This bowl of birthday dinner, Zhang Yunqi ate fragrant and sad.

He stuffed his head and dried up a bowl of noodles, and let his sister Chunlan, who had been tired all day, go home to rest first, although he himself was also sleepy and tired, but tonight the tobacco leaves must be put into the kang, so he could only cheer up and continue to work.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Zhang Yunqi heard the roar of the car, he looked over by the moonlight, and saw a tall flat-headed young man driving a tractor over, it was the eldest brother Zhang Yunfeng.

"Brother, have you eaten?"

"I ate at Zhu Da's house. Zhang Yunfeng jumped down from the tractor and said: "Zhu Da's kidney disease has relapsed, he is hospitalized in the city, and he has no time to come, so I borrowed his tractor, and Ming'er will go to the county to sell cigarettes by ourselves." ”

Zhu Da is the eldest brother's elementary school classmate, and the two have an iron friendship, and sometimes the eldest brother who runs the night car will be his companion, and he also learned the car by the way. Zhang Yunqi knew that his eldest brother wanted to buy a tractor to run the goods, but the tractor in this year cost seven or eight thousand, which was an astronomical amount for the old Zhang family, so he could only think about it.

The two brothers didn't talk much nonsense, so they braided the fresh tobacco leaves together, hung the poles and installed the pits, and burned coal and flue-cured tobacco. After finishing it, Zhang Yunfeng lit a dry tobacco stick and said: "I inquired, this year's flue-cured tobacco in our county exceeds the standard, and the price is not good." ”

Zhang Yunqi is tired of hearing this, and many smokers in the village are complaining that the purchase of tobacco in Fengyang County this year is seriously oversupplied, and the price is naturally not much better. However, this is also an opportunity to make a fortune, because he knows that the purchase price of flue-cured tobacco in Jiangchuan City is high this year.

If he can convince his eldest brother to become a cigarette dealer and go to Jiangchuan City to sell cigarettes, he will definitely be able to make money! But the problem is that in the eyes of the common people, cross-border cigarettes are still bought and sold, and no one dares to do so.

Zhang Yunqi said casually: "When Uncle Cheng was chatting at the entrance of the village, I heard him say that the price of flue-cured tobacco in Jiangchuan City this year is good. ”

"Jiangchuan is Jiangchuan, not our Fengyang County. Huh... After working for more than half a year, it is still a problem to not repay the coal money owed. Zhang Yunfeng inhaled a dry tobacco stick, and his expression was indescribably sad.

Tobacco planting itself is a life-threatening hard work, the cost is high, chemical fertilizers and pesticides to coal, everything needs RMB, the old Zhang family's few acres of paddy fields, in good years, can still earn a few children, but this year's drought in Yunxi Village, less than in previous years, less than in previous years, the lack of a hundred catties of tobacco, the headline of the tobacco policy and then pressed down, that is really the whole family tired and tired for more than half a year, and can only barely make ends meet.

Zhang Yunqi filled a few pieces of coal into the stove and said tentatively: "Big brother, since the purchase price of flue-cured tobacco in Jiangchuan City is good, why don't we try to sell it at the tobacco station in Jiangchuan City?"

Zhang Yunfeng was so surprised that he couldn't react.

He said angrily to his younger brother: "What are you thinking about! It is illegal to sell flue-cured tobacco across borders, and if you are caught, you will be sentenced to 16 years old, why don't you know what happened!"

"I'll just say it in passing, not seriously. ”

Zhang Yunqi came back with words, but he didn't care much in his heart.

The eldest brother is still thinking and thinking, in the past, flue-cured tobacco can only be sold to local supply and marketing cooperatives, and selling cigarettes in other places is speculation, and the government has cracked down greatly, but now tobacco companies and supply and marketing cooperatives have been separated, he knows that the new "Tobacco Monopoly Law" is officially implemented this year, and cross-border trafficking of flue-cured tobacco is no longer a crime, at most it is a matter of fines, but in the vast majority of cases, the local government is turning a blind eye, because it can promote the development of the local market economy, which has led to the crazy emergence of tobacco dealers in the next two years.

He really didn't want to miss such an opportunity to make a fortune, but from the eldest brother's blunt tone, he knew that it was useless for him to talk too much, and the honest and steady eldest brother would not risk going to the Jiangchuan City Tobacco Station to sell flue-cured tobacco.

The two brothers loaded bundles of flue-cured tobacco onto the tractor and didn't get home until 1 a.m.

Zhang Yunqi didn't have the heart to sigh at the dilapidation of the three earthen houses, and the physical hardship made his spirit often in a state of paralysis. Every time I come home late at night, the only yearning is to fall into bed and sleep, and I don't even have the effort to think nonsense, but today is obviously different, after he changed into clean clothes, he and his eldest brother replied, saying that today he went to the flue-cured tobacco room to keep vigil.

The flue-cured tobacco sold in Fengyang County tomorrow has been loaded, and new cigarettes are being baked in the flue-cured tobacco room. This is hundreds of belongings, which must be guarded, and the rural people are thick, and there are many people who steal chickens and dogs.

It was already dark, and the village was dimly lit in the distance. In the depths of Yunxi Village, I don't know whose mother-in-law is calling her children home to sleep in a long voice.

Zhang Yunqi squatted next to the flue-cured tobacco room and smoked a dry tobacco stick, not sleepy at all, although his body was sore everywhere and tired everywhere, the eagerness to make money was like fire particles splashing in the wilderness, burning in his chest.

