Chapter 347 Educated Youth Sent Down to the Countryside in the 1960s (9)
Jiang Yue and the others weren't idle either. They secretly bought a lot of meat from the pig farmers. Chickens and geese were hard to buy, but Zhang Wei, Wang Liang, and Yao Ling's families all sent a lot of receipts. The group used the receipts to exchange for some meat. As for Jiang Yue, she said she would no longer contact her family. This decision wasn't hers; the original owner of this body had thought it best not to contact her family before she died. Jiang Yue has always respected the original owner's wishes.
Moreover, since Jiang Yue went to the countryside, apart from the last time she was given something as hush money, her family has not written her a single letter. Even if the original owner doesn't explain, Jiang Yue won't be so indifferent.
During the Spring Festival, meat is mostly bought. The group also consulted with pig farmers and learned that they can apply to raise pigs when the season is right. They are not worried about not having any to raise because raising pigs is now a task. The team leader worries about who to find to raise pigs every year. Raising pigs will provide some subsidies in the form of coarse grains, but not much.
The weather here is cold, so pigs grow slowly and may not grow to marketable size. Then we would have to pay for several more months' worth of feed. After discussing it, the four of them decided that it would be more cost-effective to raise a few chickens and geese. The four of them could raise ten chickens, which would provide eggs for them to eat and meat for them to slaughter during holidays or when the chickens stopped laying eggs.
Yao Ling busied herself buying a lot of things, like ants carrying loads of grain. As the Spring Festival approached, a big event happened for her: Wang Zhi went home for vacation this year. Wang Zhi's return home became the hottest topic in the brigade. People flocked to Wang Zhi's house every day, especially those with unmarried daughters.
On the first day, Yao Ling dragged Jiang Yue to see what Wang Zhi looked like. After seeing him, she was so terrified that she wouldn't leave the house. She would let Jiang Yue do whatever she wanted when she needed to go out. Jiang Yue was very pleased. That was the right thing to do. We can just stay away and watch the show. We can't get involved in this for the rest of our lives.
Don't ask Yao Ling why she didn't retaliate. Who would kill someone just by watching a movie? Unless there's a deep-seated hatred, keeping her distance is a perfectly normal reaction. Of course, Jiang Yue also believes that if Yao Ling had the chance to trick Wang Zhi and Liu Xiaoyi, she definitely wouldn't refuse.
After breakfast, Wang Liang and Zhang Wei went into the mountains with Xiao Hu's father. They had been setting traps for a while, but lacking experience, they had never caught a rabbit. Recently, with the Chinese New Year approaching, they wanted to add some vegetables to their dishes, so they went to the mountains twice a day to keep an eye on the rabbits.
Jiang Yue knows how to hunt, but she's been keeping an eye on Yao Ling lately. She doesn't dare leave her home alone, just in case. Even though there's a puppet to keep an eye on her, if someone really comes, she won't be able to get back in time.
After Zhang Wei and Wang Liang left, Jiang Yue and Yao Ling did a thorough cleaning. They cleaned all the cabinets and nooks and crannies that were usually difficult to reach, and also gave the yard a thorough cleaning, sweeping the entrance to the yard. As you can see during the New Year, every household's surroundings were clean.
The two returned around noon. As soon as they entered, they closed the gate and then took a rabbit out of their clothes.
"Wow, we caught a rabbit today? This must be the first time we've ever caught one!"
"Hehe, our traps were all empty. Little Tiger's dad caught three, and he gave us one for the New Year so we could have an extra dish during the holiday."
"Tch~ What a disappointment. I'll take some brown sugar to Little Tiger's mom later. She said she couldn't buy any a while ago."
"Okay, I'll have Wang Liang deliver it over later. I'll go and process the rabbit."
"Be careful when you handle the rabbit. Xiaoyue and I just cleaned up. Don't get blood everywhere."
"Then I'll boil some water for you."
The group divided the work: some boiled water, others delivered brown sugar, while Zhang Wei and Yao Ling processed the rabbit. Soon, the processed rabbit was caught. They didn't plan to eat it today; they would have a proper meal during the New Year.
After dealing with the rabbit, Jiang Yue put the firewood the two had brought back onto the woodpile. This woodpile would have to be redone next year; it wasn't tall enough to hold much now, so it had to be stretched out, and it was almost too long to fit on one wall of the small courtyard.
When it was time to eat, Jiang Yue started cooking. Today, she made sauerkraut stew with frozen tofu and cornbread. When they were almost finished eating, Yao Ling said, "There are less than ten days until the New Year. Should we go to the commune again?"
"I think that's a good idea. Buying a few pieces of tofu would be fine too, since we've already finished the tofu."
"Then let's go tomorrow. Everyone has to get up early, otherwise there will be too many people and we won't be able to get in."
......
The next morning at five o'clock, the four of them boarded the oxcart to the commune. The oxcart was packed with people, as it would keep them warmer. Jiang Yue, being a powerhouse, wore a magic robe that made her resistant to the cold. She didn't eat alone either, and she also covered the oxcart a little. Although it was still cold, everyone could bear it.
After arriving at the commune, the four of them did not separate. This time, they did not have a fixed goal and discussed what to do with whatever they saw. After walking around, they only bought a few pieces of frozen tofu and dried mushrooms. They didn't even think about meat. As soon as they saw the meat vendor, it was gone before they could even squeeze in. People would buy meat that didn't require ration coupons, even if it was a bit more expensive.
After browsing around, Zhang Wei and Wang Liang went to the supply and marketing cooperative and spent all their coupons. These coupons were given to them by their families before the Spring Festival. They were all ordinary families, and the coupons were basically saved up by their families to send to them. However, they also bought a lot of dried goods and mushrooms and sent them back. The items were not many, but they were a token of their goodwill.
After leaving the supply and marketing cooperative, they planned to go to the butcher shop to buy some pork fat, as they didn't have much oil left at home. When they arrived at the butcher shop, the three of them waited outside because Jiang Yue made an excuse that one of them could go and buy it alone. When they reached the entrance of an alley, Wang Liang handed a small knife to Jiang Yue: "Xiao Yue, take this for self-defense. If things go wrong, run away as fast as you can. Remember to shout if you encounter danger. Also, ask if you can send someone else next time."
"Okay, I've got it."
One lie leads to many more to cover it up. Taking things out of the space can't be done in front of others. But this is the last time. The puppet is settled. Next time, Wang Liang or Zhang Wei can go. Jiang Yue herself won't get involved.
Walking into the alley and finding a secluded corner, Jiang Yue took out ten catties of pork fat. It's normal to have a little more for the New Year, right? After thinking for a moment, she added two pork hocks, two catties of pork, and finally a few blood sausages and two cabbages. Anyway, it can be stored in this weather. It's not that Jiang Yue didn't want to take more, but the public funds were enough to buy these.
When Jiang Yue came out of the alley, the three anxiously waiting people surrounded her. Zhang Wei took the basket and carried it on his back. Then the four of them quickly moved to a secluded spot and opened the basket to take a look.
Wow, so much stuff! There's even pork knuckle!
"There's so much pork fat here, how much is this?"
"Ten pounds, I bought more than I should, I don't know when we'll have this stuff again."
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