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

The next morning, Wang Xingguo arrived at the entrance of Xiehe Hospital. It was only about 7:30, but there were already several people waiting for him.

Grandpa Liu has good eyesight and spotted Wang Xingguo from afar. He went up to him and said happily, "Little Wang, you're here! You're right on time."

Aunt Wang chimed in, "That's right, Young Wang is very meticulous. Did you get the big black carp you wanted, Auntie?"

Wang Xingguo patted his chest and said, "It's all right. Everyone who registered yesterday has fish. However, some fish are a bit big and some are indeed a bit small. I did my best, so please bear with me, everyone."

"No doubt about it, we can't be picky, we're lucky if there's any fish at all."

"That's right, no doubt about it. Here, get the fish for the old man first. I got you two bottles of Fenjiu liquor. Thanks for your hard work, Xiao Wang."

If you only consider the prices at state-run stores when trading this fish for other goods, then it's definitely not a good deal.

But you can't buy more of this stuff even if you want to. According to the black market price, they probably got three yuan a pound of crucian carp for that price.

Of course, the accounts cannot be calculated that way.

After all, if they were cadres' families, these cigarettes, alcohol, and tea would simply be gifts from others, costing them nothing.

So even though the old man got two bottles of Five Star Fenjiu liquor worth five yuan for a black carp weighing less than two pounds, he was actually quite happy.

Wang Xingguo was also happy because he could sell these two bottles of Five Star Fenjiu to Master Niu for at least eight yuan.

Not everyone is so generous. Some people offered to exchange a pastry coupon worth 50 cents for two crucian carp, and Wang Xingguo did not refuse.

In general, some have a large premium, while others result in a small loss, but all are acceptable. After all, when the total price is calculated, he still makes a huge profit.

"Xiao Wang, I'm from out of town and I really don't have any receipts here. Do you think I can give you something else?"

"Of course I can, ma'am. You're from out of town, how can I force you to bring receipts to exchange for them? Would that be considered serving the people?"

The old woman was overjoyed to hear this, stuffed a few bills into Wang Xingguo's pocket, and left with the four crucian carp.

All the people were people who had made reservations yesterday. There were also people who hadn't made reservations, but Wang Xingguo still made a note of them first and told them to deliver the fish here at eight o'clock tomorrow. He couldn't give it to them today, otherwise the people who had reserved wouldn't be able to get the fish, and it would make him lose credibility.

A woman in her forties pulled Wang Xingguo aside and asked, "Young Wang, do you have any eels over there? My child is weak and needs to eat some to strengthen his body. Could you please help me get some?"

Wang Xingguo paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "Auntie, are you from Shanghai? Do you eat eel where you're from?"

The old woman nodded repeatedly and said, "I'm from Shanghai. We say that eating eel can replenish qi and blood. Patients and postpartum women should eat it to nourish their bodies."

Wang Xingguo said excitedly, "Auntie, although eels are hard to get, I can still find a way to get some. It's just that they're hard to catch and hard to transport. You see..."

The old lady had come prepared. She took out a piece of paper from her pocket and whispered, "Xiao Wang, my son is a cadre at the watch factory. Do you want a watch? If you do, I have this internal quota watch ticket. Just fill in your name, and you can take sixty yuan and buy an A581 model watch at the watch factory's Beijing office."

Wang Xingguo rubbed his hands and asked, "Auntie, I definitely want this, but I don't know how to calculate it?"

After thinking for a moment, the old woman said earnestly, "Xiao Wang, these internal quota watch tickets are worth the same as watches in Shanghai. How about this, you can charge me fifty yuan for eels, okay?"

After thinking for a moment, Wang Xingguo asked, "Auntie, how about three yuan a pound for the eels? I'll pick out some that weigh over half a pound each for you. The bigger the eel, the better it is for replenishing qi and blood. Do you think that's acceptable?"

The old lady nodded repeatedly, saying happily, "Yes, yes, that's perfect! Back where I'm from, eels weighing over half a pound cost more than two yuan, not to mention it's hard to get this stuff here. Thank you so much! Just bring me as much as you want, even if it's too much. Many of our friends from Shanghai are hospitalized here and need this to help them recover. I won't treat you badly!"

Wang Xingguo readily agreed, feeling a little excited, because he only knew that eels were popular in Guangzhou, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, but he didn't know that people in Shanghai also liked to eat them to replenish their health.

He had plenty of eels, and he did need a watch to tell time, otherwise he could only guess the approximate time by looking at the position of the sun, and he often guessed wrong.

All the people who had ordered the fish came to pick them up. The cigarettes, alcohol, and other items they received in exchange were all placed in a wooden box under the tricycle seat by Wang Xingguo, with the receipts in his pocket. It was another day full of good fortune.

Not many people ordered fish from him today; he only needs to bring a dozen or so crucian carp tomorrow.

Wang Xingguo yawned; he was really sleepy. Last night, he went to the black market to buy chocolates, cookies, and various hair ties and other trinkets. He also pre-ordered a pound of pork belly for Sunday.

Buying meat on the black market is too expensive. It costs 4.5 yuan per jin now, and even the lower-quality cuts, which are leaner pork, cost 4.3 yuan per jin.

There's nothing we can do if people think it's too expensive. These days, it's take it or leave it; pork is never hard to sell.

He ordered a pound of pork belly, and he had to slip a packet of Daqianmen cigarettes to the person in charge of selling meat on the black market in order to get a promise that the person would reserve some meat for him.

The fixed black market does not operate during the day; it only opens at night to secretly let people in to buy and sell things.

He slipped him the cigarette so that he could open the door for him to get meat at eight in the morning. If there wasn't something in return, people would just stay home and sleep during the day and wouldn't bother with him at all.

In Beijing, whether it's a blind date or a wedding, it's always held at noon; there's no reason to hold it in the evening.

Especially when it comes to marriage, the elders often say that a first marriage should not be held at night, as a first marriage at night is considered a second marriage.

Of course, if government agencies or organizations hold group weddings in their auditoriums at this time, it's usually in the evening, which is a different story. After all, group weddings are all about simplicity and don't have the traditional customs associated with them.

Wang Xingguo was thinking about how many eels he should bring tomorrow.

Since that internal spot is worth sixty yuan, I might as well bring twenty catties of eels.

Anyway, he doesn't need these things, so he brought a few extra as a token of his gratitude. After all, things are different now than they will be two years from now, when it will be easier to get the right to buy a watch.

Finding a deserted alley, Wang Xingguo led his tricycle into the space and began feeding the poultry and livestock. After a flurry of activity, he ate a cucumber.

He wanted to exchange his belongings for cash, then take over the house so he could move there and make it easier for his older brother to have more children for the Wang family after he got married.

Whether the blind date will work out or not is not a problem at all!

Previously, the Wang family had three children to support, but now they have two jobs, and their younger siblings are older. Their situation is quite good, and they have moved from the bottom of the marriage market to the middle class.