Siheyuan: There are three little cats at home

Chapter 459 Stamps
It was getting even darker, and a layer of snow had fallen, but it showed no signs of letting up. The lights of various houses in the courtyard were like the light emitted by fireflies, inconspicuous.

Xu Aiguo walked to his elder brother while pushing the bicycle and turned off the flashlight.

Seeing that his second brother's face was not very good, Xu Qing asked:
"Patriotic, what's wrong?"

Xu Aiguo parked his bicycle at the door of the house, took off the sheepskin hat on his head, and held the black briefcase in his right hand, snarled and said:
"Brother, you don't know. I don't know what happened to the big leaders of the main factory today. A few people from the Municipal Party Committee came to check, and they forced me to go to a meeting in the evening. In the end, they still said they should focus on production, promote the economy, and develop development. This old man is like this."

After Xu Aiguo finished speaking, he took off his snow-covered military coat and handed it to Ai Qian, revealing the artificial leather jacket underneath.

Xu Qing smoked the peony cigarette that Xu Damao handed him before and said:
"Patriot, Brother Damao brought some military coats. You go back to the house and put them on first. Don't catch a cold."

Xu Aiguo nodded and followed Xu Qing back to the house. He turned around and grabbed a military coat, draped it around his body, picked up a thermos, filled the tea jars for his grandfather and grandma, and then poured himself a cup of tea. Jar, covering it with both hands, sat next to his eldest brother Xu Qing and said:

"Brother, Damao is selling military coats in our compound today. Do you know?"

When Xu Qing saw Aunt Feng taking out the dinner left for Aiguo from the kitchen, he asked his second brother to eat quickly and said:

"What Xu Damao told me in the courtyard last night was that he asked me to help him sell military coats at the grain station."

Xu Aiguo groaned, his frozen hands warmed up, and he quickly grabbed his chopsticks and ate the fried noodles.

After Liu Aiqian helped Patriot sweep the snow off his military coat with a broom outside the house, she returned to the house and complained:

"Patriotic, we won't go to any meetings that don't have anything important to do in the future."

When Xu Aiguo heard his wife's words, he raised his head slightly and looked at his elder brother with a dumbfounded expression.

He was the director of a branch factory, and the main factory had to give way to meetings, so how could he not go?

Xu Qing smiled and nodded, asking his second brother to continue eating and stop explaining.

Liu Aiqian complained for a while, and when she saw her son Hongfu dozing off in the arms of the two old men, she said nothing to her man.

She picked up her son, said goodbye to her grandparents and eldest brother and sister-in-law, and then went back to her own room to put her son to sleep.

As soon as Liu Aiqian left, the two old people saw that it was getting late and wanted to go to the next door cabin to rest.

Seeing this, Xu Aiguo stopped eating, so he put down his chopsticks and helped his grandparents to rest together with his eldest brother.

Xu Qing stretched out his hand to hold his second brother's shoulder and said:
"Aiguo, you eat your food and I will help my grandparents over. It's already past ten o'clock in the evening. You should finish your meal quickly and go back to bed early. You have to get up early to go to work tomorrow."

Xu Aiguo shook his head and smiled: "It's okay, brother, it's already this time anyway, it doesn't matter if you wait a little longer. I'm already hungry. It doesn't matter whether I eat or not."

When Xu Qing saw his second brother saying this, the two brothers helped their grandparents out of the house and into the small house next door.

After settling the two old people, Xu Aiguo went back to the main house to continue eating. Xu Qing did not leave in a hurry. He picked up a fire hook and took out the ashes from the stove in the hut. Then he turned to the door outside the house and picked up four briquettes with fire tongs. , fill it into the furnace cavity, cover the furnace lid, and then prepare to leave.

"Xiao Qing."

Grandpa and grandma shouted at the same time.

Xu Qing stopped, and the two old men pointed at the military coats and said:

"Xiao Qing, Xiao Xu in the courtyard gave us such an expensive thing, we can't ask for it in vain."

Xu Qing smiled and said:

"Grandpa, it's okay. Brother Damao said he gave it to you, so just wear it."

