"Girl, it's not that I don't want to sell it to you. You know, these days only farmers are allowed to raise a few chickens and ducks. Don't make a mistake."
Shen Qingqing explained calmly without changing her expression.
"Auntie, don't worry. I don't do speculation. That's a crime! I'm just an ordinary citizen. How dare I speculate? I bought a few chickens for my grandma to raise. She's old and has difficulty walking, so she wanted me to come to the market to help her."
Hearing this, the old woman seemed to be relieved. Although the existence of rural markets was allowed at that time, it was only to facilitate farmers to exchange some daily necessities with each other. If she was found secretly selling things to city people, who knows how she would be framed.
So after listening to Shen Qingqing's explanation, she felt relieved, and her attitude changed from defensive to enthusiastic. She opened a corner of the basket, grabbed a few yellow-feathered chicks from it, and handed them to Shen Qingqing, "Girl, take a look, how are these? The chicks I hatched are famous around here, and I'm willing to scatter food for the chicks. Look at their spirits, not bad, they are definitely not sick or weak, take good care of them, I guarantee there will be no problem!"
Although Shen Qingqing didn't understand much about these things, she could tell from the chick's loud and clear cries and its powerful flapping movements that the chick was indeed lively.
She smiled with satisfaction, "Auntie, I'm relieved. How much are these chickens? Give me one. Also, if you have any ducks, I'll buy a few too. I can share them with my neighbors and save them from having to make another trip."
"Yes, yes, there are ducks too..." the old lady said, putting the chicks in one basket, opening the other side of the basket and taking out a duckling, "Take a look, is the duck okay?"
"It's done, ma'am, please count it for me."
Shen Qingqing said, pointing to the bamboo baskets on the ground, "Auntie, I see you have some bamboo baskets here, are you selling them too?"
"This, my old man made it up when he was bored. If you like it, take it and I'll give you a discount."
"Okay!" Shen Qingqing calculated today's sales in her mind. The chicks and ducklings were three yuan each, and two baskets together cost two yuan. It didn't seem very expensive, but it was not a small amount when added up. These things cost three dollars and seventy cents in total.
Shen Qingqing felt a little pain in her heart. If she had known that she had saved up for so long by living frugally, she would only have earned a dozen dollars. Today, she only earned three dollars and seventy cents for a trip.
But think about it carefully. When the chickens and ducks grow up, they can lay eggs and eat meat. The leftovers can be sold. And these bamboo baskets are much more expensive if you buy them at the supply and marketing cooperative than here.
Shen Qingqing paid the money, put the basket of chickens and ducklings on her bicycle and pushed it. She waited away from the crowd, found a deserted place, and put the chickens and ducklings and the basket into the space.
There were no fences around the fields in the space, and she didn't want to see chickens and ducks running around and ruining the vegetables she had just planted when she entered the space, so she separated the chickens and ducklings and put them under the basket.
As Shen Qingqing was walking, she strolled to the other end of the city and bought a few bowls. Although the bowls were heavy and rough, it was good enough to buy them. She put them in the space and used them to hold water for the chicks and ducklings.
The chickens and ducklings had been bought, but where could she get the piglets? You have to know that in those days only the communes and production brigades were allowed to raise pigs.
Private individuals are not allowed to raise pigs, let alone have piglets, but she was unwilling to give up just like that. Wouldn't it be a waste if she just gave up the space?
While pushing her bicycle home, Shen Qingqing was thinking about where to get a pig.
The day was approaching, and it would be the day when Shen Qingqing and Shen Jiaojiao would join the army. Bai Nianyun had almost prepared their dowries.
After dinner that day, Shen Qingqing took her small cloth bag containing money and went to a black market in the county town.
Although the country has strictly prohibited the existence of the black market, the market demand is there. The country implements a planned economy and requires tickets for everything. Occasionally there are weddings and funerals, but where do the tickets come from? But things on the black market don't require tickets. Although the price is a little more expensive, it's better than requiring tickets!
I don’t know if Shen Qingqing was lucky, but as soon as she entered the black market today, she was pulled aside by a woman wearing a hat, “Girl, do you want some meat?”
"Meat? What meat?" Shen Qingqing was a little confused.
The woman was wearing a hat and a headscarf, and had a large basket on her arm. She looked left and right, then carefully lifted the cloth covering the basket and said in a low voice, "Girl, this is a little wild boar we caught on our own mountain. Don't underestimate it because it's small, but its meat is very tender..."
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