The black market struggle in the county town is in full swing, and Qi Tai comes to the educated youth compound once again.
Once you've been there a while, you'll get used to it. Qi Tai got straight to the point: he wanted more supplies, including but not limited to grains, fruits, and vegetables.
Xie Yuyao hesitated upon hearing this: "A large amount of grain suddenly flooding into the black market will attract the attention of the authorities."
Qi Tai frankly said, "To be honest, the authorities are already watching closely. Their attitude is that as long as the people benefit, they will not interfere."
“That’s true.” Xie Yuyao still had reservations. After a moment of thought, she said, “How about this, I’ll tell my friend about your needs and give you an answer as soon as possible.”
"Then I'll leave it to you!" Qi Tai didn't say anything more.
After leaving the educated youth compound, Qi Tai went to the transport team to find Zhao Honghui and assured him that he would never reveal their source of goods.
He knew in his heart that as long as he could get past Zhao Honghui, Xie Yuyao's problem wouldn't be too big.
Sure enough, Xie Yuyao responded the next day, saying she could provide him with agricultural products and supplies.
Xie Yuyao's idea was that the resources in her space were piled up like mountains, and if they could improve people's lives, it would be a good use of them.
As for the specific order volume, Zhao Honghui will handle that; she just needs to be a silent courier.
With Ye Xingchang's financial support, Qi Tai's payment was made as if it were the first contactless transaction, without any delays.
Xie Yuyao seized the opportunity to make a fortune and became the biggest winner.
*
As December approached, the Red Flag Commune's Office for Educated Youth issued a notice: Educated youth who had been in the countryside for more than two years could return home to visit their families during the Spring Festival, and the holiday could be appropriately extended.
It is said that the reason why the leave for educated youth to visit their families was extended was to alleviate the pressure of food shortages.
The local people were used to hardship and hunger, and even ate bran and wild vegetables during famine years. But the educated youth who grew up in the city couldn't handle it; if they starved, they might cause trouble.
Currently, people with urban household registration have urban resident grain ration certificates. Residents only need to present the certificate and grain coupons to purchase state-supplied grain at affordable prices. Compared to rural household registration, it's like comparing heaven and earth.
During famine years, even if there was a complete crop failure in rural areas and farmers were starving, they still had to hand over grain to the state to ensure the supply of grain to urban residents.
No matter how poor these educated youths were in the city, they were generally better off than most rural people.
That morning, the brigade leader came to the educated youth compound to convey a notice that Bei Xiao and Xiang Wenshan, who did not meet the policy requirements, also wanted to go home.
Xiang Wenshan then pleaded, "Captain, we also want to go home. Could you please grant us a few days' leave?"
In previous years, there was a great deal of estrangement between the educated youth team and the production brigade. The brigade leader would only follow the policy and would only make special approvals if there was an important matter in his hometown.
Of course, in previous years, the educated youth had no spare money and couldn't even afford train tickets, so basically everyone stayed to celebrate the New Year.
This year is different from previous years. After the incident with the sour pear preserves, the relationship between the two parties has become quite harmonious.
The brigade leader bluntly stated, "Those who don't meet the policy time requirements will be granted special sick leave. Educated youth who want to go home can apply for leave and just need to return before the end of the first month."
"Can we newcomers do it too?" Chen Kai was so surprised he couldn't believe it and wanted to confirm it again.
Seeing his agitated state, the brigade leader's heart softened, and he said patiently, "Originally, at least one person should have stayed behind to guard the educated youth compound in case anything unexpected happened. If you all want to go back, I'll ask the neighbors to keep a close eye on things."
Chen Kai was so happy that he thanked the captain repeatedly: "Thank you, Captain. I'm going home for the New Year."
"Alright, you can decide for yourselves. Those who want to go home should buy tickets as soon as possible."
As soon as the brigade leader left, the educated youth compound became noisy.
Some were eager to return home, while others hesitated, and everyone shared their homesickness with each other.
This scene stirred Xie Yuyao's homesickness. But in that life, she must have already perished under the chandelier, never to return.
Li Weidong reminded everyone: "Those who want to go home, remember to come back on time, otherwise you will be sent back by the educated youth office and it will leave a mark on your political review, becoming a black mark for life."
The others hurriedly said they would return as scheduled.
Li Weidong added, "I haven't been home for several years. I plan to go back this year. I'll go to the county train station tomorrow to buy tickets. If you want to go back, you can go together to buy tickets, or I can buy them for you."
“I’ll go with you to buy the tickets,” Xiang Wenshan said, then turned to Bei Xiao. “Bei Xiao, don’t go in this cold weather. I’ll buy them for you.”
"No, I've been cooped up for so long, I want to go to the department store in the county town to get some fresh air." The freezing weather couldn't dampen her enthusiasm for shopping.
In the end, among the male educated youth, only the Yu brothers, Wenbo and Wenbo, did not go home.
Yu Wenbo can already walk, but he is still weak and cannot travel long distances, so his younger brother Yu Wenjiang naturally stays behind to take care of him.
In addition, Yu Wenjiang also plans to make a lot of money during the Spring Festival to send home for his father's medical treatment.
On his tender teenage shoulders, he shouldered the heavy burden of his family.
Among the female educated youth, besides Xie Yuyao, Ren Fei and Jiang Yan also stayed behind for the New Year.
Wu Lihong was still hesitant. She had been working in the countryside for so many years and had never gone back home. Every time she had money, she would send it home, and she couldn't bear to spend the travel expenses when she had the chance to visit her family.
Xie Yuyao and Yang Shumei had just returned to the backyard when Wu Lihong came over.
"Yaoyao, Shumei, do you two think I should spend money on a train ticket to go home?" Wu Lihong had been struggling with this question for the past few days, and had been hesitant and unable to make a decision, so she decided to ask them.
In her opinion, Yang Shumei goes without saying, and Xie Yuyao, although she has only been here for a few months, also has her own ideas. She needs their advice.
Yang Shumei sighed. Even the usually rational and intelligent eldest sister had such a conflicted moment.
In her view, Wu Lihong would send home all the mountain goods and money she had worked so hard to acquire without reservation. Yet her family would often write to her complaining of poverty, asking her to find ways to exchange this for that.
She felt that the family no longer had much affection for Wu Lihong, but Wu Lihong was completely unaware of this and still held onto beautiful hopes for her family.
"Since you want to go home so much, just treat yourself this once."
Wu Lihong was surprised to hear Yang Shumei's suggestion. "Everyone else told me not to go back. Yaoyao, what do you think?"
Xie Yuyao sensed something was wrong. "Do you have enough money for the round trip?"
Wu Lihong laughed and said, "Yes, Yu Wenbo returned a lot of the money. The two brothers really don't know what to say."
Despite having a huge financial hole in his own home, he still returned the donations from the educated youth, which she found truly admirable.
"Then what's there to worry about? Surely you're not without a bed to sleep in or food to eat at home."
Although Xie Yuyao didn't know what the hidden story was, since she had been thinking about it, she decided to go back and check.
It's better to be kept in the dark than to have something go wrong.
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