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

The next morning, after breakfast, Wang Xingguo pushed his tricycle out.

He greeted his neighbors along the way, saying a few words to everyone he met, without missing a single one.

This is a characteristic of this era. Not greeting someone is a sign of poor upbringing. Even if you don't get along well, you should at least nod when you meet, to show proper manners.

Yang, the woman from the front yard, called out to Wang Xingguo: "Xingguo, don't rush off."

Wang Xingguo stopped and asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, what's the matter?"

Sister-in-law Yang leaned closer and whispered, "Xingguo, could you get me a carp tonight? Your brother Yang said he's bringing his master home as a guest tonight. I've already borrowed the meat ration coupons, but it wouldn't be right not to have a whole fish."

Wang Xingguo nodded quickly and said, "Oh, it's nothing, sister-in-law, don't worry, I'll definitely get you a carp. But I can't guarantee the size, I'll just try my best to get you a decent one."

Sister-in-law Yang nodded repeatedly and said, "That's good. Thank you for your help, Xingguo. Otherwise, I would really be having a headache over this. There are fewer and fewer fish sellers lately."

Wang Xingguo waved his hand, exchanged a few polite words, and continued pushing the cart out of the hospital.

What's so strange about it?

It's the busy farming season now, and everyone in the countryside is busy carrying water to irrigate their crops. Who would have time to steal fish to sell in the city?

It's normal to not be able to buy it; it would be strange if you could buy it easily!

Wang Xingguo rode his tricycle slowly toward the hospital. He wasn't planning to go to the countryside today; instead, he was going to find some customers.

Which hospital has the most wealthy people?

Peking Union Medical College Hospital is naturally the best in terms of comprehensive medical care!

It's not that other hospitals are bad, but Peking Union Medical College Hospital has the best comprehensive medical services.

Peking University Medical Center focuses on providing medical care for high-ranking officials, and its internal medicine and geriatrics departments are among the best in the country.

The PLA General Hospital is a top-tier military hospital with exceptional capabilities in surgery, trauma, and major surgeries!

Other institutions like Peking University Affiliated Hospital, Capital Medical University, Friendship Hospital, and Tongren Hospital each have their own areas of strength.

If we isolate a single field, Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMC) doesn't actually have an advantage. However, PUMC is the best in general practice, so many patients are willing to go there.

After all, when it comes to medical treatment, no one can be sure what the problem is. A general hospital is more likely to solve the problem.

When Wang Xingguo arrived here, unlike the others who would ask if they needed a ride, he would observe the people coming and going, looking for suitable targets.

First, you need to consider their clothing, demeanor, age, and gender before deciding whether or not to approach them to strike up a conversation.

Ideally, the person should be wearing work clothes or a uniform, clearly someone from a government compound. Secondly, their demeanor should be serious, and they should ideally be an older woman or aunt.

The main considerations are whether the target has purchasing power, whether they will report you, and whether they need nutritional supplements.

For men, you should choose those in their fifties or sixties. Even if such an old man refuses to buy something, no one will report him.

Because older men of this age have seen too many ups and downs, they won't meddle in other people's business, much less make things difficult for young people like themselves who are taking risks to make a living.

You should also pay attention to your clothing. Clothes without a single patch are definitely not suitable, because it proves that they are too well-off and don't lack eggs or fish.

It's only appropriate to have patches on your clothes. People like this aren't necessarily lacking in spending power; they're just more frugal. In fact, they tend to spend more because their frugality is often directed towards themselves, not their families.

If there was no suitable person, Wang Xingguo would sit quietly, unlike other people waiting for customers who would ask everyone they met if they needed a ride.

The people soliciting customers left, and this spot was near the gate. Seeing that Wang Xingguo hadn't moved his vehicle forward, the middle-aged man outside drove his own tricycle over and smiled and nodded at Wang Xingguo.

Wang Xingguo nodded, indicating that he could stop anywhere, since he wasn't really trying to solicit customers and didn't care about the location.

After the middle-aged man parked his tricycle, and seeing that no one else was around, he said to Wang Xingguo, "Hey buddy, is this your first day out here?"

Wang Xingguo laughed and said, "Hehe, no, I just don't like to get close. When I see that I need to go further away, you can see if I can steal customers from them."

The man gave a thumbs up and said, "Wow, that's awesome! We can't be picky. We have a quota every day, so we can only try our best to get more orders."

Actually, there aren't many tasks. The starting fee is one cent for the first kilometer, and an additional five cents for each kilometer thereafter. Running about thirty or forty kilometers a day is enough to complete the task.

When a big passenger arrives, a single fare can cover ten kilometers, earning 55 cents. So when he says he only runs big fares, it's not just empty talk; there are indeed people who do it that way.

The middle-aged man was a talkative person, or rather, all tricycle drivers are like that...

Because when you're picking up passengers, you can't just pedal without saying anything, that would be so boring, right?

Therefore, most of the masters are the kind who are very talkative.

Wang Xingguo is no less impressive; he deals with all sorts of people every day, so naturally his tongue is quite sharp.

If you're a quiet, unassuming person when it comes to this kind of speculative business, others will immediately know you're easy to bully and will definitely take advantage of you without hesitation.

But if you look intimidating, then others naturally won't dare to mess with you. If you get into trouble, no one can handle it.

When Wang Xingguo first went to Uncle Niu's place, he behaved very well, taking the initiative to strike up a conversation and getting close to him in a very familiar way.

When he went back the next evening, he had many "friends" who were not strangers to him!

Master Niu even praised him, saying that he was born to make a living in the underworld, bold, meticulous, and thick-skinned, and that he could always make a living no matter when.

Wang Xingguo flattered him at the time, saying that it was all thanks to Master Niu's support. If it weren't for Master Niu keeping things under control, he wouldn't have dared to run around like this.

Anyway, Master Niu was very susceptible to flattery, and Wang Xingguo would flatter him every time, which allowed him to make a name for himself over there.

Originally, people from the West City were not allowed to do business in the East City according to the rules.

However, once a man from the West City who had also risen to a high position, known as Master Jin, came to Master Niu and discussed having his men do business with Master Niu.

Boss Niu is an old hand at this kind of thing and doesn't really want to get involved. If he agrees, he'll be breaking the rules, and then all the big shots in the East City will come after him.

It was Wang Xingguo who gave Niu Ye an idea. He told Niu Ye that doing business was not good, but coming to buy goods was fine. Everyone who came in was a customer, and Niu Ye didn't need to care whether they were from the east or west of the city.

This idea convinced the conflicted Master Niu to agree to the plan. Wang Xingguo gained a foothold with both Master Niu and Master Jin of Xicheng, and was no longer a destitute hoodlum when he went out.

People remember his favor. If he encounters trouble from江湖人 (jianghu people) while traveling, he can mention their names to repay the favor by helping him out.