Since Sun Miaolan came to make trouble, Ji Yang seemed to have been hit hard, and he was depressed for a few days.
Ye Jiao did whatever she asked him to do, and followed her to work for a few days.
Others can earn ten work points a day, and some people can do heavy work more than one, and one person can do the work of two people.
When it comes to Ji Yang, he seldom goes to the fields, and earns eight yuan a day on average, which is already extremely satisfying for Ye Jiao.
Take your time, as long as you are not lazy, you will get better and better.
But the rice vat at home has bottomed out. When the family was separated, they were given a small bag of food before they started earning work points. The team will not distribute food recently.
Ye Jiao thought about it, she had to buy a few bamboo baskets made of bamboo slivers, and exchanged some food. can survive.
It's just... Is this bamboo basket for others to take? Or let Ji Yang go
After all, it is the only thing they can change. Ji Yang has performed fairly well these days, should he have figured it out
This will make him more responsible.
As soon as she made a decision, Ji Yang would not go to work the next day. Not only that, but she couldn't find anyone.
Ye Jiao was so angry that her chest hurt.
When she came back from work at night, she opened the door and still didn't see him. If she hadn't seen the bamboo basket still there, she would have suspected that he secretly took it and sold it.
Looking at the last two handfuls of rice left in the rice jar, she didn't even want to take it out, her nose felt sore again.
There were not enough seedlings when planting seedlings today. At that time, Sun Miaolan was next door to her. She saw with her own eyes that the other party trampled the remaining seedlings into the ground, and turned her head and said it was gone.
The other party went back early, but she searched for seedlings everywhere, dragging it until dark.
Before her father passed away, her mother often helped her, and she could still eat some small pastries when she was in the educated youth home.
Since my mother remarried, she has not answered any letters she sent.
"Crack." With a sound, the courtyard door was quietly pushed open, Ye Jiao turned her head and saw Ji Yang coming back.
She turned away from him.
Ji Yang raised his eyebrows, turned around and closed the door again, walked over to put down the bamboo basket.
"Where did you go?" Ye Jiao didn't yell at him, but her tone was a bit bad, which made her hopeful and disillusioned for him, really helpless.
"Going to the mountains." Ji Yang took out the wild vegetables on the bamboo basket, Ye Jiao watched his movements, and slowly stood up.
For her, it is a blessing that he is not lazy and sleepy.
It's good to find food, but it's not easy to dig wild vegetables.
"There is a small stream in the mountain, and I caught a fish." Ji Yang took out another grass carp tied with a rope from the bamboo basket, which was still alive and kicking.
Ye Jiao's pupils suddenly shrank.
You know, in this period, it is a luxury to eat a piece of pork during the Chinese New Year, and it would be nice to have a little lard for stir-frying, but chicken is not a concern.
The fish he caught probably weighed half a catty, right
"What should I do if I get caught?" Ye Jiao was both happy and anxious. You must know that capitalism is not allowed now, and every plant and tree belongs to the state.
"If you catch it, criticize it. We're going to starve to death. You still care about face?" Ji Yang shrugged, and said quite indifferently, "If you catch it, say I went fishing, and it has nothing to do with you. , I also dug out a honeycomb today.”
Ye Jiao didn't think it was serious at first. They were indeed going to starve to death, and the criticism was to drag them to the team and shout with a loudspeaker, so that people could be warned.
But when she looked at the pile of beehives, her legs immediately went limp.
"Would you like to try it? It's sweeter than sugar." Ji Yang had already washed his hands, and broke off a small piece to put it in her mouth.
"Who told you to go!" Ye Jiao gritted her teeth and became impatient. She stepped forward to hit him with her fist, but when it landed on him, she restrained herself, her neck flushed red with anger, and her eyes widened.
If a person digs out honeycombs alone, he will die.
"Did you get stung somewhere?" She checked eagerly, holding his hand, her whole body trembling.
Ji Yang was not bad to her, he was still the light in her darkness, when she learned of her father's death, she often hid behind the big tree at the entrance of the East Village and cried, and he would come to make her laugh.
"Is something wrong?" She said her voice was choked up, and she was crying. If something happened to him, she would be alone.
Ji Yang stared at her with deep eyes, and after a while, a low voice sounded, "It's okay, I didn't get stung."
After finishing speaking, he pretended to be relaxed, "No, when I was young, I liked to dig out the hornet's nest, and I could hide faster than anything else."
