Canteen System Assistance Notes

Glancing at the still dark yard and the lampshade enclosed by tinplate, Old Master Xu deftly folded up his advertising banner, moved his gear back inside the courtyard wall, and locked the door with an iron bolt: today, his two lively "little brats" would be bound by double work on their day off, unable to move in the factory daycare center next to the school.

So, don’t worry about those two “little beasts” today.

After simply packing his things, Old Master Xu carefully slung a schoolbag onto his back and headed towards the other end of the village. Along the way, he heard the rumble of the rice mill, walked across the gravel road compacted by the millstones, and greeted people driving power-assisted carts. When the small hydroelectric power station with its electric poles came into view, Xu Jize knew he had reached his destination.

The summer sun was still high, but due to the surrounding mountains and hills, dusk arrived relatively early in Baipuzi Village. It was about two miles from the village, so it wasn't too late to walk here. Seeing the house, which was obviously larger than the residential houses, come into view, Mr. Old Master lowered his head slightly and turned off the main road.

He walked carefully along the wall, avoiding the windows, and entered through the back door instead of the main door, just like his little stinky Huizi trying to sneak into the house after failing the exam; he was silent and quietly blended into the crowd, listening to the gossip, arguments and discussions of people around him.

Some of them tried to explain several new medicines by using the principles of heat, warmth, coolness and coldness; some gathered together to watch people calculate that buying fertilizers to increase production capacity could not offset the cost; and some were chatting about how "our New Fourth Army went to Hankou and dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese"... Old Mr. Xu Jize just sat in the back seat, waiting quietly.

"The time now is 7:00 PM."

Ding-ling-ling-ling-ling—!

Along with the time signal, a new electric bell rang. Everyone in the large room was quickly attracted by the bell and turned their attention to the main door: "Class is about to start! Class is about to start! Everyone, stop chatting and take your seats!"

"The teacher is here, why are you yelling..."

"Teacher, what is the evening class like today? Science class?"

The voices of men and women paused for a moment, then gradually became noisy again. The original literacy teacher did appear today, but he did not go up to the podium to start the usual "literacy class" or to teach the "science class" that was being taught for the first time today.

"Classmates, today we have a science class, but I'm not the one teaching..."

The original literacy teacher stepped aside, extended one hand, and pointed toward the back row of the auditorium. Here it comes...

Old Master Xu crumpled up the "Junior High School Chemistry Self-Study Handbook" in his hand, took a deep breath, stood up, and walked steadily toward the stage. He had originally wanted to stroke his beard and put on a bit of the demeanor of a teacher and mentor, but the sudden gazes and hushed whispers made him feel like ants crawling aimlessly on his back.

Don't be stage-frightened, don't be stage-frightened, don't be stage-frightened! "Tai Gong Family Education" says, "Once a teacher, always a father." Xu Jize, even if you're teaching for our government and you're talking about something you already knew, you have to act with some composure! "Ahem, classmates, good evening everyone, I'm Teacher Xu..."

The old man walked up to the podium and spoke in an unprecedentedly friendly tone. He turned, grabbed the chalk, and wrote beautiful chalk words on the black painted blackboard. The black wall dust and gray chalk dust stained his hands. He coughed twice, turned around and said:

"Well, how should I put it? The Master has a rhyme... ahem, respect ghosts and gods but keep them at a distance. But now, half-immortals, immortal ladies, and saints are wearing the tiger skins of ghosts, gods, and bodhisattvas to deceive people, not only for money, but also for life.

"But some people say those people are all living gods, with magical powers like making words appear on paper, slaying demons with wooden swords, and washing hands in frying pans!"

Old Master Xu's mood gradually calmed down. He took out a pile of yellow paper and several bottles and jars from his bag, and spoke faster and faster, "But these magical powers are just tricks."

As the saying goes, everything in the world has its own way. Only by understanding the way can one discover the law. Once the law is explained with scientific principles, one can extrapolate from one principle to another, from the surface to the inside, and understand unknown phenomena. At this point, even Monkey King, who has only just mastered a few tricks, cannot escape the Five Finger Mountain of 'scientific principles'!

