Children, children, don’t be greedy, it’s the New Year after Laba Festival. Drink Laba porridge for a few days, and it will be like twenty-three. Twenty-three, sugar melon sticky. Twenty-four, write a couple. Twenty-five, frozen tofu.
On the twenty-sixth, go buy meat. On the twenty-seventh, slaughter the New Year's chicken. On the twenty-eighth, make the noodles. On the twenty-nine, steam the steamed buns. On the thirtieth night, stay up all night, and twist it on New Year's Day.
This is a New Year's ballad that is familiar to people in the old capital. However, the scenes of busyness for the New Year described in the ballad are not so complete nowadays.
Because if you read it in detail, it is not difficult to find that among the many preparations for the New Year described in folk songs, in addition to cleaning the house, the rest, such as frozen tofu, stewed pot meat, slaughtered roosters, and steamed buns, are all for
The work of preparing food for the New Year.
To put it bluntly, it is different from today's era of extremely abundant material. In the past, in addition to the expectation for family reunion, there was also a yearning for a harmonious family life. It can indulge the appetite and let the family eat as much as they want.
Heaven is the main content and real fun of the Chinese New Year.
Yes, looking forward to the Chinese New Year was indeed more material-focused back then, but this is also human nature. People who have passed through that era will never be ashamed to admit this.
Because in those days when there was a lack of food and clothing, the daily diet was almost unchangeable steamed buns and pickled radish, and occasionally pimple soup, which was full of vegetables and short of noodles. And it was often eaten only when one was sick.
If you can eat stewed meat once and eat dumplings once, for most people, the New Year is probably the only few days in the year. So being able to eat well and eat well during the New Year will become a permanent thing.
expectations.
Speaking of this, Hong Yanwu himself is quite familiar with it. He has experienced many Spring Festivals before the reform and opening up, which made him deeply understand how difficult it is to live a good New Year.
At that time, because all living necessities were provided by the government, each household had a resident purchase certificate issued by the Second Commercial Bureau of Beijing, commonly known as "non-staple food book" or "purchase book", referred to as "book", which was issued on an annual basis.
All non-staple foods needed by the people must be "written". In addition to cooking oil coupons, grain coupons, meat coupons, others such as vermicelli, vermicelli, starch, sesame paste, alkali, sugar, eggs, tofu, etc., and even daily necessities
Such as soap, toilet paper, matches, etc., all should be written in the non-staple food book.
Since the supply was rationed, things were naturally scarce. The Spring Festival supply in 1978 was not much different from previous years, except that the number of Class A cigarettes increased from two boxes to three boxes per household, and there was no need to buy pork for 20 cents at a time.
It is nothing more than following the usual practice, using the special Spring Festival ticket method, each person is given half a catty of oil, half a catty of meat, one catty of Fuqiang powder, and one catty of Xiaozhan rice. Each household is also given two bottles of white wine, five catties of fish, and two
A pound of mung beans, a pound of soybeans. In addition, each person also has half a pound of peanuts, half a pound of melon seeds, and two ounces of soy products.
So for housewives like mothers and sisters-in-law, who almost have to make ends meet, it is inevitable that they will be in trouble. They must use the strength of the whole family, spend all their money, rely on long-term savings and painstaking efforts, in order to prepare a house on New Year's Eve.
A relatively sumptuous dinner.
So even though they knew that their family had already bought everything in Hong's and Chen's shopping books, after their mother went to work, Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan still took to the streets again.
They want to go out of their way to buy again, and want to buy some "New Year's goods" in addition to the normal rations, so that the whole family can have a "fat year" and a "good year".
According to common sense, with the current economic strength of Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan, it seems that it is easy to realize this wish.
But this is not the case, because at that time, although the prices were astonishingly low, there was one thing. There was neither a free market nor free traders. Because there were too few things, you couldn't buy more if you wanted to. This
This is the characteristic of the planned economy era.
In addition, ordinary people's households at that time did not have refrigerators. Once too many foods with short shelf life were purchased, it was difficult to store them. It was also a big problem if they went bad.
So it’s a bit difficult to get started on this matter. You have to put a lot of thought into what you buy and how you buy it. It’s really a technical job.
At first, Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan went to the nearest non-staple food store on Zixin Road to see if there was any loophole they could exploit. Unexpectedly, the place was so crowded that they could hardly stand.
