Chapter 54: Pampering the Younger Generation [Update]

Yun Qiao asked the correspondent Lu Xun for an envelope, bought two stamps from him, and started writing a letter to Qin Lili as soon as he returned to the dormitory.

She had no relatives in Shanghai. If Qin Lili had not repeatedly told her before she left not to forget to write to her, she might not even know to whom to write a letter to let them know she was safe.

Yun Qiao wrote two pages, one for Qin Lili, and the other asking her to go to the Railway Bureau Primary School and give it to Su Hua, a student in Class 1, Grade 3.

Yun Qiao also stuffed a two-yuan banknote into the envelope and asked Qin Lili to give it to Su Hua along with the letter paper.

She thanks Su Hua for the scarf he gave her.

That scarf kept her warm all the way since she came to Northeast China, so she didn't want Su Huaqi to go hungry just to give her that scarf.

Su Hua is still too young. If you give her too much money, she won't be able to keep it. If you give her too little, she won't be able to spend it. The two are just beginning.

In that era, the purchasing power of two dollars was still sufficient, enough for her to eat lunch at a state-owned restaurant every day for half a month.

After sealing the package with wax, Yun Qiao carefully placed the stamp on the place where the stamps were pasted.

Cash isn't supposed to be sent by mail, but as long as you don't tell them otherwise, the postman won't deliberately open pre-sealed mail to check. Of course, this only applies to thin bills like one or two. If you send a whole bunch of them, they're thick enough that you can tell they're banknotes with a pinch, so it's unlikely they'd go unnoticed.

After writing the letter, Yun Qiao found the communicator Lu Xun at the brigade headquarters and handed the letter to him.

The director's office was also in the brigade headquarters. A considerable number of educated youth had come to collect their mobilization fees. Yun Qiao saw that they were queuing, and the line had already stretched from the house to outside the yard, so he did not go forward to join in the fun, but turned around and went to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Anyway, Instructor Zhao has already said with all his heart that I can keep accounts, so it doesn't matter whether I take the money or not. It can be used the same way if I deposit it in the supply and marketing cooperative.

The supply and marketing cooperative was built at the entrance to the company. As soon as you enter the company, you will see a room of the patrol team, followed by the supply and marketing cooperative.

Yun Qiao met the female educated youth who shared the same dormitory at the fork in the road in front of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Zheng Jing still felt a little awkward. She saw Yun Qiao deliberately turned his head away, but his eyes were still secretly paying attention to her, and he would steal a glance at her from time to time.

Qi Chunling waved to her enthusiastically: "Yun Qiao, we are going to Shuanglin Cave to buy boxes. Do you want to come with us?"

Yun Qiao shook his head: "I already have a box. You guys take it, I won't take it."

"Then we'll go first. See you later."

Qi Chunqi waved goodbye to her, and the others also waved to her.

Yun Qiao: "See you later."

The company's supply and marketing cooperative is not big, just two mud houses side by side. There are not many goods, and they are all placed on the shelves. There is not even a warehouse.

Yun Qiao first asked for a pair of thick cotton-rubber shoes.

Her cotton shoes were still her old ones. They were fine in Shanghai, where winters weren't particularly cold, but they were too thin for the Northeast. Right now, with temperatures only at -1 or -2 degrees Celsius, they were still quite warm. But in a few days, when temperatures dropped to 10 or 20 degrees Celsius below zero, they wouldn't be suitable. A gust of wind would freeze her feet through.

If Yun Qiao doesn't want to get frostbite, he has to equip himself with all the necessary winter equipment.

She also liked a fur hat, but when she asked about it, she found out it was a dog-skin hat. She couldn't get over it and didn't want it.

She also had her eye on an alarm clock; she didn't own a watch, and not knowing the time was inconvenient. But when she learned the price was fourteen yuan and that she needed two industrial coupons, she gave up.

It's too expensive and unnecessary.

But the kettle is a must.

There were too many new educated youth this time. Including the male educated youth and the eight female educated youth, there were more than 30 people in total. Adding the more than 30 old educated youth who were already in the educated youth dormitory, there were more than 70 people in total sharing one bathroom.

Normally there is enough hot water in the water room, but in the morning and evening when many people need water, there is always not enough hot water.

Except for the dozen or so people in the front who could get hot water, everyone else was forced to use cold water to brush their teeth, wash their faces and feet.

Yesterday, because she only had a little hot water, she used that little water to wash her face and feet. After barely finishing, she used the same water to wash her worn socks, and finally put on new socks and went into the room. As a result, she was misunderstood by Zheng Jing.

If Chen Fengxia had not been so kind as to share some hot water from her own kettle with her, she would have been forced by Zheng Jing to wash her feet with cold water to prove herself.

A thermos cost seven yuan, plus an industrial voucher. Yun Qiao didn't hesitate and took it directly.

She carried the industrial coupons with her, knowing that she would have to use them.

Yun Qiao handed the industrial voucher to the salesperson, who took it and was surprised: "Oh, it's issued by the army."

Yun Qiao hadn't looked carefully when he gave it to her, so he quickly apologized: "I'm sorry, I didn't notice and took the wrong one. Is it okay to use?"

"It's okay, they work just the same. Our Construction Corps and the military supply and marketing cooperative are all part of the same organization." The saleswoman put the industrial vouchers away and chatted with Yun Qiao, "Young comrade, is anyone in your family serving in the military?"

Yun Qiao: "Given by a relative."

This was something He Tingjun forced upon her a few days ago in Sanheying.

He Tingjun said that she had just arrived in the Great Northern Wilderness and must have needed to buy some things, which would require the use of industrial coupons. Fortunately, he had some extra, and if he didn't use them, they would expire.

Yun Qiao had originally wanted to ask her uncle to return the pocket money He Tingjun had given her, but her uncle refused, saying that since He Tingjun had given it to her, it was hers and she should just keep the money. Yun Qiao had no choice but to bite the bullet and return it herself.

Unexpectedly, instead of returning the pocket money, he forced a stack of industrial coupons into his pocket.

Yun Qiao counted them and found that there were more than ten of them, enough to buy a bicycle.

Yun Qiao was flattered and didn't know how to express it.

I can only say that 'Uncle He' is really generous when it comes to 'pampering the younger generation'.