The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

Knowing that Bao Ya could run into the factory, Lin Xiaoquan gave up the idea of ​​asking Old Man Lin for help. He only hoped that Lin Lao Er wouldn't follow suit and come to the factory to collect his debts.

On market day, Bao Ya and Jiang Yuan got up early, ate breakfast, packed their things, and headed to the commune. She needed to get a good spot.

When they arrived at the commune, some people were already setting up stalls. This was the only day of the year when people were allowed to buy and sell, so everyone was very enthusiastic.

Bao Ya found a spot near the center, spread the newspapers she had brought on the ground, placed the Spring Festival couplets on them, and weighed down the four corners with bricks.

Jiang Yuan tied a stick with straw, and Bao Ya stuck the velvet flowers on it one by one.

"Girls, what did you bring?"

An old man next to her came over and asked her a question.

Bao Ya saw three chickens tied up next to the old man, and they looked quite plump. She hadn't eaten chicken in a long time.

"Uncle, we sell Spring Festival couplets and velvet flowers. Can you save one of your chickens for me? I'll buy a chicken from you after I sell all of these."

"Okay, I'll save the fattest one for you."

When the old man heard that she wanted to buy chickens, he immediately agreed with a beaming smile.

It was still early, and there weren't many people at the market. Jiang Yuan took his kettle to the state-run restaurant, bought a pot of hot soy milk, and brought it back for Bao Ya to hold to warm her hands.

In a short while, more and more people came to the market. Some were driving carts, some were walking, and some were carrying sacks. The whole street was bustling with people. Gradually, it became a scene of people shoulder to shoulder, crowding together.

Bao Ya pulled the newspaper she had spread out back a little, afraid that someone would step on it and get it dirty.

"Girl, how much are your velvet flowers?"

An aunt led a girl to her stall, and the girl immediately took a liking to the velvet flowers on the ground.

The girl was about the same age as Bao Ya. Judging from the things the old woman was carrying, it seemed like she was preparing for her dowry, so she must be getting married soon.

"Auntie, the velvet flowers are two cents each. The same ones sell for two and a half cents at the supply and marketing cooperative in the city, and you can't even get your hands on them."

The old woman held it in her hand, looking at it over and over, and felt it was much prettier than those flowers made of red cloth.

The girl next to her also picked up a cigarette and nudged the older woman with her elbow. The meaning was clear: she liked it and wanted one.

Seeing that her daughter liked it, the old woman gritted her teeth and said:

"Girl, it's so small, two cents is too expensive. How about one cent? I'll buy one."

puff……

Bao Ya nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. Did they haggle down to the ankle?

"No, ma'am, how can you bargain like that? Two cents a piece, no bargaining."

"Oh dear, girl, why are you so stubborn? Give me a discount. It's not easy for me either; two cents can buy two pounds of flour."

Bao Ya negotiated with that old lady for about ten minutes, and finally settled on a price of 15 cents.

After receiving 15 cents, Bao Ya gulped down a large mouthful of soy milk. How hard did it take her to earn that 15 cents?

The old lady was good-tempered and didn't say a single harsh word. She just kept at it bit by bit, so the old lady couldn't find an opportunity to get angry.

Bao Ya felt that extorting people was faster, and she needed to change her approach to making money in the future.

In those days, no one had much money. They relied on working in the fields to earn work points, and a family would have a few dozen yuan left over at the end of the year. They couldn't bear to spend a single penny recklessly.

Therefore, if you want to make money, you need to find places with many wealthy people and make money from them.

With more people, things sell faster. Bao Ya is in charge of negotiating prices with buyers, while Jiang Yuan helps carry the items and collect money.

Spring Festival couplets were one cent a pair, plus two "Fu" characters (福, meaning good fortune) included; velvet flowers were one cent and fifty cents each. In no time, most of them were sold out.

Liao Chunhua and Jiang Laoshan also came to the market. When they saw their youngest son and daughter-in-law selling couplets, they came over to watch their stall for a while and let them go and look around.

