Qin Lamei glanced in the direction Yu Yao had come from and gave her a bright smile: "Comrade Yu, did you just leave Sister Dan's? I heard that Sister Dan intends to recommend you as a side worker in the side business group. Is Comrade Yu about to take up your post?"
Upon hearing the words "side job group," the military wives passing by immediately perked up their ears, pretending to be very busy as they walked back and forth, their eyes occasionally sweeping over the two of them.
Yu Yao glanced around, a half-smile on her face: "Comrade Qin is quite well-informed. I haven't even thanked Comrade Qin yet. I heard that Comrade Qin thought I was more capable than you and took the initiative to recommend me to Sister Dan. Speaking of which, I was able to take office thanks to Comrade Qin for not holding grudges and recommending me without avoiding enemies."
Upon hearing this, Qin Lamei's face stiffened. She hadn't expected Yu Yao to abandon even basic decorum and expose everything she had done.
Whispers rippled around them.
"Isn't Qin Lamei the one who hates it most when people say she's not as good as Commander Lu's wife? Why is she taking the initiative to admit that she's not as good as others, and even recommending him to Sister Dan?"
"What do you know? The side business group is a hot potato right now. Do you really think Qin Lamei is so kind? She's just waiting to see Commander Lu's wife make a fool of herself."
"She's really malicious. Isn't she just digging a pit for someone to jump into? Commander Lu's wife is still suffering because of the cultured person. If it were me, and I encountered someone who tricked me like that, I would definitely scratch her face until it was covered in blood..."
"Keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear you."
"So what if she heard it? She dared to do it, so why is she afraid of what people say?"
Wang Xiuchao smiled gently at Yu Yao: "Comrade Yu, I'm sorry, my cousin didn't mean that. She just thinks you are capable and experienced, which is why she recommended you to Sister Dan."
As she spoke, she tugged at Qin Lamei's sleeve, "Right, cousin?"
Qin Lamei snapped out of her reverie and forced a smile, "Is that so? Comrade Yu is about to take office, surely he has confidence?"
That calm face of his is really good at pretending!
"I am confident in this regard. Comrade Qin, you don't need to worry about me. Rest assured, I have the experience and ability to serve the sideline group well and will never let it repeat the mistakes that Comrade Qin made when he was in charge."
When it comes to Yin and Yang, Yu Yao is second to none.
Qin Lamei almost couldn't maintain her smile.
What do you mean by "won't repeat her mistakes"? Is Yu Yao implying that she's incompetent?
The faint snickers coming from the surroundings made Qin Lamei's veins throb.
Wang Xiu still had something to ask Yu Yao, and at this moment she was filled with regret, wishing she hadn't come with Qin Lamei.
Seeing that Qin Lamei was both incompetent and easily provoked, he pulled her back, saying, "Comrade Yu, you're capable and knowledgeable in food processing, so there's definitely no problem. Congratulations! My cousin isn't feeling well; she's going through menopause. We have other things to do, so we won't keep you any longer. Goodbye, Comrade Yu!"
Yu Yao glanced at Wang Xiu in surprise. Why was she speaking up for her today?
Unsolicited kindness is either suspicious or up to no good!
Yu Yao ignored her and turned to leave.
Wang Xiu pulled Qin Lamei to the corner, let go of her arm, and complained, "Cousin, didn't I tell you to get along with Yu Yao first? Why can't you control your mouth again?"
"I couldn't help myself when I saw Yu Yao, and for a moment I forgot about it. You said you've taken a liking to Company Commander Song, so go find someone to mediate. Why do you care what Yu Yao thinks?"
“Cousin, you know that all the other aunties were sent back by Company Commander Song under some pretext. I don’t have any other options right now. I heard that Company Commander Song treats Regiment Commander Lu like an older brother, and he has received a lot of help from them over the years. If Regiment Commander Lu’s wife can act as a go-between, we’ll have a 70-80% chance of success.”
Qin Lamei also felt that Wang Xiu's words made sense. "Alright then, hurry up. I'll try to see Yu Yao as little as possible during this time, and don't mention her in front of me."
Fearing that things might change if she waited too long, Wang Xiu brought eggs and fruit to the door that afternoon.
When she arrived, Yu Yao and Su Meihua were drying squid in the yard.
Su Meihua came over carrying a basket of various fruits. "Yu Yao, these are all fruits grown by my sisters. I heard that if pregnant women eat more fruit, their babies will be beautiful, so I brought some over for you."
As she spoke, she took out several bunches of wampee, lychee, wax apple, star fruit, ivory mango, and guava from her basket and put them on the table. There was a small pile of them, each weighing about seven or eight pounds, totaling several dozen pounds.
"Sister-in-law Meihua, there's too much. Take some home and eat it."
Su Meihua was still taking them out, saying, "Not many, not many, I still have several baskets at home."
"Hey, the weather's been good this year, and the fruit trees are producing a lot of fruit. The purchasing station can't take in this much. If we don't eat it, it'll just rot on the trees. When the typhoon comes, it'll all be blown to the ground, and we won't be able to eat it all. It's better to pick more and give it to relatives and friends than to waste it. I'll bring you another basket after you've finished eating."
Despite it being a year of abundant harvest, Su Meihua's brows were furrowed with worry.
For farmers who rely on the weather for their livelihood, they don't make money when the harvest is bad. Even when the harvest is good, if prices are low, they still don't make money.
Hearing this, Yu Yao's heart stirred. "Aunt Meihua, you just said that the fruit tree yield is high this year. How much more is it compared to last year?"
Su Meihua thought for a moment and said, “Let’s take mangoes as an example. My brother-in-law’s production brigade is located near the mountains and has the most mango trees. The older trees start to be harvested from April onwards. A single tree can yield more than 1,000 jin in total. In previous years, 700 jin was considered a high yield.”
"We can't possibly eat all this fruit, even if we give it to relatives and friends. Haven't you thought about drying it and storing it?"
"Now that private sales are not allowed, why would Tao Shen bother making dried fruit? We can't even finish eating fresh fruit every year, so why would he waste his energy?"
"Didn't you ever think of selling it under the name of the collective production team or commune?"
Su Meihua sighed, "How could I not have thought of that? A few years ago, the new leaders of the commune did the same thing, but unfortunately, they couldn't sell anything. There are fruits everywhere in Guangdong Province, and nobody cares about them. Even if people want to eat them, they would rather buy dried fruit produced by the state-owned food factory of the supply and marketing cooperative than ours."
Are there many families like your sister's? If someone is willing to buy mangoes, would people be willing to sell them?
Su Meihua patted the dust off her hands. "Every household in my sister's production team is in the same boat. If someone wants them, they'll sell them even if they're cheap. It's better than them rotting."
Yu Yao asked Su Meihua some more questions and had a preliminary idea in mind.
For items like dried fruit and dried fish, the supply exceeds demand in Guangdong Province, so it's normal for them to be unsold, but other places are in great need.
Back in Shaanxi Province, all year round there were only apples, persimmons, and wild fruits. It's nothing like the islands of Guangdong Province where there are so many fruits to eat.
In Shaanxi Province, bringing a bag of dried fruit or canned fruit when visiting relatives and friends is considered a very meaningful gift.
If the surplus fruit or seafood here were processed into dried fruit and fish that are easy to store and carry, and sold to places that don't produce fruit or seafood, there would definitely be no shortage of buyers.
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