The courtyard house, without the script of Sha Zhu.

Chapter 125 Grain Rationing, the Era of Bargains

First and foremost, it is the most eye-catching, or rather, the most influential.

That was naturally due to the advent of the bill system, and the Iron-Capped Prince returned to the courtyard house for the first time.

However, she felt somewhat embarrassed at that moment.

Because Liu Haizhong, the compound administrator appointed during the last visit, almost beat his own son to death and ended up in jail.

Under such circumstances, it was naturally impossible for any of the administrators to let Liu Hai fall for their tricks again. But after all, they had appointed him themselves, and they had repeatedly said things like, "What can happen to someone who has made a mistake?"

As a result, those bangs silently slapped her face.

However, this brief embarrassment ultimately did not affect the Iron-Capped King's thick skin. He first dealt with the Liu Haizhong incident simply and revoked his administrator status.

Immediately afterwards, the Iron-Capped King announced a major event.

"Comrades, starting today, our grain will be centrally allocated, and everyone will have their own ration. From now on, we can no longer buy grain with just money; we will also need a ration coupon."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire courtyard erupted in excitement.

"What the hell? You can't even buy food with money?"

"What is this ticket?"

"Do I need to buy this ticket separately?"

For a moment, everyone couldn't help but worry, after all, this was a matter that concerned their own vital interests.

Cao Wei, however, remained calm, because he knew very well that the arrival of this bill system was only a matter of time.

Upon seeing this, the Iron-Capped King first spoke loudly, and then slowly began to explain.

"Please rest assured, everyone, you don't need to spend any extra money to buy these tickets."

"Regarding the unified grain supply, it's like this: in the city, an ordinary adult gets 28 jin a month, while a worker in a steel rolling mill gets 32 jin a month. For some special jobs, such as steelmaking and casting, the calculation is different, starting at 35 jin."

"Of course, this is the standard for adults. For example, for children, the standard is 15 jin per month before the age of seven, 21 jin per month from the age of seven to twelve, and 25 jin per month from the age of twelve until adulthood. Of course, these grains are of different grades, generally 30% refined grains and 70% coarse grains."

This is a brief introduction to the overall planning of grain, or rather, the specific quantification.

Countless beastly neighbors couldn't help but complain.

"There's only so little, who could possibly eat that?"

"Exactly, I've heard of teenagers bankrupting their parents."

"...

""

Despite the opposition from countless people, the Iron-Capped Prince continued to speak.

"As you all know, these past few years have been tough, so there's nothing we can do about it, and it's something we all need to shoulder together."

Hearing this, the beastly neighbors continued to complain, but that was all they did. They knew very well that since the Iron-Capped Prince had said so, it was unlikely they could negotiate or bargain.

At that moment, Yan Bugui couldn't help but start to make his own plans.

Their family had actually been eating coarse grains before the so-called era of paper money arrived. So, they could find a way to replace the so-called refined grains with coarse grains later.

This would save him another penny. Just thinking about his idea made Yan Bugui even somewhat fond of this era of bills.

However, Yang Ruihua, who was standing to the side, seemed to realize something and mentioned it.

"By the way, besides the grain ration, what are those coupons for? Are they paper used to buy grain?"

"That's a good question. In the future, we'll need coupons to buy anything. For example, we'll need grain coupons to buy grain, snack coupons to buy candy and pastries, meat coupons to buy meat, and even bicycle coupons to buy larger items."

"These tickets will be distributed by the neighborhood office every month, and everyone can pick them up themselves."

After this explanation, most of the neighbors understood and accepted the fact.

(This sentence is combined with the previous one, so it is not listed separately.)

However, if we're talking about those who are currently feeling a bit panicked, then it's naturally the Jia family.

Or more accurately, it was Qin Huairu, because she heard the Iron-Capped King mention urban residency when he first spoke.

You should know that, because of their greed for the meager grain in their hometown, both she and Jia Zhangshi are currently only registered as rural residents.

So Qin Huairu couldn't help but voice her concerns.

"We're not out of tickets, are we?"

This seemed to bring Jia Dongxu to his senses, while Jia Zhangshi, upon hearing this, began to curse with some resentment.

"Are you kidding me? Am I not human? How could I not have a ticket?"

Qin Huairu, who was already used to this, raised her concerns.

"She was referring to areas within the city; you should probably go and ask around."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu privately approached the Iron-Capped King and couldn't help but ask him.

"Um, Director Wang, are these standards you're referring to for everyone living in the city?"

The Iron-Hat King glanced at Jia Dongxu and said irritably.

"How is that possible? Of course, it's people with urban household registration."

These words left Jia Dongxu frozen in place.

You should know that even before the era of bills arrived, his family barely had enough to eat, since Jia Zhangshi ate like an old sow.

Most importantly, with the introduction of the bill system, he couldn't help but feel a bit of a headache, since with his mother's eating habits, twenty-eight catties would definitely not be enough.

So he couldn't help but continue to anxiously ask.

"What about my mom and wife? Can we transfer our household registration now?"

Upon hearing this, the Iron-Capped Prince couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

"I've reminded you many times before, or rather, the neighborhood office has, that if you're coming to the city, it's best to get an urban household registration. Do you think it's possible to do so now?"

After saying this, the Iron-Capped Prince was about to leave.

At this moment, Jia Dongxu was utterly despondent.

He instinctively grasped at the Iron-Capped King as if it were a lifeline, and spoke in a pleading tone.

"Director Wang, we can't let my mother starve to death like this."

The Iron-Capped King frowned and spoke in an annoyed tone.

"Then send them back to the countryside. If that doesn't work, there are always some ways, but you'll have to figure some out yourself."

Jia Dongxu understood this hint; he knew he had no choice but to go to the black market.

But Jia Dongxu wasn't stupid after all. He knew very well that, given the current situation, items on the black market would definitely increase in price.

After giving a hint, the Iron-Capped King ignored Jia Dongxu and left with the people from the street office.

Realizing his current situation, Jia Dongxu dragged his lifeless body back to the Jia family home. Meanwhile, the air was still thick with the sounds of Jia Zhangshi's insults directed at the neighborhood committee.

"They must be really bored. What's with this whole 'food allocation' thing? Who's going to eat 28 jin (14 catties)?"

At the same time, Qin Huairu also noticed that Jia Dongxu had returned. Seeing his appearance, she couldn't help but anxiously ask him questions.

"How are you, Dongxu? Are you alright?"

"What else? They can't possibly let me starve to death, can they?"

At this moment, Madam Jia still maintained a somewhat indifferent attitude, but what Jia Dongxu said next truly and completely panicked her.

"Director Wang said that unless you have an urban household registration, there is no fixed amount per month."

This completely stunned Jia Zhangshi, after all, eating was her life! Realizing that she had no ration, she sat down on the ground and couldn't help but cry and wail as she used a summoning spell.

"Oh dear, Lao Jia, come up and take a look! This is driving our family to ruin!"

Qin Huairu, on the other hand, only felt a wave of dizziness.

He leaned weakly against the kang (a heated brick bed).

As for Jia Dongxu, he seemed to have come to his senses at this moment. Looking at the scene in his home, he sighed and said...

"Director Wang said that if there is no quota, we can still find a way to trade for some grain, but the price will definitely be higher than normal."