carrying canned goods, pastries, apples, beer, and soda, they saw Li Ruhai chatting happily with the old ladies who were working there.
"Brother Chen," Zhao Jinhui put down his things and whispered in Xie Chen's ear, "Where did you get these old scallions?"
Xie Chen was taken aback when he heard this. When he realized what was happening, he quickly retorted to Zhao Jinhui and whispered, "Don't talk nonsense. If those guys hear you, they'll tear you to shreds."
“That’s perfect.” Li Baoyu, who had been listening to the commotion, chimed in with a smile, “These big, fat potatoes are enough for your whole village to eat.”
Zhao Jinhui smiled and gave Li Baoyu a push, while Zhao Jun and Wang Qiang laughed heartily.
……
Ever since Xie Zhong led the men of Xiangyang Village out to work, the Xie family's status in the village has surpassed that of the village head.
In those days, people living in a village had very genuine feelings for each other.
Hearing that Jie Chen had returned with his friends, the people left behind in Xiangyang Village, fearing that they had no food or water, brought them river fish, wild vegetables, large tofu, dried tofu, and large pancakes.
The elderly women who helped with the chores also helped the Zhao family of seven prepare lunch.
When they saw the five old ladies off, Zhao Jun gave each of them four apples.
After the seven members of the Zhao family had eaten and drunk their fill, they rested in the east and west rooms of the Xie family's house.
……
And so the next day arrived, May 25, 1988.
The Zhao family members got up early, packed their things, and then boarded a car to head straight for Shulan County.
After entering the city, they drove the car to the front of the supply and marketing cooperative. Zhao Jun and Xie Chen got out of the truck and saw Wang Qiang and four others getting out of the jeep, each carrying a long burlap sack.
Seeing this, Zhao Jun's expression changed, and he waved to Wang Qiang and the others, saying, "That thing... we don't need to bring it into the house."
The burlap sacks that Wang Qiang and his companions carried were their weapons for self-defense. But since they were on Sun Haizhu's turf today, and the other party to the transaction was an outsider, there was no possibility of conflict.
Besides, the men were carrying Type 54 pistols on their waists, so there was no need for them to carry all those long guns and short cannons. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were about to storm the supply and marketing cooperative.
Upon hearing Zhao Jun's words, the group hurriedly opened the car door and stuffed the long burlap sack back into the vehicle.
Seeing that Wang Qiang and the others were closing the car doors one by one, Zhao Jun hurriedly said, "Baozi, bring Baozi down."
The steamed buns Zhao Jun mentioned were the kind used to wrap amber dragon filling. Wang Qiang and his group didn't take the goods, only the weapons, making it seem like they were planning a double-cross.
Wang Qiang and the others laughed upon hearing this. Li Baoyu hurriedly took a bag of Amber Dragon's steamed buns from the back seat, and then the group entered the supply and marketing cooperative.
At this time of day, there weren't many people buying goods at the supply and marketing cooperative. When Zhao Jun and his group came in, Sun Haizhu was wiping the counter with a rag.
Sun Haizhu turned around unintentionally and was taken aback when he saw Zhao Jun and the others. Then he heard Jie Chen jokingly say to him, "What's going on? Is the manager working at the counter today?"
Coming to his senses, Sun Haizhu quickly dropped the rag he was holding, stepped forward to greet Zhao Jun and the others warmly, and invited them to his office.
It was called an office, but it was actually just a small room for Sun Haizhu, the manager, to rest temporarily.
Eight people entered, almost filling the room. Sun Haizhu found long benches and enamel mugs, and made tea and poured water for them.
The supply and marketing cooperative had everything it needed. Sun Haizhu offered cigarettes to Wang Qiang and his group, and also brought out melon seeds, peanuts, and small candies to treat Zhao Jun and his six companions.
Once the food and drinks were laid out, and the small room was filled with the smoke from the group's cigarettes, Sun Haizhu noticed the steamed buns that Li Baoyu had placed next to Zhao Jun's feet.
Last year, Zhao Jun came to this supply and marketing cooperative to sell wild ginseng. When he saw the ginseng buns, Sun Haizhu assumed that Zhao Jun and his group had come to sell ginseng again. He immediately looked embarrassed and said, "Zhao Jun, Brother Sun isn't home today. I don't know how to set a price for your ginseng."
The "Second Brother Sun" that Sun Haizhu mentioned is Sun Desheng. When Zhao Jun first came to sell ginseng, it was Sun Desheng who inspected the ginseng and estimated its price for him. Today, Sun Desheng didn't come to work, and none of the remaining people at the supply and marketing cooperative could replace him.
"It's alright, Brother-in-law Sun," Zhao Jun said to Sun Haizhu with a smile. "We came here today mainly to borrow your place for a bit."
"Zhao Jun, what did you say?" Sun Haizhu was taken aback, and then Zhao Jun explained to him, "We already have buyers for our ginseng seedlings today. They're coming from Beijing and should arrive around noon. We'll wait for them in your office."