"My fellow villagers, I'm honored to be here today. I'm going to explain to you, using scientific principles, the tricks of those 'supernatural powers,' so that those harmful things will never deceive you again!"

Chapter 714 Side Story (4) Sandwiched Between Two Sides

"Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang, thank you so much for coming all the way here." "It's nothing, it's just revolutionary work."

Zhang Shihan tucked his tester, pliers, and electrician's knife back into his belt like a grenade, then untied his belt and buckled it back onto his large canvas tool bag. He twisted the bag's shoulder strap with one hand, slid the jingling bag over his shoulder, and walked away from the overhead crane, where he had completed the test, into the adjacent office.

He took off his gloves, rolled them into a ball and stuffed them into his trouser pocket. Then he fished a pen from his work vest and began writing on a list: "Last time I came here, I discovered that you had too many turns when you rewound the motor. This stuff isn't a panacea. If there's any left, you have to rewind it all. I just rewound it for you, and you see, it's running normally now."

"The problem with the other two machines is that you added a bit too much grease during maintenance. You should add more grease later. In this high-load, low-speed environment, half is enough. Adding more won't help."

"Okay, okay, I will definitely let our factory's Xiao Dongfang pay attention to him - he is indeed an engineer, he is even better than those who just graduated from school - Xiao Dongfang! Will you still be so arrogant in the future? You should learn more..." "Yes... I understand, Director..."

Looking at the slightly cowering young man, Zhang Shihan suddenly smiled. He recalled his early days as a student learning to mend pots and pans from his master. Not only was he unpaid, but when he made a mistake, he wasn't just scolded.

Young people nowadays...I don't know when he started to think this way.

"Those who know how to swim will drown, and those who are knowledgeable will be electrocuted. As long as electricians follow safety rules and practice diligently, they will always improve. But people like me may unknowingly violate regulations for convenience. Comrade Xiaodongfang, don't learn from that..."

As Zhang Shihan spoke, he finished writing the repair order and bill, tore it off the notebook, and handed it to the factory manager in charge of this repair. "If you need anything later, come to me, or call our factory. The replaced relay has a one-year warranty. If it can't be repaired, we'll replace it free of charge!"

"Okay! Engineer Zhang, it's getting late. How about having a meal here before leaving? The cafeteria is out of food at this time, but you've been a great contributor to our resumption of production, so setting up a small kitchen shouldn't be a problem..."

Because this repair involved installing one motor and overhauling two, Zhang Shihan and the factory's electromechanical team toiled all morning to finish the job, missing lunchtime perfectly. The factory cafeteria had already packed up, leaving not even the cold steamed buns and seaweed soup, but a little bit of gu shui (a type of water).

The factory director intended to have the canteen chef prepare a special meal for him, but Zhang Shihan, a fellow worker, was reluctant to have his colleagues from a sister factory cook just for him, wasting manpower and resources on something they shouldn't have. After several rounds of back-and-forth refusals, Zhang Shihan, who wanted to go home early for his vacation and see his wife, finally persuaded the enthusiastic factory director to let him go out and get his own lunch.

However, as he was pushing his bicycle out, the factory director and his electrician apprentice, "Little Dongfang," ran over and stuffed three meal coupons into Zhang Shihan's hand. "No, Director, didn't we just agree not to have special meals?"

Well, you're not eating at the special kitchen anymore, but you still have to get the meal allowance according to the standard for the main kitchen." The factory director winked at Zhang Shihan and added meaningfully, "Besides, our factory meal coupons aren't just for use in the cafeteria..."

Zhang Shihan, a mid-level electrical engineer, former assembly line operator at an electromechanical plant, and former copper bowl and pot mender, stood at the factory gate where he was assigned. He clutched his three-yuan meal voucher, surveying the bustling crowds in the food court outside the factory, and fell silent.

