Chapter 97 Food Shortage and Seafood
In the early spring of 1959, famine occurred in 15 provinces, including Beihe, Dongshan, Sujiang, and Wei'an. Among them, five provinces, including Beihe and Dongshan, suffered serious food shortages.

Without agriculture there will be no stability, and cities rely on the countryside to supply food.

By the end of the year, grain stocks in major cities and industrial areas such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Ningliao, etc. were weak, and grain supply was precarious.

1960 1 Month 1 Day.

On New Year's Day, another year has passed.

Today is New Year's Day, and the factory closed early for the holiday. After Liu Zhiye arranged the security work for the staff on duty, he went home early, which was rare.

Sometimes he would wonder: As a time traveler, why can others live a carefree life while he is always busy and has no time to rest.

Liu Zhiye drove to No. 22 Middle School first to pick up her sister Liu Zhiruo.

The car was really nice. He glanced at his watch and saw that school would be over in a few minutes.

So he took out a box of peonies from his pocket, pulled out one and lit it happily.

This cigarette is really great. Liu Zhiye went to Tianjin Port alone two days ago, and a big customer there gave it to him.

Speaking of my experience of going to Tianjin Port, I really had no choice but to do it.

Over the past year, his harvest has become less and less. The abundant wild animals and mountain products in the mountains can no longer meet his needs.

Wild animals and mountain products are not inexhaustible. As the Red Star Factory increased its purchasing power and the famine spread, the wild animals near the entire MTG area were almost wiped out by people, and the rest fled deep into the mountains.

As time went by, Liu Zhiye clearly felt the shortage of supplies, and he began to realize that if he continued like this, he might not be able to meet his demand for supplies.

He knew that in order to survive in such a difficult environment, he had to find new resources, so he thought of the method of obtaining seafood.

He drove more than 140 kilometers and arrived at Beitang Fishing Port, which is located at the mouth of the Jiyun River, Yongding New River and Chaobai New River.

In 1956, there were 4638 fishing workers here, and the annual catch of aquatic products was 15505 tons. After 1958, motorized fishing boats gradually replaced wooden sailboats. Fishing nets underwent major reforms, and the types and quantities of fishing nets increased greatly.

The reason why Beitang seafood is so fresh is mainly because it is produced and cooked fresh. Beitang Sea is a muddy shallow beach with fertile water. Its seafood and river products are clean and sand-free, with thick meat, sweet, tender, refreshing and delicious.

The seafood here is really cheap, the most expensive large river crabs with round belly are 4 cents per pound, large crabs with long belly are 2 cents per pound, prawns are 1 cents a pair, almost no one buys mantis shrimps, crucian carp is 1 cents per pound, large white rice shrimps are 3 cents per pound, and the average purchase price of salted large, small yellow croaker, and herring (small yellow croaker is the agency price) is 2 yuan per hundred catties.

Freshwater products, mainly 10 kinds of freshwater fish including silver carp, grass carp, carp, bighead carp, Sichuan carp, white carp, bream, crucian carp, black carp and black carp, are priced at 29.5 yuan per catties.

It’s a pity that private transactions are not allowed.

He could only wander around in this huge harbor. His strange behavior of only asking the price but not buying anything soon attracted the attention of a middle-aged man.

This man is short but strong, with dark and rough skin from the wind and waves. His hands are covered with calluses, the traces of countless battles with the waves. His eyes are firm and deep, full of courage and wisdom.

The middle-aged man followed Liu Zhiye carefully and quietly caught up.

At this moment, Liu Zhiye also noticed the presence of the fisherman. He calmly led the middle-aged man to a secluded fishing boat to ensure that no one noticed.

"Friend, come out. Tell me why you are following me?" Liu Zhiye asked in a low voice, his eyes revealing a determination that could not be ignored.

The middle-aged man did not hide his intentions. He showed up frankly and explained, "Comrade, please don't misunderstand me. I have no ill intentions in following you."

"I saw you in the harbor, wandering around. Is there something wrong?" He whispered as if he was afraid of being discovered.

"Do you need any goods?" the middle-aged man continued in a deep and powerful voice.

Hearing this, Liu Zhiye understood that the middle-aged man was here to discuss business. He pondered for a moment and said, "The supply must be sufficient, the price must be fair, and you must show your sincerity." After hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes flashed with surprise, but he quickly regained his composure. He nodded, indicating that he agreed with Liu Zhiye's statement, and then the two began to discuss the specific transaction matters.