Grandpa looked serious, sat on the bed, coughed twice, arched his thin body slightly, took out his handkerchief and wiped his mouth and said:

"We are all of this age and stay in the courtyard all day long. This military coat is the same whether it is worn or not. You can give it back to him. We will not take advantage. God will not pity people for no reason. It falls from the sky. Your grandma and I have never encountered the good thing about pie in our lives, nor do we covet it.

If he wants to sell this military coat to our family, we saved some money the year before last. Take it and go over to see if Xiao Xu is asleep. If he is not, give him the money. "

After grandpa finished speaking, grandma took out a black cigarette pouch from the pocket sewn inside her cotton-padded jacket, opened it, took out a handful of money wrapped three layers inside and three outside with newspapers, counted out 50 yuan, and asked Xu Qing Take it and send it quickly.

"Grandpa, grandma, what are you doing?"

Xu Qing didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Brother Damao, even if he wants to sell his military coat to our family, you don't have to pay for it. I'll do it."

Grandma’s skinny and shriveled hand held Xu Qing’s hand and said:
"You kid, your grandpa and I told you not to spend money on things, but you didn't listen to a word of it. Motorcycles are so expensive, but you bought them secretly without discussing it with your wife or telling us. .

And that radar watch, I heard from Xiao Liu in the courtyard that it was more expensive than a motorcycle.

You, you have been in the city for a long time, and you have contracted the bad habits of those rich people. You don’t know how difficult it is to make money. You just waste the money you have. Why do you buy those useless things when you have food and drink? "

Grandpa grabbed the cigarette rod and wanted to smoke, but he saw that the cigarette bag containing the tobacco leaves was quietly picked up by his eldest grandson at some point. He took a few empty puffs and looked at Xu Qing after enjoying it.

"Your grandma has taken out the money, so hurry up and send it over. The motorcycle and radar meter alone have probably spent all the money you and Jinghong have earned in the past few years. If you are rich, then Xiao Xu will take him Why don’t you just give it to your wife when she’s here?”

When Xu Qing saw his grandparents, they kept scolding him. He was dumbfounded and didn't know how to explain it.

He thought for a moment and said:
"Brother Damao is begging me to do something. I told Patriot just now that I helped sell the batch of military coats that Xu Damao got at our grain station for a whole day. You don't have to worry about it. Wait until I help him sell out the military coats. I’ll talk to him about this again when the accounts are settled.”

When the two old men saw what their eldest grandson said, they no longer insisted on sending the money as quickly as possible.

Turn around early in the morning.

Xu Qing got up early and dressed neatly. When he went out, he tied the two military coats that Xu Damao had brought into the house last night with ropes to the motorcycle, and then pushed a person out of the silent compound.

The snow stopped last night for no apparent reason. There was a thick layer of snow in the courtyard and in the alley.

Xu Qing did not get on his motorcycle immediately, but pushed it all the way to the entrance of the alley. He took a look and saw that the snow on the street had been swept away by the sanitation workers who got up early.

Then he started his motorcycle and rode slowly towards Dongdan.

Perhaps because of the snow, when Xu Qing arrived at his grain station, Er Mazi hadn't arrived yet.

Xu Qing took out the key and opened the door. As soon as he entered the grain station, he did not turn on the stove as usual. Instead, he divided the six military coats that were not sold yesterday, together with the ones he just brought from the compound, using his abilities.

What he divided out, he stuffed it all under the counter.

Xu Qing planned to help Xu Damao sell them first. After all Xu Damao's military coats were disposed of, he would sell the remaining ones.

Since he agreed, Xu Damao also spoke.

He can't sell a piece of his ability.

If the military coats Xu Damao obtained are not sold out by the end of the year, it will be troublesome to lose them.

As for the separated military coats, Xu Qing was not in a hurry to sell them.

Being able to sell it for money is naturally a good thing.

If you can't sell them, you can take them all back to the countryside and give them to your second father and aunt to wear.

These days, life in rural areas is still difficult.

Lack of food and clothing is still the norm.

Military coats can be seen everywhere in the city during winter.

But in the countryside, there can be three or four in a town, which is a big deal.

Xu Qing rubbed his cold hands, teased the four cats who had stayed at the grain station all night, squatted down, and was about to light the stove.

Er Mazi came in from outside, breathing heavily, cursing:
"Qingzi, do you see this damn weather? It's only been a few days since it snowed, and it started to snow again last night."

