I'm back in 1990

Chapter 19: Hitting a Wall

After a whole morning of hard work, Huang Xiaochuan worked like an old ox, dragging a rake back and forth along the riverbank to sift through the riverbed. Fortunately, he didn't need to clean up the snails he raked up; his two older sisters were in charge of collecting them. Otherwise, Huang Xiaochuan would definitely have abandoned the rake and run away.

It wasn't a complete waste of time. In just one morning, we raked up a whole basket of snails, roughly weighing about ten pounds.

Seeing that the basket was already full, Zeng Xia said she would stop and go home.

The two sisters walked ahead, each carrying a basket in one hand, while Huang Xiaochuan followed behind, miserably carrying a rake. He was covered in mud from head to toe, and his clothes were soaked with sweat.

As they passed through the town, even though Huang Xiaochuan looked disheveled, his appearance still attracted the attention of many young women and wives who were enjoying the cool shade. When someone asked the two sisters, Zeng Hong and Zeng Xia proudly told them, "This is my younger brother."

These words made Huang Xiaochuan somewhat resentful. Younger brother? Humph! More like a farmhand!

When their uncle didn't come home for lunch, the two sisters told their aunt and grandmother about how the three of them had caught about ten pounds of snails that morning. They even pointed out the snails that were being kept in a basin to expel the mud and sand to their aunt and grandmother.

"So much? Just get some to eat, how long will it take to finish all this?" Auntie said casually after glancing at it.

Huang Xiaochuan wholeheartedly agreed and took the opportunity to complain to his aunt, "That's right! I said that's enough, that's enough, but they insisted I cook it a few more times. It's such a waste to make so much food that we can't finish it!"

Huang Xiaochuan's aunt looked at him with pity and said, "You'll have to work hard again this afternoon."

"I've already worked hard this morning, okay?" Huang Xiaochuan didn't understand his aunt's meaning and complained angrily.

The second sister, Zeng Xia, urged, "Eat! Eat! We're starving!"

While eating, Huang Xiaochuan was still complaining: "If I hadn't been distracted by raking snails, I would definitely have had fish for lunch today. Several big fish were swimming around in the spot I set up, and it was only a matter of time before they took the bait."

The two older sisters each gave Huang Xiaochuan a pair of white eyes. And big fish? He had never brought back a whole fish before. The only time he brought a fish back was because of that little fish that weighed less than an ounce. It jumped into Huang Xiaochuan's fish basket by itself.

How do you cook a small fish? My aunt just boiled it in water, mixed it with rice, and fed it to the cat.

Therefore, Huang Xiaochuan's complaints were ignored by everyone, including his maternal grandmother and aunt.

After the meal, the eldest sister, Zeng Hong, handed Huang Xiaochuan a pair of scissors with a smile. Only then did Huang Xiaochuan understand the meaning of his aunt's pitying look and those words before the meal.

This is really like treating yourself like a long-term laborer! This afternoon I have to cut the snails' tails, which is going to be a nightmare, there are over ten pounds of snails!

Fortunately, Grandma intervened and arranged for Zeng Hong and Zeng Xia to help cut the snails, which saved Huang Xiaochuan's life.

Huang Xiaochuan used to cut snails all the time, but it was the easiest way to get blisters on his hands, so he avoided cutting snails like the plague.

After catching the snails, they need to be soaked in clean water for three days to purge the mud and sand before cooking; otherwise, you'll get a mouthful of mud every time you suck one. In the afternoon, the three siblings cut off the snails' tails, washed them clean, changed the water, and let the snails continue to purge the mud and sand.

As expected, Huang Xiaochuan developed two blisters on his right thumb and forefinger while holding the scissors. His second sister, Zeng Xia, plucked a hair and used it to drain the fluid from the blisters, which would help them heal faster.

Perhaps because Huang Xiaochuan had been busy for most of the day, the two sisters didn't order him around anymore, allowing him to sleep peacefully on the bench in the living room for a while.

Although the old house looks very old on the outside, it is warm in winter and cool in summer. When the front and back doors are opened, the wind blows through the house, which is more comfortable than the wind from an electric fan.

