Chapter 59: Wu Liu, Buying Special Supply Fabric Coupons!

“Then take it easy!”

He called out, then turned and followed the donkey cart away.

Xie Zhao headed straight for the State-Owned Restaurant.

Helper Huang was not surprised to see the wild rabbit. He bought it at a price of two yuan and fifty cents per jin.

He smacked his lips, blew a smoke ring, and put the rabbit into the freezer. Looking at Xie Zhao with satisfaction, he said, “That wild boar meat was really firm and flavorful! If you come across any more, get a few more for me. We can easily negotiate the price!”

“If I get any, you’ll definitely be the first person I bring them to!”

Xie Zhao said with a smile.

As he spoke, he handed another cigarette to Helper Huang and asked, “Uncle, I wanted to ask you about something.”

Having accepted the favor, Helper Huang did not even raise his eyelids as he nodded. “Speak.”

“Do you know where I can buy Special Supply Fabric Coupons?”

Special Supply Fabric Coupons?

Helper Huang finally glanced at Xie Zhao. “What do you want those for?”

These days, although purchasing policies had relaxed and goods were usually bought with coupons, one could still buy things at a slightly higher price without them.

But that was limited to ordinary goods.

Once it involved high-end alcohol and tobacco, or high-grade fabrics and the like, special supply coupons were required.

As the name implied, they were supplied only to a small segment of the population.

Each county was allocated quotas based on its circumstances. Usually, only employees of public institutions could obtain these coupons. And having the coupons was not enough; one still needed the money.

In short, the things that special supply coupons could buy were the true luxury items of this era.

“I want to buy some good fabric to make a few decent clothes for my wife and kid,” Xie Zhao said. “Life was hard when we got married, and we didn’t have the means. Now that I’ve made some money, I want to make it up to her.”

“You really dote on your wife!”

Helper Huang chuckled.

He thought for a moment and said, “I don’t have any of those on me. But if you really want to buy some, go check out the dance hall in the north of the city. There’s a guy selling roasted melon seeds at the entrance. He’s my nephew, and he loves dabbling in these kinds of back-alley dealings. He probably has some.”

As soon as Xie Zhao heard the location, he knew it was a safe bet.

He smiled, thanked the man, and turned to head to the north of the city.

*

The northern part of Hudong County was considered the most extravagant area in the entire county.

There were dance halls, video halls, hair salons, and foot massage parlors.

As soon as he turned the corner, Xie Zhao caught the faint scent of perfume and cigarette smoke in the air.

He tied up his mule, tidied his clothes, and walked out of the alley.

The Dance King Dance Hall was located right at the front of the street.

It had a colorful storefront. Next to it stood two long, tri-colored light tubes that spun as soon as the lights inside turned on. Two large pillars were painted pink, and right in the middle hung a blue sign with “Dance King Dance Hall” written in bold red strokes.

A blackboard was placed next to it.

Written on it was today’s program: “Saxophone Performance: Katyusha!”

Tickets were already on sale, and people were crowding inside. The ticket booth was right at the main entrance, and the price was not cheap: two yuan a ticket.

Xie Zhao walked over and scanned the crowd, immediately spotting three vendors selling roasted melon seeds.

The one on the right was an elderly woman holding a small wooden box with the words “Roasted Goods” written on the outside. She was squatting and looking around at the passersby.

Another was a middle-aged man.

He looked tense and kept his head down, clutching an enamel mug while holding newspaper sheets for wrapping the seeds in his other hand. His eyes darted around, clearly finding the work embarrassing.

As for the last one remaining.

He was a young man around Xie Zhao’s age.

He was holding a bicycle, which had a wooden box mounted on the back rack. The box was divided into two compartments, both piled high with melon seeds.

Paper labels glued to bamboo skewers were stuck into the seeds, indicating the flavors.

Five-spice and original.

Whenever someone buying tickets walked past, he would immediately greet them with a bright smile.

“Care for some melon seeds, sir? Give them a try! My mom roasted them herself! They’re delicious! We have both five-spice and original! Even if you don’t buy, you can try a couple!”

He had a bright smile and a crisp voice, looking like a naturally cheerful young man at first glance.

It was easy to like him.

His business was also the best.

By the time Xie Zhao walked over, more than half of the seeds in his box were sold, and the small pouch holding his change was bulging.

“Buying some melon seeds?”

Seeing Xie Zhao approach, Wu Liu flashed a bright smile and gestured. “Have a taste! My mom roasted them! They’re really fragrant!”

Hearing this, Xie Zhao took two seeds and tossed them into his mouth.

Indeed, they were flavorful.

“Give me one jin of each.”

One yuan per jin was twenty cents more expensive than at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

But this was the entrance to a dance hall, so this price was perfectly normal.

“You got it!”

Wu Liu quickly grabbed some newspaper, folded it into a pouch, and scooped the seeds in cup by cup.

“One cup is exactly two liang. If you’re worried, you can weigh it when you get home. If it’s short, just come back and tell me, and I’ll make up the difference!” Wu Liu said with a smile.

Xie Zhao took the melon seeds and paid. Instead of leaving, he looked at him with a smile and asked, “Do you know Helper Huang? He told me to look for you.”

Helper Huang?

The smile on Wu Liu’s face stiffened slightly. He sized Xie Zhao up before saying, “Oh, so Uncle Huang sent you?”

He crossed his arms, squinted, and looked at Xie Zhao. “What’s the matter?”

In that instant, a subtle change seemed to come over Wu Liu.

He looked completely composed, exuding a shrewdness and sophistication that did not match his age.

Xie Zhao narrowed his eyes but did not mind. After all, dealing in these things meant constantly walking the line of speculation and profiteering. Who here was truly innocent and naive?

“I want to buy some special supply coupons. Do you have any?”

Special supply coupons?

Hearing those words, Wu Liu burst into a grin. “What kind of special supply coupons? Sewing machine or bicycle? Let me make this clear first: coupons for those two items are extremely scarce, and they don’t come cheap.”

Bicycles and sewing machines were among the “Four Great Items.”

These days, especially in the county seat, couples getting married were expected to buy the Three Rounds and One Sound.

The “three rounds” referred to a sewing machine, a bicycle, and a wristwatch, while the “one sound” was a radio.

However, buying any of these four items required coupons.

Although these coupons were not considered special supply, they were only distributed to government offices and institutions, making them extremely hard to come by.

Xie Zhao shook his head and smiled. “I don’t need those for now. I want fabric coupons.”

Fabric coupons?

Wu Liu froze for a moment.

Someone actually wanted those?

In the black market, fabric coupons were practically useless, far from a necessity. Well-off families preferred to buy ready-made clothes at the city’s department store.

After all, those were imported brands, stylish and bright.

As for the poor families, they were out of the question.

They were just thankful if they could afford the ordinary cloth at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

Let alone coming to the black market to get Special Supply Cloth from him!

“What’s wrong? Can’t get them?”

Seeing that Wu Liu remained silent, Xie Zhao asked softly.

“Is there anything I can’t get my hands on?”

Wu Liu scoffed immediately and lazily held up a single finger. “One Da Tuanjie for twenty meters’ worth of Special Supply Fabric Coupons. I’ll have them for you tomorrow morning.”