A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1417 Wu Shanshan Crying! (Please Subscribe!)

After the Lantern Festival, Hua Twelve boarded a train to Suzhou. This time, unlike last time, a fellow villager, Uncle Qian, accompanied him back to Suzhou.

Uncle Qian works as a driver at the Suzhou Bus Station. In the original storyline, Zhuang Tunan was admitted to Tongji University in Shanghai. Lin Dongzhe and Xiang Pengfei secretly went to Shanghai and only managed to get a free bus ride there by asking Uncle Qian to help them.

Traveling with Uncle Qian, who took good care of him, Hua Shier was somewhat depressed. He had originally planned to use the Anywhere Door to go directly to Suzhou after getting on the train, but that was no longer possible.

They traveled in silence until they returned to Suzhou. Uncle Qian took full responsibility, personally taking the bus to escort Hua Shier back to the alley before leaving.

Hua Shier waved goodbye to the other party, greeted the two old neighbors he met, and then returned to his uncle's house. His aunt Huang Ling was working the day shift today, and his uncle Zhuang Chaoying had already returned to school and work. Only Zhuang Tunan and Zhuang Xiaoting were at home, watching TV at Lin Dongzhe's house next door.

When he returned, the three children were very happy and asked him what it was like to celebrate the New Year in Guizhou. Hua Shier smiled and took out the Bobo Tang and Huang Gao Ba that he had brought back from Guizhou for them to eat. Bobo Tang, also known as Bobo Tang or Luo Kou Su, is made mainly of glutinous rice maltose and peeled sesame seeds. It is crispy, sweet and melts in your mouth.

Huanggaoba is made of glutinous rice and brown sugar, and children love to eat it.

Seeing that they were eating happily, Hua Shier smiled and reminded them, "Leave some for your uncle and aunt, Uncle Lin and Aunt Song, don't eat it all. I'm going to go find your brother Yiming!"

He said hello and then rode his bike out to Guanqian Street to find Li Yiming.

Upon arriving at the shop, he locked his bicycle at the entrance, pushed open the door, and went inside. He saw that there were quite a few customers inside. Li Yiming was introducing the information and functions of the electronic watch to a customer. His cousin, Song Xiangyang, was also in the shop, helping out.

Upon seeing Hua Shier push open the door and enter, Li Yiming immediately greeted him with a smile, "Brother Pengfei, you're back!"

Hua Shier waved his hand: "You go about your business, we'll talk later!"

Song Xiangyang was Lin Wufeng's apprentice and often visited the Lin family. This wasn't the first time he had seen Hua Shier, but it was the first time he had seen Li Yiming call a primary school student "brother," which he found unbelievable.

He also greeted, "Pengfei is back!"

Hua Shier smiled and waved his hand, saying, "You've worked hard."

They were busy until almost noon when the number of customers finally decreased. Hua Shier, who had been watching from the sidelines for a while, nodded secretly.

He originally thought that although electronic watches were in high demand, they would attract a large number of customers in the early stages of opening, and it would be normal for the store to be packed. However, as time went on, the number of customers gradually returned to normal, and the demand shifted from "shortage of goods" to "rational consumption".

He just didn't expect that consumers these days would be so willing to spend money. Even after several months, customers still come in droves to buy electronic watches.

After the last customer left, Hua Shier called to Li Yiming and Song Xiangyang, "Let's go, lunch at Songhelou, it's on me!"

Song Xiangyang felt embarrassed and repeatedly declined, but Hua Shier said with a smile, "You came here to help, so we can't let you work for free!"

Li Yiming laughed and said, "Brother Pengfei is right, Uncle, please don't refuse. We're all family, why are you being so polite!"

After saying that, he pulled Song Xiangyang out the door.

The three of them left the shop, hung up a sign saying "Closed for lunch," and headed straight for Songhelou, which was also on Guanqian Street.

Songhelou is one of the four most famous restaurants in China. The other three are Quanjude in Beijing, Fuchun Garden in Yangzhou, and Louwailou in Hangzhou.

The squirrel-shaped mandarin fish here is very famous.

Hua Shier didn't stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he took the menu and started ordering. He ordered six dishes in one go: squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, braised eel in sizzling oil, crab roe tofu, and stir-fried river shrimp, all of which were his favorites.

Well, to be an immortal, you have to learn to please yourself, otherwise, if you're not happy and carefree, then you've wasted your time becoming an immortal!

He handed the menu to Song Xiangyang and said with a smile, "Order whatever you like, don't be shy!"

Song Xiangyang waved his hands repeatedly, saying that it was enough. Hua Shier had ordered so much food at once, which made him a little uneasy. In his mind, no family could afford to eat so much good food during the New Year. It was too extravagant.

