My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 42: Baby Formula Again

“Mr. Xu, I’m not sure what you mean by calling me,” Xu Dong got straight to the point without beating around the bush: “I’d like to sell this batch of electric fans. I was wondering if you’d be interested in buying them back, Mr. Wang?” “I’d love to—of course I would!” Mr. Wang quickly expressed his interest; given the current red-hot market conditions, he could turn a profit even if he had to pay a premium to buy them back. “Great. Since I want to sell and you want to buy, why don’t we set up a meeting to discuss the details?” Xu Dong suggested. “Sure, I’m available anytime.” Considering he had to work tomorrow during the day, Xu Dong said: “Let’s make it 7:00 p. m. tomorrow. You can come to my place, or I can come to yours—whichever you prefer.” “I’ll come over myself!” Mr. Wang replied immediately. He actually had his own agenda—he wanted to take the opportunity to inspect the batch of electric fans himself, just to make sure he wasn’t being scammed. “It’s settled, then. Seven o’clock is right around our dinner time—we can chat over dinner. I’ll text you the address in a bit.” “Okay, see you tomorrow night.” After hanging up, Xu Dong gave his mom a thumbs-up and told her about the meeting, asking her to cook a few extra dishes for the occasion. Early the next morning, as usual, Xu Dong drove the Mercedes-Benz to take the Ke Ke sisters to school, then headed to work on his way. For this year’s May Day holiday, since the reconstruction work was far from over, the government had only granted a symbolic one-day holiday. Besides, with supplies in short supply and people across the country in a state of panic, no one was in the mood to go on vacation anyway. When they arrived at the Company’s Beimen gate, as soon as Xiao Wang spotted the boss’s Mercedes-Benz, he immediately opened the sliding gate, and Xiao Cheng, who was standing guard, saluted Xu Dong. Xu Dong rolled down the window and nodded at the three of them. They drove to the parking lot, parked the car, covered the Mercedes-Benz with a car cover, then headed to the office to clock in. After that, he brewed a cup of green tea and chatted with his coworkers about the latest gossip. As 9:00 approached, he changed into his security uniform and headed to the west gate. After spending more than half a month there, Xu Dong had fully integrated into the Power Company and grown accustomed to the routine of clocking in and out on time every day. “Good morning, Brother Xu!” “Good morning…” After exchanging greetings, as was customary, Xu Dong handed out a cigarette to each of his three subordinates—a little perk of the guardhouse, so to speak! After briefly assigning tasks, Xu Dong leaned back in his chair and started reading—not a physical book, but an online novel from a certain platform that Xiao Huang had specifically recommended to him. Xu Dong was instantly hooked—it was the perfect way to kill time, much better than playing video games, since games tend to lose their appeal after a while. Just as he was really getting into it, Xiao Huang suddenly leaned in and said: “Brother Xu, I’d like to take two days off.” Xu Dong put away his phone, looked up, and asked with concern, “Are you feeling unwell?” “No.” Xiao Huang shook his head and quickly explained, “The police station near my house is hiring auxiliary police officers. I signed up earlier, and I have the written exam tomorrow.” As the drought persisted and to address the increasingly severe public security situation, major cities across the country were urgently expanding their police forces, and auxiliary police officers served as a valuable supplement. “That’s great news. Go take the exam without any worries—I’ve approved your leave,” Xu Dong said with a smile. “Thanks, Brother Xu!” “What’s there to thank me for? Do your best on the exam. I’ll be waiting for your good news,” Xu Dong encouraged him. Huang gave a wry smile: “I hope so, but with my health, I’m afraid I might not pass the physical exam.” “Huang Yan, you’d better see if you can pull some strings at home—it shouldn’t be a big problem,” Xiao Wang suggested from the side, having had similar experiences himself. Xiao Huang nodded: “My mom said the same thing. My uncle happens to work at a hospital, but I’m not sure if it’ll actually work out.” “Why worry so much? Just focus on passing the written exam first,” Xu Dong said quickly, trying to reassure him so he wouldn’t overthink it. Xiao Wang chimed in, “The recruitment process for auxiliary police isn’t that strict—you’ll definitely make it.” Xiao Huang regained a bit of confidence and nodded solemnly. The morning flew by, and before long it was lunchtime again. Xu Dong walked into the cafeteria with his hands behind his back. Compared to half a month ago, the quality of the food in the cafeteria had dropped significantly. There used to be seven or eight meat dishes, but now there were only five left. In a little while, even these five meat dishes probably won’t be available anymore. By then, we’ll just eat whatever’s there, and no one will have to worry about choosing dishes anymore. “Brother Xu, over here!” Xu Dong looked closely and saw that it was Xiang Xin waving at him; sitting at the same table were two other female coworkers. Although reluctant, Xu Dong steeled himself and walked over—this might just be another hassle. As soon as Xiang Xin saw Xu Dong’s plate, she asked in surprise, “Brother Xu, we finally have meat today—why didn’t you get some shredded pork with green peppers?” As the saying goes, rarity makes things valuable—and right now, pork is much more expensive than seafood. “I hate green peppers.” Xu Dong made up an excuse on the spot; the real reason was that his family never lacked pork—cured pork and ham were on the table almost every meal. Seafood, on the other hand, was hard to come by; they hadn’t had any at home for over a week, and the twins had been clamoring for prawns for ages. “That’s such a shame,” Xiang Xin said, then immediately picked up a small strip of pork and placed it on Xu Dong’s plate. “Here, try it!” A red flag went off in Xu Dong’s mind—this unexpected kindness meant his three female coworkers must have something important to ask of him. “Try some of mine, too.” “I’ll pick out a bigger piece of meat for you.” Xu Dong quickly covered his plate, his mouth twitching uncontrollably as he said with a grimace, “I’ve told you so many times—we’re really out of snacks at home. Please stop thinking about it.” Gao Yuemei was the oldest of the three female coworkers; she was 52 this year and would be retiring in three years. In terms of seniority, she was second only to Section Chief Li in the department. She shook her head and said: “It’s not about snacks. This time, I have a favor to ask of you.” Seeing the serious tone in her voice, Xu Dong realized this must be a serious matter and immediately adopted a respectful attitude: “Sister Gao, just tell me what’s on your mind. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll definitely do it.” “It’s not urgent. Let’s have lunch first, and we’ll talk after we’re done,” Gao Yuemei said politely. “Sounds good!” Xu Dong deliberately ate faster, and in less than ten minutes, the food was all gone. After returning his plate, he casually grabbed a slice of watermelon. “Sister Gao, can you tell me now?” Gao Yuemei nodded and said, “Xu, I know you’re capable. Could you help me get a can of formula?” In truth, Gao Yuemei was just grasping at straws. Among everyone she knew, Xu Dong was the only one who was truly wealthy, and wealthy people certainly had broader connections than ordinary folks. Xu Dong was getting a little frustrated. Why was it always about formula? He hadn’t even mentioned the triplets at Company—at most, he’d just brought them up in passing. This is crazy! “Well…” Xu Dong stammered, “I can only say I’ll ask around to see if there’s any available, but I can’t guarantee anything.” He certainly couldn’t refuse outright—that would make him seem insincere and risk offending her. As for whether he’d actually help, he’d figure that out later. Xiang Xin immediately chimed in, “Brother Xu, if you can help Sister Gao, please do. Her grandson just weaned—he cries all day and won’t eat properly. Sister Gao is at her wits’ end.” “Oh, Xiao Xu, Sister Gao just needs one can of formula to get through this month. You really have to help her—the price isn’t an issue; she’s willing to pay whatever it costs,” Gao Yuemei pleaded.