Starting a new chapter in life

Jingyan thought for a moment and said, "Let's make half of each."

The clerk wrote a few strokes on the supply certificate and handed it back to her: "Here, take this and go get your grain over there."

Jing Yan went over, and the person in charge of distributing the supplies looked at the ration certificate: "Grain bags, oil jug, 25 catties of rice, 25 catties of wheat flour, 1 catty of soybean oil, and 1 catty of pork."

Jingyan quickly handed over the flour sack. Fortunately, since she didn't know how much food she would have, she had brought three flour sacks, which was enough. After collecting all the items, Jingyan tied the rice and flour sacks like old-fashioned money pouches and slung them over her shoulder. Then she slung a basket over her shoulder, which contained oil and meat. She took a deep breath and walked home step by step.

After this experience, Jingyan became determined to buy a bicycle, but when she thought about the grain again, she suddenly realized that she could manage with even more!

The day of the market arrived quickly. Jingyan got ready early in the morning, and Gaomei knocked on the door at 7:30: "Jingyan, are you up? We should go."

Hearing the sound, Jingyan quickly opened the door: "Get up, get up! Sister Gao is here quite early."

"Go early and come back early. Remember to bring a bag, don't keep buying new ones," Gao Mei instructed.

Jing Yan shook the burlap sack in her hand and said with a smile, "I brought it this time. We didn't have it before."

After locking the door, Jingyan stared blankly at Gao Mei pushing her bicycle: "Sister Gao, are you going to ride your bike again?"

"It's not about riding a bike, but if we buy a lot later, it's easier to carry it by car than to carry it on our backs. Jingyan, aren't you planning to buy a bicycle? It would be more convenient to go out."

"Bicycles aren't cheap to begin with, and then you have to get a ticket, it's not easy to get one," Jing Yan said frankly.

"If you don't mind, I can ask around to see if there are any second-hand bicycles available. They should be fine except for being a bit old. You know, even old bicycles are usually well-maintained by their original owners. The key point is, they don't require a ticket."

"How much will that cost?" Jing Yan asked.

"A new one, even without the ticket, would cost around 150 or 160 yuan. If you want to buy one that's about 80% new, 100 yuan should be enough," Gao Mei calculated and said.

"This price is acceptable, but the car has to be good. I'd appreciate it if you could help me find out more, Sister Gao," Jing Yan said.

"Don't worry, leave it to me. I know best who's in trouble in our Hongqi Community. If anyone wants to sell a bicycle, I'll come to you." Gao Mei felt she had done another favor, and the ticket that had initially felt a bit too hot to handle instantly became worthwhile.

The market was quite a distance from Hongqi Commune, which was closer to the city center. The market, however, was held in a large threshing ground in the city center. Gao Mei rode her bicycle with Jing Yan on the back, which was quite fast, but when they arrived, the place was already packed with people.

This was the first time Jing Yan had ever seen such a large market in her life, and she was incredibly curious. In her memory, the last time she went to a large market was in the early 1990s after the reform and opening up, when there was a market every week. It was truly farsighted to have one here so early.

The market didn't have a wide variety of items, and many of the stalls sold the same things, but there were so many buyers that people would weigh or sell by the bunch, making it look very prosperous.

Jingyan followed the crowd and bought some garlic. She didn't have much and was too lazy to put it in a sack, so she just put it around her neck. Hmm, it fit her well, which made Gao Mei laugh. She bought more and more after that, including shallots, ginger, and a lot of other miscellaneous seasonings. She also bought two bags of salt. She squeezed her way to the end of the market and finally saw the vendors selling green onions. They were all displayed in big bundles, and there were many more on the oxen stalks next to them.

Jingyan bought three large bundles, which should be enough for the whole winter. Including the green onions, Jingyan bought two sacks of things, which she hung on the back of Gao Mei's bicycle, freeing up her hands and making things much easier.

The two discussed it and decided that they had bought enough things, so they should head back first. There were two more big markets before the New Year, so they could buy what they needed later. Gao Mei looked back at the bustling crowd inside and resolutely chose to take a detour back. The thought of carrying all these things back was too difficult.

Jingyan wasn't familiar with the area, so she let Gao Mei lead the way. Just after they turned a corner, they saw a burly woman pushing a handcart with several bean cakes and four large barrels of... oil?

Jingyan quickly went up to her: "Big sister, what's this? Are you going to sell it at the market?"

