Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

Xu Bei had a lot of guesses in his mind, but he greeted her without showing any emotion.

After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, the two went to find a sheltered and convenient spot to talk.

"Brother, I asked my friend for you, and he said he can give you a discount of one cent for a wooden stool."

When Old Scar heard that such a big discount was being offered, a look of surprise flashed across his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant, and he put on a serious expression again.

"Hey bro, those two wooden stools you left me yesterday, I took one apart when I got back! Guess what?"

Xu Bei's heart skipped a beat.

The wooden stools mass-produced by the game system are definitely different from those made by a handcrafted carpenter.

If you take it apart, it means that some of his lies will fall apart on their own.

However, Xu Beike felt no guilt or fear whatsoever.

After all, no one could possibly guess that this was a product of a game.

And, at worst, we can simply choose not to cooperate with this old scar.

"Brother, I'm too lazy to guess. Just tell me straight, what do you mean?"

Seeing Xu Bei's composure, Old Scar felt even more certain that his guess was correct.

"Tell your brother the truth, is your carpenter friend from a woodworking factory? Does he work in the factory during the day using public machinery and scraps, and then assemble and polish at night or at other times?"

Otherwise, a carpenter who works purely by hand wouldn't have a planer or thickness planer to process the material, nor a specialized tenoning machine to create tenons on the stool legs.

Xu Bei twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "Brother, you really guessed right every time. Now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore. Working in the factory, I only earn that little salary a month. I have elderly parents and young children to support, how can I not be envious when I see others buying TVs?"

So, my friend thought he could make stools on the side to earn money; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to produce so many and sell them so cheaply.

Old Scar was still somewhat skeptical of Xu Bei's words, but since the stool was indeed well-made and profitable, he softened his tone and smiled.

"Indeed. Nowadays, many families save up money by cutting back on their meals to buy a TV, but they don't even think about doing some side work or working as foreign laborers to earn extra money. They're not very quick-witted."

Your friend is really smart, skilled, and decisive! But isn't he afraid of getting caught by the factory one day and being fired or accused of speculation?

Xu Bei smiled mysteriously, "It's a society based on personal connections, and you have connections in the factory, so there's nothing to be afraid of. Brother, don't worry, even if something happens one day, it definitely won't affect you."

Old Scar was finally relieved. "Brother, can the price be lowered any further? I'm not going to ship a small quantity of this."

"It's definitely not possible for now." Xu Bei pretended to be very sincere and made up a lie as soon as he opened his mouth. "Because my friend said before that he could guess from my retelling that you are a well-connected and straightforward person. Let's not lie and just give me the lowest price."

But as time goes on and more incidents occur, we can discuss it further. I believe my friend isn't inflexible.

Old Scar, who's been around for a while, loves hearing these kinds of comments from others.

Xu Bei's compliment hit the mark perfectly, and Xu Bei immediately burst into laughter, the scar on his face even twitching.

"Your friend really knows how to read people and what to say. I must meet him sometime..."

Xu Bei accepted the compliment quite readily, smiling and brushing it off, "Sure, maybe another time. How many of these wooden stools do you want, brother?"

"Just like we agreed yesterday, send me fifty first." Old Scar then gave me his home address, which wasn't too far from the black market, "...preferably by noon."

Xu Bei tried his best to suppress the corners of his mouth that were trying to turn up high. "Okay, no problem."

Afterwards, the two waved goodbye.

Old Scar went back to the black market, and Xu Bei also turned and left.

He walked along, pondering the issue of transportation and delivery.

Delivery is easy now that it's winter; we can use a sled.

After winter, we'll have to use other means of transportation.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, a car quota system is still in place, and private individuals need special approval or to register a car under the name of a company.

Getting a driver's license is extremely difficult and expensive, costing over a thousand yuan. In addition to traffic regulations, you also need to master skills such as car repair and mechanical principles.

After all, being a driver is a skilled job, and you must learn car repair and routine vehicle maintenance before taking the test.

Furthermore, the certificate obtained after passing the exam is also an internship certificate.

Next, I will have to undergo a year-long internship, which means I will drive alongside my mentor.

After about six months of driving practice, the instructor will sign off on it before you can get your official driver's license.

Otherwise, Xu Bei felt that with his earning speed, buying a car was not a dream and could be easily achieved.

It was still some time before noon, and it was freezing cold and snowing outside.

It was still early for lunch, and Xu Bei didn't want to go to the movies or the department store, so he chose to go to Xinhua Bookstore instead.

Xinhua Bookstores in this era did not have the magnificent multi-story buildings of later generations.

However, it was precisely during this period of literary revival and a surge in people's thirst for knowledge that bookstores were doing very well.

One can get a glimpse of the situation from the people coming and going, and from the many bicycles parked at the entrance.

Xu Bei stood at the bottom of the steps and took a few extra glances at the white plaque with red characters above the door, which read "Xinhua Bookstore" in Mao Zedong's calligraphy style.

It looked particularly dignified and beautiful in the biting cold wind.

Then he climbed the steps.

After opening the old-fashioned spring-loaded wooden door of Xinhua Bookstore, there is another layer of heavy cotton curtain inside.

This is an important line of defense that can increase protection against the severe cold.

After Xu Bei lifted the covers, he felt a wave of heat, a mixture of ink, paper, and warmth, rush towards him, instantly dispelling the slight chill he felt.

He took off his hat and cotton gloves, patted the snowflakes that had settled on his shoulders and coat sleeves, and observed the situation inside the bookstore.

The space was tall and spacious.

Directly opposite the door was a long wooden counter, behind which stood two female sales clerks.

One of them, wearing arm sleeves, was looking down and calculating accounts, while the other appeared to be looking for a book for a customer.

Large New Year posters and calendars are hung on the wall above the counter, while comic books and other books are displayed on the glass counter below.

On both sides of the bookstore, there are many dark brown wooden bookshelves, divided into squares and filled with all kinds of books.

Not only were there many people selecting books at the counter, but there were also some people quietly reading next to the bookshelves.

Xu Bei was just casually strolling around when he went straight to the bookstore where there were several rows of waist-high wooden display stands, covered with various new and best-selling books and some periodicals.

Magazines like "Harvest" and "People's Literature" have colorful covers that attract people's attention.

But what attracted Xu Bei even more was a rather thick "Forestry Technology Handbook".

Because the contents cover all aspects of forestry production, from tree cultivation, logging, and timber processing to forest chemical products, it is a book he needs to browse.

Just then, an impatient voice came from behind, "Hey, young man, your hands are so dirty, don't get the book dirty!"