Rebirth 1979: Marrying a poor girl at the beginning

On the way, Tang Xiaofu asked, "Zhengjun, what do you want to do with all this malt?"

"Hehe, I won't tell you first. Let me test you. Try to guess..." Lin Zhengjun said with a smile.

"Hmph, you're so mysterious. I can definitely guess it..." Tang Xiaofu said coquettishly.

When Lin Zhengjun and Tang Xiaofu brought the sprouted wheat home, Lin Sanhuai and Zhang Shuqin were immediately confused: "Where did the malt come from?"

"The Wei family."

"The Wei family doesn't want it anymore? You picked it up?"

"How can they be so kind?"

Lin Zhengjun wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "I spent 9 yuan to buy it. I don't have any money on hand, so I wrote an IOU first!"

"What? You, you actually spent money to buy sprouted wheat! You are just stupid, I want to beat you to death!" Lin Sanhuai was furious when he heard it, and picked up a broom to attack.

Zhang Shuqin grabbed Lin Sanhuai and said angrily, "Okay, okay, they've already taken the IOU, what's the point of getting anxious and angry?"

You have to give your son some face in front of his future daughter-in-law.

Lin Sanhuai had no choice but to give up. He was so angry that he looked up to the sky and sighed, almost crying: "It is really unfortunate for the Lin family to have a prodigal son like you!"

At this time, the loudspeaker on the tree of the brigade headquarters rang out, Lin Bingde's voice asking the members and educated youth to go to work.

"Uncle and aunt, don't worry. Let's work together and we will definitely be able to pay back the wheat seeds! I have to go to work now."

"Go ahead, Tang Zhiqing, don't delay earning work points. Ask the Party Secretary and the team leader to ask for leave for the three of us. We need to discuss returning the wheat seeds."

Tang Xiaofu still had to go to the fields to work and earn work points, so she left first.

"I am considered a handsome young man in the surrounding villages. I suspect that Tang Xiaofu is attracted to me because she is a beauty..."

After washing the sweat off his face, Lin Zhengjun looked at the handsome face of a twenty-year-old in the mirror hanging on the wall at the kitchen door, feeling very proud.

He has a high nose bridge, thick sword-like eyebrows, clear and pure eyes, and a side-parted hairstyle that was very fashionable in that era.

I touched my belly and found not a trace of fat. My firm abdominal muscles were clearly visible, rather than a greasy and loose beer belly.

"Dad, can I take care of our corn?"

Lin Zhengjun squatted in front of his father and said with a smile: "As long as the corn in the family is under my control, these malts will not be wasted. Not only will our family not suffer a loss, but we can also make a lot of money!"

"Hey! If you can make money, it will be a great honor for your ancestors. Your grandfather will be so happy that he will crawl out of his grave and put on a big show!"

Lin Sanhuai took out a crumpled cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a "rolled newspaper", sat on the chair, and started smoking.

The so-called "newspaper rolls" are homemade cigarettes made by rolling local tobacco with newspapers or straw paper. They taste extremely bad, but they don't cost a penny, so they became the staple cigarettes of the members.

"That's too scary! Dad, I plan to make malt sugar, which we often call sesame candy, and sell it to the supply and marketing cooperatives, or directly sell it on the black market." Lin Zhengjun suddenly said.

"Wait, when did you learn how to make sesame candy?" the old couple looked curious.

"We learned this in high school chemistry class! There is amylase in malt, which can turn starch into polysaccharides. When you pull it out, it's maltose!"

Lin Zhengjun said immediately: "After one pound of wheat sprouts, it can produce about three to four pounds of sesame candy when combined with five pounds of corn."

"The current unified purchase price for wheat is 1.6 cents per pound, and corn is about 8 cents per pound."

"Calculated this way, the cost of one pound of hemp candy is less than 20 cents."

"But now, fruit candies in state-owned stores and supply and marketing cooperatives are sold at 1.1 yuan per pound, and assorted candies are sold at 1.2 yuan per pound!"

"Sesame candy is not as sweet as fruit candy or assorted candy, but it is sweet, crispy and has a unique flavor. It's sold for 80 or 90 cents per pound. Isn't that reasonable?"

“That’s three or four times the profit!”

After hearing this, Lin Sanhuai was stunned for a long time, then his eyes lit up and his face was full of joy: "You know what, this is really a good idea!"

Zhang Shuqin calculated in her mind and said with great joy, "If 400 kilograms of malt from wheat is combined with enough corn, 1200 kilograms of sesame candy can be made. At a profit of 700 cents per kilogram, if all are sold, we can make yuan!"

"Mom, don't worry, this business will definitely make money!"

Lin Zhengjun smiled confidently and said, "We are not a sugarcane and sugar beet producing area here. We have to purchase sugar from other areas and it is supplied by tickets. The supply is simply not enough to meet the demand."

