Wang Lingling saw that there was no one around, so she quickly went into the alley of the black market, taking a deep breath before entering. She did this for no other reason than that she had been caught last year, and her heart started pounding as she approached this alley.
She found a man wearing a straw hat standing on the roadside carrying a large basket, and asked in a low voice, "How much are you selling it for?"
The man pulled his straw hat even lower and whispered back, "Corn flour is 1.2 cents, white flour is 1.8 cents."
Wang Lingling almost couldn't hold back her voice: "Why is it so expensive!"
The cornmeal she just bought from someone on that street was only 1.1 cents!
The straw hat man was an old hand and didn't even give her a chance to negotiate the price: "It's up to you to buy it or not."
As the harvest season approaches, anyone with a sharp mind can see that this year's harvest is likely to be poor. The price in the city was only 9 cents last month. What's wrong with a slight increase now? If you don't buy now, the price will go up even higher later.
Wang Lingling had some money in her pocket. After much hesitation, she finally gritted her teeth and ate the whole basket: "I'll take all the cornmeal. I want ten kilograms of flour."
The man in the straw hat was a little surprised. He often came to the city to trade, so he was naturally used to seeing what kind of people came to the black market to buy food.
They are all very haggling, and those who buy one or two kilograms are generous. If you meet someone who wants more, you have to negotiate the price, and you will always give a few cents for ten kilograms.
So when Wang Lingling asked, he named a high price and waited for Wang Lingling to accept it before bargaining for a few cents.
As a result, the other party agreed directly
Wang Lingling was afraid that the man in the straw hat would go back on his word, so she pointed at his basket and said, "Give me a fair price for the basket and the grain."
The two baskets she brought were already full, so of course she had to take the baskets with her to buy things. After all, one basket was less than a dime, and she had already spent the majority of the money, so why should she save on the small amount
After saving so much, how will you calculate the loss of this little profit in the end
The straw hat man was stunned for a moment.
This was the first time he had seen something like this. The behavior looked heroic, but in fact it was a bit naive.
You're still getting a quote, but you don't even ask how much it is, and you just let others say how much it is
The man in the straw hat barely gave it a second thought and falsely reported the weight of several kilograms. Wang Lingling didn't care. She took out the money and waved her hand, telling him to leave the basket behind and go.
The man in the straw hat took the money and quickly disappeared into the alley.
Wang Lingling's purchase of food regardless of cost was naturally seen by Li Qing who was standing behind her.
This Li Qing is Wang Lingling’s brother-in-law and Wang Pingping’s man.
Li Qing wanted to say something, but hesitated for a long time before saying anything. He took the food Wang Lingling bought, and on the back seat of the bicycle he pushed, there were two baskets hanging on the left and right, and he also carried another on his back.
Wang Lingling saw that it was almost done, so she clapped her hands in satisfaction and said, "Let's go back first. Come back tomorrow."
Li Qing was a little worried no matter how honest he was. "Lingling, isn't it a bit too much? We bought several hundred kilograms these days... Our room is full, and we won't be able to put more."
Wang Lingling looked down on her brother-in-law's cowardice, especially in her previous life, when this man had lived a cowardly life for decades and had never had a child with her sister Wang Pingping. Later, he died of tuberculosis, so Wang Pingping remarried.
In the second month after her remarriage, Wang Pingping took a shovel and went to pry open the graves of Li Qing and her ex-mother-in-law, Old Lady Li.
What is it for
It was not until later that Wang Lingling found out that Li Qing was actually a eunuch.
It was hard to tell that Wang Pingping was a virgin before she got married, and after she got married, she was fooled into thinking that sex was just about sleeping in the same bed. It was not her fault that she didn't have a child!
She had been fooled by the fake certificate made by Old Lady Li for most of her life, and she really thought that she was submissive because she was infertile.
Who knew that after remarrying, I found out that it was not the case at all!
Li Qing always knew that he was abnormal, and Old Lady Li should also know it well.
So the mother and son chose Wang Pingping, a country daughter-in-law, because she was easier to control and could be a good wife for Li Qing to live a good life with.
Wang Lingling looked down on Li Qing. In her eyes, Li Qing was no different from a eunuch.
Can this be called a man
However, she did not tell Wang Pingping the truth. After all, she was now cooperating with the Li family to get food. She did not get Cheng Shufen's gold ring as she wished, and her capital was pitifully small, so she had to let the Li family take the lion's share. So it was not easy to break up with the Li family.
Wang Lingling and Old Lady Li agreed that when they sold grain, the final price would be 30/70, with the Li family taking 70% and Wang Lingling taking 30%. This was because Wang Lingling had a rural household registration and she would be the one to sell the grain later, so she couldn't let the Li family get involved. Otherwise, the Li family had several workers, and it wouldn't be worth it if they lost their jobs just to sell grain.