As Er Mazi spoke, he stamped the snow on his feet. When he saw Xu Qing lighting the stove, he thought he had just opened the door, but when he came in, he shrank up, wrapped his cold military coat tightly, and squatted in front of the stove, taking out the He handed the economic cigarette to Xu Qing and said:
"Qingzi, let's take a cigarette first. It's warm. It's snowing. I'm afraid not many people will come early in the morning."

Xu Qing put down the dry firewood in his hand and nodded, thinking so.

The weather is getting colder and colder, and the uncles and aunties who go to the vegetable market to buy vegetables in the morning all see that Tian'er's mood is getting less and less.

After Xu Qing and Er Mazi smoked a cigarette, they lit the stove together.

There was warmth in the store, and the four cats gathered around the stove to keep themselves warm.

Neither Xu Qing nor Er Mazi chased them away.

These little things are also alive.

I also know that I am cold and I also know that I am hungry.

The important task of preventing rats in the grain depot lies with them.

Xu Qing waited for the stove to heat up, took out the steamed buns he brought from home, heated them up, broke off the hard and brown skin, took out some soft ones from the inside and threw them on the ground.

The four cats started fighting over each other like hungry tigers.

Er Mazi sat on the chair, chewing the half piece of steamed bun Xu Qing gave him, and said with a smile:
"Qingzi, these four cats are really blessed. Look, they eat white flour buns all the time, and they can catch mice at night to satisfy their hunger. Oh my, I feel like I can't live without them."

Xu Qing saw Er Mazi sighing for no reason and was about to speak when San Huzi's wife, Meijuan and Xu Xiaoya came in from the outside together. San Huzi's wife untied her scarf and said:
"Er Mazi, what's the matter, do you want to become a cat? Well, the shopkeeper will leave you at the grain station in the evening and let you catch mice."

Hearing this, Er Mazi grinned and said: "Sister Wang, look at what you said, I really want to become a cat. I can eat, drink, sleep after eating, and eat when I wake up. It would be great, but God didn't give me a chance. .”

San Huzi's wife rolled her eyes when she saw Er Mazi climbing along the pole, and was too lazy to talk to him anymore.

Xu Xiaoya and Meijuan were smiling from ear to ear with joy.

From time to time Er Mazi said some semi-unfashionable words, which was quite a bit of fun.

Otherwise, it would be too boring to sit at the grain station every day.

Xu Qingze didn't say anything because of the interruption from San Huzi's wife. After finishing the half-load of steamed buns in his hand, he got up and walked outside the grain station, rubbing his hands, waiting for business to come to him.

However, I saw that not many people were passing by the vegetable market at the moment.

I secretly felt a pain in my heart, secretly feeling that maybe Er Mazi really got it right this morning.

Fortunately, at around nine o'clock, the sun came out, the weather was a little warmer, and there were more people on the street.

Finally, scattered people came in to buy food.

Sanhuzi's wife and Meijuan are enough for socializing.

Er Mazi lazily sat on a chair and drank tea, chatting with Xu Qing all the time. When those people were about to leave after selling food, he said casually that there were still military coats for sale.Anyone who wants it can take a look.

However, those uncles and aunts who came to buy food were not willing to pay. They looked up, took the food, turned around and left.

For older people who have lived a hard life and pay out every penny, a military coat costs 25 yuan and they don't even think about it if they have something to wear at home.

They don't pursue fashion, let alone wear military coats to look cool.

There are only a few elderly retired men who, before liberation, had a good family background and were patriotic. After liberation, they spent their family wealth to support national construction.

During the changing times, he was protected by the country and suffered no harm. He spent most of his life in peace.

When I was young, I often wore foreign goods and had many good gadgets.

After retirement, my children were filial, my family was living well, and I had a pension in my hand. I thought the military coat was good, and I was a little tempted. I talked a lot about it to Xu Qing and Er Mazi, knowing that the military coat was cheaper than in department stores. I was stunned. After grinding for a while, I finally said I wanted it, but could it be cheaper?

Xu Qing smiled and said that there was really no way to get it cheaper. Er Mazi was so angry that he said, "Old man, do you want 20 yuan?"

The other party smiled and shook his head, "Comrade, we have hit it off. How about I give you one for 15 yuan?"