The woman looked somewhat anxious, but upon hearing someone ask, she stopped the car, straightened up, and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "This is soybean oil. I'm from a production team in the suburbs. This year, my family cleared a plot of wasteland and planted a few acres of soybeans. We couldn't eat them all ourselves, so we went to the production team's oil press to make soybean oil. I was thinking that there's a big market day around, so I brought it over to see if I could sell it. It's just that my home is a bit far from the market. I got up at dawn, but it seems I'm still a little late."

Jingyan and Gaomei exchanged a glance, and Jingyan asked, "How much do you plan to sell this soybean oil?"

"The supply and marketing cooperative charges 80 cents a pound and requires oil coupons. I've inquired about the black market; it's 1.4 yuan a pound and doesn't require coupons. Mine is from my own farm, so let's say 1.2 yuan, no coupons needed. Do you want to buy some, sister? How much do you want? I also have some soybean cake left over from pressing oil. It's a good stuff; it can be used as fertilizer or cooked with some old vegetable leaves to feed pigs, chickens, and ducks. This big piece weighs about ten pounds and is only 1 yuan. It's a great deal." The older woman took the opportunity to promote her soybean cake.

Gao Mei, who had been listening nearby, couldn't resist when she heard the price. She parked her bicycle and came over, casually unscrewed the lid of an oil drum, looked inside, and nodded: "The oil is quite clear, not bad. How many kilograms is in this drum?"

"A barrel weighs twenty jin. If you want the whole barrel, the oil barrel is free. But if you buy it separately at the oil mill, such a big plastic barrel will cost one yuan."

Gao Mei looked at Jing Yan: "Why don't you want some? There are only eighty catties of oil in total. It's lucky to have found it. How about we split it? Anyway, the oil won't spoil."

Jing Yan nodded: "Sure, how much do you want, Sister Gao?"

"Two buckets? Can your family finish two buckets? If not, I'll see if any of the neighbors want to buy some."

Jingyan did the math and nodded: "Forty catties, okay. We only have two or three catties of soybean oil left at home, which we were going to buy anyway. Since we can buy all the oil, could you help us deliver it home? We can't carry it all back like this."

The woman was delighted. "I only brought four bean cakes this time, do you want some?"

Jingyan looked at Sister Gao, who shook her head: "My fields are all ready, so I don't need to fertilize them again in the spring. I don't raise any poultry either, so this is really unnecessary."

“Then give it to me. I don’t know if the soil in this yard needs to be fertilized, but I plan to raise four chickens in the spring. This can be used to mix the chicken feed. Although it’s a lot, if it’s sealed properly, it won’t spoil for a year, saving my older sister the trouble of going back and forth.” Jingyan said.

"That's great, thank you so much, sister. I'm late, but I've met a kind person. Where do you two sisters live? I'll take it to you. You have too many things on your bicycle, put them all on the bike. I'm strong, I can push it." The woman was very happy.

As the three walked and chatted, Jingyan asked, "What's your surname, elder sister? Do you live far from here?"

"Hey, don't worry about the price. My name is He Chunni'er. I live in the 13th Company, which is not far from Jiang City, but it's a bit far from the market."

"You're from the 13th Company? That's close to our Hongqi Community. Once you're in the city, it's right next to our community," Gao Mei exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh, what a coincidence!"

The distance between the three of them immediately decreased significantly.

Jing Yan occasionally helped He Chun push the cart with her hands empty, asking, "Does your company distribute pigs or something for the New Year?"

"In about a month, when the weather gets cold enough, we should slaughter the pigs for the New Year. We just finished handing in the pigs for this year's quota a few days ago. There are still three pigs in the company that need to be slaughtered this year. By the way, ladies, do you want to buy any pork or anything? We should be able to spare quite a bit of meat this year. The company commander was originally planning to hire an oxcart to take it to the market to sell. If you want to buy, I'll reserve some for you in advance."

Jingyan and Gaomei exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise. Gaomei quickly said, "Yes, yes, why don't you go back and talk to your company commander and see if you can come directly to our Hongqi Community Street Office? You don't need to go to the market, you should be able to sell almost everything. Just let me know two days in advance so I can notify the community. These days, we don't have many meat coupons at home, so being able to come and buy as much as you want is a great thing."

"Sister Gao works at the neighborhood office?" He Chunni was even happier. "That's great! I'll go back and talk to our company commander. I don't need anyone else. I'll get familiar with the place this time and then go directly to your house to inform you."

"Okay, okay."

