That night, Lin Lan returned home, unlocked the gate, and found Erwang sleeping on the door frame of the main room, holding a stick.
Mai Sui was holding a large shovel, lying on the kang with his clothes on, and he also fell asleep.
The children Sanwang and Xiaowang had no worries and slept soundly.
Lin Lan felt warm in her heart. She woke Erwang up and let him sleep on the kang.
Erwang rubbed his eyes and woke up immediately when he saw Lin Lan, "Mom, you're back!"
Lin Lan smiled and said, "Go to sleep on the kang."
She was so excited about getting so much money that she couldn't sleep. Unfortunately, Han Qingsong was not there and the children were still young, so she had no one to share the good news with.
Although Erwang was considerate, he was still a child after all. After being frightened all day, he was exhausted. He lay down on the kang and fell into a deep sleep without even taking off his shoes.
Lin Lan took off his straw sandals, fetched some water and wrung out a towel to wipe his feet, then took off his clothes and put them in the right place.
The child was sleeping so soundly that he was unaware of any manipulation.
Lin Lan did the same thing and fiddled with the wheat ears as well.
After she had taken care of the children, she went to check the yard, locked the gate, and closed the chicken coop, thinking that she should get a fiercer dog to raise.
Ordinary local dogs will not work, as they bully the weak and fear the strong. At least you have to find a mixed-race dog with wolfdog bloodline.
There was no cash box at home, so Lin Lan thought for a moment and decided to temporarily divide the money into several portions, wrap them in rags, and stuff them in some inconspicuous places where the children would not rummage through them.
In fact, there were rural credit unions at that time, but she didn't believe in them and didn't dare to deposit money in them.
Rural cooperatives, supply and marketing cooperatives, and credit cooperatives were the three pillars after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Cooperatives were responsible for agricultural production and some water conservancy projects, supply and marketing cooperatives were responsible for connecting urban and rural industries and agricultural products, and credit cooperatives were similar to the later Agricultural Bank of China's rural cooperatives.
However, in view of the function of credit unions at that time, Lin Lan thought it would be better not to deposit money, as it would be a pity not to deposit money and not be able to get it back.
She was so excited that she couldn't sleep. She thought that lighting the lamp would waste oil, but she thought that she was rich now, so why should she be afraid of wasting oil? She thought again that she had money, but unfortunately she didn't have a ticket, so she couldn't buy kerosene, so she had no choice but to not light the lamp.
Just thinking about this randomly.
She thought that when she had money, she would find a way to exchange it for tickets, coupons, and supplies, so that she could make delicious food for her children, make clothes, buy shoes for them, and let them go to school to learn knowledge so that they can become successful people in the future, and then she, as an old mother, could retire. Thinking about her children, she also wondered what she should do. Now that she had the capital, she might as well find something to do.
The best way to make a living at this time is to resell supplies, but she has to find a source of goods. I wonder if Han Qingsong can cooperate with her after he changes his career?
Apart from reselling, she can't do anything else, at least not under her own name. Now there is a severe crackdown on private businesses, saying they are capitalist-roaders.
Therefore, no matter what we want to do, we have to work with the team. This is considered a collective enterprise, it is legal and will be protected.
She fell asleep while thinking about this and stayed asleep until the rooster crowed the next day.
Sanwang was the first to wake up. Although his head was broken, he ate three eggs and slept for a night before regaining his health.
"Cluck, cluck, cluck!" The good news of a hen laying eggs came from outside.
Sanwang rubbed his eyes, leaned over the window and looked out, and said in surprise: "Mom, whose chicken came to our house to lay eggs!"
He jumped down to the ground and rushed to pick up the eggs to prevent others from coming to ask for them back.
When he came back, he saw a pool of blood on the ground and wondered, "Who is bleeding?"
Lin Lan woke up and listened to Sanwang's voice, wondering if this silly child had been beaten stupidly?
She quickly got dressed and got up without calling the other children, letting them sleep a little longer.
"Mom, look, eggs!" Sanwang's eyes sparkled.
Lin Lan took the egg and said, "You are injured, so you need to eat something nutritious. Your grandma thought that we couldn't split up the family without hens, so she gave us three."