Li Yiming was used to it. After all, he earned several thousand yuan a month, and a dish of "Squirrel Fish" only cost six yuan and six jiao. If he ate as much as he wanted, he wouldn't spend much money!

Seeing that Song Xiangyang didn't order, Hua Shier returned the menu to the waiter, ordered three bottles of orange soda, and then asked Li Yiming:
"Have you taken care of all the things I asked you to do during the Chinese New Year?"

Li Yiming laughed and said, "Brother Pengfei, how could I dare to delay the task you assigned me? I've visited Director Zhang's house at the supply and marketing cooperative, Section Chief Li from the industry and commerce bureau, and Manager Zhao from the department store. I guarantee that the New Year's goods will satisfy them!"

After he finished speaking, he asked in a low voice, "Brother Pengfei, did we give too many gifts, especially to Director Zhang? Also, Manager Zhao of the department store has nothing to do with us. It's one thing to treat him to a meal, but to give him gifts too!"

Although Li Yiming had seen money before, it hadn't been long enough for him to be easily swayed.

Hua Shier said irritably, "What's so special about it? This year I plan to set up sales pilot programs in Nanjing and Hangzhou as well. With Director Zhang introducing us to the leaders of the local supply and marketing cooperatives, it will save us a lot of trouble. If you don't have the right connections, who will bother to introduce you to anything that doesn't benefit them?"

"And over there at the department store, the electronic watches they sell are rationed and have quotas. How can they be the same as what we're selling here? It's only because they're a government unit that they're guaranteed a steady income, otherwise, with our booming business, they would have already started a fuss, and we would be in trouble."

"We have to maintain this relationship. As long as they turn a blind eye, we can make money with peace of mind!"

Li Yiming suddenly realized: "So there are so many twists and turns. Pengfei, you're amazing, you even know all this!"

Song Xiangyang found it awkward listening to Li Yiming repeatedly mention "Brother Pengfei," so he couldn't help but ask his cousin:
"Yiming, why do you call Pengfei 'brother'? He's eight or nine years younger than you!"

Song Xiangyang wasn't the first to ask this question; Li Yiming was used to it and explained the whole story.

Song Xiangyang then realized that Hua Shier's "brother" status was earned through winning, which he found somewhat unbelievable. It's normal for someone to be good at one thing; everyone has their own strengths. But it's just not right for someone to be good at everything.

His immediate reaction was to ask, "Really?"

Li Yiming confidently declared, "How could this be fake? Of course it's all true!"

Hua Shier smiled and asked Song Xiangyang:

"How about we have a competition? If I win, you call me 'brother,' and if I lose, I call you 'brother,' how about that?"

Before Song Xiangyang could speak, Li Yiming sensed something was wrong:

"Let me sort this out. Xiangyang is my cousin, and you call him 'brother,' so you're also my uncle. So if you lose, you'll be the elder? No way, that's taking advantage of me."

Hua Twelve laughed heartily:
"Okay, then I lose. I'll call you Uncle Xiangyang along with you. Is that alright? Of course, if Xiangyang doesn't dare to, then forget it."

Song Xiangyang and Li Yiming are about the same age, both young people, and have the characteristics of young people: playful, active, confident, and not easily provoked.

He immediately became interested: "Better than anything else?"

"I can't stand anything disgusting, like eating boogers, jumping into a latrine, or peeing in the mud. I have to save face. Anything else is fine with me!"

Hearing Hua Shier say this, Song Xiangyang couldn't help but laugh and said, "I have my pride too! I can't do what you're saying!"

Seeing that there would be a while before the food was served, Song Xiangyang thought for a moment and said, "I've got it! Pengfei, whatever you say is fine, but don't blame me for making things difficult for you!"

He always carried a notebook and a pen with him, and quickly wrote down a math problem:

"This is a question from my college entrance exam that I couldn't answer back then. If you can answer it, I won't mind calling you 'brother'!"

Using college entrance exam questions to test elementary school students might seem a bit like cheating, but that's the rule set by Huashi Twelve: as long as you don't do anything disgusting, anything is acceptable.

Hua Shier borrowed Song Xiangyang's pen, and without thinking, quickly wrote down three solutions to the problem, then pushed the pen and notebook back:
"Alright, all three methods can solve this problem!"

Song Xiangyang and Li Yiming were both stunned: "Really?!"

After checking their calculations, the two discovered that all three solutions were correct.

Hua Shier smiled and beckoned with his finger: "Come on, call me 'brother' and let me hear it!"

