Chapter 26 Selling Medicinal Herbs
The interpersonal relationships shown in this movie are really simple and positive.
Xie Yun enjoyed watching the whole process.
As soon as the movie ended, Xie Yun and the other two carried their stools and walked out, returning home with the group.
She asked Xie Shen, "Does it look good?"
Xie Shen shook his head. "It's not good. Not as good as Railway Guerrillas and Heroic Sons and Daughters."
Zhang Ruifeng said, "I think it's okay. We used to watch a lot of war movies, but it's nice to watch this occasionally. These young people are great, they have ideas, are hardworking, and have built up our rural areas so well. It would be great if our brigade had young people like them. Even Li Keming wasn't very good at first, but he eventually corrected his mistakes."
Xie Yun laughed and said, "That's a movie. It ends here. If you really get married and start a family life, who knows what it will be like. Movies only film the good things, not the trivial things. Who cooks, who washes the clothes, who takes care of the children?"
Zhang Ruifeng poked her forehead with a smile. "If anyone hears what you say, it means they have low consciousness. Look at those young people, they're all eager to work, not afraid of hardship or fatigue. But look at Kong Shuzhen, she went to school in the city and returned to the countryside, and what are she saying? As long as it's beneficial to socialist construction, she'll do anything! Listen to her consciousness!"
"Of course that's how it's portrayed in movies. If it were a film about a couple fighting, that would be a different story."
Zhang Ruifeng smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I already know that you don't want to get married now, so you don't have to seize the opportunity to click on me."
Xie Yun smiled and said, "My mother is smart."
Zhang Ruifeng snorted, "Otherwise I'm your mother."
———☆———
After their two-day break, Xie Yun and Zhang Ruifeng returned to work, starting a sideline business: making brooms. The members were solely responsible for the work, while sales were the responsibility of the brigade leaders. Once a full cart of brooms was made, they would take them to the city to sell.
This work is done periodically, once the materials are used up. After this, you can also weave baskets or mats.
Originally, these were all crafts, and some people relied on them for a living. After the People's Commune, these skills became largely obscured. Veteran craftsmen became masters for the members, and anyone who wanted to learn could do so. Ordinary members earned work points based on the amount of work they did, while craftsmen earned work points by teaching. But they earned the same amount.
After work, Xie Yun stopped working in the fields and began studying the book "Modern Practical Chinese Medicine". She copied out all the descriptions of the herbs that the herbal medicine purchasing station had purchased in large quantities and also drew pictures, so that she could show it to Xie Shen later.
For the other parts, she just needs to read it once and remember it.
Ten days later, Xie Yun took a break. She carried the dried medicinal herbs and the old man's book to the commune.
As soon as the old man saw her, he asked, "Why did you come so late?"
He almost thought he had made a mistake and the little girl ran away with his book. He felt quite uneasy these two days.
Xie Yun smiled and said, "Our production team works ten days and rests one day. I come here when I have time to rest. I don't have time during normal times. This is your book. Please take a look. I take good care of it and haven't damaged it at all. I am returning it in its original condition. Thank you. I have learned a lot."
The old man glanced at her and asked, "Have you finished reading it?"
"I'm done! I've been working day and night, racing against time. Look at me, I have dark circles under my eyes. My eyes are almost blurry."
The old man looked at it once, and then looked again. There were no dark circles, no bags under the eyes, no wrinkles, and his eyes were still sparkling. He curled his lips and said, "I can't tell."
Xie Yun showed a helpless expression and said, "Okay, who made me young?"
The old man carefully checked his book and found that there was no problem with it. It was well preserved. Then he put it away and said, "Let me see the herbs."
Xie Yun put the basket on the counter for the old man to examine. "It's thoroughly clean. I'm a conscientious and honest man."
Because they were three different kinds of medicinal herbs, Xie Yun packed them in three small sacks.
"Okay, it's dried well. I think the angelica is of good quality."
Xie Yun smiled innocently: "I don't really understand either. If you say it's good, then it's good."
The old man weighed it and found that there were more than three pounds of Polygonatum, less than five pounds of Rehmannia, and seven pounds of Angelica, and the total amount was 14.46.