Sanwang smiled and said, "Can my grandma be so generous?"
Lin Lan smiled but said nothing. Sanwang laughed so hard that his wound was pulled. "Ouch."
Lin Lan quickly told him to be quiet, "Don't move your head. Ask the doctor to change the dressing when you get off work at noon."
She was still afraid of leaving scars, but there was nothing she could do about it. Even in modern times, there was no good way to deal with it.
Soon Erwang and Mai Sui woke up one after another. Instead of staying in bed like before, they got up immediately and went downstairs to help Lin Lan cook.
Lin Lan said, "Boil some water-soaked pancakes, and use boiling water to rinse the egg in a large bowl. Let's drink together."
"Let's have some egg drop soup!" The children were very happy.
Mai Sui made the fire while Er Wang loaded the pot; the brother and sister worked in perfect harmony.
First, put the boiling water in the porcelain pot bought by Lin Lan and let it cool. It is enough for a day. At the same time, make a bowl of egg drop soup and then heat up the biscuits.
Lin Lan asked the children to share the drink and told Sanwang, "Don't touch water. If you touch water, the wound will get inflamed, and then you will get a fever and your brain will rot."
Sanwang was shocked. "Is it really rotten?"
Mai Sui laughed at him, "Stupid, why don't you just stay out of the water?"
"Then I will sweat!" Sanwang exclaimed.
Erwang: "Just lie down quietly and fan yourself with a palm-leaf fan, and you won't sweat."
After breakfast, when he was going to work, the barefoot doctor stopped by to check on Sanwang. Seeing how lively he was, he smiled and said, "Children are tough. Everything will be fine after a night's sleep. Adults are not that good."
He was talking about Han Jinbao.
Han Jinbao's toe was hit, and it was swollen and shiny. Fortunately, it was not broken, but it was enough for him. Although he went to the commune health center to drain the blood clots and was not seriously ill, the initial numbness and pain passed, and the pain became worse after a night's sleep. The pain was so excruciating that he cried non-stop at home.
Anyway, the whole village can hear it.
Lin Lan naturally didn't care. She told the children to let Sanwang and Xiaowang stay at home, and Erwang and Mai Sui could go out to cut grass and come back to rest and prepare dinner.
She went to work.
When I go to work, I am bound to be asked about things in a roundabout way by the other members of the commune.
After all, the commotion yesterday was too intense, with swearing, smashing jars, and beating people. We even went to the commune clinic, and what happened next was even more violent.
They said that Lin Lan chased after her sister-in-law and Han's second wife with an axe, and when she couldn't kill anyone, she went to chop household items. It was said that she chopped all the chickens in Old Han's house to death, saying that a chicken was worth a life! She also smashed the wardrobe and made a big hole in the pot.
Gossip changes beyond all recognition once it gets circulated.
But one thing remains unchanged, that is - Lin Lan has become rich and now has hundreds or thousands of yuan in her hands!
Of course they didn't know the exact number. Han Yongfang's family wouldn't gossip, and Old Han's family was too embarrassed to tell anyone. They could only ask Old Han's children.
But the child spoke incoherently and I couldn't hear the whole picture, so what he said was different.
In short, there is money, and even an IOU!
Wow, Lin Lan is so amazing, she is worthy of being the village bully!
Naturally, Lin Lan did not join in the fun. She played dumb when they asked her in a tactful way, and pretended to be angry when they asked her directly. This frightened the woman quite a bit, for she was afraid that she would throw a tantrum and hit someone.
Zhang Caihong and Dong Huaihua became more friendly to her, as they all knew that she had a conflict with her mother-in-law and could not pick vegetables in the vegetable garden.
"We can't eat all of them. If there are any left, they will become old. Just pick them."
Lin Lan definitely wanted to eat the food, but she couldn't eat it for free, so she said, "Thank you, sisters-in-law, for taking care of me and the kids, but it's not good to eat your food for free. How about this, I'll pay for it."
Cash is valuable now, but the vegetables in the vegetable garden are worth nothing in the countryside.
Two or three cents is enough to buy a meal.
They all refused to take it. "Mrs. Qingsong, are you kidding us? Are we here for your money?"