Song Xiangyang's face turned red. He thought he had it in the bag, but he never expected to lose. What's the point of a primary school student studying high school math instead of properly raiding bird nests? Is that reasonable?
Hua Shier: Ten years for stealing bird nests, check it out!
Song Xiangyang looked at Li Yiming with pleading eyes, while the latter gloated:
"Uncle, you should accept your loss!"

One sentence infuriated Song Xiangyang, who helplessly called out to Hua Twelve, "Brother Pengfei!" Then he immediately added, "If I call you brother, then Yiming will have to call you uncle from now on!"

Hua Shier feigned sudden realization: "That's right, come on, Yiming, call me 'Uncle' and let me hear it!"

Li Yiming was speechless, feeling that neither of them was any good.

At this point, the waiter brought out the dishes one after another, and the three of them ate and chatted.

Hua12 mentioned the establishment of distribution points in other regions:

"Yiming, go back and place an ad in the newspaper to recruit some temporary workers. I'll handle the paperwork with Pengcheng. Once the store here is stable, we'll hand it over to the new employees to manage. You go to Hangzhou and set up a sales pilot program!"

His plan was to use the cooperative unit of the supply and marketing cooperative as a front to quickly map out and occupy territory before the reform and opening up, to gain a full advantage before the opportunity arose, and then, when the Guo family recognized the private economy in 1982, to decouple from the supply and marketing cooperative and quickly complete the transformation from a cooperative enterprise to a private enterprise.

After Hua Shier finished speaking, Song Xiangyang immediately said:
"Pengfei, Brother Pengfei, can I apply for the job?"

Hua Shier was somewhat surprised: "Xiangyang, aren't you at the transformer factory? If you leave, will your family agree?"

Song Xiangyang smiled wryly:

“I learned technical skills from Engineer Lin, and I could have become a permanent employee, but last time Yiming and I were caught red-handed by the joint defense team and had to make a self-criticism at the factory. I’m afraid there’s no hope of becoming a permanent employee now. I can’t be a temporary worker for the rest of my life!”

Li Yiming interjected:

"My cousin originally wanted to try his luck in a township enterprise. He heard that township enterprises are short of talent and the salary is higher. But he heard that the benefits here are better, so he wants to try it here. I can't make the decision for him. I said I'll wait for you to come back and decide. After the New Year, my cousin can come to the store to help out whenever he has time!"

Hua Shier nodded, then said to Song Xiangyang:
“You’re Yiming’s cousin, so we’re on the same side. Of course I’m happy for you to come over. But there are some things we need to make clear. Yiming is my partner, so don’t worry about how much money he makes. You won’t get the same amount as him after you come over!”

"Once Yiming goes to other cities to explore new lands, you'll be in charge of this shop on Guanqian Street. You'll get a monthly salary of 120 yuan. If you agree, you can start work anytime!"

Song Xiangyang was stunned and speechless for a long time.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Hua Shier said, "If you don't want to, then don't. We won't force you!"

Song Xiangyang swallowed hard and nodded vigorously: "I'm willing, I'll fight anyone who tries to stop me!"

Hua Shier laughed and said, "I thought you were unwilling because you hadn't said anything for a while!"

Song Xiangyang said excitedly, "I was shocked. I've been working as a temporary worker at the transformer factory for three years now, and my monthly salary is only twenty-four yuan. You suddenly gave me one hundred and twenty yuan. I thought I misheard!"

After he finished speaking, he made a point of confirming: "Brother Pengfei, you mean one hundred and twenty, right?"

Li Yiming laughed heartily: "Don't worry, you heard me right!"

Song Xiangyang suddenly stood up: "Then I'll go to the factory now to complete my resignation procedures!"

As he stood up, a letter fell from his coat pocket to the ground. Li Yiming grabbed him and said with amusement, "You can go after you've eaten!"

Song Xiangyang slapped his forehead and chuckled sheepishly, "I got too excited. Let's go after we finish eating!"

As he bent down to pick up the letter, just as he was about to put it back in his pocket, Hua Shier glanced at the stamp on the envelope and suddenly said:
"Wait a minute, let me see your envelope!"

Song Xiangyang handed over the letter with a puzzled look.

Hua Shier took it and glanced at it; it was indeed the 'Gengshen Monkey' stamp.

Seeing Hua Shier staring at the envelope, Song Xiangyang wondered what he was looking at and explained, "My high school classmate went to Shanghai with his family. This is a letter he wrote to me. Is there a problem?"

Hua Shier shook his head and said, "There's no problem. I just think these stamps are nice, they're quite pretty!"

He couldn't very well tell these two that this stamp would break the 1,000 yuan mark per stamp in 1996, and that a sheet of 80 stamps would be enough to buy an apartment in Beijing or Shanghai.

