After an exchange, Ding Yun successfully secured her vegetable supply for the next half-year. The aunties and elder ladies, happy with their soaps and scented soaps, cheerfully linked arms and headed home.
On the way back, they couldn't stop talking about how kind Ding Yun was.
So generous and capable.
They marveled at how having relatives working in factories and connections was so advantageous. Such hard-to-get scented soap could be acquired so easily, and more could be obtained after it was used up.
This was far more impressive than the village head.
Simultaneously, they all decided that it was important to maintain a good relationship with her.
Perhaps in the future, when their children got married, they could ask for favors to procure a rare item or two, which would surely bring face to the family during the wedding.
Meanwhile, it was only after the aunties and elder ladies had left that Zhao Xiaotang, who had been quietly lingering in a corner too shy to speak, finally emerged. She invited Ding Yun:
"Um, hello, my name is Zhao Xiaotang. I'm also a sent-down youth like you. Er... we were thinking that since you're also a zhiqing, our relationship should be closer than with the ordinary villagers.
You've just arrived, and everyone wants to give you a small welcome.
So, I've been asked to invite you to lunch."
Zhao Xiaotang's current level of surprise and envy was no less than that of the aunties and elder ladies earlier. However, because she was on a mission, she didn't immediately ask if she could buy soap. Instead, she stated her main purpose first. The soap could be brought up later.
It would be just as effective to mention it after lunch.
Ding Yun readily accepted her invitation, of course. After all, for the next few years, she intended to offend no one and get along with everyone as much as possible. Villagers were one group she needed to maintain good relations with, and the sent-down youths were certainly another.
Favoring one group over another was a surefire way to cause trouble.
Therefore, she immediately smiled warmly and replied:
"Oh, that's wonderful! I should have been the one inviting you, but I've been a bit busy since I just arrived and haven't had the chance. How about this, please wait a moment, and I'll bring something over to contribute to the meal.
It'll only take two or three minutes. Just a moment!"
With that, Ding Yun immediately returned to her bedroom. From the pile of food by her bedside table, she took out some vacuum-packed braised items and sausages. She then unwrapped them one by one, put them into a woven bamboo basket wrapped in brown paper.
Afterward, she picked up the basket and left.
Linking arms with Zhao Xiaotang, they walked away.
Along the way, the two chatted a bit, discussing how many sent-down youths were at the youth point, how many were male and female, what kind of people they generally were, and their names.
Through their conversation, Ding Yun quickly learned that there were a total of eleven sent-down youths in Dawang Village, six males and five females. The earliest had been there for nearly five years, while the latest, excluding Ding Yun, had only arrived last year, less than a year ago.
They had been cooking and eating together.
Taking turns cleaning, cooking, and so on.
There had been conflicts among them initially, but since their distance from the villagers was greater, they could only band together for warmth.
At most, they would argue amongst themselves.
When faced with external issues, they could largely present a united front.
Because most of them were not very old, the oldest being only twenty-four, no one was currently considering settling down there permanently, getting married, and having children.
They all still held onto the hope of returning to the city.
After only a few minutes of casual conversation, Ding Yun and Zhao Xiaotang arrived at the former granary, now the sent-down youth point, and were warmly welcomed by the others. Ding Yun handed the basket and its contents to the two who, wearing aprons, were clearly in charge of cooking.
Only then did she politely engage in pleasantries with them.
Sometimes, it was like this. No matter how much guests liked the gifts brought by guests, courtesy demanded that they offer some words like, "You really shouldn't have; how could we accept such things? We're so embarrassed."
Ding Yun, of course, played along, replying, "It's nothing, really. It's my first time visiting, how could I come empty-handed? It's just a small contribution to the meal for everyone."
After the polite exchange, the pre-cooked dishes were heated.
Then, it was time to sit down and eat.
Although the vacuum-packed pre-cooked dishes didn't taste as good as local specialties made fresh, even sent-down youths from affluent families found it difficult to eat meat daily. Moreover, their cooking skills were limited, and their usual meals could only be described as edible, far from delicious. Thus, everyone quickly forgot about pleasantries and inquiries, digging into the food with gusto.
After the meal, Zhu Wenxi, the most senior among them, felt a bit embarrassed because the food had been devoured so cleanly:
"Haha, you must be laughing at us. After living here for a few years, we only get to eat some meat on festivals and holidays. Eating meat on ordinary days depends on luck, on whether we can buy it on the black market, so our table manners might be a bit unseemly.
I'm not afraid to tell you, this is the first time we've eaten meat this month. We thought we'd treated ourselves by pooling money to buy a chicken, but we didn't expect to benefit from your generosity.
Um, if you encounter any trouble in the future, or if you're unfamiliar with any area nearby, feel free to ask us. If you're lacking anything, just come to us.
We'll definitely do our best to help.
After all, we've been here longer than you.
We definitely know this place better than you do. Let's help each other, and I believe that as long as we persevere, we will eventually return to the city!"
Soon, other sent-down youths chimed in.
"That's right, that's right! We must help each other!"
"You're like a little sister here, helping you is only natural. We supported each other when we first came, and as long as we persevere, we will see the dawn!"
After all, they were young and a bit shy. They found it difficult to directly ask Ding Yun to help them buy things, so they could only hint around by saying they needed to help each other.
Since Ding Yun had the intention of building good relationships, she naturally wouldn't pretend to misunderstand. She immediately smiled and said:
"Don't worry, if I need anything, I won't be polite.
When I first came, I did wonder if life in the countryside would be too hard. I didn't expect the reality to be a bit tougher than I imagined. Since we'll all be fellow travelers from now on, we should indeed help each other.
Well, how should I put it? My situation is probably known to you all. Fresh meat might be a bit difficult for me to get, but cured meat, salted meat, and vacuum-packed canned goods, I can manage to get those.
As for everyday items that aren't particularly expensive,
I can also find ways to get them. None of them require ration coupons, but there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
I need to clarify the drawbacks in advance.
The items I can get are usually older, like cured meat and sausages. They might spoil after another six months or so. It's the same for canned goods. I can only guarantee that the items are not spoiled when you receive them, but their shelf life will definitely not be as long as those bought with ration coupons.
But as long as you eat them upon receiving them and use them immediately,
there will be no problem.
If any of you need these things in the future, I can help you find them. For items with particularly short shelf lives, they might not only be ticket-free but also offered at a fifty percent discount, or even lower. Do you all understand?"
"We understand, we understand! We know that old grain is indeed cheaper than new grain, but people without connections can't get it at all, not even broken rice."
"I know. In the past, old styles of fabric from the textile factory, or fabric that had been soaked, were all sold at a low price, even at a loss. Now, textile factories are not as free as they used to be, and they can't privately dispose of them.
They just pile up and rot.
"Regardless, it's great to be able to exchange for things. Sister Fenfen, are you available now? We really need your help right now.
We truly lack everything."
"Yes, we're really troubling you. We promise to keep it a secret and absolutely won't tell anyone."
Facing their eager expressions, Ding Yun did not hesitate for too long. She quickly nodded and said:
"No problem, but let's still try to exchange.
Tell me what you need, and I'll give you a price. Then you can see if there's anything you can exchange!"