Chapter 7: Shopping at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative

Leaving the family compound, they followed the gravel road for five minutes and arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative.

It was already past nine in the morning, and most of the early shoppers had already left. The vegetable stalls still had some leftover produce that had been picked through, but there wasn’t a single piece of meat left.

The hot weather made it difficult to store meat for long periods, so the daily supply was fixed.

The nearby fruit stall, however, still had plenty of stock, with a good variety on display.

“Wow, strawberries!” Xia Qinqin’s eyes lit up as she recognized the delicious fruit she had eaten last year. “Mom, I want strawberries!”

Meng Yufei led her daughter forward and asked, “How much are the strawberries per jin?”

“Thirty cents per jin. I only have these left—about two and a half jin. If you take them all, I’ll just charge you for two jin. How about that?”

The fruit seller was a young girl with a long braided ponytail, dark skin, and bright, lively eyes. She spoke quickly and energetically.

Meng Yufei saw that the strawberries were large, red, and very fresh. She nodded. “Alright, I’ll take them all. But I didn’t bring anything to carry them in. Should I go back home and get a container?”

“Oh, no need for that! I have a straw basket just for strawberries.” As she spoke, she pulled out a small handwoven basket, about the size of a soup bowl, and carefully placed all the strawberries inside.

Holding the basket, Meng Yufei examined it and said, “This is really well made. Must have taken a lot of effort.”

The girl grinned. “Not at all! I can make more than a dozen in half a day. By the way, you’re new here, aren’t you? I haven’t seen you before.”

Meng Yufei nodded. “We just arrived today.”

The girl introduced herself, “I’m Zheng Sanmei. I’m in charge of selling fruit here. If you ever want anything specific, just let me know a day in advance. Our commune has all kinds of fruit, and the members pick them fresh every morning—super fresh!”

The island had an abundance of fruit that the residents couldn’t finish on their own, so the commune came up with a plan to cooperate with the supply and marketing cooperative. Every day, they set up a fruit stall at the entrance, mainly serving the military families from the compound.

Zheng Sanmei had been chosen to sell fruit because she spoke good Mandarin, was quick-witted, and could do math well.

Unlike others who had to go out to sea to fish, mend nets, or dry seafood, she could just sit here and earn work points. She loved the job and was very enthusiastic about it.

She noticed that Meng Yufei was well-dressed in a blue blouse and black pants, looking even better than the women she had seen wearing long floral dresses. And without hesitation, this new “sister” had bought two jin of strawberries in one go—she seemed like a potential big customer.

Xia Qinqin stepped closer curiously and asked, “Do you have pineapples?”

Before coming here, she had heard from her uncle that she could eat sweet and tangy pineapples on the island.

Zheng Sanmei nodded eagerly. “Of course! Not just pineapples—we also have mangoes, pomegranates, wax apples… Oh! And lychees will be in season in a few days!”

She rattled off a list of fruits, many of which Xia Qinqin had never even heard of, making the little girl gulp, imagining how delicious they all must be.

“Wow…”

Meng Yufei and Xia Junshan chuckled as they watched their daughter stare wide-eyed at Zheng Sanmei, practically drooling as she listed all the fruits.

Xia Junshan said, “Save a pineapple for us tomorrow.”

“Got it! I’ll make sure to pick a really good one for you!” Zheng Sanmei replied cheerfully.

After buying fruit, Meng Yufei glanced at the nearby vegetable stall and felt a bit troubled. There were only a few vegetables she recognized, and they all looked wilted.

Xia Junshan quickly said, “The family compound has a canteen, and the food is decent. It’s really hot here, so cooking is inconvenient. We can just eat at the canteen from now on.”

Meng Yufei sighed in relief and nodded. “That works. You know my cooking skills—not necessarily better than the big pot meals.”

Xia Junshan, however, said, “I think your cooking is pretty good.”

Meng Yufei gave him a sideways glance, rubbed her chin, and said, “That makes me a little worried about the taste of the canteen food.”

Xia Junshan: “……”

Meng Yufei chuckled lightly. “Since you like my cooking so much, I’ll put in some effort and cook for you in a few days.”

Xia Junshan grinned. “Alright, I’ll be looking forward to it.”

And just like that, they decided on their household’s dining habits. For now, little Xia Qinqin had no say in the matter.

Inside the supply and marketing cooperative, a row of long wooden cabinets lined the entrance. A salesperson stood behind the counter, and against the back wall, tall shelves were filled with neatly arranged goods.

The selection was quite comprehensive. They bought a shoe brush, four plates, and two bowls. Meng Yufei had checked the kitchen earlier—there were already some bowls and chopsticks, but it was always good to have extras.

The house already had two washbasins, but Meng Yufei bought two more. Basins these days were made of enamel and could last for years.

They also bought a bit of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Even though they planned to eat at the canteen most of the time, they would still need to cook at home occasionally.

Speaking of cooking, Meng Yufei also bought two bundles of dried noodles and twenty eggs.

Xia Qinqin, curious, stood on tiptoes and leaned over the wooden counter, gazing at the shelves behind. She often went shopping at department stores with her mother and grandmother. While this place wasn’t as big as a department store, the way all the goods were neatly displayed made it look dazzling, and she didn’t know where to look first.

As she listened to her parents discussing what else they needed, she reminded them, “We need toothbrush cups too.”

“Oh, right! Let’s get a few more cups.” Meng Yufei quickly asked the salesperson to bring some.

They ended up buying a pile of miscellaneous household items, spending a total of twelve yuan and seventy-three cents. To be safe, Meng Yufei had brought along various ration coupons and carefully sorted them out to pay.

