Siheyuan, my new life

Looking at the slightly sallow-skinned middle-aged man before him, Guo Yongping felt a pang of unease. He hadn't expected that even Zhao Xiangdong, the head of the third purchasing section of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, would be in such dire straits. In his subconscious, people relied on their connections for sustenance. After all, Zhao Xiangdong managed seven or eight purchasing agents. In today's society, where personal connections mattered, if he made even the slightest gesture, wouldn't those purchasing agents immediately understand? Never underestimate a purchasing agent's intelligence; quick wit and interpersonal skills were merely the basic requirements of a qualified purchasing agent. Otherwise, how could they possibly acquire the extra-planned supplies they needed from the communes and production brigades below?

Since ancient times, it has been said that a local official is more powerful than a distant one. Although Zhao Xiangdong was just a small section chief, the purchasing staff of the third purchasing section really dared not offend this minor leader easily. After all, he still had some power. According to Guo Yongping's understanding yesterday, at the very least, he was responsible for dividing the purchasing areas and assigning purchasing tasks.

The situations in the communes and production brigades near the capital varied. Some places had poor economic conditions, while others were relatively wealthy. The more affluent communes and production brigades were naturally better able to acquire more off-plan materials. Therefore, the allocation of procurement areas was particularly important for procurement officers. Imagine if you offended the section chief and were reprimanded, being assigned to a relatively impoverished commune or production brigade. It would be extremely difficult for a procurement officer to complete their procurement tasks. According to the procurement department's regulations, if a procurement officer failed to complete their procurement tasks for three consecutive months, they would face a job transfer from the procurement department to another department. This usually meant being assigned to a workshop as a worker, which would mean losing their administrative position. In the future, they could only rely on technical grade promotions to improve their wages and benefits.

Therefore, some purchasing agents who have not completed their procurement tasks often try to procure materials to make up for the shortfall before the end of the month. When there is really no other way, they can only risk going to the black market to buy some things at high prices and bring them back to the purchasing department to complete their tasks. Of course, the purchase price set by the purchasing department cannot be the same as that on the black market, and the difference between the two is even quite large. The reason why these purchasing agents are willing to pay out of their own pockets to do this kind of loss-making business is to keep their purchasing job.

Everyone knows that as long as purchasing agents complete their monthly purchasing quotas, they generally don't need to go to the factory on time. Especially when the communes and production brigades below are purchasing materials outside the plan, as long as they can maintain a good relationship with the leaders of the communes and production brigades, there will still be some price difference. This is what purchasing agents call "profit." Even if it's just a difference of one cent per egg or per pound of grain, or a difference of a few cents per pound for other dried goods, cured meat, and wild game, it adds up over the years and is not a small amount.

However, the purchasing agent couldn't pocket all the price difference himself. Just dealing with the leaders of the communes and production brigades below was a considerable expense. In addition, the losses caused during transportation were also borne by the purchasing agent himself.

Of course, even after deducting these costs, purchasing staff can still reap considerable benefits, which is why they would rather pay out of their own pockets to keep their jobs when they fail to complete their tasks.

Actually, these things are no secret in the purchasing circle. Section Chief Zhao Xiangdong himself was a purchasing agent, so he was well aware of the shady dealings. Even some of the higher-ups were aware of it. However, the job of a purchasing agent is not as easy as outsiders imagine. In addition to the hard work of riding bicycles for dozens or even hundreds of miles to the countryside and going to great lengths to purchase unplanned materials from various communes and production brigades, there is also the long distance back to the city. Purchasing agents have to use bicycles to bring the materials they have purchased back to the factory. Not only is the journey arduous, but they also have to be constantly vigilant about safety on the road. Nowadays, the security situation outside the city is not very good, and robberies on the road occur frequently. Even though most purchasing agents carry weapons for self-defense, we often hear bad news about purchasing agents from certain factories being robbed on the way, and there are even cases of purchasing agents losing both their money and their lives.

The frequent bad news made some timid and fearful purchasing agents back down and voluntarily apply for job transfers; however, most purchasing agents still continued to go to the countryside to purchase goods at certain risks. It is said that people die for money and birds die for food. What job is without risk? Even workers in the factory can be caught in the machinery and equipment and suffer injuries or deaths if they are not careful.

Especially for those who experienced the war years, compared to the dark days before liberation, the present has seen tremendous changes. Ordinary people have become masters of their own destiny and no longer have to live in constant fear like before liberation. They are even more fortunate to have a formal job with a good salary and a secure livelihood. Therefore, even though they know that there are certain risks in going to the countryside to purchase supplies, most purchasing agents still do not give up this lucrative job.

Guo Yongping couldn't say much right now. After all, he was just a young man who had only been in Beijing for a few days, having just arrived from his hometown in Henan Province. Although he wanted to help the middle-aged man in front of him, he couldn't openly access the grains and meat in his storage space. He couldn't even use the items left by his original uncle. Most of the items that Dou Dagang left for his nephew were officially registered. Now, some items that weren't registered had suddenly appeared, which would only cause trouble for himself.

Thinking of this, Guo Yongping sighed inwardly. It seemed he could only help Zhao Xiangdong privately after the New Year when he went hunting in the mountains. Although they had only known each other for two days, Section Chief Zhao Xiangdong had not only explained his job responsibilities to him in detail, but also shared his experiences and lessons learned as a purchasing agent. In particular, after learning that Guo Yongping had been coerced and slandered by Hao Aiguo from the same department, Zhao Xiangdong had taken the initiative to accompany him to report to the higher-ups and run around doing everything he could. Guo Yongping had silently witnessed all of this. "If someone treats me with respect, I will treat them with even greater respect." Even the ancients knew the principle of repaying a drop of kindness with a spring of gratitude. How could a college graduate whose soul came from the future possibly owe someone a favor? It seemed he could only try his best to help Zhao Xiangdong in the future.