The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er drowsily heard the others talking. She wanted to open her eyes, but she was just too exhausted. Her eyelids felt heavy, as if they were glued shut, and she couldn’t force them open.

But she couldn’t possibly let Sun Jiaming carry her on his back. Not with so many people around; they would laugh at them. So, when the loudspeaker announced that the train had arrived and everyone should line up, right as Sun Jiaming was about to carry her, she woke up.

"I swear, you’ve got perfect timing. How come you wake up the second he’s about to carry you?"

Li Zhi muttered when he saw Gu’er open her eyes.

Gu’er smiled at him, then glanced at Sun Jiaming, who was looking at her with a gentle expression. Gu’er gently rubbed Sun Jiaming’s shoulder. She had been leaning on him the whole time without him moving, so it was probably sore and numb.

"Go on, rub it in for us single guys. Just you wait. When I get married, I’ll show you guys what real PDA is."

Li Zhi grumbled at Gu’er and Sun Jiaming, but inside he was filled with envy. He really wished he were Sun Jiaming.

"Worry about that after you find a wife,"

Sun Jiaming retorted, taking Gu’er’s hand. Then they stood up together, grabbed their things, and started to line up.

Once on the train, they stowed their belongings. They had bought sleeper car tickets, but no one was in the mood to talk. One by one, they fell into a deep sleep.

After several grueling days on the road, they finally arrived in Harbin.

They didn’t head back right away. Instead, they found a hotel to stay in. Li Zhi and Dingzi had to go meet someone—the contact they had made last time. They needed to see how things were progressing and find out if shipping goods to the Soviet Union was a real possibility.

Gu’er and Sun Jiaming didn’t go with them, staying at the hotel to rest. It wouldn’t be good for too many people to show up.

Li Zhi and Dingzi were gone for a good three or four hours. The moment they returned, Gu’er could tell from the looks on their faces that it had been a success. The joy on Li Zhi’s face was impossible to hide.

"Haha, it’s a done deal! A done deal! We’re pretty amazing, aren’t we?"

Li Zhi burst out laughing as soon as he saw the others. Dingzi, however, wore his usual stoic expression.

"Amazing, amazing. You’re the best, Li-best. Did it really happen?"

Gu’er was shocked. She had thought it would be incredibly difficult.

"It’s a deal! He agreed to help us ship goods about five times a year, one train car at a time. And we can bring stuff back, too. As long as it’s not contraband, we can ship whatever we want."

Li Zhi was ecstatic. ’A whole train car of goods! How much is that? If the few of us had to carry it on our backs, how many trips would that take? If a whole car’s worth of goods sells well, how much money would we make?’ Just thinking about it made him giddy with excitement.

"Right, right! So what are we shipping? Now that it’s a go, you have to tell us so we can prepare."

Li Zhi pressed Gu’er.

Everyone turned to look at Gu’er. Sun Jiaming didn’t know either. He had meant to ask last time, but when he and Gu’er were alone, they got... distracted, and he forgot all about it.

"White sugar. I plan on shipping white sugar over."

Gu’er revealed what she had in mind.

"White sugar? Don’t they have white sugar over there? Will it sell well?"

Li Zhi asked, puzzled. He really had no idea.

Sun Jiaming and Dingzi exchanged a look. They hadn’t noticed that either.

"They don’t. I asked Marina. They really don’t have white sugar there. I also looked around myself and haven’t seen any of our countrymen selling it. I’m sure it will be a big hit. If you’re still worried it won’t sell, we can send half a shipment of white sugar and half a shipment of *xiao shao* and Beidahuang’s white liquor. The *xiao shao* sells pretty well."

Gu’er spoke with conviction. She was very serious when it came to business. Ever since this plan had taken shape, she had been constantly thinking about what to sell. After the idea of sugar came to her, she had specifically asked Marina to confirm it.

"Whatever you say, we’ll do. We all trust you. It’s just... *xiao shao* is easy to buy, and so is a small amount of sugar. But where are we going to buy so much? We can’t just go from one department store to another, can we? We’d run our legs off."

Li Zhi raised another problem.

Gu’er shot him a look.

"What? Was it a dumb question?"

Li Zhi was confused. He felt like Gu’er was looking at him as if he were an idiot.

"We go to a sugar factory! Find a manufacturer that produces white sugar, ask them how much inventory they have, and if it’s not enough, we give them a down payment and have them produce it for us."

Gu’er knew it wasn’t Li Zhi’s fault. People just didn’t think that way yet.

"Holy crap, you’re brilliant! How did I not think of finding a factory? More stock, and it’s cheaper! This is great! I’ll have someone help me find a sugar factory, then I’ll go negotiate. Let’s get this sorted out before we head back. We can hang around and have some fun for a couple of days, too."

Li Zhi slapped his hands together, thinking Gu’er’s idea was fantastic.

"Okay, let’s stay here for a couple more days then. We’ll go back after we get this handled."

Gu’er agreed. Sun Jiaming and Dingzi had no objections either.

Lin Shuying was eager to go back. She was worried about Zhongshan and Xinghua. She had been away for so many days and wondered if they were adjusting. She also wanted to go back and share the good news with them. But since they had all come together, it wouldn’t be right for her to leave on her own. Besides, she wanted to see how these young people handled their business, so she stayed as well.

The next day, Li Zhi asked a contact to find a sugar factory. Gu’er and the others hired a car and went to the factory together.

The factory director received them personally. After all, they were major clients with a large order.

Gu’er and the others toured the factory, observed the production process, and inspected the quality of the white sugar, finding it quite satisfactory. Then, they asked about the price.

The director quoted them a price.

Gu’er thought it was significantly cheaper than the department store price. ’We could order a bit more,’ she mused, ’since our own store will need to sell it anyway.’

"If you think the price is too high, we can discuss it further. However, this is the lowest I’m authorized to offer. Anything lower and I’ll have to consult the factory head."

Seeing them remain silent, the director assumed they thought the price was too high.

"No need. This price is fine," Gu’er said, shaking her head with a smile. "The workers have it hard enough. You need to make a profit, too. Can’t have you working for nothing."

If the white sugar sold well in the Soviet Union, their profit margin would be enormous. Why haggle over such a small amount?

"That’s right. This price is fine. As long as you can guarantee the quality, we’re good. We’re hoping for a long-term partnership."

Li Zhi nodded in agreement, also feeling there was no need to haggle over pennies.

"Excellent, excellent! You can rest assured, we guarantee the quality. We’ll even have our workers do overtime to ensure we deliver on schedule."

The director was delighted to see how easygoing they were. Other potential clients had come by before; some ordered small quantities, while others would drag things out for ages, haggling over a few yuan for half the day. This group was straightforward. A good partnership with them would be a win for the factory too.

After settling the details with the director, they paid a deposit and arranged to pick up the goods the day after tomorrow. A portion of the order still needed to be produced, but it would be ready by then. With that, Gu’er and her group left.

With the deal settled, everyone was able to relax. They spent the next two days happily exploring Harbin. When the arranged day arrived, Li Zhi hired a large truck and they headed to the sugar factory.

——————

The kids are about to go on break, and there was so much to buy. I’ve been running around all day and just got home, so this update is late. Please forgive me. I’m off to write the second Chapter.