Reborn in 1982: I Became the Richest Man by Repairing Cars

Jiang Hui tidied up the Jiefang truck before the end-of-get off work bell rang.

It was still early before dark, so he didn't plan to wait for Chen Qingxiang. Clutching the cash he had just received, he headed straight for the bus stop at the entrance of Shougang.

He boarded the bus and handed over a one-cent bill. The ticket seller quickly tore off a ticket for him.

Jiang Hui held the thin piece of paper in his hand, wondering if he should get a monthly pass too.

It costs three yuan a month, which is much cheaper than buying tickets every day.

But then he thought again that a bicycle would be more useful—today's business was just a lucky coincidence, and if he had a bicycle, he would be much more agile when someone asked him to repair their bike in the future.

However, a bicycle costs at least 150 yuan, which is equivalent to three months' wages for an ordinary worker. The 20 yuan I earned today is far from enough.

The bus bumped along the dirt road. In Beijing in 1982, there was no such thing as traffic jams.

Except for the massive traffic jams caused by bicycles during rush hour, buses run at high speeds on weekdays.

Outside the window, I saw dusty courtyard walls, children with pigtails chasing after cars, and an old man selling popsicles at a stall by the wall. Before long, I arrived at Yonghegong Station.

Jiang Hui got off the car and walked briskly back to his home in Wudaoying Hutong.

As soon as he entered the door, he said to his mother, Zhang Yuxiu, who was sewing shoe soles, "Mom, give me a few cloth coupons."

Zhang Yuxiu looked up, her needle and thread still in her hands. She glanced at him, but didn't ask what he was going to do with it. Instead, she opened the small wooden box on the kang (a heated brick bed) and took out a handkerchief pouch.

As you unfold the layers, inside you'll find several colorful cloth ration coupons and neatly rolled-up small bills.

"Is the little money you have enough to live on? Should Mom give you some more?"

"That's enough, that's enough." Jiang Hui quickly waved his hand. "Uncle Chen introduced me to a truck repair shop at Shougang today, and I earned twenty yuan!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuxiu dropped the needle and thread from her hand onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

Her eyes widened, her face filled with disbelief: "You earned another twenty?"

Of course, she hoped her son would be successful, but the speed at which he was making money was too fast—he earned more in one day than a repair shop apprentice would earn in a month.

"That car had a rather tricky problem, so they offered more money."

Jiang Hui didn't elaborate, took the cloth coupons and walked out, saying, "I'm going to Beixinqiao Department Store. I'll be back for dinner later."

These days, buying things isn't just about having money.

You need to have all the necessary tickets and documents.

Jiang Hui knew exactly what he wanted to do: buy his sister Jiang Yu a polyester dress and Lin Wanqiu a fountain pen. He needed cloth coupons to buy the dress and industrial coupons to buy the pen; he couldn't do without either.

In Beijing in 1982, cloth ration coupons were issued in fixed quantities per person. The street office would distribute 20 feet of cloth to each household annually based on their household registration and hand it directly to the head of the household.

If a family gets a daughter-in-law or a son-in-law married, they can receive an extra ten feet of "newlywed subsidy cloth coupons" with their marriage certificate, which are used to make new clothes.

Industrial vouchers were even more valuable, and were generally only available to employed workers on a monthly basis, distributed according to salary level and length of service.

Housewives like my mother can only rely on the one or two cards that the neighborhood committee issues to each household.

If you want to buy big items like a sewing machine or a bicycle, you have to save up for several years.

The Beixinqiao Department Store was bustling with people. The sales clerks, all dressed in navy blue uniforms, stood behind the counters, their attitudes indifferent.

Jiang Hui looked around and was secretly astonished—a Dacron dress, and they dared to ask for more than ten yuan!

He picked out the most basic solid-color one, which cost twelve yuan. He gritted his teeth and paid the money, then handed over the cloth coupons.

The sales clerk quickly wrote out the receipt and handed over the neatly folded dress.

As for fountain pens, the choice is up to the individual.

Jiang Hui did the math: he spent 12 yuan of the 20 yuan he had spent on the skirt, and he still had to leave 2 yuan for Chen Qingxiang as a referral fee. The remaining money was just enough to buy a Hero 616 cigarette.

This iridium pen costs 3.5 yuan each, and with two industrial coupons, it's the best-selling item in the store. It's affordable, durable, and perfect for Lin Wanqiu.

As Jiang Hui walked out of the mall carrying his dress and pen, he couldn't help but sigh—money really goes by in a flash!

As he passed the bicycle counter, he glanced at it twice. The Phoenix 18 model cost 180 yuan, and the cheapest Forever 12 model was 150 yuan.

You need to use dozens of industrial vouchers to buy it.

For the time being, he will never have the chance to own a bicycle.

As soon as he stepped into the house, Jiang Hui called out to Jiang Yu, who was sitting on a small stool doing her homework, "Xiao Yu, come here quickly, try on your new dress!"

Jiang Yu suddenly looked up, her eyes wide open: "Huh? A new dress? Second brother, is this for me?"

She had long envied other girls wearing polyester dresses, but given her family's circumstances, her mother always said, "I'll make one for you when we've saved up enough fabric coupons." Unexpectedly, her second brother bought her a ready-made one!

"Is that even possible?"

Jiang Hui shoved the dress into her hands. "I promised you before that I would buy you a dress as soon as I made money. I'll keep my word."

"Try it on quickly. If it doesn't fit, let Mom alter it for you."

He bought it by guessing the size, so it should be roughly the same.

However, the rule of state-run department stores these days is "no returns or exchanges after leaving the store". If there is no quality problem, it is useless to talk to the salesperson if you just say that the clothes don't fit.

Jiang Yu happily rushed into the inner room, clutching her dress, but Zhang Yuxiu frowned and scolded, "You child, you squander every penny you earn!"

"A polyester dress is so expensive! If we buy some fabric, Mom can make it for her and save half the money!"

These days, who doesn't buy fabric and make their own clothes?

Sewing machines are a major item among the "three turns and one sound" (referring to a sewing machine, a watch, a revolving door, a radio, and a microphone), and every household treasures them.

If this were in later generations, who would still have a sewing machine?

It's unbelievable to even think about it.

Jiang Hui chuckled, didn't reply, and started walking out: "Mom, I'm going to school. I'll be back for dinner later!"

The setting sun cast a long shadow over him, and the aroma of dinner wafted through the alley.

In 1982, Wudaoying Hutong was not yet the tourist attraction it later became.

Coal briquettes and various odds and ends were piled up at the base of the wall, and clothes were hanging out to dry in front of every household, giving off a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Jiang Hui walked briskly for more than ten minutes and arrived at the entrance of Jiaodaokou Middle School.

It was just past six o'clock, and it wasn't dark yet. Lin Wanqiu had just stepped out of the school gate when she immediately saw Jiang Hui standing under a tree. Her eyes widened in surprise: "Xiao Jiang, what are you doing here?"

"I went to Shougang to repair a truck today, and I finished work early, so I came to wait for you."

Jiang Hui went up to her and walked side by side with her into the alley.

Lin Wanqiu's family was poor, and she relied entirely on her own two legs to get to and from get off work. The clattering and rattling of bicycles on the streets had nothing to do with her.

Hearing that Jiang Hui had landed another job, a genuine smile spread across her face: "You fixed another car? That's wonderful!"

Last time it might have been a coincidence, but this time it's real skill.

Jiang Hui nodded, took out the pen case with the word "Hero" printed on it from his pocket, and handed it to her, saying naturally, "Here, this is for you."