"Xuemei, we are here to buy things." He Wenting pulled He Jing and four other educated youth followed.
"Okay, I'm in the food department. I'm in charge of sugar, canned goods, biscuits, vanishing cream, etc. Sister Zhang next to me is in charge of fresh fruits and dried goods."
"You have fresh fruits here. I'm going to buy some later. I haven't eaten them in a long time."
"Xuemei, Xiaojing and I want half a pound of brown sugar, two cans of oranges, two boxes of mung bean cakes, and a pound of biscuits. Could you please pack the biscuits in half-pound portions?"
"Okay, I need half a pound of sugar coupons and one pound of grain coupons, which comes to two yuan, thirty-five cents. If you have any questions about the price, you can check the price list above the counter."
Xuemei's suggestion for the price list came after she started working. She wrote down the daily items and their prices on a piece of paper and posted it where everyone could see it. This way, customers wouldn't have to ask about it every time they came in. Even if the salesperson made a mistake, customers would be able to report it immediately. This reduced bother and workload for everyone. For this, the director of the commune's supply and marketing cooperative even gave Xuemei a five-yuan reward.
He Wanting and He Jing checked and found no mistakes, so they handed the money to Xuemei.
"Xuemei, what fruits do you have now?"
"There are grapes and pomegranates in a basket next to the counter. Come and see for yourself."
"Comrade Liu Xuemei, I want half a pound of brown sugar and a bottle of canned oranges."
"Sure, do you have any candy tickets?"
"Comrade Liu Xuemei, are you targeting me? Why didn't you ask He Wenting and the others just now?" Wu Lian said aggrievedly.
"Comrade Wu Lian, I'm not targeting you. Now it's a new society and everyone is equal. Comrade He Wenting took out the candy coupons and put them on the counter before buying them just now, so I didn't ask. So, now may I ask if you have any candy coupons?" Xuemei said seriously.
"Comrade Liu Xuemei, I'm here to work in your village. You should treat me well. I just want half a pound of sugar. Can't you just give it to me secretly?" Wu Lian said to Xuemei in a flattering voice.
Xuemei was speechless. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and then said loudly:
"Comrade Wu Lian, you shouldn't try to cut corners. The state requires sugar coupons to buy sugar. Do you think you're going to violate the state's coupon policy?"
"No, no? Why are you so loud? I just forgot to bring my candy ticket today." Wu Lian said pitifully to Han Chen and the other two behind her. However, the three of them already knew her true nature and pretended not to notice.
A hint of viciousness flashed in Wu Xuelian's eyes, and then she pretended to be very aggrieved and said to Xuemei: "Xuemei, how about you lend me half a catty of sugar tickets first, not two taels."
"Comrade Wu Lian, I'm not familiar with you. Please call me Comrade Liu Xuemei. Also, I don't have any sugar coupons to lend you. If you want to buy something, do it quickly. If not, please move aside."
There are already many people queuing behind Wu Lian, all of them are educated youth, and they should be educated youth from other villages.
As soon as Xuemei finished speaking, someone behind Wu Lian said:
There are so many people behind you, just leave if you don’t want to buy.
"Is she trying to get the candy tickets for free?"
"Everyone knows it's hard to get sugar tickets these days."
…
Wu Lian saw that everyone behind her was talking about her, so she started crying and said aggrievedly, "Did I really forget to take it? Why don't you believe me? We are all educated youth."
Xuemei was about to speak when He Ping came over and said, "Xuemei, this comrade is quite pitiful. Can I lend her two taels of sugar coupons for you?" After saying this, he looked at Xuemei with what he thought was deep affection.
He Ping was 20 years old, about 1.72 meters tall, with average looks and a medium build. Xuemei had run into him twice in the cafeteria, and each time he'd act familiar and greet her, then walk away before Xuemei could react. To avoid being misunderstood, Xuemei now tried to avoid him, taking a detour whenever she saw him in the cafeteria.
I wonder why this guy is messing around here instead of staying in his alcohol and tobacco group today, Xuemei complained in her heart.
When Wu Lian heard this, she looked at He Ping with gratitude and said in a soft voice, "Thank you, comrade. You are such a kind person."
He Ping was very pleased with Wu Lian's flattery. He smiled and said, "Comrade, it's our blessing that you've come to our countryside to work on the construction. It's our duty to help you. When you return the sugar coupons, just give them to Xuemei. He and I are colleagues." He glanced at Xuemei after saying this.
Xuemei quickly said, "Wait a minute, Comrade He Ping, the sugar coupons you lent her are between you and him. Don't get me involved. Please ask her to return the coupons in person. I'm not familiar with Comrade Wu Lian, and we're just colleagues. To avoid any negative influence and for the sake of our respective reputations, please call me Comrade Liu Xuemei. Thank you."
Wu Lian, fearing her sugar ticket would fly away, looked at He Ping pitifully. This just aroused He Ping's protective instinct. He Ping also felt that Xuemei had just insulted him in front of everyone, and Wu Lian's action just saved his face. He Ping deliberately gave the sugar ticket to Xuemei in front of her before returning to his post.
Wu Lian, who had received the sugar coupons, said to Xuemei in a proud tone, "See? Sugar coupons, give me two taels of brown sugar, a bottle of canned oranges, and a box of mung bean cakes. To pretend she was rich, Wu Lian cruelly added a piece of mung bean cake."
"Okay, Comrade Wu, that's two taels of sugar tickets, one yuan and four cents."
Xuemei waited for two minutes and found that Wu Lian still had no response, so she had to say it again.
"Comrade Wu, the total is two taels of sugar tickets, one yuan and four cents."
"Why are you rushing me? I want to see if you made a mistake in your calculations."
After waiting for another five minutes, until the people behind her got annoyed, Wu Lian finally understood and gave the money to Xuemei.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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