This one already has a postmark, so it's not very valuable. It's a pity. I wonder if Song Xiangyang's friend will regret it later.

After dinner, Li Yiming went back to the shop, Song Xiangyang went directly to the transformer factory to complete his resignation procedures, and Hua Shier rode his bicycle straight to the post office.

When I arrived at the post office's stamp sales window and inquired about the monkey stamps, I learned that they were released on February 15th, the day before the Spring Festival this year, which is Lunar New Year's Eve, with a purchase limit of five stamps per person.

The middle-aged woman buying stamps even asked Hua Shier if he wanted one, making a gesture as if she was about to tear it off a whole sheet of monkey stamps.

Hua Shier really wanted to shout, "Let go of that house!"

However, he was afraid of being mistaken for a lunatic.

Hua Shier immediately flashed a bright smile and began to unleash his innate skills of 'sweet talk' and 'blatant lying'.

Instantly, this increased the middle-aged woman's friendliness by 30%, and at the same time, there was a 30% chance that she would completely believe his nonsense.

He lowered his voice and said:
“Auntie, my grandfather is a die-hard stamp collector. He’s dying now, and his biggest wish before he dies is to collect all the Year of the Monkey stamps from the Suzhou Post Office. He’s already sold everything he owns and given me all his savings. Now he’s just waiting for me to take these monkey stamps back so he can breathe his last!”

Such nonsense would be unbelievable to anyone, but the combined power of the dual talents far exceeds the predetermined value of the skill. With a 30% affinity, the trigger rate of the 'blatantly lying' skill far exceeds 30%, even reaching as high as 50%, 60%, 70%, or 80%.

The middle-aged woman immediately believed his lies, and her eyes welled up with tears.
"Little friend, if you don't take the stamp back, will your grandfather stay alive and not die?"

Hua Twelve: You're talking even more nonsense than I am!

He quickly said, "No, I'm afraid he won't be able to rest in peace if he doesn't see these stamps before he leaves!"

Grandpa Zhuang: The grandfather you're talking about, you wouldn't happen to be me, would you?

Twenty minutes later, Hua Shier left the post office carrying a hundred sets of full sheets of monkey stamps.

Yes, the Gengshen Monkey stamp has a face value of 8 fen and a national circulation of 500 million. Based on the distribution ratio of similar cities, Suzhou may receive 2.2 to 8.9 stamps. After being received by the post office, these stamps will be distributed to various sales points under its jurisdiction, such as branches and post offices, for sale.

Seventeen days have passed since the release date, and these one hundred sets represent all the remaining stock the post office has.

Hua Shier felt he had struck it rich. When the value of a single stamp exceeded one thousand yuan, he exchanged all one hundred sets of monkey stamps for houses in Beijing and Shanghai.

In the evening, the adults from both the Zhuang and Lin families returned home and were delighted to find that Hua Shier had come back. The two families had another meal together and specially prepared two extra dishes.

Time flies, and half of the semester has passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Song Xiangyang has become the store manager of the Guanqian Street store, with two salespersons under him.

Through the introduction of Director Zhang of the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Yiming established a good relationship with the director of the Hangzhou supply and marketing cooperative, and successfully opened the "sales pilot" of "Pengcheng Electronics Factory" in Hangzhou. The business was very successful, and now they are planning to open a store in Nanjing.

Hua Shier, the carefree manager, is facing the crucial moment of the transition from primary to junior high school. Of course, for him, getting into the top junior high school is an easy task.

That day, he stood up for Lin Dongzhe and won a bag of marbles from a kid on the next street. Amid the kid's cries, the two of them triumphantly took off running. Well, the kid's parents arrived.

Before they even returned to Textile Lane 3, Hua Shier suddenly stopped and told Lin Dongzhe to take the marbles and go back first, while he himself entered a nearby alley.

After turning two corners, he saw a girl squatting in the corner, covering her face and crying. Although he couldn't see her face clearly, he recognized her at a glance as Wu Shanshan!

"Shanshan?!"

Hua Shier called out, and Wu Shanshan's shoulders trembled slightly. She slowly raised her head, her face covered in tears.

"What happened? Who bullied you? Brother Pengfei will stand up for you!"

Wu Shanshan wiped away her tears, called out "Brother Pengfei," and then said with a hint of sorrow:
"Nobody's bullying me, it's just... it's just that I might not be able to get into No. 1 Middle School!"

Thank you to 08a, Little Tiger of the Demon Realm, Meow Big Woof, Silent and Asking the West Mountain for your generous donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted for monthly tickets and recommendations!