Xiao Jiu thought vegetables wouldn't fetch a good price, but to her surprise, at the beginning of this year, vegetables were officially classified as "national Class II commodities," strengthening the "unified management of production and sales" system and implementing a rationing system for residents.
Those with official household registration are all provided with 150 grams of fresh vegetables per day, but there are no restrictions on the type. They can choose one of the following: radish, potato, or cabbage. However, potatoes are the most common choice in most cases.
If you hadn't come out and seen for yourself, you wouldn't have known how outrageous the situation is now. She even saw green onions being used for votes! Green onions are being used for votes now?
If you have scallion coupons, you can buy a small amount of scallions, ginger, and garlic, mainly arranged by the local neighborhood committee, with a focus on taking care of the families of revolutionary martyrs at the grassroots level.
If you can't buy anything even with a ticket, you can use the ticket to buy pickled vegetables or salted vegetables. Pickled vegetables are also available with a ticket.
This is just a place that will be rated as a third-tier city in the future, and the surrounding agricultural products are not exactly scarce. If it has such a severe test, what about a big city like the capital, Shanghai, which relies on mobilization to support its residents?
It's no wonder that a black market exists; without it, many families wouldn't be able to survive.
Starting in 1958, each household was supplied with one jin (500 grams) of eggs per month. Larger households with more than ten people could receive an additional jin per month.
However, since the beginning of the year, eggs have been discontinued for ordinary residents and are only provided to "special needs" personnel, such as top intellectuals and leading cadres.
Cooking oil was also distributed according to household registration, with each person receiving one coupon per month. With the coupon, one could purchase three ounces of oil. The main types were soybean oil and cottonseed oil, while peanut oil was only released to the market in small quantities at the end of the year. Under normal circumstances, ordinary people could not get their hands on it.
...
By the time Xiao Jiu understood and returned to the space, it was almost dark.
Having not eaten hot pot in a long time, she lit the coal stove, put the small clay pot on it, and found some hot pot base in the warehouse to start cooking.
Then I picked out some vegetables and mushrooms, and went to the dried goods section to get vermicelli, Sichuan rice noodles, potato noodles, and kelp knots. The frozen section had meatballs and shrimp paste.
Take a little bit of each of the following: beef and mutton rolls, chicken rolls, etc., wash them together, arrange them on a plate, move the small table outside, sit outside the warehouse, pour the ready-made hot pot sauce into a bowl, and wait for the mushroom balls and other harder-to-cook ingredients to cook before happily starting to eat.
Whether these beef, mutton, and chicken rolls are real or not, at least they've been cooked in the hot pot with some oil and broth. Paired with the prepared sauce, they taste spicy, numbing, and fragrant. Although there's no beer or soft drink to cut through the richness, plain water with a little sugar is the best drink of this era.
This was only if people were well-off enough to have white or brown sugar. Those who were less fortunate could only add saccharin to plain water. Regardless of what kind of saccharin it was, in those days of sugar scarcity, everyone, adults and children alike, was happy to drink it.
During the famine, each person was only rationed two ounces of sugar per month, with the choice between fruit candy or brown sugar. White sugar was a special supply and was difficult for ordinary people to buy. Moreover, it was said that the brown sugar was imported from Cuba.
In such circumstances, everyone was willing to buy cheap saccharin. This stuff didn't require coupons; you could buy a small packet for five cents and leave it there for the children to sweeten their mouths. Especially in the summer, it was an absolutely rare and refreshing drink.
After a satisfying meal, I could still smell a lingering hot pot aroma on my clothes. Taking a deep breath, I realized that life couldn't be better these days.
She then sorted and piled the items she planned to sell into categories, so that she could easily transfer them into her basket after they were sold.
Afterwards, she changed into her most tattered clothes and smeared some dust on her face, making her look dirty. Her hair was hidden in a small, tattered green military cap, which her brother had worn when he was a child. It was so worn out, but at least it could cover her hair, so she just made do with it.
After carefully checking and finding no problems, she carried the bamboo basket out of the space. This time, Xiao Jiu went to the plastic factory's residential compound. She deliberately chose a place three kilometers away from the school to avoid the possibility of running into acquaintances.
In addition, she would have more opportunities to buy and sell near the high school, so she would choose the nearest option when time is tight.
Given the current scarcity of supplies, the prices she offered were relatively high. The first two were scallion biscuits and sponge cakes, which are the cheapest among biscuits and pastries, costing one yuan per pound per bag. She didn't want their pastry coupons, just two ounces of grain coupons.
