Lin Ying had ridden in other people's cars before, but for some reason, she just thought Zhao Qinghuai drove very well.
Moreover, there were no sudden stops or starts along the way, and we arrived in town very smoothly.
Zhao Qinghuai parked the car at the entrance of the town: "We'll be back at three in the afternoon. Everyone can come here before then."
As he spoke, Zhao Qinghuai helped carry all the military wives' belongings downstairs. He also helped carry the children down.
No one mentioned Cheng Jiaojiao's matter, and it's unknown whether they talked about Lin Ying in private.
She waited there until all the military wives got off the car, and then watched Zhao Qinghuai lock the car door before walking towards Lin Ying.
Lin Ying wasn't familiar with this place, but Zhao Qinghuai had been here before. Although Lin Ying was unconscious at the time, Zhao Qinghuai still went to the city to buy everything needed for the wedding. This shows how much he valued this marriage.
Back then, we bought most of our small items in town.
"Let's go, shall we go to the supply and marketing cooperative first?"
Lin Ying had never been to these places before, so she simply followed Zhao Qinghuai.
The two arrived together at the town's supply and marketing cooperative, one of the busiest places in the countryside and small town. Despite the current tense political situation, there were still people coming and going.
This place definitely looks much better than the supply and marketing cooperative in the military dependents' compound, with its tall porch and spacious windows. The exterior walls of the building are painted white, with red slogans and propaganda posters, exuding a strong sense of the times.
Upon entering the supply and marketing cooperative, Lin Ying saw a row of wooden glass counters painted red, displaying cigarettes, matches, and other small items.
Behind the counter were neat shelves filled with all sorts of goods. From food and daily necessities to agricultural supplies and tools, everything was available.
The staff of the supply and marketing cooperative were busy there, wearing uniforms.
People were lined up at every place. Lin Ying took out the list she had made and showed it to Zhao Qinghuai.
She tore off a page from the two full pages and gave it to Zhao Qinghuai. Then she prepared to share some of the money with him, but he refused.
"No need, I still have some on me. Let's buy them separately and meet at the entrance later."
Lin Ying nodded, took the notebook, and went to queue up.
She bought everyday items; condiments and the like could be bought at the military dependents' home, and it would be troublesome to carry them back in bulk. So Lin Ying bought some in-demand items.
Two pairs of work shoes for her to wear; her current shoes are stretched to a pulp, and if she doesn't buy more, she'll have nothing to wear. Although Mo Zi has memories of shoemaking techniques, Lin Ying doesn't have time; she wants to go up the mountain if she has the time. Zhao Qinghuai doesn't need to buy any either; the army will provide them.
The clothes she's wearing now belong to Zhao Qinghuai; she can't fit into her own anymore. Lin Ying originally planned to buy fabric and make her own clothes, but she felt that something so difficult couldn't be done just by remembering. So she bought ready-made ones.
Stimulated by several memories, Lin Ying realized that she was different now than before. She used to be able to dress extravagantly, but not anymore. Besides, her current figure wouldn't suit those styles.
Besides, although Zhao Qinghuai gave her a lot of money, it was nothing compared to her previous allowance. She knew that earning money wasn't easy these days, so she had to be careful with it.
So I bought the kind of dark blue work clothes that both men and women can wear.
Of course, she still bought some pure cotton fabric, intending to make innerwear and pajamas.
Since we're making clothes, we need to buy needles, thread, scissors, and other small items. We have a sewing machine at home, but we don't have these things.
In addition, I bought two jin of brown sugar and one jin of white sugar, as well as one yuan's worth of fruit candy and a pack of White Rabbit candy.
Eggs were always a scarce commodity. Although nearby villages would bring eggs to the supply and marketing cooperative, each family was only allowed to raise three chickens. In those days, people were already struggling to get enough to eat, let alone chickens and ducks. The chickens were fed by the village children who would go up the mountain to forage for wild vegetables. It was considered good if a chicken laid one egg a day. At most, it could lay two.
Everyone saves their eggs to exchange for grain or cash at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Lin Ying's family is out of eggs now; she went to the supply and marketing cooperative at the military dependents' hospital but couldn't buy any. Fortunately, she often hunts wild game, so she's not lacking in nutrition. However, she also knows that neighbors need to keep in touch, and Li Yue'e's two children sometimes help out by running errands or buying candy for the children.
Besides these, Lin Ying also bought two lunchboxes and a kettle. Then she bought two small notebooks and ten pencils. She needs these now.
Zhao Qinghuai was actually quite curious about how Lin Ying, who didn't speak, managed to buy things. He noticed that Lin Ying had asked him to buy tools and the like. Since there were fewer people in line, he watched Lin Ying buy the items first.
When he saw the sales clerk enthusiastically reciting quotations, Lin Ying held up the Little Red Book, then took out her notebook and gestured for the sales clerk to look. Unsurprisingly, Zhao Qinghuai saw the pitiful look in the sales clerk's eyes and knew what Lin Ying had written in her notebook.
Then, Lin Ying gave the salesperson a list of the items she wanted to buy.
She didn't need to do anything else; the sales clerk simply fetched the items according to the order.
Zhao Qinghuai couldn't help but want to laugh again, but with Red Guards constantly walking around, and wanting to avoid trouble, he suppressed his laughter and headed towards the farm tools to line up.
When Zhao Qinghuai finished buying the things, he saw that Lin Ying was already waiting there.
He glanced at it casually, but when he saw the clothes and shoes Lin Ying had bought, he felt a pang of heartache.
"Why don't you buy a polyester shirt? They look nice."
Lin Ying wrote on the paper: "It's inconvenient to work."
Zhao Qinghuai didn't say anything more, but instead took the basket next to Lin Ying and put it in his own hands: "Shall we put the things back in the car first and then go buy other things?"
Lin Ying looked at the pile of things and nodded.
The vehicle belonged to the military, and since they had placed their belongings directly in the front and locked it, it was quite safe.
Afterwards, Zhao Qinghuai took Lin Ying to the grain store. Their grain was obtained directly from the military base, and each person was given a fixed ration. For Lin Ying's family, the two of them could receive 50 jin of grain per month together. Of that, only 15 jin could be refined grain. Because Zhao Qinghuai was worried that Lin Ying wouldn't be used to coarse grains, he replaced the coarse grains at home with refined grains.
Since they were all comrades-in-arms, they didn't take advantage of Zhao Qinghuai. They exchanged one pound of refined grain for two pounds of coarse grain. Zhao Qinghuai kept ten pounds of beans and millet, and exchanged the rest for refined grain.
Lin Ying has a big appetite now, and the family's food supply is definitely not enough. So, they came out this time to buy some food to take back with them.
Zhao Qinghuai had previously saved a lot of nationally valid grain and oil coupons, which had no expiration date and could be used anytime. However, buying too many would inevitably attract attention, so the two of them only bought three catties of soybean oil, twenty catties of refined grains, and fifty catties of coarse grains.
The whole grains were what Lin Ying wanted to buy. She wasn't actually a picky eater. Now that she was in this state, she was content as long as she could fill her stomach; she didn't need to be so fussy.
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