Drama Couple in the 80s

Chapter 17

It was spring of the year 1980, and there wasn't even a small grocery store in their village and the residents had to travel all the way to the commune's supply and marketing cooperative to buy supplies.

Jiang Ya and He Cheng had planned to meet at noon, so Jiang Ya prepared lunch early that morning. After work, she turned to Song Shixia and said, "Mother, can you give me some money? I need to go to the commune to buy groceries. There's congee in the pot, just put the buns on top to warm them up."

"What do you need?"

"I'm buying feminine products and toilet paper," Jiang Ya replied.

"Spending money again?" Song Shixia chided her. "Since we're out of money, why don't you take some eggs from your stash and trade them for a few boxes of matches and a bar of washing soda instead?"

Jiang Ya asked, "Is there anything else you want to bring? I think we're running low on salt at home."

"Then let's get another pound of salt," Song Shixia said. "Just don't spend it carelessly—I have my own count of those eggs."

On the other side of the wall, He Cheng was asking Bao Lanxiang for money as well.

"You need brush your teeth too?" Bao Lanxiang asked. "If not, you could buy yourself a toothbrush. Your brother has toothpaste, so you can share with him."

"He'll let me use his?" He Cheng asked. "Or maybe you could give me more money, then, so I can buy some lard. He treats this stuff like his lifeblood—he hides it away and won't let me touch it. He still has change left over to buy candy."

Bao Lanxiang didn't respond immediately but paused before taking out 50 cents for him.

He Cheng walked out of the village entrance when Jiang Ya arrived with her bicycle, carrying an egg basket tied to the handlebars. To prevent the eggs from breaking, straw had been stuffed inside.

He Cheng got on the bike while Jiang Ya sat on the back seat holding the basket. The two headed toward the commune together.

Jiang Ya took one of the buns from the basket and handed it to He Cheng, who accepted it with one hand as he kept pedaling, stuffing it into his mouth and declaring it delicious. The bun was filled with radish and bean thread flour, plain by today's standards, but it tasted wonderful.

"Of course," said Jiang Ya, "I made them myself. These days, we don't get white bread buns every day."

Eating became their most pressing concern.

He Cheng complained, "Everyday salted cabbage and dried radish, this is no way to live. Now I even want to bite into those pigs in the shed."

Unable to hold back, Jiang Ya burst into laughter, which prompted He Cheng to take another bite of the bun amid her giggles. Once his stomach stopped grumbling, he could focus on riding again.

He Cheng worried that 50 cents might not be enough to buy a tube of toothpaste. Jiang Ya assured him that 50 cents wasn't bad; Bao Lanxiang must have been quite generous this time.

"You may not have enough for both a toothbrush and toothpaste. Toothpaste these days is expensive, and Supply and Marketing doesn't always stock it. You might need more than 50 cents. Toothpaste containers are made of aluminum, so you can even sell them for 5 cents per piece."

Jiang Ya said, "Most people buy toothpaste, it's cheap. The brand I bought only costs 18 cents per pack and is quite effective."

With 50 cents to spend on groceries, even though He Cheng knew this era was inexpensive compared to his own time, he still found it hard to believe.