Er Mazi immediately had no intention of listening to the other party's nonsense, stretched out his hand to the door and said:

"Old man, please go slowly and don't send me away!"

After Er Mazi finished speaking, he walked over to Meijuan and helped sift the millet.

As for Xu Qing, although he had already heard that the other party did not really want the military coat, but wanted someone to talk to him more, he opened the door for business and welcomed guests from all over the world with a smile.

After all, the other party came to buy food.

He had no choice but to briefly chat with his wife Jinghong who walked out of the counter and send her out.

Seeing that the old man was gone, Er Mazi stopped helping Meijuan pick up sundries from the millet in the dustpan. He walked to Xu Qing and complained full of complaints:

"That old man is really interesting. If you don't want to buy it, then you won't buy it. Why are you talking about so many useless things? To show off how prosperous his family was before liberation, right?

Nowadays, you are not just like me, a common man with a flat head, what’s so great about it! "

Xu Qing took out the unpacked Peony cigarettes and smiled while unpacking them:
"Brother Mazi, when doing business, you can meet everyone. Have you forgotten those young men from last time?"

After Xu Qing finished speaking, he took out a cigarette and handed it to Er Mazi.

Sanhuzi's wife laughed at Ermazi for a while, then leaned against the counter and said:
"Er Mazi, tell me, you are quite a big man, in your thirties, but you are still a man. You have no sense of humility at all. Do you deserve to be angry with that old man?"

Er Mazi's eyes rolled up, he turned to San Huzi's wife, held the cigarette that Xu Qing handed to him in the corner of his mouth and said:

"Sister Wang, let's put it this way. If I open a store in the future, that old man will never step into my store. I will rush out as soon as I see him."

Xu Xiaoya stood at the counter, thinking about her calculations. When she heard Er Mazi's words, she grinned and asked:

"Brother Mazi, why don't you let people in when they spend money to buy things?"

"No, I don't care about his dirty money."

San Huzi's wife snorted, "Er Mazi, please remember what you said today. If you open a store in the future, if I see that old man buying something in your store, I..."

Sanhuzi's wife stopped mid-sentence and said, "Hey, Ermazi, with your temper, I'm afraid you won't be able to open a shop in your lifetime."

Er Mazi was smoking a cigarette with an unhappy look on his face and his eyes widened:

"Sister Wang, what do you mean by this? What's the matter, your third son can open a car repair shop, but my second son can't do anything, right?"

Seeing that Er Mazi was a little anxious, San Huzi's wife waved her hand and said:
"Er Mazi, sister, I didn't mean that. I meant that your temper needs to change. Didn't you see that our shopkeeper didn't say a harsh word to the old man just now? Learn from this.

He's not that good at my job. He can't compare with our shopkeeper. He only relies on coolies to repair cars. He's far behind you. After all, you were still a fourth-level fitter before. No matter where you go, others are not allowed to call you master. . "

When Er Mazi saw San Huzi's daughter-in-law saying this, not only did she feel uncomfortable, but she became even more angry.

"Sister Wang, please don't give me a high hat. Your son-in-law runs a car repair shop. When people come to him to repair their cars, they either call him the shopkeeper, or they call him the master or the boss.

I am not working in the factory workshop now, so who calls me master. "

Xu Xiaoya and Meijuan said with smiles:

"Brother Mazi, let's shout, Master Diao, hello."

Er Mazi was so angry that he didn't smoke the cigarette properly and choked. After coughing twice, he saw that no one came in to buy food for a long time, so he said to Xu Qing:
"Qingzi, while there's no one around right now, let's go out on the street and get some fresh air."

Xu Qing said: "Brother Mazi, where are you going on such a cold day?"

"Department store!"

Er Mazi blurted out.

But after catching a glimpse of Jinghong, he remembered Chen Xiufang who worked in the department store, and immediately changed his words: "It's not interesting to go to the department store all the time. Let's go to the post office. There are a few children in our hospital who collect stamps every day. It's harmful. My son and my daughter always ask me to help them search for good-looking stamps at night."

When Xu Qing heard this, he was slightly startled. The memory of the stamp market in later generations suddenly came to his mind.

In later generations, monkey stamps were very popular in the philatelic market.

Although he is not a fan, has never dabbled in it, and has not paid much attention to it.