The salesperson quickly packed everything up and smiled at Meng Yufei. “You must be the family of Commander Xia. I’m Zhao Meixia, from the Second Regiment. My husband is Hou Quanxi.”

Xia Junshan thought for a moment and said, “Captain Hou won second place in the marksmanship competition last month. I didn’t expect his wife to be you. I haven’t been here long, so I didn’t know.”

Zhao Meixia laughed. “I’m surprised the commander still remembers him.” She turned to Meng Yufei and said, “I’ve been stationed here for four or five years. If you ever need anything, just come to me. Our cooperative goes to the city’s department store every month to restock. If there’s anything you want, just let me know, and I can bring it back for you.”

Meng Yufei nodded with a smile. “Thank you, sister-in-law. My name is Meng Yufei. You can just call me Xiao Meng.”

Zhao Meixia quickly said, “Oh, I couldn’t do that! I’m a few years older than you, so why don’t I shamelessly call you ‘little sister’ instead?”

Meng Yufei agreed readily, and after exchanging a few more polite words, they said their goodbyes.

On the way home, Meng Yufei asked Xia Junshan, “That Sister Zhao was very enthusiastic towards me just now. Could it be that Captain Hou needs a favor from you?”

Xia Junshan was a regiment commander, but he was in the First Regiment, not directly in charge of the Second Regiment’s Captain Hou. Zhao Meixia’s enthusiasm had seemed a bit excessive.

Xia Junshan replied, “Captain Hou was once a strong candidate for deputy commander of the Second Regiment, but before the previous Regiment Commander left, he unexpectedly promoted Deputy Commander Chen instead. Now, with the new Regiment Commander restructuring the troops, Captain Hou might have something else in mind.”

When it came to his work, Meng Yufei didn’t ask too many questions. She just needed a general understanding to know how to interact properly with the other military families.

Back home, Xia Qinqin anxiously pointed at the straw basket and urged, “Strawberries! Strawberries! I want to eat strawberries!”

She had smelled their sweet fragrance the whole way back, and it was driving her crazy.

“Alright, alright, but we have to wash them first. Daddy will go wash them now.”

Meng Yufei took out the newly bought porcelain basin and handed it to him. “Use this basin for washing. From now on, this will be for washing fruit only.”

Xia Junshan took it and nodded. “Got it.”

While father and daughter washed the strawberries outside, Meng Yufei was in the kitchen organizing their purchases.

“Is anyone home?” A loud female voice rang out from the courtyard gate.

Xia Junshan went to open the door. It was Wang Cuilan, the wife of Commissar Yu. She was dressed in a ^[1]Zhongshan jacket (中山装), also known as a Mao suit, is a type of tunic suit that was popularized by Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan) in the early 20th century. Zhongshan jacket and coarse fabric pants, her short bobbed hair looking neat and sharp.

“Sister-in-law, you’re here! Come on in and have a seat,” he said, reaching out to lead her inside.

Hearing voices, Meng Yufei quickly came out. Seeing the visitor, she smiled and called out, “Junshan, we have a guest.”

Xia Junshan introduced them, “Feifei, this is Sister Wang, Commissar Yu’s wife. She’s also the director of the women’s committee in the family compound.” Then, he gestured toward Meng Yufei. “Sister-in-law, this is my wife, Meng Yufei.”

Meng Yufei quickly stepped forward with a smile. “Director Wang, nice to meet you.”

Wang Cuilan laughed. “You’re an interesting one! Everyone else calls me ‘sister-in-law,‘ but I don’t like it. Women’s work is part of the revolutionary cause too, so why should people ignore my position and just call me ‘sister-in-law’?”

Standing beside them, Xia Junshan simply smiled. Wang Cuilan took Meng Yufei’s hand and said, “Let the men do their thing. We women have our own matters. Just call me Sister Wang. No need to be so formal with titles.”

Meng Yufei nodded. “Alright, I’ll call you Sister Wang from now on.”

Then, she turned toward her daughter, who was washing strawberries under the faucet. “Qinqin, come over and say hello to Auntie Wang.”

Xia Qinqin ran over with the washed strawberries in her hands. “Hello, Auntie Wang! Please have some strawberries.”

“Oh, what a sweet little girl! You eat them yourself, Auntie won’t take any.”

Wang Cuilan couldn’t help but pinch Xia Qinqin’s cheek. “Such fair skin! Definitely a city girl. Not like my two little rascals—they’re as dark as coal.”

Meng Yufei led Wang Cuilan inside. “It’s so hot today. Let’s not stand around in the yard. Come in and have some water.”

Wang Cuilan waved her hand. “No need. I just came by to ask if Commander Xia has received this month’s family ration coupons.”

Xia Junshan shook his head. “We haven’t had time to go to the logistics office to sort out the transfer yet.”

Wang Cuilan smacked her forehead. “Oh, right! I forgot that Xiao Meng just arrived.”

She reminded them, “You’d better take care of that soon. You have no idea—logistics at the compound is getting more and more ridiculous. We’re already halfway through the month, and I’ve received complaints from several families. Either the ration coupons haven’t been issued, or they were given out incorrectly. I really don’t know what those people are doing all day.”

“Alright, I still have other houses to check on. You two stay home—I’m heading out.”

Meng Yufei quickly stopped her. “Sister Wang, at least have a few strawberries before you go. They’ll help quench your thirst.”

Wang Cuilan waved her off. “No need! I’m on duty—I can’t break discipline. Alright, don’t see me out, I’m leaving.”

With that, she strode out of the courtyard and headed straight for Commander Ma’s house next door.