Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

After hearing this, even though he had already experienced some of the things that happened later and had long since seen through the true colors of Xu Dahong and the old lady, Xu Bei still felt even more disgusted.

"Mom, you don't need to worry that my brother-in-law will not value my sister. That's impossible."

Besides, every family has its own problems, and every household has its share of troubles. The Zhu family is not without its share of troubles either, which is understandable.

Besides, it wasn't our family that embarrassed us, but rather my aunt and her family, who were a separate group. My brother-in-law, being so smart, could still tell the difference.

Zhao Fengying felt that her son made sense, and the tightness in her chest lessened considerably. "That's true. Besides, your aunt and uncle live far away, and they only come over once or twice a year."

"But now they're jumping around trying to make money selling stools. I bet even if your dad knows they won't sell them, he won't be able to resist them and might even end up helping them out. Son, what do you think we should do?"

Xu Bei twitched the corner of his mouth and said in a low voice, "What else can we do? We'll deal with whatever comes our way."

Anyway, anyone can sell this stool, but whether they can actually sell it depends on their own abilities.

"Mom, from now on, just leave them alone. Let them do what they want. They'll see when they hit a wall and realize the pot is made of iron."

Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan exchanged a glance. For some reason, they both felt as if Xu Bei had them completely under his control, and their previous worries and anxieties were immediately dispelled.

The mother and her two sons chatted for a few more minutes before Xu Dashan, who was in the east room, called for help.

"Son, come here for a second."

"Yes, it's here."

Faced with his father's rare kindness, Xu Bei readily agreed, but did not act immediately. Instead, he smiled at his mother and sister before leaving the west room.

Smoke filled the east room.

Not only was Xu Dashan smoking, but the old lady was also smoking a cigarette made of white cigarette paper.

Compared to the ready-made grape cigarettes that Xu Dashan smokes, these homemade cigarettes are much stronger and more pungent.

As soon as Xu Bei opened the door, he felt a choking sensation from the fumes. He deliberately left the door open and then asked Xu Dashan, who was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), knowing the answer already, "Dad, what did you call me for?"

Xu Dashan also knew that his son's temperament had changed drastically recently, and he was more like a donkey, so he could only try to appease him.

He cleared his throat. "Your grandma and your aunt heard about selling stools and want to join in too. Why don't you talk to your carpenter boss? It's good to have more people helping sell stools; the more you sell, the more you earn."

Xu Bei looked over at the old lady and Xu Dahong who were sitting at the end of the kang.

Then I noticed that both of them had ingratiating smiles on their faces, a stark contrast to their attitudes at the train station and on the way back.

He thought to himself, "They really are a case of using people when they need them and discarding them when they don't."

Xu Dahong immediately smiled and said, "Yes, when I heard your dad and the others mention it before, I thought I could do this job too!"

It's just selling stools, right? It should be similar to selling vegetables and fruits, and there's no risk of spoilage or damage.

The New Year is almost here. If I can sell stools and earn some money, I can make ends meet. Otherwise, I can only earn five work points in the countryside.

The old lady put down the cigarette she was rolling, a smile spreading across her wrinkled face. "Xiao Bei, your aunt is quite eloquent. Even if she doesn't know anyone here, she should be able to sell them."

Could you talk to your boss and ask him to add her? I heard it's not just your mom and sister, but also your friends, who are selling things together too...

Xu Bei had already guessed that once the old lady and Xu Dahong found out about selling wooden stools, they would definitely be very interested.

After all, the household responsibility system hadn't been implemented in my hometown's rural areas yet.

In the production team, if you were to work and earn work points, it was a strong male laborer. Usually, the highest work point you could earn was 10 points, which was also called a "work".

Women, the elderly, or those in their late twenties or early thirties can earn between 5 and 8 cents a day doing lighter farm work.

How much money you can earn in a day is unknown while you are working; the accounts are settled at the end of the year.

The general formula is that the production team adds up all the income for the year, deducts the costs of taxes, seeds, fertilizers, etc., and then divides the remaining distributable income by the total number of work points earned by all the team members in a year to get the value of one work point.

Due to regional differences, in most areas, the value of a work point is usually between 4 and 8 cents. This means that a strong laborer can earn less than 5 cents a day. If he can only earn 5 work points, the amount of money will be even less.

Since the three of them have already said all that, Xu Bei certainly won't refuse outright, but of course, he won't agree directly either.

"I need to ask them before I can give you an answer. After all, my aunt isn't from around here, and they've been cracking down on speculation and profiteering lately, so it's easy for something to go wrong if you're not careful."

Upon hearing about cracking down on speculation and profiteering, both Xu Dahong and the old lady's expressions changed slightly.

"Is selling stools considered speculation and profiteering?"

"Yeah, this thing isn't like ration coupons, cloth coupons, or grain coupons."

"It's hard to say. Selling to acquaintances like this, where the public doesn't report it and the authorities don't investigate, should be fine. But if you sell to strangers, what if they're trying to set you up?"

Xu Bei's words were not an exaggeration. In some places where regulations are strict, it's easy to get arrested for selling melon seeds, let alone selling stools.

Otherwise, the situation of "foolish melon seeds" going in and out multiple times wouldn't have occurred.

The old lady and Xu Dahong's initial confidence and passion were immediately dampened.

But, as the saying goes, people die for wealth, and birds die for food.

The thought that they could earn a penny by selling a single stool, and that a few would be enough to earn them a day's work in the production team, made the mother and daughter feel fearless again.

"Then be more careful when selling them."

"People who fish like this are definitely different from normal people."

Xu Bei also had the intention of deliberately scaring them, "Don't think that far ahead yet, let me ask the boss first."

Because they needed Xu Bei's help and would be staying there for a while, they became much more polite to Zhao Fengying afterward.

Zhao Fengying was a kind-hearted person with a sharp tongue. As long as her mother-in-law and sister-in-law didn't cause trouble, she was willing to maintain a semblance of harmony.

Therefore, Xu Bei quickly took Xu Juan and Xu Dahong on his bicycle, while Zhao Fengying carried the old lady, to the staff bathhouse for a bath.

Xu Dashan had a night shift that night and needed to catch up on sleep, so he didn't go along.

After the women entered the women's bath, Xu Bei also went into the men's bath alone, carrying a cloth bag containing soap, towels, and bath towels.

Cycling through the freezing cold would surely leave even the most resistant to the cold feeling chilly.

Xu Bei quickly took off his clothes, locked the cabinet door, and entered the steamy bathroom. He stepped into the large, hot pool and soaked in it, instantly feeling refreshed from the inside out.

Compared to his mother and the others, Xu Bei was undoubtedly much faster at taking a bath.

He waited for twenty minutes on the bench outside after he finished showering before he heard familiar voices coming from the women's bathhouse entrance.

Moreover, upon closer listening, there was an exceptionally pleasant and melodious sound among them…