Affection for Sidaogou during the Famine

"Hey! That's right! You should know who is good to you. Only a good child can repay the kindness!"

Grandpa Guan just came in and greeted the children at the gate of the yard and interrupted.

"Happy New Year, Grandpa Guan!"

"Happy New Year, Grandpa Guan!"

"Okay, all is well, happy New Year to you too!"

Grandpa Guan gave each of the children a red envelope. The children took it with a smile and dispersed.

Well, Zhaozhao said that she asked someone to buy a pound of shaqima this year, and he had to go and try it.

After all the New Year's greetings had come and there were only the three of them at home, Grandpa Guan lowered his voice and said to the old lady, "Sister, did you notice that it rained and snowed just as winter began last year?

Until now, the whole winter is almost over, but there is not a single snowflake falling in the capital.

Isn’t it said that auspicious snow means a good harvest? This dry and cold weather will probably be bad even in the first month of the year. I don’t think this year will be a good year!”

The old lady refilled his tea and said worriedly, "When we were young, I remember that year when there was a drought in our hometown, the elders in the tribe went to the mountain to burn the dragon ridge to pray for rain.

Before the New Year, blast furnaces were burning all over the country, and the rain that came down was not small. The old people said that the amount of water in the sky and underground is limited. If it is too flooded, there will be drought, and if it is too dry, there will be floods.

I heard from the grapevine that there was a flood across the country last fall, and all the food left in the fields was gone!

When I couldn't sleep, I was thinking that there would be natural disasters at any time this year. In our northern part, there are fewer floods and more droughts. Looking at the weather in winter, I'm afraid there will be drought this year!

Look at the canteen again. They are almost out of food. Have you heard that there are rumors that the canteen is about to close down?

Brother Guan, I won’t hide it from you. My family is trying to find a way to buy food. We have all been through difficult times, so we have to leave ourselves a way out! "

"Do you have a reliable channel? I want to buy it too!"

"An acquaintance of mine helped me get some from the countryside. You can ask for as much as you want. It's not more than you want. They got it privately from the members of the cooperative.

As you know, most of the food in the hands of the members was handed over to the public canteen.

There must be not much food left for those who can secretly take it away! "The old lady had food in her hands, but she didn't dare to tell him. She was very smart!

"Hey! No need to explain, I understand! Food is now in short supply.

In the autumn before last year, I asked people everywhere to buy food, but I couldn't get any. The big families in the countryside with large populations didn't store any food, so they opened big canteens and took all the food away. Now I can't buy food even if I have money!

I'm worried about this! No matter how much, no matter how expensive, we have to act quickly.

This big canteen can be disbanded at any time. Not only the food, but also the iron pots must be bought first."

The two old men were whispering to each other, like they were underground party members meeting.

Han Zhaozhao was speechless. He sat in front of the window and looked at the gate. He was assigned to be a lookout. He thought: Do you really need to do this? You are so sneaky even when you talk in your own home. Where is there a safe place?

Really, this social environment makes normal people so nervous!

"Then after the fifth day of the New Year, let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative to see if there are any iron pots for sale. If there are, we'll buy them as soon as possible." Han Zhaozhao said, already planning to buy an iron pot.

Grandpa Guan also agreed. After all, with an iron pot, he could cook his own food. If the canteen was disbanded, he would not be afraid of not having food to eat.

"I also have to buy a spoon and a kettle. What's the point? It costs more than ten yuan!

However, you have to be careful when buying it and try to be as low-key as possible. The later you are discovered, the better. "The old lady reminded.

"Don't worry, grandma, I will pay attention. I can do nothing wrong!" Han Zhaozhao said, patting his chest.

After the Wuma Festival, Han Zhaozhao and Qian Xiaosan quietly set out early in the morning on the sixth day of the New Year. Avoiding the busy times, they came to the supply and marketing cooperative and found Aunt Qian.

She was a salesperson in charge of the grocery counter. Aunt Qian took them to find a hardware counter, and a young girl took them to the warehouse.

"The new goods haven't arrived yet. These dozen or so iron pots are left over from last year. You can pick your own!" The salesperson named Liu Qing pointed to a pile of rusty iron pots and said to the three people.

Xiao Sanzi: "It's old? Why is it all rusty?"

Han Zhaozhao tugged at his sleeve and signaled him not to speak, because his mother was there!

They are all colleagues in the same unit. If there is something good, how can the girl not give it to her? It's the same goods, all public business, it doesn't matter who you sell it to, and you can't bargain or get a discount for this thing.

"You know nothing. It won't affect the use if you clean it! Xiao Liu, this naughty kid is my kid. He doesn't talk nonsense. Don't take it seriously. He is just a bad-mouthed person!"

"It's okay, I'm used to it. The Beijing boys are always rude!"

"Sister, how much is this big iron pot?" Han Zhaozhao asked.

"Eight yuan a mouthful, no tickets required. If you want to buy, hurry up and buy. I heard there's a meeting going on right now, so the cafeteria will be closed soon!

Every household is short of iron pots now. Once this news is confirmed, it will be too late to grab this rusty iron pot. The key is that there is no new stock!" Liu Qing replied.

Han Zhaozhao and Xiao Sanzi looked at each other and secretly thanked their luck that they came early and the price was not too expensive. They were still given last year's price.

Aunt Qian took some money out of her pocket and said, "We'll buy two for our family, too. We want a double-handled pot for the coal stove."

Xiao Sanzi: "Just buy one. We only have one stove at home. Wouldn't it be a waste to buy two pots?"

"What do you know? Isn't there your eldest brother's family? Your sister-in-law has a child and can't come out. After you buy it, you can send it to them in the evening."

Qian Boqian's wife gave birth to a boy on the 28th day of the lunar year, and Aunt Qian officially became a grandmother. She was always concerned about her eldest son's family.

"Oh, I see! You are such a great model mother-in-law!"

"That's right, whoever becomes our daughter-in-law will be blessed! Xiao Liu, how old are you this year? My second child..."

Han Zhaozhao burst out laughing. Second Brother Qian wasn't a slow-selling commodity, so why did Aunt Qian sell him off whenever she saw the little girl?

The third child also smiled foolishly. Han Zhaozhao thought to himself: You kid who gloats over other people’s misfortunes, you won’t be able to escape the same thing in the future!

After paying the money and getting the invoice, Aunt Qian helped to choose and put the iron pot into a sack. Xiao Sanzi carried it on his back, while Han Zhaozhao held one corner of the sack and carried it from behind. The two of them hurried home.

Along the way, the two were very nervous, fearing that they would be discovered by idle neighbors.

They were going to go back again and buy a new set of kettles, small frying pans, spoons, shovels, coal tongs, fire tongs and fire hooks while they didn't need tickets.

Han Zhaozhao wanted to curse at the thought. What was going on? No wonder Xiao Sanzi couldn't hold back and wanted to vent. It would cost at least 20 or 30 yuan to buy a complete set of ironware for the family.

This is not a small amount, it is a full month's salary for a regular worker! The Great Steelmaking Campaign, the Great Steelmaking Campaign, but no real steel was produced, so many ready-made iron tools were wasted, and in the end, it ended in a waste of money and labor!