Chapter 54: It’s Really Not Cheap
Su Qing said, "I’d like some cotton tickets, cloth tickets, and the like. Also, if you have any oil or tobacco tickets, I’d like some of those too."
Su Qing planned to get some cotton and cloth tickets for Fu Yuzhen. Fu Yuzhen had told her before that she was going to make her a padded cotton jacket and pants. Making those required both cloth and cotton tickets. Since someone was already making clothes for her, she couldn’t let them spend their own tickets as well. That wouldn’t be right.
Zhang Erlai thought for a moment, then agreed, "Alright. But the quantity might not be very large."
"Okay, just give me however many you can get. We can deduct the cost from the payment." Su Qing hadn’t expected to get too many anyway. After all, these tickets were precious nowadays and not easy to come by in large amounts.
"Alright. So, when should we make the trade?" Seeing that Su Qing agreed, Zhang Erlai wanted to finalize a time for the transaction.
Su Qing thought for a moment and said, "Tonight at seven, in the woods on the east side of the county seat. I remember that place is usually deserted."
"Okay, it’s a deal then. See you tonight at seven in the eastern woods."
"Okay."
Having settled the details of the transaction, Su Qing took her leave. After she left, A Cheng emerged from the adjacent room.
Seeing A Cheng, Zhang Erlai hurried forward and called out, "Brother Cheng."
Zhang Erlai’s heart was pounding with anxiety. Although he had earned Brother Cheng’s trust, he had only ever run errands before. This was his first time actually handling a transaction with someone. To be honest, he was mostly just imitating how A Cheng had handled deals in the past. He didn’t know if his performance this time would satisfy Brother Cheng.
If he was satisfied, it would mean more money for him in the future. Because of that, he truly cherished this opportunity.
A Cheng smiled and sat down at the large, square table. "To be so composed on your first time is quite good. However, you still need to sharpen your eye."
"Ah!" Zhang Erlai looked down, thinking for a moment, then said, "Brother Cheng, please give me some pointers."
A Cheng raised an eyebrow slightly. "That person just now was in disguise. That was definitely not her real appearance."
"What!" Hearing this, Zhang Erlai’s eyes went wide with shock. "Brother Cheng, she... she was...? But she didn’t look like it."
"It’s not a big deal," A Cheng said with a smile. "In any case, we’re just business partners. It’s normal for people to come to a place like the black market in disguise. As long as she doesn’t try to play dirty, we’re fine."
"I understand, Brother Cheng." Zhang Erlai knew A Cheng was giving him guidance, so he quickly acknowledged it.
"Mm." A Cheng was very satisfied with Zhang Erlai’s performance. "I’ll have someone prepare the money and tickets. You’ll still be the one to lead the transaction tonight."
"Yes, Brother Cheng."
Meanwhile, not far away, Su Qing was secretly commanding a vine on the courtyard wall to silently slither back to the ground. When she left earlier, she had deliberately controlled a vine to stay behind—for no other reason than as a precaution.
’I can’t believe they saw through my disguise.’
Su Qing couldn’t help but touch her face. ’So I still slipped up. I’ll have to be more careful in the future.’
However, she now felt completely at ease about the transaction.
She glanced at the sky. She had spent almost the entire morning at the black market, and it was nearly noon now. Rubbing her stomach, Su Qing decided to treat herself at the state-owned restaurant. While selling her goods at the black market today, she had not only made money but also acquired some meat and grain ration tickets. With these tickets, she could walk right into the state-owned restaurant and have a proper feast. After finding a place to restore her original appearance and change her clothes, Su Qing headed straight for the restaurant.
Xiyuan County wasn’t small, so its state-owned restaurant was quite large. When Su Qing arrived, it wasn’t crowded yet; only a few scattered people were eating inside. The waitress responsible for taking orders was sitting behind the service window, knitting a sweater.
"What’ll you have?" Sensing someone had approached, the waitress continued knitting as she spoke. "Look at the blackboard hanging outside. Whatever’s on there is what we’re serving for lunch. We don’t have anything else."
As she spoke, the waitress glanced up at Su Qing. When she saw the scar on Su Qing’s left cheek, she froze for a second, a flicker of pity crossing her eyes.
Su Qing paid no mind to others’ reactions to her appearance. She glanced at the blackboard and saw four dishes listed: Braised Pork Belly, Stewed Pork Ribs with Green Beans, Sweet and Sour Cabbage, and Scrambled Eggs with Scallions. Besides those were the staple foods: dumplings and rice. There was also a Seaweed and Egg Drop Soup. This was the entire lunch menu.
"I’ll have an order of Braised Pork Belly, an order of Stewed Pork Ribs with Green Beans, an order of Sweet and Sour Cabbage, plus three liang of rice and a Seaweed and Egg Drop Soup," Su Qing told the waitress.
The waitress was taken aback. "How many people are in your party?"
"Just me."
"Can you finish all that by yourself?" Seeing the scar on Su Qing’s face had already made the waitress feel a bit sympathetic, and now that Su Qing had ordered so much food, she offered a kind reminder, "Comrade, the restaurant has a rule against wasting food."
"I’ll get it packed to go if I can’t finish it." Su Qing understood the waitress’s kind intentions and replied with a smile. Now that her superpower level had increased, her appetite had grown with it, so she could eat much more than an ordinary person.
"Alright, then." Seeing Su Qing’s response, the waitress said, "The Braised Pork Belly is one yuan and eighty fen, the Stewed Pork Ribs are one yuan, the Sweet and Sour Cabbage is sixteen fen, and three liang of rice is twelve fen plus three liang of grain ration tickets. The total is three yuan and eight fen, plus three liang of grain ration tickets. Pay first."
"Okay." Su Qing paid with her money and tickets, received a token, and found a quiet table to sit at. Before long, the food was ready, and the waitress called for Su Qing to come and get her dishes herself.
The head chef at this state-owned restaurant was quite skilled. The Braised Pork Belly was rich but not greasy, and each bite was bursting with flavor. The green beans in the pork rib stew were incredibly savory, and the ribs themselves were stewed until they were fall-off-the-bone tender. The Sweet and Sour Cabbage was also excellent. Su Qing couldn’t help but close her eyes in satisfaction as she ate. It was just too delicious.
This was Su Qing’s first time visiting a state-owned restaurant. The original owner’s memories of them had long since faded. She never would have thought that the food at a state-owned restaurant from this era could taste so good—it far exceeded her expectations.
But the price was something else. Over three yuan for one meal, plus grain ration tickets—it really wasn’t cheap. She thought about her good-for-nothing uncle, who earned just over thirty yuan a month as a full-time worker. No wonder the restaurant wasn’t very crowded, even at the peak of lunch hour.
Su Qing sighed with emotion as she ate.
But as it turns out, some people just can’t be mentioned without showing up.
Just as Su Qing was happily enjoying her meal, she saw Su Mei walk in through the restaurant entrance with her blind date.