Chapter 49: Credit (Part 1)

Upon receiving the call, Wu Nanhai ordered his staff to rekindle the stoves and prepare more food. In Hainan, the autumn temperature rarely dipped below 25 degrees Celsius, often reaching nearly 30 during the day. To avoid spoilage, the mess hall prepared meals strictly according to the daily ration, with only a small surplus. While there was some food ready for the night shift, it was nowhere near enough to meet this sudden, massive demand. He hurriedly called back the staff who had already gone home to rest. While they cooked, he had Hu Yicheng take stock of the required food items.

A full pot of rice was cooked and rushed to the camp. The portion, meant for thirty people, was gone in an instant. Realizing the paper coupons could actually buy rice, many stopped buying porridge and swarmed to buy rice instead. Hu Yicheng watched in disbelief as they wolfed down plain white rice without any side dishes. He remembered childhood stories of poor but ambitious protagonists who would “eat rice with soy sauce,” a concept he already found incredible. These people didn’t even have a grain of salt, let alone soy sauce.

He saw another man push forward, thrusting a large wooden bowl in his face while holding a work-point coupon. Though he couldn’t understand the man’s words, he guessed he was asking for “a bowl of rice.” Hu Yicheng shook his head and served him another portion. Is this his fourth bowl? he wondered. What an appetite.

Xiong Buyou, a little unnerved, sidled up to Wu De and whispered, “Old Wu, are they eating too much? Will they make themselves sick?”

Wu De shook his head. “Don’t worry. Farmers can eat a lot. Back in my hometown, many of the older generation could eat half a kilogram of rice in one sitting. In the past, farmers’ meals lacked oil, so they all had large appetites.”

As they spoke, the demand for rice gradually subsided, replaced by a growing interest in salted fish. Apparently, with their stomachs full, they now craved a little something extra. Unfortunately, Wu Nanhai’s mess hall was out of salted fish.

“No more salted fish! It’s all gone!” Hu Yicheng shouted. “Come back tomorrow. We’re sold out for today.”

At the news, many looked disappointed, and the previously boisterous atmosphere quieted down.

“No more fish?” Wu De ran over to ask.

“None. The mess hall’s entire stock is gone. We’ll have to get more from Bopu tomorrow.” The Agriculture Committee had a seafood processing plant in Bopu.

“Not a single one left?”

Hu Yicheng spread his hands. “I even gave you the portion reserved for the military team’s night shift. I’ll prepare more for you tomorrow. Anyway, that salted fish is super unpopular in the mess hall.”

“The fish are killed once when you catch them, and a second time when you cook them,” Xiong Buyou said with a straight face.

Watching the crowd slowly disperse, Wu De instructed Lin Xing, “Tell everyone not to leave! Find out how much they want to buy, and we’ll get it for them right away!”

Hu Yicheng quickly interjected, “That’s not possible! It’s almost dark. How can we go to Bopu to get goods now?”

“I’ll go myself.” Wu De realized this was a perfect opportunity to build credit. Whether for the work-point coupons themselves or for their group of “sea pirates,” to truly win the trust of the locals, they had to be true to their word. The smaller the matter, the more important it was to make a grand gesture.

“It’s too dangerous,” Xiong Buyou quickly tried to dissuade him. “It’ll be dark in half an hour. There are no streetlights on the road; it’s not safe.”

“No problem. We’ll use a car.” Wu De immediately called Xiao Zishan, the Internal Affairs and Civil Affairs Commissioner, explained the situation, and requested a vehicle to go to Bopu. According to military security regulations, no person or vehicle was allowed on the road from half an hour before nightfall until dawn.

“For salted fish?!” Xiao Zishan asked in astonishment. “Just to get a barrel of salted fish?”

“Yes! It’s very important.”

“Are you kidding? We can just have a car bring it tomorrow on its regular run. Sending a special vehicle for it? Not to mention it’s almost dark, even in broad daylight that would be a waste, wouldn’t it?”

“It’s not a waste!” Wu De explained his reasoning in detail, analyzing the positive response such an action would generate.

“You have a point, but delaying the supply by one night won’t make our credit collapse. Even regular stores run out of stock sometimes. We don’t need to go to such lengths.”

“I know very well whether it’s necessary or not!” Wu De grew agitated. How could these bureaucrats understand how difficult it was to win people’s hearts? The salted fish could arrive tomorrow, but the effect wouldn’t be as good as it would be today. Trust is incredibly difficult to build, and an opportunity like this should absolutely not be missed.

“Alright, then.” Hearing his persistence, Xiao Zishan finally relented. He allocated a Beijing 212 jeep to him, adding, “Since you’re going, bring back some other things too, so it’s not a wasted trip.”

The jeep drove towards Bopu under a sky filled with the rosy clouds of sunset. Wu De drove himself, accompanied by Wu Nanhai, who wanted to take the opportunity to check on the production at the seafood processing plant.

