"Here is three yuan, which is half a month's living expenses for the three of us. I basically go to work during the day, eat lunch in the cafeteria, and eat dinner when I come back. Whoever comes back first will prepare dinner, and then the three of us will eat together.
If you go to school, I'll make breakfast for you. You should also bring your lunch to school. If it gets cold, you can heat it up in the cafeteria." After lunch, Zhang Wenmin took out three red one-yuan bills. He carefully smoothed the slightly wrinkled notes and looked at his younger sister and older niece sitting at the table. They both looked like students, with a hint of childishness on their faces.
The shoe factory where Zhang Wenmin works provides a meal at noon every day, which consists of two taels of rice and four taels of vegetables. The workers at the shoe factory will never miss this meal.
"Third brother, you can go to work without worry. We will take good care of the family and ourselves." Zhang Qiurui spoke first and quickly took the money from Zhang Wenmin's hand. Zhang Wenmin pulled it again reluctantly, but Zhang Qiurui did not give him a chance to take it back.
Three dollars, but it was the capital she needed to start the trading supermarket, and she had to keep it in her own hands.
Originally, three dollars was not enough for the three of them to have food for half a month, but they brought a lot of rice, noodles, sweet potatoes and other food from home, so the three dollars were mainly used to buy some condiments, vegetables and other food.
"Be frugal with your money. I will take you to No. 1 Middle School to register and pay tuition tomorrow." Zhang Wenmin reminded again.
..........
"Mingqi, are you sleepy? You go to sleep first. I'll walk around and get to know the way." After lunch, Zhang Qiurui's third brother and Yu Yang also went to work. After she and Mingqi cleaned up the house, Zhang Qiurui saw Mingqi yawning, obviously wanting to sleep, and Zhang Qiurui's heart moved slightly.
"Aunt, I'll go with you." Zhang Mingqi said hurriedly without even thinking about sleeping when she heard it.
"You are sleepy, why are you going? Go to sleep first. I am your elder, so listen to me. I will just take a look around and won't go far." Seeing that Mingqi wanted to say something, Zhang Qiurui forcefully pressed Mingqi to sleep on the bed.
If Mingqi went out with her, how could she go to the black market and how could she get information?
Zhang Qiurui did not leave immediately. Instead, she waited until Mingqi fell asleep before she tiptoed out of the room, making sure not to disturb Mingqi's sleep.
She pondered her next plan. The black market, that world hidden behind the light, presented both a challenge and an opportunity to her.
She needed the information there, the clues that might change their current situation.
Zhang Qiurui walked towards the county commune with a purpose, to see what the commune was like in that era.
Walking on the road to the commune, she felt mixed emotions.
Later in life, she had seen descriptions of the commune in books and on the Internet, but those were all distant and abstract words. Now that she was about to see it with her own eyes, she couldn't help feeling a little nervous and curious.
The gate of the commune was not as majestic as she had imagined. Instead, it exuded an air of simplicity and rusticity.
There were people coming in and out of the door, some carrying large and small bags, some in groups of three or four.
Walking into the commune, Zhang Qiurui saw rows of glass cabinets filled with all kinds of things, including cigarettes, alcohol, various seasonings, food and other daily necessities. Looking at the familiar and simple things, the sense of time came to his face, which made Zhang Qiurui feel indescribable excitement.
Each of these items carries the unique memories and warmth of this era. They lie there quietly, as if telling stories of the past.
Zhang Qiurui couldn't help but slow down her pace, carefully looking at each item and checking the price of each item. Her eyes were filled with nostalgia for the past.
Walking through the bustling crowd, Zhang Qiurui came to a counter selling cloth.
The red and green fabric looks particularly dazzling in the sun and looks very old-fashioned, but it is the most fashionable style in this era.
After roughly understanding the prices of goods sold in the commune, Zhang Qiurui headed towards the black market.
After walking for more than a kilometer in the opposite direction of the commune, the number of alleys around suddenly increased. It looked complicated and like a maze. No wonder the black market was located here. Ordinary people who were not familiar with the terrain really couldn't find it. If law enforcement officers really came to arrest someone, it would be easy for them to run away because of the complexity of this place.
Zhang Qiurui's pace unconsciously slowed down, knowing that she was about to step into a world completely different from the commune - the black market. The transactions here often operate on the edge of the law, but they also thrive secretly because they can meet some special needs.
There was an indescribable scent in the air, a mixture of the smell of various goods and a hint of subtle tension.
The houses on both sides of the alley are low and dilapidated.
Zhang Qiurui carefully observed his surroundings, trying his best to make his steps appear natural and not attract attention.
She knew that in the black market, unnecessary curiosity could lead to unnecessary trouble.
Finally, she came to a seemingly inconspicuous alley where many people gathered, talking in low voices.
Or a person would carry a backpack tightly covered with a sack. If he met a passerby who was dressed a little elegantly, he would walk up to him and whisper a few words to him. Sometimes he would even lift up the sack to let people see the goods inside.
Zhang Qiurui moved closer, seemingly walking around casually, but in fact he was listening attentively, trying to capture useful information from their conversation.
Soon after, she heard the names and prices of the items she needed for this trip, and she couldn't help but feel happy.
This alley is not long, and maybe because it is noon, there are not many people. However, there are quite a few people selling things, including various vegetables, wild game hunted in the mountains, mountain products, pickled vegetables, eggs and other edible things.
The price is more than 50% higher than that sold in the commune, and the price of meat is even doubled.
Although the prices of things here are high, you don’t need tickets to buy them, which lowers the threshold and you can buy them as long as you have money.
After walking around, Zhang Qiurui saw that no one was selling rice, flour, sweet potatoes, potatoes and other daily staples. The absence of these daily staples made Zhang Qiurui feel a little confused.
Zhang Qiurui turned around slightly and understood that in this era, food was still a scarce commodity and the lifeblood of the common people. Even in such a relatively free black market, it was difficult to circulate in the market easily.
Moreover, Zhang Qiurui discovered that things that required tickets to be purchased in the outside world were not only not widely circulated in the black market, but were also relatively more expensive.
Zhang Qiurui seemed to have discovered an opportunity to make a fortune, with a gleam in his eyes.
She thought to herself, the prices of rice and flour in the trading supermarket are based on the current prices. If she buys them from the trading supermarket at a low price and sells them at a high price on the black market, wouldn't she be able to make a lot of money?
Of course, the risks involved should not be underestimated. Once discovered, the consequences will be disastrous. This kind of thing cannot be done for a long time, and you have to find regular customers.
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