Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

After Xu Bei was led to sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) in the east room, he had just looked around at the furnishings when the woman who opened the door for him came in carrying a white porcelain teapot and teacups.

Old Scar pointed to the other person and introduced, "Oh right, I haven't told you yet, this is your sister-in-law."

Xu Bei immediately stood up again and politely greeted, "Hello, sister-in-law."

"Hey, hello," the woman said with a smile. "Young man, sit down and have some hot tea to warm yourself up."

"Okay, thank you, sister-in-law."

However, Xu Bei took the teacup but didn't drink it; instead, he held it to warm his hands.

After the woman left, the two continued their conversation.

The conversation initially revolved around the arrest of seven or eight people.

Old Scar said with a look of relief, "Actually, I heard a little bit of a rumor before, that they would come down to inspect before the New Year to make an example of someone. But nothing happened for several days in a row, so everyone became complacent and didn't take it too seriously."

Luckily, I was delivering a stool to someone during the raid and didn't show up, otherwise they would have taken me down too.

Upon hearing this, Xu Bei looked on as if he felt lucky for him, "It's really fortunate that you weren't there, otherwise even if I had come looking for you today, I wouldn't have been able to see you, brother."

"Yes, I was both scared and relieved when I heard about it. Otherwise, my goods would have been worth more than those people's. If I had been caught and the goods confiscated, the loss would have been even greater, and I might not have been able to celebrate the New Year."

After Old Scar finished his lament, he quickly changed the subject and laughed, "Brother, half of those fifty stools are gone. Actually, even if you hadn't come looking for me today, I would have found you anyway."

"Wow, you're selling pretty fast, bro," Xu Bei complimented first, then asked, "How many more are you planning to buy?"

Old Scar thought for a moment and said, "Let's give him another fifty. I don't want to keep too many at home for now, since it's still unclear whether those who were caught have implicated me."

Although not many people know where I live, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Xu Bei nodded in deep agreement. "Indeed. It's always better to be cautious."

After finalizing the delivery quantity and time, Xu Bei didn't linger and took his leave.

Old Scar saw him off at the door and didn't go any further; it was his wife who saw him off to the gate.

Xu Bei took one last look at the closed, iron-clad gate and let out a long sigh.

In fact, he only appeared to be very sincere, and his words carried a hint of probing.

Once he realizes things are going wrong, even if Old Scar wants him to deliver the goods, he won't risk it for a little money.

Fortunately, nothing major has happened yet, so the cooperation can continue for the time being.

Later that evening, Xu Bei returned with fifty wooden stools. After unloading them peacefully, he received another forty-five yuan.

It was a business with no initial investment, but it turned out to be all profit, more than his salary from last month, so he was naturally in a great mood.

After leaving again and confirming that no one was following him, Xu Bei went shopping at the department store.

The main item I wanted to buy was White Rabbit Creamy Candy.

Last night, while watching a movie, Zhou Qingwan's sister gave each of them a piece of food, and the scene of their mother not being able to bear eating it deeply affected Xu Bei.

He felt that he, a grown man, was still too careless.

Having made a lot of money, I only thought about buying meat and ribs to improve my family's meals, but I never thought about buying some snacks that are both delicious and expensive in this day and age.

However, since White Rabbit candy is produced in Haicheng, it is not easy to buy. He didn't know if the department stores in the city sold it, so he could only go and see for himself.

After Xu Bei arrived at the department store, he pushed open one of the two old-fashioned wooden doors. Inside, there was also a thick cotton curtain to keep out the cold.

As soon as he lifted the cotton curtain, a wave of heat, mixed with various indescribable smells, immediately hit him, instantly dispelling the chill on his body.

The first floor of the building was crowded with people, and the noise was like a pot of boiling porridge.

On the wall, red slogans promoting economic development and ensuring supply are particularly eye-catching.

Xu Bei's gaze swept over the rows of tall glass counters, and his nose caught a faint, sweet fragrance wafting from the deepest part of the hall.

He immediately pushed through the crowd and went to the food and candy counter.

The glass display case, which was wiped very clean, was filled with all kinds of snacks, such as steamed rice cake, glutinous rice strips, oven-baked cakes, mung bean cakes, and loose biscuits wrapped in oil paper.

There were also all sorts of candy boxes on the counter, a much wider variety than what the forestry bureau shop below sold.

Xu Bei saw parents leading their children to buy candy at the counter, and some children standing on tiptoe, gazing longingly at the colorful candies.

"Comrade, half a pound of fruit candy, please."

"OK."

The saleswoman was a young woman with short, ear-length hair, wearing blue overalls and white arm sleeves, and she was extremely busy.

Xu Bei looked over the shoulder of the woman in front of him and finally saw what he had been longing for.

In the most conspicuous position on the counter, there were several large glass jars with red labels.

On the can, a bright and eye-catching image of a hopping white rabbit is displayed, and the red and white candy wrapper reflects an enticing luster under the light.

That's White Rabbit Creamy Candy.

Unlike those loose sour tricolors or sorghum candy that are casually piled in boxes, it is neatly arranged in a glass jar, exuding the dignified air of a high-end product.

Xu Bei immediately leaned forward and asked, "Comrade, how much does this White Rabbit milk candy cost per pound?"

"Two dollars and eighty cents." The sales clerk answered instinctively while glancing at the customer standing outside the counter.

Xu Bei considered that if he bought too much at once, his thrifty mother would definitely scold him, and he also had limited money for legitimate purposes, so he might as well buy some for his family to enjoy first.

"Okay, then give me a pound."

Even though Xu Bei only wanted to buy one pound, it instantly attracted all sorts of stares from the sales clerk and the people around him.

After all, at that time, workers' wages were only a few dozen yuan a month, and it was not common for people to spend so much money at once to buy a pound of White Rabbit candy.

The sales clerk confirmed, "Is it one pound?"

Xu Bei nodded. "Yes, one jin."

The salesperson didn't say anything more, skillfully reaching into the jar, and with a clattering sound, one by one, the milk candies wrapped in candy wrappers were pulled out and poured onto the yellowed straw paper.

After weighing it, he packed it up, tied a knot, and then handed it to Xu Bei.

Xu Bei didn't linger at the department store; instead, he took the candy and went to catch his ride.

After returning to Beishan Forestry Bureau and retrieving my bicycle, it was already past 2 PM when I rode it home.

Xu Dashan had gone visiting somewhere again, leaving only Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan at home.

The mother and daughter were extremely surprised when they saw that Xu Bei had actually bought a pound of White Rabbit milk candy.

"Son, you're being too cruel. You can't even buy a little something after you get your salary?"

"Brother, how much does this pound cost? It must be really expensive."

Xu Bei chuckled as he took off his hat and coat, "A pound isn't much, and even if it were more expensive, our family could afford it now. Yesterday, seeing you all enjoying it so much, I thought I'd go see if they sold it in the building..."