Bai Fumei in the ’70s Chapter 37
Translated by Serena Love
Tang Qing happily accepted these pieces of "thank you" food. He unfolded a piece of oil paper to eat on the spot. It was dense and sweet, with a rich bean flavor.
"This is also delicious. I know it. You make treasures here."
After eating one piece, Tang Qing carefully put the remaining two pieces into his pocket. He asked expectantly, "Can I still come to eat tomorrow?"
Zhao Lanxiang, who received favor from him, responded without hesitation, "Okay."
Tomorrow she is not going to buy food and meat in the county, but there is still some flour left at home. There should be no problem with one more serving.
Sanya will also go to the ridges and creeks to catch fish, shrimp, and loach. In the past, when there was no oil in the house, Sanya didn't know the benefits of these things. But since Zhao Lanxiang made stewed loach soup, Sanya loves to move these things home, and used a water tank to keep it in her free time when she is not working. Sometimes she would lie down next to the water tank and look at these things with a smile, revealing her longing eyes.
After Zhao Lanxiang sent away Tang Qing, she went to the warehouse of the brigade and bought a few mangoes.
There are many hills here, abundant rain in the rainy season, plenty of sunshine, and although there is little arable land, it has a natural advantage in planting fruit trees. In addition to planting some grain, the commune brigade also planted several fruit trees on the top of the hill. The grain was harvested in the autumn harvest, and the green fruits were picked by the way and transported to the city by a car overnight.
She pressed the hard green mango, picked a few soft ones, and paid five cents.
Jiang Jianjun still likes to eat mangoes at this time, but he suffered a serious injury in 1979. After taking the medicine, his skin became allergic to the mangoes after healed. Since then, there has never been any shadow of mangoes at home. Once he accidentally ate a mango-flavored drink, his throat and esophagus were so swollen that he could not breathe, and he almost killed him. This fruit can be regarded as a nightmare shadow for him.
Because she was not sure whether Jiang Jianjun was really as she thought, she planned to test him through Jiang Li.
...
He Songbai went to the county town with Liang Tiezhu early in the morning.
Tiezhu went to deliver the goods, and he went inside to find another brother. He Songbai walked to a residential house and knocked on the door, and from inside a young boy appeared.
He saw He Songbai tentatively and said, "One two three four five."
He Songbai twisted his ears and said, "You still say one, two, three, four, five? Don't you recognize me?"
The simple boy scratched his head, smiled happily, and said in a low voice, "Uncle Bai, isn't being careful is what you taught me?"
"Are you here to find my father? He is busy collecting things behind, ready to go out to work."
He Songbai walked in, and the man inside said without turning his head, "I won't accept it today, go back."
The hidden cubicles in the house were full of things, scattered all over the floor, and there was almost nowhere to go. He Songbai knew that they would soon be delivered to customers and sold out soon.
He Songbai said, "I have something to do with you."
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The man who was sorting things froze for a moment, and he turned back in surprise, "Oh, how did you come to town?"
"I'm so busy that I can't entertain you well." Li Zhong rubbed his hands and said.
"The girl you introduced last time, the bean cake she brought was delicious. During this time, many customers asked and wanted to buy some more. You..." His eyes fell on the things on He Songbai's hand, and his eyes lit up.
He Songbai put the 20-pound kidney bean cake in front of Li Zhong and said lightly, "I'm giving it to you. I have something to do today. I am busy and I am not free. Can you find a way to buy a bicycle?"
Li Zhong thought for a while, patted his head, and said, "For these things, you can find me. Although I'm a food seller and I can't get a piece of a bicycle, but my uncle sells it. Unfortunately, my uncle just sold one yesterday and it was gone. This kind of goods is scarce, and only one bike was available."
He paused and added, "This kind of "big thing" has to pass my uncle's hand, it is too hot and easy to be checked."
The "uncle" in Li Zhong's mouth is his fourth uncle. The black market here in Qingmiao County is under the control of the Fourth Uncle. Li Zhong and his fourth uncle have a close relationship, so he even led him to find a way into the black market.
These days, bicycles can be described as "hard to find". The entire factory's productions are only limited to a few bicycles every year. People have to purchase it using industrial tickets, and afterward, you must first go to the police station to register it. It would be easy for the police to check who loses a bicycle. Only the fourth uncle can get a "license" for the bicycle, and only he can handle this kind of big business.
He Songbai remained silent, if Li Zhong said that there was no bicycle, then there was really no more.
Li Zhong paused and said, "Why? You, my brother want to buy a bicycle. Are you doing this because you figured it out?"
"If there are new items next time, I will keep them for you, but this thing is a little expensive. Is your money ready?" He held out three fingers, which means three hundred yuans.
If people honestly queuing up to buy bicycles with tickets, the price is about 150 or so. The price varies from brand to brand, and good brands are more expensive. The price on the black market is significantly higher, sometimes more than three or four times the price.
Li Zhong said, "Buy the "big golden deer", big golden deer is strong and easy to carry loads. It is not comparable to the famous brands like "phoenix" and "permanent", but to do our business, you must buy a strong and firm one. Yes, you are my own people. I'll keep the price down for you."