However, the news that a monkey ticket was auctioned for hundreds of thousands was something he would never see before.

After thinking about it, Xu Qing was secretly surprised. It would be 80 soon, and the Monkey Ticket seemed to have been issued in 80.

At this time, if you buy some monkey tickets that only cost a few cents each, wouldn't it be possible that in a few years, you can buy hundreds of thousands if you change hands?

Thinking of this, Xu Qing said to Er Mazi:

"Brother Mazi, let's go to the post office!"

Seeing that Xu Qing was suddenly more excited than him, Er Mazi was a little confused. He grabbed a hat and put it on his head, and wrapped a scarf around it. He glanced at Ma Jinghong and said:

"Jinghong, Qingzi and I are going to the post office."

Ma Jinghong glanced at her man and said coldly: "Brother Qing, remember to come back later and buy some nice stamps for our son."

Xu Qing hummed, "No problem!"

Two minutes later, Xu Qing and Er Mazi were wrapped in military coats and walking side by side on the freezing cold street. Neither of them was riding a bicycle.

The snow on the street was piled on both sides of the road, and it was beginning to show signs of melting under the sunlight.

On the trees planted on both sides of the road, the snow is still on the branches, and when a gust of wind blows, it keeps falling.

Er Mazi held a cigarette in his mouth, turned to Xu Qing and said:
"Qingzi, Jinghong is still angry with you because you and Chen Xiufang had dinner in Donglaishun?"

Xu Qing shrugged, "Well, who knows, anyway, we brothers are going to the post office today, not the department store. We will take the stamps back later and she will be fine."

Er Mazi winked, smiled, smoked a cigarette, and walked quickly towards the post office with Xu Qing.

Ten minutes later, the two were standing in the post office.

There weren't many people in the post office. It wasn't the weekend, and it wasn't noon yet, so no one at work had time to come.

There were only some uncles and aunts, noisily sending letters and things under the guidance of the staff.

Xu Qing asked a staff member who had just finished affixing stamps to an old lady:

"Comrade, are there any good-looking stamps recently?"

When the staff member saw Xu Qing and Er Mazi holding nothing in their hands, he directly asked about the stamps, looking at them and saying:
"You two comrades are stamp collectors, right?"

Er Mazi held the cigarette in his mouth and said: "Yes, the children are clamoring for them, so I have no choice but to come over and buy a few. I don't want the ones that are too expensive. Just two or three cents. They must be good-looking."

The staff member ignored Er Mazi's request, turned around and pointed at the counter filled with stamps, and said:
"The ones on the left are all two-cent pieces, the three rows in the middle are three-cent pieces, the ones over there are five-cent pieces, and the ones on the far right are eight-cent pieces. Take your pick."

Xu Qing and Er Mazi walked to the counter and stared at the stamps in the glass cabinet carefully.

Er Mazi looked at it for a while and asked the staff member to take six three-cent pieces.

I also asked for four eight-cent stamps commemorating the [-]th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Er Mazi took out the money and handed it to the other party, pointing out the stamps for the thirtieth anniversary to Xu Qing and said:

"Qingzi, my two unlucky kids seem to want these commemorative tickets issued this year."

When Xu Qing heard this, he asked the salesperson to get two commemorative stamps for him, and also asked him to get two pieces with different designs, two cents, three cents, and five cents.

Then, I bought a stamp album on the spot and put them all in it.

Xu Qing bought it for his son. Although Hongzhi doesn't collect stamps, his wife told him that it must be done well.

He then asked: "Comrade, next year is the Year of the Monkey, haven't next year's stamps been issued yet?"

The staff member was helping Xu Qing find money. When he heard the inquiry, he raised his head and said:

"It's not New Year's Day yet. Come and have a look on New Year's Day."

Xu Qing snorted, feeling a little disappointed.

I didn’t actually buy a monkey ticket.

So he had no choice but to hold the stamp album in hand, leave the post office with Er Mazi, and go back to his own grain depot.

Wait until New Year's Day to come and have a look.

But when he was about to return to the grain station, Xu Qing saw three people standing at the door of his grain station in front, preparing to step in.

Looking at the back, it looks familiar.

Xu Qing tentatively called out: "Hui Lihua."

(End of this chapter)