NOVPUB
Chapter 108: 104
The next day, Shen Yunfang indulged in the rare luxury of sleeping in. She didn’t have to light a fire or feed the chickens outside, and if she got up too early, there would be no one around, so she stayed in bed until it was bright outside before getting up.
After washing up, she took out a bowl of porridge, a steamed bun, and a dish of pickles she had preserved herself from the space, which made up her breakfast.
Having finished her breakfast, she followed the route she had noted down the day before and headed toward the designated residential area.
Since the area wasn’t too far from the train station, Yunfang decided not to take a bus and strolled over instead.
It’s said that when someone’s luck is in, you can’t stop it.
Yunfang was just ambling down the street when she saw a group of women crowding and jostling at the entrance of a house, making a racket. She hadn’t witnessed such a scene before and, curious, moved in closer to see what was happening. That’s when she bumped into an old lady who had been squeezed out from inside.
"Oh my, I was nearly crushed to death there," the lady exclaimed, still shaken, standing outside the crowd.
"Granny, what’s going on? What’s all the fuss about?" Yunfang approached and asked.
"Fuss? They’re scrabbling for eggs. These people have no manners. I’ve been queuing since a little past four in the morning. As soon as they opened the doors, the people from behind just started pushing their way in without a care. No decency at all." The old lady was fuming at not having been able to buy anything. If not for the lady next to her who pushed her, she might have managed to get some.
"Eggs, is it? So how come I see someone clutching a big head of cabbage?" Yunfang stood on her tiptoes and peered inside. Right then, a younger woman, with a basket raised above her head in one hand and grasping a wilted giant cabbage in the other, was shouting "Excuse me, excuse me" as she squeezed her way out.
"Hmph, the grocery store got a few heads of cabbage today, only the first few people managed to get any. Those at the back couldn’t even get a glimpse." The woman then took a serious look at Yunfang for the first time and kindly advised, "Young lady, whatever you came to buy, alas, at this hour, you won’t be able to get anything. Next time you hear about it, make sure you come early to queue up."
Then she pushed her luck and charged back into the crowd.
Yunfang stepped back. She had never seen such frenzy back in her county town. It seemed that the bigger the city, the scarcer these agricultural and sideline products were.
She was standing on the sidewalk, wondering whether to wait until the scramble was over and see if anyone came out empty-handed to strike up a conversation or to just leave, when a woman with disheveled hair was squeezed out from the crowd right in front of her.
Yunfang had a brainwave and whispered to the cursing woman: "Auntie, are you looking to buy eggs?"
That woman’s eyes swept over like radar.
Yunfang flinched but stood her ground.
The woman cautiously scanned the surroundings and then whispered back, "You got eggs?"
Yunfang subtly nodded.
The woman grabbed Yunfang’s wrist and whispered, "Let’s go talk on the side."
At this moment, Yunfang’s legs felt a little weak. Why did this person have to be so frightening, always startling her like that? Her poor little heart.
So the woman pulled Yunfang along until they reached a bank, where they finally stopped.
Shen Yunfang glanced around. Weren’t private trades supposed to be conducted in secluded places? What was this person thinking?
The woman noticed Shen Yunfang’s nervousness and let out a chuckle, "Don’t be nervous, little girl. I work right here, it’s very safe, so just relax."
At that moment, a woman in her twenties walked by and called out to the woman, "Manager Sun, good morning."
It was then that the woman holding onto Shen Yunfang, also known as Manager Sun, straightened her messy hair and amiably said, "Good morning. There’s a meeting at nine, Xiao Zhang, could you let everyone know for me?"
"Sure," Xiao Zhang responded, casting a curious glance at Shen Yunfang but said nothing. She just smiled kindly and moved on.
Shen Yunfang felt a mix of emotions. She couldn’t tell the woman dragging her around was a bank manager. Aren’t they supposed to be the kind of people who rode in cars and lived in mansions? Yet here she was, personally getting involved in scrambling for eggs.
Manager Sun led Shen Yunfang into her office, then closed the door and said with a very friendly smile, "Don’t be nervous, comrade. You mentioned you have eggs, right? Could I take a look? We can discuss the price."
Heh, she had met two people from yesterday to today, and both had such grand airs.
Shen Yunfang placed her basket on the desk and lifted up a corner of the cloth covering it so that Manager Sun beside her could see the eggs inside.
Manager Sun’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the basket full of eggs, smiling as she said, "May I open it and have a look? Are all the eggs in the basket this big?"
"They’re all the same, feel free to look."
Manager Sun checked several and saw they were indeed about the same size. Satisfied, she nodded her head and asked, "How much for these eggs? How many do you have?"
"Well, I really don’t know how much I should sell them for. I was thinking of trying the black market, but then I ran into Manager Sun here." Yunfang mulled it over, unsure what price to set.
"Heh, although the black market prices are high, the risks are also much higher, unlike with me, where safety and reasonable prices are guaranteed." Manager Sun was quite persuasive. "Let’s not mention the supply and marketing cooperative’s prices. Right now, an egg on the black market goes for about fifteen fen each. But since we’re not on the black market, how about I offer you ten fen per egg?"
Shen Yunfang looked at the eggs, pondered for a moment, then silently covered them up with the cloth again, preparing to take the basket and leave.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing? We’re still negotiating here. If it’s not suitable for you, we can talk more," Manager Sun hurriedly held her back as she tried to leave. Having found such large eggs, she couldn’t let them slip away.
"Your offer isn’t sincere; there’s no use talking. Fifteen fen is for small eggs. Look at mine, they’re a whole size bigger than others’," Yunfang said with simple frankness.
"Oh my, little girl, why are you so rash? We’re negotiating. I’ve made an offer, and you can counter. It’s not just up to me. Alright, I’ll stop beating around the bush since you seem like an honest person. I’ll give you fifteen fen for each egg, regardless of size. Consider the extra size a gift to your auntie, okay?" Manager Sun said somewhat desperately as she clutched Yunfang’s basket.
She was genuinely worried this rural person would become stubborn; if Yunfang decided not to sell at all, it would be a loss. After all, grains were plentiful on the black market, but perishable items like eggs and meat were scarce, especially as the New Year approached, when they were even rarer and more expensive.
After contemplating, Yunfang put the basket back down, "Alright then, let’s call it making a friend."
"Exactly, exactly, our deal is like making friends. In the future, if you have anything else to sell from home, feel free to come to your auntie. I will make sure to sell it for you," Manager Sun assured her, ending with a note of guarantee, "At a high price."
