In the fiery red era of the heavens, refrigerators are refreshed daily.

Chapter 57. The Power of the Collective

Li Weidong spoke somewhat hastily, even incoherently, but his meaning was clear:

They wanted to use grain coupons to exchange for some "worthless" items from the Zhou family, indirectly helping Zhou Bingsheng obtain the "hard currency" needed to purchase milk powder.

Zhang Yuqin was shrewd enough to immediately understand Li Weidong's intentions, and was happy to do him a favor and help him save face.

She smiled and chimed in, "Master Zhou, Wei Dong has a point! Grain coupons are indeed a better way to distribute milk powder."

Take a look around your room and see if there's anything you don't need or any extra little things. Share them with Weidong.

That way you'll feel at ease, and Weidong will have helped too, isn't that better? It's certainly better than you just worrying all by yourself!

Looking at Li Weidong's earnest, even pleading, eyes, and then at Zhang Yuqin's warm smile, Zhou Bingsheng's stubborn defenses finally began to crumble.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded with difficulty: "Well... I... I'll go back and ask my wife if there's anything... Thank you, Weidong."

Although he agreed, given his personality, he would definitely rummage through everything when he got back, finding something of comparable value that he could bring out, and he would never actually use some old newspapers to make do.

Letting him take advantage of this is harder than climbing to heaven.

At this moment, Yang Guangming, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. His voice was not loud, but it carried a calm and firm quality that instantly attracted everyone's attention.

“Master Zhou.” Yang Guangming looked at Zhou Bingsheng with an open and honest gaze, “I might be able to help with this matter of milk powder tickets.”

Zhou Bingsheng's eyes behind his glasses lit up instantly, filled with incredulous anticipation: "Xiao Yang, you...you have connections?"

Yang Guangming nodded without explaining the channels in detail—in this day and age, inquiring about other people's "connections" is a major taboo, and everyone tacitly agreed.

He carefully chose his words: "Well, I know some people who can help me get some scarce items. Milk powder... I'll try to figure out a way to get you at least two kilograms a month."

This number made Zhou Bingsheng and Zhang Yuqin gasp in shock.

Two pounds a month! This is a godsend!

Yang Guangming continued, "If you're short on food coupons, don't worry. Cloth coupons, clothing coupons, industrial coupons... even any extra soap coupons or sugar coupons you have can be used to make do."

My connections are excellent; my friends have great resources. Whatever spare documents you have, as long as they match my requirements, we can discuss it.

He deliberately made the channels seem more "lenient" to facilitate future operations.

"If you really can't get the tickets right away, I can get the items for you first. Just keep track of the bill, and once this difficult time is over and your family has recovered, you can pay it back slowly."

I trust your character, Master Zhou; I can vouch for you.

These words were like the sun breaking through the clouds!

Not only did it solve the immediate shortage of milk powder, but it also secured a portion of the supply for the next six months, and even provided an extremely flexible adjustment method!

Zhou Bingsheng was so excited that his hands trembled slightly. He suddenly stood up, walked around the table, and tightly grasped Yang Guangming's hand. His lips trembled, and it took him a long time to utter a single sentence:
"Xiao Yang... Comrade Xiao Yang! You... you really are... I don't know how to thank you enough!"

This...this saved my grandson's life!

His cloudy eyes even glistened with tears.

That long-standing sense of alienation vanished in that moment, overwhelmed by immense gratitude. The atmosphere in the office became warm and uplifting because of this unexpected turn of events.

This scene that unfolded in the secretariat naturally did not escape Han Mingqian's notice.

As he pushed the door open, he saw Zhou Bingsheng holding Yang Guangming's hand and thanking him repeatedly. A rare, gentle smile appeared on Han Mingqian's face.

"Old Zhou, I've heard about what happened at home," Han Mingqian walked over to Zhou Bingsheng, patted him on the shoulder, and spoke with the concern of a leader. "The child is important, but the adults also need to take care of themselves. If there are any difficulties, we'll all work together to find a solution. The factory won't stand idly by."

He took out a pale yellow coupon from his jacket pocket and handed it to Zhou Bingsheng: "Here, this is a pound of milk powder coupon that we saved up at home. My little girl is too old to use it anymore, so you can take it to tide you over."

Looking at the precious milk powder coupon, Zhou Bingsheng was so moved that he couldn't speak and could only nod repeatedly.

Han Mingqian continued, "I'll go talk to the factory union later and see if we can find a way through hardship allowances or mutual aid funds."

Or we could ask colleagues in other departments to see if anyone has any spare baby supplies or ration coupons.

Many hands make light work; we can always overcome this difficulty.

His gaze swept over the people in the office, and when it landed on Yang Guangming, it carried a hint of barely perceptible approval and a deeper consideration.

This Xiao Yang is not only exceptionally capable, but also quite adept at interpersonal relationships and seems to have a knack for networking... He's a real talent.

With Director Han's statement and support, everyone's confidence increased even more.

Zhang Yuqin immediately took action. During her lunch break, she went to several female coworkers she knew well, told them about Master Zhou's family's difficulties, and mobilized everyone to "contribute their strength or their votes."

Li Weidong also used his lunch break and after-get off work time to ask his classmates in different companies for information.

Every day, two small cans of imported milk powder are added to Yangguangming's refrigerator, totaling exactly two pounds. Only the packaging needs a change.

He began to plan how to make good use of the daily "treasures" in the refrigerator space, converting them into national grain coupons or other ration coupons needed in daily life.

This required extremely careful operation, but with the "legitimate need" of Master Zhou's family as a cover, it undoubtedly opened a door to convenience.

The power of the collective is astonishing, and Zhang Yuqin's appeal quickly received a response.

The next morning, she brought over half a pound of milk powder from her own home, packed in an old tin box with the Double Happiness logo printed on it.

There were also two other kind-hearted female workers who contributed half a jin of milk powder coupons and a few milk coupons. Although it wasn't much, it was a genuine expression of their goodwill.

Good news also came from Li Weidong's side.

He had a classmate who worked in the district's Bureau of Commerce. Through various connections, he found out that a cadre in the subdistrict office had two extra kilograms of milk powder coupons that he was willing to sell, but he wanted to add some rare industrial coupons or good cigarettes.

Without saying a word, Li Weidong gritted his teeth and contributed the industrial coupons and two packs of cigarette coupons that he had saved up to buy new clothes, plus a few other hard coupons, in exchange for those two pounds of precious milk powder coupons.

When he handed the ticket to Zhou Bingsheng, Zhou Bingsheng knew exactly what was going on. Although he didn't say much, his gratitude and sense of indebtedness deepened.

He silently noted it down, thinking about what good things he could give to Li Weidong without making Li Weidong suffer a loss.

(End of this chapter)