Year 1983: I was a carpenter in Northeast China

In their panicked escape, the two had no choice but to gamble and trust Xu Bei.

They quickly made their way through the maze of trees and hid behind a stack of firewood outside a house.

Besides the howling cold wind, all I could hear was the sound of increasingly heavy breathing.

However, Xu Bei's breathing was much lighter than theirs.

After all, people born and raised in the forest area can run and walk in the snow as if they were on flat ground.

Unlike the unfamiliar outsiders, the locals slipped and fell several times, their knees and buttocks covered in snow, making them look quite disheveled.

Because they could still faintly hear some noise coming from afar, the three people who were hiding spoke in very low voices.

"Big brother, thank you so much. If it weren't for you leading us, we probably wouldn't have been able to escape."

The financial loss from having these goods confiscated is a minor issue; being locked up would be disastrous. Our wives, children, and elderly parents back home are waiting for us to come home for the New Year.

"Yes, thank you so much for helping us. To express our gratitude, we'd like to give you four digital watches."

Xu Bei immediately waved his hand, "No need to be polite. I'm helping out because of an unfinished deal. But I don't need you to give it to me for free. I'll charge you whatever price is due, but don't try to rip me off."

The two exchanged a glance, and felt even more strongly that Xu Beijue was a person they could befriend.

"To be honest, we got these digital watches from a middleman, so they're a bit more expensive than others. Brother, just give me ten yuan."

Compared to those who bought one for eighteen yuan, Xu Bei felt that even if he bargained relentlessly, he could never have gotten the price down to this level without his help. It was a case of good deeds being rewarded.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Four ten-dollar bills? You guys are losing money."

The man named Acheng quickly said, "We won't lose money. We'll actually make a profit."

"Yes, yes." The other person nodded vigorously while unzipping his bag. "Brother, you can choose for yourself."

Seeing this, Xu Bei didn't hesitate any longer and directly picked out three women's and one men's digital watches.

Although Zhu Wenliang, the brother-in-law, was quite hateful for drinking and gambling in his previous life, he is now considered a good husband. He adheres to the principle of "better to help a group than one person," so he might as well buy one for the other party as well.

After Xu Bei got what he wanted and paid the money, he stayed there for a while longer before going out to look around.

After confirming that there were no suspicious people like those involved in the gang-related activities, he went back and told the two of them to leave quickly.

So the three of them traveled together for a while longer before waving goodbye and going their separate ways on the main road.

Xu Bei, carrying his digital watch, didn't linger in the city any longer. After confirming that he wasn't followed, he took the forest railway train back to the forestry bureau.

By the time we got off the bus and made our way back to the shop, it was already past one o'clock.

Earlier, Xu Bei had seen several bicycles parked outside the store, and there were quite a few people buying things inside.

The Xu sisters were both busy at the counter answering customers' questions.

Zhao Fengying was looking for jeans in the right size for someone, while several people were waiting near the simple curtain for trying on clothes.

As soon as they saw Xu Bei return, they quickly called him over to help.

Seeing this, Xu Bei knew that even if his mother didn't mention it, he would immediately get into character and start selling the goods.

With her son joining in, Zhao Fengying wiped the light sweat from her brow and breathed a sigh of relief.

After finishing their busy period, all the customers had left. Xu Juan and Xu Li got dressed and went to the public restroom together, while Xu Bei checked how much stock was left.

Although he reached a verbal agreement with Chen Jianguo, they haven't put it into practice since he returned from delivering the goods.

The first time I sent a telegram to request goods, I didn't plan to ask for too much; I wanted to test the waters first.

Otherwise, if he messes up on his first try, even if he makes money quickly, it will be difficult to explain to his mother.

Especially when sales are good before the Lunar New Year, it also delays making money.

Seeing her son writing and drawing with a pen and notebook, Zhao Fengying put down her enamel mug and came closer to take a look.

"Mom said, is that person you mentioned reliable? We can't just transfer the money and then not deliver the goods, can we?"

Even though Xu Bei himself was a little apprehensive, in order to avoid the ordeal of two nights on a slow train and the hardship of traveling back and forth, he reassured her with a very confident tone.

"It's definitely reliable. We're not just buying this one batch. Anyone with a bit of business sense knows the importance of slow and steady wins the race. Only honest business practices can last."

Zhao Fengying felt sorry for her son's hard work in stocking the goods, but she was also afraid that he would be cheated by bad people, since there was still 500 yuan in the money that he had borrowed.

"Let's try a small amount first. We can't order all of it."

"I know." Xu Bei put down the notebook, put his arm around Zhao Fengying's shoulder, and said, "Mom, you have to believe me, I'm pretty good at judging people. By the way, after I finished ordering in the city, I happened to see some digital watches for sale, so I bought one for each of you."

As he spoke, he pulled the four digital watches out of his pocket.

Zhao Fengying's eyes were instantly drawn to the digital watch, and she picked up a women's watch and fiddled with it in her hand.

"Oh my god, this thing must be pretty expensive. You spend all the commission you earn every day, don't you? You don't even save any for the night, do you? Your sister is definitely going to scold you later for spending money so recklessly."

Xu Bei knew his mother would react this way, so he smiled and said, "Mom, isn't the point of making money to spend it? Besides, I only got ten yuan for helping them sell electronic watches. But don't tell anyone else, or those people who spent more than ten yuan to buy them will be so upset."

Zhao Fengying never expected that buying four pieces for ten yuan would be so cheap, even for a thrifty person like her. She loved them even more and was overjoyed.

"Oh dear, someone spent so much money to buy it! We definitely can't tell anyone, otherwise what if they buy it and go to the store to settle accounts?"

"But what favor did you do for them that you got such a low price?"

Xu Bei naturally couldn't tell the truth, otherwise he would inevitably be nagged again. "They got lost and almost couldn't find their way out. I led the way for them."

Just then, Xu Li and Xu Juan returned to the shop, their necks hunched from the cold, and Zhao Fengying didn't press the matter further.

Both sisters were also very fond of this novelty of digital watches.

When she learned that it was so cheap, even Xu Li stopped complaining about her younger brother Xu Bei spending money recklessly and praised him instead.

Finally, he said, "...Brother, when your brother-in-law comes home from get off work and sees that you bought it for him too, he'll be overjoyed."

Xu Bei couldn't help but chuckle. "Sis, my brother-in-law isn't as exaggerated as you say. I remember the watch he's wearing cost over 150 yuan."

Xu Li laughed confidently, "That's different. This is the most fashionable digital watch from the south that my brother-in-law bought for me. You can't even buy it in a department store if you want to."

Zhao Fengying and Xu Juan echoed in agreement, "Yes, it has a different meaning." "And also, it's really impossible to buy them."

Xu Bei was particularly pleased to see that the three of them were wearing brand-new digital watches on their wrists, and that they were deliberately showing them off and occasionally pressing the buttons on the side.

I feel more and more that the ten yuan was well spent.

Later, around 2 PM, Xu Bei left the store to first wire the money and then send a telegram to notify them to order the goods...