Aunt Mao said, “Ah, it’s the supply and marketing cooperative. These past few days, every time we go, we can’t buy anything. We’re out of kerosene at home, out of matches, out of soy sauce, out of brown sugar. These are urgent needs, and you can only borrow from others so many times. So we have to keep making trips to the cooperative.”
They could ask someone to buy for them, but with the shortages lately, everyone was trying to buy for their own households. Asking others to help had also become difficult.
Yun Su hadn’t realized the supply shortages were this severe. Brown sugar was particularly important. Several babies had been born in the village recently. After giving birth, the local custom was to make the new mother brown sugar and egg water to replenish her body. As for milk production, that was easier—cut‑tlefish soup was especially effective.
The other aunties on the oxcart heard Aunt Mao’s words and joined in complaining.
Someone noticed Yun Su and asked, “Yun Su, your boyfriend brought big bags and bundles yesterday. Did he buy all that stuff at the town cooperative?”
Yun Su shook her head. “No, he brought it from home.”
Everyone was envious when they heard that. City people really were different—they had money, ration coupons, and places to buy things. When we fishermen try to buy lamp oil or candles, they’re out of stock.
Chatting away, they soon arrived in town.
——
This was Yun Su’s second time in town.
The county had nine towns in total, and hers was a very small one. The neighboring town was the county seat, what they now called the commune. Her eldest uncle’s family lived there.
In her memory, her original self had been there a few times, and it was very lively. Up from the county seat was the city center of the island. Compared to Yangcheng, it was quite backward, but it was the liveliest place on the island.
Of course, for now, Yun Su had no chance to visit the city center or Yangcheng. She would just walk around the small town, with the main goal of buying some nice fabric to make clothes.
The supply and marketing cooperative was as bustling as ever.
Yun Su saw many people coming out with things in their hands and felt quite happy. Finally, today was a good day. The aunties on the oxcart had been really struggling.
She followed the aunties inside and watched them tell the sales clerk what they wanted, asking her to write out the requisition slips. But the clerk demanded to see their letters of introduction.
This move left Yun Su stunned.
When people from their village came to town, they were indeed supposed to have letters of introduction. But generally, no one checked, because there was no need. The whole town was only so big, and there were only a few fishing villages under it.
“Checking letters of introduction before selling goods is our duty as sales clerks. Otherwise, if some vagrant comes to buy something, are we supposed to sell to them?”
After the villagers questioned this practice, they immediately received this high‑sounding explanation.
Yun Su went over and asked directly, “Aunt Mao, did you have to show letters of introduction when you came yesterday?”
Aunt Mao shook her head. “Yesterday the counters were empty. We left without asking. But today, the counters are actually quite well‑stocked. And now they’re asking for letters of introduction. Who brings a letter of introduction just to buy something in town?”
This was a remote, poor place, and no one ever checked, so nobody had brought a letter of introduction.
“Ah, I’ll go ask the two oxcart drivers. They might have theirs on them.” One of the aunties remembered this and ran out.
Yun Su breathed a sigh of relief. She was about to go check out the fabric counter when the sales clerk at the cookie counter called out to her.
It was Hong Li, the same clerk who had sold her the broken cookie pieces.
——
“Sister, is something wrong?” Yun Su walked over and asked quietly. From Hong Li’s manner, it seemed she had something to say.
Hong Li pointed with her chin toward the back office. “It’s hard for people from your Yunjia’ao Production Brigade to buy things here. If it’s not urgent, it’s best to send someone who doesn’t look familiar.”
Yun Su found this very strange. What did she mean that their brigade couldn’t buy things easily here?
Hong Li didn’t beat around the bush. She had called out to Yun Su because she liked her and couldn’t stand how Chen Xiangye was stirring up trouble in the cooperative.
That’s right—this was all Chen Xiangye’s doing.
It turned out that three days ago, the town cooperative had a meeting. They said that due to recent supply shortages, and to crack down on speculation and resale, anyone buying goods had to show a letter of introduction for inspection by the sales clerk.
This requirement was actually quite normal. After all, leaving the village required a letter of introduction. In practice, it was often omitted because no one checked in town. Only when going to the commune or the city was it necessary. But now the cooperative wanted to strictly enforce the rule, and there was nothing anyone could say about it.
At first glance, this rule seemed unrelated to the Yunjia’ao Production Brigade.
But when Yun Su connected the rule to Chen Xiangye, she immediately understood.
Hong Li nodded with an inscrutable expression. “Yes, it’s aimed at your brigade. I heard she has a relative in Yangcheng who went to your village for a blind date and got shown up by some girl. Oh, right—that girl was the one who came to our cooperative throwing her weight around last time.”
After hearing this, Yun Su was really speechless.
——
Chen Xiangye was going to take revenge on their entire production brigade over something like that?
“How does she plan to get revenge? It’s not like if someone from our brigade shows a letter of introduction, she can just refuse to sell to them, right?”
Hong Li nodded. “She can say they’re out of stock. When your people come, she’ll say there’s no stock. If she absolutely has to sell, she can water down the kerosene, put sand in the brown sugar… There are all kinds of ways to make your life difficult.”
Yun Su understood completely. Chen Xiangye didn’t dare engage in open retaliation, so she was using underhanded tricks to make things unpleasant.
But her tactic was effective.
Their village was just a fishing village. They didn’t have the means to confront the supply and marketing cooperative directly.
Thinking back to Liu Zhaodi’s smug words outside during Yun Feng’s blind date, Yun Su felt a bit embarrassed to ask further. But she still pressed Hong Li. “Sister, does Chen Xiangye have solid connections in Yangcheng? I heard she has a relative at the Friendship Store there.”
