Chapter 145 Chapter 145 Two in one, please subscribe...
Chapter 145
"Yes, yes." The other person nodded and shook his head subconsciously. "What do you want these misprinted discarded stamps for?"
Jiang Meishu hadn't expected that her casual question would actually lead to the answer. She immediately said, "My elders like to collect stamps. Comrade, if you have any, could you please show them to me?"
"I want."
The post office clerk was surprised when he heard this. "Let me think about it."
The "All Mountains and Rivers Are Red" stamp was issued in 1968. It was urgently recalled due to a misprint.
However, only a part of them were recalled, and the rest were used as table legs. They were originally waste stamps and naturally could not be sold anymore.
So their post office didn't take this batch of stamps seriously.
Now I hear that someone wants to buy it, just like someone suddenly wants the old garbage. How can this not be surprising?
"Do you really want it?"
the post office clerk asked uncertainly.
Jiang Meishu nodded, "Yes."
"Wait for me to find it for you." The post office clerk actually bent down and looked at the legs of the table one by one in front of Jiang Meishu. One by one, two, three, four, he found four complete ones.
They were all imprinted with the table's footprints and covered in a thick layer of dust. When they were brought to Jiang Meishu, she was a little indifferent. "Comrade, are these the ones?"
"Yes," the post office clerk agreed readily. "The 'All Mountains and Rivers Are Red' stamps were originally misprinted, so some were recalled. The remaining ones are basically used as fire starters on table corners."
Misprinted stamps are equivalent to discarded stamps, and they can't be sold. What else can they be but waste? However, after saying this, the post office official regretted his words. This broken mouth of his said anything.
Really.
Don’t talk about it. If people don’t buy it in the future, then it’s over.
She never expected that after she finished speaking, Jiang Meishu still looked at the stamps with bright eyes, not even bothered by the dirt, and picked them up to blow off the dust, thinking that it was good to have misprints, and it was precisely because of misprints that they were precious.
In later generations, the highest auction price for one piece even exceeded 10 million.
But she now has four in her hand. A whole sheet has fifty stamps, which means two hundred stamps. With such a large number, the stamps will naturally become less precious.
But it doesn't matter. Compared with the size of other stamps, these two hundred pieces of "The Whole Country is Red" are really not that many.
Jiang Meishu blew away the dust and then asked, "Comrade, how much do you sell these stamps for?"
The post office clerk thought for a moment and said, "Normally, a stamp costs eight cents, but that's a normal stamp. This one is a misprint. I'll charge you half price, four cents a stamp. If you want them, there are two hundred stamps in total, four editions in total, and they're all yours."
Jiang Meishu did some calculations and asked, "It's eight dollars in total, right?"
"right."
She quickly took out eight dollars and said, "Here, the money is all here, count it." She didn't bargain. This was originally a profitable business. If she bargained, she would feel guilty.
The post office clerk hadn't expected that a deal worth eight dollars could be made this way. She was a little surprised and surprised. Jiang Meishu said, "Don't want it? Then make it cheaper?"
She took back a bill, and the post office clerk quickly responded, "Yes, yes, yes."
She quickly put the change in her pocket and said, "Comrade, I have some other stamps here. Do you want them?"
Jiang Meishu didn't want any of it at first, but fearing suspicion, she said, "Take them all out so I can see."
"Hey." The post office clerk took out a large notebook with quick movements. "Take a look. These are the stamps we issued over the years."
How could Jiang Meishu understand these things? She didn't understand stamps, but she understood that scarcity makes things valuable.
After a moment's thought, he asked, "Which stamps here have the least circulation?"
The post office clerk was stunned by this question.
"I definitely want less. My elders collect stamps. If everyone has them, then what's the point of collecting stamps?"
"Too."
The post office clerk quickly picked out three tickets and said, "This one, from In the Vast World - The Years of Educated Youth, isn't very common, but it's expensive. Do you want one?"
Jiang Meishu thought for a while and said, "I want an edition." An edition consists of fifty stamps. She collects stamps, so why would she buy small pieces of stamps?
