Chapter 19 : The Awesome Supply and Marketing Cooperative Sister

While the elder sister was getting the sheets and quilts, Su Mo went to the side and bought a large bamboo basket. There were two bamboo hooks on one side of the basket, which could be hung on the bicycle.

This big bamboo basket was likely produced by the collective workshop of the county commune. You didn’t need a ticket to buy it locally, and it cost 20 cents each.

Lu Changzheng took the bamboo basket, organized the items, and placed everything into it.

The elder sister quickly took out the items and introduced them to Su Mo.

“This is a new quilt cover from the south. Look at how festive the color is, how delicate the print is, and the style is novel. This is also the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful quilt cover. It’s perfect for young people like you. I brought it to you because I thought you were a straightforward person. Our supply and marketing cooperative didn’t get many, just two or three.”

The elder sister noticed Su Mo buying so many things without hesitation and assumed it was a wealthy family getting married, so she brought out the items.

“It’s not expensive. Such a beautiful quilt cover costs only 10.13 yuan and a five-foot cloth coupon.”

At this time, ready-made quilt covers were not common. People would typically buy quilt covers and then sew them using cotton fabric. Usually, 15 feet of cotton cloth plus a quilt cover would be needed to make one.

“This double-printed bed sheet is also beautiful, with many new patterns, and it costs only 8.45 yuan plus a five-foot cloth coupon.”

Su Mo thought of the original owner who had also had a bed sheet, so she said, “Okay, let’s each get one.”

The elder sister grinned widely, showing her teeth. “Okay. A total of 18.58 yuan, plus ten feet of cloth coupons. Do you need cotton fabric? For such a high-end quilt cover, it’s best to use white fine cotton cloth.”

“Okay, then take that. How many feet are needed to sew a quilt cover?” Su Mo asked. She really didn’t know much about these things.

“The width of that quilt is so wide, so another 15 feet will be enough,” the eldest sister said with a smile.

The original owner had worked in a textile factory and often bought clothes at the Friendship Store. Naturally, they had accumulated many cloth coupons, many of which were valid nationwide.

Su Mo silently calculated for a moment and thought it should be enough, so she said, “Then let’s get 15 feet.”

“Okay, this white fine cotton cloth costs 0.28 yuan per foot with the ticket, so 15 feet will be 4.2 yuan.”

As the elder sister spoke, she quickly measured the cloth. After measuring 15 feet, she moved it about 10 centimeters outward before using scissors.

“I’ll cut a little extra for you. You don’t need to sew it so tightly. It will be more spacious.”

After cutting, the eldest sister quickly folded the cloth, then wrapped the three pieces of cloth in a large sheet of oil paper and tied them with a rope.

“The cloth is precious. I’ll hold it for you to avoid getting it dirty on the way. The total is 22.78 yuan, plus 25 feet of cloth coupons.”

Su Mo counted out the money and was relieved that she had just enough cloth coupons.

Su Mo gave the cloth coupons and 23 yuan to her elder sister, and the elder sister gave her 22 cents in change.

Noticing that Su Mo was not from the area, the elder sister smiled and reminded her: “In our local marriages, it’s best for the woman to make two vests for the man. The supply and marketing cooperative has ready-made vests. Do you want to buy two?”

The elder sister thought Su Mo didn’t seem like someone who could make a vest, so instead of suggesting she buy cloth, she directly introduced her to the ready-made clothes.

“1.2 yuan per piece, two pieces for one foot of cloth coupon.”

“Sorry, I don’t have any cloth coupons,” Su Mo said, a bit embarrassed.

Behind the scenes, Lu Changzheng silently took out a one-foot-long cloth coupon and handed it over.

When Su Mo was buying things, Lu Changzheng hadn’t paid because he thought it would be better for her to pay for her dowry. But he wouldn’t let his wife pay more, so he planned to give her the money as a bonus when he proposed the next day.

When Su Mo saw the cloth coupons that Lu Changzheng handed over, she said, “Then I want two.”

“Okay.” The elder sister happily went to get two vests for Su Mo, both white.

