Zhang Hongmei entered the supply and marketing cooperative. It wasn't cold inside; three honeycomb briquette stoves were lit. Having a formal job was good; even though no one was buying anything, they couldn't let the regular employees freeze. The sales clerks gathered in small groups—some knitting sweaters, some sewing shoe soles, some chatting and eating sunflower seeds.
No one even glanced at Zhang Hongmei when she entered. The place was tiny, and the goods for sale were clearly displayed. She was tempted to buy the festive red tin thermos, but she needed to keep a low profile, not just now, but for the next three or four years. However, she could still have matches; she had prepared some lighters from her spatial storage, but she had completely forgotten about matches. She also needed to buy two bars of soap to use as cover. Candles were a must; kerosene lamps were really too bright. As for soy sauce and vinegar, she'd get them from her spatial storage, or pour them into Xiao Hongmei's bottles. And she definitely couldn't eat salt from outside; salt these days didn't contain iodine, which was unsafe. Besides, she had dozens of tons in her spatial storage—enough to last her several lifetimes.
Anyway, Zhang Hongmei decided not to buy food from outside. She would wait until Zhang Aiguo and his wife's affairs were settled before buying fabric and other things. After all, it was a time of mourning, and it wouldn't be right for her to buy things recklessly. Rural areas take these things very seriously.
As for food, the supply and marketing cooperative only had peach shortbread, glutinous rice strips, and steamed rice cakes, but they all looked dry, so I decided to forget about them. I'll just take out a few sugar buns from my space later. It's not that I'm reluctant to part with the meat buns, but the ingredients I made myself are really good. Little Red Plum has never eaten meat buns like these before.
Zhang Hongmei walked up to the match counter. "Comrade, I'd like to buy a few packs of matches, candles, and soap. How much is a pack?"
"Matches, candles, and soap all require industrial coupons. Do you have any? If so, a pack of matches costs two cents, a candle costs five cents, and a bar of soap costs fifteen cents. One industrial coupon can buy twenty packs of matches, ten candles, and five bars of soap." The sales clerk wasn't as indifferent as described in novels, nor was her attitude particularly good, but she wasn't overly enthusiastic either.
Zhang Hongmei took out three industrial coupons and two yuan and handed them to the sales clerk. "Comrade, please help me. I need twenty packs of matches, ten candles, and five bars of soap."
The sales clerk picked up the money and industrial coupons, glanced at Zhang Hongmei, and was surprised to find that the young girl was using military coupons. She took out a form from the counter, filled in the three items Zhang Hongmei wanted, pulled down a small wicker basket from above, and pushed the money and the form to the other side. The staff on the other side stamped the ticket, put the remaining money into the basket, and pushed it back.
Zhang Hongmei was dumbfounded. "You can do that?!" she thought. She was amazed. Taking the money and items, she was stunned. Where was she supposed to put them? She'd forgotten there were no plastic bags. Embarrassed, she carefully stuffed everything into her coat pockets. But how was she going to carry the buns later? The waiter noticed Zhang Hongmei's predicament. "There's a place over there selling fabric scraps. No coupon needed. Why don't you buy a scrap and some thread and make your own bag?"
Zhang Hongmei was even more embarrassed. "Thank you, comrade, but no need. I don't know how to sew. I'll just go buy some scraps of cloth and ask the villagers to help me sew." After saying that, Zhang Hongmei practically fled in panic. In her previous life, she had never even sewed buttons, let alone done any sewing or mending.
I went to the cloth counter and bought three pieces of white coarse cotton cloth, each a foot long, for three cents, then left the supply and marketing cooperative. Seeing that there was no one on the road, I took out five large sugar packets from my storage space and wrapped them in the cloth scraps I had bought. It wasn't that I was unhygienic; I really had no other choice.
I hurriedly returned to the township government compound, but the meeting still wasn't over. That Wang Jianguo really knows how to play bureaucratic games. I went into the Women's Federation office again. "Aunt Li, I'm back!"
"It's pretty fast. Quickly sit down and rest for a while. It's almost three o'clock now. I reckon it should be over soon, otherwise we'll all be working until dark."
“That’s right, it’s just that Liujiatun is far away. It takes my third uncle an hour to get back by bus. Aunt Li, I’ve traded some candy with someone. Would you like to try one?” Zhang Hongmei put the cloth wrapped around the candy on the table, opened it, took one out, and handed it to Li Juying.
"That won't do! Keep it for yourself. This flour is so white, it looks so fine. Where did you get it?" Li Juying really admired this white flour; it must be made from premium flour.
"It was right outside the supply and marketing cooperative. A lady wanted industrial coupons. I used three to exchange for five candy packets. She looked very well-off and fair-skinned, so I gave her the rest of the industrial coupons."
"You got a good deal. This white flour is a good thing. The flour we get from wheat here is all yellow and coarse." Actually, Li Juying was heartbroken. This spendthrift girl, industrial coupons are so hard to come by, and she had to exchange three for one. She'd better explain the importance of industrial coupons to her.
“Hongmei, these industrial coupons are hard to come by. You have to keep them safe once you get them. I’m a government employee, but I only get one industrial coupon a month. Some people have money but don’t necessarily have coupons.”
"Oh? I didn't know that. I'll definitely keep it safe from now on." Zhang Hongmei was practically bursting with laughter inside. This aunt was really funny; her conflicted and distressed expression was so vivid.
"The candle in your pocket is about to fall out. Put it back quickly, or it won't work if it breaks. Didn't you bring your own supplies?"
"No, I don't have any bags at home. I just bought three scraps of cloth, and I'll ask my aunt to sew them on for me when I get home."
"Here, Auntie will sew it for you. I have a needle and thread here, I'll teach you how. Sewing a cloth bag is very simple, just a running stitch will do." Li Juying took out a needle and thread from the drawer and took the piece of cloth from Zhang Hongmei. "Look carefully, just fold this cloth in half and sew the two sides together. Do you know how to thread a needle?"
"Thank you, Auntie. I know how to thread a needle and tie a knot."
"Then watch carefully, sew from the bottom opening upwards. Make sure the stitches are tight, otherwise it will be a problem if things leak out after you put them in."
Zhang Hongmei stood behind Li Juying, watching as Li Juying finished sewing in less than five minutes.
"Aunt Li, I'll try next time. You can watch from the side."
Watching Zhang Hongmei clumsily sew, Li Juying felt a pang of sadness. This child had never been taught anything; she couldn't even do simple sewing, let alone mend clothes. She wondered how she managed to survive. Her mother was truly irresponsible; her work was admirable, but she'd neglected the child terribly. With the couple gone, the child would truly be left to fend for herself.
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