Era: A college student came to the courtyard house

They say good iron isn't used for nails, and good men should join the army.

Mu Wenbin looked much more energetic when he returned, showing no trace of his former mischievous self.

"Neighbors, please be quiet. Some of you may not know this yet, or you may not recognize him if you haven't been in our neighborhood for long. This young man next to me is named Mu Wenbin. He just returned from military service. During his time in the army, he was awarded a second-class merit."

As the third uncle introduced him, Mu Wenbin, dressed in a green military uniform, stood up and gave a standard salute to everyone in the courtyard.

Everyone applauded in a very respectful manner.

The third uncle stood next to Mu Wenbin and enjoyed the applause for a while before smilingly gesturing with his hands.

"The second thing, let Second Uncle say."

Like a relay race.

The third uncle returned to his designated seat, while the second uncle seamlessly got up and walked to the octagonal table, holding a piece of white paper with a few words hastily written on it by himself.

Before speaking, the second uncle coughed twice: "The second thing today is that we just received a notice from the neighborhood committee leaders that there may be heavy rain in our area in the near future, so we need to make corresponding preparations in advance. Everyone should pay attention and repair any leaks in the roof in advance. If anyone needs a helping hand, please do so."

This was to convey the message from higher authorities, so no one dared to gossip; everyone pricked up their ears and listened attentively.

Afterwards, the second uncle specifically named several households and told them to go back and check more thoroughly.

The person whose name is called must stand up to show that they understand, at his prompting.

In just a short while, he managed to put on airs.

After the second uncle had finished indulging in his official duties, the first uncle stood up from his chair with a smile and said, "There is one last thing, which is also the most important thing tonight. The neighborhood committee asked us to report the impoverished families in our compound."

Upon hearing this, the crowd below began to whisper among themselves.

Although there are standards for this quota, the reports submitted by the courtyard also carry some weight. If the report is submitted and selected, the monthly relief subsidy can be significantly increased.

Even if they don't get selected in the end, they can still earn a little money by doing odd jobs like pasting matchboxes on the street.

Seeing that the matter was over, Fang Yuan decided not to stay any longer.

Anyway, the remaining impoverished households have nothing to do with him.

If nothing unexpected happens, the old rules will still apply, and with the help of the old man, Qin Huairu's family will eventually be reported.

But if you try to get Fang Yuan to donate money because of this in the future, that's out of the question.

In short: provide emergency relief, not long-term support.

The next day.

After washing up at home, Fang Yuan, as always, went to the breakfast stall at the entrance of the alley to have breakfast.

As Fang Yuan strolled leisurely along the road, watching the endless stream of bicycles, he felt it was time to buy one.

He made a point of taking out all the savings his parents left him before going to bed last night.

The elderly couple had a total of 1350 yuan in savings plus their "death in the line of duty" pension, along with a dozen industrial vouchers and a small yellow croaker.

He is now quite wealthy, but he doesn't own a single bicycle ticket.

"Fang Yuan, come to my office."

Just as I stepped into the office, I suddenly heard Section Chief Sun's voice behind me.

Fang Yuan quickly put the bag on her shoulder onto her desk and then dashed to Sun Daxing's office.

"Section Chief, you wanted to see me?"

As soon as Fang Yuan entered, before he could even stand still, Sun Daxing walked up to him and raised his index and middle fingers, gesturing back and forth.

Fang Yuan understood immediately, took out a cigarette and held it between his fingers, then helped him light it.

Sun Daxing took a sip, pulled out a few bills from his pocket, and said, "The toad oil from yesterday was really good. Here, take these bills."

Fang Yuan looked up and was shocked to see that there were several fruit vouchers, totaling five jin (2.5 kg).

These days, it's too much trouble to get some fruit. Although the price isn't expensive, you can't get any without a ration coupon. You either have to go to the countryside to find someone you know to buy some, or go to a fruit shop and pick out the expensive ones that don't require a coupon.

Fang Yuan didn't make any move, and explained, "Section Chief, I'm just passing on what I've received; these things are a token of the Qin Family Village's goodwill."

"Here you go. You did a good job with the steel mill. Director Wang was very satisfied with the summary report. He specially went to the logistics department to apply for these tickets for our section." Sun Daxing shoved the tickets into Fang Yuan's hand, then returned to his seat, smoking a cigarette. "No need to thank me. Just give me one when you have time. You won't be stingy, will you?"

Fang Yuan chuckled and said, "How could that be? There are so many people in our department. You're doing me a favor by accepting my cigarette."

After finishing his cigarette, and seeing that Sun Daxing had no important business to entrust to him, Fang Yuan prepared to return to his office.

Sun Daxing called him back and asked, "Xiao Fang, I heard from Director Wang that you haven't bought a bicycle yet?"

Fang Yuan was taken aback, not understanding why Sun Daxing suddenly asked that question, and immediately shook his head to indicate that he didn't.

"That won't do. We still need a bicycle, otherwise it will be inconvenient to get things done in the future," Sun Daxing replied.

Fang Yuan said helplessly, "Section Chief, I don't have any bicycle tickets here. The colleagues in the finance department said we have to queue up, and there are quite a few people ahead of us."

These days, the difficulty in buying a bicycle lies in the bicycle ticket.

For an ordinary family to buy a bicycle, they would either have to slowly save up industrial coupons or spend money to find one at the pigeon market. Even though Fang Yuan has now been promoted to the head of the inspection department, it still depends on seniority.

In short: sit in a row and eat fruit.

Sun Daxing stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and said, "That's alright. You go downstairs and wait for me. I'll go find Director Wang."

After saying that, he took Fang Yuan out the door.

After waiting downstairs for nearly ten minutes, Sun Daxing finally came down the stairs.

The two arrived at the bicycle garage, and Sun Daxing immediately had Fang Yuan ride a bicycle and take him out of the Hongxing Steel Plant.

Fang Yuan wondered if Sun Daxing was planning to help him get a used car.

That's not bad. After all, it's just a means of transportation, and there's no need to spend so much money to buy a new one. Besides, I don't have a ticket.

However, while secondhand bicycles were cheap in those days, they were strictly regulated. Without connections, it was difficult to register them with the police station and get them stamped. Ordinary people would have to use their connections to bribe officials.

But he doesn't need to worry about these things. He can simply register the bicycle under the steel mill's name, get a letter of introduction, and then go to the police station to complete the formalities.

They left the Hongxing Steel Plant.

Guided by Sun Daxing, we rode west for about ten minutes, then turned right onto another road. Soon after, we saw a bicycle repair stall at the intersection – the Dongcheng District Bicycle Repair Cooperative.

Don't underestimate this little street stall; it's a legitimate public-private partnership.

"Here it is." Fang Yuan stopped his bicycle at Sun Daxing's call.

Just as Fang Yuan propped up and parked his bike, he suddenly noticed several familiar figures standing casually at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative next to the bicycle shop, chattering about something.

They were Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, the two sons of the second uncle in the backyard.