“2.4 yuan in total, one foot of cloth coupons.”

Su Mo gave the money and ticket.

“Would you like some candy or something?”

“Yes.” Su Mo’s eyes brightened as she looked at the elder sister. If this continued in the future, she would definitely be the sales champion.

Sure enough, there are always remarkable people in every era. If reform and opening up had occurred earlier, her elder sister would have been one of the first to get rich.

Everyone happily led Su Mo to the food counter and pushed aside the salesperson who was there before.

“Sister, what do you want? I’ll get you the best.”

“I want two kilograms of egg cakes and two kilograms of fruit candies, both packed by the kilogram.” One portion was for Ma Xiaojuan and the other was for herself.

“Okay, I’ll pack it for you right away. I’ll pick the best egg cakes for you.” The sister packed the items neatly.

“Egg cakes are 1.3 yuan per pound, so two pounds is 2.6 yuan. These fruit candies wrapped in cellophane are 1 yuan per pound, so two pounds is 2 yuan, making a total of 4.6 yuan.”

Su Mo paid the money. These expensive cakes and candies didn’t require tickets.

After Su Mo finished shopping, Lu Changzheng asked the elder sister if she had any malted milk.

The sister laughed and said, “Oh, soldier comrade, our county-level supply and marketing cooperatives don’t have such precious things as malted milk. You’d have to go to the city to look, but it might not be available there. I think only the supply and marketing cooperatives in Harbin would have it.”

She had heard about this product from a salesperson when she visited the city’s supply and marketing cooperative. It was said to be a high-end nutritional product, and a can weighing less than two kilograms cost thirty or forty yuan, which wasn’t affordable for people in their small county.

Finally, Su Mo picked out an enamel basin with a galloping horse pattern for Ma Xiaojuan, and then she walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative, smiling along with the sister.

At this point, the bamboo basket was almost full. Thankfully, Lu Changzheng was there to carry it otherwise, she would have had a hard time managing it.

It was already noon, and Lu Changzheng took Su Mo directly to the state-owned restaurant for lunch.

When Su Mo saw braised pork on the small blackboard with today’s dishes listed, her eyes lit up. She hadn’t eaten fresh meat in a long time.

“I want a plate of braised pork, a plate of fried cabbage, and a bowl of rice,” Su Mo said to Lu Changzheng.

When it comes to inviting someone for a meal, it’s natural for the men to pay. Since they were getting married soon, Su Mo wasn’t being polite and grabbed the bill.

Lu Changzheng nodded and added a dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and a serving of white flour dumplings filled with pure meat.

Braised pork costs 1.2 yuan, white flour dumplings with pure meat filling cost 1 yuan, scrambled eggs with tomatoes cost 0.5 yuan, stir-fried cabbage costs 0.3 yuan, and rice costs 0.2 yuan. For two people, the total cost was 3.2 yuan plus 4 liang of food coupons.

The original owner probably hadn’t had a proper meal since going to the countryside. Although Su Mo had cooked herself last night, there were so many people that she hadn’t eaten much. So when the food arrived, Su Mo was very eager and lowered her head to eat quietly. She finished the large bowl of rice.

The braised pork was really delicious, and the chef’s cooking skills were impressive. As for the other dishes, Su Mo felt they were just average.

Lu Changzheng noticed that Su Mo’s staple food was white rice, and she barely touched the dumplings. He took note of this. It seemed his wife didn’t like pasta, but preferred rice.

After lunch, Su Mo remembered that she still owed Lu Changzheng 5 yuan, so she quickly took out the money and handed it to him.

“Comrade Lu, I borrowed 5 yuan from you yesterday. I’m returning it to you now.”

Lu Changzheng was about to refuse when Su Mo interrupted him: “I borrowed that when I wasn’t your partner yet, and you must take it back.”

Seeing that Su Mo was so firm, Lu Changzheng accepted it. Anyway, the money would belong to his wife in the future, so it was just a matter of transferring it from one hand to the other.

But his wife really had good character. She was a good comrade who always repaid the money she borrowed.