Chapter 75 Caught Off Guard
Lin Xiaotong squeezed into the crowd, yawning and shrinking her neck. It was still dawn, and there were already many people queuing up to buy cabbage.
There was a long queue in front of the supply and marketing cooperative, and each family sent a representative to reserve a seat so that they could be the first to eat the food.
Winter storage Chinese cabbage
The Chinese cabbage stored in winter is divided into grades: grade one, grade two and grade three.
The grades of Chinese cabbage are also easy to classify, the key lies in looking at the heart of the cabbage.
The first-grade vegetables have very firm cabbage hearts, the second-grade vegetables have slightly softer ones, and the third-grade vegetables have little cabbage heart.
Level 1 and 2 dishes are supplied in limited quantities, according to the number of people listed in the food list.
Level 1 and 2 dishes are hard to get, so people start lining up before daybreak.
Not many people buy level three dishes, so there is no limit on the quantity and anyone can buy them. You can make pickles with them.
Since they are divided into different grades, the prices are naturally different.
First-level dishes cost 4 cents per pound, second-level dishes cost 3 cents per pound, and third-level dishes cost 2 cents per pound.
The price of cabbage increases in winter and is more expensive than usual.
But there is no way around it, every family has to eat vegetables in winter!
People who are short of money buy cabbage mixed with other vegetables, buy less expensive first-grade vegetables, and spend most of their money on second-grade or third-grade vegetables.
Anyway, my family doesn't care about these things when they eat it.
Except for the Jia family mother and daughter who were still sleeping soundly in the front yard, everyone else in their compound had come over, and everyone gathered in groups of three or four.
A man has nothing to do, and besides, he can't squeeze in with the old ladies and their wives. It's too unreasonable.
They had no choice but to squat in groups of three or four against the wall and talk about the mountains.
The supply and marketing cooperative was not open yet, and some people stretched their necks and stood on tiptoe to look into the window.
Some older grandparents took a small stool and found a place sheltered from the wind to sit, with their hands in their pockets and their heads nodding.
It will take a while to wait in line here, but the aunts are in high spirits and are holding carts to reserve seats.
Lin Xiaotong kept yawning. She hadn't gotten used to this food-grabbing activity yet.
She was wrapped in a thick flowered cotton jacket, like a quail that had not yet woken up, leaning next to Gao Xiulan, listening to the aunts chatting together.
"You don't know, I was right last time. Zhao Yunyun and Song Yuanchao really broke up!"
Zhang Dazui lowered his voice and spoke secretly, turning his head to look around and saw that Old Zhao's family didn't come today.
"Ah, is that true?"
Gao Xiulan was surprised and moved her head towards the open mouth.
Lin Xiaotong was no longer sleepy, and she pricked up her ears and listened sideways.
"Ah, I heard from Lao Cao that Zhao Yunyun didn't go home for two weeks after being released, and Song Yuanchao himself said that the couple divorced!"
He spoke with his mouth wide open and shook his head.
"Oh my God! How can they get divorced just like that?"
Yu Afen's jaw dropped in shock. Her youngest daughter Qian Yu was beside her.
"I heard someone saw Zhao Yunyun and Fu Zhenggang walking together. They're dating again!"
Zhang Dazui met his old sister Sister Cao when he was out for a stroll yesterday.
"Let me tell you, the second girl from the Zhao family is not a good person."
Diao Yulian hates people like Zhao Yunyun the most. They look harmless but have a dark heart. They are the same kind of people as Jia Yuhe.
"What's so good about Fu Zhenggang? He just joined the Revolutionary Committee. He's not a high-ranking official."
Gao Xiulan frowned and didn't know what to say.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Song Yuanchao was a man who could live a peaceful life.
"Who said it wasn't? That Zhao Yunyun and Xia Caiyun had such a big fight before, but I didn't expect that these two would become mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Life in the Fu family is going to be very lively!"