He didn't want to wait any longer.

As the saying goes, starve the timid to death and support the bold.

He wants to break through, just rely on the farmers to earn that little money, and the old Zhang family will always be poor and have no day to turn over!

He didn't have a watch, and he didn't know the time, so he relied on the dry tobacco stick until the sky was dark, ran to the crescent moon river not far away, washed his face, returned to the flue-cured tobacco room, turned the tractor handle out from the back of the door, started the tractor, and the roar of "suddenly, suddenly, suddenly" immediately broke the silence of the night.

By night, Zhang Yunqi went straight to Jiangchuan City!

Yunxi Village belongs to Fengyang County, 70 miles away from Jiangchuan City. He doesn't have a driver's license, and there is a certain risk of cross-border trafficking in flue-cured tobacco, but he doesn't worry about being caught, he just secretly runs out to sell cigarettes, and the eldest brother must be anxious when he knows it, but he really doesn't want to live this kind of bitter life anymore, he doesn't want to wait for a minute, and the messy situation at home feels bad when he looks at it more.

People are dead, fight!

On the dirt road with few people, he drove the tractor fast, walked around the suburbs when he entered Fengyang County, and arrived at the Jiangchuan City Tobacco Station before dawn.

It was still early, there was no one at the tobacco station, he parked the tractor, ran to the sink in front of the toilet to wash his face, and after washing it, he took a picture of the pool water, the sixteen-year-old was yellow and thin due to malnutrition, his cheeks were a little sunken, and his nose was as tall and straight as that of a Greek, and he was old-fashioned, and he did not at all radiate the youthful brilliance peculiar to his age, but it was also good, and the black wax face gave him a kind of maturity beyond his peers.

Zhang Yunqi searched out the small ticket from his pocket, ran to the stall outside the tobacco station and bought a bag of soft white sand, and then turned back to the tobacco purchase office and waited, and after a while, the roller shutter of the purchase office opened, and a middle-aged man with a beard on his face yawned and walked out.

Zhang Yunqi immediately greeted him, and asked while taking out a cigarette: "Uncle, when will the tobacco station collect cigarettes?"

"Nine o'clock, ten minutes or so. The bearded man glanced at him: "Listen to your accent like a Fengyang person?"

"Uncle, you have good eyesight! Zhang Yunqi smiled and took out a soft white sand and handed it to the beard. After all, he has a request for others, and he pretends to be a grandson quite authentic.

The bearded man smiled: "Why don't the people of Fengyang sell cigarettes in Fengyang County?

Zhang Yunqi said with a smile: "That's not, I heard that there is enough rain in Jiangchuan City this year, and the tobacco harvest is not good, which has a great impact on the city's tobacco purchase plan." I pondered that I was selling cigarettes wherever I could, but selling cigarettes here would make the tobacco station collect more, which would be more meaningful, and it could be regarded as making some contribution to the financial revenue of Jiangchuan City and the construction of the four modernizations. ”

The bearded man was happy, he had never seen such righteous words about reselling tobacco: "Little guy, your mouth is quite sharp." Come in with me. ”

This year, the purchase of tobacco quota in Jiangchuan City is not up to standard, and the staff of the tobacco station will not have a good time, like Zhang Yunqi, who runs here to sell cigarettes at risk, is really to contribute to the completion of the purchase quota of Jiangchuan Tobacco Station, and the bearded man has no reason to do things that harm others and are not beneficial to himself, basically those who come to Jiangchuan City to sell cigarettes are warmly welcomed.

Zhang Yunqi carried bundles of flue-cured tobacco off the tractor, untied the ropes, and graded the beards in turn.

Tobacco is priced according to grades, which are divided into upper grade and upper grade, middle grade and middle grade, and final grade. The middle part refers to the tobacco leaves produced by the middle branches, the price is the highest, the middle level is 4 pieces, the second level is 3 pieces, the upper part refers to the top tobacco leaves, this part of the tobacco leaves because of the nicotine and tar content, the price is second, the upper part of the first level is 3 pieces, the second level 2 pieces.

Of course, the first and second level is a very vague concept, especially in the early 90s, all by the technician's eyesight, and the technician's standard is not only to see the quality of flue-cured tobacco, but also the purchase situation, some areas can not reach the national purchase quota, the technician will improve the grade of flue-cured tobacco, in disguise to raise the purchase price;

Egawa City clearly falls into the former.

In the middle of Fengyang County, the second-level flue-cured tobacco of 3 yuan, Jiangchuan City will play the price of 4 yuan in the central level. This has profit margins, but the bearded man looks like a businessman, and he is very serious about training, and in the end, Zhang Yunqi transported 300 catties of flue-cured tobacco in the middle, 213 catties are set in the middle level, and 87 catties are in the middle level.

After grading the scale, Zhang Yunqi has a bottom in his heart, this one has a profit!

He stuffed most of the remaining half of the pack of cigarettes into the bearded man: "Trouble uncle, I will come over to sell cigarettes tomorrow, you can take care of it." ”

The bearded man said with a smile: "It's not troublesome, I just hope that the young man will not forget your original intention and continue to contribute to the financial revenue of Jiangchuan City and the construction of the four modernizations." ”

Zhang Yunqi hurriedly responded down, and slapped the bearded man on the back, and then went to the financial office with the receipt, and after settling the money, he embarked on the way back.

Sure enough, when he drove to the door of the house, Zhang Yunfeng heard the voice and ran out angrily.