When they recognized each other, the atmosphere between them suddenly froze.
Lin Chuanbai looked at Yu Xiangan's basket. There should be apples and fat ducks in it. Is this what she meant by "life is not easy"?
Yu Xiangan looked at his bulging pockets with mixed feelings. There should be ginseng in there. Is this why his life is not easy?
At this moment, they both laughed in their hearts at the same time. It turned out that men’s mouths/women’s mouths are really deceiving!
No matter how embarrassing it is, the transaction must go on.
The two men looked away almost at the same time, then silently took out their things and began to trade.
Neither of them bargained much, and if there was any dispute, they just gestured with their hands.
After getting the things, they immediately chose opposite directions to leave.
The county town is so big, I probably won't meet him/her again, right?!
After walking a long distance, Yu Xiangan patted his chest, put the few ginseng roots he had obtained into Xixi Farm, and slowly recalled what had just happened.
He was actually the one who wanted to make a deal with her, so the clothes he wore should not be his true level, and the tattered cloth shoes with exposed toes on his feet must be for show.
This is normal, she also disguised herself.
But now thinking about it, I still find it hard to believe, is there really such a coincidence?!
Yu Xiangan had a sense of absurdity.
When did he come here?
Did you arrive at the same time as her?
He appeared in the county town. Was he from the county town or a nearby village? Or did he come here by chance?
But they are worthy of being fellow villagers. In comparison, they are all bolder.
The control is strict at this time, and only a few people dare to go to the black market. Take Yu Qingshan for example. He must have traded in the black market over the years, but Yu Xiangan has never found any evidence of his trading in the black market for so long, not just in the past six months since she arrived. She searched her memory and had no memory of Yu Qingshan trading with anyone in the black market. Either he has always been well-behaved, or he is too cautious, and she, his own daughter, has been kept in the dark.
But it is impossible that he didn't trade with others in secret. He must have his own connections in the black market. I remember that during a particularly difficult period, there were many brothers and sisters in the family, and we ate a lot. That was also the most difficult time for the family. By the middle of the month, the food was gone. The whole family looked at the empty bowls with sad faces. Then Yu Qingshan secretly went out in the middle of the night, and the next day, there would be more rice in the rice jar at home. He never answered when asked, and this happened very rarely.
Yu Xiangan believed that if he had not been unable to make ends meet, he would not have done this. He was within the scope of the rules, and he would not have broken his comfort zone unless he had to.
This is not an isolated case. Most of those who are involved in the black market, except for a few people who like excitement, have reasons to do so. If they lose the black market as their last resort, they may not be able to make a living. In contrast, if they are more careful in the black market, they can still survive, so naturally they take risks.
Would that unknown fellow villager take the risk when he had no other choice?
If that's the case, then he should appear again in the future.
For example, this time he brought back ginseng from places in the north where ginseng is grown. Yu Xiangan checked it and found that it was very fresh and looked like it had been picked recently.
If he wanted to determine the area of activity of that fellow villager and whether he was from nearby, he could ask around later to see who had ginseng for sale. He might be able to get some clues. Ginseng was a rare commodity here. The fruits she sold were not so difficult to deal with as there were always some. She only had to save the more obvious northern fruits such as apples and sell them in the city. The others, sold separately here, would not attract much attention. However, it was different with ginseng.
Judging from this incident, he is very brave. I wonder what his character is like and whether he keeps his mouth shut?
If this person has bad character, if you get too close to him, if he says something he shouldn't say...
After all, we should still keep our distance.
Don't interfere with each other. Go to the black market less frequently in the future. Even if you come, you should disguise yourself. Maybe she should save it and go to the city to solve it. She can buy more good things there...
On the other hand, Lin Chuanbai felt the same way. Although their "fate" made people speechless, he did not want this fate to continue to entangle him. When they did not know each other well, it was most appropriate to maintain a certain safe distance. Moreover, feudal superstition was being cracked down on now. If she was a person who did not keep her mouth shut and let slip a word, he might be implicated.
I have never met this fellow villager before. In the future, I will pay attention to who can get apples, a northern fruit. I should be able to determine whether her activities are fixed in this area.