The three of them arrived at Jingyan's house first and unloaded their things. He Chunni took the initiative to help unload the contents of the sacks. Looking at the three large bundles of scallions, He Chunni said, "Zhang Meizi, if you want to buy scallions, ginger, garlic, or anything like that in the future, just come to my house. Our company has plenty of these. How much are these for you?"

“These are one yuan and fifty cents a bundle,” Jing Yan replied.

He Chunni picked it up and pursed her lips: "A bundle weighs at most seven or eight pounds. The scallions we grow in our company are brighter and more vibrant. A bundle of them weighs a solid ten pounds and costs five cents a bundle."

Jing Yan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll ask you first if I need anything in the future. I won't have to run around to buy what your company has. I just moved here this year and I'm not very familiar with the area. If it weren't for my good luck in meeting Sister Gao, I would be suffering a lot now. Sister Gao is a kind and helpful person. She took me around to find many things for me."

Gao Mei smiled and said, "I just feel a connection with you, Sister He. In the future, if your company has any surplus agricultural products that you want to exchange for other things, you can stop them in our community first. If any of your neighbors need them, you won't have to go to the market anymore."

"Then thank you in advance, Sister Gao and Sister Zhang. If you need anything, you can let me know. If my family doesn't have it, but other families in our company do, I can help you get in touch with them."

“Mutual benefit!” Jing Yan agreed with a smile.

He Chunni helped Jingyan carry the soybean oil and soybean cakes into the house. "Sister, these soybean cakes can be stored for a long time if they are placed in a cool and dry place. The longest I've ever stored them was more than two years without spoiling. If you have a storage room here, you can put them in there. They won't spoil if they are not exposed to the sun or rain."

“The storage room is in the backyard,” Jing Yan replied.

He Chunni picked up three bean cakes and followed Jing Yan, who was only carrying one bean cake, to help deliver them to the warehouse. After putting them away, she straightened up and said, "Sister, if you want fertilized soybeans in the spring but are unsure, come to our company and find me. I'll help you get them. You need to get fertilized soybeans at least a month in advance, so don't be late."

"Okay, thank you, Sister He."

Jingyan gave her fifty-two yuan. He Chunni counted it carefully, happily stuffed it into her inner pocket, and without even taking a sip of water, pushed the cart and hurriedly followed Gao Mei away. Jingyan watched their departing figures, locked the gate, and turned back to pack her things.

After tidying up and lighting the stove, I added half a pot of water to the steamer, put in the potatoes and eggplants, placed a steamer basket on top, added rice and water, and the mixed rice and farm-style vegetables were ready in one pot.

While waiting, she went inside and looked at her wallet, which was noticeably flatter. She had gone to the market with thirty yuan on her, and had twenty-odd yuan left. She had spent another fifty-odd yuan on oil. Counting her balance, she only had three hundred and seventy yuan left with a little change. After thinking for a moment, she stuffed the three hundred yuan into a hidden compartment in the wardrobe, leaving about seventy yuan in her small bag.

I went to the kitchen and brought out the cooked food. I scooped out a bowl of rice, mashed the mushy eggplant and potatoes, mixed in two spoonfuls of soybean paste, added some chili oil, and ate it with the rice. It was a meal that was neither lunch nor dinner. Hmm, I don't need to eat dinner anymore.

Two days later, Jingyan received a package slip. The postman delivered it directly to her door. "Comrade, your package is quite large and heavy. You'd better borrow a trolley. It might be difficult to put your bicycle there."

After thanking her, Jing Yan remembered seeing a handcart in the neighbor's yard earlier. After hesitating for a moment, she went back inside to get a bag of red dates and went to knock on the neighbor's door. A moment later, the door opened, and the person who came to the door asked, "Who is it?"

Jing Yan quickly forced a smile: "Hello, I'm the new neighbor next door. I'd like to borrow your trolley to pick up a package from the post office. Don't worry, I definitely won't break it. If you're worried, I can give you a deposit..."

With a creak, the door opened, and a woman in her twenties with short, shoulder-length hair opened the door. She smiled back at Jing Yan and said, "The handcart is here. Come and push it, but you have to return it to me before dark. As for the deposit, you don't need to pay it. We'll be neighbors from now on. As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. It's only right to help each other."

Jingyan was pleasantly surprised and quickly handed over the red dates in her hand: "Thank you so much. These are red dates I brought from my hometown. They're not worth much, they're just a token of my appreciation."

The woman hesitated for a moment, but still accepted it: "You're too kind, thank you."

Jingyan pushed the cart out, and the woman closed the door and pushed the cart straight to the post office.