Chapter 1 Supply and Marketing Cooperatives
Lin Qingqing was a little embarrassed when she passed by, but when she heard Xie Wei's voice, she unconsciously turned her head to look at him. She was about to greet him and hear him change his address, but she was unsure whether she should change her address as well.
Just as she was hesitating, Xie Wei came out of the yard, took the things from her hands, and asked, "Where are you going?"
“I’ll go find Director Yang,” Lin Qingqing said, looking down at the bag in his hand. “I can carry it myself.”
"I'll take you there," Xie Wei said, taking two steps forward. He turned back and, seeing that she wasn't moving, said, "If you're worried about others seeing you, just say the things are heavy and I'll help you carry them."
"I'm not worried about others seeing us." Lin Qingqing had thought it through. Xie Wei was right; they couldn't be secretive about dating. Since that was the case, others would eventually find out. So, it was better to be open and honest from the start.
As for what the other female educated youths would think if they knew, Lin Qingqing didn't care and didn't intend to care.
Thinking of this, Lin Qingqing said, "If others ask, let's tell the truth."
Although Xie Wei didn't seem unhappy when he suggested making an excuse to gloss over the matter, his eyes lit up when he heard Lin Qingqing say this, and he said, "Okay."
Director Yang's house wasn't far from Xie's house, and they arrived in no time. Lin Qingqing stopped and said, "I'll go by myself."
Lin Qingqing didn't distrust Xie Wei, but the matter was somewhat sensitive, and she didn't know how Director Yang would react to seeing Xie Wei, so she wanted to go in herself. But as soon as she finished speaking, Director Yang came out of the house, paused for a moment when he saw them, and then warmly welcomed them inside.
Lin Qingqing wanted to say something, but Director Yang didn't give her a chance to speak, so the two of them went into Yangjia together.
After entering, Xie Wei placed the bags of grain on the table. Director Yang didn't even glance at them before reaching into her pocket for the ration coupons. Lin Qingqing, surprised by her lack of caution, had to interrupt her, asking, "Won't you weigh them?"
“It’s alright,” Director Yang said, unaware of Lin Qingqing’s thoughts. She thought to herself that Xie Wei wasn’t after this small amount of grain, and he hadn’t said anything, so why should she, the middleman, make such a fuss? But seeing the hesitation on Lin Qingqing’s face, she realized that Lin Qingqing didn’t know this matter was related to Xie Wei. So she said, “We don’t have a scale at home. I’ll find someone to borrow one at noon and weigh it then. What do you think?”
Lin Qingqing thought that would work, and nodded, saying, "Okay, then I'll come back to you after you've weighed the grain and exchanged the other items."
Director Yang looked at Xie Wei, and seeing that he didn't object, he agreed and put the money and tickets back in his pocket.
After finishing their business, Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei said goodbye. Originally, she planned to go to the brigade headquarters with Director Yang, but Director Yang had to go to someone else's house, so she and Xie Wei went together.
Lin Qingqing thought that Xie Wei would ask about what had just happened after leaving the Yang family, but he didn't mention it until they reached the Xie family's door.
Seeing that he was about to walk on, Lin Qingqing asked, "Aren't you going back?"
"I'll take you to the brigade headquarters," Xie Wei said.
Although they were dating, they didn't have many opportunities to meet. Thinking of this, Lin Qingqing didn't say anything like "no need," and walked forward with Xie Wei, saying, "Just now..."
Lin Qingqing didn't know what to say, and hesitated to speak.
“I know,” Xie Wei said.
"You knew?" Lin Qingqing's eyes showed undisguised surprise.
Xie Wei did not say that he was the one who bought the grain, but only said, "My mother is familiar with Director Yang."
Hearing her say that, Lin Qingqing assumed that Director Yang had also bought grain from the Xie family, and suddenly realized what was going on. No wonder Director Yang didn't avoid Xie Wei when he saw him earlier, and said with a slight apology, "I didn't mean to hide it from you."
After all, this matter involves more than just her. She can trust Xie Wei, but she doesn't know if Director Yang feels the same way.
Xie Wei nodded and asked, "Are you lacking many things? Is what you got this time enough?"
"That's enough," Lin Qingqing nodded.
Actually, it wasn't enough. After all, it was only thirty catties of grain, which needed to be exchanged for both money and ration coupons. She could only buy the essentials first, planning to wait until after the year-end bonus was distributed before deciding whether to buy anything else. However, she couldn't tell Xie Wei about these things, otherwise it would seem like she was asking him for something.
