The relationship between the County and the outside world was that a catty of processed grain was the type that could be made into other edible foods.
Han Qingsong’s amount was different from others as he had 44 catties of fine grains to claim.
The advantage of this was that if he wanted to eat foods made from coarse grains, he could exchange the food stamps himself. One pound of refined grains could be exchanged for three to five kilograms of coarse grains of various types. Sometimes, he could also even trade for seven or eight kilograms of sweet potatoes.
However, when the people didn’t have their fill, they would usually use their fine grains’ supply to trade for coarse grains. Since the amount of coarse grains would be more than fine ones, many households opted for the trade as they had many mouths to feed.
He exchanged 13 catties of refined grain coupons for less than 50 catties of corn flour and sorghum noodles. Besides, he also exchanged the other 1 catty of grain coupons for three taels of oil.
The employee of the Grains Management Office also took the initiative to disclose to him all the benefits that he could obtain. He could spend money to buy up to 5 catties of kerosene without a ticket, amounting to a small barrel.
A large unit like the Grains Management Office retained kerosene and they would have several large barrels of it per month according to their quotas.
It wasn’t nearly enough for them before, but now, the economic conditions were much better than they were in the early 1960s, so the Grains Management Office was very well-off. Not only could their employees receive benefits, but they were also able to sell them should they have extra materials laying around.
This wasn’t a violation as it was merely considered a welfare.
Of course, not everyone was entitled to buy it. One would basically need to have a high rank or some sort of connections to be able to do that.
Rural Commune members have to receive kerosene tickets from the brigade, which would entitle them to about a third to half a catty a month. Even in difficult times, the amount wouldn’t have much of a significant difference either, so they were very nervous.
Those in the city would get one and a half catties worth of tickets per month, so there were naturally more cadres who preferred the County town. However, some state-owned units would also provide welfare for their workers, which was much better than the treatment received by Commune members.
This was the difference between urban and rural areas and also between Commune members and state-owned units. Hence, it was common for the public to be envious of those who were able to live in the County and enjoy a better lifestyle, which was why the youngsters were always gunning for an opportunity.
Han Qingsong exchanged the food and returned to the compound with some kerosene. It was almost noon as everyone had started to eat lunch.
The cafeteria was also simple. Steamed buns, noodles, and pancakes were the dishes that could be considered luxurious. Otherwise, local vegetables would pretty much be the staple food here. Even so, there would sometimes be meat scraps in them.
The staple food needed both food stamps and money, but the vegetables only required money.
Sometimes, the cafeteria would also make some meat dishes. They didn’t need a meat ticket to buy those, but quite a sum of money was required— it was actually 50% more expensive than it would have been had the members been allowed to use their meat tickets.
Besides, one was permitted to order it specifically for themselves, but it made the price even higher.
Han Qingsong bought some food from the cafeteria but didn’t eat it himself. He carried the grains, placed the meat in the satchel and went home with the kerosene barrel.