"The capital?" Sun Haizhu looked at Zhao Jun in surprise and asked, "You came from the capital?"
Zhao Jun smiled and nodded. Before he could say anything, Xie Chen said to Sun Haizhu, "Second brother-in-law, your supply and marketing cooperative can't afford to take our clubs."
"Oh dear!" Sun Haizhu knew his brother-in-law was joking with him, so he immediately laughed and said, "What kind of fool are you? You think we can't afford to accept him?"
As he spoke, Sun Haizhu gestured towards Zhao Jun and then said to Xie Chen, "Last year, your brother Jun brought that club and sold it for 3,700, and we bought it too."
Hearing Sun Haizhu's words, Xie Chen chuckled and said, "Second brother-in-law, don't even mention three thousand seven, even if you had ten three thousand seven, you still wouldn't be able to collect our clubs today."
Sun Haizhu looked at Xie Chen in shock, but feeling that his brother-in-law was unreliable, he immediately turned his gaze to Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun knew that Sun Haizhu was a reliable person, and he chose to set up the transaction location at Sun Haizhu's supply and marketing cooperative because he trusted the man.
So Zhao Jun smiled at Sun Haizhu and said, "Second brother-in-law, we've brought out a seedling of Amber Dragon."
"Amber Dragon?" Sun Haizhu frowned and asked, "What grade of leaves?"
“Fourth-grade leaves,” Zhao Jun said. Sun Haizhu questioned, “Fourth-grade leaves can’t even sell for 30,000 yuan. They can only sell for 10,000 or 20,000 yuan at most.”
This shows that Sun Haizhu is knowledgeable in the field, but he is clearly not an expert.
The statement that he was not involved in the industry means that he was not involved in the mountain rafting activities; otherwise, he would have known about the purchase announcement that shocked the entire Changbai Mountain mountain rafting industry.
Since he had nothing better to do, Zhao Jun told Sun Haizhu about the wealthy man's attempt to buy three dragons to treat his father's illness.
Sun Haizhu nodded slightly after listening and said, "I really didn't know that."
As he spoke, Sun Haizhu glanced at the large ginseng bun next to Zhao Jun's feet and said, "I knew it, why is the bun so big?"
"Second brother-in-law." At this moment, Xie Chen had a rather smug air about him, and he said to Sun Haizhu, "Your supply and marketing cooperative has never accepted this, has it?"
“No.” Sun Haizhu shook his head and said, “It’s too expensive. We don’t dare to offer a price. After all, we’re not a large pharmacy.”
After saying this, Sun Haizhu paused slightly, then pointed to the ginseng bun next to Zhao Jun's feet and laughed, "But I've seen quite a few of these before. I've seen stone dragons, wooden dragons, and little white dragons."
“Of course,” Zhao Jun said with a smile. “Brother-in-law Sun, you’ve seen more of this kind of thing at the supply and marketing cooperative than any of us herders.”
Sun Haizhu laughed heartily upon hearing this. He picked up the cigarette pack on the table and offered cigarettes to Wang Qiang and the others. Then he said to Zhao Jun, "Brother, do you want some candy or something? We have plenty of these things here."
"Eating, Brother-in-law Sun." Zhao Jun replied with a smile, and then Sun Haizhu said, "Brother, when you first came here, I knew you would be very successful in your career, but I didn't expect you to be this successful so quickly."
Sun Haizhu had previously attended Zhao Jun's wedding in Yong'an, and the scene of the wedding greatly impressed him, even though he was a relatively worldly supply and marketing cooperative manager.
Looking at it now, Zhao Jun was driving a jeep, with five or six men carrying ginseng, which he sold all the way to the capital. And it even fetched a sky-high price of 100,000—that's no ordinary achievement.
Hearing Sun Haizhu say this, Zhao Jun replied with a smile, "This is also my uncle, and these brothers of mine. They helped me, otherwise I wouldn't be where I am today."
Zhao Jun spoke from the heart, just like the old saying goes, "To climb a mountain, you need people who are of one mind and horses that are compatible with the harness." Along his journey, Zhang Yuanmin, Li Baoyu, and Xie Chen had been loyal to him and had given him a lot of help.
Although Zhao Jun gave them more in return, Zhang Yuanmin, Li Baoyu, and Xie Chen straightened their backs when they heard Zhao Jun praise them.
In their eyes, they were the elders of the Zhao family gang. Even though Wang Qiang was Zhao Jun's maternal uncle, in terms of seniority within the Zhao family gang, Wang Qiang had to take a backseat.
The eight people ate, drank, chatted, and laughed in the small house until noon. Sun Haizhu then called them to a small restaurant behind the supply and marketing cooperative for lunch.
Before leaving, Sun Haizhu specifically instructed the supply and marketing cooperative employees that if anyone was looking for him, they should go to the small restaurant in the back, so that a major client from Beijing wouldn't be unable to find him.