This kind of scene is actually not unfamiliar to him. When planning industries, the border region government usually considers different industries in different categories. Some rely on mineral resources, some are close to transportation, some are very close to towns and cities, and some are clustered together to form an "industrial zone". Regardless of the size, there will always be spontaneous or semi-spontaneous markets and catering clusters around these industrial zones.

Fill the demand window of high-income working groups.

That is, compared to the "simple" vendors selling fried rice noodles, noodles and steamed buns around the factory, the things sold here are obviously a bit too "colorful".

I saw a half-naked man on this side, holding two large meat-cutting knives, chopping pig's feet fiercely on a thick wooden chopping board, and then gently stroking with one hand, while moving the knife horizontally with the other hand,

Immediately, the shiny fat pig's feet were neatly arranged in a yellow and white mixture.

The rice was served. Immediately, he placed his knife across the table, chopsticks in one hand and a spoon in the other. Between breaths, he placed salt-cooked leafy greens, glistening peppers, and finely chopped carrots beside the rice. He then cut salami, white sausage, and Henan-style bratwurst from the glass case hanging in front of the stall, and stuffed them all into the rice. Finally, he closed the paper box and handed it to the gourmet.

Elsewhere, an elderly woman placed a handful of brightly colored meat skewers in a pot of boiling oil. Then, using a flat spatula, she slapped a fried pancake and a chicken onto the sizzling iron plate, creating a sizzling sound. Then, she spun the pancake, flipping it over, and the chicken clung to it, clinging tightly to it, as if the two had become one. Finally, the woman placed a large scallion pancake on oil-paper, then retrieved a fried skewer, paddled the delicious mixture onto it, drizzled it with a bright red tomato sauce, and passed it to the buyer.

In addition, in this small and bustling place, there are small carts selling Balkan pita bread with yangsaozi, Hankou sesame sauce pasta, and chicken fillet pancakes. There are even a grandparent and grandchildren pushing a quilt cart, selling cold fruit soda, light beer and mung bean popsicles.

How bad are the chefs at this brother factory?

Zhang Shihan decided to give up thinking about this problem. Considering that it would be easy to be dazzled by such a dazzling array of products, he decisively turned his head to the stall closest to him.

This small cart with a half-glass cover is connected to a high-powered power-assisted cart. It has the words "Chinese and Western integration, Hamburg, delicious bread and meat sandwiches" written on it. Behind it is a chubby young man in an apron with a small belly. You can tell at a glance that the food he cooks is delicious.

"Hey, little brother, how much is this steamed bun with meat patty?" Zhang Shihan took out a 1-yuan plastic meal coupon. "Will you take this?"

"Meal coupons from the factory? Of course I'll take them!"

The hamburger guy grinned and pointed to a picture-lined price tag. "Egg sandwich is 1 yuan, pork sandwich is 5 yuan, egg and meat sandwich is only 2 yuan, cheese sandwich is 1 cents more." Although the issuance of currency within the base was strictly controlled, and after the February Incident, the fixed exchange rate of "1:1" with the legal tender of preserved fruits was broken,

The KMT switched to a floating exchange rate system, but its economic situation was worse than in history.

The indiscriminate issuance of banknotes throughout the Kuomintang-controlled areas eventually permeated the border regions. Coupled with the relatively vibrant economy within the border regions, which were undergoing a period of major construction, a certain degree of over-issuance of currency was almost inevitable—with more money, things became more expensive...

Zhang Shihan thought as he handed over the meal coupon: In 1939, a "full-up burger" like this probably wouldn't cost even a dollar, right? "Give me one with the egg and meat, but no cheese."

"Okay! Just wait a moment, it will be ready soon!"

The chubby hamburger vendor readily agreed. He floured his hands, took a handful of ground meat from the basin, and pressed it onto the coal-burning iron plate. He then fished out an egg from the other side, cracked it open on a spatula, and began to fry it. Finally, as the meat and egg sizzled under the iron plate, the guy pulled out a steamed bun, half browned and half tender, from under the table. He cut it with a knife and placed it on the edge of the greasy iron plate to heat it.