"Don't get me wrong, that's not what I meant. I think we should be clear about the matter and keep it to ourselves. That way I can eat with peace of mind. Otherwise, I would be embarrassed to keep picking them."
She was so clear about gratitude and resentment and didn't try to take advantage of others, which surprised Dong Huaihua and Zhang Caihong. She was really different.
It seems that if you suffer enough, you will really make progress.
Lin Lan's family gave fifty cents, which was enough for them to eat until autumn when the vegetable garden ran out.
By then, Lin Lan could grow autumn and winter vegetables, including radishes, carrots, cabbage, spinach, and leeks. She could also grow mustard greens or buy them. She could buy a lot of them for three cents, enough to make pickled vegetables. She could even buy cabbage and radishes. A few cents would be enough to stock up a small mountain.
In the countryside, these things are cheap, but money is precious, so if you have cash, you will naturally plan your purchases accordingly. It is not like in the city where you have to buy cabbages at a centralized purchase and sale rate, and a pound of cabbage costs two or three cents.
Here, you can buy a big head of cabbage for three cents.
Lin Lan was very happy after getting this done. After work at noon, she went home to tell Mai Sui and Er Wang that from now on, they should go to two houses to pick vegetables every day. Just enough for one day's consumption, no more.
As a result, when I passed the alley where Old Han lived, I heard the screams of old lady Han.
Lin Lan: ...
Day by day, is it a terrible program that is installed?
"God damn it, when did she go to the police station to file a complaint?"
"Quick, go find her!"
Lin Lan wondered if this “she” was referring to herself?
She quickened her pace and went home, and found the yard very quiet. She didn't hear Xiaowang chasing the ducks, nor did she hear Sanwang laughing, nor did she hear Erwang and Mai Sui arguing about cooking.
"I'm back." she shouted.
Erwang immediately came out from behind the door, pulled her in, and signaled her to speak in a low voice.
Seeing his mysterious look, Lin Lan was puzzled, "What's the matter?"
Erwang raised his eyebrows and gave her a wink.
Lin Lan went into the house and indeed heard the voice of someone else.
"Little Han Sanwang, how do you feel now? Are you dizzy?" someone in the room asked.
Lin Lan hurried in and saw a man in police uniform holding a notebook and taking notes while asking questions.
She just looked at Sanwang lying on the kang and groaning. Looking at his posture, he didn't look like the lively Sanwang in the morning, but rather like a dying man.
Lin Lan rushed over anxiously, "Sanwang, please don't scare me."
"Mrs. Han, you're back? Please cooperate with us in taking a statement." A gentle voice.
Lin Lan took a look and was surprised. Isn't this Public Security Liu?
"Public Security Officer Liu, why are you here?"
Even though she dreamed about reporting the case at night, but, could it be true?
Policeman Liu said: "We received a report that Han Qinghua committed a crime in the village, so we came here to investigate and take notes."
Did someone really report the case?
"Officer Liu, may I ask who reported the case?" She really didn't go, although she wanted to, but after all, she got the money...
"Han Dawang went to report the case. Didn't you ask him to go?" Public Security Liu was very puzzled.
Lin Lan exclaimed, Da Wang went to report the crime? She couldn't help but feel excited, but then she felt a little guilty for blaming Da Wang before.
This child is waiting here.
What a good boy.
This child is teachable!
After taking the statement, Officer Liu asked Lin Lan a few more questions.
Lin Lan was a little confused. "Public Security Officer Liu, is Han Jinbao's beating of my son so serious that he should be arrested?"
Although Han Jinbao called Sanwang, in reality, it would be attributed to a family conflict and the police would not care at all.
She did not report the crime immediately because it was useless, so she went to Han Yongfang and took advantage of Han Yongfang's sense of justice, and then used Han Jinbao and Han Jinyu's corrupt practices to extort money.
I didn’t expect it to be useful?
Policeman Liu hesitated for a moment, thinking it was not a secret, and Lin Lan was also a victim and had the right to know, so he said, "Han Dawang reported that Han Qinghua had reactionary behavior."
As for specific behaviors, they naturally cannot be disclosed at will.