Hearing this, Xie Wei felt somewhat disappointed, but he also knew that Lin Qingqing had a strong sense of self-respect. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't have come up with such a roundabout way.
Thinking of this, Xie Wei said, "Tell me if you have any difficulties."
Lin Qingqing smiled and replied, standing at the entrance of the brigade headquarters, "Let's stop here."
Xie Wei stopped and looked at the courtyard of the brigade headquarters, feeling a little regretful that the journey was too short. But he also knew that Lin Qingqing wasn't on vacation like him, so he said, "Then I'll head back first."
...
Lin Qingqing and Director Yang discussed it yesterday and decided to price the grain exchange according to the black market price.
Lin Qingqing didn't know the prices on the black market, as the original novel didn't describe them clearly, and the original owner of this body had never been to the black market. In her mind, thirty catties of grain could be exchanged for ten...
It only costs a few dollars.
When it came time to actually calculate the money, Lin Qingqing discovered that black market prices were much higher than she had imagined. For example, rice, which cost 14 cents per pound with ration coupons, was ten times more expensive on the black market. In years of famine, the price would be even higher. So, ten pounds of refined grain could be exchanged for fourteen yuan, and although coarse grain was cheaper, twenty pounds could still be exchanged for around eighteen yuan.
In other words, these thirty catties of grain can be exchanged for a total of thirty-two yuan!
Lin Qingqing had never been so wealthy since her transmigration, and she couldn't help but exclaim with excitement, "So much!"
"That's why everyone says grain is expensive," Director Yang said, much more calmly.
Lin Qingqing asked with some doubt: "With grain so expensive, can your sister's family afford it?"
Director Yang's heart skipped a beat, thinking he had given himself away. But when he saw Lin Qingqing's worried face, he realized she was genuinely concerned. He was touched and amused at the same time. He explained, "She and my brother-in-law are veteran workers with high wages. Besides, they don't eat all the grain right away. They just buy more while it's cheap and wait until the price goes up."
At this point, Director Yang sighed: "There's nothing we can do about it. She has many children and is at the age where they're going to starve their fathers. It's good that I'm helping her collect them; buying them on the black market would only be more expensive, and they can use tickets to offset the cost."
The price she offered Lin Qingqing for the grain was actually rounded down; it was only a few cents less per pound, but it added up to a considerable sum. This wasn't because Director Yang wanted to take advantage of Lin Qingqing, but mainly to avoid arousing her suspicion.
Lin Qingqing, unaware of the reason, nodded and said, "That's true."
Lin Qingqing received more money than she had expected, so she didn't have as many reservations. She bought all the necessary daily necessities, such as soap, lunch boxes, enamel cups, buckets, and basins, with the required coupons. She hesitated a bit when it came to the thermos, but Director Yang said that her sister had a thermos at home, so the coupon was extra and she could get it for a discount if she wanted it.
Although the thermos flask wasn't cheap, the vouchers were rare, and if she didn't buy them now, she could save them for next time, as long as they could be used within a year. Thinking about the bonus she'd receive during the New Year, Lin Qingqing decided to buy the thermos flask voucher after considering it.
Not only the thermos ticket, but Director Yang also gave Lin Qingqing a discount on all other tickets.
Lin Qingqing actually wanted to buy them at the market price, but Director Yang said, "These coupons aren't as rare as bicycle coupons. They don't actually fetch a high price in the city. My older sister had no choice but to give me so many, thinking that selling them would save some money on grain. But you know the situation in our brigade; we use an item for several years, and these coupons..."
Even if it gets into my hands, it'll be hard to sell. Besides, you rounded down the price of the grain for me, so what's wrong with me offering a discount when exchanging the tickets?
Director Yang's words were reasonable and well-founded, and Lin Qingqing couldn't bring herself to refuse, so she agreed.
Besides daily necessities, Lin Qingqing also bought a few snack coupons. Tomorrow is a day off for everyone in the brigade, so she plans to go to the commune to buy everything she needs, and also visit the guesthouse. One reason is to return He Xiaoli's book, and the other is to let them know that she has settled in Xingfeng Brigade.
...
The second day was a rare day off, and most of the educated youth went to the market in Yangshulin Brigade. Lin Qingqing wanted to buy many things that weren't available at the market, so she decided to go to the commune's supply and marketing cooperative instead, and thus planned to go alone.
