60s: I have a store

Chapter 635 The Money Is Lost

Before long, it was evening. After dinner, the old Party Secretary didn't sit in the courtyard to cool off as usual. Instead, he put on his pipe and went straight to the loudspeaker at the village entrance.

"Attention, everyone in Zhoujiazhuang! Come to the village threshing ground after dinner! We'll have a short meeting; I have something important to tell you all!" The old Party Secretary's deep voice blared from the loudspeaker.

The villagers who were cleaning up the dishes at home were all confused when they heard the broadcast.

"Why are we having a meeting at this time?"

The old man wiped his hands and muttered to his wife, "Nothing major has happened lately!"

Grandma Zhou Yimin shook her head: "I don't know, we'll find out when we go and see. If the old Party Secretary is calling, it must be for something important."

Zhou Yimin, who knew what was going on, said, "Grandpa and Grandma, I brought back four bolts of cloth today. I'm going to give them to the villagers who are over sixty years old."

The old man and Zhou Yimin's grandmother never expected that Zhou Yimin, who was so old, would bring back four bolts of cloth.

"Yimin, you did the right thing!"

The deeper Zhou Yimin's interests are connected with the village, the safer he will be.

That way, no one will be jealous and report it.

Zhou Yimin also had this plan, which is why he initially intended to offer it for free, but was eventually persuaded by the old Party Secretary.

Although the other villagers in Zhoujiazhuang had doubts, they still quickly cleaned up the dishes.

They walked towards the threshing ground in twos and threes. The weather was still very cold, and the old Party Secretary also said that the meeting would be short.

So the elderly and children didn't go; basically, each household just sent one representative.

Before long, the threshing ground became lively.

Two lamps were hung on two wooden poles in the middle of the field. The dim light dispelled the darkness and illuminated the surrounding open space.

The villagers dispersed around the lamp, standing together, their laughter and chatter rising and falling.

The old Party Secretary stood by the lamp, smoking his pipe as he watched the villagers arrive one after another, nodding and greeting those he knew from time to time.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, the old Party Secretary tapped his pipe on the sole of his shoe to extinguish the embers, cleared his throat, and pressed his hand down.

The surrounding villagers stopped discussing after seeing the old Party Secretary's gesture.

The once noisy threshing ground fell silent instantly, and all eyes were focused on the old Party Secretary.

The old Party Secretary said with a serious expression, "I called everyone here today because I have some good news to share. Yimin has brought back four bolts of cloth today and is going to make a set of clothes for each of the villagers who are over sixty years old, based on cost."

Upon hearing this, a low gasp of surprise rippled through the threshing ground. The villagers looked at each other, their eyes filled with astonishment.

No one expected that the old Party Secretary would suddenly call a meeting because of this matter.

This is indeed good news for everyone. Clothes are very precious, and in many rural areas, a family may only have one or two sets of clothes.

Whoever has something to do goes out dressed, or whoever goes out to work wears clothes. The rest of the people, who don't wear clothes made from urea bags, can only lie naked in bed.

However, some villagers were unhappy because none of them had an elderly person over sixty years old, so they felt they wouldn't get any advantage.

At this moment, Zhou Xuhui spoke up: "Old Party Secretary, only those over sixty years old can apply. What if there are no elders over sixty years old in your family?"

Other families, none of whom had elderly members over sixty years old, spoke out in support of Zhou Xuhui.

The old Party Secretary had anticipated this situation, which is why he told Zhou Yimin not to offer it for free, but to insist on charging him.

"The clothes aren't free; each set costs fifteen yuan to make."

Upon hearing this price, many villagers in Zhoujiazhuang hesitated, realizing that in the past, they might not even earn fifteen yuan a year.

When Zhou Xuhui and his group heard this, they felt a little better. At least it wasn't free, and it cost fifteen yuan, which was no small amount.

Others also started discussing it.

"I didn't expect it to cost money; I thought it would be free," Zhou Daye said, clearly dissatisfied.

“That’s right, that’s right,” another young man chimed in.

They thought they could get a good deal, so they never considered paying anything.

Seeing the crowd still discussing, the old Party Secretary immediately spoke up: "Sign up if you need to, it's not mandatory."

"If needed, come to my house to register first thing tomorrow morning."

"Now that you all understand, the meeting is adjourned for today. Everyone may leave!"

After hearing what the old Party Secretary said, everyone went home.

