Siheyuan: Spring and Autumn

"Why are you two together again?"

Uncle Niu felt a little surprised when he saw the two of them coming together so early.

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Zheng's face suddenly broke into smiles, looking very proud. As for Chen Xueru, her face was flushed and a little shy, but the happiness on her face could not be concealed at all.

Niu Ye slapped his forehead and laughed, "I am so stupid, haha, congratulations, congratulations, haha, good, good, a talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven."

Qin Zheng said, "Thank you for your kind words. Boss He, please give Mr. Niu two taels of rice. It's my treat. Xueru and I will each have two taels of rice, and two side dishes."

"Okay, I congratulate you two, too."

After sitting down, Qin Zheng said, "Master Niu, Boss He, please keep it a secret for us for a while."

"it is good."

The two of them agreed immediately without asking the reason.

Just as they started drinking, Cai Quanwu and Qiangzi walked in. They were all white, and it was obvious that they had just finished carrying flour to the grain store.

As usual, Cai Quanwu ordered two taels of wine and drank it silently in the corner, while Qiangzi greeted everyone in the store one by one and sat down at the table.

Qiangzi drank a glass of wine and asked, "Uncle Niu, do you have enough flour?"

Niu Ye did not answer, but asked: "Where is your home?"

"Oh, it's definitely not enough! The monthly ration for adults is 30 kilograms, which is very tight."

Niu Ye said: "Yes, for someone like you who does heavy physical work, this amount is definitely not enough."

What the two are talking about now is the livelihood issue that Beijing residents are most concerned about.

This year, there has been a significant drop in grain production across the country. Food is the people’s top priority and grain ensures the safety of the world.

The country has spent a lot of effort to solve the food problem.

Just two months ago, the state officially became the sole player in the grain market.

On the one hand, they rectified the grain market, cracked down on "grain tigers" and calmed the grain crisis. On the other hand, they took over the supply of materials, opened grain stores, and sold grain to citizens at lower prices.

In order to ensure the food supply, the capital city began to implement planned supply and quantitative distribution of flour. Every household bought food at designated locations with a "flour purchase certificate". Then, food coupons came into being.

That is to say, starting from this year, each grain book will not only record the expenses of firewood, rice, oil and salt for each household, but also record the growth history of individuals and families.

The monthly ration of 30 kilograms that Qiangzi mentioned means that adults can buy 30 kilograms of flour per month, while teenagers can buy half that, and infants can buy kilograms.

Of course, this ration is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather the monthly food rations of Beijing citizens are divided into hundreds of levels according to different ages and occupations. For example, the monthly ration for Shougang furnace workers is 60 kilograms.

However, it is obvious that many families are facing a shortage of food. After all, there is a shortage of water, so the amount of food they eat will inevitably increase.

"My nephew is a little boy. He eats more than me and is still growing. But I can't treat him harshly."

Qiangzi sighed and said.

"That's right. We've all been through this age. You little brats are eating me to death. There's nothing we can do about it."

Niu Ye took a sip of wine and continued, "My family is okay. We have enough food, but not enough oil and water. The supply of meat is seriously insufficient now. Even if you have money, the total amount is limited and there is no place to buy it."

At this point, he said to Qin Zheng: "Qin Zheng, can you get some meat? Give me some, and I'm sure you won't get a bad price."

Uncle Niu knew that Qin Zheng had a Saker Falcon, so there must be no shortage of meat at home.

Qin Zheng winked at him and said, "Uncle Niu, my family is not short of meat, but Xiaodao can't grab too much. You don't know that last time, the people in our yard blocked the door of my house."

Niu Ye understood Qin Zheng's look immediately and asked, "What's going on?"

Everyone in the store was very curious.

"It was because Xiaodao would occasionally catch a rabbit or pheasant for our family that the people in our compound got jealous and blocked our door, demanding that our family agree to give each household in the compound a chicken and a rabbit every month, saying that it would provide nutrition for the elderly and children."

Niu Ye slammed the table and said, "Oh, is this really possible? This is too shameless."

"Yes. It made my mother very angry. I happened to see them, and I told them that Xiaodao was a national hero. How dare you want to exploit a national hero? You are so bold. Whoever dares to mention it again will be sent to a military court."

"Haha, that's the truth." Uncle Niu laughed.

Chen Xueru heard about this for the first time and said angrily: "These people are shameless and forget their principles when they see profit."

Qiangzi said: "Qin Zheng, they don't know you are good at martial arts. They dare to block your door. Aren't you afraid that you will beat them up?"

Qin Zheng smiled and said, "Qiangzi, beating someone up is always the worst option."

Niu Ye said: "That's right. Although I'm not well educated, I know that martial arts means stopping war, it cultivates the body and nurtures the character. Practicing martial arts is to protect the country, not for the sake of being aggressive and violent."

Qiangzi said: "So you're going to let them go so easily?"

Qin Zheng said, "What Xueru said just now is right. They are a group of people who forget their principles for the sake of profit, ignorant and fearless. When I reminded them of Xiaodao's identity, they were so scared that they immediately nodded and begged for mercy, and they almost knelt down. One of them was so scared that he peed. Killing people is not right. If I catch them again, my reputation will be tarnished ten miles away here. However, I also warned them that if they happen again, I will never let them off easily."

"That's right." Uncle Niu nodded in agreement.

Leaving the tavern, Niu Ye said, "Qin Zheng, you can get some meat, right?"

Qin Zheng said, "Uncle Niu, I have a few friends who can get meat, including pigs, sheep, and poultry. They also occasionally go hunting and get wild animals, such as wild boars, roe deer, deer, pheasants, and rabbits. If you need it, I can help you."

Qin Zheng's meaning was very clear. He could act as a middleman. After all, Xiaodao could only catch small animals. As for large animals, whether they were domestic pigs, wild boars, or roe deer, Xiaodao was not capable of hunting them.

"Pork would be great. I have a large family and the New Year is coming soon. Please try to arrange it for me. Any amount is fine. We can trade at the black market price."

Niu Ye’s meaning was very clear, he had plenty of money, and no matter how much you brought, he could eat it all.

Chen Xueru once said that Niu Ye’s family was a large family. Their ancestors were bannermen, the Zhengbai Banner, one of the three upper banners, and had a rich family background.

Not only that, many of the people around Niu Ye’s house are his relatives and old friends, and their situations are similar to his.

Of course, a wealthy family doesn’t mean having a lot of cash, it just means having a lot of valuable things.

"Okay, I'll deliver it to your house tomorrow night."

The transaction with Niu Ye cannot be handled by He Yuzhu like the transaction with the steel mill, but must be handled by Qin Zheng personally.