However, Wang Lingling agreed verbally but was not happy in her heart.
She was busy running around and suffered the most, and the Li family sent someone to help out and temporarily store food, and she wanted to take seven of the profits
That’s a nice thought!
Wang Lingling thought that she was not going to tell Wang Pingping that Li Qing was a eunuch, so she planned to use this to control Old Lady Li.
At that time, it will be a 50-50 split. If the other party does not agree, she will tell others about Li Qing.
The Li family is a respectable family with jobs in the town. If this news gets out, who will still look up to the men of the Li family
Wang Lingling was thinking well and felt full of energy.
Even though she bought the cornmeal for 1.2 cents, if she goes out again when the market is tight, she will be able to get at least 2.4 cents.
Although she had no shortage of food and drink in her previous life, Xu Shuang had gone to the city to deliver food to her master. The old man had not stocked up food in advance and thought that the food shortage would only last for a short time, but he ended up in trouble. When Xu Shuang delivered food, she followed him to the county town and accidentally learned that cornmeal in the county town could be sold for more than 20 cents, and even more than 30 cents.
She was very excited and tried her best to persuade Xu Shuang to sell the grain at home, but Xu Shuang ignored her and just said that there would be retribution for selling the grain.
Retribution? Wang Lingling spat. Bullshit retribution!
It's really wrong to leave a large sum of money unearned.
This time she took out 40 yuan to contribute, and the Li family took out their family savings and contributed more than 100 yuan.
This amount of grain can buy more than a thousand kilograms of coarse grains. Although it is not too much, it can be tripled or quadrupled by reselling.
How can it not make people excited
The weather is hot, and Wang Lingling's heart is even hotter.
When she heard Li Qing's worries and fears, she became impatient to listen!
"Brother-in-law, you are a man after all, how can you not even have this much courage? You are so hesitant and you still want to make a lot of money?"
Wang Lingling spoke without giving others any shame, not knowing that her words "he is a man after all" were particularly harsh to Li Qing's ears.
Li Qing shifted uncomfortably: "But this is too much."
Wang Lingling came to the city for many days in a row, and the piles of food she bought were scary.
Wang Lingling: "Ah, I didn't ask you to spend money, brother-in-law, you are just stingy. Look at your mother, she can still gamble at her age."
In fact, Wang Lingling just settled the accounts for Old Lady Li, and Old Lady Li was no longer aware of what was going on.
By investing more than one hundred yuan, you can get more than three hundred yuan back immediately. Of course, Mrs. Li would be very willing to do such a good thing.
On the contrary, other members of the Li family were unsure and did not dare to take action.
However, Wang Pingping played a huge role in this. Perhaps because she could not have children, Wang Pingping was eager to gain a foothold in her husband's family by relying on other means.
Wang Lingling's proposal to dump grain was a huge opportunity for Wang Pingping.
Just imagine, if Wang Lingling could help the Li family earn a few hundred yuan at once, then at least she would be able to hold her head high in front of her sisters-in-law.
So what if she doesn’t have a son? Her sister is a capable one!
Even if something happens at her mother's side, she can still hold her head high with Lingling around!
Speaking of which, Wang Pingping's daughter is quite something. When Wang Yongshun and Li Chunjuan got into trouble, she didn't even dare to go back to her parents' home after hearing the news. As for Wang Yaozong and Wang Yongshun being imprisoned and sent to labor camps, she didn't even bother to send them off, let alone prepare a bag.
Anyone who knows the inside story would say that the two daughters of the Wang family are cold-hearted.
No matter what, he is their biological father after all. Wang Yongshun has never treated them harshly over the years. It is heartbreaking that he didn't even show up when they were in trouble.
Wang Pingping jumped up and down, suggesting that she and her husband help Wang Lingling to collect the grain, and her attitude was very positive. So the Li family finally reached a consensus.
Prepare to take advantage of this opportunity to make a fortune.
After hearing what Wang Lingling said, Li Qing stopped talking.
The two men pushed the cart back and not long after they went, they saw the patrol team, which frightened Wang Lingling. The two men were so nervous that they took a long detour before they finally got to the main road.
On the way back, they still had to walk, because Wang Lingling bought too many things, and the two baskets weighed down the cart, and Li Qing also carried another one. After walking a short distance, Li Qing couldn't hold on any longer, so he asked Wang Lingling to push the cart.
Wang Lingling cursed the eunuch again in her heart, but there were only two of them, so she had to take it no matter how reluctant she was. The two of them took turns pushing the three baskets of grain back home.
After unloading the food, Li Qing went straight to the inner room to drink water. Wang Pingping saw Wang Lingling off and when she came back she was stopped by Old Lady Li.
