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Carrying the oil packed in glass jars, Yezhi straightened her clothes and appeared at the entrance of the Grain and Oil Company with a flattering smile. "Hello, sir!"
The Old Guard looked at the bright-eyed girl and found her familiar. "It's you... why are you trying to barge in again?" Although the Old Guard was just a gatekeeper, he was guarding the entrance to the Grain and Oil Company, which held the lifeline of the entire county. As a formal employee, everyone who entered the Grain and Oil Company treated him with respect and flattery. Yezhi's little tricks and schemes were not enough to impress him.
Yezhi maintained her ingratiating smile, feeling her face ache from it. The Old Guard remained stern and unresponsive. No matter how difficult the solo performance was, it had to go on. She decisively pulled out two jars of amber-colored Rice Bran Oil from her cloth bag and sweetly said, "Sir, I hope you had a pleasant Spring Festival! I was wrong to barge in last time, so I'm bringing you two jars of our village's freshly pressed Rice Bran Oil as a gift—one to wish you good health and happiness, and the other to apologize!" The saying "you don't hit someone who's smiling" didn't work on the Old Guard.
"You little girl, not learning your lesson. First time barging in to bother my old bones; second time bringing gifts trying to make me err. I'm a party member; you... get out of here!" Hearing the words "party member," Yezhi was surprised and looked at him with sympathy. It seemed quite unfortunate for a party member to be in such a situation.
"What kind of look is that!" The keen Old Guard caught the sympathy in Yezhi's eyes, which left him puzzled since he had lived most of his life and was quite astute.
"Sir, I'm actually here to sell oil. This oil is pressed by our Zhoujiatun village; it didn't cost us anything! Bringing it to you is truly an apology; I just want you to taste it and give some feedback!" Yezhi spoke frankly, not waiting for the Old Guard to respond before pulling out a certificate stamped with a red seal from her pocket.
Selling oil at the Grain and Oil Company was unheard of, not to mention if there was such clear oil? The Old Guard took the certificate, reading it while asking, "It wouldn't be fake, would it?" Yezhi felt an urge to roll her eyes. "How could it be? We rural folks are honest."
The Old Guard shot her a glance. "That’s not certain!" With her character being questioned, she couldn't just let it slide. Just as she was about to argue back, the Old Guard spoke again, "Come in!" This... happiness came too suddenly for Yezhi. Fearing that the Old Guard might change his mind, she exclaimed, "Thank you, sir!" and turned to run inside.
"Come back!" Yezhi wanted to pretend she hadn't heard him but realized that if their relationship soured now, it would be difficult for her next visit. Besides, given their power disparity, she couldn't afford to offend this seasoned man. "Sir, why are you changing your mind?"
"Take your things away!" Upon hearing this, Yezhi's face lit up with joy. "Sir, I know you don't accept gifts and that you don't care about our little oil at the Grain and Oil Company. However, our oil is truly unique; it's made from rice bran called Rice Bran Oil. It's good for the heart and is commonly known as youth oil—just give it a try!"
"You little girl sure know how to talk nonsense!"
"I’m telling the truth!" Yezhi declared confidently, her bright eyes suggesting she wasn't lying. Old Guard was momentarily taken aback; could this stuff really be that good? Thinking of his wife's health issues, Old Guard pulled out a dollar from his pocket and handed it to Yezhi, saying, "Girl, I’ll trust you this once!" Since she was a party member with high awareness, she didn’t hesitate to accept the money and entered the Grain and Oil Company with her Cloth Bag.
While waiting for Yezhi to get change, Old Guard glanced at the two jars of oil on the table, feeling a pang of regret. "Hey, this girl is quite bold. Those two jars can hold at most two pounds, and they cost four times more than Soybean Oil!"
Upon entering the Grain and Oil Company, Yezhi found it quite spacious. Besides a few large warehouses, there was an office in a single-story building on the right side. A plain-looking middle-aged woman sitting in the office called out to Yezhi as she walked by, "Young comrade, who are you looking for?"
"Excuse me, do you buy oil here?" This was the first time the middle-aged woman had encountered someone wanting to sell oil at the Grain and Oil Company. "All the oil here is uniformly distributed by the Province!" Yezhi had anticipated this response and frowned slightly. "Sister, I have two jars of Rice Bran Oil that we pressed ourselves in Zhoujiatun. You can take them home to cook a few dishes and give me some feedback. By the way, our oil is commonly known as 'Youth Oil.' The more you eat it, the younger you become; it's great for the heart!"
