Return To 1977 Chapter 243: Caishikou Vegetable Market

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After standing in the Zixin Road non-staple food store for more than half an hour, after watching two scenes of excitement, Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan came out.

No idea, let alone the bad smell in the room, there are too many people and distractions. If you delay any longer, there will be no chance at all and it will be a complete waste of time.

What's more, the boy who had given Hong Yanru a hard time and been beaten by Hong Yanwu was also there, so it would be even more pointless for him to recognize him. Might as well try your luck elsewhere.

Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan then lit a cigarette each in the lee of the gate, touching their heads to join in the conversation.

Not to mention, the two of them had the same idea. They both said that they should not look near the door of their house. It would be better to go directly to the land, and maybe they could gain something.

The "big land" they refer to here actually refers to the four largest vegetable markets in the capital at that time. That is to say, it refers to the "Dongdan Vegetable Market", "Xidan Vegetable Market", "Caishikou Vegetable Market" and "Chaonei Vegetable Market" which occupy the four directions of the east, west, north and south of the capital.

These "four major wet markets" are the highest-level sales points under the Beijing Second Commercial Bureau. Unlike ordinary non-staple food stores, residents in the city can buy things at these four wet markets with shopping guides from different areas.

Of course, in these places, the most people line up on the eve of the Spring Festival every year.

In order to cope with this situation, the Second Commercial Bureau of Beijing not only requires the store to extend its business hours, but also gives priority to the supply of goods. They even allocate some rare products that are rarely seen on the market for sale in the market.

For example, small vegetables such as "garlic sprouts" and "leeks" in winter, wild products such as "walnuts", "hazelnuts", "chestnuts" and "jawberries", as well as live chickens and live chickens. Duck, live fish, frozen shrimp, etc.

As for these unplanned things, because they are too rare in quantity to cover the whole city, they generally do not require tickets, but the prices are also surprisingly expensive. In the eyes of ordinary people, these things are undoubtedly quite "tasteless" commodities. Often only high-ranking officials and wealthy families can afford it.

But precisely for this reason, people with "big waists" like Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan are really worth trying their luck.

Needless to say, from the perspective of distance, among the "four major wet markets", the "Cai Shi Kou Wet Market" is obviously the most convenient. So the two of them didn't hesitate anymore. After extinguishing the cigarettes in their hands, they braved the cold wind and rushed to their destination located to the west of "Heniantang".

At this point, some people may still be wondering. They probably wanted to ask, shouldn't there be a "Chongwenmen Vegetable Market" among the four major vegetable markets in Beijing? But I’ve never heard of a “Caishikou Vegetable Market”?

Hey, you're really wrong if you think so.

It is necessary to make a special statement here. In fact, among the four major vegetable markets in Beijing, the eldest one is the Caishikou Vegetable Market.

Because it was originally called "Guang'anmen Vegetable Market" and was established on the first day of October in the 32nd year of Guangxu (November 16, 1906). It was the earliest government-owned vegetable market in Beijing. Later, it was renamed "Caishikou Vegetable Market" in 1956. It was not demolished until 1993 when Guang'anmen Nei Street was renovated.

In addition, it is the only "vegetable market" among all the "vegetable markets" that also operates wholesale business. It has always existed as a vegetable distribution center for the north and south districts of the capital, just like the current "Xinfadi".

At the same time, because it is close to the "Niu Street" where **** live, the venue also has halal food counters such as beef and mutton, cooked meat, and soy products. There are also special counters for meat, vegetables, dried vegetables, seafood, aquatic products, eggs, seasonings, tobacco and alcohol.

Taking all things into consideration, except that the business area is limited to 800 square meters, which is smaller than other wet markets, in terms of functionality, the "Cai Shi Kou Wet Market" should be the most comprehensive among the "four major wet markets" at that time. one.

In comparison, "Chongwenmen Vegetable Market" is definitely a "junior".

This "rising star" only officially opened in 1976, and before the 1980s, its role was limited to serving residents near the vegetable market. At this time, it is far from comparable to the "Caishikou Vegetable Market".

Later, it was because the "Caishikou Vegetable Market" was demolished and it itself was doing well that it was replaced to fill the vacancy.

In short, at this time, the status and role of the "Caishikou Vegetable Market" was second to none and irreplaceable.