However, Lin Lan immediately understood that the illegal behavior at that time was different from that in later generations. The illegal behavior at that time was mostly related to speculation, slandering leaders, improper conduct, corruption, etc.
This is not an injustice to Han Jinbao.
Moreover, Da Wang had been following him all the time and knew everything about him. What he reported about him was always accurate.
My son Dawang, I give you a thumbs up!
Lin Lan raised her thumb happily.
Liu Gongan looked at Lin Lan in surprise.
"Public Security Officer Liu, how will Han Jinbao be punished? Have all the charges been proven?"
"We'll take him back for investigation and ask teachers and students from the school to testify. If the facts are proven, he will be detained first and then wait for the trial. Whether he will be sent to a labor camp or fined and sent home remains to be seen."
There is a lot of room for maneuver here. You are not in jail at this time. Supplies are already tight, so they naturally won't let people go to jail for nothing and waste food. They all have to go to the labor camp farm to farm.
If you don't have any connections or channels, and no one pleads for you, then you will have to go to labor reform. Whether it's ten years or three years depends on the situation.
If you have connections, you can use some personal connections to help them. You don't have to go to labor reform. At most you can get some education and go home.
Han Qinghua's third brother is a military officer, so there is some leeway for this.
However, the commotion caused by Han Dawang's report was too great to be ignored. They would suppress the case first and take Han Jinbao away for detention. When Han Qingsong returns, they would quietly greet him.
See what Han Qingsong means.
Lin Lan didn't know about this, and Public Security Liu naturally wouldn't reveal a single thing.
Public Security Officer Liu took the transcript to Lao Han's home.
Lin Lan followed him in, and as soon as she entered, she saw the yard in chaos.
Seeing her coming, Mrs. Han's eyes turned red and she was trembling as she tried to hit her, "You vicious person, you are so vicious! You want my son to die!"
Lin Lan shrugged: "Old lady, you are slandering me with all your might. I didn't do anything."
The old Korean leader had a gloomy face and said, "Old Third's money, you took it away and wrote the IOU, why don't you let him go?"
Han Jinyu was also there scolding, accusing Lin Lan of being insane, wanting to kill everyone, and having a vicious mind... Anyway, she used all the words she had learned in these years of study, both usable and unusable.
Sister-in-law Han said, "My third brother's wife was at work all morning. She didn't report the case at all."
Public Security Officer Liu also said that it was not Lin Lan who reported the case, but he did not mention Han Dawang.
"Who is that? Who is meddling in other people's business?" Han Jinbao had a ferocious expression, his eyes almost popped out.
He was actually good-looking, but he usually made a distorted face and grimaced, which made him look ugly. Now he was really angry.
He suspected it was Han Qingyun, the kid who liked to meddle in other people's business.
Public Security Liu and his colleague wanted to handcuff Han Jinbao.
Han Jinbao immediately started to show off his misery, making a sound of "ouch, ouch", and showing his feet, with his toes still swollen and purple.
Policeman Liu said: "He can't escape anyway, so there's no need to cuff him."
If I were handcuffed, it would be extremely embarrassing and I wouldn't be able to clear my name when I got home.
They took Han Jinbao out, and Old Han and Old Lady Han followed them out. Especially Old Lady Han, she was so reluctant to leave, as if her heart and lungs were about to be torn out.
"Officer Liu, please don't hit my child..."
She even said that her third son was a military officer and she was willing to pay money to redeem him.
Liu's colleague frowned and said, "Auntie, please don't slander us. No one dares to make mistakes. We are all seeking truth from facts."
"Mom——" Han Jinbao couldn't be cruel anymore and just kept on complaining.
Old Mrs. Han was in excruciating pain.
Lin Lan watched coldly, thinking that you reap what you sow. This melon was sown by the mother and daughter themselves. One was spoiled and indulged, while the other acted willfully. This result was not surprising.
At this time, Han Jinbao glared at Lin Lan with eyes full of hatred.
Lin Lan said coldly: "I'm at work. I'm not the one reporting the crime. It's useless for you to hate me. You should hate yourself for having such bad thoughts."
Some people are always like this. They don't reflect on their own crimes, but only resent the victims for not forgiving them.
In the evening, Da Wang came back from outside. He entered the house without saying a word. He found a cake and started eating it.