Ye Jiao suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, and slowly recovered her emotions, watching the thoughts surge in his eyes, "Don't do such a dangerous thing next time, we will work hard and we will support ourselves."
She felt that he might have been hit, and was anxious to contribute to the family.
Ji Yang smiled, stuffed a small piece of honeycomb flowing with honey into her mouth, and changed the subject, "Is it sweet?"
Ye Jiao instinctively closed her mouth, the sweetness in her mouth stimulated her taste buds, it was still very thick, and her heart also flowed with affection, which warmed up a lot.
Her father used to be a teacher when he was around, and there would be white sugar at home, and occasionally she could eat it twice.
But white sugar can't compare with wild honey. Honey is a rare thing, and most people don't eat it.
"It's getting dark, let's cook some fish soup for dinner." Ji Yang turned his head and walked aside, and put the fish into the basin.
"I'll do it." Ye Jiao quickly came back to her senses and walked into the kitchen. Knowing that Ji Yang couldn't cook, she continued, "I'll come as soon as I finish cooking."
Before the end sounded, she was in trouble looking at the remaining two handfuls of rice. Ji Yang also wanted to eat, how could he work tomorrow if he couldn't eat enough
"It's all boiled, I'll go to town tomorrow and buy some more." He was processing his honey, looking at her and said.
"Okay, tomorrow you take the bamboo baskets to exchange for some food, and I'll weave some more." Ye Jiao felt that he should be rewarded.
"Yes." Ji Yang responded.
Under the dark sky, the husband and wife were busy with their own business, and the small yard was illuminated by the faint light and fire.
Ji Yang is boiling water, and Ye Jiao is killing fish.
Today she also used a little oil to fry the fish until golden on both sides, and then put water to cook the soup, which soon turned milky white.
This is what Ye Mu taught her.
While the soup was cooking, Ji Yang went out again carrying the iron bucket and the shoulder pole. He went to fetch water, back and forth, and picked up a full tank.
"It's time to eat." She took a sip of the soup, added some salt to it, poked her head out and called Ji Yang.
"Here we come." Ji Yang added some straw to the small stove, got up, clapped his hands, and walked to the kitchen.
The couple gathered around the small pot, and there was a cold wild vegetable beside it. Ye Jiao gave him a bowl of dry rice, and ate porridge by herself.
Zhang Yan once said that she was too weak, and she would eat less if she didn't work anyway.
"It's so full? Then how can you use soup to bibimbap the rice?" Ji Yang picked up half a bowl into her bowl, picked up a spoon, and scooped two spoonfuls of soup into his rice.
The milky white fish soup is very sweet.
Ye Jiao looked at her bowl, then turned her head to look at him, this man had already eaten, and even put a piece of meat into her bowl, and said solemnly, "Hurry up and eat it, it's not good if someone smells it. "
Hearing this, she inexplicably wanted to laugh.
This is an old house, with weeds still growing behind the low wall. On the left is an extinct house, and the house is already deserted. On the right, it is a bit far away from them, and there are few people.
He ate deliciously, and she couldn't help being affected, the fish in the mouth was really delicious, even better than the pork they ate when they got married.
After eating, Ji Yang had already mixed warm water and went to take a bath. After coming out, Ye Jiao also cleaned up and was scooping hot water into the bath bucket. When he looked up, he asked, "You can help me carry it to the room later." May I?"
"Can."
Ye Jiao understood the benefits of having a man in the family. Although he was thin, he was much stronger than her.
the next day.
Before dawn, Ji Yang got up. Ye Jiao was still sleeping, and when he opened his eyes in a daze, he saw that he was already putting on his clothes.
"So early?" She dragged her voice, extremely sleepy.
"Sleep for a while, I'll come back to work in the afternoon." Ji Yang put on his shoes and walked out gently.
Ye Jiao half-closed her eyes and wanted to sleep, but she couldn't fall asleep anyway. It was strange to say that Ji Yang was going to the town, and it was only six or seven kilometers away. What was there to worry about
Tossing and turning, the sun gradually rose, and it was time to go to work.
When she got to the field, a bunch of people she didn't want to see gathered beside her, and some of them even had a faster heartbeat.
"Ye Jiao." The girl with the ponytail called her first, and asked in confusion, "Where's your husband? Didn't he come to work with you?"
"He's gone to town." Ye Jiao replied.
At the beginning, they were all educated youths who had come down from an educated youth institution. Mu Weiwei and the others were all waiting for their families to pick them up, but they couldn't get out after marrying here.