He quietly observed the doneness of the meat patty, his mood relaxed but his expression serious.

However, a few years ago, even high-income groups like workers would hardly have the opportunity to eat such meat... Zhang Shihan looked at the fried eggs and pork patties being flipped on the spatula, smelling the gradually emitting aroma of wheat and protein, and gradually fell into daydreaming.

I wonder what will be sold here in the future? When my children’s generation comes home tired from work, I wonder what they will buy on the streets to comfort their stomachs. “Hey! Chef, do you want it spicy?”

"Oh no, I don't eat spicy food."

Chapter 715 Side Story (5) Wine and Couch

(Author's note: Drinking is harmful to your health, my friends. Don't drink if you can.)

Wine, wine, BVHO.

One of humanity's earliest addictive substances, it has been with us almost since the dawn of recorded history. In China, it was considered the wondrous creation of Yi Di and Du Kang; in ancient Greece, it was the province of Dionysus, a gift from the gods; and in ancient Egypt, wine was a gift from Osiris, the god of the underworld, who brought this intoxicating delicacy along with the regular flooding of the Nile.

Therefore, even China, which was at war at the time, was probably not immune to this.

Although everyone knows that before modern industrial alcohol production matured and spread, alcohol basically came from the brewing of grain and was the "essence of grain", and in war it was necessary to save food and provide relief to disaster victims - however, even in the border areas and bases where private brewing was strictly prohibited in the original time and space, various private brews were still everywhere and widely sold.

Considering that Abie at this time is not some developed countries in the original time and space that cannot control drug consumption, the alcohol consumption that cannot be controlled even when the current CCP regime goes to the countryside is probably indeed an objective need of the people.

By then, the Eighth Route Army had already taken control of several important grain-producing areas, including Ning Province, Wuyuan, and Guanzhong. They also had connections with most of the large-scale base areas and a robust canteen system. Therefore, even with the large amounts of food allocated for disaster relief, the food shortage in the liberated areas was not yet too serious. Therefore, in this changed time and space, the CCP and the border region government adjusted relevant policies, relaxing some restrictions on alcoholic beverages to a certain extent.

It was precisely because of this that the winemaking industry in the border regions, and indeed the entire liberated areas, experienced significant changes during the War of Resistance, though not necessarily a boom. The vastly different historical conditions of Tongyuan also led to some bizarre development paths for these small-scale but flourishing "Eighth Route Army" wines.

Because the primary reason for alcohol control was to conserve grain, those that consumed relatively little grain and had lower alcohol content were subject to less regulation. Among these, the most widely used beverage was probably "kvass," introduced by Soviet experts and comrades from Northeast China.

Because the ingredients used are bread, which is relatively convenient and easily available, and the fermentation time can be compressed to less than three days, this beverage is usually made by larger factory canteens and distributed to workers as a beverage to accompany their meals.

Canteen chefs typically gather leftover Russian bread scraps and crumbs, mix them with malt, and after repeated heating to saccharify the starch, place them in fermentation tanks with one-way air valves and add brewer's yeast for fermentation. Some more sophisticated and profitable factory canteens also add additional flavorings like lemon slices, hops, and mint to enhance the drink's taste and make it more popular.

Some canteens even think that making bread and leba is too troublesome, so they use steamed buns, flatbreads or baked naan for breakfast every day, and the taste seems to be similar.

After fermentation, the bubbly, refreshing, and slightly sour kvass is placed in large stainless steel barrels and sold in the cafeteria. This "alcoholic" beverage, which has a beer-like flavor but is hardly intoxicating, is not included in the regular food supply and must be purchased with extra meal tickets. Even so, it quickly gained popularity among many workers, even among groups other than those from the Soviet Union and Northeast China.