He slept until just before dinner. If his uncle Zeng Jiahua hadn't come back and woken him up, Huang Xiaochuan would have slept until evening.

Zeng Jiahua was feeling very depressed. Everything had gone smoothly from the morning onwards. He had gone to the town to report to the Party Secretary and the Mayor about the foreign trade contract signed with Jiadao Company.

This earned him praise from the leaders, who were very satisfied with the signing of the foreign trade contract. It was a joyous occasion, as everyone could benefit from it. The leaders needed achievements, while Zeng Jiahua needed recognition and tangible rewards.

The Party Secretary also used his connections to help Zeng Jiahua get in touch with the Suzhou Foreign Trade Company. They arranged for Zeng Jiahua to bring the contract to the company that afternoon to discuss the agency share, so that the business could be completed as soon as possible.

Zeng Jiahua originally thought things would go smoothly, after all, he had made connections and put in a good word, but he didn't expect to run into a wall at the Suzhou Foreign Trade Company.

After learning the purpose of Zeng Jiahua's visit, Director Hua, who was in charge of receiving Zeng Jiahua, explained some objective circumstances with a troubled expression. Currently, the Suzhou Foreign Trade Company mainly handles export trade agency business for silk, embroidered handicrafts, and jade handicrafts. They are already overwhelmed with these businesses alone, so they certainly cannot take on the agency business for flange exports, as they have no available quota.

Even if you pull strings and make connections, it's useless if you don't have a quota.

However, Director Hua of the Suzhou Foreign Trade Company still pointed Zeng Jiahua in the right direction: to ask around at the provincial foreign trade companies, or to try his luck at the Shanghai foreign trade companies nearby.

Having gone there full of hope, only to receive this result, Zeng Jiahua was too embarrassed to go to the town to complain to the leaders, since it was now a contracted management system and the factory was responsible for its own profits and losses.

If your boss helps you by finding connections and making a call, that's already a great help. Going to them to ask for more help would be inappropriate.

When Zeng Jiahua returned home, he saw his nephew fast asleep on the bench in the living room. Zeng Jiahua's eyes lit up and he quickly woke Huang Xiaochuan up.

After being woken up, Huang Xiaochuan looked at his uncle with sleepy eyes and then yawned: "Uncle, you're back?"

"This is troublesome, Xiaochuan. I went to the foreign trade company this morning, and their export quotas for this year are already full. Now we either have to wait until next year, or try our luck at foreign trade companies in Nanjing or Shanghai. Do you have any ideas?"

This outcome was exactly what Huang Xiaochuan had expected. Seeing his extremely anxious uncle, Huang Xiaochuan comforted him, "Uncle, don't worry. As the saying goes, there's always a way out. Let's not consider the foreign trade company in Jinling. Tomorrow we'll go to Shanghai. There are more foreign trade companies in big cities, and the market share is larger. Besides, exporting from Shanghai is more cost-effective for us."

Zeng Jiahua was still somewhat worried: "There are many foreign trade companies in big cities, but there are also many manufacturers looking for them! I didn't expect that after signing the foreign trade contract, we would be stuck at the domestic stage!"

Huang Xiaochuan was very familiar with the foreign trade rules of this period. Although the rules seemed imperfect and even somewhat unreasonable, hindering the export of many domestic products, this was the only way to temporarily adopt them during the transition from a planned economy to a market economy.

The main reason is that the country has been impoverished for too long and has a weak foundation. To obtain crucial foreign exchange, it must use this method of export control. Moreover, there are stricter regulations on the use of precious foreign exchange, and the purchase of equipment from abroad is always done with extreme caution. However, even if you are not afraid of high prices and buy the best products, because of the COCOM agreement, other countries will not sell to you. What you can buy are only their outdated products that are several generations behind.

To ease his uncle's anxiety, Huang Xiaochuan joked with Zeng Jiahua: "Uncle, I can read faces. Your face looks very auspicious. Not only will you live a long life, but your career will also be exceptionally successful."

Zeng Jiahua was amused by Huang Xiaochuan: "You little monkey! You can read faces? You're a fool! Go wash your face, your eyes are full of sleep."