Just as she reached the village entrance, she saw Xie Wei standing under the old banyan tree, with his bicycle parked beside him.
While Lin Qingqing was still in a daze, he had already ridden up to her on his bicycle and asked in surprise, "Why are you waiting here?"
"I heard from Director Yang that you're going to the commune today," Xie Wei said, patting the back seat. "Get in."
"Are you going to the commune too?" Lin Qingqing thought he was going to the commune for some business, but he shook his head and said, "I'm going with you. Aren't you going to buy a lot of things?"
Lin Qingqing chuckled: "Actually, I could carry it all by myself, you didn't need to..."
“Is it necessary? Aren’t we dating?” Xie Wei interrupted Lin Qingqing with a serious expression, looking at her with deep eyes. “You can rely on me when the time is right.”
Lin Qingqing paused for a moment, then quickly smiled and said, "Okay." She sat sideways on the back of the bicycle, holding onto the bottom of the front seat with both hands.
Xie Wei rode his bicycle out and encountered several members of the production brigade who looked at them in surprise. But Xie Wei did not stop, and Lin Qingqing did not panic and try to explain.
Once the bicycle was out of the Xingfeng Brigade's area, Lin Qingqing said, "You don't need to hide it from me."
Xie Wei stiffened and asked, "What?"
“Like today, if you want to go on a date with me, you can just tell me, and we can arrange a time and place to meet. You don’t have to get up early and wait at the village entrance.” Lin Qingqing said, looking at the back of Xie Wei’s head. Although he didn’t say how long she had been waiting, she felt it couldn’t be such a coincidence that she arrived just as he got to the village entrance.
Xie Wei breathed a sigh of relief at first, but when he heard Lin Qingqing mention the word "date," he felt as sweet as honey and said, "Then I'll let you know in advance."
Lin Qingqing hummed in agreement and then said, "I've thought about what you just said, and I think you have a point."
"Well, you know I've never been in a relationship before, nor have I ever relied on anyone, so there are some things I might not have noticed. But I'll learn how to be in a relationship and how to get along with you. This process might not be quick... Can you wait for me?"
"Yes," Xie Wei said without hesitation, adding, "I will also try my best to correct the problems you raised."
Lin Qingqing didn't realize it when she was talking, but when Xie Wei spoke, she realized that their conversation was a bit strange, more like an academic discussion than a romantic one.
But this is good too; it's always better to communicate with each other when there are problems than to remain silent and misunderstand each other.
...
Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei had both eaten breakfast before leaving, so after arriving at the commune, they went directly to the supply and marketing cooperative.
Although she had never bought anything from the supply and marketing cooperative, she had passed by the supply and marketing cooperatives of Linjiazui Brigade and Xingfeng Brigade. Both cooperatives had small storefronts. She heard that the interiors were also small, with only two rooms: one for the counter and the other for storage. The variety of goods was limited, mainly daily necessities.
Compared to the brigade's supply and marketing cooperative, the commune's supply and marketing cooperative was much larger. Not only was the facade grand, but the interior was also spacious, with two floors. Upon entering, there were counters on three sides against the wall, and a banner that read "Serve the People" was pasted on the wall, with various brightly colored posters below it.
The supply and marketing cooperative sold daily necessities, pastries, and candies on the first floor at relatively low prices, while the second floor sold clothing, fabrics, watches, fans, and other electrical appliances. There were five counters on three walls of the first floor, each selling a different category of goods, and each counter had a salesperson in charge.
Today is Sunday, and not only is Xingfeng Brigade closed, but many units in the commune are also on holiday. The counters are packed with people, and the sales clerks inside are incredibly busy.
Seeing so many people, Lin Qingqing asked Xie Wei, "Why don't you wait for me outside?"
“I’ll go with you,” Xie Wei said, walking towards a counter.
Shicheng is a southern city, and people in that era generally suffered from malnutrition. The average height of men was less than 1.68 meters, and that of women was less than 1.58 meters. But the Xie family had good genes, and the whole family was tall. Xie Baoshan was about 1.75 meters tall, and Xie Wei, whether from the good food he ate while in the army or something else, was almost half a head taller than Xie Baoshan. They couldn't find anyone else as tall as him in Xingfeng Brigade.
Xie Wei was tall, and since the people crowding in front of the counter were all women, he didn't need to squeeze in to see what was being sold. Seeing lunchboxes and enamel mugs displayed together, Xie Wei moved a little further in, gestured, and asked the sales clerk to bring out one of each to show him.
