Chapter 12: Chapter 0012: County Town Trip 4_1 Chapter 12: Chapter 0012: County Town Trip 4_1 After saying this, the salesperson muttered under her breath: “Really, these poor peasants dare to step inside a department store without any ration tickets.”
Feng Qingxue was filled with rage, but didn’t want to cause a scene, so instead, she spun around and left.
Could they not go shopping without these tickets?
Just now, Feng Qingxue had been reminded of a passage from a document she had read that morning and couldn’t help but sigh.
She now remembered that in the 1960s and ’70s, one needed ration tickets for most commodities. Regardless of how much money one had, without tickets, it was impossible to buy things. Conversely, even with tickets, but no money, you couldn’t purchase anything either.
There were many pieces of clothing, shoes, and socks in her storehouse, most of which did not conform with the aesthetics of the period, but some could be worn by people of Feng Qingyun’s age.
The handmade shoes she had bought at the marketplace did meet the era’s aesthetic, but as they were all new, despite fitting into this era’s aesthetic, Feng Qingxue dared not let her sisters wear them casually. It would draw too much attention and would be challenging to explain their origins.
She was prepared to artificially age any new clothes they got, and if she couldn’t buy new ones, she’d take some from the storehouse and age them.
An elderly, sallow-skinned woman dressed in humble but clean clothes couldn’t bear to see what had just transpired and approached Feng Qingxue to kindly suggest, “Young girl, why don’t you go to the second-hand clothes counter and see if they have any old shoes? They don’t require a ticket.”
Feng Qingxue asked in amazement, “They sell second-hand items?”
The old woman thought for a while before she understood the term ‘second-hand’. She nodded her head and said, “Some people want to keep up with fashion and wear new clothes. But if they don’t have enough money, they would sell their old clothes at a lower price, and then use cloth tickets and money to buy new ones. And some people who don’t have tickets will buy these second-hand clothes and shoes. It’s a win-win strategy.”
“Dear old lady, thanks for your suggestion. I’ll go and have a look.”
Feng Qingxue slipped her hand into her basket and conjured two buns. Quietly, she placed the buns into the old woman’s pocket.
The old woman was taken aback, but she quickly placed her hand over her pocket.
“Dear girl…” She moved her lips, felt the soft warmth beneath her hand but ultimately didn’t decline their offer. She kept repeating, “Thank you, my child, thank you.”
With these two buns, her grandchild would enjoy two more meals.
The old woman knew better than anyone how precious grain was. Even in her own family, it would be tough for her grandchild to enjoy white bread.
With her keen eyes, Feng Qingxue could tell that this old woman was even more destitute and frail than the previous one. The most common reason for such destitution and frailty was undoubtedly a lack of food, without exception.
Moved by the old woman’s kindness, when they brushed past each other, Feng Qingxue whispered to her, “Tomorrow, I will be at Red Army Bridge. I plan to barter the food that I managed to scrounge together for money and goods that I do not have.”
Red Army Bridge was the place where a black market operated on the outskirts of town.
Mentioning Red Army Bridge was akin to mentioning the black market.
The old woman’s eyes sparkled with joy, and she hurriedly returned home.
After standing for a moment, Feng Qingxue found the second-hand clothing counter the old woman had mentioned. True enough, old clothes and shoes were displayed there, albeit in limited quantities, and there were even fewer other second-hand items.
The salesperson here was friendlier than the previous one; seeing Feng Qingxue approach, she quickly got up and greeted her with a warm smile.
“Comrade, what would you like to buy?”
Feng Qingxue stated her requirements, and the salesperson immediately brought out a selection of children’s clothes and shoes for her to choose from.