Chapter 8 Food Price Increases

As Zhang Jinlan spoke, the low-pressure atmosphere suddenly dissipated.

Everyone started discussing which area on the mountain had more mushrooms last year.

You have to check the location in advance.

To prevent it from being occupied by villagers.

Jiangjia Village is very poor, with a total of eighty-eight households. Except for the clan leader and a few families who have good conditions doing food business in the town, almost every family is so poor that they can hardly make ends meet. Therefore, on the mountain at the end of the village, you can often see women and children bending over to look for wild vegetables and mushrooms.

Therefore, conflicts often arise in the struggle for the gifts from nature.

After dinner.

The three siblings were once again dragged into the house by their mother to take a nap.

After waking up, his mother had already gone to the mountain. Jiang Fubao and his brothers played in the yard for a long time.

As the sun sets, the family members who went to town to do odd jobs return.

"Dad, Mom, we're back. Fubao, come and see what uncle brought you." As soon as he stepped over the threshold, Jiang Dahe took out a green object from his arms.

Jiang Fubao took a closer look and found that the green ones were leaves, and there was something wrapped inside, which looked like a zongzi but was bigger than a zongzi.

Seeing her uncle waving at her, Jiang Fubao ran over with her short legs.

"Uncle, what is this?" She looked curious.

"Guess." Jiang Yahe wanted to tease him.

He only has three sons and no daughters, so he treats his niece as his own daughter.

At this moment, he was like a kind father.

But he didn't know that his niece's heart had been replaced by someone else long ago.

As an adult, how could Jiang Fubao not guess it?

She could smell the steamed buns through the leaves.

"Baozi!" Jiang Fubao didn't hesitate for a moment. She raised her head and said with a smile.

"Hey, our Fubao is so smart. Come, take a big, fragrant meat bun. Uncle has kept it in his arms to keep it warm for you along the way. It's not cold yet, so eat it quickly." Jiang Dahao was a little surprised by his niece's intelligence.

Jiang Dahe praised him generously and then stuffed the meat bun into Jiang Fubao's hand.

He also considerately helped her to spread out the leaves layer by layer.

The buns were round and big, and the flour was not as white as it is today.

Although it is grayish yellow, it smells particularly fragrant, and the gravy inside seeps out, and it will definitely sizzle when you bite it.

Just thinking about it tastes good.

"Silly child, what are you doing standing there? Go inside and eat it."

Just as Jiang Fubao was in a daze, her handsome father walked in from outside.

He was sweating profusely and carrying a bag of food on his shoulder.

The second uncle and Jiang Fubao's two cousins ​​who followed behind him also had things in their hands.

"Uncle, Dad, have you sold the bird eggs?"

Jiang Fubao didn't eat it. She was only concerned about how much the quail eggs were sold for.

"It's sold, it's sold. Thanks to Fubao, I made a full 180 coins. I used the money to buy brown rice and salt, and also bought coarse noodles. Fubao doesn't like brown rice, so we'll eat coarse noodles from now on, and let your aunt make noodles for you."

Jiang Dahe took out his wallet and shook it at Jiang Fubao.

The copper plates inside jingled.

Jiang Fubao smiled happily.

The stock of quail eggs in her space has been restocked.

Wait until she finds an opportunity and then take it out.

After selling it a few times, you can earn a few taels of silver.

"What? You sold it for so much money? How much is left?" Zhang Jinlan, who was watering the private plot in the backyard, heard the noise in the front yard and ran over.

She just happened to hear her eldest son say that the bird eggs were sold for 180 cents. She looked at Jiang Dahe excitedly and asked loudly.

"Mom, the price of food has gone up. Brown rice is now ten cents a bushel. I bought ten bushels. I bought coarse flour just for Fubao, which is twelve cents a bushel. The salt at home is almost gone. Spring planting is coming soon. Without salt, we won't have the energy to work. So I bought a pound of salt, which cost forty cents.

Including the five cents I spent on the meat buns for Fubao, the total cost was one hundred and fifty-seven cents. The five of us earned forty cents from carrying the grain bags today, and there was another forty cents from selling eggs, so there was one hundred and three cents left. Mom, you count it."

Jiang Dahe counted out the things he bought and handed the wallet to his mother.

The financial power of the family is controlled by Zhang Jinlan.

As long as the family does not split up, everyone has to pay.

"Ten cents a bowl? Oh my god, the price of grain is almost as high as gold. I remember it was only five cents before the New Year! Has it doubled? And coarse noodles, isn't it six cents?

Salt is not bad. It was sold for 38 wen a pound before. They even dared to raise the price of meat buns, from 2 wen to 5 wen. They might as well go and make money! Oh, how come the wages didn’t increase when the food prices increased but instead decreased? Five people only earned 40 wen. I thought they could earn at least 60 wen. It’s too little!”

There was a hint of sadness on Zhang Jinlan's face.

Food prices have doubled across the board.

A five-cent meat bun could buy a bucket of brown rice before the New Year.

So scary.

"Mom, it's okay. My brother and I can just carry more grain bags. We won't have to worry about not having enough to eat. Quickly pour the brown rice into the jar. Your son must be exhausted after carrying it all the way." Jiang Eryong put down the bag of brown rice.

I was so tired that I was breathing heavily.

It takes an hour and a half to walk back from the town.

One bushel of brown rice is approximately equal to twelve kilograms.

Ten fights is one hundred and twenty kilograms.

It was divided into two bags and carried by Jiang Eryong and Jiang Siyin. Jiang Dahe would occasionally replace them to let them rest.

"Old man, boil some water quickly, don't let the kids get sick from thirst. Yamato, pour the brown rice into the rice jar in the kitchen, and leave the coarse noodles on the stove. I'll knead some noodles for Fubao later. Old man, grind the salt into a finer powder and put it in the salt pot."

With Zhang Jinlan's conducting, the Jiang family became lively.

The sunset outside is the same as yesterday.

Covered the sky.

Jiang Fubao stood in the yard holding a meat bun and watched them busying themselves.

"You kid, the buns are getting cold, why don't you eat them?" Zhang Yanzi, who had just finished washing the vegetables, was very puzzled when she saw her daughter standing there in a daze.

In the past, my daughter loved meat buns the most. What happened today?

"Mom, I want to eat with my brothers." Jiang Fubao looked up.

She is too short.

No matter who I talk to, I have to keep my head up, which is really tiring.

"Okay, mom will take it to the kitchen and cut it into eight pieces, okay?" Zhang Yanzi was slightly stunned. She didn't expect that her daughter would suddenly become sensible after being in the water.

Jiang Fubao obediently handed the meat bun in his hand to his mother.

After a while.

Eight meat buns were placed on a plate and brought out.

"Children, come and eat the meat buns. Tongjin, you are the eldest brother, share the meat buns with your brothers and sisters, one for each of you."

After Zhang Yanzi handed the plate to her eldest nephew, she turned back to the kitchen and continued working.

At first, several children refused to take it.

They didn't compromise until Jiang Fubao put his hands on his hips and pouted his lips as if he was about to cry.

Eight children, lined up in order from oldest to youngest.

Everyone held a meat bun in their hands and nibbled on it in small bites.