The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 23 One Thousand Yuan and Tickets
Various canned foods and snacks.

The wrapping paper of these things was either peeled off or the key information was scraped off with a knife. After checking, the money was found to be fine and they were divided into two net bags.

Today is late September.

The sword of Damocles of weather that was hanging over the heads of the vast rural residents of Haibin City has fallen.

The typhoon entered the area the day before yesterday and brought heavy rainfall.

Although the corn of each production team has been stored in the warehouse, the peanuts have not been harvested.

Many peanut fields are severely waterlogged, making the peanut harvest more difficult.

Qian Jin listened to the news broadcast about rural production activities and then tied the net bag tightly.

Liu Dajia and Liu Eryi took the initiative to go up and carry a net bag each, and Liu Sanbing and Liu Siding followed behind him like door gods on the left and right.

As he was leaving, he asked Liu Dajia, "Are you sure her family wants to invite their future son-in-law to their house today?"

Liu Dajia said, "Sure."

"Her family was supposed to have that bus driver come to their house two days ago, but there was a storm, so they pushed it back to today."

Qian Jin nodded.

No wonder according to the diary, although Luo Huijuan had clearly stopped replying to her ex-lover, she sent him another breakup letter three days ago.

It turns out that after finding a buyer, they are inviting him to meet in person. This is the final time to make the final move.

Luo Huijuan's home is on Huashan Road, also in an old tube-shaped building.

Qian Jin knocked on the door politely.

A cheerful voice came from behind the door:

"Master Xiao Wu is here so early!"

"Oh, you old man, you're pressing down on my polyester jacket!"

When the door opened, Luo's mother had a warm smile on her face, but when she saw Qian Jin, she immediately froze into an icicle.

She had seen Qian Jin's photos.

Luo's father spoke in a stern voice from behind: "What are you doing blocking the door? Why don't you invite someone in?"

"Thank you, you're welcome." Qian Jin pushed Luo's mother aside and walked in.

The third and fourth brothers following behind him said, "Thank you, you're welcome."

After seeing Qian Jin's appearance, the dignity on Mr. Luo's face disappeared.

He glared and raised his arm, and finally said, "How dare you come to my house?"

"Are you looking for trouble? Let me tell you, the police station is just across the street..."

Qian Jin showed two large net bags and said, "What do you mean? I brought gifts to your house, and you want to call the police?"

"But you can call the police, and it would be best to report it to the neighborhood committee."

"I'll talk to them in person. I went to my partner's home to visit the elderly, but they called the police to arrest me."

Father Luo was speechless.

Luo's mother's eyeballs were stuck to the net bag and couldn't be pulled off. The tin cans were as valuable as foreign exchange coupons in the tube-shaped building.

So she said softly, "I'm afraid there's some misunderstanding between us. Sit down first, let the children sit down, and we can talk it out."

The layout of the rooms in the old tube-shaped buildings is similar.

The room was small and sparsely furnished. There was an octagonal table with cold dishes such as roast chicken, ham slices, smoked mackerel, and grilled fish fillets.

Quite rich.

Luo's mother handed Qian Jin a stool and asked:
"Xiao Qian, Xiao Juan has broken up with you. I gave you the breakup letter two days ago. What are you doing here at my house?"

Qian Jinxian said: "I went to the countryside to support agriculture a few days ago..."

Then he pretended to suddenly realize something, stood up, and asked, "What? Luo Huijuan wants to break up with me?"

"She's breaking up with me?! I've already lost my father, and I'm going to lose my lover too?!"

Luo's mother quickly said, "Xiao Qian, calm down first. Calm down and listen to me."

"We all know your situation. You work in the street labor commando team, and Xiaojuan works in the food factory."

"Look, there's still a gap of two levels between you two: small collective enterprises and large collective enterprises. Add in the state-owned enterprise level, and you're three levels apart!"

She spread her hands and said, "How can you be together when your status is three levels apart? You won't be happy together!"

Qian Jin angrily said, "When we went to the countryside, she was a pig herder and I was a movie projector. Why didn't you consider the difference in social status back then?"

"Let's not talk about your status, just talk about how you will support your family in the future." Father Luo yelled.

"Her monthly salary is almost 40 yuan, and she also gets labor insurance benefits. What about you? If you work 30 days a month, you can get a subsidy of 15 yuan..."

Hearing this, I felt excited about making money.

It was you who got into the topic!

"Talk about money, right? You want to talk about money?" He shook open the account book he had just compiled:

"In April 73, Luo Huijuan had low blood sugar. I spent three yuan and fifty cents on brown sugar that month. She was afraid of insect bites, so she spent eighty cents on Fengyoujing..."

"In May, Luo Huijuan's shoes were chewed up by pigs. She insisted on buying new shoes with black leather. I spent 5 yuan..."

"It was hot in July, and she wanted a Dacron shirt. I actually showed open-air movies for two months and saved up twelve industrial coupons..." As the account book shook, several wrinkled movie tickets floated down, including "Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy", "The Visitor on the Iceberg", and "The Secret of the Magic Gourd".
"You want to talk to me about money? Luo Huijuan wants to break up?"

