50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 124: Streamlining the Population
4. Knitwear purchased with cloth coupons:

Towels, bath towels, pillowcases, socks, sanitary shirts and trousers, cotton shirts and trousers, singlets and vests, thread shirts and trousers, thread vests, thread blankets, terry blankets, pajamas, mattress sheets, etc.

5. Cloth products purchased with cloth coupons:

Pillowcases, pillow cores, tablecloths, cloth headscarves, cloth socks, cloth sock covers, shoe uppers, insoles, raincoats, etc.

6. Purchases registered with a purchase certificate:

Cotton blankets, cotton thread (including various threads), cloth shoes (including cloth rubber shoes), and hats.

7. Cotton textiles purchased without using cloth coupons or registered with purchase certificates:

Oilcloth, varnished cloth, adhesive tape, shoe cuffs, funeral clothes, funeral hats, school bags, backpacks, handbags, cloth boxes, luggage bags, cotton gloves, thread gloves, oilcloth raincoats, umbrellas, headscarves, scarves, cloth toys, cloth handkerchiefs, sanitary products, cloth handicrafts, etc.

8. Towels, socks, sweatshirts, vests and other goods that are currently purchased with cloth coupons will no longer be purchased with purchase certificates.

9. Various flags and red scarves for students are purchased by government agencies and schools.

Everyone knows that this is because XX has been severely affected in the past two years, which has directly affected the production of cotton cloth and knitwear. As a result, our cotton knitwear is obviously less.

Therefore, we call on all the people to live frugally, overcome difficulties, and make up their minds to overcome temporary difficulties.
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This large document has several items that affect their family:
1. The cloth coupons that had not been used before were invalidated. The notice was sent on the 28th, but he only saw it today, the 1st.

2. Each person will be given two feet of cloth coupons, and no more cloth coupons will be issued until August.

3. Babies who are to be born in the summer should be able to receive a subsidy of 10 feet of cloth coupons.

4. Detailed regulations are given for things that require cloth coupons to buy and things that do not require cloth coupons to buy.

The most difficult time for ordinary people has arrived.

Director Wang read the document during the meeting and asked Tong Jiajia to copy the list of items.

It is said that the wisdom of the people is infinite. One of the items on the list that does not require a ticket is a handkerchief.

Later, when someone's daughter got married, they couldn't buy a quilt cover or bed sheet, so they bought hundreds of handkerchiefs and connected them together to make a bed sheet with a hundred squares, which they gave as a dowry to their daughter.

This move really caused quite a stir, and people nearby followed suit.

However, these handkerchiefs are not cheap. It takes hundreds of handkerchiefs to make a quilt cover, which costs more than ten or twenty yuan. It is hard to say whether it is economical or wasteful.

Unless it is urgent, probably not many people would do this.

In early March, the kindergarten received a notice requiring all units to comprehensively begin streamlining administrative staff.

When the urban population increased its workload in the past few years, a large number of workers and staff were recruited from rural areas.

Today, urban supplies are overwhelmed. Resettling a large number of people back to rural areas can reduce the food burden in cities while increasing rural food production.

This streamlining mainly follows the following four principles: first, reduce the upper level and enrich the lower level; second, compress the rear and enrich the front; third, streamline non-production personnel and enrich production personnel; fourth, reduce levels, save manpower, promote production, and facilitate work.

To be honest, there is really nothing that can be reduced in Beihai. The higher-ups have not given kindergartens any task to streamline the system, they just sent out group notifications.

Director Wang has a lot of experience, a lot of influence, and a wide network of contacts, so he has nothing to worry about.

What's more, the previous principal Yu has become the director of the Education Department and the principal at Beijing Normal University.

If there were problems that Director Wang couldn't solve, she could always turn to her old superiors for help. Director Yu had more experience and stronger connections, so there was no problem he couldn't solve. Among Sun Zhiwei's acquaintances, only one family was affected by the streamlining: the Zhang family.

Old Zhang is also a piece of cake. He can't handle the affairs at home well. The old couple's household registration has not been processed for more than a year. As a result, the old couple were laid off during the staff reduction this time.

Now the old couple has nothing to do at home and no food ration.

The monthly allowance of one pound of brown sugar, two ounces of tea, and three pounds of soybeans that Lao Zhang, the "sugar and bean cadre," receives is far from enough to support the consumption of two extra adults. Now his family's situation has become visibly difficult.

The difficulty is not because there is no money. Lao Zhang's salary is very high. The main thing is that he cannot buy staple food without a certain amount of food, and it is impossible to survive on side dishes every day.

Now the status of Daxiang uncle and nephew has become more and more important, and the Zhang family can only survive by relying on the dozens of kilograms of food brought by the two every month.

However, buying food from outside is unstable. If food is suddenly unavailable in the ghost market, the Zhang family will go hungry.

Finally, Lao Zhang had no choice but to come to Sun Zhiwei. After all, he had promised to provide Lao Zhang with a batch of food every month if he really had difficulties.

One weekend in early March, Lao Zhang knocked on the door of Sun Zhiwei's house.

"Uncle Zhang, you're here, come in." It was Sun Ailai who opened the door. She hadn't seen Uncle Zhang for a few years and she didn't recognize him.

Sun Zhiwei hadn't seen Lao Zhang for a while, and he was a little scared when he saw him again.

Now his hair has turned a lot whiter and his body is a little swollen, which is obviously due to malnutrition.

Looking at his expression, Sun Zhiwei knew his purpose. He must be really unable to hold on any longer.

"Uncle Zhang, how did you get into this? Why didn't you come to me earlier? Didn't Daxiang and the others get any food?"

Faced with his series of questions, Old Zhang could only smile bitterly.

Without waiting for his answer, Sun Zhiwei led him to the living room, poured him a cup of tea, and handed him a cigarette.

Lao Zhang took a deep breath, lit his cigarette and took a long drag before saying:
"Daxiang and his team can help me get more than 10 to 20 kilograms of coarse grains every month. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be able to make it this far."

"But since the beginning of the New Year, there's almost no food for sale at the ghost market. As soon as it appears, it's immediately snatched up. Even if you go, whether you can buy anything depends on luck."

"Besides, you also know the two boys in my family."

"They say that little brats can make me broke, but I'm really going to be broke by these two little brats."

Old Zhang is also very concerned about his reputation. If he hadn't been unable to hold on any longer, he would not have come to him. Sun Zhiwei is not a fool either. At this time, if he waits for someone to speak, he will offend them.

"Uncle Zhang, I can save at least 10 kilograms of fine grains and 1 kilogram of beans every month. Take some home today, and starting next month, I'll send it to you every month."

"I suggest you find someone to replace the refined grains with coarse grains so that your family can have enough to eat. As for eating well, there's probably no way to do that for now."

"Zhiwei, I..."

"Uncle Zhang, let's not talk about those unnecessary things. I have more talent than you can give me. If my daughter can't even eat, I definitely won't be so generous."

"Okay, I won't say much. I'll remember all this. If you need my help in the future, just come to me."

(End of this chapter)