Some small seedlings that Li Xiufen looked down upon were also secretly dug up by Gu Chunmiao and put into her space.
Seeing that the sun was already high, Li Xiulan quickly said to her cousin:
"Sister, I'm digging for loaches here. You take Miaomiao back first, plant the shepherd's purse, and then bake some shepherd's purse flatbreads to bring to me."
"Oh, and by the way, tell my Baoguo to bring the tools for digging loaches. Let's dig more, and we can dry the loaches to eat later."
In those years, meat coupons were tight for every household. Even if they had coupons, they were reluctant to buy meat to eat. They, the adults, could eat a little worse as long as they didn't starve to death. But Li Xiulan still had a young son studying in the county town.
The school canteen's food was poor, and they couldn't afford any nutritional supplements at home. Seeing her younger son He Jianjun return each time so thin that a gust of wind could blow him three miles, Li Xiulan felt heartbroken.
However, her elder son had married and had his own small family, and his daughter-in-law was pregnant. Her second child was also married and already had a difficult life with her husband's family. Li Xiulan didn't want to be a burden to her two children, so she had to find a way to get something nutritious for her younger son.
There was no shortage of loaches and eels in the mud on the riverbank.
Since it wasn't a busy time in the fields, Li Xiulan and He Baoguo would come to the riverbank to dig for loaches and eels when they had nothing else to do.
The larger loaches and eels dug up were kept at home. When her younger son returned from school, she would stew them for him to supplement his nutrition.
The smaller ones were killed, pickled, and dried into loach jerky and eel jerky. When He Jianjun returned, Li Xiulan would steam the accumulated loach jerky and other preserved items with dried chili peppers, garlic, soybean paste, and rapeseed oil, then pack them into canned jars for He Jianjun to take to school as a side dish.
Back home, Li Xiufen grabbed two handfuls of fresh shepherd's purse from the top of the basket and instructed her daughter-in-law:
"Miaomiao, you do your thing. Just leave this basket here. After I finish making breakfast, you can handle it yourself. Wash your hands, and after breakfast, go to the commune to call your friend."
Gu Chunmiao obediently agreed, went to the bathroom to wash her hands, changed her clothes in the room, and casually took out a few large apples, two packs of brown sugar, two packs of milk powder, and two bags of crushed biscuits and crushed noodles from her space. She took them to the kitchen and handed them to Li Xiufen.
"Mom, this is what my friend asked someone to bring me last time. I didn't finish it. You can eat it, or share some with Second Great Aunt. We'll try it ourselves first. If it tastes good, we can sell it with peace of mind."
Li Xiufen saw that there was quite a bit of crushed noodles and her eyes crinkled into a smile.
"Great! Then after you finish breakfast, go to the commune to make that call and come back early. Since there are so many crushed noodles, I'll make you shepherd's purse hutun noodles for lunch. I'll make extra and invite your Second Great Aunt and them over to eat, so they don't have to cook themselves."
As she spoke, Li Xiufen had already started making the shepherd's purse flatbreads.
After blanching the fresh shepherd's purse, squeezing out the water, chopping it, and mixing it with sesame oil, the shepherd's purse wouldn't change color no matter how it was cooked.
The pork cracklings left over from building the house were chopped up, and then two spoonfuls of lard were added and mixed with the shepherd's purse and chopped vermicelli. The filling made this way smelled so good it made one's mouth water.
Li Xiufen first baked three shepherd's purse flatbreads, placed them on a plate, and pushed them into her daughter-in-law's hands.
"Miaomiao, it's smoky here. Go eat in the courtyard. There are pickled vegetables on the small dining table in the courtyard, and I've also made you a mug of malted milk food. Go eat!"
With that, she pushed Gu Chunmiao out.
Not long after, Li Xiufen also came out with three flatbreads, sat on a small stool, and ate with Gu Chunmiao.
She ate quickly, finishing in a few bites. Wiping her mouth, she stood up and said to Gu Chunmiao:
"I'm going to take some food to your Second Great Aunt. I'll also dig up some loaches to eat on the way back. When you go out, remember to lock the door. I have the key."
As she spoke, she patted the bunch of keys hanging from her waistband.
Gu Chunmiao chuckled. When she went out, on a whim, she also took a piece of yarn, strung the keys together, and tied them to her waistband.
It wasn't bad. Walking like this, with the keys jingling, it gave her a great sense of security, especially for someone like her who often misplaced things!
Upon arriving at the commune, she first went to the Agricultural Technology Station and reported her idea of establishing an experimental field in the production team to the leader.
As soon as Zhu Dinghong saw her, he thought of her mother-in-law, and thinking of her mother-in-law gave him a terrible headache.
Hearing Gu Chunmiao say she wanted to root herself in the grassroots and conduct high-yield experiments on crops, Zhu Dinghong wished he could throw her a welcome-away party.
"Excellent, excellent! Young people should indeed take root in the grassroots, coming from the masses and going to the masses. Comrade Xiao Gu, you are the pride of our Hongwan Agricultural Technology Station!"
"You can rest assured and conduct your experimental field. When the experimental field yields results, I will personally commend you!"
How funny! Did he really think agriculture was that easy to yield results?
Many agricultural experts spent their entire lives researching to develop only one or two high-yield, high-quality improved varieties. Gu Chunmiao, a mere fresh graduate, was given only a private plot for her experiment in the production team. Even if the entire production team were given to her, what could she possibly research?
Zhu Dinghong sat in his office, watching Gu Chunmiao's retreating figure as she walked out of the Agricultural Technology Station's gate. He could already imagine her face-to-face with her experimental field, covered in dirt, crying her eyes out.
"Hmph, trying to compete with me? I'll make sure you never get back into the Agricultural Technology Station for the rest of your life!"
..
Gu Chunmiao couldn't be bothered to compete with him at all. After leaving the Agricultural Technology Station, she turned and entered the post office.
She still had to make a phone call. She hadn't lied to Li Xiufen; she did have a university classmate whose brother drove a big truck.
The Hongwan Commune Agricultural Technology Station was a grassroots station and did not undertake research tasks. The experimental equipment she needed could only be entrusted to her classmate to purchase from Beijing City and then have her brother help transport it over with his big truck.
After leaving the post office, Gu Chunmiao first went to a public restroom. When no one was inside, she quickly changed into a ragged outfit, covered her face with a headscarf, and then carried two rattan baskets to the black market, finding a corner to squat down.
What she had brought out today were all "hard currency" from her space—
Ten packs of space-made milk powder, one jin per pack.
Twenty packs of brown sugar, also one jin per pack.
Fifty jin of rice, thirty jin of soybean oil.
Additionally, there were apples and bananas from her space that even the pigs couldn't finish.
The milk powder was sold without milk coupons for two yuan and five jiao per pack. The brown sugar was eight mao per pack with sugar coupons, or one yuan and five jiao per pack without coupons.
The rice and soybean oil were priced the same as last time, and both were without coupons.
This time, she had deliberately brought more bananas, which were rare in the local area, and sure enough, she had hooked a "big fish."
"Little girl, your bananas look fresh. Do you have a source?"
Gu Chunmiao nodded: "If you can get a truckload, I'll get you a truckload of bananas. Do you dare?"
"A truckload" was, of course, an exaggeration, but that's how business worked. In the first negotiation, you had to show your strength to let the other party know your capabilities to get better terms.
Hearing Gu Chunmiao's words, the woman disguised as a middle-aged woman's tone suddenly became enthusiastic.
"Little sister, I'll take all these apples and bananas you have. Shall we talk somewhere else?"
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