Siheyuan: Buyers get rich from hunting

After Liu Pingan made his decision, he took Chang Yan to the supply and marketing cooperative. In the supply and marketing cooperative, an old telephone was quietly hanging on the wall, and a dozing staff member was sitting next to it. Liu Pingan gently knocked on the counter, woke up the staff member, and explained his purpose.

"Let's make a call, long distance or local?"

The staff member opened his sleepy eyes, glanced at them, and lazily pointed at the phone, indicating that they could use it.

Liu Pingan took out some money from his pocket and put it on the counter, and replied, "Long distance, thank you."

The staff member took the coin and skillfully put it into the coin box nearby, then stepped aside to make room for Liu Ping'an.

Liu Ping'an asked Chang Yan to make the call because he really couldn't remember the number!

The call needs to be transferred at this time, and if he wants to call, he can only call the guesthouse, but he can't remember the number.

Chang Yan took over the task from Liu Ping'an. Although he was a little surprised, he quickly retrieved the phone number of the section chief's office from his memory. He dialed the number skillfully, his fingers gently resting on the receiver, waiting for the other end to answer the call. The entire supply and marketing cooperative was silent, so silent that one could hear the slight sound of electricity coming from the telephone line.

"Hello, this is the guesthouse. Who are you looking for?" The voice of the guesthouse operator came from the other end of the phone, clear and professional.

Chang Yan took a deep breath and tried to make his voice sound calm and confident: "Hello, please transfer me to Section Chief Chen from the Sijiucheng Steel Rolling Mill. Thank you."

The operator seemed accustomed to such requests. He did not ask any further questions, but simply responded and quickly completed the transfer.

There was a slight beep on the other end of the line, and Chang Yan felt that the short wait was particularly long. Finally, Chief Chen's voice came over: "Hello, who is this?"

Chang Yan immediately replied: "Chief, I'm Chang Yan. I'm at the county market with Liu Ping'an. We just want to learn from you about the progress of our negotiations and when we can return."

He spoke clearly and concisely, conveying his intentions as quickly as possible.

The section chief was obviously not surprised by their call. After briefly asking about their current situation, he informed them that the negotiations were going well but that some time would be needed to complete the follow-up work.

"Don't worry, the day after tomorrow at the latest. I'll let you know the time of your return trip when you come to the county town the day after tomorrow." Section Chief Chen pondered over the phone, then said, "By the way, is Ping An with you?"

Hearing this, Liu Pingan quickly leaned over to the phone, his face showing a nervous and expectant expression. He took the receiver from Chang Yan, as if he had taken on a heavy responsibility, and said carefully: "Chief, it's me, Liu Pingan."

On the other end of the line, Chief Chen's voice came through the electricity, with a bit of warmth and care: "Ping An, you've worked hard. I know long-distance calls are not cheap, but some things can be explained over the phone to save you from worrying. It will take some time to wrap up the negotiations, but don't worry, everything is under control."

Liu Pingan nodded quickly. Although the other party couldn't see him, he still habitually expressed his understanding and support: "Chief, don't worry, we understand. Everything is fine here, but everyone is a little eager to go home. After all, there are still jobs waiting for them at home."

Section Chief Chen smiled, his voice full of openness: "I understand, I understand. How about this, you stay in the county for two more days, and come to the provincial capital the day after tomorrow morning. Then we can take the train back together, which can save some money. What do you think?"

Liu Pingan felt warm at the words. He knew that the section chief was thinking about them and trying to lighten their burden as much as possible. He quickly replied gratefully, "That's great, section chief, thank you! We will definitely gather in the provincial capital on time."

After finishing the call, Li Yuan walked out of the room. Liu Ping'an told him what happened, and Li Yuan smiled and said, "This is a good thing! It would be better if you can go home soon."

Liu Pingan nodded in agreement, looked at his watch, and said to the others, "Well, in that case, let's go now. Before we leave, let's taste the delicious food of the Northeast and see if there is anything worth trying here. Today, I will treat you."

Hearing the news, everyone else was very excited and they happily followed Liu Ping'an out of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Fortunately, not far from the quilt factory, there is a shop called "Northeast Shabu-Shabu" which looks very unique.

Liu Ping'an led everyone into the store. As soon as they entered the store, a rich aroma of mutton hit them in the face, making them salivate.

The decoration style of the store is simple and warm. Several wooden tables are filled with customers, some of whom are talking in low voices, while others are concentrating on enjoying the food. The whole atmosphere is very harmonious.

Liu Ping'an walked into the hot pot restaurant, his eyes swept through the restaurant, and finally stopped at a seat by the window. He walked there quickly, sat down, raised his hand to call the waiter, and started to order food.

"Hello, how many people are dining here?" the waiter asked enthusiastically.

Liu Pingan smiled and said, "Six of you. We want to try your mutton hotpot today. Please recommend it to me."

The waiter nodded, handed over the menu and introduced: "The mutton in our restaurant is directly shipped from a nearby farm, so it is very fresh. If you like spicy food, you can try our spicy hot pot; if you don't like it too spicy, the clear soup pot is also a good choice."

Liu Ping'an flipped through the menu, his eyes flashing with excitement. He skillfully ordered a few plates of fresh lamb slices, as well as some seasonal vegetables such as cabbage, spinach and enoki mushrooms. Then, he deliberately added a few special dipping sauces and said, "These are all specialties of our Northeast, you must try them."

The waiter smiled and wrote down the order, then asked if he wanted any other drinks or snacks. Liu Pingan shook his head, indicating that he didn't need any for the time being.

Not long after, the waiter brought a large plate of fresh lamb slices and various side dishes. Liu Ping'an's eyes lit up when he saw the lamb slices, and he couldn't help but praise: "This lamb looks so fresh!"

Others nodded in agreement, eager to pick up their chopsticks and taste the sumptuous shabu-shabu mutton feast.

Liu Ping'an gently put a piece of mutton slice as thin as a cicada's wing into the boiling pot, waited for a moment, quickly took it out, dipped it in a special sauce, and put it into his mouth.

"Wow, it's so delicious!" He closed his eyes, enjoying the tender taste of the mutton, with a satisfied smile on his face. Seeing this, others followed Liu Ping'an's actions and tasted the delicious mutton hotpot.

For a moment, the hot pot restaurant was filled with rich aroma, and the laughter of the crowd could be heard one after another.