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

"I'm back~"

When Li Xiuping came home from get off work, Aunt Li brought the dishes into the house from the kitchen set up at the door. Soon after, the family began to eat dinner.

Li Xiuping placed a large piece of egg on Wang Xingguo's plate, her favoritism was obvious, making Li Laishun and Li Wenbin's eyelids twitch.

This girl, your dad and your older brother are the ones who work the hardest; they're the ones who need the most nutrition...

It is said that once a daughter is married, she is like water spilled from a cup.

But this girl isn't even married yet, and she's already starting to side with outsiders.

After dinner, Wang Xingguo discussed tomorrow's plans with them. They said they could leave work early so Wang Xingguo could bring the eels back sooner, allowing them to observe and process them more clearly.

Although there are electric lights at night, the light bulbs these days are dim and yellowish, so things are not as clear as during the day.

After discussing business, Wang Xingguo and Li Xiuping went out for a stroll.

It's really just about finding a secluded spot, hugging and kissing each other.

Wang Xingguo hugged Li Xiuping and told her about his plans to buy a house. He also explained his plans to raise eels and find a job for his brother-in-law, Li Wenlong.

Li Xiuping's eyes were as clear as autumn water as she looked into Wang Xingguo's eyes and said, "That's great. Although I don't know why worms can be eaten, if this really works out, it will be a life-changing event for the third brother."

Wang Xingguo rubbed her hair and laughed, "Yes, if we don't find a job, the jobs the neighborhood committee will arrange for us won't be good. Do you remember our classmate Liang Haitao? Because he couldn't get a good job and no one in his family had a job, the neighborhood committee has now arranged for him to be a cleaner."

"Oh, Liang Haitao became a cleaner? That's terrible, much worse than your situation."

Wang Xingguo said with emotion, "My job is not bad at all. His job is really unlucky. Not only does he not earn much as a cleaner, but he will also have a hard time finding a wife in the future."

There's no comparison here. Liang Haitao's family situation is very special. His mother has a mental illness, which is what people often call a "fool".

His father is disabled, so he cannot work and can only earn a living by doing handicrafts at home.

Liang Haitao is the eldest son in his family, and families like his are given priority for care, so he will be assigned a job.

However, he had no connections and couldn't get a good job, so whatever work the neighborhood committee assigned him, he could only do; he had no choice.

If a young man who drives a tricycle is already so looked down upon, then Liang Haitao, who works as a cleaner, is even less likely to be looked down upon.

At least girls from well-off families would never marry him.

In his situation, he could at most marry a rural girl, but marrying a rural girl would mean that his children would also have rural household registration.

Moreover, the current policies are very strict, making it almost impossible to help rural wives obtain urban household registration unless the husband dies on duty and leaves his job to his wife, in which case there is a chance for rural residents to change their household registration to urban residents.

The quota for changing agricultural status to urban status is something that only high-ranking officials can obtain; ordinary cadres cannot do it.

After spending a long time cuddling together, Wang Xingguo told her about his older brother's blind date on Sunday and the fact that he had postponed taking her home. Then he escorted her back to the courtyard before leaving.

Wang Xingguo counted the money on his hands. Because he had spent several tens of yuan buying things for Li Zhengang, he now only had 624 yuan left. Four yuan of that money was given to him by someone who bought fish today.

So Wang Xingguo plans to go to Master Niu's place tomorrow and exchange a batch of cigarettes and alcohol for money.

Although he could sell the goods for a higher price later if he stockpiled them, he needed money to buy a house now, and he also needed money to buy eels.

He plans to deliver the fish tomorrow, temporarily suspend this business for a few days, and then go to the countryside to continue collecting eels.

Although one cent per pound is a bit low, cash payment is still quite attractive.

These days, there are more eels than you might imagine, especially in the Wanshoushan Commune area of ​​Haidian District, because that area is the main production area of ​​Jingxi rice, with more than 6,000 mu of rice paddies.

Eels are something that can be easily dug up in that area, so Wang Xingguo didn't plan to go to Gaobeidian. Although he knew people there, there weren't as many eels as in Wanshoushan Commune.

When I got home, my family and neighbors were chatting and relaxing in the yard.

When Wang Xingning saw him return, he told him, "Second Brother, Brother Zhengang came by again tonight, saying he wanted to have a drink with you."

Wang Xingguo said speechlessly, "Didn't that guy say he came over this morning to pick up his things? Instead of having a proper date with his girl, why is he coming to drink with me?"

Wang Xingning said with a smile, "I don't know either, but Brother Zhengang was in a good mood and even brought us popsicles."

"Never mind that guy, Third Sister, don't cook dinner for me tomorrow. I'm going to your future sister-in-law's house for dinner tomorrow night."

Wang Xingbang couldn't help but ask, "Second brother, aren't you worried that going to the Li family's place for meals every day will leave them without enough food?"

Wang Xingguo said with a smile, "No, Xiuping's father and older brother eat lunch at the factory. They usually have a surplus of grain at home, so they won't miss my meals."

After chatting for a while, our neighbor, Grandpa Yang, came over and asked, "Xingguo, now that you have a job, can you still help me prepare the fish and eggs?"

Grandpa Yang is a very nice person. When his parents passed away, he was one of the people in the community who helped the most. He helped buy some of the funeral supplies, and he paid for many of the odds and ends himself without asking his brothers for a penny in reimbursement.

Wang Xingguo remembered this kindness, so he nodded and said, "If others asked, I would definitely say no, but if you, Uncle Yang, just ask, then there's no problem!"

Grandpa Yang grinned, but didn't say much. He just slipped five yuan to Wang Xingguo and asked him to buy more eggs and duck eggs for him, and also to get a crucian carp to make fish soup.

There's a Cantonese proverb that goes something like this: "A debt of gratitude is remembered for a thousand years!"

Wang Xingguo remembers all the neighbors who helped him and will never refuse to help them when he can.

If you can't live a life of righteous indignation and revenge, what's the point of living?

Wang Xingguo glanced at the eggs in his house; there were still six left, enough to last for several days. It was impossible to eat fried eggs every day; it was normal to fry two every two or three days.

Today is Friday, tomorrow is Saturday, and the day after tomorrow is the day my older brother goes on a blind date.

With his older brother going on blind dates, Wang Xingguo is actually not suited to staying at home.

Because the worst thing is to end up in the awkward situation of not liking one person but liking another.

So Wang Xingguo planned to bring the ingredients home on Sunday first, and then head to Wanshoushan Commune to find someone to pre-order eels.

After taking a quick shower, it was time for him to go to bed. Wang Xingguo waited in the yard for his hair to dry before going back inside to prepare for sleep.

Wang Xingning, who was sleeping in the inner room, opened the door and said to Wang Xingguo, "Second Brother, are you getting up early tomorrow?"

"You need to get up early, wake me up at seven o'clock."

"Okay, I got it. I'll wake you up tomorrow. Go to bed early."