Chapter 26: Selling Tea Eggs Is Better Than Making Atomic Bombs

The mailbox factory lay deep in the mountains, one hundred and seventy kilometers away, and this heavy truck was the only means to bring the factory leaders out. It was also tasked with moving the storefront back to the factory.

At the banquet, the plainly dressed factory director made no attempt to hide the truth: “This was originally our designated reception window, granted to us under the old plan. There used to be several people here, but with budget cuts this year, there are fewer and fewer. The factory is barely scraping by. For two thousand yuan a year, the labor service department is being contracted out to you.”

This wasn’t a commercial district—no one rented out storefronts, or perhaps there wasn’t even the concept of rental. Wei Dong had heard about this before; later, famous refrigerator, appliance, and automobile factories all had similar contracting prices, with buyout fees in the hundreds of thousands. It was dirt cheap.

Just over a hundred yuan a month—a single basket of cured meat would earn it back. Yet his expression remained calm, smiling as he urged everyone, “Eat first, eat first. This tastes pretty good…”

The bespectacled factory director was anxious, “How can we eat at a time like this? Everyone at the factory is waiting. I finally understand what ‘chewing wax’ means.”

Wei Dong wasn’t the type to make a ruthless deal and leave others behind. “Can’t the superior units help with sales?”

The director shook his head and spoke frankly, “We liaise with the aerospace department, but now they’ve ceased production. No funding, no projects. They’re pushing for marketization, and the materials we developed for space are no longer needed. The superior units demand that we find our own way.”

He was so worried his hair was turning white. He’d rushed over overnight, only to encounter the slow-moving Wei Dong, who had just arrived.

Pouring another glass of beer, the director pressed, “The road must be taken step by step. I wonder where others have managed to sell their titanium ingots, and for how much. Haven’t the superior units given any guidance? I’d like to follow their lead and expand our market.”

The director looked puzzled, “Our work discipline is secrecy. Only those who strictly follow the rules are trusted by the organization. Normally, you’re not even allowed to ask what your parents or children do in technical work. This is the hard-learned lesson from millions lost. Each department only minds its own business—never asks, never discusses anything outside their remit.”

The old woman at the table, quick with her chopsticks, rivaled Dog Egg, and kept talking, “The superior units are just sitting around drinking tea and reading newspapers. Changing staff every few years, most don’t even know what titanium is.”

Another leader coughed, and she finally fell silent.

Wei Dong understood now—this was a massive planned economy system, completely isolated from the outside world. To find their own way was like asking them for their lives.

He nodded slowly, “I mainly want to sell cured meat and earn some honest money, but my classmate, who keeps this route secret, doesn’t want to deal with others either. I asked him, and he said buying by the ton isn’t impossible…”

He imitated the old doctor’s dramatic sigh, causing the two factory leaders’ chopsticks to freeze mid-air.

“But how can we transfer such quantities? Last time, we delivered a hundred kilograms to the university, and it was a nightmare. A vehicle would make things much easier.”

He wasn’t skilled at playing complicated games, so his intentions soon became clear.

Luckily, the other side wasn’t cunning either, relaxing visibly, “We’ll assign you the truck, and Old Li will help you without saying a word.”

But Wei Dong replied, “I can drive the Dongfeng 140 myself. I’m an apprentice driver at the Second Transport Company of Shangzhou. If possible, I’d like to contract the truck as well. I’ll pay three thousand yuan for both contracts annually.”

The factory leader’s chopsticks, just reaching for the pot, froze again.

Wei Dong clarified the arrangement, “If it’s confirmed, I’ll bring my parents up to open a shop selling cured meat and local specialties here. They’ll be temporary workers in the labor service department. We have rural household registration—definitely my real parents. They’ll stay here until before the Spring Festival, returning with the sales proceeds to settle the account. As for the contract fee… I’ll borrow money and try to pay it all before the New Year.”

That amounted to twenty thousand yuan.

In 1983, for ordinary people, that was as significant as two million, even twenty million today.

The titanium ingots stored in the warehouse, even if allocated to the superior unit, wouldn’t fetch nearly as much per ton.

Another factory leader chimed in, “Foreign countries are definitely more advanced and cheaper, so it’s impossible for tons of titanium to leak abroad—no mistakes will be made. The February policy has already transferred us to Jiangzhou City. We’ve had several meetings, all urging us to find our own way. External sales are now allowed, so we changed the sales department. I see no problem. We can add Xiao Rang to the sales section.”

The old woman chewed spicy tripe and spoke quickly, “Xiao Rang has come and gone many times, selling cured meat here in July and August. All the factories know him. Anyone who wants to come to the city keeps an eye on him. I’ll return home for the Spring Festival. The factory trucks aren’t being dispatched anymore—they’re just sitting there as decorations. Anyone running private jobs would be fired!”

