Feng Qingxue looked at him and moved to the fish counter. Large yellow croaker was three and a half yuan per catty, pomfret fish was three yuan per catty. They were all frozen fish that had been transported from afar. The pond-raised fish were fresh, swimming happily in water buckets. Their prices range from two to three yuan per catty, with different types priced differently, and salted fish was two yuan per catty.
After asking for the price, Feng Qingxue turned to ask Lu Jiang who was carrying a large basket on her back, "Do we have Fish Tickets at home?"
It seems that without tickets, you couldn’t buy anything.
Lu Jiang brought a bunch of various tickets back, all of which were collected from her comrades. She didn’t notice whether or not there were any Fish Tickets.
Busy every day, she didn’t have much time to check the money tickets carefully.
The fishmonger chuckled, "Yes, you must have the ticket for me to sell you fish. Without it, don’t even think about buying. Usually, there is no fish to buy. We still have fish only on New Year’s Day, Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, and National Day. The government subsidizes part of the money to the seafood company, and then the company sells some cheap fish to us ordinary people. Despite this, the supply still falls short of the demand."
"Although eggs, cakes, and pastries are sold out, there are still plenty of meat and fish left, it doesn’t seem like there’s a shortage."
Hearing Feng Qingxue’s words, the fishmonger knew they were not locals and explained, "Don’t think I’m mixing lunar and solar holidays together. Actually, all the tickets are issued according to the Lunar Calendar. Now it’s only the middle of the twelfth lunar month, and although it’s after New Year’s Day and it’s already 1963, it’s still a long way to Spring Festival. Tickets for items such as chicken, fish, and peanuts are extra and not included in the regular supply. They won’t be issued until the festival is coming. The seafood is sent in advance. If you don’t believe me, come back in a few days, I assure you, there won’t even be salted fish available!"
Feng Qingxue understood and quickly asked Lu Jiang, "Take a look quickly, do we have a Fish Ticket or not?"
"Our troops are stationed in places that are not near the river or the sea, so we probably don’t have any Fish Tickets. I believe only the supply tickets in the coastal areas regularly contain Fish Tickets. However, it’s not certain. Sometimes the supply truck brings some seafood." Lu Jiang thought for a moment, took out all the tickets from her pocket, flipped through them many times, and finally pulled out a Fish Ticket, "Qingxue, look, we do have a Fish Ticket!" she exclaimed with delight.
Feng Qingxue was overjoyed, took it and looked at it, "Only two catties!"
"Two catties are not little! A family of three is given two catties of Fish Tickets, and a family of five is given three catties." Recognizing their military ration tickets, the fishmonger was especially enthusiastic, "Young lady, which fish do you want to buy? Let me pick you the best ones."
"Large yellow croaker!" Feng Qingxue said without hesitation.
The fishmonger picked two large yellow croakers for her, each weighing about a catty. It was slightly over the weight, but the fish wouldn’t weigh exactly right, so she just took two catties of Fish Tickets for two catties and a half of fish.
Having bought all the necessities, Lu Jiang went on to buy two packs of Da Qianmen and two bottles of Maotai with her cigarette tickets and approval slips.
Da Qianmen was three and a half yuan a pack, and Maotai was still seven and eight yuan a bottle.
Feng Qingxue clicked her tongue, it was indeed a luxury, a luxury in any era.
Although commodities were very cheap in this era, the salary level was likewise low. She had just learned from the fishmonger that most workers only earn more than twenty yuan a month. Although having an urban Hukou meant you had subsidized food supplies, without a job, there was no income. Therefore, a family living on one salary was extremely tight, every penny had to be spent wisely.