Male Lead's Canon Fodder Wife-Chapter 1388: Secret Meeting ( 3 )

The mindset of soldiers differed from that of politicians. What seemed impossible to him might not be the case for Pan Chiyan.

Pan Chiyan thought for a long while before he said, "It's not impossible, but I need to consult the leaders first."

"Cousin, if the leaders agree to the deal, then please prepare a written agreement with the official seal. Otherwise, the supplier won't sell even a single grain to us," Houzi reminded him.

This time, Pan Chiyan was stunned. He had planned to solve the crisis first and then deal with the black market later. He hadn't expected the supplier to demand a formal agreement.

With such a document, it would be difficult to take action against the supplier in the future. Once the agreement was revealed, it could undermine the laws and principles they were trying to uphold.

After thinking for a moment, Pan Chiyan asked, "Cousin, is it possible for us to get the grains first?"

Houzi, fully aware of how cunning politicians could be, shook his head. He looked at his cousin and said, "Cousin, without the agreement, there will be no grain."

Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, Pan Chiyan nodded and said, "I understand. I will give you an answer by noon at the latest."

After saying this, he finished his tea and left with Xie Xuanzi.

When they returned to the state-owned inn, Pan Chiyan made a phone call to his leader. After a moment, the call connected, and he said, "Sir, it's me, Pan Chiyan."

Hearing this, the mayor asked, "Chiyan, how is it? Can you get the grain?"

"Sir, we can get 100 tons of grain, but they are demanding a written agreement stating that we won't interfere with the grain business in the capital. They also want us to pay a delivery fee, as they will only use their own people to transport the grain," Pan Chiyan replied.

After he said this, he heard soft murmuring from the other side. It seemed the leaders were in a meeting and had been waiting for his update.

A few minutes later, the mayor said, "Chiyan, you can agree to their request. Send the grain over as soon as possible. Once we receive it, we will send the written agreement."

Pan Chiyan had already guessed this and said, "Sir, the supplier made it clear—no written agreement, no deal. They want the agreement stamped with the official seal."

As soon as he said this, the mayor responded with a hint of anger, "Such arrogance! These people know they are violating the law and still dare to make so many demands!"

"Sir, it's actually not a bad thing to let them sell the grain," Pan Chiyan said cautiously.

"Chiyan, what do you mean by that?" the mayor asked.

Pan Chiyan paused for a moment before explaining, "Although 100 tons sounds like a lot, it's barely enough for internal distribution. If the commoners can obtain grain from another source, it will ease the burden on the state-owned grain and supply store."

"As long as the commoners get the grain, they will settle down, and we can contain the potential riots. Even though this method bends the law, we have no other viable options at the moment."

"Even if we increase patrols and take down the middlemen, others will simply replace them. Rather than letting random criminals run the black market, it's better to let our own people manage it."

After he finished speaking, the mayor asked, "Chiyan, are you saying the person you met is one of ours?"

"Sir, the middleman I met is indeed one of our own. He is one of our undercover agents, and he helped us find the supplier. It's just that we can't contact the supplier directly—we have to go through him," Pan Chiyan confirmed.

When the mayor heard this, another round of murmuring came from the other end of the call.

Five minutes later, the mayor finally said, "Alright, we will proceed as you suggest. The written agreement will be sent to you as soon as possible."

"Chiyan, make sure there are no mishaps in this matter. Otherwise, you will be held responsible," the mayor added solemnly.

"Understood."

After ending the call, he went to find his cousin. This time, Xie Xuanzi didn't say a word and followed him with a dark expression.

Seeing this, Pan Chiyan sighed and said, "Captain Xie, sometimes we can't deal with things in black and white. A lot has to be done in the grey area. Being too rigid isn't a good trait when you are involved in politics."

Although Xie Xuanzi understood the reasoning, he still couldn't accept that they had to concede to a black market criminal.

Noticing his stubbornness, Pan Chiyan didn't try to explain further. It was normal for them to have different perspectives because of their jobs and beliefs.

For him, as long as the crisis could be resolved and the commoners had a chance to survive, he wouldn't mind working with anyone—let alone a businessman.

When they returned, Houzi asked, "Cousin, have the leaders made up their minds?"

Pan Chiyan nodded and said, "The written agreement will be sent over as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can inform the supplier and let them prepare the grain."

Houzi nodded, handed him the price list, and asked, "Cousin, which grade of grain do you want to buy?"

Pan Chiyan looked at the price list and said, "We have limited funds, so we will get the cheapest."

Hearing this, Houzi nodded and calculated the price for them, "One kilogram of the cheapest rice costs two yuan and thirty cents. One hundred tons of rice is 230,000 yuan. The 5% discount is 11,500 yuan. The delivery fee costs 8,500 yuan. So, the total you have to pay is 227,000 yuan."

When he was done calculating, he looked at his cousin and asked with a smile, "Cousin, do you want to pay now or tomorrow?"