Lu Changzheng and Su Mo were unaware of everything that happened in Hongqi Commune.
After arriving at the county seat, the two went straight to the post office. Su Mo wanted to send a letter, while Lu Changzheng went to call the army.
"Are you sending a letter home?" Lu Changzheng asked.
"Well, send it to my uncle, who is in the army in Gui Province."
Since she was getting married, Su Mo wasn't going to hide the situation at Lu Changzheng's family, but she wouldn't tell them everything. After all, I had only known this man for two days.
"Would you like to send a telegram home and tell me about the wedding?"
"No, my parents have divorced me." Su Mo didn't say much, but the information that needed to be revealed was still revealed.
If this man wants to go back on his word, it doesn't matter.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Lu Changzheng secretly shook Su Mo's hand and comforted her.
Although he had guessed it a long time ago, it was another thing to really confirm it. Lu Changzheng couldn't help but feel sorry for Su Mo's experience.
Just at this time, people from the County Revolutionary Committee drove past the post office in a car. There were also two people in the car wearing colorful clothes and signs hanging on their chests.
Lu Changzheng instantly felt even more distressed. He didn't know what would happen to his father-in-law and mother-in-law in the future, but he could imagine how difficult it was for his wife during that time. A person who has been pampered with jewels and treasures since he was a child, his whole family broke up overnight, and he has to go to a distant place to work as an educated youth in the countryside.
How sad it must be!
"Don't worry, I will let you live a good life. When the news is over, I will help you find out the situation." Lu Changzheng promised in a low voice.
Su Mo didn't expect that Lu Changzheng not only didn't mind, but also helped her inquire about her parents, so she couldn't help but smile gratefully at him.
"Thank you, Comrade Lu."
"You are my wife, and your business is my business." Lu Changzheng said firmly.
In this era, mailing letters cost 4 cents in the local area and 8 cents in other places. Therefore, most of the denominations of stamps are 4 cents and 8 cents, and there are also a small number of denominations such as 22 cents, 43 cents, and 52 cents. Large value stamps are used for international letters, and 22-cent stamps are used for international air letters.
In China, if the distance is far, you need to affix an additional 8-cent stamp. If you send a letter from Heijiang Province to Guizhou Province, you need to affix two 8-cent stamps.
22 cent stamp
52 cent value stamp
Because she was going to submit articles to various newspapers in the future, Su Mo bought 50 8-cent stamps at once, spending 4 yuan. Then I bought 50 envelopes at the post office (2 cents each), 10 letters (10 cents each), 2 bottles of ink (0.24 yuan a bottle), plus the money for stamps, the total cost was 6.48 yuan.
When Lu Changzheng came out after making the phone call, he saw Su Mo buying so much letter paper. He thought Su Mo was buying it to write letters to him, so he happily reached out and took it and carried it himself.
The county's supply and marketing cooperative was not far from the post office. Lu Changzheng hung the things on the handle of the car, and the two of them pushed the car directly over.
"I want to buy some cotton, but I don't have enough tickets. Do you know where there is a free market?" Su Mo asked quietly.
Let’s explore the bottom first this time, and you’ll know the way next time you come.
The corner of Lu Changzheng's mouth twitched slightly. It seemed that his wife was not a good person. Judging from her familiar appearance, she probably went to the black market a lot in the sea market. It's just that with his wife's appearance, it's really unsafe to go to the black market.
"I'm wearing a military uniform today. It's not convenient to go to that place. How much cotton do you need?"
Lu Changzheng is not a stickler for rules and does not reject the free market. The supply and marketing cooperative has nothing to sell, and when it comes time to use it, you have to go to that place.
Su Mo calculated and reported the number: "It's about 30 kilograms!"
Lu Changzheng was shocked. What was his wife trying to do? Does she know how big 30 pounds of cotton is? He was riding a bicycle today, not a tractor.
"Daughter-in-law, what are you doing?"
"This...that, don't you need a dowry to get married? I want to make two quilts." Su Mo was a little embarrassed.
Lu Changzheng felt extremely happy instantly, and the corners of his mouth were raised. It seemed that he was not the only one who was interested in this marriage. His wife had already started preparing a dowry.
"Just go to the commune to order this directly. Our commune has its own collective workshop, where we can order it. The cotton used does not require a ticket, just pay according to the market price."
Hongqi Commune grows cotton, and the cotton harvested every year is enough to be used in the commune's collective workshop, and the excess is sold to the purchasing station.
"So good?" Su Mo's eyes lit up, "How about those cotton-padded jackets?"
