Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife
Chapter 120 - 0120: Opening Sources of Income and Reducing Expenditure 4_1

Chapter 120: Chapter 0120: Opening Sources of Income and Reducing Expenditure 4_1

What kind of grain can’t satiate your hunger? It merely comes down to whether it’s tasty or not.

Thirty pounds of white flour can last for a month, while a hundred pounds of black flour could last for three. If you’re careful, you can even have some left over, making it more popular than white flour.

However, people in positions like Cheng An are supposed to give gifts on holidays, and the best gift is top-grade white flour. It’s pure white, delicate, respectable, and generous. Even though black flour is better, it doesn’t present well.

Chen Ming naturally had to maintain his relationships, so he exchanged fifty pounds of quality flour with Feng Qingxue.

He was in charge of the grain store. Everyone was well aware of this, and every high-level leader would seek him out, just as they would with Cheng An.

However, these days, black flour and cornmeal were considered finer grains that the average person couldn’t easily get. Even finer grains like rice and white flour were just a small treat at the end of the year. The supply simply couldn’t meet the demand. Leaders had to rely on rations, credentials, and luck. The grain store and grain shop only kept a fixed amount, so what he and Cheng An could get was very limited and couldn’t meet the demands of the leaders.

Without looking too far, just in the past few days, several leaders had come asking for white flour for making dumplings for the New Year.

He and Cheng An got along well - one reason was the cooperation between the grain management place and the grain shop, the other was constantly dealing with the demands of the higher-ups. They became close over time, helping each other out and expanding their network.

These fifty pounds of white flour would be enough for him to handle the leaders at the end of the year.

Cheng An had to exchange a hundred pounds of black flour just to get thirty pounds of white flour. But Feng Qingxue only took a hundred pounds of corn and a hundred pounds of dried sweet potatoes from him. She even gave him two pounds of peanuts in their shells.

The reason was clear without saying.

In his eyes, Feng Qingxue was really generous, no wonder Lu Jiang was so attentive to her.

As for the sourcing of these finer grains, Feng Qingxue told them all it was thanks to Lu Jiang’s comrades from his days in the military. Who has the spare time to look into each one? Nobody was going to pry into others affairs.

People like Chen Ming and Cheng An knew these unwritten rules very well—they wouldn’t even ask a question about it.

In the blink of an eye, it was Lunar New Year’s Eve, the Lunar Calendar’s 28th of {month} or February 13th on the solar calendar.

It was also the birthdays of Lu Tianjun and Feng Qingyun.

Lu Tianjun was twelve, and Feng Qingyun was five. They were both born on Lunar Calendar’s 28th of {month}. The only difference was that people didn’t generally use the solar calendar. The birth dates recorded in the village’s household registry were actually lunar calendar dates.

The limitations of the times meant that they couldn’t celebrate with a big party, but they had to do something to commemorate the occasion.

Feng Qingxue had knitted a pair of gloves and a scarf for each of Lu Tianjun’s brothers in advance. They were made from grey mixed yarn and were unremarkable. She also knitted a wool hat for Feng Qingyun, the type you would find in a department store.

Early in the morning, she pulled a flatbed cart borrowed from the brigade to the Lu’s.

On the cart, beside Qingyun who was wearing his wool hat, was a sack and two baskets, all packed with New Year’s supplies.

Upon entering the Wanglou Brigade’s territory, she encountered locals who all recognized Feng Qingxue.

Feng Qingxue was Lu Jiang’s wife-to-be. With Lu Jiang away, she brought food to visit her father-in-law as the New Year approached. Everyone praised her for being dutiful. No one blamed her, and only two middle-aged women from the Wang family, who were particularly glib, teased her a bit.

The arrival of the Feng sisters surprised both Lu’s father, who was unsure how to celebrate his grandson’s birthdays, and birthday boy Lu Tianjun.

"Aunt Snow!" Lu Tianzhi called out excitedly, running to Feng Qingxue in two or three strides. He smiled up at her, his face was fuller than before, making him look especially handsome, and beamed with joy.

Lu Tianjun was more reserved, but he couldn’t hide the pure joy he felt.