"Changhai, this is my older brother," the butcher introduced.
"Come on, Brother Zhang, have a cigarette," Jiang Changhai offered with a beaming smile.
Brother Zhang took the cigarette, without any formalities, and directly asked, "Did you say you need a hundred pounds of meat tomorrow?"
"Yes, yes, I don’t know if you can get that much?"
Brother Zhang was also a bit troubled. "Brother, you’re rushing this. A hundred pounds in one day is a lot, I can’t produce that much."
When Jiang Changhai heard he couldn’t do it, he immediately became anxious; the birthday feast was the day after tomorrow. If he couldn’t buy the meat, he would have to take a day off to go to the county town.
"Brother Zhang, please help me out. I know you have wide connections. It might be tough for others, but for you, isn’t this a piece of cake?" Jiang Changhai complimented him.
"Changhai, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but the meat we produce every day, after supplying the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and the government canteens, doesn’t leave much," Brother Zhang explained. "But, if you want off-cuts, I can definitely make up a hundred pounds."
"Brother Zhang, off-cuts are fine as long as the meat is fresh. But how much are you selling those for?" Jiang Changhai, hearing there was a possibility, immediately inquired about the price.
"Brother, don’t worry. Although the off-cuts don’t look great, they’re still good meat, and they’re cheaper than normal meat, only 30 cents a pound," Brother Zhang said.
Hearing this, Jiang Changhai immediately made a decision, "Alright, Brother Zhang, then reserve a hundred pounds of off-cuts for me tomorrow, and let me give you a deposit."
Jiang Changhai quickly paid ten dollars as the deposit.
"Alright, brother, you’re really straightforward. If you need more meat in the future, just come to me," Brother Zhang, seeing Jiang Changhai doing business efficiently without any fuss, was also willing to entertain him as a friend.
"Thank you, Brother Zhang, and next time I need it, I won’t be polite with you. What time should I come to pick up the meat tomorrow?" Jiang Changhai asked.
"You bought a lot and it’s not convenient to carry, so just leave me your address, and I’ll deliver it directly to you tomorrow."
Brother Zhang, seeing Jiang Changhai was generous and obviously capable, also wanted to make friends with him and literally sold him a favor.
"Wow, that’s great, Brother Zhang, I really appreciate it."
Jiang Changhai was delighted to hear this, as he was worried about how he would carry it back home. It was like someone bringing a pillow to him as he was about to sleep.
After picking up a few pounds of meat he had just bought from the butcher’s house, Jiang Changhai went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and bought six pounds of sugar, a bag of flour, two large jugs of sorghum liquor, and two watermelons.
The flour and sugar were meant for making Birthday Peach, the sorghum liquor was for drinking at the birthday feast, and the watermelons were for consuming at home.
After carrying these items home, Jiang Changhai joyfully shared the fruits of his labor with his wife.
"Wifey, today when I went to buy meat, they didn’t have that much, but they said they had enough off-cuts, so I bought a hundred pounds. Guess how much per pound?" Jiang Changhai teased.
"Fifty cents," Su Wanyu guessed.
"Thirty cents a pound, a hundred pounds for just thirty dollars. The off-cuts, aside from not looking great, have no other flaws; they are all freshly cut from the pig. We have saved quite a few tens of dollars," Jiang Changhai said proudly.
"Brother Hai, how are you so smart? You’re really good at saving money. You saved two months’ salary in just one morning," Su Wanyu held Jiang Changhai’s face and praised him joyfully.