When buying goods on the black market, one must be straightforward. Mingli cut to the chase, "I need grain, a large quantity—at least a thousand catties."
Seeing such a big order, someone immediately came out to assist. "Large orders can't be fulfilled on the spot. What exactly do you need?"
"Just cornmeal, nothing else."
Buying grain on the black market didn’t require ration coupons, but the prices were double those of official channels. Cornmeal, for instance, cost fifteen cents per catty, whereas the state-run supply store sold it for just eight cents. A thousand catties would amount to a hundred and fifty yuan.
"A thousand catties?"
Mingli steeled himself. "Make it fifteen hundred catties!"
If his sister bought the grain herself, they could save a considerable sum. With extra grain, their parents could also send over two hundred catties each to their grandfather and maternal grandparents.
"That’ll be two hundred twenty-five yuan in total. Where should we deliver it?"
"Tonight, by the willow tree at the entrance of Wangshan Village."
The man didn’t ask further. The rule in this business was payment upon delivery. If Mingli dared to pull a fast one, the consequences would be more than he could handle.
At this point, Nan Sheng spoke up. "Can I exchange ration coupons for grain? I have industrial coupons, soap coupons, sewing machine coupons, and wristwatch coupons."
The man was surprised, sensing that this woman wasn’t ordinary. Still, the black market had fixed rates, regardless of who asked.
"One industrial coupon can be exchanged for one catty of fine grain or three catties of coarse grain. Soap coupons aren’t accepted. A sewing machine coupon is worth a hundred yuan, and a wristwatch coupon seventy. Want to trade?"
"Absolutely!" No reason not to!
"I’ll exchange all twenty industrial coupons for rice. The sewing machine and wristwatch coupons—I’ll take cash!"
Nan Sheng didn’t rush to collect the twenty catties of rice. Instead, she pocketed the hundred and seventy yuan first. Mingli watched enviously—his sister was getting grain without spending a single cent.
"How much for rice and wheat flour?"
"Rice is thirty cents per catty, wheat flour forty."
Nan Sheng handed the money back to the man, opting for fine grain. "I’ll take two hundred catties of rice, two hundred catties of wheat flour, six hundred catties of cornmeal, two hundred catties of coarse corn grits, two hundred catties of fine corn grits, twenty catties each of red and green beans, fifty catties of soybeans, ten catties of dried dates, ten catties of brown sugar, and ten catties of rock sugar."
Even the black market dealer was stunned by Nan Sheng’s extravagance. As he tallied the order, he offered a discount. "When we deliver, just give me a hundred thirty yuan."
Nan Sheng didn’t haggle. "Deliver it to the crossroads in Xiangyang Village late tonight."
She also arranged for the bag of rice she’d bought earlier to be sent along. Mingli left his cornmeal behind too, while Nan Sheng let him take the twenty catties of rice obtained with the industrial coupons.
After wrapping up, Nan Sheng checked her watch—just past nine.
"Come on, I’ll give you the meat coupons. Help me buy extra fatty cuts for rendering oil. I want enough to last half a year."
With the grain settled, both of them felt much lighter. Mingli managed to buy all the fatty pork from one pig, enough to render a whole jar of lard. Nan Sheng went back in to buy a jar, thankful she’d kept a few industrial coupons.
Mingli needed to head home to prepare for the nighttime grain delivery. Fortunately, his family had a cart, so they wouldn’t need to borrow one. The three of them could handle it themselves.
After finishing their own work, he and his father would help Nan Sheng transport her grain.
When Nan Sheng arrived at the town government office, the courtyard was bustling. The village heads were inside, while the brigade and team leaders from various villages waited outside for updates.
Zhou Ren’s eyes lit up when he spotted Nan Sheng. "Lin Han’s wife, all done with your errands?"
Nan Sheng smiled and asked about the situation inside.
"The town head escalated the matter, but the township office doesn’t have the expertise. They’ve reported it to the city to consult meteorology experts. We’re all waiting for news."
What Zhou Ren didn’t say was that the collective pressure from the village heads had infuriated the town head. If the climate experts deemed the drought insignificant, Xiangyang Village would bear the brunt of the blame—and Wangshan Village’s head wouldn’t escape either.
Soon, Feng Wuquan rushed out and told Nan Sheng to go inside—the town head wanted to see her.
"That scoundrel from Wangshan Village is pinning it on you! He claims you warned the Nan family first, so he had no choice but to rally the others. It’s all just cowardice—he’s afraid of taking responsibility."
The Xiangyang Village team leaders looked displeased. Pushing the blame onto a woman after a collective decision was disgraceful.
"Lin Han’s wife, keep your words few inside. The village head will back you up."
Nan Sheng nodded and followed the village head into the office, where the heads of nearby villages stood stiffly.
Town Head Yu Feng’s expression was stormy. This was the first time he’d been strong-armed into action, and he was far from pleased.
"You’re Nan Sheng, correct? So you’re the one who incited these village heads to report the drought?"
Nan Sheng stood confidently in the center and introduced herself. "Town Head Yu, my name is Nan Sheng. I’m from Xiangyang Village by marriage."
Yu Feng’s tone softened slightly at her politeness, but his face remained dark. He’d been chewed out by his superiors all morning.
"Do you have any idea how much red tape is involved in getting personnel transferred from the city? It requires approvals at every level. How can you be so sure our town will face a drought?"
Noticing Yu Feng’s empty teacup, Nan Sheng stepped forward to refill it. "Please, hear me out."
"As the saying goes, 'An elder at home is a treasure.' Recently, the elderly in Xiangyang and Wangshan Villages have been expressing concerns about the weather. Considering their experience, I thought it best to bring this to your attention.
"However, the urgency of the matter led to some rash methods. I hope you’ll be magnanimous and not hold it against me, a mere woman."
Yu Feng exhaled. Fine—he’d already berated the village heads into submission. No need to intimidate a woman, especially a military family member.
"No more reckless actions. If the city dismisses our request, I’ll be a laughingstock at county meetings."
Nan Sheng apologized sincerely. "I’m sorry, Town Head Yu. I didn’t consider the full picture. I was only worried about the potential devastation of a drought. As someone who noticed the signs, failing to report it would have been negligence on our part.
"If it turns out to be a false alarm, a good leader like you would scold us at worst. But if it’s real, we’d have done the villagers a service. We don’t seek rewards—just to minimize losses."
Yu Feng mulled it over. True, he’d endured some humiliation, but it was just his pride at stake.
But what if? If the drought materialized, his early report would shield him from repercussions.
Better yet—if his foresight saved the entire town, it could be a career-defining achievement, even a ticket to a county-level position.
With that thought, Yu Feng calmed. "Enough. The matter’s over. No need for apologies—your intentions were good."
The others: ?
Talk about preferential treatment!
Not only that, Yu Feng instructed an aide, "Fetch a chair for the lady. Let’s wait a little longer for the city’s response."
Nan Sheng smiled inwardly. A small victory—worth the roundabout approach.
