PNB Chapter 31: Buy Old 35, Buy 1 Turn Butterfly Brand Sewing Machine
Chapter 31: Buy Old 35, Buy 1 Turn Butterfly Brand Sewing Machine
Buying a sewing machine required not only money but also ration coupons. However, with money and connections, one could obtain the coupons.
Li Ju'an and Song Desheng reached an agreement. That afternoon, Song Desheng hurriedly and carefully slipped a sewing ticket from his sleeve, keeping it close to his body as if it were a precious treasure, afraid of losing it on the way.
"Brother, next time we go hunting in the mountains, call the brothers along!"
Song Desheng was a straightforward man; once he accepted the money, his true intentions were written all over his face.
He also wanted to use Li Ju'an's connection to truly become a hunter in the mountains, to show off his skills and boast to his relatives, which would make him look good. Instead of being like he was now, groping around outside the forest, his small game hunts being nothing special.
Both of them got what they wanted, and their faces were beaming with smiles.
Li Ju'an, carrying his sewing ticket and two thick stacks of unpaid bills, as usual tucked close to his undershirt, went to the supply and marketing cooperative.
Upon entering the supply and marketing cooperative, one is greeted by a dazzling array of daily necessities and agricultural products. Two-cent candies, five-cent rubber balls, and one-cent notebooks.
These days, you need coupons to buy anything. For example, you need sugar coupons, cloth coupons, cotton coupons, tofu coupons, and dried tofu coupons.
Mother Song Lanhua made an account book to record how much of these coupons, such as meat coupons and oil coupons, were used. She also made a small wooden box to store all the coupons in the house. The coupons couldn't be lost; if they were, they couldn't be used anymore.
This time, besides buying some soda, canned goods, and daily necessities, he also went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some large items for his home.
When Li's father got married, they weren't well-off. Weddings in the 60s were usually low-key, and dowries were considered luxuries. It was a difficult time, so Li's father hired a carpenter to make a large wooden bed, wardrobe, table, chairs, and other wooden furniture for their wedding room, so that they could have "36 legs" before he married his mother.
Now that Li's father has passed away, leaving only a widow and her children at home, Li Ju'an, as the son, naturally has to take on the responsibility of supporting the Li family.
My mother, Song Lanhua, was always frugal. She would never spend a penny more than the necessary daily expenses. Even when mending clothes, she didn't use a thimble, and her fingers were often pricked by needles.
Li Ju'an strolled around the residential area, bought some daily necessities, and went to look at sewing machines.
As luck would have it, Jiang Man, the receiving clerk in the hardware section, was transferred to the living area this week.
Jiang Man spoke to the customer expressionlessly while filling out forms. She rolled up the cloth coupon, 3 yuan, and the completed form handed to her by the customer, clipped them to the wire clip above her head, and then swung the ruler in her hand forcefully, sending them flying to the top of the cash register with a "whoosh."
The cashier at the other end of the counter would collect the money according to the amount on the receipt, give change, and stamp the receipt. Then she would clip the receipt and the change onto a wire clip and send it back to Jiang Man's head.
Jiang Man looked up and saw Li Ju'an, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Young comrade, are you here to buy a gun again today?"
They say practice makes perfect. Li Ju'an also had some impression of Jiang Man.
In the 80s, selling meat and grain and oil were the most sought-after professions, 1000 times more desirable than being a civil servant today! A job with a secure and prestigious position was being a sales clerk at a supply and marketing cooperative—how prestigious! It was even more attractive than going to university.
In his previous life, he heard that a childhood friend from his village had joined the army and, after being discharged, was assigned to a supply and marketing cooperative as a sales clerk in an agricultural supplies store. This filled him with longing for the cooperative. But unfortunately, he had no connections to get in.
Li Ju'an laughed and said, "I'm not buying guns. Ladies, could you perhaps buy them individually?"
The most popular saying in Northeast China goes: "Poor Changbai ginseng, rich Sanwu ginseng, and bastards smoking bat ginseng." Back then, a pack of Changbai ginseng cost 1.8 yuan, later rising to 2 yuan, 2.3 yuan, and 2.5 yuan. It tasted good and was very cost-effective, making it a hit among students.
But when it comes to the most respectable and high-end goods, it has to be the Gold Medal 55 cigarettes.
在后世，他85年，经常在南方街头的一处香烟摊买烟,盾牌0.62元、大前门0.52元、万宝路3.50元、红双喜1.90元、三五3.10元等不同的价格。
He has just sold the wolf pelts and got the money from the deer antlers. Naturally, he wants to buy high-end cigarettes. He will use Lao Sanwu (a brand of cigarettes) to please Lao Tao and get the cigarette-obsessed Lao Tao to agree.
Jiang Man smiled and said, "I can sell in small quantities. How much do you want?"
"Five."
"Okay."
Li Ju'an bought the Lao Sanwu brand and then set his sights on the Butterfly brand sewing machine.
For people in the early 1980s, the sewing machine was a microcosm of that era, a symbol of a time. The dowry consisted of "three turns and one sound," one of which was a sewing machine. Therefore, in that era, a sewing machine was a luxury item; only newlywed middle-class families could afford to buy one.
The Butterfly brand sewing machine, along with the Forever brand bicycle and the Shanghai brand watch, were considered the most respectable household items that the husband's family could provide, also known as the three famous items.
When Li's father got married, he only had 36 legs and no "three turns and one sound" (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument). Now that Li Ju'an is financially well-off, he naturally wants to make his mother happy and give her everything she didn't have when she was young, so that his family can also benefit from his good fortune.
Jiang Manxing looked at Li Ju'an with a puzzled expression. When she saw Li Ju'an carefully take out a sewing ticket, she was slightly stunned, paused for a moment, and then smiled and teased him.
"Buying these three big items, are you going to propose to the girl's family?"
Li Ju'an was both amused and exasperated: "What kind of marriage proposal am I at this age? We don't even have a sewing machine at home yet; it's something I bought for my own family."
Jiang Man stared at him with her big almond-shaped eyes, then chuckled and teased, "That makes sense. If a girl really took a liking to you, how could you carry a gun into the mountains every day, risking your life in the wind and rain? You'd have to spend your time chatting with the girl."
Li Ju'an deliberately teased her, saying, "If a girl really takes a liking to me, I'd have to read books and newspapers every day to improve my cultural literacy. Otherwise, which decent girl would want to go on a blind date with me?"
"You can't say that. Cultured people have their advantages, and hunting in the mountains has its own kind of roughness."
The two chatted for a while before the customers started urging them to hurry up.
Jiang Man then lowered her head and, with a smile, focused on filling out the sewing machine form for him. She took the sewing machine ticket, 140 yuan, handed it to her, rolled up the completed form, clipped it to the wire clip above her head, and with a forceful swing of the ruler, sent it flying to the top of the cash register with a "whoosh."
The cashier stared at her for a while, then adjusted her glasses, took the money, gave her change, stamped the receipt, and sent it back to her.
"Jiang Man, your grandfather just called you. When you have some free time, go to the purchasing station to see him."
"Okay, Sister Wang."