Like most people with secure jobs, the sales clerk at the supply and marketing cooperative glanced over indifferently after hearing Xie Wei's words. When she saw the cap badge on his hat and the red collar tab on his collar, she swallowed back the words she was about to say and took out the things Xie Wei wanted from the counter and handed them to him.
Xie Wei took the item and handed it to Lin Qingqing, saying, "Take a look."
Lin Qingqing knew Xie Weigao was tall, but she hadn't expected his height advantage to be useful here. She paused for a moment before taking the items. At this time, industrial grain production wasn't high, but the quality was excellent. Lin Qingqing opened the lunchbox lid and looked inside. Before she could speak, she saw someone who had just finished buying their food squeeze in, holding the lunchbox and enamel mug, and ask, "How much are these?"
The saleswoman was applying face cream to someone when she heard the noise. She looked over, glanced at the product in the saleswoman's hand, and then at Xie Wei behind her. She guessed that the two were either a couple or relatives, so she quoted a price and reminded them that they needed a receipt to purchase the product.
In this planned economy era, unless it's something rare like a watch or a bicycle, small items aren't expensive with coupons. Lin Qingqing decisively bought a lunchbox and an enamel mug, and then asked the salesperson if they had buckets and basins.
The bucket and basin were also bought at this counter. After answering other people's questions, the sales clerk quickly gave Lin Qingqing one bucket and one basin.
The bucket was made of tin, and the basin was enamel, mainly in red and white, with the character "囍" (double happiness) printed on the bottom. It looked just like the basin Lin Qingqing had seen in period dramas before she traveled back in time. She remembered that when she watched the show, the comments said that basins like this were particularly durable and might not break even after more than ten years, so she asked about the price again.
She had already made a purchase based on her choice of lunchbox, and the sales clerk, knowing she was well-off, politely quoted the price. The price wasn't cheap, but it wasn't expensive either; the main reason was that Lin Qingqing really needed it, as she couldn't keep borrowing from others. So she bought one bucket and one basin.
After buying these items, Lin Qingqing went to other counters and quickly bought some soap. There were two kinds of soap: one was a scented soap for washing hair and body, and the other was a square soap for washing clothes. Lin Qingqing bought one of each.
After buying the tickets from Director Yang, Lin Qingqing only had a little over twenty yuan left after exchanging them for grain. Adding the eight yuan she had gotten from Old Lady Lin, she had a total of twenty-five yuan. After buying a few things, she had less than fifteen yuan left, and even with tickets, a thermos cost eight yuan.
Seeing Lin Qingqing hesitate, Xie Wei said, "I have money."
"...Never mind." Lin Qingqing felt that although she and Xie Wei were dating, things weren't really serious yet, so it was best to avoid using his money if possible. However, she was afraid Xie Wei would be unhappy, so she said...
"I won't really need it even if I buy it."
The canteen would boil water along with the meals, and the educated youth mainly used the thermos flasks for drinking and to wash their faces with hot water the next morning. For Lin Qingqing, plain boiled water was fine even without hot water, and washing her face was even simpler—it would only freeze for a short while. Thinking about it, the thermos flask wasn't really essential for her.
Seeing Xie Wei frown, Lin Qingqing grasped his hand and shook it gently, saying in a soft voice, "Shall we go look at something else?"
The supply and marketing cooperative was bustling with people. Xie Wei hadn't expected her to be so bold. When her hand was grasped, he froze. Seeing her soft tone, which sounded like she was being coquettish, his mind went blank for a moment. He stiffly nodded and said, "Okay."
The thermos was placed on the second floor, and the counter next to it was selling fabrics. Lin Qingqing heard someone asking about prices in front of the counter. She seemed to be short of money and asked about several kinds. Khaki fabric was very cheap, but the quantity was small and you needed fabric coupons to buy it. Chemical fiber fabrics did not require coupons, but the price was relatively expensive. It cost more than ten yuan to make a summer shirt[1].
As the salesperson quoted the price, the woman's face grew increasingly pale. The salesperson, seeing her expression, knew she couldn't afford it and became impatient when she tried to ask again: "Are you going to buy it or not? If you think it's too expensive, go look over there. The prices are cheaper and you don't need a receipt!"
The salesperson was referring to the small counter next to the stairs, which also had some fabrics on it, enough to make shirts and vests, but the fabrics were of much lower quality than those on the main counter.