And they just stood in the corner and observed for a while. Not only did they find that the counter selling peanuts and melon seeds suddenly had a "war-free sign", which made the people who had been waiting in line for a long time complain. On the counter selling eggs and soy sauce and vinegar, there were also
There were two vindictive conflicts between salespeople and customers.
What’s interesting is that, regardless of whether these two incidents are right or wrong, not only did the salesperson’s side end with a resounding victory. They are also very characteristic of the era and can be regarded as two very representative microcosms of the era of material shortages.
Let’s talk about eggs first.
Since there were very few fresh eggs for sale back then, they were all shipped from far away places in containers and stored in cold storage for who knows how many days. It was inevitable that there were some "bad eggs" among the several kilograms of eggs.
At that time, eggs were a "precious" food, one was given one at a time, and there were no additional rations even during the Spring Festival. Residents had to rely on the daily ration of one pound per person per month.
Therefore, there is often a box made of plywood on the counter of a non-staple food store. A trough the size of an egg is dug out, with a layer of glass underneath the trough. There is a light bulb inside the box, which is called a "light box". Its purpose is to store the weighed eggs.
Put them one by one into the tank and take a photo to see if there are any "bad guys".
Although this thing is practical, the specific right to use it can be controlled in the hands of the salesperson. These owners with "real power" often "take care" of their relatives and friends with due diligence, but for most ordinary customers
But it's not that thorough.
Because, firstly, it is causing trouble, and secondly, the grocery store has to bear the losses of these bad guys. Who is willing to do such a thankless task?
As a result, there was a customer who was unhappy today because of this situation. The person in front of him was an acquaintance of the salesperson. When he bought eggs, he not only did not ask for a book, but also took pictures one by one and picked out five or six bad ones.
Everything went well. But when he arrived, the salesperson immediately lost his enthusiasm and stopped taking photos because he didn't think it was troublesome.
As the saying goes, "Don't worry about scarcity, but worry about inequality." This customer's heart was unbalanced. At that time, he said that none of the eggs I bought should be bad. Otherwise, I will go to your boss and sue you for using the back door.
Unexpectedly, the egg salesman was not afraid of this at all. Instead, he said to him, "The back door is just there. If you have the ability, you can leave. Do you think it will be useful to go to our leader? He even complained about the bad guys we picked out yesterday.
'There are too many. I also tell you that people need to be satisfied. This is all supported by the capital. It will be good to have your eggs to eat. If you pick and choose the fat and thin, I will not sell you if you get anxious."
The customer was so angry that he almost fell over, but in the end he had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, "What will you do if there are too many items to sell in the future?"
To be honest, apart from Hong Yanwu who could see the future, I am afraid that even the customers themselves did not believe this. So the salesperson laughed and said very proudly, "Go home and dream about your spring and autumn dreams. Even soy sauce is out of stock now."
, the Jing'er you mentioned, I can't see it anyway..."
Yes, this is the last sentence. The customer can only leave with a depressed look on his face and angrily taking the eggs that have not been touched.
As for the second thing, it was actually a dispute about the weight of "Erba Sauce".
You know, today’s all-in-one soy and vinegar seasonings are mostly available in bulk back then.
Oil is stored in iron buckets, and soy sauce, vinegar, soybean paste, jam, sesame paste, white wine, etc. are stored in jars. Whether adults or children, buying the above-mentioned things is called "beating".
"Let's make soy sauce" and "make sesame sauce" are words that are often spoken. When meeting acquaintances on the road, they often say hello in this way. If someone asks, "Where are we going?" the other person usually replies, "Let's make soy sauce."
To make soy sauce, vinegar, and wine, you need to carry a bottle. The salesperson uses a wooden quantitative "raisin" to scoop it out from the jar and pour it into the bottle through a funnel. The "raisins" are generally divided into two types: half a catty and one catty. This method is used
The original measurement method is indeed very convenient for the sale of bulk liquid commodities.
Both sesame paste and soybean paste come with their own containers. Generally, they use ceramic bowls for eating. There is no need to weigh the weight. The customer puts the bowl on the counter and says "make sesame paste for five cents." The salesperson will weigh the bowl first.
Then put the weight in the position where it should be after removing the weight of the bowl.
Since sesame paste is a rationed food that is as scarce as eggs, each person only has one or two a month. Therefore, when customers buy sesame paste, they often keep their eyes on the scale, for fear that if there is less, they will have to spend more money. And the way to get sesame paste is more complicated.
