Chapter 102
Words:2898Update:22/06/17 18:33:33
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The dim light from the kerosene lamp shone on her clean face. She looked at the money and pursed her lips. This family was too poor, too poor.
So poor that it was beyond Zhao Lanxiang's imagination. How could a person who couldn't even eat three meals be happy? Zhao Lanxiang felt that she should start doing something to improve this family's poor situation.
He Sanya and his grandmother were lying on the bed. She licked her lips happily and contentedly.
"Granny, have you eaten meat?"
The old woman held her granddaughter in her arms.
Her withered hand patted her back gently.
"Yes, I have."
That soft and tender pig trotter that had been stewed.
The beautiful taste reminded the old woman of the He family before its decline. At that time, there were many servants and maids at home. There was an endless supply of good food and good meat. There was also an endless supply of silk and satin … Accompanied by these beautiful memories, the old woman sank into a sweet dream.
…
Zhao Lanxiang was sent to fertilize the corn field early in the morning.
She carried the ashes from the stove and waited for the members to dig a small hole. Then, she shoveled a handful of ashes into the hole.
At this time, the corn had already sprouted buds that were as tall as a person.
The lack of fertilizer was very serious. Zhao Lanxiang was not afraid of dirt or tiredness.
What she was most afraid of was the furry insects hidden under the corn leaves. She turned around every three steps and could see the wriggling insects in her field of vision. This kind of sour taste.
It was more torturous than having blood blisters on her hands and feet.
At this time, she took out a caterpillar that had crawled over from her sleeve.
Her whole body shivered.
"Sister Zhao!"
He Sanya crawled over from the green corn stalks.
With two sticks in hand, he quickly caught the insect in Zhao Lanxiang's hand and put it into her bamboo tube.
Zhao Lanxiang wiped the cold sweat off her forehead. "Why are you here?"
She touched He Sanya's sweaty head.
The little girl obediently handed over the bamboo tube in her hand.
There was a pile of wriggling insects in the fat bamboo tube.
Zhao Lanxiang looked over and goosebumps appeared all over his body.
He Sanya said in a small voice, "I'll catch worms and feed them to the chickens."
His eyes were black and white.
She opened the lid and glanced at the worms in the tube. She would be able to catch enough worms for the day after a while.
When Zhao Lanxiang found out that He Sanya was the one who fed the chickens at home, he admired her even more.
He Sanya had started feeding the chickens that his Sister He brought back from the town when they were still small and fluffy. She loved the chickens so much that she would run to the chicken coop every day and take turns to hold them. Every chicken's feathers were shiny from being fed worms by her.
Every day, Sister He would pick up two or three eggs. They were round and plump. Every now and then, she would crack one and make a bowl of egg custard to nourish her grandmother. She would save the rest of the eggs. Once she had saved a certain amount, she would let her younger brother take them to the supply and demand cooperative to exchange for money.
To this poor family, the hens were no different from a gold mine. The money they could exchange for eggs was a very important source of income. If it wasn't for the fact that each family could only keep three chickens at most, the three hardworking siblings would have raised at least ten to twenty chickens at one go.
He Sanya licked his lips and said, "Big Brother is going to town to exchange for eggs today."
Zhao Lanxiang said, "Really? I have something to do in town too. "
She finished her morning chores and asked for leave. The brigade leader, Li Dali, turned a blind eye and gave Zhao Lanxiang's job to Zhou Jiazhen. After all, if he didn't do any work, he wouldn't get any money.
Zhao Lanxiang didn't know if she would be able to meet He Songbai. However, when she returned to the He family, Sister He said that he had already left.
Zhao Lanxiang took out a banknote from her bag and carried a basket out of the door. This time, she didn't ask Zhou Jiazhen to go to town because she had something important to do.
She walked into town and paid attention to the black market. She bought some fresh bayberries from a roadside stall and discreetly asked where she could buy food.
The honest farmer's eyes immediately became alert and he quickly waved his hand, "Comrade, how would I know if you ask me!"
"My sister-in-law just gave birth to a baby. She needs a lot of milk. My parents want to give her something good to eat." Zhao Lanxiang said.
The farmer took off his hat and carefully looked at Zhao Lanxiang.
This girl was dressed very prettily. She wore a checkered shirt with two braids hanging down. She wore a pair of black leather shoes on her feet. She spoke Mandarin with perfect pronunciation and her voice was soft and soft. She looked very scholarly.
Zhao Lanxiang took out some money and bought the rest of the bayberries. She said worriedly, "I can't buy eggs or meat. Let's buy more bayberries to increase her appetite … I can only spend some money to buy food. How much is a kilogram of food without coupons?"
The honest farmer's tight-lipped mouth was finally pried open, and he pointed her to an alley.
Zhao Lanxiang followed his instructions and found the black market in Qing Miao Town. This place was very mobile. Because they were afraid of being arrested by the police, they changed locations every once in a while. If it wasn't for Zhao Lanxiang's sharp eyes that smelled the scent of a drug dealer on the stall owner, she probably wouldn't have been able to find this place even if she searched the entire town.
