I can travel back and forth in 1986

Chapter 83 Setting Rules

Shi Tiezhu, who had come along, had been too embarrassed to speak up, but seeing Zhang Beichuan's outrageous demands, he had no choice but to step forward.

"Xiao Chuan, we'll all run into each other again someday, so let's be forgiving. You saw it yourself, these two kids really know they were wrong. I promise they won't dare to cause trouble again, and I'll get everyone in the village to help you catch eels. It'll be good for everyone."

"Heh..." Zhang Beichuan sneered. Even at this critical juncture, this old man was still using Shihe Village to pressure him. "Secretary, do you really think that I, Zhang Beichuan, can't get eels without Shihe Village? I don't think so, do I?"

Shi Tiezhu, whose face was flushed red, was also a little embarrassed, but what he said was right.

Eels aren't exactly gold nuggets; they're found in Shihe Village, and they're found in other villages too.

Furthermore, the fact that everyone is able to make money now is all thanks to Zhang Beichuan.

If he doesn't handle today's situation well, he'll be blamed, and he'll have no face left as the village secretary.

The thought of it made him furious.

"Then tell me, what exactly can we do to get them to show leniency this time?"

Zhang Beichuan was waiting for this very sentence; today he had to set some rules for them.

"Considering the good things my third brother said this afternoon, I can buy the more than 3,000 catties of eels that Shi Qiang has. Five cents a catty, sell it if you want, or don't."

Zhang Dequan, who was standing to the side, was slightly taken aback and muttered to himself.

"When did you say that?"

He paused, then continued, "Anyone who sold eels to Shi Qiang today will have their eels purchased at 0.15 yuan per jin for a month. After that, my third brother will determine the price based on their performance."

"Of course, it's all voluntary. I won't force anyone who doesn't want to. Also, whether it's the three thousand catties of eels today or the eels that follow, you, the Party Secretary, have to find a way to transport them to the county town. From now on, my third brother and sister-in-law will only be responsible for weighing, calculating, and pricing; they won't be involved in anything else."

There are tractors in the village, so transportation is not a difficult task.

As for the collective loss of fuel costs, that's not his responsibility; he believes Shi Tiezhu can find a way to make up for it.

Hearing Zhang Beichuan's string of demands, Shi Tiezhu almost lost his composure.

But if they didn't agree, whether it was Shi Qiang, Shi Jun, or themselves, they would all be seen as sinners.

Shi Qiang didn't care about anything else at the moment; he just wanted to get rid of the eels as soon as possible.

At five cents a pound, you can still recoup more than 150 yuan of your investment. If you wait any longer, and Zhang Beichuan changes his mind again, you'll really lose everything.

"Second Uncle..."

Shi Tiezhu, caught in a dilemma, felt helpless and had no choice but to accept Shi Qiang's almost pleading tone.

"Okay, I agree. However, I can't guarantee whether everyone will agree; I can only try my best to tell everyone."

After saying that, Shi Tiezhu turned and walked out, his steps somewhat heavy.

Zhang Beichuan nodded with a smile. He believed that everyone could understand the situation and, through this incident, realize who they should listen to in Shihe Village if they wanted to make money!

To continue making money, you have to follow his rules.

The courtyard fell silent again. Lan Xiuying looked at Zhang Beichuan, opened her mouth, and finally asked a question.

"Xiao Chuan, although he was unkind first, won't this kind of differential treatment cause resentment among the villagers?"

Zhang Beichuan looked at the worry on her face, then glanced at Zhang Dequan, who was equally worried, and softened his tone.

"Sister-in-law, Third Brother, there are rules to doing business. If we don't establish those rules, we'll have even more trouble later. Let them learn a lesson this time; it'll be good for everyone. Besides, I haven't blocked all avenues. Those who are willing to follow the rules can still make money in the future."

Zhang Dequan thought about it and felt that it made sense, so he didn't say anything more.

The news caused an uproar in Shihe Village.

Those families who sold the eels to Shi Qiang for a mere two cents' difference are now filled with deep regret.

If the price is reduced by five cents per pound, a family of five will save two yuan and fifty cents a day.

