1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Pass through Wufu Market, walk to Tonghang Street and then walk south for another 200 meters, and you will find the earliest light industrial building materials market in Hecheng.

When passing by Wufu Market, Dong Jianguo, worried about being discovered by the market administrator he had offended last time, specifically reminded Erzhuzi to stand up and kick.

But to my surprise, I was still stopped.

"Ma Qiang, how come I see you everywhere?"

Dong Jianguo never expected that this guy would spawn wherever he went, just like a fixed-spawn NPC.

Ma Qiang, who had stopped the tricycle, looked rather listless today, his face deathly pale. He had an IV drip in one hand and held up a medicine bottle in the other.

He rushed out of a small roadside clinic, looking as ridiculous as could be.

"Jianguo, why didn't you set up your morning market at Wufu Market this morning?"

"Yes, did you need something from me?"

"No way, how can you run your own business and then work only sporadically?!"

His words amused Erzhuzi, who was sitting on the bicycle seat: "Our eggs didn't arrive this morning, and we don't even have nets! How are we supposed to fish?!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Qiang was stunned for a full three seconds.

Erzhuzi, growing impatient, urged, "Just say what you need. Don't beat around the bush, you grown man. What, you want to buy eggs?!"

Ma Qiang shook his head.

"If you're sick, rest more. If you're not looking for us, get out of the way!"

With a shout, Erzhuzi started his tricycle again, carrying Dong Jianguo.

Ma Qiang stood by the roadside, watching the tricycle drive away, tears welling up in his eyes.

Last night, he followed Zhao Ruidong to the Wufu Market Management Office and played mahjong all night. Not only did he lose over a hundred yuan, but this morning he and a few of his cronies were waiting at the morning market as Liu Xiangdong had instructed, just waiting for Dong Jianguo to show up so they could teach him a lesson.

As a result, they waited until the morning market closed, but they didn't see a single chicken feather, let alone Dong Jianguo's eggs!

That's not all, he also caught a cold...

I was just getting an IV drip at a small clinic by the roadside.

"Damn it, why does it feel like that bastard Liu Xiangdong isn't scheming against Dong Jianguo, but against me?!"

……

The Second Light Industry Market was originally under the management of the Second Light Industry Bureau of Hecheng.

As time went by, the management entity gradually changed, but this building materials market has always retained the name "Second Light Industry".

When Dong Jianguo and his companion arrived, the market's peak hours had already passed.

Customers strolled around in twos and threes in front of the shops along the street, and occasionally you could see the shop owners chatting with the shop owners next door.

Since it was a rare opportunity for him to come here, Dong Jianguo first took a stroll around before finally choosing a classic red three-sided transparent rain shelter from a breakfast stall.

It has to be said that prices were really cheap in 1994. The shopkeeper asked for 30, but Dong Jianguo bargained down to 25, and the shopkeeper immediately agreed.

The two men carried the goods out of the shop when Dong Jianguo suddenly heard something and called Erzhuzi to stop.

"Brother Jianguo, what's wrong?"

"Can't you hear people arguing?"

"Huh? What happened during the argument?"

"Let's go take a look!"

Without saying a word, Dong Jianguo went straight to the source of the sound.

The two walked along the paths in the market several times and actually found the source of their argument.

A crowd had already gathered in front of a shop called "Dasheng Flooring".

A worker was arguing heatedly with the boss inside.

Sweat had already soaked through the workers' light blue work clothes, from the collar to the cuffs and back, leaving no part untouched. Even their cheeks were covered in damp sweat.

"Boss, 150 boxes of flooring, three boxes for one yuan, that's the price we agreed on at the train station. Everything's in stock, why are you going back on your word?!"

"Are you kidding me? I only charge a truck driver 30 yuan for a trip, and you two are asking for 50. You think you can rip us off because my man is easy to talk to?! It's 30 yuan, take it or leave it. If you don't take it, you'll lose all your 30 yuan!"

"How can that be the same?! A truck can just step on the gas, but I delivered it to you trip after trip on a tricycle!"

"So what?! Did I beg you to drive a tricycle?! You can't afford a truck and you're blaming me?!"

"You...you...how could you bully people like this?! This is outrageous!"

The delivery worker was clearly not good with words, repeating only these few sentences over and over again.

But these words clearly had limited impact and had no effect on the female boss at all.

The onlookers were also whispering among themselves:

"Last time the truck driver delivered goods, she said it would be cheaper to use a tricycle. And this time again… tsk tsk tsk…"

"That's just how she is, she'll try to build up a huge fanbase for any Tom, Dick, and Harry. This guy's really unlucky today."

"The shrew at the Second Light Industry Market truly lives up to her reputation, but she does manage to reap some real benefits; she saved another 20 yuan!"

Dong Jianguo recognized the voice immediately, and when he squeezed into the crowd, he was stunned.

The worker who was scammed while delivering goods was actually his own second brother, Dong Weiguo!

Seeing his second brother blushing red from being bullied, Dong Jianguo immediately became indignant.

He heard those few words clearly and knew that the boss had agreed on the price first, and then changed his mind after the goods were delivered. He was betting that his second brother was easy to bully!

But do you think the Dong family is so easy to bully?!

He shoved the rain cover in his hand into Erzhuzi's hand and stood directly next to his second brother, Dong Weiguo.

"What's agreed upon is agreed upon. You're a big guy, why would you go back on your word? Do you even sit back on your own toilet after you've taken a dump?!"

His words startled Dong Weiguo, who was standing next to him.

But the other shop owners watching were already laughing hysterically.

The man standing behind the proprietress blushed bright red.

Upon hearing someone speak up for her, the proprietress immediately became displeased: "Who do you think you are?!"

Dong Jianguo pointed directly at the male boss:

"Hey, I'm talking to you! Other men are all men of their word, but you're the opposite—you cower behind a woman when something happens. You're not even as good as that good old woman!"

The woman slapped Dong Jianguo's arm away: "Let me tell you, don't point fingers and say things like, 'Who can't compare to a good old woman?!' Don't talk to my man like that!"

Dong Jianguo then shifted his focus to the proprietress:

"What are you looking at? I wasn't talking about you. Search your conscience, are you a good old woman?!"

"Other women protect their men's image in public, but you, you go back on your word about things your man agreed to. You don't even give your man face, and you expect us to uphold his honor?!"

"Why call it 'Great Sage Floor'? I think it should be renamed 'She-Devil Floor'!"

The proprietress's face was contorted with rage, looking like a shrew: "Who are you calling a shrew?!"

"Whoever couldn't hold it in anymore, that's who it is! Don't you all agree?!"

"right!"

The onlookers responded with smiles.

This couple has caused a lot of trouble like this before. They not only cheat the movers, but also often shortchange customers, which has ruined the reputation of the market.

Today we met a young man with amazing tongue skills, and everyone felt both excited and relieved.

Seeing that he had said enough, Dong Jianguo snatched the 30 yuan from the woman's hand and stuffed it into his second brother's hand.

The proprietress breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this:

"What's the point of saying all that? Just take the money and get out of here! What are you babbling about, you laborer? What are you doing?!"

Seeing Dong Jianguo lift a box of floorboards from the ground, the female boss's expression changed:

"What, you're resorting to robbery because you can't win an argument?!"

"Hey!" Dong Jianguo spat in front of her.

"You still owe us twenty yuan, huh?! Sixty boxes of flooring in total! Today I'm going to do you a good deed; I'll deliver these 60 boxes of flooring back to the train station for free. You can find someone else to haul them away!"

"Second brother, don't just stand there, come with me and take the floorboards back to the train station!"