"I don't know about this either. We'll ask later." Lu Changzheng said. He also mentioned this in the letters he wrote to his family two years ago.
The new secretary who came in a few years ago did have two skills. Since he came, the economy of Hongqi Commune has been much better than before, and the lives of the members have also been much better. Since his arrival, there has been no famine in the brigade of Hongqi Commune.
The two of them chatted and arrived at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative. All communes are still harvesting in autumn, and there are fewer people entering the city, so there are not many people in the supply and marketing cooperatives.
Because it is a small county town, the supply and marketing cooperative is not divided into different types of supply and marketing cooperatives like Haishi. Instead, it is just one large supply and marketing cooperative with different types of counters.
Su Mo first went to the counter selling daily necessities and said to the saleswoman: "Hello, comrade. Please bring me 2 enamel basins, 2 enamel jars, 2 iron thermos bottles, 2 toothbrushes, a toothpaste, a soap, a Soap, a roll of toilet paper.”
When the saleswoman saw Su Mo announcing a series of things, she was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Comrade, are you getting married and are you here to buy a dowry?"
Su Mo pursed her lips and smiled and nodded.
I took advantage of someone moving things this time and bought it all at once to save myself from having to move it myself next time.
Although she has space, she is the focus of all the aunties' attention during this period. She might as well not use the space if she can. Moreover, the original owner gave people the impression of being delicate and frail. If she suddenly turned into a powerful monster and moved a lot of things, everyone would definitely feel that it was against the rules.
She had just seen that the supply and marketing cooperative was selling bamboo baskets. Once the bamboo baskets were packed and covered with cloth, people would not know what she was buying.
"Is this comrade, a soldier, your partner? They are both so handsome, so they are a perfect match." The eldest sister praised with a smile.
She likes this kind of dowry purchase the most, and buys a lot of things. Although they have an iron job, they still have tasks every month. If they don't complete the job well, they will be criticized by the director.
"As for the enamel basin, enamel vat, and thermos, I'll give you the one with peonies and happy characters. The colors are bright and very festive. Most people buy this one." The eldest sister recommended it to Su Mo with a smile.
"Okay, just listen to eldest sister." These days, things are pretty much the same, so Su Mo doesn't have any special requirements.
The eldest sister was also very happy when she saw that Su Mo had listened to her recommendation. She quickly ordered out what Su Mo wanted, placed a full counter, and then started quoting.
"Enamel basins are 2.53 yuan each, 5.06 yuan for two; enamel cylinders are 0.98 yuan each, 1.96 yuan for two; iron-shell thermos bottles are 5.4 yuan each, 10.8 yuan for two; toothbrushes are 0.34 yuan each, two are 0.68 yuan, toothpaste is 0.36 yuan each A piece of soap is 0.5 yuan, soap is 0.38 yuan a piece, and toilet paper is 0.23 yuan a roll."
"A total of 19.97 yuan, 4 industrial coupons." The eldest sister smiled.
[Popular science: Industrial coupons were issued at the end of 1961 and have a wide range of purchases: towels, blankets, wool, handkerchiefs, batteries, shafts, iron pots, aluminum basins, aluminum lunch boxes, enamel basins, enamel cups, enamel bedpans, wire gloves, iron Shell thermos, bamboo shell thermos, sports shoes, umbrellas, cotton rubber shoes, sewing needles, sewing thread, oilcloth raincoats, laminated raincoats, artificial cotton products, nylon underwear, leather shoes, alarm clocks, radios, belts, knives and scissors, Imported blades, various types of bags, chocolate candies, and cigarettes, tea, liquor, etc. in addition to the limited quantity.
The issuance of industrial coupons is based on the proportion of salary income, with an average of one coupon for every 20 yuan of salary.
When purchasing industrial products, roughly every 5 yuan spent requires an industrial coupon. 】
[PS. These are the information found by the author. If there are any errors, please correct me. 】
Su Mo neatly handed over the money and tickets, and the eldest sister happily put all the things in Su Mo's net bag, leaving the two fragile thermos bottles alone.
After the eldest sister packed the things, she handed them directly to Lu Changzheng and continued with a smile: "Comrade, there are also newly arrived bed sheets and quilt covers. Do you want to bring them to you to take a look at?"
"Okay!" Su Mo nodded.
When I read novels before, it was said that the salespersons at the supply and marketing cooperative had very bad attitudes. Looking at this eldest sister, she was like a clean slate among the salespersons. Su Mo couldn't be too satisfied. If there was a rating, she would definitely give her full marks.