It should be said that Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan's plan was indeed correct. When they arrived at the "Cai Shi Kou Vegetable Market", they found that the situation was indeed better than in the non-staple food store. After all, the place was much bigger, and besides, people couldn't rush to grab everything.

In fact, those who lined up in long lines and formed a rush to buy were nothing more than a few cheap, high-quality and indispensable mass commodities.

The first is tofu, soy products and vermicelli. As soon as the goods arrive, all the people in line will definitely give up their current goals and rush towards them. They will be sold out within an hour, and everyone will have the time to exclude others.

The second is peanuts and melon seeds. At that time, peanuts and sunflower seeds were oil seeds purchased and sold by the state and had to be exported in exchange for foreign exchange. People in the capital can only see peanuts in the market during the Spring Festival.

This is an annual thought. It is no longer a question of whether it tastes good or not, or whether it can be replaced by something else.

So if any family is not in line, not only it will be very regretful, but also the disappointed children will get into trouble with the adults, and this festival will not be successful.

Further back in the row, they belong to the poultry and eggs category. Whether it's eggs, salted duck eggs, or preserved eggs covered with a layer of soil, because they are so scarce, even if they are only based on their own merits, they are still a mess. What's more, chicken is cheaper than pork, beef and mutton, so it's very affordable to stew one during the New Year. Of course, this refers to frozen bare chickens, not live chickens.

As for the last ones, there are 381 kilograms of hairtail, 451 kilograms of yellow croaker, and pieces of frozen meat with bones.

It's too late to buy these things. I'm afraid I can only buy thin strips of hairtail for 25 cents, and the yellow croaker may be sold out. The most important thing is that there is no fat in frozen meat.

Speaking of this, the aesthetics of meat are completely different from today. At that time, no one wanted to be thin, because the fat meat could be used to make "suet oil", which could effectively supplement the shortage of household oil.

Anyway, to briefly describe it, since the layout of the wet market back then was relatively fixed, the most important meat cases, fish ponds, live poultry and vegetables were placed in the open space in the middle, and other secondary counters were placed in a circle.

So what Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan saw. There were four long lines of people queuing up from the center of the market, some reaching as far as a mile away from the entrance of the market.

It is no surprise that the varieties that the people are looking forward to are peanuts, melon seeds, eggs, fish and meat. As for other counters, although there are people buying, there is no need to queue up. It is basically a relatively busy situation under normal circumstances. As long as it doesn't squeeze into the middle, the liquidity is not bad.

Of course, there are also those who are particularly leisurely. In the northeast corner of the vegetable market, in addition to the sold-out bean products counter, there is also the tobacco and alcohol canned counter next to it. This is because canned food is a high-priced luxury product and few people care about it. Good cigarettes and good wine are not available here. If you want to buy tickets, you have to go to big places like Xidan shopping malls and department stores.

Once you have a clear view of the situation, it’s time to take action.

After entering the gate, Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan walked around in circles and spent more than an hour sweeping almost the entire vegetable market. It should be considered a small gain.

They first bought two bottles of canned fermented bean curd, two bottles of chive flowers and two bottles of shrimp paste at the pickle counter for four yuan. Then I bought two 29 cent bottles of special soy sauce at the condiment counter.

Following that, I spent another twenty-five yuan on the remaining five kilograms of high-priced "Cantonese sausage" at the deli counter. Then I spent thirty yuan at the dry goods counter to buy fifteen or sixteen kilograms of black and white melon seeds, hazelnuts, pine nuts and black dates.

As a result, their figures walking through the vegetable market gradually became the focus of many customers and sales assistants.

In fact, not many people actually witnessed the "explosive buying" scene of them spending no money. At the critical moment, the things they bought were free of charge and extremely expensive. The bright red sausages and various varieties of dried fruits they held in their hands were so eye-catching that it was difficult not to attract anyone's attention.

But in the final analysis, what really caused a commotion and made them a small limelight was their purchasing behavior at the vegetable counter.

At that time, Chen Liquan was surprised to find that on the relatively deserted vegetable counter, he could actually see a small pile of fresh "water chestnuts" and four or five bundles of "chives." On the shelves behind the counter, there were also five or six Ten apples and oranges.