Ordinary drivers, even the bold ones, wouldn’t dare contract such unstable work.

It seemed they were truly out of options. The factory director gritted his teeth, “Fine. Bring your household registration and other documents soon to sign the contract. We’ll transport a ton of titanium ingots over. We’re sincere, hoping for long-term sales and to get through these tough times together!”

Another leader added cautiously, “Sister Wang, stand guard one last time. Help Xiao Rang manage the store until Spring Festival. Old Li, go back and thoroughly inspect the truck, making sure everything is foolproof!”

Wei Dong quickly raised his glass, passed around cigarettes, and asked about the February policy.

It turned out to be a major hurdle. Beginning in February 1983, Jiangzhou was approved as a city with separate economic planning, pioneering urban reforms and enjoying provincial-level economic management rights.

The provincial capital in Wei Dong’s mind was already enjoying provincial treatment from this point, eventually becoming a directly governed city years later.

No wonder the commercial atmosphere in Jiangzhou was so much more relaxed.

But Shangzhou was still under provincial control, while the county with the nonferrous metal factory had been transferred to Jiangzhou—from a centrally managed third-line factory to a municipally managed social enterprise. A few more cups of baijiu, and the factory director was in tears.

This shift was incredibly difficult for them.

They’d been abandoned.

If Wei Dong didn’t already have the mindset of a sixty-year-old, he might have blurted out that the titanium ingots could sell for sixty-six thousand.

They could still survive.

At this time, business was all about information gaps—it was only right that he earned from this advantage.

No business is done without profit; if you don’t profit from both sides, you’re just helping for free.

Wei Dong kept reminding himself not to soften.

A compassionate heart only leads to poverty.

Even state policy adjustments showed little mercy.

For example, the crackdown was already fierce.

They’d received the notice in August, but remote factories only glanced at it.

There were hardly any criminals in their area—mountains and rivers kept them isolated.

Neighboring third-line factories had their own small docks, able to ship goods directly along the Yangtze.

But their main transport was by truck to northern Sichuan, so they maintained a fleet of seven or eight trucks, including two Dongfeng 140 five-ton trucks, both brand new last year.

These vehicles had always been provided by superior units, but after just a year, the system changed!

State assets couldn’t be casually sold, so contracting was a way to find their own path.

Eating, drinking, and discussing business truly helped forge relationships.

Wei Dong secretly ranked it as his second greatest tool after passing out cigarettes.

After the meal, everyone gathered to watch Wei Dong skillfully drive the truck around.

The Dongfeng heavy truck had a power steering system—much lighter than old models, faster, easier to drive, and equipped with a synchronizer for gear changes. It was the most advanced popular model at the time.

Had it not been produced near Shangzhou, there wouldn’t be so many in the region.

Master Li, not yet aware he’d soon be unemployed, praised Xiao Rang’s driving skills as seasoned and steady.

He was keenly aware of the importance of maneuvering angles.

Little did he know, in the future, security guards’ main job would be helping car owners park—understood after decades!

They bid farewell as agreed, setting off by boat in the afternoon, arriving by water in the evening.

Er Feng hadn’t heard Wei Dong mention the three passes, but she sensed something very clearly.

Seeing Wei Dong driving, she felt as if he had become a god!

On the boat back to Shangzhou, she watched him with both sadness and admiration.

She felt a growing distance.

Wei Dong ignored the muddled feelings of young girls, bought a few silk quilts, divided them two apiece, and allotted three hundred yuan from the cured meat sales to Er Feng.

She watched the whole sales process from afar, never handling prices or money, but with her energy, once freed from the constraints of being a young wife, she could easily manage.

Wei Dong didn’t hide from her, “Soon, I’ll have my parents come up and set up a store there. Even if I’m not in Jiangzhou, you’ll be able to sell goods and do business. Everyone’s fate will change.”

Er Feng softly asked, “Where are you going?”

Wei Dong pointed to the passing riverbanks, “There’s the whole country—north and south—and beyond, Europe and America. I must see the world in this lifetime, or it’ll be wasted!”

The rural girl was entranced; she’d never seen such a charismatic man.

He had none of the confusion of his era, only unwavering resolve.

The next morning, after resting at home, he sent his mother and Er Feng back to their village to fetch the household registration book. Rural administration was loose, but near the county town, commune paperwork was no problem.

It was mostly a psychological reassurance—as transactions accumulated, Wei Dong preferred cash-and-carry deals.

After sending his mother off to get familiar with the route, he was considering having a few drinks at noon to urge his father to “resign,” when he was stopped by a young woman teacher, “My father invites you to lunch at our home!”

Her face was full of joy.

Wei Dong couldn’t tell if there was any hidden embarrassment, only chuckled inwardly—farewell, Director Shi.