Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

By the time the three of them returned to the area of ​​bungalows belonging to the Xu family, it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon.

As the sun slid to the west, it turned orange-red.

It cast a red glow over the originally snow-covered world, making it quite beautiful.

"It's almost the twelfth lunar month, so it doesn't get dark that late. Back in the tenth lunar month, it would get dark around 3 a.m.

Zhao Fengying was getting on in years, and walking in the snow was exhausting, so she was a little out of breath when she spoke.

Xu Juan's physical condition wasn't particularly good compared to her peers, and she was slightly out of breath. "Yeah. It gets really dark now. I remember last time Dad came back from his shower it was already dark."

"Mom, Xiaojuan, you two are both panting. Why don't you rest for a while before continuing? You're both warm now, so you don't feel too cold."

Xu Bei is a young man, so he's definitely much stronger than them. He's also tall, so he can take bigger strides, which saves him a lot of energy.

"No need to rest, we'll be there soon after turning into the alley ahead."

"Yeah, bro, let's just get home in one go."

The mother and daughter formed a united front, working in unison.

Xu Bei had no choice but to agree, "Okay, I'll do as you say."

He paused for a moment, then said, "However, I really need to put buying a bicycle on my agenda, even a used one would be fine."

Even a no-name brand bicycle cost over a hundred yuan back then.

Therefore, Xu Bei prefers to buy an old one to use for now.

"Go ahead and mention it," Zhao Fengying retorted without any politeness. "Two months ago, when you lost your sister's old bicycle, I told you that the family would give you money to buy a new one, but you refused."

They also said it wasn't far from their workplace, and that riding a bicycle in the dead of winter was too slippery, so walking was better.

"Your dad was already quite angry about this, so why would he be eager to buy it for you?"

Xu Bei tugged at the wool hat on his head and chuckled.

Even though it's been a long time, some things are still remembered very clearly and cannot be easily forgotten.

When Xu Li got married last summer, her family gave her a bicycle as a dowry, so the old one she used to ride was passed down to Xu Bei.

As a result, he lost it after only a few months.

In this day and age, bicycles were considered big-ticket items, much like cars were in the future.

For an average family, the price of a bicycle is a huge sum of money.

And buying branded bicycles, such as Forever, Phoenix, and Flying Pigeon, is the most difficult.

A special bicycle purchase voucher, commonly known as a bicycle ticket, is required.

These tickets are extremely scarce and are usually allocated by unit or rank.

A large factory with thousands of employees might only receive a few tickets a year.

These tickets will be allocated preferentially to model workers, advanced workers, or families with special circumstances.

For ordinary people, getting a ticket through their own connections is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Because of the scarcity of tickets, a bicycle ticket can fetch tens of yuan on the black market.

Xu Bei said, half-jokingly, "I was just upset because I lost my bicycle while drinking. Besides, I'm all grown up now, and I felt bad spending my family's money to buy me another bicycle."

Zhao Fengying punched him on the shoulder and said, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Since you started working, you've been handing over a portion of your salary to your family every month."

Listen to Mom, let's buy one right away. That way it will be more convenient for us to use when we go out. We can't always wait for your dad to get off work before we can ride a bike..."

After being reborn, Xu Bei had the idea of ​​buying a bicycle.

But now, even though selling stools is a risk-free business, I've only made a few dozen yuan in two days, and I haven't even gone through any legitimate channels yet.

"Okay, Mom, I'll do as you say. I'll make it up to you when I earn more money."

Zhao Fengying rolled her eyes at him. "If you want to get it repaired, I certainly can't stop you. Who doesn't like money? Just buy it if you find a suitable one in the next couple of days."

"Okay. I'll go take a look tomorrow."

Xu Juan listened to the whole thing and laughed excitedly, "If we can buy the bicycle in the next couple of days, brother, can you carry me back after my exams?"

"It's freezing cold and so far. I can manage on my own, but carrying you on my back will kill me!"

Xu Bei knew that people in this day and age could definitely cycle dozens of miles.

But he doesn't belong to that category.

After all, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.

Zhao Fengying patted Xu Juan on the back, "Even if you're not tired, it's still quite cold. My dear girl, why are you going through all that trouble? What if you catch a cold? Your health isn't good to begin with, and if you catch a cold and get a fever, it could turn into pneumonia or something else. You should just take the little train."

Xu Juan was just saying it casually, and quickly replied, "Mom, I'm not stupid. I was just teasing my brother."

Xu Bei tapped his younger sister on the shoulder, "You little rascal, you've even learned to tease people now."

Having already turned into the alley, Zhao Fengying suddenly said, "Hey, do you see someone standing at our front door?"

The brother and sister both looked over.

Then they saw a person who had been wandering around, who must have seen them too, raise his arm and wave.

Xu Bei had good eyesight, and because the other person was someone he knew, he recognized him first, "It's Da Hei!"

"I wonder when they got here, and how long they've been freezing outside," Zhao Fengying muttered. "Why didn't they go to the neighbor's house to warm up?"

"I guess he wasn't familiar with the neighbors and was too embarrassed to approach them."

Xu Bei responded to his mother and then quickened his pace to walk forward.

"Big Black, how long have you been here?"

Big Black said with a smile, "I just got here a little while ago. I didn't expect you all to be out. I was just thinking that if I waited a few more minutes and no one was home, I would leave and come back later."

After saying that, she greeted the mother and daughter walking behind her, "Auntie, little sister."

Xu Juan greeted Hei Zi with a smile.

Zhao Fengying greeted them warmly, "We didn't expect you to come. You just came back from the staff bathhouse. Come on in, open the door, and warm up inside. Don't catch a cold."

Big Black hurriedly said, "Auntie, actually I don't feel that cold."

"It's not cold at all. Why pretend when you're here?"

The group quickly walked straight into the house.

Since they were looking for Xu Bei, they didn't go to the east room, but instead went into his room and sat down.

As Xu Bei picked up the thermos and poured hot water into the cup, he smiled confidently and said, "You came in such a hurry, it must have been booked."

Big Black grinned, showing his teeth. "You guessed right. Sixteen have been ordered!"

Xu Bei said sincerely, "You've ordered quite a lot. I didn't expect you to be such a good salesperson."

Dahei explained somewhat embarrassedly, "It's not entirely my doing. My mom and my family also contributed."

"That's pretty impressive."

Xu Bei could see that his childhood friend was anxious, but he couldn't pick up the goods right away. If he did, the other party would definitely want to come along, which would be troublesome.

He paused for a moment, then said seriously, "I have to go pick it up tomorrow. My mom and sister have placed quite a few orders, and we're a bit overwhelmed."

Big Black immediately agreed, "Sure. I'll come over after get off work tomorrow afternoon."

After sitting for a while, the other party got up and took their leave.

Xu Bei then escorted the person to the gate.

When he returned to his room, Zhao Fengying immediately felt the pressure of being overtaken when she heard that Dahei and the others had ordered 16.

I plan to visit other people's homes after dinner and tidying up.

Xu Bei naturally supported his mother's soaring career ambitions and desire to earn more money.

Because for a housewife, no matter how much she spends around the stove and how much she toils for the family, sometimes it is not as valuable as being able to earn money.

It's cruel, but it's an undeniable fact...