It looks like he has not eaten for a day.
Lin Lan quickly poured him some water and brought him some pickled vegetables, "Eat slowly, or you'll choke." She then sent the other children out to collect firewood and questioned them again and again.
Da Wang finished two large pancakes before taking a breath and burping, "I'm going to cut the grass."
"Stop!" Lin Lan hurriedly grabbed him. What the hell are you doing mowing the grass? You said you were going to mow the grass a while ago, but in the blink of an eye you disappeared and ended up running to the city to complain.
As a spectator, I have to give you a thumbs up and applaud.
But as your mother, I have to punish you severely!
Da Wang stopped outside the door and raised his eyebrows impatiently, "What are you doing?"
"You don't have anything to explain to me?"
Dawang shakes his head.
Me! Lin Lan was so angry that she took out a fire stick and had to beat the child.
Da Wang doesn't seem to be afraid of being beaten, after all, he has been beaten many times since he was a child.
Lin Lan got angry when she saw his expression which said, "You can't kill me, so why should I be afraid of you?"
But she felt sorry for him because he was just a child after all and he did such a big thing quietly.
Beating children can only make you feel better temporarily, but you will regret it and feel bad later on.
Lin Lan can't be so self-destructive.
She said, "Tell me how you reported the case."
Da Wang glanced at her sideways, "What?"
Damn it! You deserve a beating, don't you?
Lin Lan growled, "Let your mother be happy too!"
Da Wang: “…” He looked at Lin Lan suspiciously, and was so shocked that he couldn’t speak.
Lin Lan gave an awkward smile, "Well, let's do it quietly. Mom is an adult, we can't let others know."
Da Wang: ...Are you still afraid that others will know?
He realized that if he didn't tell her today he wouldn't be able to leave, so he had to just give Lin Lan a perfunctory answer and give her a general idea.
So it's probably just two dry sentences.
"I handed in all the reactionary books Han Jinbao had read, and also dug out the cheesy love letters he had written." Of course there were other things, but he couldn't tell the woman everything.
It was not until Han Qingsong came back later that Lin Lan learned the details and knew that Han Jinbao and the others had copied and circulated some forbidden books, such as "Girl's Heart", which was a taboo at that time.
What's more, Han Jinbao's bad conduct was not limited to this. He took advantage of his wealth to hook up with more than one female classmates. Some female classmates were angry, and some male classmates were jealous, so naturally trouble arose.
No one had taken the initiative before, and Han Jinbao also had some influence, so no one had the idea to do this.
Now that Da Wang has exposed the matter, the Public Security Bureau has come to the school to investigate, and those classmates have taken the opportunity to add insult to injury and expose him one after another, so Han Jinbao's problem can be big or small, but it has become serious after this.
Anyway, it's not easy to come back.
Lin Lan couldn't help but stand in awe. Da Wang was not to be underestimated. No wonder he grew up to be a villain according to the original plot. With such scheming and methods, he was definitely a villain.
Thinking of this, Lin Lan started to act like a bootlicker and wanted to have a better relationship with Da Wang. "Son——"
Before the old mother mode started, Da Wang was startled and ran away.
Lin Lan: ...
At first, Mrs. Han thought that Lin Lan had kidnapped her son and wanted to find Lin Lan to retaliate. However, Public Security Officer Liu said that it was not Lin Lan who reported the case, but someone in the school reported Han Qinghua for reactionary behavior, which was very serious.
The old lady was frightened again and thought of using the money to make connections, but she had no money at all.
All the cash in the house was given to Lin Lan!
The Han family went from being quasi-rich to being penniless overnight.
That night, she went to put pressure on Lin Lan to get her to use her connections to get money, but was sternly rejected by Lin Lan.
The old lady accused her: "We are all family, how can you not care? How can you be so inhumane?"
Lin Lan advised her: "Old lady, what you said is true. I wanted to file a complaint myself, but I didn't go because of the face of the branch secretary and my elder brother and his wife. Now you want me to pay money to redeem him? You..."
Isn't this a dream?
"Oh my God, I don't want to live anymore--" Old Mrs. Han started crying again, she was willing to give it all for her little son.