Xie Yun counted the money twice with great joy. This stuff was still more valuable than grain. These days, coarse grains were only a few cents per pound, and wheat and rice were only a little over ten cents. In comparison, medicinal herbs were truly expensive.
Or she could persuade her mother to plant medicinal herbs in all the space in the yard next year.
Before leaving, Xie Yun, like last time, left a handful of peanuts for the old man. Just as she was about to carry the basket and leave, the old man asked her, "Comrade Xie, how is the harvest in the fields this year?"
Xie Yun: “…”
She turned around and blinked, "Very good."
The old man nodded at the table and asked, "After paying the public grain, we can get a lot of money, right?"
Xie Yun nodded, but said, "It's not much. The bulk of it has been paid as public tax."
The old man added, "Okay, okay, you peasant brothers are very conscious. Come back. I also buy mugwort and other things here. I only buy the leaves after they're dried, 1.2 cents a pound."
Xie Yun: "Okay. Goodbye?"
The old man blinked and said, "Goodbye, goodbye."
Xie Yun carried the basket on his back and walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative, slowly walking towards the backyard of the cooperative.
In the supply and marketing cooperative, an old man suddenly doubled over, clutching his stomach and saying, "Ouch!" He told the salesperson, "Hold on for a moment. I have to go to the toilet. I'm getting old and can't hold it anymore. My breakfast was a bit rotten, and I can't hold it anymore."
The three salespeople waved their hands together: "...Hurry up."
The old man bent over and ran to the backyard, went to the toilet first, and when he came out, he saw that there was no one there. He quickly left the yard, met up with Xie Yun outside, and found a place where no one was around to talk.
"Can you sell me some of these long fruits? I have children at home and they are lacking in nutrition."
"Sell it, I'll bring it to you next time."
"Don't do it next time. Come back this afternoon."
Xie Yun: “…”
The old man said, "Don't worry, I won't treat you unfairly. I'll give you more."
Xie Yun glanced at him and said, "I don't want much. Besides, I can find a way to get you more, either long fruits or fine grains. I can exchange some with people in the village."
"What do you want?"
"I want to work."
Old man: "...Do you think I look like someone with a job?"
"Yes, there's not a single patch on your clothes. And I don't want you to find me a job right away. I just want you and your family to keep an eye out for job opportunities in the commune. If there's any job openings, whether permanent or temporary, just let me know. I just want an opportunity. After all, you're in the commune, so you're definitely more informed than I am."
The old man thought about it and agreed. Even though he was down and out now, that was due to his status. There was nothing he could do about it. It would be unreasonable not to give him a hand. But if it was to help someone find a job, then maybe it would be okay.
He asked Xie Yun, "Any job is fine?"
Xie Yun thought for a moment and said, "I'll find a job for my mother. She's 38 years old, has attended literacy classes, can read, is hardworking, and is very smart. She comes from a poor peasant family for eight generations and has a good family background."
Old man: “…”
This was the first time he'd encountered such a situation. But it also showed that this girl was a good person. Who wouldn't think about themselves first when looking for a job these days? Besides, it was always parents who arranged jobs for their children, but this was the first time he'd seen a daughter arrange a job for her mother.
"Let me think about it."
Xie Yun smiled and said, "It's okay. Take your time to think about it. I'll bring the long fruit to you this afternoon. Should I send it here?"
"No, no, no, send it to this place."
He told Xie Yun an address.
Xie Yun nodded, "Okay. See you this afternoon."
Peanuts are cash crops, but they do not fall into the "first-class agricultural products" that farmers are prohibited from trading privately, so there is absolutely no problem with her trading.
The old man was acting sneaky at first, and she thought he was up to something, but it turned out he just wanted to buy some peanuts.
The fact that he could do serious things in a furtive way could only mean that the old man's status was not very good. But the fact that he could stay here safely meant that he was not that bad either.
So, Xie Yun decided to give it a try. If she was lucky, she could find a job for her mother. If she was unlucky, she could make some money selling peanuts. Either way, she had nothing to lose.
The old man was much more careful than her.
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