Although the fabric was of poor quality, it could last for a year or two. Lin Qingqing was tempted; after all, the fabric was cheap and didn't require coupons, and she really wanted to buy a few yards. However, Lin Qingqing had just spent a large sum of money, and she wanted to wait for the next market day to check things out, which would bring in another expense. She didn't always sell grain; although she currently had enough to eat, no one could predict what might happen in the future.
Let's wait until the year-end bonus comes in and see how things go before making a decision.
Lin Qingqing was thinking when she turned her head and saw Xie Wei take out several cloth coupons and hand them to the sales clerk. She walked over and asked, "Do you want to buy cloth?"
"Yes, I'll buy a few yards of cloth for my mother." Xie Wei said, taking the fabric handed to him by the salesperson. He had plenty of money, so he bought three pieces of cloth at once: one black, one blue, and one red on top.
Lin Qingqing asked in confusion, "Is the red color also for your mother?" She had met Li Xingfang before, and she was dressed quite simply.
Xie Wei didn't answer until they left the supply and marketing cooperative, at which point he handed the cloth to Lin Qingqing and said, "This cloth is for you."
Lin Qingqing was afraid of this situation, which is why she asked that question earlier. She quickly waved her hand and said, "I can't accept it, it's too precious."
"Khakibu
"Less than seven cents a foot." Xie Wei's smile vanished. This piece of cloth was two and a half feet long, which was less than two cents at most.
"You can't calculate it like that." But Lin Qingqing felt he was being sophistical. The rarity of khaki cloth wasn't its price, but rather the fact that it required cloth coupons to buy. Unlike other coupons, cloth coupons were always in short supply, and among the many coupons that Director Yang sold her this time, there were no cloth coupons.
But Lin Qingqing didn't know that Xie Wei didn't give Director Yang a cloth ration coupon precisely because he knew how rare the coupons were and was afraid of being exposed.
Before leaving home in the morning, Xie Wei hadn't planned to buy anything for Lin Qingqing, not because he was stingy, but because he knew she wouldn't accept it. However, he had noticed Lin Qingqing staring at the salesperson for a long time, her gaze lingering on the fabrics displayed on the counter. He also noticed her faded cotton-padded jacket, with patches on both sides of the hem. It was then that he suddenly had an idea and, under the pretext of buying fabric for his mother, bought a piece of red cloth.
The current situation was within his expectations, but Xie Wei still felt somewhat helpless and said, "I just wanted to be nicer to you."
“I know you have a strong sense of self-respect and don’t want to ask for help or let people know about your difficulties, but aren’t we dating? Although I have no experience, I know that dating shouldn’t be so strictly defined.” Xie Wei stretched out his hand and looked down at her. “Besides, I’m a man. If I see a girl I like not doing well, I will feel sad and heartbroken.”
Actually, Lin Qingqing wasn't unaware that being too clear-cut in a relationship wasn't good. If they were evenly matched, she wouldn't have rejected the idea of a romantic relationship. But the gap between them was too large, which put pressure on Lin Qingqing, so she always wanted to be as clear-cut as possible with Xie Wei.
It wasn't until he said it that Lin Qingqing realized she had fallen into a misunderstanding. She took the fabric and said, "Then... I'll take this fabric?"
"Hmm." Xie Wei smiled slightly. "Shall we go back now, or have lunch first?"
"I want to go to the guesthouse first," Lin Qingqing said, as she still needed to return the book to He Xiaoli.
“I’ll go with you.” Xie Wei turned the bicycle parked at the door around. Because the back seat was full of things, he didn’t ride it but pushed it forward, suggesting, “Let’s have lunch at the guesthouse before going back.”
"Alright," Lin Qingqing nodded. She had wanted to treat Xie Wei to a meal to express her gratitude, but on that day, she acted impulsively and the meal turned into a promise to marry him.
Her relationship with Xie Wei had progressed so rapidly these past few days that she was a little overwhelmed. Coupled with the preparations for the meeting, Lin Qingqing had almost forgotten about it. Hearing Xie Wei mention it now, she decided to invite him to dinner as planned.
After all, the idea of repaying a debt of gratitude with one's body is something that can be joked about years later when they're older. But defining the relationship as repaying a debt of gratitude now that they're dating is actually inappropriate.
The author has something to say: [1] The content comes from a Baidu post.
I did some research on prices, but the prices I found weren't entirely consistent, so what I wrote is a compromise and may differ from reality!
P.S.: This story is semi-fictional.
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