The post office clerk hummed with a smile, put one page aside, and took out another page. "This one is about severe punishment for invading enemies, and it's also relatively small."
She introduced three sheets of stamps in a row, and Jiang Meishu bought them all. By the time she left the post office, she had several sheets of stamps in her hands, having spent a total of 17 yuan.
It covers almost all the rare stamps available today.
Jiang Meishu really thinks it's a good deal.
When she returned, she did not go home empty-handed. Seeing that there were frozen pears on sale, she ordered three pounds of them. She had never eaten them before and was simply curious.
Each of these frozen pears is as big as a fist, which is really pleasing to the eye.
Her hands were a little cold, and when she got home, Liang Qiurun had not returned from the meeting yet. She had just finished cleaning up and sorted the stamps into categories and packed them separately.
Looking at those stamps, Jiang Meishu began to smile foolishly. If these stamps were kept for twenty years, they would surely make her a billionaire.
I really wish I could go back to twenty years later.
It would be better to trade all these stamps.
But, just thinking about it, Jiang Meishu carefully hid all these stamps, and Liang Qiurun came back at this time.
He was a little surprised, "What are you pretending?"
Jiang Meishu didn't hide it from him. "When I went to mail a letter, I saw that the stamps looked nice, so I bought some and planned to start a stamp collection."
It’s not really a lie, it’s just that the truth is hard to tell.
Liang Qiurun just thought it was her hobby, so he glanced at her and then looked away. "If you like it, I'll buy you a stamp album next time. You can put it in the album to prevent it from getting too damp."
He respects and supports every hobby of Jiang Meishu.
This made Jiang Meishu unable to help but be stunned. She threw herself into his arms and rubbed against him, "Lao Liang, you are so nice."
First, he didn't say that she was spending money recklessly or not doing her job properly, and second, he supported her. Jiang Meishu wondered where else she could find such a good Lao Liang.
Lao Liang’s goodness is unique in the world.
Liang Qiurun was annoyed by her and smiled, "Okay, okay, I'm a little busy these days. If you want to call someone out, you can call Sister Xiao next door."
"As for food, I packed some for you from the cafeteria. Go and eat."
Jiang Meishu nodded. Liang Qiurun came back to deliver the meal. After he left, she ate slowly.
Prepare to peel a frozen pear to eat.
Xiao Ye from next door came over with a basket, "Comrade Jiang, we're going to the mountains to pick some frozen mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots. Do you want to come?"
He considered Jiang Meishu half his own, otherwise he wouldn't have called her. When Jiang Meishu heard this, she was surprised. "Sister-in-law, is there anything in the mountains in the Northeast in winter?"
She had always thought that there was only snow on the mountains in Northeast China in winter.
This was a strange thing to say. Xiao Ye covered his mouth and laughed, "You can tell they're from out of town. In our part of the Northeast, there's a lot of stuff in the mountains in winter. It's only the end of November, the beginning of December, and the frozen mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots are almost all out. If you're lucky, you can even pick some wild hazelnuts. They don't look very impressive, but the kids love to eat them when they're fried at home."
Jiang Meishu's heart was instantly moved by what she said. She had gone up the mountain to collect things in her past two lives.
He immediately packed up and said, "Sister-in-law, wait for me."
She immediately turned around to change her shoes and put on her thick cotton jacket. She didn't have a basket, so she found a snakeskin bag, folded it up and put the whole thing in her pocket.
When she came out, Xiao Ye looked at her and subconsciously shook her head, "Jiang sister, don't blame your sister-in-law for speaking bluntly. The clothes you are wearing are not suitable for working at all."
"Even though it's not snowing anymore and the snow has almost melted, the ground on the mountain might still be wet. Your calfskin shoes are covered in that black clay, so you can't walk at all."
Jiang Meishu was stunned for a moment, then looked down at her feet. "What shoes should I wear?"
"What size shoes do you wear?"
"Thirty-six yards."
"That's about the same size as my older girl's feet. If you don't mind, I'll bring my daughter's shoes over so you can try them on."
Jiang Meishu sighed, "Sorry to bother you, sister-in-law."
