Chapter 18 The Market
He took out his allowance book, a brown paper bag filled with all sorts of colorful tickets and coupons, and an envelope tied with a rubber band, and placed them next to Nan Zhiyi's open notebook.
"This is my allowance book; I receive my monthly salary and subsidies from here."
"This contains grain coupons, oil coupons, meat coupons, cloth coupons, and industrial coupons. The monthly rations are all in here. Once they're used up, new ones will be issued next month."
Finally, he pushed the envelope towards Nan Zhiyi, saying, "This is what I've saved up over the years. Back in the army, I didn't have many expenses."
Nan Zhiyi just wanted to discuss cooking and buying a stove with him, and also to find out about the family's "income" so she would be aware of the situation.
She never expected that he would so readily hand over his financial lifeline and savings to her.
She picked up the envelope and untied the rubber band.
Inside was a bankbook...the amount far exceeded her expectations.
She looked up at Gu Xiao.
Gu Xiao: "From now on, you're in charge."
Nan Zhiyi nodded with a smile: "Fifth Brother, I will definitely manage the household well from now on."
She picked up her pen and turned to a new page in her notebook.
"Fifth Brother's monthly allowance is a fixed 124.7 yuan? His grain coupons are 45 jin, oil coupons 0.8 jin, meat coupons 2 jin, and cloth coupons and industrial coupons are issued annually..."
She read aloud as she read, her pen flying across the paper as she calculated.
"Sister-in-law Wang said that if they cook for themselves, seven or eight cents a day for groceries is enough for two people, including oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar..."
She chewed on her pen, her mind racing with calculations. "A month would be... about twenty-four yuan? Forty-five jin of grain coupons, mixed with one-third coarse grains, so there would be extra for cooking rice and porridge. If I'm careful... it should be enough. Maybe I can even save a few jin of refined grain coupons at the end of the month... for social obligations, needles and thread..."
She was engrossed in her calculations, muttering to herself.
"My God..." she exclaimed, looking at the monthly surplus of "94.7 yuan" on the paper. "Fifth Brother, we...we can save so much money every month?"
This was completely different from what she had envisioned—a situation where she would have to live frugally and live a very frugal life.
Gu Xiao sat opposite her, watching her the whole time.
The way she focused on calculating was innocent and adorable.
Gu Xiao chuckled.
"So, if you want to buy a stove, go ahead and buy it. If you want to add something, just use it. Don't be too stingy. What's mine is yours."
When Nan Zhiyi met his gaze, she felt not only heartache, but also something else that made her heart beat faster for no apparent reason.
She pouted and said coquettishly, "Well...we still need to be careful with our money. We should save where we can. As Sister-in-law Wang said, we should live frugally..."
He was a little embarrassed: "Fifth Brother, that's the surplus under ideal circumstances. I'm afraid I'm not good at cooking, or sometimes I'm too lazy to cook, so I won't have that much money left."
Gu Xiao held her wrist and stroked it: "Even if you spend it all, it's okay... It's cold now, if you want to save money, wait until it gets warmer. In the meantime... let's eat at the cafeteria..."
He spoke very slowly.
Nan Zhiyi felt a burning sensation on her skin from the caress of his fingertips, a heat that touched the very core of her being.
She pulled her hand away: "Okay, I'll listen to Fifth Brother... I'm going to wash up."
Gu Xiao twirled his fingertips and followed behind her.
Night was falling.
In the bedroom, only a dim, yellowish table lamp was lit.
After washing up, the two lay side by side on the bed.
The third night we shared a bed.
Nan Zhiyi felt a little uncomfortable, but her body was no longer as tense as a stone.
Gu Xiao: "Go to sleep. Don't be afraid. I won't do anything until you're... ready. There's no rush now."
Nan Zhiyi's eyes welled up with tears, and she softly hummed in agreement.
Once she was fast asleep, Gu Xiao pulled her into his arms again.
When Nan Zhiyi woke up, there was a half-cup of warm malted milk powder on the bedside table.
The feeling of having everything arranged so perfectly made her feel slightly bitter, yet also somewhat dependent.
She got up and washed up. Breakfast consisted of porridge, eggs, and a small amount of pickled vegetables from the cafeteria.
I had just finished clearing the dishes when I heard a knock on the door.
"Hey girl, are you up yet?" It was Sister Wang, her voice quick and efficient.
Nan Zhiyi hurriedly went to open the door.
Sister Wang, carrying a bamboo basket, said, "There will definitely be a lot of people at the 'Xiaoheyan' market later today. People from several nearby production teams will be there. I heard there are also mountain products. Shall we go and take a look? It'll be good to get familiar with the area."
"Xiaoheyan?" Nan Zhiyi asked, somewhat puzzled.
Sister Wang explained, "Hey, it's right by that little ditch at the foot of the mountain. People from the military family compound, the nearby factory family areas, and the communes in the valley all love to go to the market there. It's convenient!"
Although it can't compare to the big markets in the city, the goods are fresh and cheap, and you can still find some useful items.
"Shall we go? We can see if there's anything you'd like to buy."
Nan Zhiyi was worried because she had nothing to do at home.
"Go! Sister-in-law, wait for me!" She went back into the house and put on a worn dark blue cotton-padded jacket, then wrapped herself in a thick gray woolen scarf, leaving only her bright eyes showing.
"Hey, wear more clothes, the mountain wind is strong, let's go."
The two walked out of the residential compound side by side and headed down the mountain along a dirt road.
After walking for about an hour, we rounded a sparse grove of trees, and suddenly the view opened up before us.
A small stream with a thin layer of ice meandered by, and sure enough, a number of people had already gathered on a relatively flat open space by the riverbank.
The ground is covered with plastic sheets or old mats, and there are mud-covered radishes and cabbages, piles of sweet potatoes and potatoes, dried mushrooms and mountain products, live chickens tied with straw, eggs in bamboo baskets, homemade insoles, and even wild rabbits hunted by the mountain people.
The shouts and haggling mingled with the mountain wind, full of raw vitality.
This scene was both unfamiliar and novel to Nan Zhiyi.
She stayed close to Sister Wang.
Sister Wang knew the way well, so she went straight to her target, squatted down to pick out mountain produce and vegetables, and skillfully bargained with the stall owner.
Nan Zhiyi watched from the side, studying silently.
After circling around twice, Sister Wang's basket was filled with more vegetables and mountain produce.
Nan Zhiyi also bought some dried red dates and other dried fruits.
She asked in a low voice, "Sister-in-law, do you know where I can buy a small stove that burns coal briquettes?"
"This market mainly sells food, clothing, and daily necessities; for larger items, you have to rely on luck. For new items, you have to go to the town's supply and marketing cooperative and get industrial coupons."
Sister-in-law Wang looked around and said, "Let's go over there and take a look. Old Zhao sometimes brings over some old stuff."
In a corner, we found Old Zhao smoking a pipe. There happened to be two old stoves with dents and rust on the sides.
"Old Zhao, how much is this stove?" Sister Wang asked.
The old man exhaled a smoke ring and held up three fingers: "Three yuan and fifty cents, plus half a jin of grain coupons."
Nan Zhiyi looked at the old, dirty stove and was a little disappointed, but remembering that the supply and marketing cooperative needed industrial coupons, she gritted her teeth and started to bargain.
After some discussion, they finally settled on a price of three yuan, without needing any grain coupons.
Sister-in-law Wang helped check it out.
Nan Zhiyi paid the money, looking at the heavy old iron lump, feeling a little worried.
Sister-in-law Wang noticed her predicament.
"It's okay, you can carry it. I'll help you out, each of you can carry one side, and you can rest after walking a bit."
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