In the car, Wu Nanhai seized the chance to request that some farmers from the labor group be transferred to the Agriculture Committee, not as temporary laborers, but as permanent employees.

“That should be possible. I’ll ask the Executive Committee. If they agree, I’ll assign a few people to you. They are all eager to join us.”

“Can they farm?”

“Heh, of course. The common people of Lingao are basically all farmers, except for that Zhang Xingjiao.”

“Actually, I’d prefer to have some children, so I can teach them myself.” Wu Nanhai shifted the SKS rifle in his lap; the thing was a bit cramped in the narrow jeep.

“No problem. I’ll let you in on some inside news.” Wu De said, feigning mystery. “We’re about to send people to Guangzhou.”

Wu Nanhai was startled. “How do you know? I’m on the Executive Committee.”

“Don’t forget I came from the military team,” Wu De said with a hint of pride. “The military guys know everything now. They’re telling Xi Yazhou to pick out security personnel. By the way, I hear he’s going too.”

“It would be better if Bei Wei went.”

“Bei Wei is busy training troops every day; he can’t get away. Besides, there’s no one more suitable for his military role.” Wu De saw the first watchtower they passed flashing a light signal. He flashed the car’s headlights in response—their journey had been announced to all the blockhouses along the road.

“He has business experience. We veterans have never done business, so that’s his advantage. Plus, he’s very eager.”

“Then I’d better make a list of things to buy,” Wu Nanhai said, quickly taking out a small notebook and starting to write.

“Don’t be in such a hurry. A few of the main committee members are still arguing about whether to go to Guangzhou, but it looks like we have to go now.”

“That’s an exaggeration. ‘Have to go’?”

“Not an exaggeration at all. I’ll tell you another secret,” Wu De whispered. “You know that ‘foreign mare’?”

“I know, some kind of American agent, right?”

“She’s been assigned to the Security Group, teaching classes and training their people. A few days ago, she was almost—” Wu De paused, smiling mysteriously.

“Almost what?” Wu Nanhai became tense. “Killed?”

“We have about five hundred young men here, poisoned by Japanese AV, living a dull and boring life every day in this 17th-century wilderness. What do you think they would do?”

The realization dawned on Wu Nanhai, and he found it hard to believe.

“How is that possible?!”

“It is possible. But the woman is skilled, so they didn’t succeed.” Wu De sighed. “Now she’s become a hot potato for the Executive Committee.”

“Are they going to arrest someone?”

“Of course not.” Wu De shook his head repeatedly. “It’s not worth escalating the conflict over a foreigner. Actually, Ran Yao knew who did it the very next day.”

“That’s not right,” Wu Nanhai said with disapproval. “In any time and place, that’s a criminal act! The Executive Committee is condoning it. This will lead to endless trouble.”

“Investigate? Do you remember the principle set at the general assembly? ‘All men are equal, but transmigrators are more equal than others.’”

“That’s right. So we should protect the interests of the transmigrators even more. Such a blatant violation against a companion, and a woman at that…” Wu Nanhai suddenly stopped. Does Salina count as a transmigrator?!

“You remember now, don’t you,” Wu De said meaningfully. “There are seven people who were accidental stowaways, not part of the transmigrator group.”

“We can absorb them. What’s the problem? They’re from the 21st century, just like us. Since they’re in this era, they can only build a new life with us.”

“The problem is that she’s a foreigner. ‘Those of a different race must have different hearts.’ I’m afraid many people think that way.”

“Well…” Wu Nanhai felt the reason was too far-fetched. “Even if we can’t trust her, it doesn’t mean we should do… that… to her.”

Wu De chuckled. “It was indeed a bit much. After this incident, the Executive Committee finally decided to send people to Guangzhou as soon as possible.”

Wu Nanhai suddenly got goosebumps. “My God, are they going to buy women?!”

Wu De just smiled mysteriously and continued driving, which was as good as a confirmation.

“I have no interest in the women of this era, though. If I want a woman, I’ll have to raise one from a loli.”

“For me, I’d be satisfied with a woman who can help me cook and do laundry,” Wu De lamented. “When will these days of washing my own clothes and eating at the mess hall ever end…”

As they talked, they quickly arrived at Bopu. They loaded a few barrels of salted fish onto the jeep and immediately headed back. It was already dark, and the road was pitch-black. Driving with the headlights on wasn’t too difficult. The lights from the blockhouses along the road served as beacons, guiding their way. They returned to the camp smoothly.

The laborers who had already dispersed were called back together. A barrel of salted fish was opened. Wu De announced in a powerful voice that the supply was unlimited, and they could buy as much as they wanted. The laborers hesitated for a moment, but not many came forward to buy. Some carefully wrapped their remaining work-point coupons in a piece of cloth and hid them in their clothes. Ma Peng was one of them—he thought he had to find a chance to bring his family over for a good meal.