Xiao Ye is a capable person. Her husband, Director Zhu, has specifically asked her to take good care of Jiang Meishu in her daily life, so she naturally takes it to heart.
Xiao Ye is a genuine Northeastern person, straightforward and kind-hearted. As soon as she saw Jiang Meishu agreed, she immediately turned around to get her shoes.
A pair of pink tube shoes.
This surprised Jiang Meishu. When she changed into the clothes, she couldn't help but whisper, "Sister-in-law, your daughter is so lucky."
You have to know that this was the 1970s, and not every parent could keep their children's preferences in mind.
It’s hard to buy a pair of pink tube shoes these days.
When Xiao Ye heard this, she smiled heartily, "My daughter said the same thing. Her father bought her this pair of shoes after going to several department stores when he was on a business trip to the capital."
"However, she's only nine years old this year, so they're a little big. There are two pairs of insoles inside. Can you try them on and see if you should take one out?"
Jiang Meishu tried them on and found that she really needed to take them, but she could wear them after taking a pair.
She stepped on the ground and said, "It can fit."
"But." She finally realized, "Sister-in-law, will Shaolan be happy if you let her wear her shoes?"
She had never raised a child, so she only realized the problem now and asked about it.
Xiao Ye nodded, "Do you think I can be the master of my Shao Lan? She was the one who said she wanted to lend her shoes to the beautiful aunt. If someone else comes, I tell you, don't even think about wearing Shao Lan's shoes today."
Not only is her daughter obsessed with looks, she also ate the candy Jiang Meishu handed her, showing that she was thinking of her kindness.
Jiang Meishu smiled sheepishly, watching Shaolan crouching at the door, secretly watching her. She turned around and took two frozen pears, handed them to Shaolan, and said, "Borrow my shoes, and I'll treat you to some frozen pears."
Shaolan was well-raised, so she didn't answer the call. She subconsciously looked at Xiao Ye. It seemed like she was planning to get Xiao Ye's consent before she answered the call.
Xiao Ye thought for a moment and said, "One is enough. This thing is expensive in winter. Give them one to try."
Jiang Meishu shook her head, "One for each of the two children."
Xiao Ye was at a loss for words now. She nodded, and the two children finally agreed. Before leaving, Jiang Meishu asked again, "When will we be back?"
Xiao Ye, "It's hard to say. It depends on whether I can find good stuff today. If I can, I'll come back later. If not, I might come back earlier."
Jiang Meishu was worried that Liang Qiurun wouldn't be able to find her when she came back, so she left a note. Xiao Ye couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she saw it, "Sister Jiang, you and Director Liang have a really good relationship."
For someone like her and Lao Zhu, even if she went out for a week and didn't come back, he probably wouldn't notice, let alone something as delicate as leaving a note.
Leaving a note? I will never leave a bamboo note in this life.
Jiang Meishu was a little shy and smiled with her lips pursed. Although she was from the capital and was 1.67 meters tall, which was considered good-looking, she looked a little underwhelming in front of Xiao Ye.
Xiao Ye is 1.74 meters tall, much taller than Jiang Meishu. Seeing Jiang Meishu smile like that, she couldn't help but hold her heart, "I finally understand why Director Liang likes you so much."
"Don't say it's rare, even for a woman like me, seeing you smile like that is a bit unbearable for me."
Jiang Meishu was born beautiful, with a white porcelain face, smooth and delicate, and a pair of big watery eyes with black pupils and clear whites. When she smiled, her eyes curved, and the tears in her eyes seemed to be about to overflow.
It is truly breathtakingly beautiful.
Jiang Meishu couldn't stand Xiao Ye's praise. She closed the door and put on her earmuffs. "Sister-in-law, don't say that. You are beautiful too."
Xiao Ye raised his eyebrows, thinking she was complimenting him.
After leaving the tube building, the sun rose outside. It had snowed lightly a few days ago, and it was a rare sunny day. The snow melted and the ground dried up in a short while.
The pig farm is located in a remote area, with a big mountain behind it and a lake at the foot of the mountain. However, it seemed to be frozen before, but now it has melted.
