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

It wasn't until 6 p.m. that Wang Xingning stopped pasting matchboxes and started making dinner.

Wang Xingmin asked, "Second brother, you're always out and about, do you know where there are fewer people collecting coal cinders? I heard from my classmates that collecting coal cinders is more lucrative, and I'd like to try it out."

Wang Xingguo glared and said, "What are you picking up? Just stay home and do your job. Your older brother and I will take care of making money. It's not your place to do it."

Wang Xingmin scratched his ear and laughed, "I just want to earn more money to ease the burden on my family so that my older brother can get married sooner."

Wang Xingguo was taken aback when he heard this. He reached out and rubbed his younger brother's head, saying, "Alright, you don't need to worry about your sister-in-law. Your second brother is just working hard to earn money so that he can marry both your eldest and second sisters-in-law as soon as possible."

Wang Xingmin chuckled and said, "That's inconvenient. It's fine with you, sister-in-law; I can sleep with you then. But if you marry your second sister-in-law too, I'll have to sleep in the living room!"

Wang Xingguo laughed and scolded, "What? You're my own brother, but I'm not?"

"No, I just feel that my second brother isn't in a hurry to get married, but rather to solve his job problem first. I don't know how much money my eldest brother has saved up, or if it's enough to get you a job."

Actually, the work targets weren't difficult for Wang Xingguo; he just wasn't ready to go to work at the factory yet.

Because he now raises twenty ducks, twenty chickens, and four piglets, he earns at least four or five yuan a day just from selling eggs.

He had been selling eggs, duck eggs, and fish for more than four months, and had actually saved up nearly 500 yuan.

He could find a less desirable job for around 500 yuan, but Wang Xingguo doesn't want to go to work yet. He plans to take some time to go to the countryside to buy more pigs to raise.

However, when it comes to marriage, Wang Xingguo has a bit of a headache.

Because he has a girlfriend, and because he couldn't hold back, they've already had premarital sex. The two of them are constantly fooling around together, and sooner or later she'll get pregnant, so they'll probably have to get married sooner rather than later.

These days, getting pregnant before marriage is a bad thing. If people find out, both families will lose face.

Wang Xingguo's girlfriend is his classmate Li Xiuping, who is the same age as him, but her family is better off. In May, he got her a job. Now she works at the bean product counter in the Beixinqiao Food Market, specializing in selling tofu. You could say she's a tofu beauty.

Don't think this job is bad; it's actually quite good. Every now and then, she can make some soy products for the family. These days, you need a ration coupon to buy a piece of tofu, so her job isn't bad at all.

Li Xiuping's family actually knew that the two were dating, and they were initially somewhat opposed to it. However, Wang Xingguo was sweet-talking and knew how to please people. He would visit the Li family every few days, bringing a pound of eggs or a fish, which changed the Li family's opinion somewhat.

However, Li Xiuping's father also said that he would allow her to marry his daughter, but she must have a job and a house, otherwise it was out of the question.

There is actually only one condition: if they have a job and then hold a wedding banquet, even though they are not old enough to get a marriage certificate, they can still get a certificate from the neighborhood office proving that they are in a de facto marriage, and then they can apply for housing allocation from their work unit.

Before marriage, you can't apply for housing; you can only get a dormitory where more than ten people share a room. After marriage, you can apply for housing and get at least one room, which means you can have a love nest.

At 6:40, Wang Xingbang returned home on time. The wire factory on the north side of Ditan Park outside Andingmen is more than two kilometers away from Fuxiang Hutong, which takes about 30 minutes to walk.

"Big brother, you're back."

"Big brother, have some water."

After exchanging greetings and drinking some water, Wang Xingbang asked Wang Xingguo, "Second brother, what did you do to offend Liu Chang'an today? I ran into him at the alley entrance just now, and he told me to beat you up to vent his anger."

Wang Xingbang and Liu Chang'an are the same age and classmates, and have a very good relationship.

Wang Xingguo pursed his lips. Although it was embarrassing to be reported by the old lady with bound feet, he couldn't keep it a secret from his family, since it would reach their ears sooner or later.

Wang Xingbang suppressed a laugh after hearing this. These days, speculation and profiteering aren't strictly regulated, but being caught, having your goods confiscated, and having to pay a fine is really painful.

Generally speaking, people don't discriminate against speculators, since there will always be times when they need the help of such capable people.

Such cases as the elderly woman with bound feet are extremely rare.

Anyway, Wang Xingguo had already made up his mind. He would tell everyone in the industry about the old lady with bound feet in Nanluoguxiang who reported him. He wasn't afraid of losing face. He just wanted to make sure that no one dared to sell things there!

You're accusing me of speculation and profiteering?

I'm going to join the group of speculators and profiteers to report you people from Nanluoguxiang for making false accusations!

Who's afraid of hurting each other?

Wang Xingbang also tried hard not to laugh out loud. After a while, he instructed, "It has been really tough lately, so you have to be careful. After I get my salary next month, I'll try to sound out Director Zhao and see if I can get you a job recommendation letter. With that, you'll basically be able to get an apprenticeship."

These days, only those who are promoted to full-time employees are considered permanent workers, while apprentices are guaranteed to be promoted to full-time employees after three years.

Those who cannot be promoted to permanent positions are temporary workers, while short-term workers hired temporarily for emergency needs are casual workers.

Many people in Beijing make a living by doing odd jobs, but the income from odd jobs is very unstable, making it the least secure type of work.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Xingguo replied, "Brother, I'll handle my job situation myself. I've almost saved enough money to find one. I only have one request for you: find a wife as soon as possible. A house can't function without a lady of the house."

Wang Xingbang didn't see anything wrong with discussing this matter. He smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, big brother will try his best to find you a sister-in-law as soon as possible. But second brother, what exactly are you doing out there? It's only been half a year, how come you say you've saved enough money to find a job?"

Don't go messing around with those shady friends. Selling a little stuff isn't a big deal; with your brother Chang'an around, at least you won't go to jail or have a criminal record. But if you get involved in petty theft or other criminal activities, no one can protect you. You need to think this through.

Wang Xingguo chuckled and said, "Come on, brother, you know me. Do you think I'm the kind of person who does things recklessly? Actually, I just take advantage of the information gap between rural and urban areas. In the countryside, an egg sells for four or five cents at the supply and marketing cooperative, so I buy it for five or six cents and sell it in the city for eighteen cents. There are nearly ten free-range eggs per pound here, so I make a little over a dollar per pound. If I handle five or six pounds at a time, I've almost made back my work money in the last six months."