Besides drivers of motorized and animal-drawn vehicles, many workers often enjoyed a bottle of kvass during their lunch break before get off work, enjoying a chat while doing so. Meanwhile, with the arrival of bottled kvass that undergoes secondary fermentation and contains potassium sorbate, the phrase "Get you a bottle of kvass quickly," like "If you can't drink, go to the kids' table," has become a derisive refrain in this part of Northwest China, mocking those with poor alcohol tolerance.

While kvass, with an alcohol content of less than 1%, is considered a legitimate low-alcohol "wine," its production still consumes some grain. Therefore, within the base, it was sold primarily near factories and in stores within the Guanghua, Jiaotong, Yongchang, and Supply and Marketing Department Stores systems.

But after the Eighth Route Army liberated Ning Province, Ning Province's specialty at the foot of the Helan Mountains - grapes - began to play a traditional role in the field of winemaking.

As a traditional alcoholic beverage with a storied reputation in both Chinese and Western history, the wide temperature swings and long sunshine conditions of the Helan Mountain foothills in Ningxia Province are ideal for growing wine grapes. Therefore, through the Northwest Corridor and domestic trade channels, imported grape varieties suitable for winemaking from both domestic and international sources, supplemented by equipment provided by the canteen supply system, the border region has developed wine production capabilities.

These grape seedlings are often given to villages less suited to growing grain. They are then planted on a trial basis under the guidance of village cooperatives and agricultural reclamation technicians. They are then purchased by small but rigorous demonstration wineries. Through a series of processes, including crushing, cleaning, fermentation, and aging, a variety of wine products are produced.

The production of these wines was not large, but since the Eighth Route Army controlled the "canteen system", wines labeled with the Jiaoyang brand were quickly marketed throughout the rear areas of the Anti-Japanese War through the channels of the four major commercial systems.

Musalais, brewed using Xinjiang's traditional heating method, has gained widespread popularity. Its flavorful dry red and white wines have been widely praised by high-spending consumers in the Kuomintang-controlled areas, becoming a perfect example of the "scissors gap." Grape brandy, produced by distillation, is primarily purchased by workers and consultants with higher incomes and strong spending power, earning considerable acclaim and even becoming a popular gift item for the Northwest Corridor. Tartaric acid, a byproduct of wine production, extracted from the grape dregs and winemaking residues, is used as a key raw material in pharmaceutical factories in the base area, producing key medications such as painkillers and schistosomiasis insecticides.

It is even said that a certain expensive ice wine made from naturally frozen grapes and produced in this "time and space" also reached the desks of certain Japanese divisions and an unknown Japanese commander through some gray channels, and was exchanged for rifles, machine guns and bullets on the black market, thus promoting the progress of the War of Resistance Against Japan in unexpected places.

This blend of timeless and locally produced wines spread the reputation of Ningxia's wines throughout China and even the Allied powers. Following the war's end and domestic stability, the "Jiaoyang" wine brand, under the unified development and operation of the People's Government, quickly became one of Ningxia's representative high-value agricultural products and a representative of high-quality wines in the socialist camp, making a unique contribution to the prosperity of the local people and regional development.

While kvass and wine have made great progress, the "Shi Shaojiu" industry, which has flourished in every village in the original time and space, has been suppressed both openly and covertly by business and policies.

These distilled spirits produced using solid-state fermentation often have varying quality, with many containing harmful fusel alcohols. They also consume significant amounts of grain, contributing to high prices for the finished products. However, as long as demand for alcohol persists, distillers continue to keep these distilleries busy, making it difficult to completely ban them administratively. However, the situation began to change rapidly after the border region government's feed mills and alcohol factories began producing edible alcohol using the "liquid fermentation method" using molasses, potatoes, discarded corn, and even aged grain.

The almost unrestricted selection of raw materials, the fermentation environment that is easy to precisely control, and the cost advantages of industrial mass production have allowed bulk liquor produced by liquid fermentation method to quickly capture the market.

