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

After finishing a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), Wang Xingguo went to watch people play mahjong.

Every now and then, he acts as a cunning strategist, tricking others into missing out on winning hands, and that's incredibly satisfying...

It wasn't until after 9 p.m. that he left with two empty buckets. After leaving the alley, he put the buckets into his spatial storage and slowly walked home with his hands behind his back.

He had just returned to the intersection of Fuxiang Hutong when he was stopped by the joint defense team led by Liu Chang'an.

Wang Xingguo said with a frustrated look, "Brother Chang'an, are you going to stop me from going home too?"

Liu Chang'an waved his hand, signaling the joint defense team to go on patrol first. Then he handed Wang Xingguo a cigarette and said with a smile, "You rascal, coming back so late, where have you been gallivanting off to this time?"

Wang Xingguo chuckled, but did not answer Liu Chang'an's question.

He is a man of principle. The gambling den under Master Niu's control is very valuable to him and has never cheated him, so he would never betray it.

Liu Chang'an chuckled and said, "Alright, I know you have principles, so I didn't insist you explain it so clearly. But you must have heard about my second brother's matter, right?"

Wang Xingguo nodded and said, "I heard that Brother Changshun is having his wedding banquet the Sunday after the Mid-Autumn Festival, right?"

Liu Chang'an nodded and said, "That's right, my second brother is getting married. Would it be alright if you helped get some ingredients?"

Wang Xingguo patted his chest and said, "No problem, it's Changshun's wedding, I have to do my part."

Liu Chang'an nodded and said, "Thanks a lot then. But why did you become a rickshaw driver? You couldn't have found another job, could you?"

Wang Xingguo didn't hide it from Liu Chang'an; he and his elder brother were childhood friends and very close confidants.

He lowered his voice and said, "Brother Chang'an, I can now handle things, and Director Zhao values ​​me, so although I'm nominally a tricycle driver, I don't actually sign in, and no one assigns me specific work. I just do what I'm supposed to do, you know what I mean."

Liu Chang'an nodded in realization and said, "I understand. So that's how Director Zhao takes care of you. That's good. At least you have more free time, which suits your job."

Wang Xingguo said with a grin, "That's right. Anyway, if your family wants to eat fish or get a couple of pounds of eggs, just come to me. Considering the relationship between you and my brother, I'll probably make a small profit off you."

Liu Chang'an patted Wang Xingguo on the shoulder and said, "Alright, I don't care about your few cents, but you need to be careful. The higher-ups have been discussing this recently. Given the increasingly serious problem of speculation and profiteering, they might issue a document to crack down on it severely. Anyway, just be careful. If you get caught by our unit, I can still pull some strings to get you out of trouble. But if you get caught by another unit, I can't save you, you know what I mean?"

Wang Xingguo nodded repeatedly and thanked him again. Liu Chang'an didn't say much, only that he would discuss the ingredients with him after confirming how many tables his second brother wanted to set up for the wedding. Then he left to catch up with the patrolling joint defense team.

In reality, Liu Chang'an didn't protect him much; he only ensured that as long as he didn't do anything outrageous, he wouldn't go to jail.

However, if he goes too far, Liu Chang'an would never abandon his principles to protect him.

It's not that Liu Chang'an is heartless, but that's just how this era is. Minor matters that don't harm society fall into the category of harmless and can be treated with leniency.

However, if things go too far and endanger social security and order, then there's nothing that can be done. Even if it's a younger brother, let alone a childhood friend's brother, he should be arrested and dealt with accordingly.

This is a trend of the times; it's not that people are heartless, but rather that they have to consider the specific circumstances.

It can be said that no matter which alley or courtyard, there are always a few troublemakers.

But as long as they don't do anything too outrageous, everyone turns a blind eye and helps protect the child.

This is what human touch is all about. You can't say that black and white must be clearly distinguished; the world isn't like that, where everything is either black or white.

Wang Xingguo returned to the courtyard. The neighbors had already gone to bed. He closed the gate, not sure if anyone was still missing, so he simply closed it without bolting it.

There's no need to worry about thieves breaking in at night, because the gate to this dilapidated house is so loud when it's opened that it will definitely wake up the people in the front yard.

When he returned to his room, Wang Xingmin was still awake. He called out, "Second Brother, is that you?"

Wang Xingguo replied, "It's me. Fourth brother, you can continue sleeping. Second brother will wash up and go to sleep too." After saying that, Wang Xingguo squeezed out some toothpaste, took a towel, and walked to the water tap in the yard.

Unexpectedly, Wang Xingmin got up and went to the door, walking towards Wang Xingguo, who was washing up at the tap.

Wang Xingguo paid great attention to his oral hygiene because dental problems were actually very troublesome back then, as there were no convenient dental treatment options like in later generations.

These days, if you have a tooth problem, forget about root canal treatment; if there's a problem, they just pull it out!

There aren't any ceramic crowns; it's basically just the same old route: get the bad tooth extracted and get a denture...

Therefore, everyone cherishes their teeth and pays attention to oral hygiene.

It's strange, though, because while their generation does have cavities, they have fewer of them; many people never experience cavities more than a few times in their entire lives.

Wang Xingmin yawned and said, "Second Brother, Brother Zhengang came today. He originally wanted to invite you to his house for drinks, but you weren't home, so he could only tell you to come to his house for drinks the day after tomorrow."

Wang Xingguo, who was brushing his teeth, paused for a moment, then spat out toothpaste foam and asked, "No, I've been very busy these past few days and haven't had time to drink with him. Did he say anything?"

Wang Xingmin rubbed his eyes and replied, "I told you, Brother Zhengang said you helped him a lot, so he needs to thank you properly."

Wang Xingguo said speechlessly, "Just ignore him. My second brother is going to the countryside for two days tomorrow, so he won't have time to drink with him. If he comes over again, just tell him that I'm busy with work these days, and I'll go to his house for drinks after I'm done."

Wang Xingmin nodded and said, "Okay, actually, Brother Zhengang said he'd come over tomorrow to see if you have time. If you do, we can have drinks the night after tomorrow. I'll tell him tomorrow that you're busy with work in the countryside."

"Yes, that's all you need to say. Just tell him that I'll go out for drinks with him after I'm done with this busy period."

"Alright, I'm going back to sleep now. Tomorrow, my third sister is taking me to the pigeon market to see if we can buy some fabric to mend my clothes..."

Wang Xingguo waved his hand and continued brushing his teeth without saying anything more, so as not to wake the neighbors.

That's the inconvenience of living in a tenement courtyard. Forget about talking in the courtyard; even if a couple is having sex in their room, the whole courtyard can probably hear them for several minutes...

That dilapidated courtyard house isn't soundproof!

Even in modern buildings, if they were built earlier and have thinner floors, the creaking of a spring mattress upstairs can be clearly heard downstairs, not to mention any other noises that can't be suppressed.