In 1959, what's wrong with me pedaling a tricycle?

Uncle Niu looked at Wang Xingguo and chuckled, "Ha! What? Little Wang, you want to buy a pedicab to carry passengers? Why are you so foolish?"

Wang Xingguo came to the gambling den and told Master Niu that he wanted to ask him to help him get a pedicab.

Motorized tricycles do exist, but ordinary people shouldn't even think about it. Private individuals can't buy those things; only government agencies can purchase them, and even then, not every agency is qualified to buy such vehicles.

The people sitting next to him chimed in, "Wang Lao Er, what are you thinking? Other people who drive tricycles are thinking about getting a decent job, but you, you actually want to do this yourself."

"That's right, Wang Lao Er, don't be silly. How much money can you make by driving a tricycle these days? It's not only hard work, but it's also not respectable. You might as well work as a factory worker in the neighborhood office."

Faced with the crowd's commotion, Wang Xingguo was not annoyed. He just smiled and continued to say to Uncle Niu, "Uncle Niu, don't worry about whether I'm being silly or not. Just tell me if you can help me get a pedicab."

Looking at Wang Xingguo, Niu Ye felt that the kid wasn't joking, so he nodded and said, "That's no problem. It depends on what kind you need. The newer the one, the higher the price. If it's a slightly used one, I estimate you can get it for around 120 or 130."

Wang Xingguo quickly said, "No, I need a newer one, the kind that's easier to ride, preferably one with a canopy."

Uncle Niu nodded and said, "Alright, come over during the day tomorrow. You can see if it's suitable then. If it is, go directly to the police station to complete the transfer procedures."

After thanking him, Wang Xingguo left to pick up Li Xiuping and go to her house for dinner.

He delivered a rooster to the Li family and told Aunt Li that he would be having dinner there that evening before running off to Uncle Niu's place.

It was almost seven o'clock, and he had to hurry to the market to pick up Li Xiuping.

Li Xiuping is the second oldest child in her family, with a 15-year-old brother, Li Wenlong, and an 11-year-old sister, Li Chunmei.

Her older brother is only two years older than them, and he is dating someone, but they plan to get married and apply for a house at the end of the year.

It's mainly the factory's newly built dormitory, the kind of tenement building. My father-in-law, Li Laishun, has already made arrangements so that when my brother-in-law applies for marriage, he can get a two-bedroom apartment.

Actually, living in a tenement building isn't so great now, because there's no factory-run boiler for heating, so even if you live in a tenement building, you still have to rely on coal stoves for warmth.

When Wang Xingguo arrived at the market, Li Xiuping and the others were cleaning. When she saw Wang Xingguo standing by, waiting for her to get off work, Li Xiuping smiled with delight.

After working for another five minutes, Li Xiuping and her colleagues finally finished and said goodbye to their colleagues before leaving get off work.

She skipped and hopped over, and Wang Xingguo grinned. This girl was so cute; her hopping and hopping manner was like a little rabbit, which was particularly eye-catching.

"Why are you here?"

"Hehe, I have something to discuss with you. I got a chicken today, and my aunt has already started stewing it. You should eat more to nourish your body later."

The two walked back to Mao'er Hutong side by side. When no one was around, Wang Xingguo put his arm around Li Xiuping and told her about his plan to ride a tricycle and buy a small courtyard to get married at the end of the year.

Li Xiuping said discontentedly, "Xingguo, why do you insist on driving a tricycle? It's such a disreputable job. If you don't have enough money, I can help you scrape together some. I want to marry you in a grand way, but what kind of marriage is this, driving a tricycle?"

Wang Xingguo quickly explained, "Xiuping, don't be angry. You know what I'm doing now is making so much money that I can't give it up. Besides, I'm not going to drive a pedicab forever. I'm just going to make more money secretly while I'm openly driving a pedicab for the next few years. If I wanted a decent job, I could do that now, but if I want to make more money, I have to be less respectable for a few years..."

It has to be said that Li Xiuping is a really good woman. Although she was very angry at first, Wang Xingguo said that he would earn enough money to buy a detached house so that not only the young couple could live there, but also his family could live there. After that, she calmed down.

A three-room detached house currently costs only six hundred yuan. If you earn more money, it's not difficult to buy a larger detached house.

Upon arriving at the Li family's house, Wang Xingguo greeted everyone, offered them cigarettes, lit them, and they sat down. Li Xiuping then went to help her mother serve the food.

After finishing his cigarette and starting dinner, Wang Xingguo quietly explained his plan.

To his surprise!

Because Li Laishun didn't object, he instead asked, "Are you sure you can maintain control of this supply chain?"

Wang Xingguo quickly assured him, "Uncle, don't worry, my suppliers are my own clansmen, the Wang family from the Gaobeidian area. There's absolutely no problem!"

Li Laishun nodded and said, "I don't object to that. I recently heard from our factory manager that the grain ration is going to be reduced, and all kinds of supplies are in short supply. The supply will be cut to one-third of what it used to be. I think there will be some chaos for a while. The shortage of supplies is already huge. If the grain supply is reduced like this, my family will probably go hungry."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xingguo said happily, "Uncle, you're right. That's exactly what I was thinking. There will be a severe shortage of both food and nutritional supplements in the future. With this channel in my hands, I can at least earn enough for Xiuping and me to support our retirement. I can get this job anytime I have the money, and it's not like I can't leave the cooperative. It's just that Xiuping will have to put up with the criticism of marrying a tricycle driver for a while."

Li Wenbin scoffed, "Heh, what's the big deal? As long as you're genuinely good to her, what others say doesn't matter. And don't forget what you said: you said you'd buy a private house before getting married, and you have to keep that promise. If Xiuping has to squeeze into a small room with you, I won't agree to it."

At this time, due to the housing shortage, most people can only rent a small room in a back-facing building, which is why Li Wenbin said that.

Li Laishun also spoke up, "Xingguo, if you really find a house, I can help you find the director of the neighborhood committee to act as a witness. Even if we only sign a deed, we can still get the house done. But you should also be careful, the house can't be too big. Even if you include your two siblings, if there are more than five rooms, the neighborhood committee might try to rent one out."

Wang Xingguo nodded repeatedly and said, "No, that won't do. Here's my plan: my older brother is currently going on blind dates, so I'll settle his marriage first. That way, my family will have five people. Then I'll marry Xiuping, making it six people. Buying a detached house with four or five rooms will be a natural progression. Besides, I know some people from all walks of life who can help me find a suitable house. It's just a matter of offering them a discount on the fish I've brought back."