Seeing Jiang Meishu's curiosity, Xiao Ye whispered, "If it were thick ice, I would take you to fish. Unfortunately, the ice has melted and the lakeside is very slippery. It would be easy to fall if we go down. It's better for us to go up the mountain today."
Jiang Meishu nodded and followed Xiao Ye wholeheartedly to climb up the mountain. The snow had melted and the ground was almost dry, except for some places which were still wet. She needed to hold on to branches to climb up. They were all dead branches, with only occasional scattered leaves.
When they went there, they also met many family members of the pig farm.
Someone came over to ask, "Xiao Ye, is this Director Liang's lover?"
That day, I only saw Director Liang hugging someone and walking in, but I didn't see his face.
Xiao Ye nodded, "Yes."
She didn't have the airs of a factory director's wife and was very easygoing, so she asked directly, "This is Miss Jiang's first time collecting with us. Do you have any good places? I'll take her there to broaden her horizons."
This is the good thing about Harbin people: they are generous and enthusiastic. When they heard that they were going to take Jiang Meishu to broaden her horizons, they didn't hide anything at all and directly told her about the good things they had hidden.
"Twenty minutes ahead, there's an old tree struck by lightning, and it's growing a lot of frozen mushrooms. If you pick up a basket of them and take them back to your hot pot, they'll be so delicious."
There are not many green vegetables in Harbin in winter, so if you can eat some frozen mushrooms, it would be an improvement in your life.
When Xiao Ye heard this, he said simply, "Let's go, let's follow your sister-in-law Lu. She is an expert in the mountains, and there is no good place she doesn't know."
Jiang Meishu sighed, "Thank you, Sister Lu."
It's always right to be sweet-mouthed. Sure enough, when she called her "Sister-in-law Lu", Sister-in-law Lu also became more enthusiastic, feeling that her words were not in vain. If you meet someone who is ignorant and arrogant, it would be like saying it in vain. No one would be happy if they were not treated well.
"You're not from Harbin, so you don't know. When the weather clears up after a little snow, not only will the frozen mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots emerge, but even the hazelnuts on the trees will fall. If you're lucky, you can even pick up some pheasants and rabbits. These animals are just like people. When the snow stops, people come out to look for food, and so naturally, animals will come out to look for food too."
"How much we can collect today depends entirely on our ability."
After all, the Northeast is rich in resources. As long as you work hard here, no one will go hungry.
Jiang Meishu was very excited after hearing this. She didn't crave meat, but Liang Qiurun was a meat lover. The food here was not as good as in the capital, and he was busy. It was obvious that Liang Qiurun's complexion was not as good as before, and his jawline was a little tighter.
He is too thin and looks ugly. He should be neither fat nor thin.
Jiang Meishu couldn't help but ask, "Are pheasants and rabbits easy to catch?"
"It's hard to say. If you're lucky, the hare will hit your legs. If you're unlucky, the hare will run very fast and you won't be able to catch it even if you chase it until you die. This is meat. We are greedy too, but it all depends on luck. It's better to just pick up winter bamboo shoots and frozen mushrooms. These are ready-made things and won't run away. Who are you picking up?"
Jiang Meishu thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll go pick winter bamboo shoots and frozen mushrooms with my sisters-in-law."
She also craved some fresh vegetables. In fact, it was the same in the capital. There were no fresh vegetables in winter. Even the radishes and cabbages had been stored for a month and were not fresh at all.
The winter bamboo shoots just dug from the mountain are naturally fresh. If they are fried with meat, they are so delicious that you want to bite your tongue off.
When she said this, Xiao Ye and Mrs. Lu exchanged glances and felt that Jiang Meishu was an open-minded person. It was not that they had not brought other sisters-in-law here before, but the sisters-in-law from the city were spoiled. If they were just spoiled, it would be fine, but they were most afraid of those who were too imaginative.
If Jiang Meishu had listened to this and insisted on catching rabbits and pheasants, not only would she have wasted time, but she would have also made a wasted trip. It would have been a complete failure.