The middle-aged woman's attitude suddenly turned hostile. "Get out! What are you doing here bothering us?" Pushed out of the door by her, Yezhi shouted back, "No! I really came to sell oil! We have several thousand pounds left in our village!"
"We don’t buy oil here!" The middle-aged woman yelled back, convinced that Yezhi was just talking nonsense.
Yezhi felt frustrated; Rice Bran Oil was clearly a good product. Wasn’t it just constrained by the times? Why was selling it so difficult? She also regretted her own cowardice for not daring to sell it privately for fear of being caught or wrongfully imprisoned.
Thinking of the Zhou Family Village residents waiting eagerly for good news from her, Yezhi decided to go all out. She shouted loudly, "Sister, I want to see your leader! Where’s your leader?" The middle-aged woman looked at Yezhi as if she were crazy.
"It won’t help to see the leader. Besides, you can’t just demand to see him whenever you want. The Grain and Oil Company has plenty of oil; even if they were short, it would be collected and distributed uniformly by the Province or the state. Private individuals don’t get a say."
"I'm not a private individual; I'm representing the Zhoujiatun production team."
"You guys from Zhoujiatun produce oil?" A rough male voice interrupted as a bearded man in blue work clothes approached from among a small crowd of onlookers.
"Yes! Uncle, I have some samples of Rice Bran Oil here; you can take them home and try cooking with them!" Seizing the opportunity, Yezhi quickly took out the remaining jars of oil from her Cloth Bag and handed them out. The bearded man examined one of the jars in his hand. "Old Guard gave you a dollar earlier; you didn’t give him change back—this batch of oil is included."
Change? A dollar was nothing for someone like Yezhi who was considered wealthy; she completely forgot about needing an oil ticket and how little it cost to buy Soybean Oil. It seemed that eating too many mountain walnuts wasn’t enough; she needed to find Bidefo for some brain-boosting medicine.
Yezhi believed that gold would always shine, and after achieving her goal, she walked briskly to the doorman, saying, "Thank you, sir!"
Old Guard sat by the window, pretending to be confused, "I let you in? No need for thanks. Next time, if you don't have all the proper documents, you won't be allowed in!" Yezhi smiled innocently, "Sir, it was you who called for the bearded leader, right? Don't deny it. He came in wearing a uniform from outside, and most importantly, he knows I didn't bring any money for you. Haha, you're really a good person!" The taller the hat, the higher it is worn.
"Flattery and sweet talk won't work on me. I know your background very well. I hope this thing is as good as you say; otherwise...!" Old Guard had a sharp look in his eyes. Yezhi nodded vigorously, "It really is that good! I'm an honest person."
In the morning at Grain and Oil Company, and in the afternoon Yezhi arrived at the Agricultural Bureau. After explaining her purpose and handing over a letter of introduction at the doorman's desk, she smoothly entered the Agricultural Bureau, carrying two jars of Rice Bran Oil. After finding out where Director Yu's office was located, she went straight in.
Unfortunately, one of the young men with glasses blocked her way. "This is the director's office; what are you doing barging in?"
Yezhi smiled cheerfully and said, "This is indeed the director's office; I'm looking for your director!" The young man with glasses looked at Yezhi with a superior gaze. "Looking for the director? That's quite a bold statement!" He walked around her with his hands behind his back. "What are you carrying on your back? We don't accept gifts here. Besides..." The young man clicked his tongue twice; this gift was too shabby for him to even consider, let alone for the director...
After finishing a meeting, Director Yu approached from a distance. "Xiao Zhang, what's going on here?" Hearing that loud and familiar voice, Yezhi turned around eagerly. "Uncle Yu!"
"Oh! Isn't this Yezhi! You've come to deliver seeds!" Director Yu was very pleased to see Yezhi. China is vast and rich in resources; while green rice isn't absent, its yield is low. During storage, it gradually turns white. However, Zhoujiatun's "Bilo" is top-notch—short growth period, cold-resistant, and high yield. Not only was he amazed by it, but when the research report came out, it shocked the entire Agricultural Bureau.
"Yezhi, 'Bilo' has extremely strong vitality; we can plant two crops a year. We need to cultivate more seeds this year. In less than three years, our county will be filled with lush green 'Bilo' rice seedlings." The more Director Yu spoke, the more excited he became. He originally intended to monopolize 'Bilo', but his feelings were complex—like watching one's own child suddenly become someone else's; like seeing beautiful clothes worn by everyone on the street...
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