1960, late autumn, Beiping!
Red Star Steel Rolling Mill.
Procurement Section.
"You all know the assignment, right? Within one week, each of you must bring back two hundred jin of meat. The more you bring back, the more likely you are to be selected as an outstanding employee. You should understand what that means; whether you get a raise depends entirely on your own abilities."
Zhao Youwei, the section chief, took out several procurement certificates and letters of introduction, handing them to the clerks under his command.
What!
The seven or eight clerks looked at the certificates in their hands, and their heads began to ache.
Two hundred jin of meat—even if they sold themselves, they couldn't possibly get that much!
What time is it right now?
The entire Dragon Country is suffering through a famine. There isn't even enough grain for people to eat, so where would there be any extra feed for livestock?
"Section Chief, you might as well just kill us. Two hundred jin? We couldn't even get twenty jin!"
"That's right! Section Chief, we simply can't do it!"
Seeing his subordinates being so unhelpful, Zhao Youwei's face turned dark.
"Go, go, go... stop whining to me here. Have you forgotten the slogans of our working class? Fear no hardship, fear no setbacks, march forward bravely, and fight for the happy life of the nation and its people."
"Comrades, the country needs you right now, the steel rolling mill needs you, and the vast majority of our workers need you even more. You must muster firm conviction and fight this battle well."
"I look forward to the good news of your triumphant return!"
The encouragement, filled with the distinct flavor of the era, acted like a shot of adrenaline for the clerks.
"Section Chief, don't worry, we guarantee we will complete the mission!"
"Good!"
"Off you go. You can head back early today to prepare. I'll be waiting for your good news!"
...
Whoosh!
The cool breeze of late autumn brought a chill that thoroughly sobered the feverish clerks.
Wait!
What had they just done?
The men looked at each other in dismay as the scene that just occurred played back in their minds.
They were finished!
The clerks were suddenly dumbfounded!
Two hundred jin of meat!
Where on earth were they supposed to get that?
Chen Feng observed everything. He felt not a ripple of emotion.
They were all adults, and naturally, they had to be responsible for their own actions.
Since they had pounded their chests so loudly just moments ago, they would have to bear the consequences they had sown.
"Chen Feng, where are you planning to get those two hundred jin of meat?"
The regretful men, seeing that Chen Feng remained calm, felt a stir in their hearts and gathered around him in unison.
Chen Feng had only been in the Procurement Section for a month. He was young, and they figured he should be easy to fool. If they could extract any useful information from him, even if they failed their own mission, they would at least have something to tell the section chief.
In these times, isn't it normal not to be able to find meat?
Heh...
Chen Feng smiled!
How could their little schemes escape him? Even though he was young—only eighteen this year, having joined the steel mill right after graduating from technical school—if they thought he was easy to bully because of his age, Chen Feng would have to say:
You've miscalculated!
However, as a newcomer, Chen Feng didn't want to sour his relationship with his colleagues. After all, the office environment had been quite decent over the past month, and everyone got along relatively well.
At the very least, the atmosphere was much, much better than in that courtyard full of monsters.
"Big brothers, where could I go? You know the situation at the Beiping slaughterhouse better than I do. Even if I went, it would be a dead end. So, I'm planning to try my luck in the mountain communes. If I can manage to get some game, I'll be able to fulfill my quota."
Chen Feng spoke bluntly, laying out his entire plan.
The mountains?
The others were stunned for a moment, and then a flicker of interest flashed across their faces.
They had to admit, Chen Feng's idea was good.
They certainly knew the situation at the Beiping slaughterhouse. It wasn't just Chen Feng; even if they went, the result would be the same. Even if their section chief went, it wouldn't make much of a difference.
Otherwise, why would Zhao Youwei be so generous as to give them such a good opportunity to earn credit?
As the natural disasters grew more severe, the steel rolling mill hadn't seen meat for several months. The leaders had their own private kitchens, so they didn't lack for food, but the workers below certainly did!
The lack of oil and fat in their diet had already made the workers restless.
To solve the practical problems of the workers, the leaders made a decision, and the comrades below had to run their legs off.
The steel rolling mill!
With over ten thousand workers, even if each person got just one tael of meat, that would require over a thousand jin.
This heavy burden naturally fell upon the Procurement Section.
As for why?
Since when were there so many "whys"?
They were the Procurement Section, weren't they!
Zhao Youwei grumbled, but he could only pile the burden onto the clerks below.
That's the price of being a leader, even a small one!
Even if the people below complained, they just had to endure it.
Just like now, the procurement agents knew the mission was impossible to complete, yet they still had to bite the bullet and agree to it.
They couldn't afford not to!
However, while Chen Feng's idea was decent, the thought of heading into the mountains over a hundred miles away made the others lose their nerve.
In the sixties, the world outside wasn't exactly peaceful. They truly didn't have the guts to head out alone.
What if they died out there?
Although they would be criticized for failing the mission, compared to life and death, those were just minor matters.
Watching the hesitation on their faces, Chen Feng smiled and asked deliberately:
"Big brothers, what do you think of my idea? Do you want to come with me?"
What?
Go together!
The expressions of the other procurement agents changed instantly.
Haha...
"Little Chen, well, we won't go. This is an idea you came up with, so we won't interfere. You should go by yourself; we'll think of other ways."
Go to the mountains!
They didn't want to die yet!
And that wasn't even considering the wild beasts.
The most dangerous thing out there right now was people.
People who couldn't survive!
"Really? You guys really aren't going?"
Chen Feng looked innocent.
"N-no, you go ahead!"
The men waved their hands in a hurry.
"Alright then!"
Chen Feng shrugged, smiled at them, and turned to leave the steel rolling mill.
After all, you couldn't get meat by staying in the steel mill.
Besides, since the factory had issued the mission, his reason for leaving was perfectly legitimate; no one could say a word against it.
...
Courtyard No. 95, Nanluoguxiang.
Looking at the familiar yet strange gate, Chen Feng sighed in silence.
The whole thing was too bizarre. Even with his strong heart, it had taken him a full month to adapt to his current life.
No internet, no mobile phones, no fine dining.
God knows how a "four-none" youth from the 21st century like him had managed to survive in this era.
Fortunately, it was all in the past.
The System he had been expecting for a whole month had arrived last night, allowing him to finally set aside his anxieties. It was precisely because of this that he wasn't the least bit worried about the mission the factory had issued today.
Otherwise, without his Gold Finger, he would likely be just as worried about how to complete the task as his colleagues.
But now...
"Chen Feng, how come you're back so early today?"