Dong Huaihua came to persuade her: "Auntie, what are you doing? The evidence reported by the school is solid, and you still want to use your connections? Aren't you dissatisfied with his uncle's slow death?"
Old Lady Han was startled. "Director, what do you mean?"
"Auntie, we are cracking down on you severely and investigating bribery and corruption. If you go and get involved, wouldn't that be like walking into a trap? Your crime will be even more serious." If something like this got out, the commune and county revolutionary committee would call you out at a meeting, and Shanzui Village would be embarrassed.
These cadres are even more shameless.
Old Mrs. Han started crying again. What should we do?
"It's just a problem of work style. It will be fine once it's investigated thoroughly. Just cooperate and explain, and nothing will happen. After all, we come from poor peasant families, and our roots are good." Dong Huaihua is also a smart person. This matter can be big or small. It will probably be a matter of a few words when Han Qingsong comes back.
Old Mrs. Han seemed to understand that it didn't matter as long as it wasn't a class conflict issue, she wouldn't be shot anyway.
She also got advice from Han Qingyun, and the most important thing was to wait for her third brother to come back.
Only then did Old Mrs. Han calm down. She had never been so eager for her third son to come home so that she could plead for the release of the fourth son.
But she was still unhappy, and she kept making excuses and sighing all day long, "I married such an unlucky girl. I told her that I should wait for the auspicious month and not let her marry in such a hurry... Humph, I think I shouldn't have married her at that time. She's no better than the daughter of the old Liu family..."
When Han's sister-in-law heard her talking nonsense again, she quickly told her to stop so as not to provoke the third brother's family to get mad again, as they had done so before.
Han Jinyu was worried, because after all this trouble, she couldn't be sent back to school and had to stay out of the spotlight.
Old Han asked her and her youngest son to change their names to something like Jinbao Jinyu, to escape from being poor and lower-middle peasants. Finally, he asked the elementary school principal Han Qingping for permission.
Han Jinyu was given the full name Han Qingshan, and Han Jinbao was still called Han Qinghua. Neither Jinbao nor Jinyu were allowed to use those names anymore.
Once they stopped, Lin Lan lived a comfortable life. She went to work every day, cooked, did laundry, listened to the radio, and taught the children. It was so pleasant.
There was another big market day, so Lin Lan asked for leave, told her children to go there on her bike.
On the way, he met a few more women, all of whom were very envious of him. Some of them were about to say something sarcastic, but Lin Lan just kicked his feet and rode away like the wind, leaving them far behind.
"Look at her, look at her shaking expression, she is really famous again!"
"The famous and powerful wife in the whole commune!" Although they don't want to be bullied by their mother-in-law or squeezed by their sisters-in-law at home, if others are criticized because of the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, they will involuntarily develop a sense of superiority, thinking that they are not so fierce and fierce, but gentle and kind.
Lin Lan went to the market and bought some things that she had wanted to buy but had not been willing to buy. When she saw people selling food and eggs, she bought them without hesitation.
It's cheap, why not buy it? The key is that you don't need a ticket.
Country people took eggs to the city to exchange for food coupons. One pound of eggs was exchanged for two pounds of food coupons. After the exchange, they had to take the food coupons and money to buy food again. To put it bluntly, it was like using one pound of eggs to exchange for the qualification to buy two pounds of food, which was just a disguised price increase. So some people always boasted that prices were cheap at this time. Lin Lan didn't know how they calculated it. Even if it was one cent per pound of food, but he didn't sell it and had no supplies, you could only go hungry. Can you say it was cheap?
The market usually sells coarse grains, such as dried sweet potatoes, sorghum rice, bean flour, etc., or those kinds of dough balls that are a mixture of bean flour, sorghum flour and sweet potato flour. They taste bitter and astringent and are quite unpalatable.
If someone sells soybeans or wheat, that's great, but there aren't many. Occasionally someone comes to sell, just to get cash for emergency use. Unless they need to see a doctor, go to school, or attend to funeral expenses, most people are reluctant to sell food like this.
So if Lin Lan came across this, she would definitely sell it. She was not short of money. She had five growing children who were in need of food. Buying it back would help herself and others, so why not?