He Songbai suddenly felt that the golden leaves and golden beans in his arms are hot. A piece of gold leaves is 5 grams and a piece of golden beans is 8 grams. The price of gold was about 20 yuan per gram. He made a quick mental calculation. He thought it would not be a problem to buy a bike if the gold had been sold. But on the contrary... with what he has in his arms, he probably couldn't afford a bicycle.
He Songbai is very silent.
Li Zhong has many insights and bright eyes. He soon saw He Songbai's dilemma.
He said. "Looking at the relationship between you and me. My brother, I have to give you a cheaper price. The 300 yuan I just said is for selling outside, but I can get it for you for 200 yuan."
Li Zhong didn't say the complete truth.
In fact, the price of bicycles on the black market is definitely going to rise by 355. How can people save money for licensing bicycles? There are many favors and squeezing relationships required. Two hundred yuan is a price that even his own family can't get. Li Zhong planned to secretly subsidize fifty yuan to buy it and sell the bicycle to He Songbai for cheap. With their friendship and loyalty, fighting and drinking together at the beginning, how can he let his brother be in a state of despair?
He Songbai said, "You don't need to give me so cheaply. I know how much the bicycle is."
"You count it. How much for these bean cakes."
Li Zhong lifted it over the head and weighed it. While looking at the scale, he said. "Twenty-one pounds, if you count the extra ten or twenty grams, a total of twenty-five yuan and two cents. Let's say it's twenty-one pounds... For the food tickets, brother, you count it."
Li Zhong handed a stack of money and tickets.
He Songbai put it in his pocket and turned to leave the residence.
...
Tie Zhu quickly sold out his food and came to join He Songbai.
He lowered his voice, chattering, and whispered with He Songbai.
"Brother Bai, let's sells grain with me. We brothers will work together to get rich..."
He Songbai rode his bicycle through the county town with Tiezhu. After more than an hour, they went to a deep alley. He Songbai pushed open the door of a dilapidated old house and pushed Tiezhu into it.
"People here are all our own people, you go to the right. When you're too busy, you could just sell food to them."
Tie Zhu walked in and walked out in ten minutes.
With tears in his eyes, he said, "I... f*ck. The black market is so big and I haven't met them in these two years."
Liang Tiezhu wiped the corners of his eyes, and transparent tears soaked his sleeves.
"I saw Maodan's hand was broken, and the dog's left eyes were broken."
He was a grown-up man, but he cried uncontrollably in the alley.
"Everyone's life is not easy..."
The hard work made them unable to squeeze out even a little bit of time for reminiscence. Tiezhu choked back until his stomach was full, and walked out in a complex mood, without even showing his emotions.
"In the future, my grain will only be delivered here. How about you?"
He Songbai shakes his head.
He saw Liang Tiezhu's eyes sharpened like leopards in an instant, and explained, "I won't sell grain."
Liang Tiezhu asked in surprise, "Why not sell grain?"
In his cognition, apart from selling grain, scattered scums like them could do nothing else.
He lit a cigarette. The match lit the paper and make a small spark, which disappeared in a flash. His thin lips held the cigarette and said vaguely, "Raw meat."
"There is less supply of meat."
The long line in front of the store is enough to see the tight supply and demand in the meat market. Grain has to be eaten every day, but so is oil. It is tasteless to eat without oil. For people who do heavy physical labor, when their stomachs have not seen meat or oil, it is more difficult than working.
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Peanut oil is expensive and not cost-effective, so most people will buy fatty pork to squeeze out the oil. The oil residue after squeezing out the oil is also a delicious side dish. The monthly ration of urban residents of a few pounds is usually not enough.
This short sentence suddenly made Tie Zhu take a deep breath.
He said, "Brother, you really dare to think about this!"
"You haven't even sat on a bike, but you dare to think of a rocket?"
He Songbai's decision was met with fierce opposition by Liang Tiezhu.
"Let's not say whether it is tiring or not, I'll ask you if you can find the meat? This is the first time you enter the black market and you didn't know the rules, but you wanted to make a big one. I can't make you rich but it's won't be a problem to eat a full meal. You want to sell meat? How many lives do you have?"
Grain can be sold as soon as it is harvested, and the unsold can be stored in the cellar. But raw meat is not good. From raising pigs to slaughtering to storage, every step is stepping in the eye sockets of the police. Everyone is poor. Who can you sell it to if no one can afford it? The pigs slaughtered that day has to be sold on the same day, or they would rot if you have no ice storage.
He Songbai flicked the soot with his thumb and said lightly, "It's just life, why can't I dare to think about it?"
He went to sell the golden leaves in his pocket first. He picked up the remaining golden bean and looked at it, but finally, he didn't want to sell it. Under the beans, the word "Yuan Jing" was carved with a thin knife, which is the handwriting of his grandfather. Grandma hid it inside the brick of the house without allowing it to be buried deep underground, which means she also has a deep feeling for it.
He Songbai took the warm banknotes in his pocket and went to the store to buy the most expensive cigarette, and tucked three of them into his body and tightened them with his pants.
Then he took Liang Tiezhu to a farmhouse in the countryside.
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