NOVPUB
Chapter 104: Chapter 100 Exchange for Food Coupon
This year, Chinese New Year came quite early. By mid-January, Shen Yunfang had started preparing for her upcoming trip.
In this era, there were a few essential items one needed for travel, and one of them was an introduction letter. It served as a person’s identity verification. Wherever you went and whatever you did, an introduction letter was needed, whether for taking a train, a boat, or staying at an inn. Without an introduction letter, sorry, but you were left to sleep on the streets—so the introduction letter was extremely important.
Shen Yunfang wasn’t worried about this because her uncle was the team leader of the production brigade. This made it easy for her to get one.
Another necessity was the food coupons. In this planned economy era, food was distributed nationally, so no matter where one went to eat, it was all supplied upon presentation of food coupons. Without them, even with a handful of money, nobody would sell you food. So one must prepare some food coupons before setting out.
Shen Yunfang had also made inquiries about this in advance. Farmers could have food coupons too; you just needed to take the grain from home to the county grain station for exchange. However, the exchange was not arbitrary; the production brigade had to issue a proof stating you really needed to travel out of town for the exchange of the national food coupons to be allowed. Otherwise, the station would only issue you provincial food coupons.
Furthermore, the production brigade’s seal alone was not sufficient; documentation stamped by the commune was required. Therefore, only Uncle Shen could help her get the required stamp from the commune.
Additionally, the grain station didn’t exchange just any grain for food coupons; they only accepted staple grains like rice or corn, not sweet potatoes.
On this day, taking advantage of the good weather, Shen Yunfang specially went to Uncle Yougen’s house to ask for his help with a ride to the county to exchange her grain for food coupons.
Since she had already informed Mr. Shen, her request was readily agreed to by Shen Yougen.
One should understand that at this time, horse-drawn carts were considered public property, not privately owned by Shen Yougen, so the members of the collective still needed the production team leader’s permission to use them.
In this manner, Shen Yunfang and Jianjun’s wife, each carrying fifty pounds of corn and one hundred pounds of soybeans respectively, and lugging a heavy quilt from home, set off from Gaijiatun, rocking and swaying along the way. Dashuan’s wife’s belly was big, and she couldn’t leave her home.
Their first stop would be the Wuxing Brigade; Shen Yunfang had privately exchanged for some soybeans these past days. Since no other villagers were traveling with them that day, she quickly intended to press some more oil at the brigade. Forty pounds of soybean oil really wasn’t enough to eat!
Wrapped in the thick quilt, Jianjun’s wife chatted with Shen Yunfang.
"You’ve exchanged for more soybeans to press oil again? That’s just too wasteful," said Jianjun’s wife. She knew that Shen Yunfang had money but still disapproved of her extravagant spending.
"I don’t think it’s wasteful. How can it be called wasteful if it’s all eaten?" retorted Shen Yunfang, feeling indignant. She had already restrained and kept her profile as low as she possibly could. After pressing forty pounds of soybean oil in the fall, she had lain low. Only now, assured of private transportation, did she think to press more oil, away from the scrutinizing eyes and jealousy of the other village women.
"That’s still not wasteful? One hundred pounds of soybeans don’t even yield half that in oil—you’re wasting more than half. That soybean oil isn’t even something we, the old-time farmers, are used to eating," Jianjun’s wife clicked her tongue in disapproval. She couldn’t stand the smell of soy oil, having eaten it only a few times in her life. They usually bought lard and rendered it at home.
"Hehe, I’m used to it; I don’t mind the smell of the soy oil," said Shen Yunfang with a mischievous grin. "Eating fatty oil all the time isn’t good for you."
"Nonsense, we’ve been eating fatty oil all our lives and nobody’s had any problems with it. You’re just putting on airs," retorted Jianjun’s wife, giving her a sidelong glance.