She bought 30 kilograms of wheat and 10 kilograms of soybeans, tied them on the back seat of her bicycle, and then went to the supply and marketing cooperative to have a look.
The third sister is coming to give her some cotton.
When I arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, I came at the right time and bought five feet of work cloth and half a pound of cotton.
Several salespeople at the supply and marketing cooperative knew her, and when they measured the cloth for her, they would give her an extra two centimeters, for fear that she would find fault.
Lin Lan thinks it's better to be a little spicy. If you are timid, the salesperson will pull the cloth exactly.
The salesperson with a big braid who had argued with her last time was nice to her this time. Lin Lan also knew that her name was Qiu Dongmei. The other one, who was older and had a kind and gentle face, was called Wang Huijuan.
Lin Lan didn't have any kerosene coupons, so she wanted to ask them to keep an eye out and see if she could collect some, or buy some kerosene at a high price.
Although the policy did not allow the reselling of tickets, kerosene and food were essential supplies, and ordinary people would naturally find a way to deal with them if they did not have enough. Everyone knew this, and salespeople often took the opportunity to make some extra money.
Qiu Dongmei told Lin Lan: "No, no tickets, but I have candles. Do you want them?"
Candles are expensive and don’t burn well, but Lin Lan thinks it’s okay to buy some.
In addition, Wang Huijuan saved some kerosene, which she bought without a ticket, but was 0.1 cent per pound higher than the market price.
Lin Lan bought it decisively.
Although the market price of one pound is 3.6 cents, the amount of money each household is allocated per year is not enough.
Not to mention it’s only one cent more expensive, she would buy it even if it’s two cents. She can’t let the house be plunged into darkness as soon as the sun goes down, and then turn on the lights reluctantly like old lady Han.
Of course, she left her sons in darkness and she herself lit a lamp.
Light is the comfort of the human soul. She doesn't want her children to be slandered all day long and develop a picky character.
Unfortunately, she still couldn't buy any supplementary food because she couldn't get the tickets.
After waiting for Lin Mei for a long time without any result, she wanted to go out to look for her, but she saw a woman wearing a Dou Li hat in a secluded place, sneaking towards her.
Lin Lan: ...
She walked over and slapped Lin Mei, scaring her so much that she screamed and tried to run away.
Lin Lan grabbed her and said, "Why are you running? It's me."
Lin Mei rolled her eyes and said, "You really don't take any loss. I scared you once, and you scared me back."
She took Lin Lan and walked into a small alley. Sister Liu was hiding behind a haystack with a big bag of cotton on her shoulder.
"These are all I have done with great effort. I guess the rest will be decided after the new flowers come down this year."
Lin Lan was very satisfied when she saw that the cotton had been fluffed and stacked into square pieces. "Third sister and eldest sister Liu are very efficient in doing things."
She paid according to the black market price, which included the market price plus the money for the cotton ticket. Now lint cotton costs about one dollar per pound. Seed cotton is cheaper, but you have to deal with the seed cotton yourself and it has to be plucked. Unless you grow it yourself, you basically buy lint cotton.
There were three pounds in total, and Lin Lan gave four yuan.
Lin Mei threw back a piece, "Three pieces are enough."
Lin Lan refused, "I'll have to trouble Sister Liu in the future. This isn't something I just gave you."
Sister Liu was speechless. My god, they are so rich! People like us always pay pennies for everything, even if we are rich, we still pay a dime at a time. But they pay a dollar at a time.
Lin Lan has her own ideas. If she wants to have long-term trade dealings with others, she must be generous.
She is not short of money now, but of supplies. If she is more generous, they will think of her first when they have good things in the future.
In an age when money can’t buy anything, this is the best solution.
Lin Mei only asked for an extra fifty cents and gave Lin Lan another fifty cents. "That's it."
Lin Lan didn't say anything else. Her third sister and mother had lent her money before, so she would give them more in the future when she had the chance. There was no need to rush to pay them back now.
She invited Lin Mei to dinner, but Lin Mei was too busy. She gave Lin Lan a few tassels with two steel needles stuck in them and said, "We have something else to do. Let's go first. We can talk again when we have time."
After saying this, Lin Mei hurried away with her people.