Hong Li nodded. “Yes, her whole family is in the supply and marketing system. So even the director has to give her face. Anyway, if your village needs to buy things recently, it’s better to go to the commune instead. This will probably blow over in a few months.”
“Thank you, Sister, for the advice.”
Yun Su thanked Hong Li very sincerely. Although she could tell that Hong Li’s advice was partly driven by a desire to see them cause trouble for Chen Xiangye, her words had indeed been eye-opening.
——
While they were talking, the auntie who had gone to ask the oxcart drivers for letters of introduction had already returned.
Sure enough, when the letter of introduction was produced, the sales clerk changed her tune and said the goods were sold out.
Whatever the auntie asked for, the clerk said it was out of stock. The same treatment at other counters. Finally, she found that kerosene was supposedly in stock.
But Yun Su brought up the issue of water adulteration, and combined with the fact that a few days ago Liu Zhaodi had been wailing at night because her kerosene had been so watered down it wouldn’t light, they didn’t dare buy the kerosene and take it home.
So the group filed out of the supply and marketing cooperative, deflated.
“This is unacceptable. We need to tell the brigade leader.”
After leaving the cooperative, Yun Su didn’t waste any time. She told the villagers roughly what Hong Li had said. She had to warn them—otherwise, if they went to buy soy sauce, kerosene, or brown sugar, who knew what they might end up with.
——
They had come early, so they returned to the production brigade early too.
Yun Su came back with everyone. The town had no black market, and with the cooperative refusing to sell, there was nothing to do but go home.
She was more interested in what everyone planned to do next.
Because these people said they were going to find Yun Feng and make her solve the problem—since she was the one who had caused it.
Yun Su recalled how these same people usually sang Yun Feng’s praises. But now that something had gone wrong, they didn’t hesitate for a moment—they wanted Yun Feng to fix it immediately.
Some went to find the brigade leader, the brigade party secretary, and the old village chief. Others went to find Yun Feng and spread the news through the village.
Soon, everyone gathered at the brigade headquarters.
Yun Su’s mother walked over carrying a basket of vegetables. She had just been in the vegetable garden picking ingredients for lunch when she heard the news of a brigade assembly.
Without wasting words, Yun Su quickly explained what had happened at the town supply and marketing cooperative.
Yun Su’s mother gasped. “How dare they do that?”
Yun Su shrugged. “Because their actions are technically within the rules.”
When operating within the confines of the regulations, no one could do anything about it.
Up on the platform, the brigade leader was already shouting for everyone to quiet down. Then Aunt Mao, who frequently went to town, stepped forward and told everyone what had happened that day.
Those who hadn’t gone out let out a collective gasp.
The timid ones immediately started complaining about why anyone would offend the supply and marketing cooperative.
The more hot-blooded ones said they should go to the cooperative and demand an accounting.
Actually, Yun Su didn’t think Yun Feng’s actions in offending the cooperative had been wrong per se. But they didn’t fit the current local circumstances.
Judging by what happened, Yun Feng’s show of force at the cooperative that day must have angered everyone there up and down. Otherwise, Chen Xiangye wouldn’t have been able to stir up such trouble.
——
So it went—one person, one opinion. The brigade headquarters soon became as noisy as a vegetable market.
The brigade leaders didn’t try to stop it. They just shifted their stances from time to time, clearly waiting for someone.
Sure enough, soon the person they were waiting for arrived.
“Look, Yun Feng is here, Yun Feng is here! We need to send her to town to settle things with the cooperative. She was so capable last time, wasn’t she? Now she needs to solve this problem.”
Yun Feng already knew exactly what had happened. The person who had come to fetch her had explained everything on the way.
She still had one hand pressed to her ribs, putting on a weak and fragile appearance.
As soon as she stepped onto the platform, she bowed to the villagers and apologized. “I’m sorry. It’s because I got carried away trying to stand up for Yun Su that I offended the cooperative. Now everyone is having trouble buying things.”
Yun Su, standing below, heard this and laughed out loud. She didn’t step onto the platform. Instead, she shouted from where she stood, “Nobody asked you to stand up for me. If I wanted to stand up for myself, I would. Take responsibility for your own actions. Don’t drag me into this.”
At these words, everyone turned to look at Yun Su.
Yun Su smiled and swept her gaze across the crowd. “Right? Am I right or not? I’m right. I never have and never will ask Yun Feng to do anything on my behalf. From now on, if anyone hears anything about this topic, it’s false. Completely false—got it?”
Seizing this opportunity, Yun Su decisively cut ties with Yun Feng, lest the shameless woman continue using the excuse of “caring for her younger cousin” to pull all sorts of bizarre stunts.
Yun Feng, who had been fully prepared to drag Yun Su into the mess, was stunned by Yun Su’s sudden and public rupture.
Why had Yun Su turned out like this?
The question flashed through Yun Feng’s mind, but she immediately put on a wounded expression. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have acted on your behalf without asking your thoughts.”
“It wasn’t on my behalf…”
Yun Su once again rudely interrupted her.
Yun Feng, now certain of her resolve, no longer dared to involve her in her remarks.
“I will find a way to solve this problem for everyone. Until then, I can only ask you to bear with it and buy your things from the commune’s cooperative instead. I’m sorry…”
With that, Yun Feng bowed again to the villagers, keeping one hand pressed to her cracked ribs.
Seeing this, the villagers showed expressions of sympathy, and no one openly blamed her.
But things didn’t go smoothly.
Several days passed quickly, and everyone found they still couldn’t buy anything from the town cooperative.
As for Yun Su, she hadn’t been idle during those days. This whole mess was Yun Feng’s doing, but the villagers were innocent. Yun Su wanted to help everyone.
Soon, she came up with a good idea.
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