Chapter 23: Why Hasn’t He Come Back Yet?
Brigade Leader Lin pondered for a moment and said, “Fine grain is scarce; most are coarse grains. Crushed corn, millet, and cornmeal, though the cornmeal is very fine, ground by the commune’s new machine.”
Lu Qiaoge nodded. “Alright, as long as I can exchange, I’ll swap some of each.”
Then she opened the canvas bag and took out everything inside.
“Brigade Leader, you pick what to swap.”
The Brigade Leader spotted the flashlight at first glance with surprise. “There’s actually a flashlight, and it’s new?”
Not just the flashlight, but also rubber shoes and cigarettes, a box of No. 1 batteries—these alone weren’t cheap.
Their brigade’s grain wasn’t new crop either; it was all from last year. Even for exchange, it would be priced at last year’s rates.
A pair of men’s sandals cost four yuan at the supply and marketing cooperative; rubber shoes five yuan.
Especially rubber shoes—ordinary families couldn’t afford them.
Even he, as Brigade Leader, couldn’t bear to buy a pair of rubber shoes.
But now, no money needed; just swap with leafy greens and grain.
Besides, these past few years, rural areas in the north weren’t short on grain to eat; every household basically had surplus grain.
Coarse grains at one Mao per catty; even white flour was just one Mao eight.
These things could swap for quite a lot of grain.
Lu Qiaoge pushed the items over to him. “Brigade Leader, I’ll go help out.”
With that, she smiled cheerfully and walked out of the brigade office.
Seeing her canvas bag empty, everyone just thought nothing of it.
Gu Wenbo glanced once and withdrew his gaze.
The Brigade Leader looked at those things and had an idea in mind.
He and Lu Qiaoge had agreed that when the truck hauled the vegetables away, he’d follow with the horse-drawn cart to the military factory to pick up the swapped supplies.
Brigade Leader Lin thought this method was good; that way, today’s members could take their things home today.
He couldn’t resist putting the batteries into the flashlight, then turning it on—wow, so bright; he’d heard it was military-grade.
The Brigade Leader happily turned it off quickly to save power and carefully put it in the drawer.
These days, a flashlight like this plus batteries cost over two yuan here, but it required industrial coupons.
Industrial coupons were hard to get.
Looking at what Lu Qiaoge had given him, Brigade Leader Lin quietly called over the accountant to calculate how much coarse grain to give Lu Qiaoge.
The accountant got a pair of gloves and happily stuffed them into his pocket.
Then he said to Brigade Leader Lin, “Comrade Lu has really solved our big difficulty this time. Next time you go to the commune meeting, you won’t get criticized for not using your brain.”
The Brigade Leader glared at the accountant. “Cut the nonsense; say something useful.”
Because the verbal agreement with the canteen manager was scrapped, the head of commune had scolded him for not using his brain—why didn’t he write it down on paper?
He hadn’t thought that much at the time.
The accountant joked and then continued cheerfully, “Comrade Lu also said it’s not just this once. The leafy greens in our vegetable garden grow fast; in half a month, we might harvest another crop. If the military factory wants more, my old mother-in-law’s vegetable garden has planted quite a lot of vegetables too.”
Then he added, “In autumn, our private plots have cabbage, potatoes, radishes…”
But the Brigade Leader said cautiously, “No rush on what comes later. Verbal words don’t count, but this one time has helped us big time, so we can’t let Comrade Lu lose out.”
The accountant was gratified, feeling the Brigade Leader had learned from his mistake.
So, after quietly discussing, the accountant went out to continue organizing the vegetable loading, while the Brigade Leader went to the warehouse.
Once all the leafy greens were loaded into the big truck, the Brigade Leader also loaded grain and a big basket of vegetables onto the horse-drawn cart fitted with sideboards.
A young wife asked Lu Qiaoge if she’d swap for eggs; Lu Qiaoge’s eyes lit up. “Yes, swap, swap.”
The young wife hurried home; others saw and got interested too, not asking how to swap, just heading home again.
Lu Qiaoge discussed with the accountant: members sold to the supply and marketing cooperative at seven Fen each; for exchange, they’d do nine Fen.
In the end, eggs swapped for two baskets, which Brother Gu carefully placed in the corner of the truck bed.
Lu Qiaoling was sweating profusely from exhaustion; she had to record members’ names, then vegetable types and weights, then what they wanted in exchange.
Lu Qiaoling felt she’d never been this busy.
But in the end, what she recorded matched the scorekeeper’s.
Gu Wenbo looked at the big crowd of members staring eagerly at him, not knowing what to say.
He busied himself calling to Lu Xiaosi, who was excitedly playing with a big group of children. “Xiao Si, time to go home.”
Lu Xiaosi and the calico cat had purely come along for fun. He’d made quite a few friends, mainly because he’d shared a piece of candy with each of their families.
As they were leaving, some children pulled his hand and said, “Next time you come too; I’ll take you to see the big frogs in the pond.”
Lu Xiaosi nodded solemnly.
Lu Qiaoge smiled and said to the members, “Everyone, don’t worry; I’ll head back right now. I’ve noted down what you all want, and I guarantee I’ll bring it all back today.”
The grannies and grandpas were anxious, but not worried at all.
Such a big truck—the fuel alone must cost who knows how much.
In the end, it was all to solve their difficulties.
Gu Wenbo asked Lu Qiaoge, “Need to make another trip?”
“No need. Brigade Leader Lin will follow behind us with the horse-drawn cart. Once the vegetables are all swapped, one cartload should basically bring it all back.”
The distance wasn’t far—not even one accelerator pedal; really just a moment’s work to reach the military factory’s neighborhood committee.
At that moment, Director Hu at the neighborhood committee kept asking Huang Juan, “You think Guzi Village might raise prices or refuse the swap? Then we’d have to compensate the transportation team for fuel and labor.”
Huang Juan: “Didn’t you see yesterday’s vegetables too?”
Mm, not only saw them, but ate them.
Of course, all swapped with things.
The chives were super fresh; the chive boxes truly fragrant.
But once the truck left, Director Hu realized Lu Qiaoge was just an unemployed youth; she only had a letter of introduction.
Moreover, he’d forgotten to tell Lu Qiaoge to call the neighborhood committee from the brigade office upon arrival.
Though maybe Guzi Village didn’t even have a telephone.
Ren Xiaocui looked out the window; by now, quite a few family members who’d heard the news had come with unused household items to swap.
And more and more people.
Actually, it wasn’t fully publicized; to avoid mishaps, it was small-scale propaganda—just that the neighborhood committee had a batch of leafy greens coming in at noon, swappable directly for daily necessities.
So many people brought seldom-used daily necessities.
Some vegetable baskets even had soy sauce, vinegar, packaged salt; plenty carried matches, candles, soap, towels, white porcelain mugs, and other labor protection items.
In no time, over a hundred people had gathered here.
Crowded and bustling; even passersby curiously joined the crowd.
Then they learned about today’s deal.
They didn’t know Lu Qiaoge had made the connection, but leafy greens— they wanted to swap too.
Just then, the union secretary came to deliver documents and, seeing the scene, asked Old Hu in surprise, “Director Hu, what’s with all these people carrying vegetable baskets and nylon bags? What are they up to?”
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