She haggled until her mouth was dry. She spent five dollars to buy five pounds of meat coupons from a drug dealer. She also spent money to buy food and sugar coupons. She also bought many rare spices on the street of the black market.
The prices of goods in the 1970s were actually very cheap. The state fixed the prices and didn't dare to change the prices easily. You could buy a lot of things with ten dollars. Father Zhao's salary was so high that he still had more than fifty dollars left every month. It wasn't that he was stingy, but most of the things in the city required coupons. After using up all the coupons, he had too much money to spend and had to save it.
Zhao Lanxiang was relieved to have bought the meat and grain coupons at a low price. She took the coupons and walked resolutely to the grain and oil store. She planned to buy some pork trotters and meat back.
Before going to the grain and meat store, she passed by the supply and demand cooperative. Her sharp eyes noticed He Songbai's thin back.
"I can only give you this much." The salesperson of the supply and demand cooperative said with a look of disdain.
"Look at how big your eggs are. Do they deserve the price of fifty-five cents? For a small one like you, I'll charge you five cents. "
Zhao Lanxiang looked at the eggs He Songbai carried. They were round and plump. Even the chicken feces on them had been carefully wiped clean.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the salesperson was lying through his teeth. He was deliberately making things difficult because he didn't have a good background.
He Songbai was also used to this kind of cold treatment. He didn't even bat an eyelid. Selling eggs also depended on luck. When the salesperson was in a good mood, he would pay fifty-five cents per egg. When he was in a bad mood, the price would be lower.
He pushed the eggs forward and was about to open his mouth to agree. At this time, he was suddenly pulled back by someone …
Zhao Lanxiang smiled and said: "Big sister asked me to say a few words to you."
As she spoke, she took the basket of eggs from the counter and dragged the man out with her other hand by tugging at the corner of his shirt.
He Songbai wrinkled his thick eyebrows. His sharp eyebrows were inverted and the corners of his eyes had a kind of unreasonable indifference.
"What do you want to say? Say it quickly."
Zhao Lanxiang said: "I'll help you sell the eggs."
He Songbai looked like he was dealing with an unreasonable San Ya. He said fiercely: "Don't make trouble. Give me back the eggs."
He wanted to take back the basket of eggs from the woman's hands.
Unexpectedly, the woman lowered her head and hugged the eggs tightly in front of her chest. She didn't want to be entangled with him. She turned and walked away. As she walked, she scolded him: "That person's attitude wasn't good just now. You were quite pleasant to him. I didn't do anything to offend you, right? Why are you giving me such a bad face? "
"Wait and watch. Don't stop me."
Zhao Lanxiang brought the eggs to a street in the black market. She looked at the passersby.
A big sister looked at her eggs a few times. Zhao Lanxiang waved at her and the two of them walked to a hidden place.
Zhao Lanxiang said in a low voice: "Fresh farmhouse eggs. They are big and nutritious. Pregnant women and elderly people can come and take a look. The price is cheap and the price is fair."
Her voice was thin and clear. She used standard Mandarin. It was different from the rough and sloppy Master Dao. Her serious and clean appearance made people feel comfortable looking at her.
"How much is this?"
"Little girl, you only have so few eggs? Can't it be cheaper if you ask for more? "
Zhao Lanxiang nodded.
The big sister bought half a basket of eggs.
Zhao Lanxiang followed the same pattern. She would attract the customer who was eyeing her eggs.
Zhao Lanxiang used this kind of sneaky method and the basket of more than 30 eggs was quickly sold out. The quality of the He family's eggs was very good. It was easy to tell if they were good or bad once they were displayed.
In the end, she counted the money in her hands. She bought two cents more for each egg. 30 eggs were sold for a total of 1.71 yuan. She handed the money to He Songbai.
He Songbai watched her sell the eggs silently from the beginning until Zhao Lanxiang sold all the eggs. His dark eyes finally had a sense of relief.
"You, you …"
He Songbai's thin lips faintly lost color. It was as if he was getting to know Zhao Lanxiang all over again.
The fierceness in his eyes suddenly drooped. Then, he became even fiercer and more unreasonable. "You can't do this kind of thing in the future!"
He was completely considerate of her. The He family's boat was completely ruined. No matter how bad the situation was, it was their business. However, she was a knowledgeable youth with a bright future. She didn't lack money or food. It wasn't worth it for her to do … such terrible things for them.
Zhao Lanxiang smiled and said: "Why do you care?"
The woman's smiling eyes were bright and warm. They were as brilliant as the light that fell into his eyes. Her slender and exquisite body walked gracefully, and her entire body exuded confidence and certainty. She knew everything, and could use a bellyful of words to block all of his coarse and crude words.
She was eloquent and unreasonable.
He Songbai fell into a terrifying calmness. His tightly pursed thin lips became even paler.
Zhao Lanxiang didn't care at all. She said casually, "Let's go. I want to buy some meat."
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