He should sell things less frequently on the black market in the future. It would be best if someone could help him...
The two people thought of the same place again.
After he figured it out, the matter came to an end. He did not put all these things away, but kept the ducks in his hands and put most of the apples in his medicine garden. These were his personal harvest, and he would take the rest home, and this had to be seen by everyone.
After they went back to their respective homes, the matter seemed to have passed. They were back on track, and the unexpected discovery of their fellow villager did not bring them any other changes, but in fact, only they themselves could know whether there was any.
Yu Xiangan didn't know the other person. For several days afterwards, she dreamed about her parents, friends, classmates, and teachers in this world.
Nothing has changed since before, and in the dream she is still the same person.
After waking up from the dream, I felt empty and wondered how they are doing now?
When I first heard the bad news about her, I should have felt sad for her, but time would slowly dilute everything. It’s been so long, everything should be fine now, right?
In a few years, perhaps, she will be forgotten in a corner, and only her family will remember her...
Every time I think about these, it affects my mood.
Then she received some "bad news" and she had to help buy New Year's goods.
During the Chinese New Year, the grocery stores will increase their purchases and occasionally have some extra items. This year, every household here can take their own food grain coupons to the grocery store to buy extra oil. For this reason, they have posted a notice at the door of the grocery store to prevent some illiterate people from missing out on the news. From time to time, the people at the counter will ask if you want to buy.
Of course I wouldn’t want it. It’s a rare opportunity this time that the oil supply is sufficient, so I can buy more.
Based on the number of people, Yu Xiangan's family can buy one more kilogram.
The first day when the new goods arrived at the grocery store was Yu Xiangan's day off, so she had to get up early to queue up to buy various New Year goods. There were many things needed for the New Year, and according to their local customs, if conditions allowed, they would make rice cakes, tofu, eat fish, and if conditions allowed, eat meat.
Fried peanuts or fried melon seeds are specially prepared as snacks for children who play at home during the New Year.
If conditions permit, buy a new piece of clothing or a pair of shoes for your children.
This is a wealthy family.
I go to bed at six in the evening, and then get up at two in the morning to line up at the grocery store, carrying a small stool and wearing an old coat. The dew is heavy and the temperature is low in winter nights, and I can't bear it without wearing more clothes.
It was two o'clock in the middle of the night, so she didn't go there early. Yu Xiangan counted and found that there were about twenty people in front of her. Each of them had a small stool or a wooden block under their buttocks. They sat there with their eyes closed, resting, waiting for the grocery store to open in the morning, and then rushed to the front to buy what they wanted.
Yu Xiangan: “…”
What a sin! When can we go back to the time when there are supermarkets everywhere and we can buy whatever we want at any time?
It's late at night and there's nothing to do, so you can only sit on a small stool and close your eyes to rest. You can't leave the stool to reserve a seat here, otherwise someone will secretly throw the stool out of the queue, and others won't accept it. Why should everyone come here early to queue up, and you use your stool instead?
Yu Xiangan wanted to read books and newspapers, but he couldn't keep the flashlight on all night because it would waste too much electricity.
But the moonlight was nice tonight, so Yu Xiangan simply took out a pen and paper, listed what she was going to do in a few words, and made a draft in her mind.
First of all, as for work, she accepted it very smoothly and the handover went smoothly. If she encountered any problems, she could ask Liu Shouyi, who always answered her in a gentle manner. There were no changes in the factory and everything followed the old routine. After getting used to it, her job was quite easy.
Then there is her house. She will go back and live with everyone during the Chinese New Year, but it will only be for a few days. After her New Year holiday is over, she will return to her house alone.
At that time, she would start adding things to her house little by little, such as putting a desk in her room and a bookcase, which could not contain banned books but textbooks, newspapers, permitted materials, etc. She would write manuscripts and look up materials on the desk. She would also add another large cabinet to the room, which had to be locked, so that if she took out something in the future, the cabinet could be used as a cover.
I'll go to the city on the next day off and sell out her stock.
