Chapter 24 Qin Jingru's Opportunity
Qin Guanghai's eyes widened. This was the most generous buyer he had ever seen.
If other buyers ate at his house, they would be lucky to have half of his share. But Qin Guanghai still had some bottom line and quickly refused.
"No, Xiao Zhang, this is too much."
"You're welcome. This isn't the first time we've met. Once you're familiar with each other, it'll be fine."
Zhang Dongliang didn't give him the chance to refuse, so he blocked Qin Guanghai's hand that was about to return the things.
"Okay then. You sit here and drink some water. I'll go door to door to inform everyone. If anyone wants to sell something, ask them to go to the brigade headquarters this afternoon."
Qin Guanghai immediately left the house and went door to door to give notice. It was mainly because of Zhang Dongliang's sincerity that he couldn't refuse.
After Qin Guanghai came back, he urged his wife to cook.
After a while of hard work, Qin Guanghai's wife cooked three dishes: Chinese cabbage slices with vinegar, shredded potatoes with vinegar, and scrambled eggs.
I really can't get four dishes together.
The brigade secretary's family didn't have any meat either, so they had to do their best with a scrambled egg. But it was okay, Zhang Dongliang and Qin Guanghai drank and chatted, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
While drinking, when they accidentally talked about Zhang Dongliang's unit, Qin Guanghai suddenly said that the daughter of Qin Guangshan in our village married into your factory.
Zhang Dongliang asked who it was, and Qin Guanghai said it seemed to be Qin Huairu. Hey, here she comes.
After finishing his glass of wine, Zhang Dongliang told Secretary Qin Guanghai that he and Qin Huairu lived in the same courtyard.
This brought Zhang Dongliang and Qin Guanghai closer, and the two of them became closer. The entire Qinjiazhuang had the surname Qin, so it was considered a big family, a big clan.
After a short rest after dinner, Qin Guanghai accompanied Zhang Dongliang to the brigade headquarters.
Since Zhang Dongliang only needed to purchase nutritious products such as meat and eggs, and now that the Chinese New Year has just passed, there are only a few of these items left.
I waited for half a day, but no one came.
Finally, a middle-aged woman came and sold 8 eggs. Nowadays, eggs are relatively small, usually 10-12 eggs weigh 1 jin.
After weighing, 8 eggs only weigh 7 taels.
鸡蛋有票的话是3毛5到4毛钱1斤，没票的话一般7毛到7毛5分钱1斤。
张东亮直接给她算七毛5分钱1斤的采购价，7两鸡蛋付给她了5毛3分钱。
Another little girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old, came with a hen in her arms.
The girl's features were not fully developed yet, but she was already a beauty. However, her hair was a little dry and yellow, indicating that she was malnourished.
Zhang Dongliang gave her 3 yuan for the hen, which was more than she could get from selling it at the commune market, and the little girl was so happy that her eyes were smiling.
The girl who got the money did not leave immediately. She stood aside and watched Zhang Dongliang chatting with the brigade secretary.
The girl grew up listening to the story of her cousin who married and lived a good life in the city. She has always been fantasizing that one day she would be able to marry and live a good life in the city like her cousin.
Today, she saw a very young and handsome guy, a buyer from the city. So she watched from the side, fantasizing that one day she would be married to such a city guy and live in the city.
Qin Guanghai, who was next to Zhang Dongliang, also noticed the little girl and introduced her to Zhang Dongliang, saying that the girl was Qin Jingru and was Qin Huairu's cousin.
Zhang Dongliang asked curiously, shouldn't they be cousins? Qin Jingru should be Qin Huairu's cousin, how could she be her cousin?
"Qin Huairu's mother is my eldest aunt, and my mother is Qin Huairu's youngest aunt. We address each other based on our relationship on my grandmother's side."
Qin Jingru, who was standing next to him, heard Qin Guanghai introduce himself, and quickly took the opportunity to introduce to Zhang Dongliang the relationship between herself and Qin Huairu, as well as the origin of the title of cousins.
Now Zhang Dongliang finally understood the source of Qin Huairu and Qin Jingru's beauty. It turned out that the source was not in Qinjiazhuang, but in Qin Huairu's grandmother's home.
Otherwise, why are only the two sisters beautiful, and the other women in Qinjiazhuang not that beautiful?
If I have time, I need to ask Qin Huairu and Qin Jingru if their grandmothers are from a certain county in northern Shaanxi. Only those with roots from that place can have genes for beauty with such a long shelf life.
When Qin Jingru heard Qin Guanghai introduce that Zhang Dongliang and Qin Huairu lived in the same courtyard, her eyes lit up.
Later, when Qin Jingru heard Zhang Dongliang talk about how he was 17 years old, she felt that her heart had flown to the sky and was so, so close to her ideal.
She felt that God had sent Zhang Dongliang to her today.
She must seize this rare opportunity and go to the city to enjoy life like her cousin.
"I am 15 years old this year, 16 years old in age."
Qin Jingru introduced herself to Zhang Dongliang in a low voice.
Zhang Dongliang gave Qin Jingru five pieces of fruit candy, the kind that cost one cent each. Qin Jingru ate the candy and felt her whole body was filled with sweetness.
At this time, Qin Guanghai also saw what the little girl meant, but he was also willing to help her, just in case it worked out.
If this girl hadn't wanted to marry a city guy, she would have been engaged long ago. Although she was young, she was also a famous pretty girl in the neighborhood.
If there are more sons-in-law in Qinjiazhuang from the city, wouldn’t Qinjiazhuang be able to live a better life?
Just as Zhang Dongliang was packing up and preparing to go back, an old man hurriedly walked in from outside, holding a piece of bacon in his hand.
It turned out that the old man's daughter got engaged years ago. The man was a hunter in the mountains, and this was the engagement gift from the man.
The old man was ready to sell the bacon, but he made a request, which was that he had to exchange it for cornmeal.
This posed a small problem for Zhang Dongliang.
This old man is a wise man. The current year is not good, and there has been a severe drought. If he switches to cornmeal, he can save his family's lives in difficult times.
There is corn flour in Zhang Dongliang’s little world, but it is not convenient to take it out now.
So he agreed with the old man to first determine the price and quantity, and Zhang Dongliang would go back to the city to bring cornmeal and come back tomorrow to exchange it for bacon.
The bacon weighed 14 jin, so I calculated it as 9 jin. It's my first time to buy, so I can't be too picky.
猪肉有票7毛钱1斤，没票的话得1块2毛——1块3毛钱左右，就按1块3毛钱算。腊肉因为基本风干，按1块8毛钱算。总价值为27元。
Corn flour was 5 cents per catty with food coupons, and around 1 cents to 8 cents without food coupons. If we give him 1 cents, he should be given 8 catties of corn flour, or 337.5 catties.
Qin Guanghai and the old man both secretly thought that this buyer was kind and righteous.
After the agreement was reached, Zhang Dongliang would return to the city tomorrow to bring corn flour and bacon.
Qin Guanghai told the old man to take the bacon first, and just send the cornmeal tomorrow to avoid trouble. We trust you.
Zhang Dongliang said goodbye to Qin Guanghai and the old man and prepared to return to the city. Qin Jingru reluctantly sent him to the village entrance.
"Go back, you have to come back tomorrow."
Zhang Dongliang waved to Qin Jingru and rode away on his bike.
Only after Zhang Dongliang had ridden his bike for a long way and could no longer be seen did Qin Jingru reluctantly go home.