Although there are many kinds of items in the space, in order to save trouble, only one kind is sold per basket at a time. A sample bag is also specially prepared, which consists of the crumbs from the bottom of the box, for free tasting.
Such biscuits usually cost five or six cents in state-run stores, and they also required pastry coupons. For foods like twisted dough sticks, which use more flour, grain coupons were needed. Since the price was already high, the grain coupons were only two ounces, but the biscuits themselves weighed a pound.
Xiao Jiu didn't rush to go up to the tenement building or the large courtyard, mainly because there were too many people and too much gossip, which could easily lead to trouble. He cautiously wandered around the courtyard, seemingly looking for someone, but actually searching for his target.
Those who frequently visit the black market or have experience in this kind of trading can sometimes understand each other's meaning with just a glance, and will come up to greet her with a smile.
This time she was lucky. The stylish old lady who lived on the second floor called her over. When she saw the cookies, her eyes lit up. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, even if the family was struggling financially, they had to find a way to collect gifts to visit relatives and friends. But the more festive the occasion, the harder it was to queue. Sometimes, even if the whole family went, they might not be able to buy anything they wanted.
Xiao Jiu had twenty jin (20 kg) of biscuits in a bamboo basket. Each biscuit cost one yuan and had two liang (100g) of grain coupons, which came to twenty yuan plus four jin of grain coupons. She said she wanted them all.
Then she was told to stay at her house and wait while she went to borrow food coupons. She would be back in ten minutes.
Xiao Jiu wasn't new to selling things; she'd seen all sorts of people. She immediately refused.
"Auntie, take as much as you have. I can't stop here; I need to go back and report after we finish the transaction!"
The kind-looking old lady knew as soon as she heard this, "You don't believe me?"
Xiao Jiu smiled, and the old lady, seeing this, didn't force her.
"Okay, I'll take ten jin. I have two jin of grain coupons at home, I'll give you ten yuan."
Xiao Jiu neatly and efficiently took out the cookies. The old lady touched each bag one by one, weighing them in her hand. As someone who shopped frequently, she knew very well whether the weight was right or not.
The transaction was completed in five minutes. As Xiao Jiu turned to leave, her arm was grabbed.
"Are you coming tomorrow night? What else do you have? I want more. You know, Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and my family is short of everything. I have two sons, and we also have to visit our in-laws. We really can't buy any more."
Xiao Jiu hesitated for a moment, seeing that she didn't seem like a bad person, and then said...
"We'll see. If I have something to say, I'll come find you. If not, there's nothing I can do."
"Ideally, there would be eggs, peanuts, melon seeds, and candy; a little salt too. Oh, and vegetables, vegetables and fruit, I'll take them all."
"Auntie, peanuts and melon seeds are only available during the New Year, and right now the state-run stores only supply half a pound of peanuts with skin and two ounces of roasted melon seeds,"
Because peanuts and sunflower seeds are oil crops, they were listed as commodities subject to unified purchase and sale as early as 1953. The relevant national departments have always maintained a tight grip on them, so they were only supplied to households for one month during the Lunar New Year. She didn't believe that the old lady didn't know this and was clearly testing her intentionally.
This situation persisted until 1965, when the rations were changed from half a catty of peanuts and two ounces of melon seeds per person per household.
It's still a long way from the Lunar New Year, so even if she has the money, she has to see if the person on the other end really needs it.
Unexpectedly, the old lady gleaned a different meaning from her words.
"So, you have sugar, salt, eggs, fruit, and vegetables?"
Xiao Jiu felt that she had talked too much today. If she kept talking, all her secrets would be revealed. Didn't you see that the old lady's eyes were shining?
She quickly made an excuse to leave, wandered around the building for a while, and only started looking for her next target when she saw that the woman hadn't followed her.
When she arrived at the bungalow area, she saw that one of the houses seemed to be fighting, and a crowd of onlookers had gathered around. Curious, she went over to investigate.
At first glance, it was a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, grabbing each other's hair and choking each other, rolling on the ground, cursing and swearing. They were exchanging insults back and forth, with neighbors watching the commotion trying to break it up and cheering them on.
These days, people can't even get enough to eat, yet they still have the energy to curse and fight. I'm truly amazed.
As she stepped out of the bustling crowd, a slightly plump young woman caught up with her.
"Little girl, wait a minute, are you...?"
Before she could even ask the question, she glanced furtively around, as if afraid someone would notice her again.
Little Jiu blinked. "Big sister, what's wrong?"
"Hey, I've been watching you for a while now. Are you here to sell something? What's in there?"
