Rebirth of the Legend of the Red Age

Chapter 130, Gifts, Favors
Wang Li took this opportunity to mention the gifts for several families. He said to them: My trip to the north was so smooth thanks to your help, whether it was helping to prepare supplies and vehicles before I left, or taking care of my family while I was away.

Although we are not outsiders, I still want to thank you.

So don’t be disgusted. All the things I brought are mountain products. When you leave at night, you can take them back by car.

Zhang Fang was a generous man, and he said directly: "Then we won't be polite with you. What did you bring back for us? Tell me so that I can be happy."

Life is so hard now. There is a shortage of food everywhere in Kyoto. To be honest, I can only eat meat in big mouthfuls when I am at your house.

Although your family often sends rice, flour, grain and meat to my family, we also have to take care of relatives and friends, so we don’t keep much for ourselves.

If I get more this time, my family can live comfortably for a while.

After saying that, he burst into laughter.

Li Ren teased him and said: You are so rude. I haven't even said I would give it to you yet, but you're already complaining!

After saying that, Li Ren turned his head to Wang Li and said: “But if you have a lot of things at home, I don’t recommend helping you share them.

He also started laughing as he spoke.

Zhao Gang continued, “Yes, yes, yes. I have a big family and can help you share the pressure. You can give me some of Li Ren’s share and I can share some of the burden for him.”

Wang Li knew that this was a joke. No matter how much he gave them, they would happily accept it.

But this joke also indirectly shows that food is indeed in short supply. Even the three families of cadres like them have reached the point where they are struggling to get enough food.

From this we can see what life is like for ordinary people!
If the Wang family didn't have Wang Li, they would probably have a hard time surviving the famine, especially since Zheng Lan had just given birth. Having a baby at home would make life even more difficult.

Wang Li laughed for a while and then said: I'm not kidding you guys. I got a lot of things for you this time. It's a good thing that you don't leave until the evening, so you can just use your bicycle to pull them back, and it won't be so conspicuous.

I told you before that I gained a lot from my trip to the north this time, after all, someone helped me with the transportation.

It saves time, and there are many more animals in the deep mountains of the north than here. After all, the population is sparser and the forests are denser and more primitive.

An afternoon passed by while we chatted and laughed.

After dinner in the evening, Wang Li came to the underground warehouse at the entrance of the courtyard and put 200 kilograms of smoked meat, a tiger skin and a bear skin that had been prepared for each family into two huge bags.

He also helped them hang these things on the back seat of the bicycle. The families were all a little stunned at this time. Although they knew that Wang Li would give them a lot of things, they didn't expect that there would be two big bags.

It's just that they have a very close relationship with Wang Li's family, so they feel a little embarrassed.

Zhao Qiang asked: "You won't take all our things away, will you? Although supplies are in short supply now, we have some stock at home, so there is no need to do this."

Wang Li laughed and said: Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. These are just part of the supplies I brought back.

The bag contained three kinds of smoked meat: tiger meat, bear meat, and wild boar meat, which together weighed 200 kilograms, as well as a bear skin and a tiger skin.

If you cannot eat the meat in the short term, you can give it to relatives and friends. After all, you are not your own family in Kyoto.

If it’s not enough, you can come to my house and get more. You’re welcome. You also know that I have stockpiled a lot of food and supplies in the early stage.

When the families heard what Wang Li said, they all felt relieved.

But given the circumstances at the time, this favor was really too much.

Who could have thought that while other families couldn't even get half a pound of meat, they could receive 200 pounds of smoked meat, which is equivalent to 400 pounds of fresh meat.

Not to mention tiger and bear skins. You know, the weather is getting colder and colder, and it's the time when we need furs and other cold-proof materials to survive the winter.

The families did not refuse, and simply said thank you, then rode their bicycles to take their families and gifts home. (Here is an explanation of why they did not take a special car. First, people were very conscious at that time, and they were unwilling to let their families take the public bus unless it was necessary. Second, there were too many people and there was no room.)
Since Lai San and his wife were the only two of them, Wang Li rode a bicycle to help them deliver the supplies back.

In short, Wang Li’s trip to the north, the distribution of gifts has come to an end.

After receiving the gifts, several families believed that they would be able to live a prosperous life for a while, and they could also use these things to exchange for more favors and desired relationships. After all, these were things that money could not buy.

The ticket era has arrived. In 1959, due to material shortages, Longguo entered a ticket era that lasted for more than 30 years, and various types of tickets became necessities of people's lives.

Therefore, people now cannot buy what they want even if they have money, which makes materials even more precious.

Wang Li really did a big favor by doing this.

(End of this chapter)