So he immediately pointed it out to Hong Yanwu. When the two of them squeezed over and asked, they heard that these things were free of charge. They were so happy that they wanted to take all these things without even asking the price.

This is good. As soon as he said this, not to mention the customers around him, even the salesperson opened his mouth. I thought I heard it wrong.

Later, after Hong Yanwu urged him several times, the salesperson trembled and quoted the price. Seeing that they still insisted, he dared to weigh the items.

Maybe some people should be surprised, why is there such a big reaction? Is it an exaggeration?

Let me tell you this, it's not an exaggeration at all.

Because the seasons were distinct back then, winter was winter and summer was summer. Out-of-season items are generally invisible. In winter, there are no other vegetables except Chinese cabbage, radishes, and carrots. It’s not easy to take a bite of fresh and tender food.

As for the "water chestnuts" and "chives", one is picked in artificial ice water, and the other is cultivated in a fire room. The entire capital only has about 500 kilograms in total. After excluding the 400 kilograms for special needs, the remaining bit is divided among the four major vegetable markets. Therefore, the sales price is as high as fifteen yuan per catty.

When it comes to fruits, apples and oranges should be very common, right? It can't be so precious anymore, right?

Of course not. In fact, since the "movement", the country's fruit planting area has been declining year by year. Throughout the 1970s, the total amount allocated from the suburbs of Beijing and other places was barely enough to maintain the supply of special needs. Therefore, children in the 1960s and 1970s could rarely eat real fruits, and basically ate tomatoes, "Xinxinmei" radishes and sweet potatoes as fruits.

What’s more, the refrigeration conditions back then were too backward, and there were no cold storages at all. It is even harder to keep some fruit until winter, and the only way is to follow the old tradition before liberation.

Every year before apples and oranges go on sale, the Second Commercial Bureau has to send people to the orchards in the suburbs of Beijing. Choose some particularly good ones, rely on the old "fruit bureau" method, first "touch" them from the tree without hurting the down, then stuff them into a large urn that can hold 300 apples, and finally put them into the capital. It can only be preserved in a few ice cellars.

So the price of these seemingly ordinary apples and oranges is as high as ten yuan per catty. That is the price of a whole basket in normal seasons, and it is not something ordinary people dare to ask about.

To put it bluntly, these things that Hong Yanwu likes are the same as spending a lot of money to eat cucumbers in Nuandongzi in the cold winter before liberation. Can these things be repaid together? No one has ever seen anyone shopping like this.

Sure enough, in the final statistics, "water chestnuts" and "chives" added up to eleven and a half kilograms, and apples and oranges twenty-two and a half kilograms, totaling three hundred and ninety-four and a half yuan, which is more expensive than today's prices. .

Of course, as soon as the salesperson announced the price, the nearby customers were alarmed, and those who were not in line immediately surrounded the vegetable counter. Everyone wants to see who is so generous and does such shocking things. And will it be possible to spend so much money in the end?

I didn’t expect that Hong Yanwu was really a master who “would rather eat a bite of fresh peaches than eat half a basket of rotten apricots.” He clicked a few bills in front of everyone, and collected the forty bills without frowning. Just took it out.

Then he took the change under the extremely complicated look in the salesperson's eyes. Without saying anything, he immediately pulled Chen Liquan, picked up his things and left.

Why are you in such a hurry?

Hey, he's not stupid either. If he stays here any longer, he'll almost become a monkey in the zoo! It is another unnecessary trouble to make people doubt his financial resources!

Sure enough, before they had gone very far, some of the onlookers behind them began to discuss the matter with shouts and shouts.

"Damn it, where did this wasteful thing come from? If you dare to spend so much money, your life will be ruined..."

"Hey, the official's salary is high. Didn't you see that the police uniform is new and he's wearing leather shoes..."

"Ah? He's a son of a high-ranking cadre? Then why are you here in the south? Aren't you just showing off to us poor people..."

"Okay, okay, just say a few words. I think they are purchasing for the company. How can ordinary people have so much money? Besides, they eat other people's fresh products, and we eat our pickles. Carrot, what can I do? As long as the common people are content..."

"Yes, don't be jealous, at least they are spending money. Unlike the director of my son's workplace, who always takes notes for free wherever he goes..."