Jiang Ruyu deftly packed him a pound of fruit candy, half a pound of milk candy, and a pound of sponge cake: "Half a pound of fruit candy is 50 cents, you need a candy coupon. White Rabbit milk candy is 2.5 yuan a pound, half a pound is 1.25 yuan, you need a candy coupon too. A pound of sponge cake is 12 cents, you need a pastry coupon. The total is 1.87 yuan, a pastry coupon for one pound, and a candy coupon for one pound."
Zheng Yang took out his wallet and pulled out the bills. Jiang Ruyu took them and counted them: "Exactly."
"You silly girl, you still don't believe me?" Zheng Yang said with a smile as he took the brown paper bag.
"It's not that I don't trust you, but isn't it better to count the money in person?" Jiang Ruyu clipped the money and the sales slips to a wooden clip hanging on a wire and threw it forcefully to a workstation in the corner. That was where her colleague, who was in charge of collecting receipts and slips, worked. She was in the accounting department and had to make a daily record of the products shipped out.
"Alright, I'm leaving now. You go ahead with your work." Zheng Yang waved and left.
Once Zheng Yang was out of sight, Master Zhang started gossiping with Jiang Ruyu: "This comrade is not bad. He doesn't care about saving face or acting big. He has his own opinions and is generous. I think he's good."
Jiang Ruyu glanced at Uncle Zhang and said with a big laugh, "You think so highly of him? He's quite capable. He was selected for the army but didn't go, and everyone in our compound felt sorry for him. But in less than two months, he passed the exam for our city's transportation team. Now he can not only drive long distances, but he can also repair cars without any problem. My grandma said that if the college entrance examination hadn't stopped, he would definitely have been able to get into Peking University."
"Wow, that's amazing! You're not young anymore, little girl. Has no one introduced you to anyone?" As they chatted, the lady at the fabric counter next door joined in the gossip.
“That’s right, Xiao Jiang, you’re eighteen this year, you can start thinking about marriage.” Tian Aihong quite liked this young girl who had only been there for a short time. She was pretty, perceptive, and had a decent job. She was a good candidate for a wife.
"Yes, Sister Guo, how about I introduce you to someone?" Guo Hongying also works at the fabric counter.
Jiang Ruyu didn't expect the topic to suddenly turn to her, and to be about blind dates. She blushed and said, "Oh dear, ladies, please stop teasing me. I just graduated and I'm still young. I don't have any plans to date right now."
"Hey, it's not like I'm asking you to get married right away. You can meet first and see how things go. If it's a good match, then you can start chatting."
Jiang Ruyu was a little annoyed, but she couldn't show it. After thinking for a moment, she explained her family situation: "My parents are gone, and I have two younger brothers who are still in school. My grandmother is old, and I'm the only one working. I have to wait until my brothers are a little older before I think about getting married."
As expected, Tian Aihong and Guo Hongying's expressions changed upon hearing this, and they forced a dry laugh: "In that case, there's no rush to get married, huh?"
Jiang Ruyu laughed and said, "Yes, but I still want to thank you both for thinking of me. Here, have a piece of candy to sweeten your mouth. I bought it myself."
"Oh, it's lobster pastry again! This is delicious."
The group chatted and laughed, quickly moving on from the topic. Soon it was the first day of the month, payday. Jiang Ruyu had worked for half a month. Her job paid 28 yuan a month, with wages increasing with seniority. Every month there were also various coupons, such as soap coupons, match coupons, five ounces of meat and oil coupons, two feet of cloth coupons, and other necessities. During holidays, there would be fruit and canned goods. Those with outstanding performance would also receive a bonus of coupons for "three turns and one sound" (a type of gift). In short, in those days, the welfare benefits of state-owned enterprises were very good.
After receiving her fourteen yuan salary and some miscellaneous receipts, Jiang Ruyu was taken to the defective goods warehouse by her colleague Zhao Sufang, with whom she had a good relationship.
Zhao Sufang is nineteen years old and has been working here for half a year. She has a carefree personality and gets along well with Jiang Ruyu. The two became familiar with each other in just a few days.
"Ruyu, hurry up! Every time we get paid, it's our chance to snag a bargain. The warehouse for defective goods is huge. We don't need receipts to buy things, and they're cheap. Let's go!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ruyu quickly followed suit. When they arrived at the warehouse, there were already more than a dozen people picking through the goods. The two girls exchanged a glance and joined the ranks of bargain hunters.
When Jiang Ruyu squeezed out of the warehouse, covered in sweat, she had a big smile on her face. In her hands were a towel blanket for spring and autumn, two pairs of white sneakers for her younger brother, and a white and blue floral short-sleeved shirt with buttons for her grandmother. None of them required coupons. The towel blanket cost five yuan, the two pairs of shoes cost two yuan and twenty cents, and the short-sleeved shirt cost one yuan and fifty cents. She spent eight yuan and seventy cents as soon as she received her salary, but she was still happy.
She took two large brown paper bags from the fabric counter, wrapped the items in them, tied them up, and just as it was time to leave work, she happily took the items and went home.
As soon as she entered the yard, a neighbor stopped her: "Oh, Ruyu, did you get paid? How much did all this cost?"
"Aunt Sun, this is a defective product. It'll be cheaper if you don't need the coupon," Jiang Ruyu said with a smile.
"Oh my, the benefits at your department store are really good. Um, could you buy one for me? My thermos broke a couple of days ago. It's been used for so long that even the outer plastic shell is worn out. I want to replace it, but I can't get a voucher for it right now."
Jiang Ruyu was a little embarrassed. According to company regulations, even if it is an internal benefit, employees cannot buy too much as if they are taking advantage of others: "Well, Aunt Sun, it is okay to bring a thermos, but it can only be one thermos. You can't have anything else. And don't tell anyone else, it will not have a good influence."
Seeing that Ruyu had agreed, Sun Cuihua wanted her to bring something else, but upon hearing Ruyu's words, she swallowed back what she was about to say: "Oh, just a thermos will do. Thank you so much, Ruyu. How much is it?"
"I didn't actually ask that. How about this, you can pay me after I buy it."
"Okay, thank you."
"You're too kind, Aunt Sun."
Old Mrs. Yang, who was standing next to the gatehouse, also came out: "Ruyu, could you help me get some defective cloth? My family's clothes are all worn out, and we don't have enough cloth coupons all year round."
“Okay, Grandma Yang, I’ll go to my workplace this afternoon.” It’s not about scarcity but about inequality. If you’ve agreed to one, you can’t go back on your word to another. They all live in the same courtyard and see each other all the time. It’s not an unreasonable thing, so Jiang Ruyu agreed.
When she got home, Grandma Jiang glanced at her sideways and said, "Oh, our husband is back. Look at all these bags and packages you've got. I should have gone to pick you up."
Jiang Ruyu quickly put down her things and coaxed the old lady, "Grandma, please don't tease me. This is the first time I've received my salary. Look, I even bought you a dress. It's so pretty."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com