Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife
Chapter 118 - 0118: Open Source, Tighten Belts 2_1

Chapter 118: Chapter 0118: Open Source, Tighten Belts 2_1

Feng Qingxue chuckled, "Thanks to it being Ajiang’s share, these are all given to me uniformly at eight cents per pound no matter if they are high or low grade. The total weight is three thousand two hundred pounds. Sir, would you like to weigh it?"

"There’s no need, no need. How could I not trust you after you’ve helped out so much?" Feng Shuanzhu quickly waved his hands, while also letting out a sigh of relief.

Eight cents a pound, significantly less than he had expected, surprisingly so.

According to him, even in the black market, fresh sweet potatoes are sold for fifty cents to a dollar a pound.

Eight cents a pound, it was a real bargain. It’s likely that Feng Qingxue had to spend considerable effort.

Understanding this, Feng Shuanzhu didn’t weigh the grains. He directly calculated at three thousand three hundred pounds. He withdrew one hundred sixty-four dollars from the collective’s public account to give Feng Qingxue, still owing her a hundred.

Feng Qingxue didn’t refuse. She couldn’t foster the idea of getting without working in the production team.

Upon seeing this amount of grain, the cashier paid particularly quickly.

The accountant belonged to the Feng Family as well, named Feng Teng. According to generation, Feng Qingxue had to call him Third Uncle. He was Feng Shuanzhu’s cousin.

Feng Shuanzhu particularly cautioned, "Third Son, nobody else must know about this. We wouldn’t want others to know that Qingxue has a source and then keep pestering her! Qingxue is kind-hearted and had to go through a lot of trouble to get this grain. We ought to be content."

"Relax, Second Brother, I know the score!" Feng Teng thumped his chest, his gaze towards Feng Qingxue was especially kindly.

As for grain, even when obtained through others, every bit gotten means every bit less remaining.

Who doesn’t face hardships sometimes? Perhaps they would have to rely on Feng Qingxue in the future.

Feng Teng made a vow to treat Feng Qingxue well and he was relieved he had supported the Party Secretary in giving the house to her and her sister.

As for whom Feng Qingxue had gotten help from, none of them asked for details.

Feng Shuanzhu nodded, "It’s good that you understand, this grain is for emergency use and not for those who are poor all the time. We can’t let others know that our storage has so much grain, otherwise everyone would come asking. Do we have enough to distribute? Even when we have to give to families in dire straits, we have to only give a few pounds at a time and keep accounts. We will deduct it from their work scores later on."

Feng Teng had been to school, understood human nature even more, and naturally agreed to Feng Shuanzhu’s handling.

When Feng Qingxue went to pick up her little sister to go home, she pulled out a bag from her basket and handed it to Feng Shuanzhu.

"Second Uncle, this is just for you, thank you for giving us the house we’re living in now!"

After saying this, Feng Qingxue took her sister and went home.

After she left, Feng Shuanzhu opened the bag. Seeing what was in it, his eyes welled up again. The bag was full of flour, about ten pounds. His old mother didn’t have good teeth and didn’t have many days left to live. She was always craving dumplings.

Ten pounds of flour is good enough to make many meals of dumplings for the old lady.

With this batch of grain, nobody in the Caohu brigade should die of starvation this winter.

Once spring comes, the mountains and wilds will be full of wild grasses and vegetables. As long as the people are diligent, none of them will starve to death.

Feng Qingxue had also considered this. She only planned to assist the production team for two winters. She was helpless to see people starving to death in front of her. She clearly remembered the records in the book that the three years of difficult times began in the first half of the year ’59 and ended in the first half of the year ’62. Although life still remained tough afterward, nobody starved to death as often as during these three years.

Though there were still many supplies in the space, the amount taken was no more than a fraction of a cow’s hair compared to it all. But factoring the number of people’s consumption, she had to be careful in the future. She shouldn’t help others so much that her own family’s future supply of grain falls short.

The most difficult times were these three years. After enduring these three years, the amount of grain taken out must be reduced.

Saving money is not the only way, they must also find ways to generate income.