Also coming back for the New Year are her second brother and fourth sister. She has already met her fourth sister and has a good impression of her. She looks like a straightforward person, not very smart, but decisive. When it comes to her and Liang Yong, she was so decisive that she cheered for her.
She had already met her fourth sister. The only ones she had not seen or met in person were her second brother and his wife.
They were also educated youth who went to the countryside. In her memory, her second brother was tall and strong, taller than her eldest brother. He fell in love with her second sister-in-law very early. Before, because of their mismatched status, he just stayed by her side silently. It was not until her family got into trouble because of the background of her father that he finally seized the opportunity and accompanied her to the countryside, hoping to win her heart.
It does seem like he took advantage of the situation, but as a secret admirer, I have to say that his strategy was correct and he got the girl.
I don’t know what kind of personality this second sister-in-law has. She used to be a rich lady with a good living condition. Will she be spoiled?
That shouldn't be the case. After going to the countryside, the environment will force her to grow up. Her second brother has some abilities, but definitely not that great. He can still keep her in a protective circle and prevent her from changing.
Can their relationship last?
Yu Xiangan was not so sure, because no matter how he looked at it, the girl's feelings for him would not be as deep as his. If her father could get through this and wait for him to be rehabilitated, would she still be willing to be his wife?
Her status and experience allow her to marry a better person.
If something like this really happened, my second brother would probably be very sad.
Yu Xiangan has never liked anyone, so he doesn't quite understand this kind of feeling.
Since he has liked me since junior high school, the feelings must be very deep. It would be fine if I never got it before, but if I got it and lost it again, the blow would be even deeper.
She would observe them carefully when they came back.
Next, he will go back to his hometown for a day during the Chinese New Year to be with his grandfather and the others. Yu Manchang has now learned how to make bricks. He said that he won't have to go there again for two months after the Chinese New Year because the brick factory will lay off temporary workers, and he will then go home to experiment. As for her paper, Yu Qingshan is still experimenting and improving it from time to time. He plans to go back and tell them when he has mastered it better.
The two people in front talked about making rice cakes, and Yu Xiangan also wrote down these two words.
Before, their family didn’t make rice cakes by themselves, but sent the ingredients to the Qin family and asked them to make them together.
The rice cakes made by grandpa and his family are delicious.
The same is true this year.
Yu Xiangan's thoughts wandered aimlessly and he almost fell asleep. It was difficult to control his sleepiness at this point.
Normally, Yu Qingshan would not let his daughter come, but today she was the only one resting, and everyone else had to go to work. Besides, there were many people here, and even if they didn't know each other, they would be familiar faces. Nothing would happen, it would just be a little harder, but there would be no safety issues.
After finally making it to dawn, the door was still not open. Yu Xiangan looked back at the line, which was winding and long enough that she could no longer see the end.
At this time, the person in front will stick close to the person. If he accidentally walks away and someone cuts in, all his efforts will be wasted.
When the door of the grocery store opened, someone ran to the front to maintain order, "Everyone listen to me, don't rush in, there's no room in the front, those who are here, and those who are here, go in, the rest of you wait a moment, do you hear me? Don't go in."
The staff are impartial and fair, and you have to go through this from time to time. It is the craziest during the Chinese New Year. People who have worked here for a few years are very experienced.
Yu Xiangan arrived early, so he was the first one to enter.
The first things she bought were sugar, oil, and biscuits, then rice, flour, and finally other whole grains.
The supplies are worthy of the New Year, much richer than usual.
Buy the freshly delivered big red dates.
It’s a rare opportunity that malted milk is not out of stock, so I’ll buy it.
Condensed milk, buy.
She was very generous, but no one noticed anything strange, because everyone was doing the same at that time. They had been saving up tickets for a year, and if they didn't buy now, when would they buy them?
Whether this year will be prosperous or not depends on today’s harvest.
Having bought so many things, Yu Xiangan naturally couldn't take them back.
She finally squeezed out of the crowd and stood aside.
Yu Xiangju and Yu Mingjie were already waiting at the door. When they saw her come out, they came over cheering.
"Fifth sister, you are here."
Yu Mingjie: "Aunt, I'm going to look for Dad and the others."
He was going to go back and ask someone to help move these things back.