But some people have been sent down for several years, and they can't wait any longer, so they marry or marry local girls.
For her, there is no difference between not having a home and going back or not.
"Going to town? But he didn't come to work yesterday, and you were alone every time. We girls are weak, and the work points we earn are not enough to support two of us." Mu Weiwei said again, with a gloating tone.
Ye Jiao married a rural person in Shangougou, and she was registered as a local hukou, so she was no longer in the same class as them. When they went out, she would be a worker, while she could only be a farmer for the rest of her life.
In the past, they were the prettiest female educated youths favored by the head of the educated youth, but Ye Jiao was a little prettier than her, and the male educated youths liked to help her with things.
"Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean there isn't one. I have something to do in the morning, and he will come in the afternoon." Ye Jiao shrank her hand slightly, and her voice was flat, "I'm going to work first."
Before she could answer, she had already lifted her foot and left.
"Why bother?" Mu Weiwei sighed for a while, looked aside, and said leisurely, "Qijie, what do you think she thinks?"
If you get married and have children, you will be trapped here for the rest of your life.
Seeing Ye Jiao's leaving voice, Xu Qijie looked angry and dissatisfied, and said calmly, "It's just blind!"
He chased her but didn't agree, and in a blink of an eye, he was with a mud leg, and it didn't matter if he was lazy and lazy.
It was simply tarnishing his liking for her.
Mu Weiwei sighed again, and said softly, "We will definitely go back to the city. I heard that there will be places in the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University this year. Let's go together."
Xu Qijie's parents are senior skilled workers, and their family background is not bad. Her parents are teachers, but they will not stay in the countryside all their lives.
Speaking of this quota, Xu Qijie's eyes flickered. His village will get three quotas for the Workers, Peasants and Soldiers University every year. After being selected, they can go to college. For the educated youths who are sent to the countryside, that is the only hope now.
He reached out for the hoe and walked forward, with firm eyes, "Yes."
at the same time.
Ji Yang had already exchanged a few bamboo baskets for money, and went to the black market based on his memory. These days, the food he exchanged for food coupons was not enough to eat, so he could only buy it on the black market.
On a small street, there are everything for sale, such as home-grown vegetables, eggs, chickens, and some rice or other grains.
Ji Yang found a place and laid out the hive.
People who come and go are watching, but no one really buys, they just take a look or ask a few questions.
Food and clothing are a problem for most people, so how can they have the leisure to eat honey.
Ji Yang was not in a hurry, just sat and waited, and observed what was sold on the black market by the way, and he found that rice and vegetables were the best sellers.
Some will sell dried noodles and pastries, but it is obviously difficult to sell a lot.
"How do you sell this?" An old lady stood in front of him and pointed to the beehive on the ground. She knew Ji Yang was from the countryside when she saw Ji Yang.
At this time, honey cannot be raised, it must be wild, and everyone thinks that wild things are rich in nutrition.
"Twenty-five cents a catty." Ji Yang answered.
"So expensive? White sugar is only 20 cents, and your honeycomb costs 25 cents? It's not honey, I have to squeeze it myself when I go back." The old lady frowned for a while, with a stern face.
Ji Yang saw that she was still carrying a handbag, had her hair permed, and was dressed very fashionable, but the style of her clothes was not the usual one here.
This is the reason for looking at people's asking prices.
He smiled, showing his big white teeth, with the honesty of a countryman, "White sugar is definitely not as nutritious as wild honey. This is honey from remote mountains. It took a lot of effort to get honey. If you are not careful, you may lose half of it." Life, eat a little every day, all kinds of nutrition are replenished."
"That can't be so expensive." The old lady hesitated, obviously a little moved, she knew that this thing is not easy to deal with.
The grandson of the family likes to drink honey water, and she also thinks that this thing is expensive, and the grandson is even more expensive, so she has to eat expensive things.
"It's really not expensive. Honey won't go bad after a few years. Well, if you buy more, I'll give you a cheaper price." Ji Yang also gave her a piece, "Try it, and you'll be fine if you try it." I know it's worth the price."
Cannibalism is soft.
The old lady thought that she would not eat for nothing, so she took it without hesitation. After trying it, she felt that it was even better. She glanced at him, "How much does it weigh?"
"A little over sixteen catties."
"Sell it to me for a fifty-one catty, and I'll take it all." The old lady said directly.
Old workers can get forty or fifty yuan a month, and some can get seventy yuan. It is really nothing to spend a few dollars on so much honey. It is still a favorite of the grandson, and he is willing to spend any money.
