The truck rattled into town, and Lin Ying jumped off, feeling like her buttocks were about to be shaken to pieces.
Like everyone else, Lin Ying left her stool in the car and was already familiar with the way to the town's supply and marketing cooperative.
The supply and marketing cooperative was still crowded, and you still had to queue to buy things.
Lin Ying had already started speaking. Since she was in a place where she knew people, she couldn't just hold up the Little Red Book and call it a day like before. Naturally, she had to speak, or at least read the quotes aloud.
As for the items to buy, Lin Ying simply took the order slip.
The sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative had a deep impression of Lin Ying. When she started to speak, she couldn't help but look at her a few more times. Lin Ying naturally explained to the clerk that she had been poisoned and her voice was so sore that she couldn't talk much.
Once again, I received a sympathetic look from the sales clerk.
While queuing, Lin Ying saw many people asking about cotton. Sure enough, it was pretty much as she knew: there was still no cotton for sale.
Lin Ying bought a pair of fur-lined cotton shoes for her grandfather and herself, and two more pairs of cotton shoes. She also bought five sets of fabric; because she was plump, she naturally used more fabric.
After buying those, Lin Ying saw that they also had winter essentials like hats and gloves for sale, so she bought two sets without hesitation. She also bought several pairs of thick socks.
Lin Ying only gave up completely after using up all the cloth coupons she had.
After putting the items in her basket, Lin Ying thanked the salesperson and left the supply and marketing cooperative.
She turned and walked towards the grain station. Lin Ying wanted to see if there were any unhulled rice grains.
After being told there was none, Lin Ying thanked them and was about to leave when the staff there reminded her to go and check out the rural cooperative.
Unlike supply and marketing cooperatives, cooperatives are collective communes organized by various production brigades.
It involves collecting goods from individuals or collectives in rural areas, and then having the commune sell them.
Eggs and various agricultural products sold in the supply and marketing cooperative are all provided by the cooperative.
When Lin Ying arrived, she saw a long queue. Unlike the queues at the supply and marketing cooperative, the queues here were for selling things.
Each person's basket contained something, more or less: their own eggs, dried goods, and wild game hunted in the mountains.
Of course, apart from the eggs which belong to the farmers themselves, everything else was collected by the collective.
Unlike urban residents who receive various ration coupons every month, farmers don't. However, farmers also need necessities like oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, needles, thread, and clothing. Since they don't have ration coupons, they can exchange eggs directly at the supply and marketing cooperative.
Those queuing here are basically people who want to exchange for food coupons, probably families who don't have enough food to get through the winter.
Lin Ying saw Li Yue'e and several other military wives in the queue. No wonder they all left as soon as they got off the bus.
Lin Ying doesn't sell eggs; she came to see if there was any rice to buy, so she didn't queue but walked straight inside.
Before Lin Ying even stepped inside, she heard a familiar, shrill voice: "Lin Ying! Everyone else is queuing up, and you think you can just use the back door? No wonder you're a capitalist's daughter; you have to make an exception for even the smallest things!"
Su Yun, who was standing next to Cheng Jiaojiao, tugged at her arm, but Cheng Jiaojiao shook her off.
People around Lin Ying looked at her with strange eyes after hearing Cheng Jiaojiao's words.
Lin Ying stopped, turned around, looked at Cheng Jiaojiao, and then looked at the things in her basket.
This one action alone made Cheng Jiaojiao feel a strange sense of shame. She couldn't help but say in annoyance, "What are you looking at? We proletarians are not ashamed of exchanging eggs for things! But you, speculation and profiteering can get you arrested!"
Cheng Jiaojiao's voice was loud, attracting not only the attention of the people queuing around her, but also the commune staff and patrolling Red Guards who came over to her side.
Two men wearing armbands walked over with serious expressions: "Who's causing trouble here?"
Another person said, "I've heard that some people are capitalists and speculators."
Cheng Jiaojiao looked at Lin Ying with a smug expression and pointed, "Her, it's her! We were all in line, but she tried to cut in line! Also, everyone else was there to exchange things or bring eggs from home, but she brought something else!"
The two men with red armbands turned around and saw Lin Ying standing there.
Upon seeing Lin Ying, the two men's eyes narrowed instantly. They were very familiar with Lin Ying; someone had previously reported her for having questionable social standing, and they had gone with the director to arrest her. And what happened? They were the ones who ended up being criticized.
Therefore, the Revolutionary Committee simply ignored any reports or complaints from military dependents' homes.
However, this person is now doing these things blatantly on their turf, practically defecating in their face. If they still back down, they'll lose all face.
So the two men in red armbands exchanged a glance and were about to grab Lin Ying.
Cheng Jiaojiao was incredibly excited watching this from the side.
Unexpectedly, Lin Ying coldly asked the two of them before they arrived, "Are you sick?"
Lin Ying looked not at the red armband, but at Cheng Jiaojiao.
Seeing that she was still so calm, Cheng Jiaojiao couldn't help but feel annoyed and angry, but before she could speak, Lin Ying spoke up again:
"I came all this way, queued for ages to buy cloth and cotton hats, and now you want to exchange them for something? What do you take the commune staff for? You accuse me of speculation and profiteering, but who am I selling to? The commune staff?"
"Is this place only for exchanging things? Can't I come to buy things?"
The two men in red armbands suddenly stopped. They glared fiercely at Cheng Jiaojiao: "If you make any more noise like this, we'll take you away!"
Someone watching the scene couldn't help but chuckle, and everyone burst into laughter.
Since no one knew the specifics, they only saw that the red armband holders had left and assumed that Lin Ying was not the capitalist's daughter that Cheng Jiaojiao had described.
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