Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Xu Bei had already guessed that the little girl would react this way, but he didn't expect that she would also use a camera.

But then I thought about her background and the Liang family's resources, and it was quite normal for her to have the opportunity to touch the camera.

"My sister and I have taken quite a few photos together. You came all this way in this cold weather to tutor my sister. I don't know how to express my gratitude. Taking a photo of you is just the right thing to do. If you still consider me a friend, please don't refuse."

Xu Juan quickly chimed in, "Yes, Sister Xiaowan, it's just a black and white photo. It only costs 50 cents to take it at a photo studio. My brother bought the film himself, so it'll be even cheaper to get it developed. Can you just consider this a small token of our gratitude?"

Faced with the brother and sister's seemingly reasonable and coordinated persuasion, Zhou Qingwan quickly gave in.

"Alright then. But I still want to say that compared to the help you and my aunt have given me, tutoring is really nothing, and I can study along with them myself."

Xu Bei and Xu Juan finally managed to persuade the person to agree, so there was no point in arguing anymore.

They immediately changed the subject and started discussing whether to take the photos indoors or in the yard.

Zhou Qingwan glanced subconsciously at the snowman in the yard with the red bucket on top.

She liked it very much when she saw it yesterday and even stopped to admire it for a while.

When they heard that Xu Bei had come up with the idea of ​​putting a bucket on the hat, they found him even more amusing.

Xu Bei was closely watching the little girl's every move, and immediately understood and suggested, "I think we should take the picture outside. We already have a group photo inside, and the lighting isn't as good as outside."

"Yes, yes, it's much brighter outside." After Xu Juan finished speaking, she quickly asked Zhou Qingwan for her opinion, "Sister Xiaowan, what do you think?"

Zhou Qingwan's big, watery eyes were filled with laughter. "I also think it's better to shoot outside."

Xu Bei said with great concern, "Then, Xiao Zhou, you should put on your coat, hat, and gloves. Don't catch a cold from the sudden change in temperature."

Zhou Qingwan nodded silently and said okay, then got dressed and left the house with Xu Juan.

Xu Bei, who hadn't taken off his coat since returning, was already waiting for them in the yard.

Zhou Qingwan walked to the snowman and stood there, smiling generously at Xu Bei, who was holding a camera, and Xu Juan, who was standing next to him.

"Is it okay now?"

Xu Bei didn't know what his sister thought, but he was dazzled and captivated by her bright smile.

Especially against the backdrop of snow and ice, the splash of red standing next to the snowman is striking and perfectly matched in color.

With a "click," he captured a scene that was not only beautiful with people, but also beautiful with the camera.

With the photos taken, Xu Bei had achieved his goal.

He didn't want to make it too obvious and make the girl feel embarrassed or uneasy, so he quickly left home with his camera.

I've used up two rolls of film since yesterday, and Xu Bei wanted to get them developed quickly, so I headed straight to the photo studio.

However, because he disliked the long queues and poor service at the state-run photo studio, he went to a private photo studio that had recently opened near the movie theater.

This privately owned photo studio may look unremarkable from the outside, but Xu Bei knows it will eventually grow into a sizable photography studio, which is enough to show that the industry is still very profitable.

Xu Bei propped up his bicycle outside the door. As soon as he pushed the door open and entered the house, he smelled a medicinal odor, the unique smell of film washing.

A bespectacled man in his thirties behind the counter was carefully examining a negative in the light when he saw someone enter. He immediately put on a warm smile.

"Young man, want to take a picture?"

Xu Bei had dealt with the photo studio owner several times before and knew his surname was Huang, so he went straight to the point, "Brother, I don't want to take photos, I'd like to develop two rolls of film, how much does that cost?"

Upon hearing that so many items needed to be rinsed, Mr. Huang, beaming with delight, hurriedly came out from behind the counter.

"I need to see what kind of film rolls you're washing first."

Xu Bei took out the two rolls of film and handed them to the other person.

After taking the rolls and looking at them, Boss Huang said with a bright smile, "To be honest, we usually charge 12 yuan for one roll, but for these two rolls, let's make it cheaper, 22 yuan."

Xu Bei knew that photo processing was expensive in those days, and he had already anticipated that before coming, but he still felt it was a bit pricey. "Can't you make it twenty yuan? If you can, I'll get all my photos developed here from now on, and I won't go to the state-run photo studio or the one in the city."

"Twenty...you're such a good bargainer, you managed to cut the price down by two yuan in one go."

Boss Huang hesitated for a moment, then looked at the smart-looking and well-dressed young man in front of him again. As if making a painful decision, he said, "Alright! Consider it a repeat customer. But don't tell anyone else that I gave you this price, or some people will come after me."

Xu Bei was very familiar with this set of talking points.

But I also understand that everyone who runs a business needs to make a profit; it's just a matter of how much.

Therefore, we stopped there and didn't try to negotiate the price any further.

"Don't worry, brother. I can come and pick it up around this time. It would be best if it could be washed as soon as possible."

"If it were a state-owned facility, you definitely wouldn't be able to pick it up in at least ten days to two weeks. But here, what can I say? I'll wash it for you as soon as possible, and I won't charge you any express fee. How about three days from now?"

Xu Bei knew that what Boss Huang said was true; state-owned enterprises were indeed very slow. "Okay, then I'll come over in three days."

Boss Huang took out a registration form with a blue photocopy underneath. "Okay, tell me your name."

After Xu Bei finished speaking, the other party wrote down the quantity of film rolls, tore off the bottom sheet, and said, "You can use this sheet to collect the photos and negatives later."

Xu Bei took it and put it in his pocket, but didn't leave immediately.

He suddenly remembered that this Mr. Huang owned not only a photo studio but also a real estate agency, so he casually asked, "Brother, do you know anyone who wants to sell their house?"

Instead of answering, Mr. Huang asked, "Brother, is this for your family?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Bei felt a surge of joy, thinking, "It's not my house; I'm asking around for a friend."

Mr. Huang smiled and said, "Then you've come to the right person! There's an old Jiang family selling their house right behind us, but the price is a bit high, and many people have gone to see it but haven't made a purchase."

Xu Bei immediately asked, "How much?"

Mr. Huang quickly replied, "Eight hundred and fifty. That's still cheap; the price was nine hundred before."

In the days when many families scrimped and saved to buy a black-and-white television for just over 400 yuan, a government-allocated welfare house that only had the right to use but not the right to own was definitely not cheap at 850 yuan.

However, since Xu Bei was making money so easily with no initial investment, he didn't think it was expensive.

Instead, they want to go and see what's going on so they can buy the house as soon as possible.

After all, it's already quite difficult to find someone to sell a house within a few days.

"It's really expensive. I don't even know what the house is like. Brother, could you tell me more about the situation?"

"No problem."

As for the big customer who had just come to the shop to have two rolls of film washed, Boss Huang also wanted to befriend Xu Bei, so he poured out his heart to him.

Xu Bei also learned that the Jiang family had been allocated an apartment building, so they wanted to sell their old bungalow for money to renovate it and buy a TV.

Furthermore, it is said that as long as the buyer and seller privately write a note, the other party can go to the real estate department to change the name on the housing certificate to the name of the buyer, which is called "name hijacking".

With this peace of mind, and no further disputes to worry about, Xu Bei became even more determined to succeed...