"Old San's! Go cook! Make some white noodles."
Wang Pingping responded immediately, went to the kitchen, and reported to Old Lady Li: "Mom, we are out of flour at home!"
Mrs. Li suddenly felt unlucky. This daughter-in-law was really stupid. "Are you blind? Isn't there something in the side room? Why do you have to ask me to hold your hand and scoop it out?"
Wang Pingping pulled her hand back, thinking that it was the grain that Wang Lingling bought to sell. This had to be exchanged for money, and how could the grain bought by the two families be eaten as their own
But after hesitating for a moment, Mrs. Li urged him again: "Hurry up! Everyone in the family will be back for dinner soon!"
Wang Pingping had no choice but to swallow her grievances and go to scoop noodles with the gourd ladle and basin.
At this time, Li Ying followed her into the wing room and said in a domineering tone: "Sister-in-law, you are too stingy. Why do you only scoop this little bit for making noodles? Scoop more and make wide noodles tonight."
Wang Pingping had no choice but to scoop another large ladle.
Li Ying watched her sister-in-law scoop the noodles, then she went to Old Lady Li's room humming a little tune.
"Mom, it's a good thing I went over there, otherwise my sister-in-law would have been so mean and we would have probably had watery noodle soup tonight."
Li Ying told the old lady what had happened. She spit and rolled her eyes: "This little whore who can't lay eggs is nothing but a worthless person!"
Old Lady Li didn't think there was anything wrong with eating the grain she was going to sell. How many people were there in her family? Even if they ate a little, how much could they eat? Besides, she paid for it, so why couldn't she improve the family's food? She decided that her family would only eat white flour until the wheat harvest! To nourish the children in the family!
Li Ying complained, then leaned back on the kang with a smug look on her face, and reached out to eat the melon seeds on the table.
Mrs. Li looked at her daughter lovingly: "Did you go to find Yue Jin? What did Yue Jin say?"
Li Ying snorted, "He just pushed it aside, saying that he was busy at the store recently and would talk about the business in a few days. Mom, what do you think Xie Yuejin is thinking? Does he not want to marry me?"
Old Lady Li slammed the table and said, "That's impossible! You've been seeing him for so long, how can you not get married? Wouldn't it be a joke if it got out? You can urge him. Anyway, he has a ready-made house. We can just do it in his restaurant. It won't cost much."
Li Ying: "But he keeps pushing it! He insists that he can't muster the energy to do the job. Mom, do you think our requirements are... too high?"
Li Ying was also a little nervous: "There aren't many people in our town who would set up more than ten tables... and they want four cold dishes and eight hot dishes."
Old Mrs. Li raised her eyebrows and said, "What's the matter? We have a large family and many relatives, so it's not enough to host more than a dozen tables. We only held the wedding at Yuejin's restaurant. If you ask me, we should hold it in the county town, so that our relatives can see how well you married!"
Li Ying straightened his chest again after hearing that, feeling very proud.
Yes, even if all the old relatives are involved, she is still the one who married the best!
The target is a chef, he has skills and a job, and he was even given a house. He is only a few years old, and he can get a house!
It’s not worse than some county towns.
Li Ying: "Mom, you are right. I don't even want three turns or one ring. I asked him to do something but he refused. If it really doesn't work, I won't marry him! Who else would rush to beg him for it?"
Old Lady Li tried to persuade him: "Nonsense, how can you say you won't marry? Yuejin's conditions are good, and he is probably arrogant. You should try to coax him. Urge him to settle down before the wheat harvest. Isn't that a good idea? Don't be confused."
Old Lady Li knew very well that Xie Yuejin was in a good condition. He had a house, a job and money. It was said that he had many brothers, but none of them could cause trouble for him. He worked in the town, which was no different from a separate family. His brothers were all in the countryside, and his parents would not come to him.
Isn't this appropriate
I don't have to interact much with my in-laws, and it's close to the town. In the future, I can just turn around and go to the state-owned restaurant for a meal. There are so many advantages.
So Old Lady Li didn't keep a close eye on the three turns and one ring, for fear that this promising son-in-law would run away.
But the event must be done on a grand occasion, which is different from asking for a bride price.
Whenever she thought of the envy and compliments from her relatives, Mrs. Li felt full of energy.
"We don't need that little bit of dowry money now. Your sister-in-law said that after the wheat harvest, she will give all the food in the wing room. Mother is hoping that you will marry well and live a good life in the future..."
Perhaps because she saw that her family was starting to get better off, Mrs. Li said some nice words to her daughter, which coaxed Li Ying into nodding her head repeatedly.
"Mom, I know! Don't worry, even if I get married, I will still be your daughter, a girl from our Li family."
