Back to the 60s: The Struggle Career of a Charmed Wife
Chapter 1505: Lu Family’s Great-Grandson 3

Chapter 1505: Chapter 1505: Lu Family’s Great-Grandson 3

Ma Cuixia nodded and said, "Sister-in-law, I’ll head home in a bit. When I send letters or packages to them, I’ll ask her about this. Isn’t Xiaoman about to get married? Her father and I were just thinking of asking that friend to help us buy a Shanghai Watch! Oh, by the way, gather up the surplus wild game and mountain goods your family can’t finish, and send them to me all together. I’ll pay you the market price. City folks have such a hard time even getting a bite of meat. Over in the Capital, the monthly meat ration per person is just four ounces—not even enough to get stuck in our teeth here."

"Why talk about money? Talking about money makes it too formal, doesn’t it?" For her, as long as they could buy the wool blanket they needed to repay others, those wild game and mountain goods counted as part of the thank-you gift. After saying this, Ma Dajie went off to gather the items, filling up over half a burlap sack.

Ma Laoda also pulled out a roll of banknotes.

Ma Cuixia said, "What kind of wool blanket is it? Give it to me, and I’ll send it to Qingxue. She can use it as a sample to help us buy one."

Ma Dajie immediately brought out the wool blanket, which had several large holes in it. At the time, the blanket had been folded, but a spark had landed on it, burning through a big section and leaving four holes. The largest hole was as big as a bowl’s mouth.

Ma Cuixia felt it with her hand and muttered, "This blanket feels worse than the fabric Qingxue gave Xiaoman for her coat."

"What?" Ma Dajie’s eyes flashed with a trace of confusion.

Ma Cuixia chuckled and said, "It’s from the friend we’re relying on—the wife of Hu Ping’s comrade-in-arms. She gave us a piece of fine wool fabric, bright red, imported, and you can tell at a glance it’s expensive. She said Xiaoman is at the age for marriage, and it just so happened that there was some available, so she bought it ahead of time for Xiaoman’s wedding coat. Later, Xiaoman can take it to a tailor in the city to have it made, using horn buttons, so we don’t ruin such fine fabric ourselves. Since they’ve been so generous, we can’t be stingy either—after all, we still need their help. That’s why I’m asking for those wild game and mountain goods to send to them."

Hearing this, Ma Dajie hurriedly said, "The way you make it sound, it must be top-notch fabric! When Xiaoman gets married, she’ll definitely be the most beautiful bride. We’re all waiting to see Xiaoman’s wedding coat."

But Ma Laoda said, "Does your friend want wild game and mountain goods?"

"Yes, elder brother. In the city, both grain and meats are rationed. The Hu Ping family doesn’t lack money—they’ve got a high position and lots of relatives and friends. Don’t think the things Sister-in-law packed up look like a lot; when they get to their home, they might not even be enough to go around."

"Our family has lived here for over a hundred years. We know which households of our elders and neighbors have reserves. Your nephew goes hunting in groups, and they all keep track of how much is divided up. Ask your brother-in-law to check with his comrades to see if they need any. If so, we can privately collect some to send over," said Ma Laoda.

Although the city had a black market, it was so risky. If caught, one could be sent to reform through labor, and the whole family would lose face. Even in times of extreme need, many elders and neighbors dared not sell at the black market, nor at the supply and marketing cooperatives since it was collectively owned. They could only sell surplus items like home-grown vegetables or eggs.

Ma Cuixia had experience with this, as the Lu Family had even asked them to buy Old Mountain Ginseng before. Plus, her own family was more resource-rich than her in-laws’. "Alright, elder brother. Their family will definitely want it. Money won’t be an issue—they’ll pay higher than market price."

Ma Laoda went out for a while, and in less than half a day, some uncles and neighbors, who were in good relations and short on cash, showed up carrying baskets.

Having learned to keep accounts with Hu Ping and the children, Ma Cuixia carefully listed everything on a register and instructed, "I don’t have the money with me today, so I’ll send it to you tomorrow. Not a single penny less. Don’t say it’s for sale—if anyone asks, just say it’s something our family wanted, and we plan to send it as a New Year’s gift for Hu Ping’s comrade-in-arms. Say we didn’t give you money for it."