Special, if it is too much, it cannot be retracted. The salesperson sometimes deliberately punches out more to reduce disputes.
But sometimes, good intentions may not bring good results. Because no matter how much you fight, you can't resist the temptation of sesame paste, especially the sweet "Erba Sauce". As long as the children fight sesame paste, they will definitely not be able to bear it on the way home.
If you want to take a few bites, rub your index finger against the edge of the bowl and put it into your mouth. This action is called "touching your hand." Then it is inevitable that the amount of sesame paste will not be enough.
To be honest, everyone in Beijing is actually aware of this shortcoming in "purchasing". As long as adults can free their hands, they will never let their children make sesame paste. But sometimes, they are really too busy. Especially during the New Year, they have to buy things.
There are so many things, there are always long queues to buy everywhere, and adults have to go to work as usual if they have jobs. So it is inevitable that children on winter vacation will get some advantage.
Of course, adults must be mentally prepared for this. As long as it is not excessive, the expected "deficit" is tolerable.
It's just that sometimes people are not as good as God. Occasionally, a child's impulsiveness will often greatly exceed the daily bottom line, causing adults to face a bizarre and completely incomprehensible result. At this time, the child will lie again, and the adult will become anxious again.
, maybe he will get angry at the non-staple food store.
The dispute that Hong Yanwu witnessed originated from this.
There was a young man who was probably the child's uncle. He came back with a bowl angrily and said that the grocery store didn't make enough sesame paste. Their family bought six taels of "Erba Sauce" and weighed it when they took it back. There were only three taels.
.Even if the child ate it secretly, there was no way to eat it. He thought it was because the grocery store was undersupplied.
At that time, the salesperson selling soy and vinegar on the counter was an elderly woman, but she insisted that she had been doing this all her life, and no matter who she was, she would always give more sesame sauce, and never give less. The problem was definitely not in the non-staple food store.
Customers go home and find out the reasons themselves.
Then the egg salesperson next to her also chimed in and said, "Your children have only eaten three ounces of sesame paste, which is not fresh at all. Yesterday, a child ate half a kilogram of sesame paste that was just beaten, and his intestines were all slippery when we arrived home."
'Well, I just asked his mother to wash his pants. I can’t help it, the child is greedy, it’s normal..."
The customers laughed when they heard this, but the young man was young and energetic, and his face was tender, so he blushed and became thick-necked. His theory was that there were so many people shopping during the New Year, and the salesperson basically didn’t bother to use the scale to make an appointment.
, their children said that this bowl of sesame paste didn’t even weigh on the scale, and it was probably because they were given too little.
Since it was a special season, the store was very busy. The aunt who was buying soy sauce and vinegar soon became impatient when she saw that he had not finished the shopping, and refused to let the egg seller help. When she got angry, she borrowed another one on the spot and wanted to buy it too.
A customer of Liuliang Sesame Sauce came to prove his innocence.
She picked up someone else's empty bowl and put it on the scale first, then said to the young man, "Look at the weight of the bowl. They also cost six taels. I'll check it out later and it must be six taels, two cents and five. If there's any odd, there's a whole
, I want it to be a little bit missing, and I’ll make up for the sesame paste you’re missing, or if it’s not a little bit missing, you can quickly admit your mistake and leave.”
The serious young man is definitely a green boy, ignorant and unconvinced.
"Hey, you're so cool. You dare to say two cents and five cents. I really don't believe it anymore, so let's do it like this."
As it turned out, the young man was just asking for his own misfortune, and his confidence was not for nothing. After making the sesame paste, putting the bowl on the scale, and making an appointment, even all the customers present were shocked.
Not to mention, after excluding the weight of the bowl, the sesame paste is really six taels, two cents and five cents! This is called an accurate shot!
When the boy came to his senses, he was so embarrassed that he couldn't even lift his head with shame. At that time, he called "Auntie, Auntie". Then he said, "I bow to you. Are you a real person?"
Show your face, I’m convinced.”
The salesperson was an old clerk, and his temper was definitely much better than that of the young man. Moreover, because his face was exposed, his anger was smoothed over, so he could not be ignored.
It's just that the egg seller next to him had a bad temper, and his last "little talk" made the young man unkind and made everyone laugh again.
"Young man, I know that your family lives a meticulous life, but you also have to remember. It's useless to just weigh the sesame sauce bowls in your family. You have to weigh the children together in the future..."