Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

After confirming that the amount of money was correct, Xu Bei quickly left the finance office.

I noticed that the number of people queuing in the corridor had increased rather than decreased, and the line almost stretched all the way to the stairs.

Some of the faces looked familiar, but he couldn't remember their names.

After all, it's been a long time since then, and the timber processing plant was quite large. The people I was most familiar with were the ones working in the same workshop team.

Stepping out of the office building, the sunlight was perfect, shining brightly on the snow and reflecting a dazzling light.

Xu Bei subconsciously narrowed his eyes before walking towards the bicycle shed.

Just then, someone suddenly shouted, "Brother Bei!"

Xu Bei immediately stopped and looked in the direction of the sound.

The person running towards him was thin and small, and his cotton coat was obviously not very big enough, with a lot of sawdust and dust on it.

Xu Bei recognized Xiao Liuzi, who worked in the same workshop. The two had spoken when Xu Bei was reborn.

"You're here to collect your salary too?"

Xiao Liu nodded with a smile, "Yeah, I didn't expect to catch you like this. Brother Bei, you haven't been to work for almost a week. I even secretly asked your uncle, but he didn't tell me."

Xu Beitai knew his father well enough not to be surprised at all.

After all, the workers, who have always considered themselves to have secure jobs, look down on these young temporary workers, especially since it involves such an annoying issue as his not showing up for work. It's no wonder they're not going to give him a friendly look.

"That's just his temper, don't take it to heart. Besides, it's not that it's directed at you, it's just that I get annoyed."

"I know." Xiao Liuzi asked with concern, "So, Brother Bei, when are you coming back to work? Without you, Old Zhang is probably giving us more work, and we're working like dogs every day..."

Xu Bei naturally couldn't say something foolish like never coming back to work, so he made an excuse, "In a while, a friend of mine needs my help with something. You should go collect your salary; there's a long line."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Liuzi hurriedly said, "Then I'll go upstairs first. Brother Bei, let's have a good chat when you come back to work."

Xu Bei smiled and said, "Okay."

After watching Xiao Liuzi run into the office building, Xu Bei went to the bicycle shed to get his bicycle.

After riding out of the timber processing plant, I didn't go straight home, but headed straight for the forestry bureau's train station.

He planned to go to the city to check on the sales of Old Scar's fifty wooden stools.

However, when Xu Bei got off the train and rushed to the back alley at the deepest part of the staff and family residential area, he found that there was not a single person in sight.

There were only a few messy footprints and bicycle tire tracks on the snow.

The cold wind swept the snow off the rooftops, swirling it in the open space, making it look particularly desolate and cold.

When Xu Bei came last time, I remember there were no fewer people because of the snowy weather. Today the weather is quite sunny, but there is no one here. Obviously something has happened.

It's unclear whether the office staff were temporarily relocated to avoid being caught by patrols, or...

Just as Xu Bei was walking and pondering whether or not to rush to Lao Ba's house, an old man carrying a water bucket came out of a house in the alley.

He quickly stepped forward, pretending to have never been there before. "Sir, I'd like to ask you something. I heard there's a place around here where you can exchange things, but I came here today and there's nothing there. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place?"

The old man put down his water bucket, looked him up and down, and then said, "You've come at a bad time, young man. I heard the police raided the place yesterday, arresting seven or eight speculators and taking their goods with them! No one will be trading anything here anytime soon!"

Xu Bei's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't show any regret on his face and said, "Sigh, I should have come looking for you sooner."

The old man picked up the nearly full water bucket again. "Young man, take my advice, don't loiter around here. If the patrol officers see you, it'll be hard to explain!"

Xu Bei quickly and sincerely thanked him, "Thank you, sir. I'd better hurry up and leave, lest you mistake me for a speculator."

After leaving the area, Xu Bei hesitated for a long time before deciding to go to Old Scar's house to check on the situation.

After all, they can't meet in the black market for the time being, and the only way to find each other is to go to each other's homes.

As for whether he would be implicated, Xu Bei wasn't too worried.

First of all, wooden stools are not among those risky items. Secondly, the two of them have only worked together once, and they haven't even figured out each other's backgrounds yet.

Last time when I delivered the goods, I easily found the address provided by Lao Ba. This time, I was even faster as I knew the way well.

Before Xu Bei even reached the vicinity of Old Scar's house, he saw a wisp of smoke rising from the chimney of a house in the mountains.

That family was Old Scar's family.

Xu Bei couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

If there's smoke, it means someone is home and can cook, so they probably haven't been arrested.

He quickened his pace to the door and knocked on the closed iron gate.

After waiting for a while without any response, Xu Bei knocked three more times.

Then he heard the door open, followed by a wary female voice asking, "Who is it?"

Xu Bei didn't know who this woman was to Old Scar, but judging from the sound of her voice, she seemed quite young. So he called out through the gate, "Sister, is Big Brother home? My surname is Xu."

Soon, footsteps echoed in the courtyard.

Then, the door was opened from the inside.

Behind the half-closed door stood a woman with permed hair, wearing a red floral cotton-padded jacket. She wasn't particularly beautiful, but she possessed a simple beauty, especially her bright and expressive phoenix eyes.

"Come in."

Xu Bei responded with a "okay," and without saying anything more, stepped across the threshold and went inside.

The woman turned around, closed the door, locked it again from the inside, and walked ahead.

Xu Bei followed silently behind, observing the situation in the yard and the windows of the house.

Then I saw a figure standing by the window in the east room that was covered with plastic sheeting; it must have been Old Scar.

As the door opened, in addition to the hot air and the aroma of food, Old Scar came to greet us at the door.

"Brother, I was just wondering at home when you would be able to come over, and here you are! We really are on the same wavelength."

Xu Bei smiled, half-jokingly, "Brother, it's good to see you're alright. You have no idea how worried I was on my way here. Luckily, it was just a false alarm."

As Old Scar ushered the people into the house, he sighed and said, "In this world, the bold get rich and the timid starve. Even if you get caught, you have to keep working for money after you get out."

Otherwise, we ex-convicts can't do proper jobs, so we can't just stand there with our necks pierced, can we?

Xu Bei had guessed about the other party's situation before, and now that he heard it was true, he was not afraid or looked down on them.

On the contrary, I think that although such people are ruthless, they are generally loyal and, more importantly, they have courage and connections, making it easier for them to get rich first by taking advantage of the reform and opening up compared to ordinary office workers...