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

A chicken, a duck, a piece of cured meat, and two bottles of Five Star Fenjiu liquor—these were all things obtained in exchange for fish.

At that time, Fenjiu was the recognized state banquet liquor. Moutai was expensive because of its limited quantity; most of it was exported to earn foreign exchange. Furthermore, many high-ranking military officers drank Moutai, leading to its popularity among lower-ranking officers, which is why Moutai was so expensive. In reality, Fenjiu was the most popular, especially the Five-Star brand, which was the state banquet liquor and the favorite of Beijing residents.

A packet of brown sugar, a packet of tea, and a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes.

These, along with other purchasable items, were hardly meager gifts for the eldest brother to present when he proposed marriage.

Wang Xingbang cooked the noodles, but he still felt sorry for his younger brother who was always running around, so he specially made an egg for him.

While eating noodles, Wang Xingguo recounted how he had already found Director Zhao, and how his elder brother was to visit Director Zhao first the next day before proposing marriage to the Shen family.

Although Wang Xingbang felt a little embarrassed, for some reason, he suddenly had a strange feeling that his younger brother was too sensible, making him, the older brother, seem like the one being taken care of.

It was a very inexplicable emotion, and Wang Xingbang couldn't explain why he felt that way.

Wang Xingguo finished the soup and noodles, wiped his mouth and said, "Brother, don't be nervous when you go to the Shen family tomorrow. Just answer whatever your future father-in-law asks. Just answer truthfully. Our Wang family has never done anything wrong and has nothing to hide."

Wang Xingbang nodded, then asked, "What should I say if people ask me about you? I can't exactly say my brother is involved in speculation and profiteering on a tricycle, can I?"

Wang Xingguo chuckled and said, "That's easy. Just say that our Wang family is from Gaobeidian, and I'm helping the villagers sell some of their poultry and eggs. Don't think I'm speculating or profiteering. I'm just helping the villagers exchange their goods for other things. The authorities have already defined it as helping relatives dispose of a small amount of their own poultry, exchanging goods without charging a penny or making a profit. It's purely mutual assistance and doesn't count as speculation or profiteering."

Only when it becomes a resale business and profits from it, and involves large-scale long-distance trafficking, will one be held accountable. My family has many relatives in Gaobeidian. If someone arrests me, they'll go to Gaobeidian to gather evidence; hundreds of relatives there will stand up to testify for me in no time. So don't worry about me; it's not shameful to tell them this, they'll just say I'm capable.”

Speaking of this, Wang Xingguo told them about the matter of recognizing their ancestors and said that after his younger siblings had their holidays, he would take them back to pay respects to their ancestors and burn incense.

Wang Xingbang nodded and said, "Okay, I know what to say. By the way, Chang'an said he wants to discuss the ingredients with you tomorrow night. Will you be home then?"

Wang Xingguo grinned and said, "I have to help Brother Liu with his matter. Brother Chang'an helped me a lot before and even introduced me to Director Liang. I have to help him out to repay that favor."

Wang Xingmin suddenly spoke up: "Second Brother, do we really have that many relatives?"

Wang Xingguo rubbed his head and explained with a smile, "Of course there is. Our ancestor and they were brothers, but our ancestor didn't want to farm for a living, so he went to the city to make a living. Originally, our ancestor had always kept in touch with them, but then our ancestor suddenly fell ill and passed away too suddenly, which made my grandfather unfamiliar with Gaobeidian. Then the Japanese invasion of China caused chaos in the city, and because my grandfather was too young, his property was seized. After that, our branch lost contact with Gaobeidian."

The story of how my great-grandparents passed away and how their property was seized is actually recorded in my grandfather's diary, but no one pays attention to these things.

Actually, they had another aunt, but after the July 7th Incident, the Japanese invaders occupied Beiping, and in the chaos of war, the grandparents lost their nine-year-old aunt.

At that time, their siblings had not yet been born, and they didn't have any keepsakes or anything like that, so it was basically impossible for them to find their lost aunt.

Wang Xingning asked with some curiosity, "Second Brother, how are the people over there doing?"

"It's alright, it's just that the harvest wasn't very good this year. My second brother is busy with this, trying to find a way to help them solve the problem of food shortage."

In fact, the term "clan" was unfamiliar to the four siblings, because they had never met them and did not know that there was such a group of people in the countryside who shared the same blood as them.

They've never had the concept of clan since childhood, so it's normal that they can't accept it for a while when suddenly told that there's such a group of people.

Everyone went back to their rooms to rest. They needed some time to process what Wang Xingguo had said.

The next day, Wang Xingguo didn't get up until seven o'clock to wash up. After having breakfast, he pushed his tricycle out the door.

The elder brother went to propose marriage, and as the younger brother, it was not appropriate for him to go along, which is why he needed to ask Director Zhao for help.

With Director Zhao around, there's virtually no chance of anything going wrong. After all, the other side had already agreed to the marriage, and now that Director Zhao has personally come to propose, there's even less of a problem.

We shouldn't underestimate Director Zhao's influence. As the director of a subdistrict office, he manages so many residents in his jurisdiction, so his influence is quite significant.

Moreover, not just anyone can become the director of a subdistrict office; it requires proof of political status and ability. Ordinary people shouldn't even dream of getting this position in Beijing.

I took the fish to the entrance of Peking Union Medical College Hospital. There were already quite a few people waiting there, and the fish was quickly replaced.

Wang Xingguo also discovered that several people were taking advantage of him, exchanging items worth a few cents for a crucian carp worth seven or eight cents and weighing nearly half a pound.

However, Wang Xingguo did not refuse. He figured he might as well take advantage of the situation since it cost him nothing.

Moreover, these guys can also provide him with evidence that he was simply helping his relatives exchange their surplus fish for other things, rather than buying low and selling high.

There are only two things you absolutely cannot touch: grain and oil!

Once you touch these two things, you can't exchange them for supplies or sell them for money!

Wang Xingguo left with what he had acquired, and stored it in his spatial storage in a deserted area.

He currently has 65 bottles of Five Star Erguotou, 40 bottles of Fenjiu, 15 bottles of Wuliangye, 11 bottles of Xifengjiu, 8 bottles of Luzhou Laoqu, 3 bottles of Lianhua Baijiu, and 5 bottles of Juhua Baijiu.

There were also liquors from other regions: four bottles of Yanghe Daqu, two bottles of Shuangou Daqu, two bottles of Kouzi liquor, two jars of Shaoxing Huadiao liquor (5 jin each), and two bottles of Shiquan Dabu liquor.

Wang Xingguo didn't recognize the wine from other places, and he couldn't bear to drink it himself. After all, wine from other places was a rare commodity, and it would be a good choice whether to give it as a gift or keep it for his collection.

Especially Shaoxing wine; if you encounter someone from Jiangsu, you can sell it for a good price.

Besides the alcohol, there were also 62 cartons of various cigarettes, most of which were brands he recognized, but a small portion were from other regions, which Wang Xingguo didn't know much about.