Although these alcoholic beverages lack the "unique flavor" favored by alcoholics, their purity, safety, and affordability make the vast majority of consumers choose cheaper products. Thanks to the "S" cocktail technique, which became popular with international influencers, these nearly flavorless liquors are even more suitable as "base liquors" than those full-flavored local liquors, and are therefore more popular.

As a result, the previously almost uncontrollable local liquor shops could no longer bear the pressure, and the situation quickly receded like a spring snow. Subsequently, grassroots governance agencies quickly followed up and quickly arranged new jobs for these people through rural recruitment and career change training.

This combination of economic and administrative measures not only prevented the farmers who originally made a living from losing their livelihoods and becoming bankrupt refugees, but also allowed the border government to achieve the goal of saving food and meeting the objective needs of the people without using administrative means to enforce orders and implement "one-size-fits-all" measures. It successfully completed the control and upgrading of the "local liquor industry" and even promoted the intensive development of agriculture in many areas. It became a classic case in public administration textbooks in the future.

Chapter 716 KMTStory (6) From Quilt to Satin

(Update)

Although the Eighth Route Army and the National Army were friendly forces belonging to the Anti-Japanese National United Front, in fact, the National Army would still impose a strong economic and political blockade on the Eighth Route Army, preventing some key supplies from flowing into the Eighth Route Army's base.

Although the KMT always makes things difficult for the CCP and holds it back in various aspects, the intensity of this blockade, although not as strong as the COCOM, can be said to be leaking everywhere, just like the situation between China and Japan.

Although China and Japan were invaders and anti-invaders, fascist and anti-fascist camps at this time, the liberated areas were still exporting industrial products and luxury goods to the occupied areas in exchange for arms, minerals and medicines, and the Kuomintang-controlled areas were still smuggling food and strategic materials into the occupied areas, and importing addictive drugs and Japanese industrial products. Therefore, even in the face of the KMT's "strong blockade", communication between the liberated areas and the Kuomintang-controlled areas was never cut off.

Because it served as the nominal "rear base" for the anti-Japanese war, the Sichuan-Chongqing Basin, under Kuomintang rule, amassed wealth far exceeding the local accumulation capacity. The controllers of this wealth, however, had not yet transformed into "production-oriented" cities, but instead continued to operate within the habits of traditional Chinese "consumer" cities. Consequently, these areas erupted in irrational and enormous demand, much like the Shanghai Concession before the outbreak of the Pacific War, experiencing a "morbid prosperity" disproportionate to their production capacity.

In the original history, a large part of these demands were met by American and Japanese goods. In this time and space, the CCP naturally wanted to get a share of such a market: neon bulbs, mechanical parts, "high-end" ready-made clothes, seasonings and daily necessities...even fresh beer that party-state officials liked. The Eighth Route Army gave the green light to such industrial and consumer products and imported them into the Kuomintang-controlled areas, which really seized the market for American and Japanese goods.

However, business requires a give-and-take relationship. Since the liberated areas have sold goods and do not want to hold the legal tender that will inevitably become worthless, they have to transport some things back from the Kuomintang-controlled areas.

But what should the Eighth Route Army "import"?

....My fleet was hit by a disaster a while ago. Fortunately, you, my dear brother, spared me fourteen loads of silk. Otherwise, I would have missed the delivery date and breached the contract. I'm afraid I would have suffered a lot."

"It's not a big deal. If it's to take care of your business, I can find ten... fourteen cartons of silk, even ten... no, forty... even forty cartons."

At the Jinniu Xuecheng Teahouse on Chunxi Road in Chengdu, a businessman in a long gown was chatting with another in a shirt. The man in the shirt had nearly finished his large porcelain cup of "fragrant taro tea with pearls," while the man in the long gown had only taken a few sips of his "oolong tea with milk." The two men hadn't touched their "Italian meatballs with roasted tomatoes"—clearly, these dishes weren't entirely to their taste.

However, apart from discussing business and expressing gratitude, the reason why the two insisted on holding the meeting in this place favored by "fashionable people" was precisely because of the "Pao brothers" sitting at the entrance of the main hall and the superiors who were eating, drinking and chatting in the private rooms on the second floor of the lobby.

