Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Xu Bei was in a really good mood after leaving the black market.

Although he needs to come to the city again tomorrow to finalize the order for fifty wooden stools with Old Scar and then be responsible for delivery.

However, as long as the other party has a wide network and sells a lot in the future, it also means that a steady stream of money will be delivered to your hands.

A business with no capital, no costs, only profits—it's pure, unearned wealth, and that feeling is simply amazing.

Afterwards, Xu Bei didn't rush to the school to wait for his sister. Instead, he went to the spontaneously formed small market to buy meat without needing ration coupons.

Yesterday, when Dahei came to our house to pick up the wooden stool, he brought a large piece of roe deer meat, which my mother plans to use as filling.

However, the meat of the roe deer is tender, mostly lean, and very low in fat. It is not as oily as pork, beef, or mutton, and it also has a slightly earthy smell.

If you only use it as dumpling filling, it definitely won't be as fragrant and delicious as if you add some fatty meat.

So, before leaving, he instructed Xu Bei to buy a piece of fatty meat to take back.

Since it was already afternoon, when Xu Bei arrived at the small market, he found that there were far fewer people than when he had come that morning.

Some stall owners, dressed in thick coats, hats, and gloves, huddled together, some standing, some squatting, some smoking, and some chatting with their arms crossed.

Ignoring the stares and greetings from others, Xu Bei headed straight for the meat stall where he had bought meat.

The man selling pork was noticeably more burly, with a shinier face than the others, and he was very enthusiastic.

"Young man, you're here again. Let's see how many come today, so I'll give you a high scale."

"Okay, brother, let me take a look first."

As Xu Bei spoke, his gaze swept over the makeshift worktable set up on the cart.

All that remained was a relatively thin piece of pork belly and some pork ribs mixed together with the spine and ribs.

"Are there any fat spots left?"

"That's all. All the fatty pieces have already been bought," the stall owner advised. "Actually, this piece of pork belly is fine too; it's quite fatty. Whether you stew it or use it as filling, it'll taste delicious."

Xu Bei also knew that because it wasn't easy to get meat in this era, everyone preferred to buy fatty meat, preferably pure fat. The lean meat had to be thinner than the skin to be considered the best of the best.

They weren't particularly interested in bones either, so it's perfectly normal that these were left over.

Xu Bei, determined not to leave empty-handed, was hesitating about how much to buy when the stall owner mistakenly thought he was complaining about the meat not being fatty and offered to lower the price a little.

"Young man, how about I give you a discount? One yuan per pound?"

Xu Bei may not haggle, but if the other party offers a discount, he certainly won't refuse.

"Sure, bro. Give me this piece of pork belly then. And how much are these spare ribs over there?"

The stall owner chuckled as he busied himself weighing the goods, replying, "I give others fifty cents, but if you want some, I'll charge you forty cents a pound. See how generous I am?"

Xu Bei couldn't help but sigh to himself, "Who would have thought that decades later, spare ribs would be more expensive than pork?"

"That's kind of you. Then give me five pounds, cut it from the rib area."

"Alright!"

The stall owner was surprised to have such a big customer, and his response was filled with joy and happiness.

Not only was the weight very high, but they also gave us two extra pieces of pork bone as a gift.

Xu Bei was very happy to have answered correctly and decided that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would always buy meat from this older brother whenever he came to the city.

The ribs weighed over five pounds and the pork weighed over two pounds. It was inconvenient to carry them, whether they were wrapped in oil paper or tied with rope. The stall owner then kindly helped to put them into a silk bag he found.

Xu Bei carried the half-brocade bag around town and went to his sister's school.

Later, when Xu Juan came out after the exam, she immediately noticed the bag in his hand.

"Brother, what did you buy this time? Your pockets are bulging."

Xu Bei didn't keep them in suspense and said with a smile in a low voice, "This place has good stuff, including pork and ribs."

Xu Juan stared wide-eyed in disbelief, quickly covering her mouth to prevent herself from blurting out her excited words.

"Brother, when we left this morning, didn't Mom tell us to buy some fatty meat? You bought so much, did you strike it rich?"

Xu Bei seized the opportunity to lie, "That's right. I spent a whole day running around the city today, and it wasn't for nothing. I pushed out fifty stools, and they'll be delivering them tomorrow. They even gave me the five yuan deposit."

Upon hearing this, Xu Juan immediately looked at Xu Bei with great admiration, and was genuinely happy for her brother.

"Brother, you're amazing! You ordered so many at once, more than Mom and my sister did in several days!"

Xu Bei laughed without any modesty, "Of course I'm good, otherwise why would they have the foresight to think of asking me to help sell stools? Let's go, Xiao Juan, let's catch the bus early and go home early, so Mom can be happy to know."

Xu Juan smiled broadly, "Yes, yes, Mom will be so happy to know. Let's hurry and catch the train."

By the time the brother and sister got off the train and then rode bicycles, after a lot of trouble, they finally arrived near their home at almost 5:30.

It was already completely dark.

The air was filled with the distinctive smell of burning firewood and a stove.

Smoke was billowing from the chimneys of every household.

Due to the cold and low air pressure, some smoke seemed to shroud the entire bungalow area in a thin veil.

Xu Bei carried his younger sister on his bicycle as they passed by some houses. Through the windows covered with plastic sheeting and covered with frost flowers, they could see the dim yellow light shining through.

That light was emitted by a tungsten filament bulb, probably only 15 or 25 watts.

But under the cover of night, that little bit of orange glow seemed especially warm and comforting.

However, nothing brings as much peace of mind and joy as seeing the lights on in one's own window from afar.

Shortly after Xu Bei and his group entered the courtyard, Zhao Fengying, who had been keeping an eye on the situation at the gate, ran out of the house.

"Oh, son, daughter, you're back."

Behind her followed Xu Li, who was still wearing her coat.

"You two are finally back! Mom's been talking about it for ages."

As Xu Bei pushed the bike toward the center of the yard, he said with a smile, "So that's why my ears were burning. It's because Mom was nagging. Sis, when did you get here?"

"I was just a few minutes behind you guys," Xu Li said, leaning closer to ask with concern, "My little sister must be freezing! How did your exam go?"

"It's alright, sis." Xu Juan stomped her feet, which were a little numb from riding the bicycle, and hurriedly whispered, "Quickly help my brother untie the silk bag tied to the main beam of the bicycle; there's something good inside."

Even if Xu Juan hadn't said anything, Zhao Fengying and Xu Li had already seen the bag by now.

The mother and daughter asked in unison, "What's this good stuff? It looks really heavy." "Can you untie it, little brother? Should I go inside and get a pair of scissors?"

Just then, Xu Bei successfully untied the knot and chuckled softly, "We'll find out what good stuff it is once we go inside."