Lin Lan tied the things on her bicycle and went to the slaughterhouse again. Although she didn't have any meat coupons, she could buy some pig offal, bones, hooves and the like as long as she was lucky enough to have money.
Lin Lan was lucky, as she bought a pig's tail, a pig's liver, and two pig's trotters.
She rode her bike home; the children had already returned and Da Wang was fetching water.
He could only carry two and a half buckets now, which made his shoulders lower and his waist hunched involuntarily.
Erwang was cooking, Maisui chased Sanwang and told him not to go into the water. He also ordered Xiaowang to bring the ducks back and chop wild vegetables for them to eat.
The three hens were digging for food with their claws at the gate of the yard and did not run back to the old lady's house on their own.
Lin Lan was very satisfied.
The children came over to help her unload the things. Lin Lan whispered, "Go and boil some water. We'll cook the pig's trotters and tail."
The children were all excited and rushed to help. They first roasted the pig's trotters and tails over the fire to remove the hair, then boiled them in water, and then put them in the pot and simmered them with scallions, ginger and star anise.
Also soak a handful of soybeans, and when they are soaked, throw them into the pot and simmer together.
It needs to be simmered for at least an hour. You can’t eat it at noon, only at night.
So I had lunch as usual, took a rest and then went to work.
When Lin Lan went to work, she reminded the children, "When you're done, come back and drink soup. Each of you should have a big bowl of pig's trotter soup."
…
In the class room of the County Public Security Bureau.
Han Qinghua cried, "Brother, you have to save me."
Zhao Jianguo looked embarrassed, "Jinbao...ah, brother, it's not that I don't want to save you, look at what you did. You dare to read those books? I have reminded you so many times."
What's the point of talking about these scenes now? You saw them a lot back then. But Han Qinghua didn't dare to say it out loud. In his heart, he already hated Lin Lan and Da Wang.
Through Zhao Jianguo, he already knew that it was Dawang who started the report. Naturally, it was Lin Lan who instigated it. Otherwise, how could that stupid boy have such an idea?
After much discussion, Zhao Jianguo refused to give in and just said, "My uncle has no control over this area. He works in a factory..."
"Doesn't your uncle have connections with people from the National Defense Department of the Revolutionary Committee? Ask him to help me." Han Qinghua was really anxious. Although no one beat him or criticized him, being locked up here was enough for him to bear. Hearing others crying, he felt creepy.
When he gets out, he will never let that vicious woman go!
"I wanted to ask for help that way, but it's a pity that it doesn't work. You know how much my uncle spends on a meal with him? He can't afford it if he has nothing to do. Originally, I had a chance to get 500 yuan and ask him for help, but it fell through." Zhao Jianguo shook his head and sighed.
"Five hundred yuan?" Han Qinghua's eyes lit up. "I know where I can get it. Not only five hundred yuan, but also one thousand yuan."
Zhao Jianguo also perked up, "Where? Tell me now!"
Han Qinghua looked around.
Zhao Jianguo smiled and said, "Don't worry, no one will bother you."
He is not a serious criminal, he is just being detained temporarily. He doesn't need anyone to watch him and he can't run away anyway.
Han Qinghua hesitated for a moment, glanced at Zhao Jianguo, and said, "The money is there, it depends on whether you dare to take it."
"Brother, do you look down on me?" Zhao Jianguo couldn't stand being looked down upon.
Han Qinghua gritted his teeth and said, "Come closer and I'll tell you quietly."
Although Zhao Jianguo found it funny, he still went along with it. He was used to Han Qinghua's bragging and seeing that Zhao was always lavish, he believed that Han Qinghua was rich.
Muttering to himself.
Zhao Jianguo's eyes widened, "Brother, you are capable of this."
Han Qinghua snorted coldly and said bitterly: "That money was originally mine, and there is nothing wrong with me doing this. Instead of letting her take it, why not give it to Big Brother."
Zhao Jianguo thought for a moment and said, "We have to plan carefully and not let others catch us by the horns."
If you can't rob openly, you have to steal secretly. You must find an insider and plan carefully how to scout the area and how to act.
One thousand five hundred yuan is not a small amount. Zhao Jianguo was very tempted!