Those of them who have been through this have always tried to collect enough things first before trying their luck. Otherwise, they can't waste their time and lose money in the end, right?
Jiang Meishu didn't know what they were thinking. The way up the mountain was difficult to walk on, so she picked up a stick and walked up with it. It was cold to begin with, but with the scorching sun and the mountain climbing, she soon began to sweat slightly.
She took off her earmuffs, and later her gloves and scarf; they were no longer comfortable. Sure enough, she wasn't cold while working. Normally, she was too tired to move, so it would be strange if she wasn't cold.
After walking up for more than ten minutes, we arrived at the destination.
"Here we are."
Mrs. Lu took a breath and stopped everyone. "There's a bamboo forest ahead. Winter bamboo shoots are just coming out this season. I just discovered it, and others don't know about it yet."
"About ten minutes ahead, there are some old trees struck by lightning, all covered with frozen mushrooms. Which one should I pick first?"
She was asking about Jiang Meishu.
Jiang Meishu thought for a moment and said in a gentle voice, "I always listen to my sisters-in-law. You are more familiar with it than I am."
After hearing this, Mrs. Lu and Xiao Ye both felt a little happier. They asked because Jiang Meishu was the guest, but if she really made the decision, then she would be the host.
Jiang Meishu is a smart person and worth making friends with.
Think of this.
Xiao Ye's smile became more sincere. "Let's pick winter bamboo shoots first. They look different every day, especially after a light snowfall. They're like sprouts. If you don't pick them for a day, many of them will be old and not tasty anymore."
Jiang Meishu hummed, "Then let's pick winter bamboo shoots."
She followed behind the other person. The bamboo forest was very quiet because it had just snowed. There was not even the sound of an animal. Occasionally, the wind blew, and the leaves fell, making a rustling sound.
To be honest, if Jiang Meishu was alone, she would definitely be scared, but she was accompanied by two sisters-in-law. As soon as she walked inside, she saw the sprouting winter bamboo shoots, which almost covered the entire ground.
Jiang Meishu's eyes suddenly lit up, "So many!"
“So many winter bamboo shoots!”
"Yes." Xiao Ye was also excited. "This is a really good place. You don't have any tools, so just break it off. We only need the tender tips on top."
"It's too deep down there, and it's hard to dig."
"Let me tell you, a few years ago, a kid at our pig farm got lucky and dug up wild ginseng in a winter bamboo shoot forest. That ginseng looked like it was over a hundred years old. Everyone was so envious at the time, and then everyone started looking for it like locusts swarming across a border. Unfortunately, after that one try, there was no other."
Jiang Meishu listened with curiosity, but she had no interest in digging wild ginseng, as it was too rare.
However, looking at the winter bamboo shoots all over the ground, she felt an excitement as if her blood was awakened. She lowered her head and started working. It was her first time doing this kind of work, and she was no match for Xiao Ye and the others.
But Jiang Meishu didn't think about competing. She just broke her own bamboo shoots. With a snap, snap, the bamboo shoots snapped easily, almost effortlessly. In a short while, she had broken half a bag of bamboo shoots.
Looking back at Xiao Ye and Mrs. Lu, each of them keeping to themselves, not disturbing each other, she did not go over to join in the fun. When collecting outside, everything is naturally raised, and whoever picks it up owns it.
Jiang Meishu also knew her limits and had no intention of fighting for the bamboo shoots. She just walked forward, picking them as she went. At first, she wanted everything, but later there were too many, so she picked the good-looking ones and picked the big ones. She didn't care about the small ones. Not only was it tiring, but they were all gone after blanching.
She picked the ones that were the size of a palm, and she broke them off accurately. As she was walking forward, she suddenly saw a green leaf.
It is not easy to see green leaves in winter, so she pulled it up curiously and broke the leaf with one hand, and at the same time, the true appearance inside was revealed.
Jiang Meishu was stunned. She pulled hard and the roots of the child's arm were exposed. It looked like a ginseng doll. She subconsciously said, "Wild ginseng?"
“Is this wild ginseng?”
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