On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, Qian Duoduo and Qian Xiang drove an oxcart to deliver tofu and spiced dried tofu early in the morning. When they saw two willow baskets next to Fatty Wang, Qian Xiang knew that this was meat for the banquet, and that it was already difficult to buy so much.
He said to Fatty Wang, "Comrade Wang, thank you very much!"
Fatty Wang smiled and looked at Qian Duoduo, saying, "Little Qian, look, these are what I bought for you these past few days. Our state-run restaurant also has a quota; we can't exceed it too much."
Qian Duoduo smiled and said, "That's enough. I'm very grateful to have this much. Uncle Wang, how much do you think this meat costs?"
Fatty Wang was about to say he didn't need the money when he heard Qian Duoduo say, "These are all based on the restaurant's share. We can't let the restaurant's accounts be unbalanced. That would make Uncle Wang make a mistake. We can't do things like that."
Fatty Wang smiled wryly. This girl really wouldn't take advantage of anyone! He could only quote an amount, and Qian Duoduo paid the money very readily.
When Qian Xiang went to deliver tofu to Mao'ershan Commune, Qian Duoduo saw that no one was around, so he quietly put six chickens into the willow basket. When he went to the Honeybee Commune, Qian Duoduo said, "Brother Qian Xiang, you go deliver the tofu, I'll go take a walk in the alley over there."
Qian Xiang glanced at the "special" alley and said, "Be careful."
Qian Duoduo nodded and watched Qian Xiang enter the state-run restaurant. She quickly walked towards the alley, but she didn't go in. She just wandered around the area and saw a dead-end alley with no one around. She took out a willow basket that had been placed on the farm long ago. This basket still belonged to Qian Sheng's family. However, all the willow baskets were woven in a similar way, and no one would look at them carefully.
When Qian Xiang arrived near the alley, he didn't see Qian Duoduo. He could only wander around the area. Then he saw a little girl carrying a willow basket with a burlap sack covering it. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was his little Duoduo.
He immediately stepped forward, took the item from it, and exclaimed, "Wow, it's quite heavy!" He asked, "What are you doing here?"
Qian Duoduo lied without batting an eye, saying, "I came here with an old lady and bought these things too. Oh my god, I asked that old lady to help me carry my things, and she took the money and left without even turning her head. Can you believe how infuriating that is?"
Qian Xiang nodded and said, "He doesn't show any tenderness towards a young girl like you."
Qian Duoduo nodded, "That's right, I can't lift anything with my hands or carry anything on my shoulders, and they won't even help me!"
Seeing Qian Duoduo nod, Qian Xiang cursed the fabricated old woman again, then placed the willow basket on the oxcart and said, "Duoduo, let's go back!"
Qian Duoduo said, "Brother Qian Xiang, you know, with the New Year approaching, everyone should be willing to spend some money to buy some tofu, right?"
Qian Xiang nodded and said, "It's almost Chinese New Year, and everyone is stocking up on New Year's goods."
Qian Duoduo said, "Do you think our tofu would sell even faster if we sold it in that 'alley'? And now that the weather is cold, we can also make frozen tofu."
Qian Xiang looked at Qian Duoduo and said, "That's one way too. Go home and discuss it with your second uncle."
~~~~
When Jin Jinxiu saw the two willow baskets that Qian Xiang carried in, she had no doubt that the baskets were full. Judging from the effort Qian Xiang, who was quite large, had to carry them in, there should be enough for him.
She opened the wicker basket and saw it was full of dressed chicken and pork, as well as vegetables and a few apples. She looked at Qian Duoduo and said, "How did you two manage to get so much stuff?"
Qian Xiang smiled and said, "Second Aunt, this was all done by Duo Duo, and Comrade Wang also helped. I'm going to the brigade headquarters to find my second uncle, and I'll be back in a bit."
As soon as Jin Jinxiu saw Qian Xiang leave, she immediately said, "Old lady, did you go to the black market?"
Qian Duoduo nodded and said, "How could we have so much stuff if we didn't go? We'll eat these apples ourselves, especially Yibo and Yufei. It's better for them to have some fruit."
Seeing Qian Duoduo like this, Jin Jinxiu nodded. The old man had said that Qian Duoduo was now a little rich girl, so spending a little money shouldn't be a problem, right? She glanced at the old maid's face and saw that she didn't look distressed, so it should be fine!
Qian Xiang went to the brigade headquarters and told Qian Sheng, Li Dafa, and the old Party Secretary about Qian Duoduo's suggestion. Li Dafa immediately said, "That's what they say, college students' minds work fast. By delivering the goods, they can see how to sell them quickly!"
Qian Sheng said, "We are currently selling to state-run restaurants in both communes and the county town, but fewer people eat at the state-run restaurants. It just so happens that the New Year is approaching, so let Zhang the tofu maker make more. We also need to get our people moving. We should not only go to the black market, but also to the large markets in each commune. At the very least, if we don't have money, we can use soybeans to pay the debt."
Li Dafa gave Qian Sheng a thumbs up and said, "Captain, you truly deserve to be called the father of a college student. Your idea is brilliant!"
The old Party Secretary nodded and said, "I think it's a good idea. If we make this change, we can give everyone a bigger pension when it's time to distribute it, and everyone will be happy!"
Qian Sheng was an action-oriented person. Since the three leaders of Beian Village had passed a resolution on this matter, Qian Sheng immediately went to the tofu workshop and told Zhang the tofu maker about the village's decision. Zhang the tofu maker naturally had no objections and immediately led the workers in the tofu workshop to start working. Now, in addition to making large tofu, there were also two people who made solid tofu for spiced dried tofu.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the entire tofu shop changed, becoming bustling and lively. Li Xiaohua also got busy. However, her family members came to the tofu shop because Li Xiaohua was working there instead of being busy inside. Just as they were about to get angry, they saw that the entire tofu shop was no longer filled with people chatting leisurely; everyone was working.
They had no choice but to retreat. When Li Xiaohua returned home, her husband saw that she was walking unsteadily and immediately went up to her and asked, "Why is your tofu shop so busy all of a sudden? I went to look for you today, but no one helped me find you."
Li Xiaohua rubbed her lower back, rolled her eyes at him, and said, "What do you want from me?"
Li Xiaohua's husband said, "We're out of money at home, give me ten yuan."
Li Xiaohua said, "No money? That can't be. You used to collect my salary for several months. There can't be none at all, right?"
Her man's face immediately darkened, and he snorted, "Are you fucking going to give it to me or not?"
Li Xiaohua lay down on the bed: "I haven't received my salary yet, and besides, my annuity will be paid in a few days."
His husband scoffed, "How much money can our village's pension be? Yesterday, when they slaughtered the pig for the New Year, our family didn't even get a few pounds of meat."
Li Xiaohua yawned and said, "What can we do? It's your fault for being so bad at work."
The other person choked. The work in the fields was really tiring. After a few days, he felt that his back was sunburned and peeling. He didn't want to suffer like that!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