Shen Yunfang thought about it and realized that anyone who could eat a pound of fatty oil in a year was considered well-off, so feeling unwell was hardly an option. "Actually, it’s not a waste. Even though less than half the oil is actually produced, you still end up with quite a bit of soy pulp. And let me tell you, that soy pulp is valuable stuff—it’s great for feeding pigs, and even people can eat it."
She remembered that as a child, her father had once roasted some for her to eat. It was crispy and delicious, becoming more fragrant the more she chewed. Of course, it was only a treat, not something you could make a meal out of.
Jianjun’s wife didn’t mind. "You’re feeding pigs with what people eat. Isn’t that just wasteful? You just don’t know how to show off when you have a little money."
Shen Yunfang didn’t get angry. Instead, she nodded in agreement. "Well, you’re actually right. I’m just being capricious because I have the money."
The two of them were teasing each other under the thick blanket, so the journey wasn’t lonely.
First, they reached the Wuxing Brigade, where they carried the soybeans to the oil press. Yunfang prepaid one yuan, left the plastic oil barrel, and said she’d be back in the afternoon to pick it up. Then, they headed straight to the county town’s grain station.
Shen Yougen knew where the grain station was because he was the one to drive the horse cart there every year to deliver the collective’s grain quota. He did it every year, so he knew the place well.
Upon reaching the entrance of the two stations, he showed the doorman the introduction letter. The doorman only glanced at the letter for a few moments before letting them in, probably recognizing just those few characters.
Once inside, it was even easier to find their way, as there was a specific room for handling Food Coupon exchanges.
It wasn’t much trouble. As soon as Yunfang got inside the room, she showed her introduction letter to the staff member. After inspecting the letter, the staff member asked expressionlessly, "How much do you want to exchange?"
Yunfang quickly replied, "Fifty catties." She was reluctant to exchange too many Food Coupons for the grain she had worked hard to cultivate. Subconsciously, she felt that Food Coupons weren’t very useful, so she only exchanged what she estimated she would need for the trip. She thought that if she kept too many Food Coupons on hand, they would be worthless in the eighties, so it was better to exchange as needed.
Moreover, exchanging grain for Food Coupons wasn’t a one-to-one affair, but rather one to 0.9. In other words, one catty of grain could be exchanged for nine-tenths of a Food Coupon.
The staff member pointed to a ground scale in the room, indicating Yunfang should put her grain bag on it to be weighed.
Yunfang obediently placed the bag on the scale.
The staff member came over, fiddled with the scale weights, and the fifty catties weighed high. They moved the weight backward a bit, and only when it reached fifty-five catties did it balance out.
The staff member looked at Yunfang, nodded in satisfaction, opened the sack’s mouth, grabbed a handful of corn kernels to inspect, then threw them back in, went to the desk, issued a ticket for Yunfang, and began counting the Food Coupons.
Of course, they were satisfied. When Yunfang weighed the grain, she had weighed fifty-three catties, and since the sacks all weighed two catties, the staff member was clear in his mind. She had asked to exchange for fifty catties’ worth of Food Coupons, so the extra grain naturally belonged to the staff member.
Knowing there was a benefit to be had, the staff member finally showed a smile and even asked Yunfang what denominations she wanted for the forty-five catties’ worth of Food Coupons.
At that time, there were many denominations of Food Coupons— one liang, two liang, half a catty, one catty, three catties, five catties, and so on.
Yunfang figured she would need them for eating at the restaurant, so she didn’t ask for very large denominations: two five-catty coupons, twenty one-catty coupons, twenty half-catty coupons, and ten each of the two-liang and one-liang coupons.
Perhaps because she had given a benefit, the process went smoothly. From the moment Yunfang carried the grain into the grain station, it only took half an hour for her to finish exchanging and leave with her coupons.
Having traveled all morning and considering that Uncle Yougen had provided the cart, Yunfang couldn’t let him go hungry. For the first time in over a year since her journey, she took both of them out to eat at a restaurant.