Some people criticized Shi Qiang and Shi Jun for messing things up, causing everyone else to suffer as a result; some blamed themselves for being greedy, but very few people publicly complained about Zhang Beichuan.

After all, it was their own fault for not acting ethically, and Zhang Beichuan was already being very generous by not refusing to accept their eels outright.

At the same time, they also developed new opinions about Zhang Dequan and Lan Xiuying, and they all thought about how to curry favor with them.

We're trying to get the prices back to normal as soon as possible; every day we're delayed means a significant loss.

Those who didn't sell to Shi Qiang secretly rejoiced and felt a greater sense of awe towards Zhang Beichuan.

This young man is capable and resourceful; he's not someone to be trifled with.

With the help of the brigade's tractors, the efficiency of transporting eels increased dramatically.

In just one morning, Zhang Dequan had collected more than 5,000 jin of eels at home that morning and transported them all in two trips.

Zhang Dequan and Zhao Weidong jumped down from the truck bed and directed people to quickly move the eels into the yard.

"Third Brother, Captain Zhao, thank you for your hard work."

The two of them turned around at the same time and watched Zhang Beichuan walk in from outside.

"Youngest son, didn't you go to the city today?"

"There's no need to go every day." Zhang Beichuan smiled at Zhang Dequan, then saw Zhao Weidong politely offer him a cigarette, which he nodded and accepted. "How was it today?"

Zhao Weidong chuckled as he handed over a lighter, pointing to the cargo bed behind him.

"We harvested over 5600 jin (2,800 kg) this morning, and brought them all here."

Zhang Beichuan nodded slightly. The two thousand catties of eels that Lan Baohong and his brother brought last night have been taken back to Beichuan Aquatic Products and are being kept there temporarily.

These eels that were just delivered can be brought back to 2026 in batches.

"Is everyone alright, right?"

Zhao Weidong naturally understood what he was asking and explained with a smile.

"No... what emotions could there be? The Party Secretary made it clear to everyone last night that if you do something wrong, it's only right to accept the punishment."

"That's good." Zhang Beichuan smiled.

After finishing his cigarette, Zhao Weidong turned around and went to help the villagers unloading the truck.

Zhang Dequan, who was standing to the side, was smoking a cigarette, but his mind was on something else.

Based on the current catching speed and Zhang Beichuan's requirements, almost all the eels in the village that meet the criteria have been caught.

Everyone had already started running to the fields of the neighboring village to catch eels. In the morning, he heard from the team members that someone in the team almost got into a fight with people from the neighboring village last night.

"Youngest brother, are we always going to have these eels?"

"Yeah, I always do." Zhang Beichuan looked at him curiously. "What's wrong?"

Zhang Dequan explained his considerations and then added to them.

"I've been thinking, relying solely on our village isn't a solution. How about we get the villagers to go to other villages to collect the waste? No matter how much they offer, we'll only charge 2 cents per pound, what do you think?"

Zhang Beichuan thought for a moment. Anyway, the temperature would drop further as time went on, making it harder to catch eels. In addition, the village's supply was limited, so this method could solve the problem of a continuous supply.

"I think it's a good idea, let's do it this way!"

"Okay, I'll go back and talk to everyone."

More than half an hour later, the last truckload of eels was all put into the warehouse.

After seeing the group off, Zhang Beichuan locked the door from the inside, preparing to take the eels back to 2026 and bring over some televisions.

The news that Beichuan Department Store was selling used televisions quickly spread like wildfire throughout the county, with many people coming to the store every day to inquire about them.

Yesterday afternoon, all four televisions were snapped up, and some people even paid deposits in advance and started queuing up to order.

Just as he was preparing to return to 2026, someone knocked on the door outside the warehouse.

"Brother Xiao Chuan? Brother Xiao Chuan? Are you there?"

Zhang Beichuan opened the door from the inside, looked at Lan Baoqiang who was panting heavily, and asked curiously.

"What's wrong?"

"Great news!" Lan Baoqiang beamed. "The county police just came to the store looking for you. Brother Baoquan asked around and they said they wanted to give you an award!"

"Give me the award?" Zhang Beichuan pointed to himself.

Lan Baoqiang said cheerfully, "Hey, let's hurry up and go, they're waiting for us. You'll see when we get there."