Zhou Zhiming, who was the first to return home, wanted to discuss it with his family.

"Dad, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Zhou Zhiming's father was a little curious, since Zhou Zhiming was basically the one making the decisions at home.

He generally won't get involved unless it's something very important.

"Zhiming, what's the matter?" Zhou Zhiming's father asked.

Zhou Zhiming repeated exactly what the old Party Secretary had just said.

Zhou Zhiming had already started thinking about it. As for his age, it was just right. Although it was only fifteen yuan to get a new set of clothes, it was still quite a bargain.

If it were someone from the city, they would probably have agreed long ago, and might even be scrambling to sign up, afraid that if they were a little slow, the spots would be gone.

You can buy a new outfit for less than a month's salary, and you don't even need a ration coupon.

However, in rural areas, there are many more concerns, since even after a year of hard work, one might not be able to earn fifteen yuan.

After careful consideration, Zhou Zhiming's father said, "I think we can buy a set. We're about the same size, so it'll be fine for you to wear."

Looking at Zhou Zhiming's clothes, which were covered in patches, a different kind of emotion rose in my heart.

Zhou Zhiming said, "Since these clothes were made for you, how can I wear them?"

"I'll register tomorrow."

It seems I'll have to get up early tomorrow to register at the old Party Secretary's house. Although there are supposed to be four bolts of cloth, it might not be enough if there are many people.

The same scenario played out repeatedly in Zhoujiazhuang, reminiscent of what happened to Zhou Zhiming's family.

In some cases, heated arguments broke out among families, and the final outcome remains unknown.

Before dawn, Zhou Zhiming got up, not even bothering to wash or dress, and headed straight for the old Party Secretary's house.

When I arrived at the old Party Secretary's house, I thought I was too late, but to my surprise, no one was home yet.

Seeing this situation, Zhou Zhiming didn't think much of it. It was better if no one was around, so he wouldn't have to wait so long.

He knew the situation in the village; there were only a few women who were good at needlework, and they were quick and efficient.

If a lot of people sign up, it will definitely take a long time to get the clothes.

Zhou Zhiming didn't knock on the door; he just stood there waiting.

As dawn broke, more and more people came to register.

When Zhou Dahu saw Zhou Zhiming, who was first in line, he couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Zhiming, why didn't you knock?"

The others also found Zhou Dahu's words strange.

Zhou Zhiming replied, "The old Party Secretary has made so many contributions to the village. If it's not something very important, there's no need to bother him." Upon hearing this, the others lowered their heads; they hadn't even considered that.

Many people are thinking that if they register as soon as possible, they can go back home sooner.

If I'm lucky, I might be able to sleep a little longer.

Given the current situation, it's clear that the plan has fallen through, and all we can do is quietly wait in line.

However, the old Party Secretary didn't keep Zhou Zhiming and the others waiting for too long.

The old Party Secretary looked at the sky; it was almost six o'clock, and no one had come to sign up yet.

Could it be that the price was set too high, making it unaffordable for the villagers, leading them to choose not to register? If that's the case, how can we face Zhou Yimin?

Unable to sit still any longer, I pushed open the gate to the courtyard.

The old Party Secretary was shocked by the sight before him; a long queue had already formed outside the courtyard.

"Zhiming, you're all here, why didn't you knock?"

Zhou Zhiming honestly replied, "I'm afraid I'll disturb your rest, old Party Secretary."

The old Party Secretary was not expected to hear such an answer. He said, "Next time, don't do that. Just knock on the door."

I felt a warmth in my heart, and I felt that all the sacrifices I made for the village were worthwhile.
The old Party Secretary didn't say much: "You all line up first, I'll go in and get the paper money to register."

After saying that, he turned around and went back. Less than a minute later, he came out with paper and pen and began registering.

After Zhou Zhiming finished registering, the old Party Secretary said, "Zhiming, you're in charge of registering, and I'll be in charge of collecting the money."

Zhou Zhiming nodded: "Okay!"

Then, I took the paper and pen from the old Party Secretary and began registering.

The old Party Secretary was in charge of collecting the money in the back.

With their tacit cooperation, the registration and fee collection proceeded smoothly.

They soon arrived at Zhou Daming's place, where Zhou Zhiming had just finished registering.

The old Party Secretary walked over, stretched out his hand, and prepared to take the money.

Zhou Daming intended to take the money out of his pocket, but quickly found no money in his empty pocket.

