Chapter 34 The Second Transaction

At noon, she asked for leave from Uncle Zhao, the head of the basket-weaving group: "I'm going to participate in militia training tomorrow, so I need to prepare this afternoon. I won't be here this afternoon. There are only a few baskets left. I'll take them home to weave and have my mother bring them back tomorrow."

"Okay. Take it back. I'll give you five work points."

"Thank you, sir!"

Uncle Zhao waved his hand: "It's no big deal."

Zhang Ruifeng had woven most of the basket, and she would come again in the afternoon, so she didn't need to take it home.

Back home, Zhang Ruifeng fed the pigs and cooked, while Xie Yun continued to weave baskets. By the time it was time for lunch, she was almost done.

Zhang Ruifeng smiled and said, "You're getting faster and faster."

"Practice makes perfect. This is my third year. I'll finish this last bit when I come back this afternoon."

"Think about what else you need and buy some at the supply and marketing cooperative this afternoon. Bring it with you to training tomorrow."

Xie Yun thought for a moment and said, "I don't think you'll need anything. I'll just bring my bedding, a change of clothes, socks, a toothbrush, and a cup. I can just put some tooth powder in a small paper bag and take it with me. You don't need to buy new ones. And a washbasin."

Xie Shen asked her, "Sister, can you touch a gun now? We use wooden sticks for bayonet training in school. I've never touched a real gun before."

Xie Yun smiled and said, "There should be. It seems that I still need to practice disassembling and assembling. I'll tell you when I come back. When I'm not at home, you have to stay at home and take good care of our mother. Don't run around and be safe."

"Got it, sister. I promise to complete the task."

After lunch, Xie Yun put on his basket and went out again.

When she was almost at the commune, she added 20 kilograms of wheat, 10 kilograms of millet, and 50 eggs into the basket, plus the weight of the honeycomb, the basket, and the bucket containing the honeycomb, which added up to nearly 60 kilograms.

She walked to the medicine counter and said with a smile, "Old comrade, I'm here again."

"What medicinal herbs are you using today?"

"I don't know this, I'm asking if this is a medicinal herb and whether you would accept it."

She turned her back to the counter and placed the bottom of the basket on the counter before unloading it. She stretched out her arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead and smiled, "Take a look."

When the old man opened the lid and took a look, his eyes immediately lit up.

"Comrade, this isn't a medicinal herb, it's just a tree root. I won't accept it. You can just take it home and use it as firewood."

As he spoke, he took out the price book, found the page for honey and honeycomb, pointed to the price, and whispered under the cover of the basket, "Carry it to my house and I'll give you an extra dollar."

Xie Yun was dejected. "Then I've made this trip for nothing. I'm exhausted. If you don't want to take it, forget it. I'll carry it back."

Xie Yun came happily and left with a downcast look on his face.

After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, I went straight to the old man's house, and it was the old lady who opened the door.

After entering the courtyard, locking the door, and walking inside, the old lady asked her in a low voice: "What is it this time?"

"Master asked me to bring it to you. Please take a look."

The old lady, like the old man, saw the honeycomb and her eyes lit up. This big one can last for a long time. Drinking a cup of it on an empty stomach every morning is good for your health.

"Wait me a moment."

The old lady took out a scale and placed the honeycomb in her metal bucket. Xie Yun's wooden bucket was too heavy to weigh, so the metal bucket was lighter. The total weight, including the bucket, was 7.8 jin (15.82 kg). "The purchase price for this is 3 yuan per jin. We'll definitely add 1 yuan for you when you send it to us, so it's 4 yuan per jin. 47 = 2848 = 32 yuan, a total of 31.2 yuan, so I'll give it to you as 32."

Xie Yun smiled and said, "Auntie, please remove the weight of the bucket."

"No need, it's all yours. You carried it all this way here, it's so heavy, you deserve it. Did you get stung going up the mountain to pick this?"

"I didn't get stung, but my brother did."

"You see, this is a dangerous job. Dangerous and hard work."

"Well, isn't this just poverty? If I had money like you, I wouldn't go."

"Don't refuse to go! To ensure safety, pick what you need to pick."

Xie Yun: “…”

The old lady counted out the eggs again. "At 4 cents each, there are 50 in total, so I'll give you 2 yuan. My family all have city household registration, so we have quotas for everything. The eggs we're allotted aren't enough to eat. We don't have it as good as you do."

"How can it be better? There's no food to feed the chickens. Our chickens don't like to lay eggs. They only lay one every two days. We have six chickens, and we only have this much eggs in a month."

The old lady chatted with Xie Yun incessantly, and weighed the wheat and millet, a total of 30 kilograms. "Each at 1.5 yuan, a total of 4.5 yuan. Add up to 38.5 yuan."

"Just give me 38."

The old lady went back into the house and took out a wad of money and gave it to Xie Yun. "Count it. Brothers should settle accounts clearly. If we want this business to last, we can't make any mistakes."

Who knows when these hard times will end? It would be best to have a stable supplier.

Xie Yun counted it and it was 38.5 yuan, just right.

She took out 50 cents and handed it to the old lady, "38 is 38, I don't want the 50 cents."

The old lady didn't argue with her anymore, "We have a long way to go."

Xie Yun said, "I have militia training tomorrow, so I won't be here for the time being. My next visit won't be until at least 15 days later."

"Okay, I get it. No wonder you sent so much this time. By the way, if you send me the wheat, will it be enough for your family to eat?"

"We rural people can eat anything, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn—anything can fill our stomachs. As long as we're full, we're happy; we don't demand quality. My father died young, and we owed the brigade money for his medical treatment. My mother feels the pressure, so she wants to pay it back quickly; she doesn't want to be in debt. Otherwise, I wouldn't be willing to sell the grain. Once we've sold all our grain, if you still need it, I'll find a way to get some for you from the commune members."

"Then tell me how much you charge per pound, and I'll give you two cents on top of that."

The old lady clapped her hands and said, "I should give you a two-cent bonus on top of the market price. You saved your own food to give to us."

Xie Yun smiled and said, "Forget it this time. You charged me too much for the beehive. In the end, I'm the one who got the better deal."

The old lady said, "You can't calculate it that way. Honeycombs and honey are rare things. You took great pains to get them, so you deserve a high price. Don't worry, we'll talk about it next time you come."

"Okay, I'll be leaving now. I have to go home and prepare things for tomorrow."

"Okay, then I won't keep you."

———☆———

As soon as Xie Yun left, the old lady happily went to the backyard again.