"I heard that on the black market in the county, fruit candies and assorted candies can even be sold for 1.5 yuan per pound. Why don't I sell them on the black market? I can make more money!"

"You are dreaming, but speculation will lead to jail time." Lin Sanhuai glared at him.

Lin Zhengjun smiled and said, "Dad, now a large number of educated youth have returned to the city and it is difficult to find jobs. In order to solve the employment problem of unemployed young people, the government has allowed stalls or service departments to be opened and has begun to encourage the development of individual economy. There is no risk."

"Even if you say so, I won't allow you to speculate in the black market!"

Lin Sanhuai waved his hand and said decisively: "When the maltose is made, you can only sell it to the supply and marketing cooperative. Even if the price is lowered and we make less money, we won't take the risk!"

In fact, Lin Sanhuai represents the general mentality of the masses at that time.

During the special ten years, members of Qingshan Commune were not allowed to raise more than five chickens. Even chickens and eggs were not allowed to be bought and sold privately. They could only be sold to supply and marketing cooperatives, otherwise they would have to cut off their capitalist tails.

The Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee proposed reform and opening up, and allowed the development of individual economy.

This period was a typical period of shortage economy, with severe shortage of market supply. Anyone who was brave enough to do small business could make money.

But the three-foot-thick ice did not form overnight, and it is not easy to liberate the mind. The people are still frightened and their thoughts and behaviors are very conservative.

But it is not entirely true to say that Lin Sanhuai was worrying too much.

In 1982, the "Eight Kings Incident" occurred in Wenzhou, and a "late spring cold snap" occurred in the private economy. For a time, there was panic again.

"Okay, I'll listen to you..."

Lin Zhengjun did not act on his own will, but focused on a long-term approach.

After all, there will be opportunities to make money everywhere in the future. If you invest in it now because of speculation, you will suffer a huge loss.

"Mom, sort the malt first. Pick out about 200 kilograms of malt that is about 4 centimeters long, which is about 50 kilograms of dry wheat. Wash it and chop it into pieces."

"it is good!"

"For those that have just sprouted, put them in a dustpan, basin or bucket, sprinkle some water on them and cover them with a wet cloth. Let them continue to sprout. Wait two or three days before doing anything else. If you don't have enough dustpans, basins or buckets, borrow some from your neighbors."

"okay!"

"Dad, let's go to the mill and grind our 200 kilograms of corn into grits for easy fermentation!"

"it is good!"

The family of three immediately got busy.

It was almost noon.

Two hundred kilograms of grain have been ground.

Some of the grits have been cooked, cooled, and fermented with chopped malt.

Half of the yard was filled with water jars, buckets, and basins of various sizes.

The fermentation process generally takes about six hours, and maltose can be fermented at night.

My younger sister Lin Hongying came back in a hurry, carrying a basket of pig feed.

She had probably heard about the changes at home, and her little face, covered in sweat, was filled with worry.

She glanced at the malt in the yard for a few seconds, but said nothing more. She then silently picked up the basket and went out to collect a basket of firewood.

Lin Hongying is fourteen years old this year. She studies in a commune middle school three kilometers away from her home. It is summer vacation now and she will be in the second grade of junior high school when school starts again.

Her clothes were all picked up from Lin Zhengjun's old clothes, with patches on top of patches. She was as thin as a bean sprout, and her face was pale, all due to malnutrition.

After working for a while, smoke rose from the village. It was time for lunch. After working for several hours and not having eaten well in the morning, Lin Zhengjun was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back.

Zhang Shuqin suddenly realized and hurried to the kitchen: "Oh, lunch is not ready yet, and I forgot to feed the pigs."

Lin Sanhuai became annoyed when he heard this. Just as he was about to start complaining, he heard Lin Hongying's voice coming from the main room: "Mom and Dad, it's time to eat. I've fed the pigs!"

I saw her bringing a basket of steamed buns and a bowl of stewed winter melon without a trace of oil to the dining table.

Under the eaves, firewood enough for three days was neatly stacked, as well as a pile of pig grass enough for the pigs to eat tomorrow.

"Hongying, thank you for your hard work. You are really capable!" Lin Zhengjun touched his sister's hair lovingly.

In this era, the phenomenon of favoring boys over girls is common and serious.

Girls of the same age dropped out of school early to work and support their families.

Lin Zhengjun used to support her studying, but after her quota for workers, peasants and soldiers to attend college was taken away, he became discouraged and began to think that studying was useless. He never treated her well again and often mocked and attacked her.

As a result, Lin Hongying felt extremely insecure and was both afraid of and hated her brother.

Feeling her brother's love and care for the first time, Lin Hongying was stunned for a moment, her heart warmed, and she blushed and whispered, "I only do light work, it's nothing."