Chapter 52: Preparing for the New Year

Opportunities to become a temporary worker in the county were rare, and city residents were always given priority.

There were already many unemployed people in the county.

Liu Yinyin told Jiang Cuihua, “It should be possible. Gu Cheng said he could arrange for one person to get in. He also mentioned… if Third Brother is willing, he can arrange for him to go.”

“Really?” Jiang Cuihua asked in surprise. “Gu Cheng really said that?”

Liu Yinyin nodded. “Yes, but he said that temporary workers can only work for two or three months. The monthly salary is over twenty yuan, and there are some benefits, though certainly less than those of full-time workers.”

Jiang Cuihua exclaimed, “Being able to work for two or three months is already great! Everyone is idle right now. Who wouldn’t want to earn some money?”

“So, should we let Third Brother go?” Liu Yinyin asked.

Among the Liu family members, Liu Mingyuan was indeed the best candidate for temporary work.

First, he was unmarried. Any money he earned would go directly to their parents, so no one would have any objections.

Second… because he was unmarried, having a temporary job in the city might help with his marriage prospects.

Jiang Cuihua had already been searching for a suitable wife for Liu Mingyuan, though she hadn’t found anyone yet. She also saw this opportunity as a rare one.

She quickly agreed, “Of course! Why wouldn’t he go? This is a great chance—many people want it but can’t get it.”

As for Liu Mingyuan, he would definitely have no objections. Who would refuse a job that paid well?

Three days later, Liu Mingyuan officially started working as a temporary worker at the steel factory, causing quite a stir in the village.

Preparing for the New Year

Time flew by, and soon it was the end of the month, nearing the New Year. Everyone in the village was busy preparing for the holiday.

After breakfast, Liu Yinyin sat on the backseat of Gu Cheng’s bicycle and headed to the county town. The family had saved up quite a few ration tickets, so she needed to buy some supplies.

Gu Yanyan was left with Jiang Cuihua. Liu Yinyin had fed him before leaving, and there was some milk powder at home, which would be enough to last him the whole morning.

When they arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative, Liu Yinyin jumped off the bicycle with her basket and told Gu Cheng, “I’m going in now. You should head to work.”

Gu Cheng also got off and asked, “Do you want to take the bicycle back?”

Liu Yinyin had already learned to ride a bike over the past few days.

“No need. Riding a bike is tiring. I’ll just take the village’s ox cart home later,” Liu Yinyin said anxiously. “You should go now. I need to start shopping before all the good stuff gets snatched up.”

The supply and marketing cooperative was already crowded with long queues.

This time, Liu Yinyin had brought enough money and ration tickets, so she felt confident as she entered.

She didn’t have anything specific in mind to buy. She mainly wanted to see what was available so she could later “smuggle” some extra goods out.

As the New Year approached, the supply and marketing cooperative had more stock than usual.

Liu Yinyin took a quick look around—there was fish, pork, lamb, and even fresh shrimp and squid that didn’t require ration tickets. They also had apples and oranges.

Of course, everything was expensive, but people were still lining up. The city folks had money and were willing to spend it, especially during the New Year.

Liu Yinyin chose a shorter line to queue in. In no time, it was her turn. As she took out her money, she said, “I’d like two jin of sunflower seeds, please.”

The woman behind the counter was momentarily stunned before looking up at Liu Yinyin. Seeing that she was well-dressed, the woman didn’t show displeasure but simply said, “This section only sells tobacco and alcohol, not sunflower seeds.”

Tobacco and alcohol were luxury items, which explained why the line was shorter.

Liu Yinyin quickly put away her money, smiling awkwardly. “Oh, sorry! I got in the wrong line.”

With that, she swiftly left the queue.

The supply and marketing cooperative was packed with people. After hesitating for a moment, Liu Yinyin decided to step outside.

There were so many people in line that it wasn’t worth waiting. By the time it was her turn, there might not even be anything left.

Just as Liu Yinyin stepped out of the supply and marketing cooperative, a stylishly dressed woman in a red coat hurried after her and called out, “Young lady, wait a moment!”

Liu Yinyin turned around, blinking her big eyes in confusion. “Big sister, is something wrong?”

She was wearing a hat and scarf, covering most of her face, leaving only her large eyes visible.

The woman in the red coat had been standing behind Liu Yinyin in line earlier. When she caught a glimpse of the thick stack of ration tickets in the young girl’s money pouch, she was instantly tempted.

She wasn’t short on money, but having money alone was useless—she couldn’t buy anything without ration tickets.

The woman pursed her lips into a smile and said, “Young lady, I noticed that you seem to have quite a few ration tickets. Would you be willing to share a few with me? I’ll pay for them—or better yet, I can trade you something in exchange. How about that?”

Liu Yinyin glanced around cautiously, then lowered her voice. “Big sister, let’s talk somewhere else?”

This place was too crowded—not a good spot for making deals.

The woman in red immediately understood. “Alright, let’s go to that alley up ahead.”

The two of them walked one after another for a while until they found a secluded corner.

Liu Yinyin stopped, adjusted her scarf, and asked in a low voice, “Big sister, what kind of ration tickets do you need?”

The woman quickly replied, “Grain tickets, meat tickets, egg tickets—I need them all! However many you have, I’ll take them. Don’t worry, I’ll pay well. I won’t let you lose out.”

Her whole family had stable jobs, so money was not an issue. What they lacked were supplies. Everything in the city was rationed, and even if you had money, you still needed tickets to buy anything.

Liu Yinyin took out her stack of ration tickets and let the woman choose. The woman’s eyes lit up at everything—she wanted them all!

She really couldn’t help it—her household lacked everything. Even if they didn’t need something right now, it was always good to stock up.

Liu Yinyin asked, “Big sister, how much are you willing to pay?”

If the offer was too low, she wouldn’t bother selling. These tickets would always come in handy later.

The woman eagerly said, “I’ll take all of them. How about… five yuan?”

There were about twenty tickets in total, and five yuan was quite a decent offer.

Liu Yinyin pulled out five tickets and explained, “I need to keep some for myself. The rest are yours. How about three yuan?”

“Deal!” The woman quickly pulled out the money but then curiously asked, “Young lady, why didn’t you keep a meat ticket?”

She had noticed that Liu Yinyin had taken back some egg, fabric, and grain tickets instead.

Liu Yinyin smiled shyly. “My family just sent me a few jin of meat—it’s enough for the New Year.”

The woman was shocked. “…Your family has that much meat?”

For ordinary city workers, each person only got two liang of meat per month—and sometimes, they couldn’t even buy that.

A while ago, due to a swine fever outbreak, many people in the city hadn’t eaten meat for months.

Liu Yinyin lied without blinking. “My parents are from the countryside. They raise pigs.”

She didn’t elaborate, leaving it to the woman’s imagination.

As expected, the woman was intrigued. She quickly asked, “Does your family have any extra meat? If so… I’m willing to pay more for it.”