She even lied to Xie Yuejin and said that she was a formal employee. Who else could she rely on after marriage if not her parents' family
The mother and daughter were in the house imagining about their beautiful future life, they were so excited!
After Wang Ying returned from the county town, she first went to find Xu Shuang and told her what Chen Dong had said.
"Master told you to send him more dried vegetables and the like during this period. Stop sending them around the time of wheat harvest. The harvest is poor this year, and I think the city will be short of food."
After Wang Ying finished speaking, Xu Shuang nodded. He had also felt something different a few days ago.
He hadn't felt it much in the brigade, after all, the 7th brigade planted in time, so even if the harvest was poor this year, it would only cause a small loss, but the town felt it very clearly. Recently, the vegetables he bought were a bit expensive.
The vegetables at the vegetable station are all supplied by surrounding communes. Recently, perhaps some farmers have noticed something is wrong and have kept the vegetables at home to dry. Therefore, when the vegetables at the vegetable station are out of stock, the prices go up.
Xu Shuang thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we go into the mountain again in the next few days?"
There wasn't much rabbit meat at home after the Chinese New Year. It was only occasionally available. Wang Ying caught it when she went into the mountains to collect herbs. She even seldom went fishing.
In summer, unlike in winter, the fish smell is stronger and people can easily smell it once it is cooked.
But Xu Shuang can't care too much now, food is always the focus of everyone.
After a while, the brigade finished the double grab. Their brigade was not short of food, but other brigades were. They were afraid that if chaos broke out, many things would be out of control.
"Catch some fish and rabbits. Once they are ready, I will send some to my aunt's house."
Xu Shuang arranged it. His aunt, Old Lady Su, was not in the same team as his family, and he didn't know whether the disaster would affect them. Xu Shuang had to make time to go there.
Wang Ying readily agreed: "Sure, get ready early."
It will be too late if we wait until the double harvest season. By then we can already tell what the harvest will be like, and people's hearts will probably have already been shaken.
After finishing the business, Wang Ying took out the sewing plane ticket: "Ding Ding~"
Xu Shuang took the ticket and looked at it from left to right: "This is the sewing ticket."
On the front it says "One Butterfly brand sewing machine", and on the back it says "One per coupon, invalid upon expiration".
Xu Shuang: "Go back and ask our mother when to buy it."
A sewing machine is a big item and is considered a rare commodity. There are only a few houses in the whole commune that have one, so Old Lady Xu has to go and pick one herself.
Wang Ying carefully packed up the tickets and said, "Okay, now all we need is a radio. I didn't expect a radio would be even harder to find."
After three turns, she thought the sewing ticket would be the hardest to find, but the last one to come up was the radio.
Xu Shuang: "It's only a matter of time. If it doesn't work, I'll tell Master and we'll pay you a little more. I'll make sure you can listen to the radio this winter."
Without a radio, the winter would be really hard to endure.
The two of them exchanged a few words, and it was already peak meal time at Xu Shuang's place. He was busy working in the kitchen and asked Wang Ying what she wanted to eat.
Wang Ying waved her hand: "I don't want to eat here, I'm going back."
The spare ribs Xu Shuang made yesterday are still there. Old Mrs. Xu had said long ago that she was going to stew the spare ribs with potatoes, corn, beans and eggplant. She was in a hurry to go back home to eat the spare ribs, so she didn't eat at the restaurant.
Wang Ying hurriedly said goodbye to Xu Shuang, and as soon as she entered the team, she heard Wu Guihua's loud voice.
"Don't talk nonsense, we have invited several child actors to speak this time. They are all your own children, so you have to listen carefully!"
Wang Ying stopped her bicycle and stood aside to join in the fun.
I saw a little boy with a runny nose, pulling another little boy forward shyly.
The little person was shouting something.
"You stupid kid, how many times have I told you! You are not allowed to drink cold water! There are worms in that cold water! If they get into your penis, you won't even be able to pee! Look at you, you have a stomachache from drinking raw water..."
The other child who was pulled was not very old, only three or four years old, and could not walk steadily.
She was still holding her belly diligently, pretending to have a stomachache in a baby voice: "Ouch, ouch, mom, my stomach hurts..."
Wang Ying was laughing so hard that she couldn't breathe. Then an older girl came up from the other side.
"Mother, I'm back from the field!"
As he spoke, he even stuck out his thin body and said, "Hurry up and bring me food!"
Several children were performing on the stage, and their parents' faces were red.
A woman was sewing a shoe sole and almost pinched the needle and thread: "How can I do that!"
Another woman who obviously looked like a little boy with a runny nose was laughing so hard that she couldn't sit still. The child had imitated her almost exactly, making her feel embarrassed, angry, and unable to stop laughing.
"Tian Gousheng! Just wait for me!"