Seeing that Xiao Jiu was pretending not to understand, she got anxious and decided to grit her teeth and ask directly.
Jiu'er grinned, showing her little white teeth: "Where is the convenient place?"
The young woman quickly pulled her towards her home, and saw that it was also a single-story courtyard house, right next to where the argument had just taken place. She frowned.
"Oh, Liu Da's family, who is this?"
"Isn't this my niece from my mother's side? She couldn't find her way earlier, and I figured she was almost there, so I came to meet her,"
The other person's smile was somewhat meaningful, but it was just a casual question, and no one curiously came closer.
In single-story houses, two families usually share a wall. The noise from next door annoyed the young wife, so she dragged Xiao Jiu into the house.
This was a large family, with two brothers living in the same courtyard as their parents. When the young wife brought a stranger into the house, the mother-in-law, who was clearing the dishes, frowned and looked at them.
"Caixia, who is this?"
"Shh, Mom, I ran into her on the road. The little girl is carrying something. Quick, let us see what's in here?"
Xiao Jiu frowned and put a little distance between himself and his wife. "Big sister, I have ten packs of biscuits left, one pack costs one yuan per pound, and comes with two ounces of grain coupons. If you want them, I'll put them down; if not, I..."
Upon hearing this, the young wife quickly tugged at the arm of the man next to her.
"Quick, yes, we want it! I get so hungry at night while breastfeeding, can you buy me some?"
But Liu Da thought the cookies were a bit expensive. "What kind of cookies are they? Show them to us."
Xiao Jiu then put down the bamboo basket, took out the bag of broken pieces, and gave a little to Liu Da and his wife, Liu Da's parents, and Liu Da's brother, sister-in-law, and children. This family seemed to be well-off, with the parents being the kind who were open-minded, and the sisters-in-law seemed to have a good relationship. After the young wife finished eating, she immediately looked at her sister-in-law.
"Sister-in-law, buy some for Niu Niu too!"
“Go ahead, if you’re hungry at night, just buy some yourself. You’re still breastfeeding him. He’s six years old now, he can eat regular meals every day.”
"Then wouldn't I be eating alone? Buy some, buy some, right, Niu Niu? Hurry up, let your mom buy you some."
"Hey, you silly girl, I think you're just afraid Niu Niu will ask you for it. You've used all your brainpower on this. Mom, look at her, she can't just buy it herself, she has to drag me along to buy it with her."
The young woman stuck out her tongue, and the old lady glared at her irritably.
"She's not afraid that Niu Niu will ask her for food; Niu Niu is so sensible,"
"It's Grandma. I don't fight with Auntie for food. She has to eat her fill before she can feed my little sister properly, otherwise my little sister will go hungry too."
Such a harmonious scene, compared to the one next door, wow!
In the end, the old lady took out her money and bought five packs, two jin each for the two families. The old couple kept one jin, which means they probably hadn't separated their households. The young wife didn't want to use her own savings, so she clung to the old lady and begged her for a long time before finally giving in and buying five jin.
Now that he had offended neither side, he said, "Alright, two packs for each family. If you think that's not enough, I'll have Liu Da buy you some more."
Xiao Jiu noticed that when the old lady said this, the expressions of the whole family didn't change, especially the eldest brother and sister-in-law who had already opened the cookies for their son. Hearing this, they didn't even look up and just said something.
“We don’t need any more. Just these two pounds will be enough for Niu Niu to eat for a long time. Liu Da, buy some more for Cai Xia. It’s a rare opportunity, so she won’t be like a little mouse looking for food at night.”
The young wife blushed, "Oh, sister-in-law, who are you calling a little mouse?"
It seems that this family lives and eats together, earns their own money, but pays the old lady a monthly allowance, so they have some money of their own. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to do this so openly.
Under his wife's urgent urging, the young man named Liu Da gritted his teeth and bought five more packs.
"Alright, that's enough for you, right? You've got everything."
"Hehehe..." The young wife happily carried the cookies back to her room, and before she reached the door, she didn't forget to give Xiao Jiu a big smile.
"Thank you so much, little girl. Just let me know if you have anything good next time. I'm on maternity leave and I need some nutrition."
Xiao Jiu felt that this family was easy to get along with, so she readily agreed.
When I left Liu's house, I had ten more yuan in my pocket, plus two jin of grain coupons.
Why didn't they bargain? Besides being used to fixed prices when buying things outside, they probably spent a lot of time and effort on the black market. Correspondingly, her price shouldn't be much different from the black market price.
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