Bao Ya and Jiang Yuan wandered around the market for a long time and found that there were fried cakes for sale. They each bought one and ate them as they walked.

Seeing a popcorn vendor, I bought a bag. There was also a maltose vendor; I used two small sticks to pick up a piece of candy, pulling it back and forth in strands, and when I was done playing with it, I put it in my mouth and ate it.

There were also ducks and geese. Bao Ya bought two ducks and one goose, which she would have Liao Chunhua take back later to stew for the New Year.

She could almost smell the aroma of braised goose in an iron pot.

I also bought two chickens from the stall next door to stew at home.

There were also some stalls selling grains, vegetables, and handicrafts, which they didn't need for the time being.

While they were shopping, they ran into Su Ruyi and her two aunts who were also at the market, and they brought them a few couplets to take back with them.

Bao Ya and Jiang Yuan shopped all the way and bought everything they needed. When they got back, they gave their purchases to Liao Chunhua and Jiang Laoshan so they could take them home with them.

"Baoya, one duck is enough. We still have some pheasants that your dad caught at home."

Liao Chunhua felt bad seeing them buy so many things; the two kids didn't earn money easily. Buying so many things at once, and spending half the morning in the cold, meant they were spending all the little money they had earned.

"Mother, take one duck back with you, and have Jiang Yuan take the other one to Second Brother's house."

Liao Chunhua was speechless for a moment, and felt even worse. Her second son, that good-for-nothing, had quietly gone off to become someone's live-in son-in-law, and he rarely came back throughout the year.

The eldest son is in the army and can't come back, so the second son should be the one to take care of the elderly couple. But now it's all been handed over to the third son, and his youngest daughter-in-law is still thinking about sending him things.

Bao Ya felt she should cultivate a good relationship with this second brother. The watch tickets and sewing machine tickets they used for their wedding were all obtained by him. Her intuition told her that there were ways to make money in Jiangcheng.

"Dad, find someone to exchange some more sorghum, and I'll brew some wine for you later."

Before leaving, Bao Ya leaned close to Jiang Laoshan and whispered something to him.

Jiang Laoshan readily agreed, grinning from ear to ear. He only managed to suppress his smile after being glared at by Liao Chunhua.

On their way back, Bao Ya and Jiang Yuan encountered another duck seller, who surprisingly had one left. Bao Ya decided to buy it as well.

When they arrived home, Xie Laidi and Granny Zhou saw Bao Ya carrying two chickens and two ducks, and quickly came over to chat.

Granny Zhou pushed Xie Laidi far away with her bottom, and quickly spoke to Bao Ya:

"Baoya, you can't possibly finish all this, can you? How about you share a chicken and a duck with me?"

During the Lunar New Year, each family can only buy one chicken, but those chickens are skinny and you can't even choose them, so it's not enough for a family to eat.

Seeing that Bao Ya has brought so many, she definitely can't eat them all. Let's share two with the family to help them get some nutrition, since it's almost Chinese New Year.

Xie Laidi, not to be outdone, joined in again.

"Sister-in-law Zhou, how can you take so much by yourself? Baoya, look..."

Before Xie Laidi could finish speaking, Bao Ya interrupted them.

"I'll keep one chicken for myself, and one of the ducks is for my second brother. As for the remaining chicken and duck, you guys decide how to divide them. The duck is 6 yuan, and the chicken is 4.5 yuan."

Xie Laidi and Granny Zhou exchanged a glance, both seeing a determined resolve in each other's eyes, and gave up on trying to persuade the other party to back down.

In the end, Granny Zhou asked for a chicken, and Xie Laidi asked for a duck.

Jiang Yuan listened from the side, occasionally stealing glances at his wife. He thought his wife was a genius.

At the market, ducks cost four yuan and fifty cents, and chickens cost three yuan. After returning home and reselling them, his wife earned another three yuan.

The couplets and velvet flowers I brought today sold for over twenty yuan, and I've spent almost all my New Year's shopping at the market.

My wife's efforts have resulted in no extra cost, and we might even have made a profit.

It's a pity they're not allowed to do business now, otherwise their family would be rich.