Driving the car, Zhou Xiaozheng considered that his eldest brother, Zhou Xiaocun, was also coming back today. Originally he wanted to visit the old lady, but now he wasn’t interested. As he drove, he pondered whether he should give Zhou Xiaocun a hard lesson or just ignore him? This issue wasn’t urgent, he could wait a few days. Leaving the county town, he still decided to head to a farther place first to see if there was any fine grain? If he remembered correctly, there was a place in K Province, not far from him, called Hx County. Over there, they had more land than here and lived a more prosperous life, being close to the sea. The seafood at the end of the year in this area was usually transported from there. Driving there would take at most 2 hours, a day trip would suffice. Thus, Zhou Xiaozheng immediately turned around and drove away from Daqing Mountain. The further he drove toward K Province, the more he saw large trucks passing by on the road. Zhou Xiaozheng was secretly pleased; he had chosen the right direction. He stopped by the roadside for a while, and upon seeing a large truck heading toward K Province, he immediately followed it closely, driving for a full hour, and soon saw the truck heading toward the outskirts of K Province. He quickly honked and extended his head to see the other party stop. He hurriedly got out of the car and approached, "Comrade, I want to ask, do you know where I can buy fine grain around here?" The other person looked at him, seeing he was a soldier, was not wary, and said with a smile, "Comrade, are you from another province? Your car doesn’t look local. You’ve asked the right person. I have five kids, and the city supply is simply not enough to eat. I often come to these villages to buy some fine grain. They don’t require grain coupons, it’s just a bit expensive. You see, my truck smells of fish, and the villages close to the sea can’t grow grain, so they often buy it. I’ve followed a few times and now know it very well. Follow me later; I’m also bringing fine grain back this time." Zhou Xiaozheng was overjoyed and shouted happily, "Comrade, this is wonderful, I’ve encountered a benefactor on my journey. I was planning to try my luck, and I’m lucky to have met you." "Haha, just follow me; it’s almost the end of the year, and rationing will start soon. This time we won’t lack grain." Zhou Xiaozheng quickly got into the car and followed the large truck. After driving for a short while, the vehicles stopped in a large village. The truck driver said with a grin, "Comrade, what’s your surname? I’m from the K Province Aquatic Products Company, surname Liu, full name Sanyuan. If you have a chance, come to the Aquatic Products Company in K Province to find me; everyone knows me. This village has the most land; the year-end rationing will be quick, so there should be no lack of grain here. Drive along this bumpy road for more than 30 minutes, and you’ll reach the seaside. There, crops can’t be grown. This village and several surrounding ones help out. The village leader here is shrewd; every year, after setting aside enough public grain and coarse grain for villagers, he secretly sells fine grain. The extra money is divided among the villagers. Everyone has the same surname and ancestry, so no one reports it. The authorities probably turn a blind eye as long as they receive public grain. Come on, I’ll take you directly to find the leader. You can negotiate with him yourself; regularly, rice and flour are 0.25 yuan, more than the 0.15 yuan on supply sheets, but cheaper than the black market. How much are you buying this time? For larger quantities, he might offer a discount." Zhou Xiaozheng followed him into a courtyard in the village, and only then did he stop talking. Seeing the house entrance, he whispered, "My surname is Zhou, Zhou Xiaozheng, serving outside the province in L County. This time I’m buying large quantities; as much as possible, we’ll see first." Liu Sanyuan chuckled, "Brother, you won’t be able to carry it all. You’ll know later." After saying this, he shouted loudly, "Is the old brother home? I’m Liu Sanyuan." A thin middle-aged man with a rosy complexion came out from inside. Seeing Liu Sanyuan with a soldier, he quickly invited them inside and spoke softly, "Are you here for grain again this time? Luckily you came today; there won’t be any in the next couple of days. How much do you want this time? There’s not much more. In the fall, a few leaders by the sea already mentioned they need to keep some for themselves. If our village runs out of grain, they won’t agree." Once seated, Liu Sanyuan spoke to him, "Brother Liu, we’re of the same ancestry, all surnamed Liu. How can you bear to see your nieces and nephews go hungry? How much rice and flour can you give me this time? My brother and I came specifically looking for you. You can’t let us return empty-handed, can you?" Captain Liu lowered his head, paused for a moment, then raised his head and said, "Currently, there are only 1000 pounds of finished rice and flour in the warehouse, with not much uncooked rice and wheat left after delivering public grain, probably no more than 1000 pounds. There are 1000 pounds of dried sweet potatoes available, the rest have to be distributed. How about this, I’ll leave 500 pounds of finished products and the remaining raw rice and wheat for them to sort out. No more than that, you two can split the 500 pounds of rice and flour among yourselves." Hearing this, Liu Sanyuan asked, "How much is the price? We’re buying a lot this time. You know, in the provincial city, aside from a few yuan of wages, everything costs money. It’s tough for the brothers, with five kids at home." Captain Liu laughed and said, "Don’t pretend to be poor; if you had no money, why buy fine grain instead of coarse grain? Last time it was 0.25 yuan, you bought 200 pounds, and I didn’t overcharge you. For the surrounding area, it’s 0.25 yuan. This belongs to everyone, not just me. Less wouldn’t work, and more, I won’t take." Liu Sanyuan looked at Zhou Xiaozheng and asked, "Brother, how much do you need? Too much, and your car can’t take it. How about 300 pounds for you and 200 pounds for me? If it’s not enough, I’ll take you to the next village to check." The rıghtful source is 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝙣𝙚𝙩 Captain Liu quickly waved his hand, "Don’t go; the grain from the neighboring villages has long been allocated. If you drive over and they see we’ve collected so much already, they definitely won’t sell, and they might have issues with me. You won’t get more than 100 pounds there. It’s massively inconvenient; should I add some for you instead? Or go there first, buy what they have, and come back to load it up later. You don’t know, Yushu Village is in chaos; their leader has a fiery temper. If he finds out I gave you grain first, he’d come to my house without fail." "Haha, old brother, then add another 300 pounds. I’d take 300 pounds, and my brother would take 500 pounds." Captain Liu resolutely shook his head, "It’s better you buy theirs first, then come back to load. You taking 200 pounds here is enough; give this comrade an additional 100 pounds, leaving 400 pounds for me to account for." Zhou Xiaozheng and Liu Sanyuan looked at each other and smiled knowingly, understanding no more could be squeezed out. Liu Sanyuan finally said, "Fine, we’ll take that much. You must give us new grain, long storage doesn’t spoil. Old brother, please also give us some dried sweet potatoes; not much, just enough to cook porridge to save grain." "Alright, I always give you 20 pounds of dried sweet potatoes. They’re cheap; buying 100 pounds doesn’t cost much. Let’s go, I’ll wait for you at the warehouse. Drive your car directly over there." Liu Sanyuan led the way in his car, while Zhou Xiaozheng was still considering whether to buy some dried sweet potatoes. The car slowly moved towards the drying field, stopping in front of the warehouse. Captain Liu led them inside, opening the bags of rice and flour for them to inspect.