I started to panic and kept searching.

The old Party Secretary saw this scene but didn't say much; he just waited quietly.

A minute passed, and Zhou Daming was still searching for the money.

To avoid wasting any more time, the old Party Secretary said, "Daming, you keep looking. I'll go collect the rest first."

Zhou Daming ignored all of that, nodded, and continued searching for money.

Seeing this, the old Party Secretary could only shake his head helplessly. "Young man, you're not careful enough. If you had prepared earlier, you wouldn't have ended up in such a mess."

Ignoring them, they continued collecting money.

In less than ten minutes, Zhou Zhiming and the old Party Secretary had registered all the people who wanted to buy clothes and collected their money, except for Zhou Daming.

The old Party Secretary approached Zhou Daming again: "Daming, has the money been found?"

With a sobbing voice, Zhou Daming said, "Old Party Secretary, I put the money in my pocket last night, but I can't find it now."

After saying that, she couldn't hold back anymore and burst into tears.

Those present saw this scene and didn't laugh; if they were in their shoes, they probably would have done the same.

The old Party Secretary said, "Da Ming, have you found it clearly?"

Zhou Daming shook his head: "Old Party Secretary, I've searched my pockets until they're almost torn, but I haven't seen a trace of the money."

The old Party Secretary frowned, unsure of what to do.

Zhou Zhiming then spoke up: "Daming, could it be that you accidentally dropped it when you came? Why don't we go back the way you came and look for it?"

Zhou Daming grasped at a straw: "Can we really find it, Uncle Zhiming!"

Zhou Zhiming shook his head: "I can't guarantee we'll find it, but if we don't look for it, we definitely won't find it. If we do look for it, there's still a glimmer of hope."

Zhou Daming nodded dejectedly. Having a glimmer of hope was better than having none at all.

The old Party Secretary spoke up: "Everyone, let's help Daming look for him!"

Everyone nodded, indicating that they understood.

Soon, led by Zhou Daming, the group returned along the route.

Everyone searched very carefully, and if they saw anything covering the ground, they would use their hands to remove it.

The closer Zhou Daming got to home, the more quickly the flame of hope that had just ignited in his heart was extinguished.

In less than ten minutes, they had already reached Zhou Daming's doorstep, but still couldn't find him.

Zhou Daming was heartbroken. Fifteen yuan was a huge sum of money, and now that it was gone, he didn't know how to explain it to his family.

Zhou Zhiming patted Zhou Daming on the shoulder: "Daming, we still haven't found it. Why don't you go home and look for it? Maybe you can find it there."

He knew the chances were slim and didn't want to deny anyone any hope.

The people around remained silent; this was not the time to gloat.

Zhou Daming forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Uncle Zhiming, I'll go back and look for it right now."

Zhou Zhiming and the others then went home.

Zhou Daming used all his strength to push open the courtyard gate.

He still can't accept it, but since it has already happened, even if he can't accept it, he still needs to explain it to his family.

There's no way to hide this anymore. If everyone else gets the clothes but he doesn't, it'll be exposed. It's better to say it sooner rather than later.

When Zhou Daming got home, his mother saw him looking dejected and couldn't help but ask, "Daming, didn't you go to pay the money? Why are you like this?"

Zhou Daming mumbled an explanation: "Mom, I lost fifteen yuan."

Zhou Daming's mother's eyes widened immediately: "Daming, what did you say? I didn't hear you very clearly."

Zhou Daming had no choice but to speak again.

This time, Zhou Daming's mother heard it clearly: "Daming, how could you be so careless? You know, this fifteen yuan is the money our family saved up by cutting back on every penny."

"I was thinking of making an outfit for your grandma. Have you found the right clothes yet?"

Zhou Daming explained through tears, "We've found it. Uncle Zhiming and the others also helped look for it. They searched all the way from the old Party Secretary's house to his home, but they couldn't find it."

Upon hearing this bad news, Zhou Daming's mother could not even stand up and collapsed to the ground.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say, but tears just kept flowing.

Just then, Zhou Daming's grandmother heard the noise and came out. Seeing Zhou Daming and his mother sitting on the ground, she quickly went over and said, "Chunhua, Daming, why are you sitting on the ground?"

Zhou Daming still told the truth.
To everyone's surprise, Grandma Zhou Daming laughed.

Zhou Daming and his mother were completely baffled. This was clearly a sad event, so why were they laughing?
(End of this chapter)