He's taken a fancy to a girl from the countryside? He really doesn't know his place.

When Gu Cuicui got home, she didn't dare to shed tears in front of her older brother and the others. She just ate her meal with a unhappy expression, feeling that the food in front of her had no taste at all. She didn't dare to get angry like before, after all, she still owed them money.

Although my sister-in-law didn't say anything sarcastic to me like the other sisters-in-law, ever since I started working in the county town, the meals prepared for me every time I came home were the same as those prepared for the beginning of autumn and summer. She said that now that I had a job, I could eat better than them in the county town. She planned to save money so that she could support her two daughters' education and find jobs in the county town so that they could have access to government-subsidized food.

When the family originally divided the property, my parents lived with my eldest brother. Apart from sharing the grain, everything else, like money, was divided very carefully.

Previously, my mother was in charge of the family's meals, but ever since we borrowed money to buy her a job, my sister-in-law has taken over the kitchen and let Liqiu and Lixia do it. My mother has also started working. She doesn't earn much, but she gets four or five work points a day. My older brother didn't say it was not allowed, so it seems that they had already discussed it beforehand.

I currently earn 17.5 yuan a month. I pay back 10 yuan to my brothers, 2.5 yuan to each family, and give my parents 2 yuan each month. That leaves me with only 5.5 yuan – practically nothing. Even after I become a permanent employee, my monthly salary will be 24.5 yuan. I'll still have to pay back 16 yuan to my brothers, 4 yuan to each family, and give my parents 3 yuan, leaving me with only 5.5 yuan. When will this 560 yuan end?

If only I had known, I would have preferred to be a teacher in the commune. But being a teacher in the commune isn't easy; you have to pass an exam. And my grades aren't nearly as good as I always claimed.

Ever since I started high school, my grades have always been among the worst. How could I possibly find a job on my own? Besides, where can I find a job that's easier than working at the county supply and marketing cooperative, and one that's also quite sought after?

After a few busy days, tomorrow is August 1st. After work, I'll ask the team leader for a day off. I'll go to the commune tomorrow. I've only received my subsidy once since I came here, when Uncle Shen accompanied me to apply for the certificate, and the other time was on June 1st when I first arrived. I didn't receive it last month because it was too far to go. Besides, taking leave to go to the county town every month is a bit of a hassle, and people might even think about it.

Although my household registration is now in the production brigade, the higher-ups, to take care of me, still give me 27 jin of grain coupons every month, according to the city standard. However, I have to exchange them at the grain store, and they're all made up of wheat flour, which only accounts for 30%. I can keep receiving these grain coupons until I reach adulthood, that is, when I turn 18. That means I can receive 8.1 jin of wheat flour each month, with the rest being cornmeal or sweet potato flour, but in a certain proportion.

Not only grain coupons, but you can also receive the most basic coupons that city dwellers receive each month, such as 4 liang of oil coupons, 5 liang of meat coupons, 20 jin of coal coupons, 1 zhang and 2 chi of cloth coupons per year, sugar coupons, kerosene coupons, 1 jin of egg coupons, thread coupons, match coupons, soap coupons, salt coupons, cotton coupons, industrial coupons, etc. These are all coupons for the most basic necessities of life. There are no coupons for things like cigarettes or alcohol.

Don't underestimate these basic tickets; they're rare even in the countryside, and every single one is coveted. That's why I don't plan to go to the city every month. I'm practically one of the wealthier families in the village now, but luckily I'm strong, have the village head's family to look after me, and both my older brothers are in military uniforms. Most people wouldn't dare mess with me, and even if they did, they'd have to think twice, right?

Early that morning, after finishing breakfast, I carried a basket on my back and rode on an oxcart toward the county town. I wasn't the only one on the cart; there were other women from the village on it as well. However, they weren't going to the county town, but to the commune. The supply and marketing cooperative in the commune usually had basic necessities, but not other big items like watches.

The commune's supply and marketing cooperative also had the task of collecting eggs, charging two cents per egg. You could ask for money or exchange them for other things, such as matches, needles, or students' notebooks and pens.

In the countryside, life is tough for everyone. People are reluctant to eat eggs, which is why they say "chicken butt bank" is a common saying. Don't underestimate the value of the chicken butt bank. A chicken can lay 250-280 eggs a year. At 2 cents a year, that's 5-5.6 yuan a year. A family can raise two chickens now, which is about 10 yuan a year. That's almost enough for a family's expenses in the countryside for a year.

So, I plan to mainly raise chickens and sell eggs to make money in my online space. Selling grain in this small county is too risky. Even selling just a couple hundred pounds at a time will attract attention. Selling eggs will also attract attention, but I don't plan to come to the county town often. I'll only sell some when I come to collect my subsidies, and I don't need too many at once—just a couple hundred eggs will do. Any unsold eggs can be stored in my online space and sold elsewhere after the reform and opening up.

Besides, since the beginning of spring this year, I've sold most of the grains and other food in the space, leaving only a little for my own consumption. I plan to plant some grains in the empty space in the yard to eat in the future. In a few years, we won't be able to eat grains without pesticide residues anymore, so I don't plan to sell them.

As for what I can sell, it's just chickens, ducks, geese, and eggs. But right now, everyone likes to eat chicken eggs, and duck and goose eggs are priced the same as chicken eggs, so selling them would be a bit of a loss. It's better to raise chickens. There are currently 20 chickens in my space: 2 roosters and 18 hens that lay eggs. From March until now, the chickens alone have laid 1260 eggs. After deducting what I eat myself, it's not much—I keep one egg a day. Plus, with my third brother and his family visiting a few days ago, I still have 1130 eggs. It doesn't seem like much, but if I sold them on the black market, I could make a decent profit.

I arrived in the county town just after nine o'clock. Instead of rushing to collect my subsidy, I went to the post office first and mailed a letter and a package to my older brother and Sister Nan. The package was full of dried peaches, and the letter detailed everything that had happened since I came to the countryside—big and small things. I knew they would worry if I told them the truth, and besides, nothing major had happened since I arrived.

After mailing the letters and packages, I left some vegetables for Uncle Ma and then went to collect my subsidy. After collecting the subsidy, I went to the grain store to exchange it.