The reason is simple: safety, confidentiality and face...

"However, with so many caravans traveling along the Sichuan-Shaanxi Road, I understand that the number of bandit gangs causing trouble has decreased significantly. How could you be so unlucky to have run into one?" After a while of eating and drinking, the merchant in the long gown finally couldn't help but ask curiously, "I'm not exposing your weakness, brother. I just hope there are some tricks you can use to avoid losses next time..."

Well, I was also a bit foolish when it came to this. When it came to purchasing raw silk, my youngest son was useless and delayed for a few days, so he missed the scheduled escort of the merchant group from the north and lost the opportunity. "The man in the shirt shook his head and patted his thigh with a bit of regret. "Then I was reluctant to give that little 'filial piety' and kept a bit of luck. I didn't talk to the superiors and mountain kings along the way, thinking that the small caravan would travel day and night.

Maybe I can get by...

"Alas... a little impatience can ruin a big plan, and greed for small profits can lead to the loss of big gains. How can my brain, which has been educated, be so muddleheaded at a time like this...

A silence fell at the table, and an awkward atmosphere began to settle in the small, curtained booth. Neither side knew what else to say, so they could only poke at the grilled tomato slices and meatballs on their plates with their chopsticks. Finally, the waiter's call, "Here's your French garlic snails!" broke the already awkward atmosphere.

"But why don't the people in the north worry about bandits? It's certainly convenient for them to organize regular trade groups, but don't they sometimes need to move goods quickly or be left alone?" the man in the long gown asked after a long pause. "Even if the saying 'if you mess with the northerners, your entire village will be taken over in less than a month' is true, there will always be some blind bandits, right? How can they tell which merchants are weaklings and which are the real scoundrels?"

…I've actually inquired about this matter. It's said that the road bullies basically know how to identify the convoys and individuals coming from the north, and they can tell from afar. They all have a cutout inside to pass on information. "The man in the shirt touched his chin and said in disbelief,

"I heard that they wouldn't do anything about the 'quilts' and 'satins' they brought in."

On the Sichuan-Shaanxi Road, if the 'quilts' represented the Eighth Route Army's need to receive supplies and smuggle raw materials and machinery and equipment through the Kuomintang-controlled areas because Guanzhong was not yet under control and development had not yet started, then the 'satin' probably represented the strange but reasonable trade exchanges between the liberated areas and the Kuomintang-controlled areas after the development entered a new stage.

By selling industrial, essential, and consumer goods to the Kuomintang-controlled areas, the Eighth Route Army secured a relatively ample "foreign exchange reserve" of legal tender. This often rapidly depreciating currency was initially consumed by the various Eighth Offices and underground Party organizations. Comrades on various fronts used this legal tender as both funding and a means of production, greatly facilitating their work. Any legal tender that could not be spent quickly was converted into foreign currency and gold and silver for temporary storage.

With the outbreak of the Pacific War, the two exchange windows of Wan Chai and Shanghai were closed, making it difficult to exchange legal tender for foreign currency, gold, and silver. At this time, the "Four Major Trading Companies" and underground Party organizations scattered throughout the Kuomintang-controlled areas began to shift their focus, returning to domestic consumption of legal tender.

In addition to the high-end handicrafts, furniture, wood, medicinal materials, high-value-added handicrafts and other items that were prepared to be thrown into a certain canteen system recycling circle, the liberated areas began to gradually increase the scale of purchasing raw materials. For a time, steel mines in Anhui Province, tin ingots, crude white steel, crude lead and crude copper in Yunnan Province, and lead, zinc and pig iron in Sichuan and Chongqing were gradually transported into the liberated areas in Guanzhong and turned into raw materials for the industrial system. After the hard work of the workers, they were transformed into equipment and materials to help the industry continue to expand reproduction, weapons to fight the Japanese invaders on the battlefield, or daily consumer goods that effectively improved people's living standards.

"that is...…"