Jin Qiaofeng said gloatingly that she remembered that last time that crazy woman Xia Caiyun wanted her to help Fu Zhenggang with matchmaking, and after being rejected, she got angry and quarreled with her.
"Tsk tsk tsk, that girl is very evil. She stole her sister's girlfriend before and didn't say anything. Now the two of them are mixed up again."
Gao Xiulan took out a handful of pumpkin seeds from her pocket and started eating them.
Zhang Dazui and the others each grabbed a small handful, and then they gathered around and knocked at the surface together.
"Open the door! Hurry up! Everyone get up!"
Someone saw the people from the supply and marketing cooperative coming to open the door, and quickly dragged their family members to stand at the gate.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't squeeze me, everyone should line up!"
"I was standing in line, and you stepped on me."
"Make way, let someone in and open the door!"
When they heard that someone was coming, everyone rushed over.
The people from the supply and marketing cooperative squeezed in with difficulty and opened the door with the key.
"Everyone line up! Hey, hey, hey, stop pulling my pants!"
"Exactly, why are you touching my butt? Are you ashamed?"
The line was crooked, everyone was pushing and shoving, and there was noise everywhere.
The place was bustling with people.
Gao Xiulan and the others were standing relatively close to the front of the line, each holding a booklet for supplementary food.
There are only three or five large trucks that deliver cabbage, potatoes and other vegetables to the supply and marketing cooperative every day, and you have to snatch them to buy them.
Soon it was Gao Xiulan's turn. She thought the cabbages were quite fresh, so she asked for 500 kilograms of first-grade cabbage, 400 kilograms of potatoes, and 300 kilograms of red-skinned radishes.
Gao Xiulan handed over the food order book, and the staff member took it and stamped it.
Lin Xiaotong took it and saw that it was a stamp with the words "Winter vegetables purchased" written on it.
After Gao Xiulan calculated the bill and paid the money, she moved the things onto the cart neatly.
Lin Xiaotong followed suit and moved things.
The two of them worked for a while and finally finished moving until they were sweating.
After piling the things on the cart high, Gao Xiulan was so tired and hot that she unbuttoned the top button of her shirt. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law leaned against the cart, catching their breath.
Gao Xiulan waited until everyone else had finished their shopping before leaving.
Finally, everyone in the compound had bought everything. It was just past seven o'clock, and the carts of each family were full.
A group of people pulled a cart towards the compound, chatting as they walked along the side of the road.
Lin Xiaotong was no longer sleepy. It was too hot, so she pulled up her bangs to reveal her smooth forehead.
The huge group of people pulling cabbages arrived at the door of the post office. Gao Xiulan stopped to button her clothes.
"This damn weather is so cold!"
I was sweating all over from moving the cabbages just now, and now I've just walked through a few alleys. The cold wind is blowing so hard that it hurts my face.
"You know what, this winter isn't going to be easy. I'm afraid there's going to be heavy snow."
Even with my mouth wide open, I didn't dare speak loudly, as I would be filled with cold air if I opened my mouth.
There's really nothing good to drink in the northwest wind.
"Auntie, Auntie has a telegram for you!"
After resting, Gao Xiulan and the others were about to go back when they heard someone shouting from behind, causing everyone to twist their necks.
It turned out to be Xiao Wu from the post office, jogging after him with something in his hand.
"Wu boy, who are you calling?"
"Aunt Gao, there's a telegram for your family."
The postman Xiao Wu was just about to deliver a telegram to their compound, but he unexpectedly ran into Gao Xiulan as soon as he went out.
"My house? I guess that kid Xie Yi took the photo. What on earth did he have to send a telegram for?"
In this day and age, most people don’t send telegrams because it’s too expensive.
Telegrams were charged by the word: ordinary telegrams were three cents per word, and express telegrams were six cents per word.
Gao Xiulan took it, opened it and prepared to read it, and Lin Xiaotong also leaned over.
It said: "Xie Yi is injured, come quickly"
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