"You bargain too hard, I can't sell this." Ji Yang smiled, but didn't show much willingness.
"This stuff is hard to buy. You should think about it clearly. Others won't buy as much as I do. You can't even sell two catties a day." The old lady threatened him.
"Don't embarrass me, it's already very cheap. I've been selling here for the past few days. At the beginning, I started selling sanmao, and I can sell four or five catties every day. I also have some vegetables at home, so I have to come and sell them together. , Honey won’t go bad, and you can sell it slowly, if the vegetables hadn’t been sold out today, I’d be in a hurry to go back, and I wouldn’t have given you a quarter.” Ji Yang looked tangled and helpless.
When the old lady didn't speak, he looked pained again, "Forget it, how about it, I'll count sixteen catties for you, and give you the extra half catty. Sixteen catties is four yuan, which happens to be an integer."
"Four is unlucky? Three dollars and five." The old lady began to bargain.
"I lost fifty cents in one go. You are too cruel. That's two catties. Forget it. You have to rush home. If you give me three and eight yuan, I will give you half a catty from the beginning. This is a gift." It's not easy to lose you a catty and a half." Ji Yang began to take a step back.
The old lady felt that the cheapness was enough, and started to pay.
A deal was quickly struck.
"Go slowly." Ji Yang held a stack of banknotes in his hand and counted them casually.
Three eights is a huge sum of money in this day and age, eight cents or one dime for an egg, three eights can buy forty or fifty eggs, and about sixty cents a catty of pork can buy six or seven catties.
Ten centimeters a day at work may only be worth a few cents.
He packed the money, carried the bamboo basket on his back, and started to walk to the other side. During the process, he locked a few stalls, but he didn't buy any of them. He looked up at the sky, and it was still early.
After making seven turns and eight turns, he came to the scrap yard.
What is the least valuable thing these days
book.
But you need ex-book tickets to buy books, so it is the most cost-effective to come to the waste station.
Give fifty cents to the old man in charge, and the books in it can be chosen at will, piles of squeezed piles, like mountains, comic books, foreign classics, newspapers, periodicals, all kinds of books...
Ji Yang rummaged through, managed to find a stack of semi-old draft paper, a few high school textbooks, and books he thought would be useful to Ye Jiao, and stuffed them all into the bamboo basket.
"Uncle, I'm leaving." Ji Yang walked to the door and greeted the old man.
"Let's go, let's come back next time." The old man waved his hand, "It's all unnecessary things. Every day, those who have their homes confiscated are transported here. You can still pick up some new books when you come here often."
"Then I'll come again next time." Ji Yang responded.
Walking out of the scrap yard, he looked at the sky again. At this time, many people were rushing back to eat, so he went to the black market again.
There are a lot fewer people buying things, and a lot fewer people selling things, and there are still a few left waiting to be sold out.
"How do you sell these mung beans?" Ji Yang stopped in front of a stall, and looked at the several catties of mung beans on the ground, each plump, he was very satisfied.
"It's late, it's too late, it's cheap, eight cents a catty." The little woman stood up, with the same look of loss as he had just touched.
Ji Yang knew that what she just sold was nine cents, so it was not cheap.
"Will you sell it for fifty cents?" He countered.
"No, no, no, if you don't sell it, you will lose a lot of money." The little woman shook her head with an expression that was not negotiable.
"It's all sold for 60 cents over there, why is it 80 cents here? I look the same." Ji Yang pointed to the end of the road, and squatted down to take a closer look.
The little woman looked in the direction he pointed, and she didn't know it was too far away. After thinking for a while, she said cruelly, "Then buy a few more catties, and I'll give you six cents. These usually cost one yuan and two dollars. .”
"Then I want it all."
"Okay, okay." The little woman was a little happy when she heard it, and weighed it, "Here is four catties and nine taels..."
"I bought it in one go, and it counts as four and a half catties, so it's easy to calculate the price. It's a total of two yuan and seven, and I'll calculate it for you." Ji Yang said while counting the money.
When the little woman thought about it, it was less than half a catty, two yuan and seven would be two yuan and seven, and when it was sold out, she went home, "OK!"
Ji Yang strolled around again, and when it was almost noon, everyone closed the stalls, bought some cheap rice and corn flour, and bought three eggs for 15 cents, and spent all the money selling honey and bamboo baskets .
Only then did I start rushing back with bamboo baskets on my back.