Male Lead's Canon Fodder Wife - Chapter 1016

Chapter 1016: The Capital City’s Situation ( 1 )
Everyone nodded at the old woman’s words and a young woman spoke up, “Grandmother, thank you. I’m blessed to be part of this family.”

The group smiled when they heard this. The old woman was known as the best mother-in-law in the compound.

She never mistreated her daughter-in-law and often helped with household chores. Because of this, people with daughters or nieces hoped to introduce them to the old woman’s sons or grandsons.

The old woman patted her granddaughter-in-law’s hand and said, “If your husband ever bullies you, come tell your grandmother. I will teach him a lesson.”

The atmosphere became harmonious due to the old woman’s words. Not long after, the conversation shifted to the Pan family’s son-in-law’s betrothal gifts, and the middle-aged woman was soon forgotten.

Meanwhile, Li Lingyun sent Father Li and Dong Li back to their rented house, while Lu Jueyu and Li Chenmo headed to the post office.

With only eight days left before the wedding, they decided to send a telegram instead of a letter. At the post office, which was twice as large as the one in the county town, they didn’t wait long for their turn.

The post officer smiled when she saw them approach, “Comrade, how can I help you?”

Li Chenmo nodded at her and said, “Hello, comrade. My wife and I need to send a telegram to Xie village.”

The officer nodded, handing him a pen and paper, and said, “Comrade, you can write your message here. You will be charged two cents per word.”

Li Chenmo nodded and wrote a message to his eldest brother, then handed the paper back to the post officer as Lu Jueyu paid the fee. Once the message was confirmed, it was passed to another staff member to send to the county town.

Through a telegram, Li Chenmo asked Li Chenze to package the grain, vegetables, and meat stored in their cellar and give it to Lu Han. He also asked his eldest brother to ask Lu Han to help them transport the ingredients to the capital.

After they sent the telegram, both of them went to the state-owned supply store to check the items sold there. At first, they thought that the items sold in the capital’s supply store would be better than those sold in the county town. Unexpectedly, when they saw the items in the store, they were disappointed.

The vegetables sold in the store were already withered and turning yellow. The grain looked better, but it was still of lower quality compared to what was consumed by the villagers.

As for meat, there were only three strings of sausages that looked dry and pale on the shelves. In addition, there were only a handful of milk candies and mixed nuts in the small boxes. The mostly empty shelves made the big store look shabby.

When the staff saw them looking around with frowns, she said, “Comrades, if you want to buy things, you should come in the morning. Most of our items are sold out before 8 o’clock.”

Hearing this, Lu Jueyu walked over and asked, “Comrade, besides these items, do you have anything else?”

The staff looked at her and asked her back, “Comrade, what are you looking for?”

After thinking for a moment, Lu Jueyu asked, “Do you have wild honey, cotton, or fabric here?”

When the staff heard her words, she looked at her as if she were looking at an idiot. She laughed and asked, “Comrade, are you not a local?”

Lu Jueyu nodded and said, “My husband and I are visiting our in-laws. We want to buy some things for our family at home.”

Hearing her words, the staff nodded and said, “It’s no wonder you didn’t know the situation in the capital since you are from another place.”

The staff looked around, and after making sure no one was nearby, she gestured for Lu Jueyu to come closer and said in a low voice, “Comrade, let me tell you something.”

Lu Jueyu looked at the staff and asked with doubt, “Comrade, did something happen in the capital?”

The staff nodded and said, “Lately, there has been a rumor that something big is going to happen. So, many people started buying grains, vegetables, and meat like crazy. Adding to the food shortage, we hardly have any grains left in the warehouse.”

“Comrade, I suggest you don’t stay too long in the capital and return home. Although the capital looks good, everything comes at a cost. Moreover, prices keep rising due to the food shortage.”

“If it weren’t for my family’s household registration being in the capital, I would love to move elsewhere. It becomes harder to even have a thin porridge now.”

When Lu Jueyu heard this, she was surprised and asked, “Didn’t we just finish the summer harvest? How come there is a food shortage?”

The staff let out a sigh and said, “Most of the harvests either failed or were 40% lower compared to last year. Fewer than ten brigades had a surplus, while more than a hundred experienced failed harvests. How can those small surpluses cover the other areas with food shortage?”

“We are still fortunate since this is the capital so most of the surpluses were sent here. The situation in other cities isn’t as good,” the staff added with a sigh.

“So, that is why there is so little food sold here,” Lu Jueyu said while nodding.

The staff smiled helplessly. Even if she wanted to sell something, she had nothing to offer since the central government limited the supply sent to the stores.

Since the staff shared useful information, Lu Jueyu took out two tea eggs from her space using her bag as a cover and handed them to her.

“Comrade, thank you for sharing the information. These are for you,” Lu Jueyu said with a smile.

The moment the staff saw the tea eggs, her eyes lit up and she accepted them with a smile. Her son was starving at home, so she didn’t pretend to refuse and took the egg, “Sister, if you need anything, just come to me. I will help you get what you need.”