Hard times: I worked as a truck driver in the county town

The Jiefang truck stopped at the intersection leading to the city and Xiangyang Commune. Jiang Cheng carried two bags of apples and a bag of fatty meat, looking in the direction of Xiangyang Commune.

The dirt road was only a few meters wide, the houses were dilapidated, and there wasn't even a bicycle in sight.

After leaving the territory of Xiangyang Commune, Jiang Cheng's money returned to him. Not only the money, but even the cardboard box containing the fatty meat was replaced with a small burlap sack.

Originally, there was a plastic bag containing fatty meat inside the cardboard box, but that has now disappeared as well.

After leaving the commune's territory, Jiang Cheng tried to enter again, but found that the scene did not change, and he could not enter Xiangyang Commune more than sixty years later.

After putting the apples and fatty meat in the car, Jiang Cheng immediately drove back to the county town.

As soon as Jiang Cheng drove back to the transport station, Station Chief Chen, who was in his office, immediately came out.

"Master Jiang, you're back. I've already lit the coal here. You can bring a basin to put some in to start the fire," Station Master Chen said.

"Okay, I'll be right there after I park the car," Jiang Cheng replied with a smile.

Station Chief Chen nodded. He didn't ask where Jiang Cheng drove to in the morning; Jiang Cheng would tell him if he wanted to.

Seeing Jiang Cheng go to the parking lot, Station Chief Chen returned to his office. Just a few minutes later, Station Chief Chen sat in his office, staring intently at Jiang Cheng as he returned.

Jiang Cheng was carrying two large net bags of apples and a small burlap sack. It was unclear what was inside the sack. But those two net bags of apples were a rare and high-end fruit.

"Master Jiang, did you drive out this morning to get this?" Station Master Chen asked immediately when he saw Jiang Cheng carrying something into the office.

"Well, stationmaster, do you want some? If so, go get a scale and I'll sell you some." Jiang Cheng said, placing two net bags of apples on the table. Then he opened the small burlap sack and continued, "There's also some pork fat here, which can be rendered into lard."

To be honest, even if Jiang Cheng earned more than forty yuan a month, he wouldn't be willing to eat apples that cost one yuan per kilogram. One kilogram of apples is equivalent to a day's wages for other ordinary workers. He would keep at most one or two kilograms so that his family could also enjoy them, and he planned to get rid of the rest.

However, a few pounds of fat will be left. Now, apart from Jiang Cheng and his father Jiang Dahe, everyone else in the Jiang family has a job, but only Jiang Yong has a contract job, and the others are all temporary workers.

Even contract workers are treated differently from permanent employees. They do manual labor, unlike Jiang Cheng who can have his rations increased. Without extra food or oil in their stomachs, they really can't exert themselves properly at work.

Jiang Cheng planned to render lard from five catties of pork fat. Five catties of pork fat would yield at least three and a half catties of lard, plus more than one catty of pork cracklings. Then his family could eat some lard every day, and their stomachs wouldn't get hungry so quickly.

"Master Jiang, what's the price of your apples and fatty pork?" Station Master Chen couldn't help but swallow hard and ask after seeing the fatty pork.

"Apples are two yuan a pound, and fatty pork is three yuan a pound," Jiang Cheng said.

Apples are usually sliced ​​into many pieces, so each person can have a slice. The reason they are expensive is because they are scarce, and giving them as gifts makes them look impressive.

If it were really my own money to buy apples, I'd probably hesitate even for a dollar. But if I wanted my family to try some, I'd be willing to spend two dollars.

In reality, the apples Jiang Cheng bought were of good quality, and for those who needed them, they would be snapped up even at three yuan.

For example, if a leader is sick and hospitalized, subordinates will definitely spend a few dollars to buy some apples when they visit him.

As for fatty meat, it's something you can't necessarily buy even with meat ration coupons these days. If you go to buy meat, they won't give you only fatty pieces. The prices quoted by Jiang Cheng are basically the same as on the black market, but even on the black market, buying meat is a matter of luck.

"Master Jiang, how much can you give me?" Station Master Chen asked after thinking for a moment. He naturally knew the value of these two items, and he would have to remember Jiang Cheng's favor for this price.

"Two catties each, I'll use five catties of this fatty meat at home," Jiang Cheng said.

This price is essentially a favor, but favors shouldn't be done only for one person. Especially these apples, two yuan is a price for the station manager's family to try them out.

Jiang Cheng kept some for his family to try, and planned to sell the rest to Director Liu of the supply and marketing cooperative at a higher price.

Station Master Chen nodded. Two pounds each of apples and fatty pork, which would cost exactly ten yuan, so he took out ten yuan from his pocket and gave it to Jiang Cheng. He would go and borrow a scale to weigh them later.

Jiang Cheng didn't stand on ceremony. He accepted Station Chief Chen's money and took his things to the lounge. That area was now his territory, so naturally, he wanted to keep his things there.

After arriving at the lounge, Jiang Cheng put his things down and then took the brazier to the office to add some of the already glowing coals, so he wouldn't have to start a fire. On his way to the office, he also grabbed a few newspapers.

A brazier sat beside a bench, where Jiang Cheng lay reading a newspaper. As he read, he reflected on everything he had witnessed that day in Xiangyang Town in the future.

Perhaps due to his ability to learn specialized skills at a basic level, Jiang Cheng was able to recall some subconscious memories when he tried to remember.

The human brain is amazing. In fact, everything we see, hear, and smell will generate memories, although most of them are not deep and many things are hard to recall. But if certain related things appear, they can trigger those subconscious memories.

Jiang Cheng was in a rush this morning, so he only glanced at many things, and some things he would forget later. But with the help of the beginner-level specialized learning, which is essentially about mental concentration, he was able to recall some things better.

This basic study wasn't enough for Jiang Cheng to fully recall everything he saw in Xiangyang Town that morning, but it was enough for him to remember many things that were different from his own time.

Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, and traveling ten thousand miles is not as good as experiencing a day in the future.

In the future, there will be something like a "hand-held chicken" that allows you to pay by scanning a QR code. Electric vehicles and tricycles will run on electricity, and private individuals will be able to buy cars.

Everything about clothing, food, housing, and transportation broadened Jiang Cheng's horizons, and only through comparison could he realize how backward his era was.

If someone were to ask Jiang Cheng what our country will become in the future, even if he only went to the market once today, he would have more authority to speak on the matter than anyone else. He can also speak eloquently and confidently in front of a large audience.

After lying down in the break room for a while, Station Chief Chen borrowed a scale. The fatty meat was easy to weigh; if there was too much, it could be cut up, and if there was too little, it could be replaced. But apples weren't so easy to weigh precisely.

The apples Jiang Cheng brought were large, each weighing three or four ounces. In the end, Station Chief Chen picked out six apples, slightly more than he wanted, and offered Jiang Cheng a few cents to make up the difference, but Jiang Cheng refused.

After Station Chief Chen left, Jiang Cheng stretched his limbs in the break room. Then, glancing at the clock on the wall and feeling that it was about time, he went out and headed towards the county supply and marketing cooperative.