"Okay! You have to pay!"

Luo's mother felt guilty and said, "Don't get excited, let's talk it over..."

Luo's father winked at Luo's mother and said, "You're here to ask for money, right?"

"That's fine, Xiao Qian, you're from the coastal city. Let's follow the city's rules and stop yelling like some uncultured country folk."

"If you two can't be together, then my family will make up for the extra money you spent during your relationship, okay?"

Qian Jin exclaimed: "Uncle, you are really well-educated and well-mannered!"

Luo's father asked, "How much do you want?"

"Go get a piece of paper. We'll give you the money, and you write a note stating that you're breaking up voluntarily."

Qian Jin said, "I calculated the money I spent on Xiaojuan, and it came to 1,280 yuan."

"Considering that we can't just care about money but also about feelings, just give me a thousand yuan!"

"Mr. Duo?!" the old couple shouted in unison.

According to statistical information published in state newspapers, the average annual salary of employees in all sectors of state ownership in 1976 was 602 yuan, or about 50 yuan per month.

The collective distribution income of members of rural people's communes was 65 yuan per year, of which only 12.8 yuan was in cash.

Taking the income of the eighth-level factory workers as an example, the monthly salary of a first-level worker in Haibin's state-owned factory is 32 yuan, a second-level worker is 38 yuan, and an eighth-level worker is only 99 yuan.

So this one thousand yuan is really amazing.

However, Qian Jin did not extort money from anyone.

He shook the account book again:
"She didn't have enough to eat these years, so I spent my money and food coupons to buy her food. She loved beauty, so I spent my money and coupons to buy her vanishing cream, clam oil, and pearl cream."

"Did I charge more than a thousand dollars for raising your daughter for four years? Did I charge a dime more from the beginning to the end?"

When it comes to real money, Luo's mother is stubborn and refuses to give in:

"More than a thousand yuan in four years? How many work points can you earn in a year? You spend two or three hundred yuan on my daughter every year? You're kidding!"

Qian Jin said, "I get a subsidy for showing movies, which adds up to about 40 yuan a month."

"I still have my father and brothers and sisters to help me. I have the remittance slips from all these years!"

Mr. Luo was willing to give money but not so much.

Just give him a few dozen dollars according to his expectations.

Qian Jin sneered: "Don't waste your time talking about a thousand yuan. If you give it to us, it's over. If you don't give it to her, the marriage will be over!"

Father Luo stood up angrily and waved his hands: "Alright, you want to threaten me? Let me tell you, I, an old worker, won't fall for that!"

"A thousand dollars? You're dreaming! I don't have a penny! If you want to make a scene, go ahead and make a scene. I'll join you!"

"Go, damn it, go call the boss and the second one back from the factory, and beat you to death, BYD..."

Luo's mother pretended to change clothes and go out.

Qian Jin held up another pile of letters and said, "That's perfect. If a fight breaks out, we can bring the neighborhood committee and the public security bureau over."

"Anyway, I have my diary and the love letters we wrote over the years. These can prove my romantic relationship with Luo Huijuan."

"Then we'll let the leaders and investigators judge. Two people are in a relationship, and someone actually found another partner. What kind of behavior is this?"

"In the city it's called being a hooligan, in the countryside it's called being a slut!" Liu Siding answered loudly.

Luo's mother forced herself to remain calm: "Kejuan wrote you a breakup letter at the end!"

Qian Jin sneered, "Why did I only receive an ordinary letter?"

"Even if she wrote me a breakup letter, let the neighborhood committee and the public security bureau judge the matter. We've been together for five or six years, and she's been eating and drinking away my time for five or six years."

"When you return to the city, find a better man to be your son-in-law, then kick me out with a breakup letter, and then call your neighbors and your son-in-law's family to judge the matter!"

Luo's father and mother were speechless.

They are not right.

Just like Luo's father said, there are local rules for this kind of thing:
If the relationship fails and they eventually break up, the two families will settle the money afterwards so that no one owes anyone anything.

But one thousand yuan is too much.

Luo's parents were determined to shirk their responsibility: "One hundred yuan, at most one hundred yuan! Don't even think about paying more..."

Qian Jin was furious: "One hundred yuan? Look at the gift I came here to get today. I used up all my dad's funeral expenses to make up for this gift!"

"Look for yourselves, can you buy these things for 500 yuan, let alone 100 yuan?"

Luo's mother glanced at the two bags of hard goods and began to think.

"Not even a penny less will do," Qian Jin said. "Not only does it require money, but we also need coupons!"

The old couple gasped.

Qian Jin looked at the new chest of drawers with the words "Seaside Passenger Transport" printed on it and sighed, "He's already tinkering with things at his mother-in-law's house before he even gets married. Such a good son-in-law is rare!"

Father Luo's face turned ashen.

(End of this chapter)