After the conversation, Liu Zhiye got to know this friend named Hao Shun.

He is a fisherman nearby, and his ancestors made a living by fishing. He told Liu Zhiye that there are many abundant seafood in their village, with many kinds and large quantities, but he was worried that Liu Zhiye might not be able to eat so much.

So, under his guidance, Liu Zhiye came to a quiet and beautiful fishing village. Although the life here is simple, the environment is quiet and refreshing.

"Comrade Liu, I'm really sorry to have to forgive you. My humble abode is simple, so please bear with me and don't look down on me." Hao Shun greeted him warmly, "Please come in, please come in and have a seat."

Liu Zhiye stopped Hao Shun who was trying to make tea and pour water.

"Brother Hao! Stop busying yourself. I'm short on time. Take me to see the seafood first."

"Okay, please follow me." Then he led him to several earthen houses in the backyard.

Open the warehouse door.

Wow! There are all kinds of seafood drying on the neatly arranged wooden racks, including salted fish, seaweed, shrimp, scallops, dried abalone, sea cucumber and other seafood.

"Are there any fresh seafood?" Liu Zhiye said with a frown.

"Yes, yes, there are several ships arriving at the port in the early morning, with a wide variety of goods. It depends on your needs..." Hao Shun replied hurriedly, with a look of joy on his face. It was obvious that this guest was a big customer.

"Well, please calculate how much these dry goods will cost." Liu Zhiye said, pointing at the things in front of him.

"You, you want all these?" Hao Shun said excitedly.

Then, seeing Liu Zhiye nod his head in affirmation, Chi Deng paused and said with determination, "There are 5000 kilograms of dried goods here, including expensive sea cucumbers and abalones at more than 4 yuan per kilogram, which are not much, and add up to more than 1000 kilograms. There are also cheap sea cloths, about more than 1 kilograms, which you can get at 2 cent per kilogram. The other similar prices are 5 yuan, so how about 1500 yuan?"

"1500 yuan is acceptable. I have no intention of bargaining with you. But I have a small request. I hope you can help me buy some more things." Liu Zhiye agreed readily. In fact, he had calculated in his mind that the price was not much different from what he inquired, but the advantage was that the quantity was large and the transaction was safe.

Then he added: "It's not a difficult thing. I will come to visit you in person at the end of each month. How about it? This proposal should not be difficult for you, right?"

Hao Shun spoke excitedly: "Comrade Liu, please rest assured. Although I am not omnipotent, I will do my best in everything and will never do things perfunctorily." His words were full of sincerity and determination, which made people feel his firm belief and sincere emotions.

This 1500 yuan is a huge sum of money. Although it is only part of his, it is still not a small amount. To put it bluntly, this money is enough to buy several lives.

The deal was concluded so smoothly that he was so excited that he could not contain himself, and his favorable impression of Liu Zhiye doubled. Then, things became much simpler. Liu Zhiye directly handed him the money and let him leave first.

He took the money, his heart full of joy and expectation, this huge sum of money was enough to change his life. He looked at Liu Zhiye deeply, then turned and left the place.

In the early hours of the morning, they met again at the dock. Liu Zhiye once again purchased two ships of fresh seafood, weighing several thousand kilograms, with rich varieties and high quality. This time, his trip to Tianjin Port was smooth sailing, and he returned home with a full load at a cost of less than 2,000 yuan.

In the early hours of the morning, the dock was filled with a lively and tense atmosphere. With a satisfied smile, Liu Zhiye once again embarked on his journey home.

……

"Brother! Brother! What are you thinking about? Why are you so engrossed?" Liu Zhiruo playfully covered Liu Zhiye's eyes with his hands and said in a teasing tone.

Liu Zhiye was brought back to his senses by his sister's sudden interruption. It turned out that his sister had come to the car by herself after school, with a pretty female classmate standing next to her. The two of them were smiling and talking sweetly, as if they were sharing something interesting.

"Little sister, school is over!" Liu Zhiye said with a smile, and at the same time reached out and gently stroked his sister's head. The female classmate next to him blushed and nodded to Liu Zhiye.

"Brother Liu!"

(End of this chapter)