Cheng Junyi returned home, poured out the soy sauce, vinegar, and oil she had bought, and stored them separately. She was just about to head back to the supply and marketing cooperative when the young man and the boy arrived.
“Sister, we exchanged all the ration tickets for coal tickets.” The boy smiled with a proud look on his face.
The young man sitting on the sofa seemed a bit reserved. He opened the cloth bag and took out all the coal tickets, piling them on the coffee table.
Cheng Junyi took a look—there were a lot.
“I can get this many with my tickets?”
The young man nodded and explained, “Yes, you can. Although coal tickets are scarce, if you’re short on coal, you can substitute with firewood. Your grain and meat tickets can fill stomachs, and industrial tickets are even harder to come by.”
Cheng Junyi understood now. She put away the coal tickets, poured water for the two brothers, and placed some fruit and candy on the coffee table, then asked, “What kind of payment do you want?”
“We’ve already taken our payment. You don’t need to give us anything.” said the young man.
Cheng Junyi smiled. “I don’t recall having already given you payment.”
“Hehe, sister, we really have taken our payment.” The boy grinned slyly.
Cheng Junyi was a bit surprised. Judging by their expressions, they really had taken payment?
Seeing her puzzled look, the young man explained, “By helping you exchange those tickets, we got a great deal, so we’ve truly already received our payment.”
He wasn’t lying—they really had gotten a great deal. His father was actually a worker at the coal factory, and he had exchanged the entire pile of tickets to his father’s team leader.
Because he was already a family member of a coal factory worker, he had more opportunities than outsiders when it came to seeking employment. This time, having exchanged so many tickets to the team leader, he had only expected that his chances would be slightly better than those of other workers’ family members.
Who would have thought that the day after exchanging the tickets—that is, this morning—a notice came, and a temporary worker position landed in his hands.
This payment was better than anything.
Seeing that both brothers were beaming with joy, Cheng Junyi didn’t bother dwelling on what exactly they had received. She pointed at the fruit and candy on the table. “Take some to eat. Don’t be shy.”
The two brothers didn’t reach out. The young man looked at her and asked, “Do you need help buying coal briquettes?”
“Do you know someone?” Cheng Junyi noticed they weren’t taking anything, so she picked up two tangerines and handed one to each of them.
The boy took his with a grin and held it under his nose to smell. So fragrant—he had almost forgotten what tangerines smelled like.
The young man also took his, blushing.
“Actually, my father is a worker at the coal factory. If you want to buy coal briquettes, I can find someone to deliver them to you.”
Cheng Junyi smiled. That would save her the trouble.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
The young man waved his hands repeatedly. “No trouble at all, no trouble at all.”
After settling on the time for buying the coal and arranging the delivery, the two brothers left.
Checking the time—it was already four in the afternoon—she still decided to make another trip to the supply and marketing cooperative.
When she arrived at the cooperative again, several salesclerks were tidying up and preparing to close for the day.
Seeing her come in, they stopped what they were doing and looked at her curiously. When they spotted the plastic buckets on the counter, they couldn’t stay calm.
Surely she wasn’t going to buy soy sauce, vinegar, and oil again!
Cheng Junyi looked at the salesclerk and said, “2 buckets of soy sauce, 1 bucket of vinegar, and 3 buckets of oil.”
The salesclerk at this counter was the one who had wanted to set up her younger brother with Cheng Junyi. Now she looked at her with a worried expression—such a beautiful person, why couldn’t she be pulled into their own family?
She wasn’t quite ready to give up. Leaning over the counter, she moved closer to Cheng Junyi and asked, “Do you have a sweetheart?”
Cheng Junyi smiled and shook his head.
Hearing this, the woman felt a flicker of hope and pressed on. “How about I introduce someone to you?”
Cheng Junyi smiled and shook his head again.
“The person I want to introduce is very good—he has a proper job,” the woman insisted.
In this era, having a proper job made someone a highly sought-after catch.
Cheng Junyi was actually starting to feel a bit annoyed, but the woman meant no harm, so she decided to endure it.
“No, thank you. I’m only eighteen, and besides, I’ll be going to the countryside soon.”
The mention of going to the countryside startled everyone.
A flicker of confusion passed through the male cashier’s eyes, vanishing in an instant as he returned to his expressionless demeanor.
One of the female shop assistants asked, “How could your family bear to let you go to the countryside?”
Another chimed in, “What a pity! You’d have to work the fields out there—with skin as delicate as yours, how could you possibly manage?”
“You two stop your nonsense. Going to the countryside is building the nation. This young lady is admirable.” The auntie knitting a sweater shot them a glare, then gave Cheng Junyi a thumbs-up.
Cheng Junyi smiled and nodded at her, then turned her gaze to the shop assistant who had wanted to set her up.
“I’ll also need twenty jin of salt.”
The shop assistant froze for a moment, then her mouth fell open. “Twenty jin?”
“Yes, twenty jin of salt.” Cheng Junyi looked at her steadily.
Only after receiving confirmation did the shop assistant calculate the total and write out the receipt.
Cheng Junyi glanced at the amount on the receipt, then sorted out the required money and ration tickets, handing them together with the receipt to the cashier.
After paying, she waited a short while until the shop assistant had everything ready.
The goods were heavier than last time with the extra twenty jin of salt, but it was no trouble for Cheng Junyi. She loaded the salt into a cloth sack and carried it on her back, then tied the six buckets together just as before.
She was getting more and more skilled at riding the bicycle.
The supply and marketing cooperative closed at five o’clock. Everyone exchanged brief goodbyes and headed home.
The male cashier adjusted his glasses and walked off in a certain direction. After more than half an hour, he arrived at a small Western-style house and knocked on the door.
The door opened quickly. The one who answered was a young girl. Seeing who it was, she let out a cold snort, then turned and called into the house, “Mom, that person is here.”
A woman dressed elegantly came down the stairs. She spotted the visitor at the door at once, and her expression turned sour. As if recalling something, she quickly composed herself.
While descending the stairs, she scolded her daughter, “Wen Rui, where are your manners? Hurry up and let Fu Bin in.”
Wen Rui shot Fu Bin a glare, stomped her foot in frustration, then ran over to the sofa, crossed her arms, and stared at him with contempt.
Fu Bin stepped inside and greeted the woman who had just reached the bottom of the stairs. “Aunt Zheng, hello.”
There was disdain in the woman’s eyes, but she concealed it well, wearing a warm smile. “Please, have a seat. What brings you here today?”
Fu Bin sat down stiffly and replied, “I have something I’d like to discuss with Father—I mean, Uncle.”
A flicker of displeasure passed through the woman’s eyes, but it vanished in an instant. “Then have a seat and wait a moment. Old Wen should be home in about half an hour.”
She then called out to the person bustling in the kitchen, “Auntie, would you mind brewing a cup of tea and bringing it over?”
The “Auntie” was indeed her real aunt. Having no children of her own, she had taken to looking after the woman and stayed in the house serving as a domestic helper.
With a genuine family connection, there was no fear even if someone came to investigate.
Fu Bin waved his hands repeatedly. “No need, Auntie, I’m not thirsty.”
Wen Rui watched him act this way, and her anger flared up. She stormed upstairs in a huff.