But when they had eaten and drunk their fill and returned to the supply and marketing cooperative, no one from the capital came.
Zhao Jun and others continued to drink tea and chat in Sun Haizhu's office until 2:30 p.m. when a staff member from the supply and marketing cooperative came to knock on the door.
Sun Haizhu got up and opened the door, whereupon a middle-aged woman dressed in a dark blue saleswoman's uniform said to him, "Manager Sun, someone is looking for you."
While talking to the saleswoman, Zhao Jun noticed several people standing behind her, the leader of whom was a middle-aged man with a fair complexion, no beard, and wearing glasses.
"Come, come, please come in." Sun Haizhu ushered the group into the house. Although the middle-aged man with glasses was in front, he was not in charge.
The person in charge was a short, thin man in his thirties. He was taller than Zhang Yuanmin, but not by much.
At this moment, the short, thin man's gaze swept over Zhao Jun and his group, and he asked with a smile, "Which one of you is Mr. Zhao Jun?"
"Hello," Zhao Jun greeted him, "I am Zhao Jun."
After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, the small house was no longer big enough for Sun Haizhu.
Sun Haizhu asked the saleswoman to find him a stool, but the short, thin man said, "Manager Sun, no need to bother, we'll leave as soon as we're done."
Upon hearing this, Sun Haizhu looked at Zhao Jun. Seeing Zhao Jun nod, Sun Haizhu said nothing more.
At this moment, Li Baoyu and Zhao Jinhui, at Zhao Jun's instruction, brought the steamed buns to the table, opened them, peeled off the moss, and revealed the strange amber dragon.
Seeing this rare ginseng seedling, the short, thin man said to the middle-aged man wearing glasses, "Old Zhang, could you please take a look at this ginseng?"
Zhao Jun looked at the man called Old Zhang in surprise. This man didn't have a single wrinkle on his face and looked even younger than Zhao Youcai.
But the short, thin man addressed him as Old Zhang, which suggests that he must be an old Chinese medicine doctor skilled in health preservation.
Old Zhang, wearing glasses, stepped forward, placed his hand on the amber wood, and examined the wild ginseng growing on it. He carefully examined it for a moment, making out the ginseng body and tendrils that the amber dragon had passed through the amber wood, before turning to the short, thin man and nodding, "No problem."
Upon hearing this, the short, thin man turned around and called out, "Binzi."
Yesterday, Manager Huang said on the phone that three people came from Beijing. Besides the short, thin man and the well-maintained old Chinese medicine doctor, there was also this burly man in a black suit, carrying a leather suitcase, with a blank expression.
A burly man stepped forward, carrying a leather suitcase, and placed it on the table. After opening the suitcase, he held it with both hands and turned it so that it faced Zhao Jun, revealing stacks of Chinese yuan bills inside.
This scene looked familiar to Zhao Jun; before his rebirth, he had seen similar scenes in TV shows and movies involving the trading of illicit goods.
But this money was legitimately obtained. Zhao Jun gave Wang Qiang and the others a wink, and Wang Qiang, Zhang Yuanmin, and the other six stepped forward to check the money.
When the Zhao family was checking the money, the short, thin man personally wrapped up the steamed buns and then sat with them on the long bench where Zhao Jun and the others had sat before, waiting for the Zhao family to count the money.
Taking this opportunity, Zhao Jun chatted with the short, thin man for a few minutes, asking about their hardships on the journey and whether they had eaten after getting off the plane, among other trivial matters.
The short, thin man responded to every question, but that was all; he didn't say anything more. Although he wore a smile, his tone and attitude kept people at a distance.
Zhao Jun could tell at a glance that this guy looked down on him, a man from the mountains.
Zhao Jun wasn't angry, but he stopped trying to talk to him. After the Zhao family finished checking the payment, Zhao Jun stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and said to the short, thin man, "You've come all this way, why don't we go out and I'll treat you to a meal?"
Zhao Jun's "or else" was just a polite remark. The short, thin man laughed and said, "We won't eat. We're in a hurry to get back to Changchun, so we'll be leaving now."
With that, he nodded slightly to Zhao Jun, and then left with his two companions.
Out of courtesy, Zhao Jun and his family escorted them out of the supply and marketing cooperative and watched the three of them drive away in a Santana.
After seeing off the major client, Zhao Jun turned to Sun Haizhu and said, "Brother-in-law Sun, we're off too."
"Huh?" Sun Haizhu said in surprise, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Wait for me to get off work, and when we get home, I'll have your second sister cook some dishes, and we'll have a good drink tonight."
"No, Brother-in-law Sun," Zhao Jun said with a smile, politely declining. "We're going home now."
Zhao Jiabang left home the day before yesterday, and it hasn't even been three days since he left. However, Zhao Jun, who misses his wife, is already eager to return home.
(End of this chapter)