Otherwise, with so many things to do, it would not be possible for Yu Xiangan and two little kids to handle it.
Not long after, Yu Xianghai came over, looked at all the things on the ground, and gave her a thumbs up: "Xiao An, great!"
Yu Xiangan was too tired to speak.
Struggling to squeeze through the crowd, and being pushed forward by others even if you didn't push, it was not a pleasant memory.
Yu Xiangan didn't say much, he understood very well, "Go back and have a good rest today."
When Yu Xiangan went back to sleep and woke up, it was already afternoon.
The things Yu Xianghai bought today were placed in a mess in Yu Qingshan's room, waiting for them to come back and sort them carefully.
Yu Xiangan picked out some red dates.
When she saw these red dates, she wanted to eat date cake.
I picked out some red dates, soaked them for half an hour, then removed the pits, tore them into small pieces, cooked them into a paste, then added sugar, eggs, and appropriate amount of oil, stirring constantly.
No egg beater, only manual.
Yu Xiangan's hands were sore from stirring the eggs and he missed the egg whisk so much.
After it is finally done, add flour, stir well, and put it on a plate to steam.
When Yu Mingjie and Yu Xiangju came back, they were greeted with freshly baked date cakes.
"!!!"
Big surprise!
Yu Mingjie was very touched while eating: "Aunt, your food tastes better than the ones bought!"
Yu Xiangju: "Fifth sister, it's delicious. Can I have another piece?" He looked at her expectantly.
Yu Xiangan shook his head mercilessly: "You have already eaten one piece, let's eat the rest together."
During the Chinese New Year, everyone will be more relaxed. Date cakes are delicious and nutritious, suitable for all ages. I feel that her business of selling date cakes should be good.
When Yu Qingshan and the others came back, they all praised the date cake she made.
Yu Qingshan: "When you go back to visit your grandfather during the Chinese New Year, make some and bring them back."
When you get older and your teeth are not in good condition, it is suitable for you to eat these soft pastries.
Yu Xiangan responded with a smile, "I can also make egg cakes, do you want to make it together?"
Yu Qingshan hesitated for a second: "Equally soft?"
"right."
"Then do half each."
When the news spread that Yu Xiangan was going to the city on the next day off, Yan Yuzhen and Song Shujing both asked her for help.
If she saw red scarves and red wool in the department store, she would help them bring them. The night before she left, she would be busy until late at night making date cakes and other things to sell the next day, and she would be awakened just after she fell asleep.
Suddenly, loud shouting and the sound of breaking dishes were heard from Master Bao’s house next door.
Yu Xiangan half sat up and listened attentively.
It was a somewhat old female voice, with a sharp voice: "It's you, woman. You are not in good health, so don't drag my son down. You are afraid that without my son, you will have no future. You are holding on tightly. He has been corrupted by you! He used to listen to me very much, but now I just ask him to help his brother, but he refuses to do so. You are just a sickly person. You have spent all the money!"
"If you're a good person, you should be more self-aware and stop dragging him down!"
Yu Xiangan: “…”
From what I heard, it seems to be Master Bao’s mother?
Then came Master Bao's voice: "Mom, that's enough! What are you talking about? Speak a little more quietly..."
Then the sound became lower. Yu Xiangan listened carefully, but couldn't hear it clearly. She lay down and continued to sleep.
This is a strictly family matter, and with Master Bao here, there's no chance of a disturbance.
Master Bao had more than one neighbor. The next day, when she got up and went to the canteen for breakfast, Yan Yuzhen pulled her aside and asked her how much she had heard.
Yu Xiangan shook his head: "I slept deeply yesterday and didn't hear it. What happened?"
"You didn't hear it. I heard from others that Master Bao's parents came and seemed very dissatisfied with Sister Song. They felt that she was a burden to their son and that the money they gave her for his retirement was not enough."
Yu Xiangan: "...Sister Zhen, how did you know?"
"Alas, this is not the first time. There was another time when he made a scene at the factory and asked us to give half of our salary directly to his parents. Of course we disagreed. We have already separated and our household registration is not together."
Yu Xiangan was surprised: "There is such a thing."
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