Siheyuan: There are three little cats at home

Chapter 463 An epoch-making New Year’s Day
Not long after Xu Qing returned to the house, snow began to fall in the dark courtyard. It was not heavy, and it did not fall until an inch thick in the early morning.

It stopped at noon and started raining again in the afternoon.

The sky was overcast and it looked like it was going to rain, but all that fell were crystal clear snowflakes.

Yesterday, Xu Qing took Er Mazi to the warehouse in the suburbs. Today, he took Er Mazi to several branch factories that had signed contracts with his own grain station and walked around one by one.

It was not until dark at night that the two returned to the grain station.

In the grain station, Jinghong and the others were busy greeting customers.

Just three lesbians wearing blue floral cotton-padded jackets came together to buy food.

Xu Qing and Er Mazi went to help.

Now the store is fully manned, and they belong to the mobile unit.

If there are many people buying grain, I will help at the grain station. If there is no one, I will go out to do errands.

Xu Qing glanced at the Shanghai watch on his wrist and saw that it was just past ten o'clock in the evening and not many people came to buy food.

He turned to Er Mazi and said:
"Brother Mazi, don't take off your scarf. Get off work early today."

Er Mazi pinched the sheepskin hat that he had just taken off his head. Hearing Xu Qing's words, he immediately raised his hand and put it on his head again, grinning and saying:
"Qingzi, buddy, I'm going home. I'll be back early tomorrow."

After Er Mazi left, Xu Qing waited for the three lesbians to finish buying food, draw prizes and leave, and asked San Huzi's wife, Hui Lihua and others to get off work.

"Sister Wang, Lihua, you should go home early. It's getting cold and business at night is not as good as in summer, so there's no need to waste your time."

Sanhuzi's wife held the dustpan, said with a smile, put it on the counter, and said:

"Shopkeeper, you are so open-minded. Then Meijuan and I will get off work early today."

While talking, Sanhuzi's wife and Meijuan began to pack their things, put on scarves and woolen gloves, and carried the vegetables they bought at the vegetable market at noon, waving to Xu Qing, Jinghong and Xu Xiaoya. , and stepped out of the grain station.

Hui Lihua, Luo Hongjuan, and Li Shuzhen also put on scarves and prepared to get off work.

Jinghong was turning off the stove, while Xu Xiaoya was writing down the accounts with a brush while counting the accounts for today.

Xu Qing sat on a chair and looked up to see that there were five fewer military coats sold by Xu Damao than in the morning.

I smiled in my heart, knowing that it was sold today.

After several days of publicity, sales of military coats were slow.

But it was still effective.

Seven items went out yesterday, and there are five items today.

Including the sales in the previous two days, more than ten items were sold.

After returning home in the evening, I talked to Xu Damao, who had been sitting in his room waiting for the letter.

Xu Damao was so happy that his back molars were exposed.

For Xu Qing, the more than ten military coats didn't make much sense, and they were divided according to the previous agreement.

I can only earn 30 yuan.

Not too concerned about it.

After all, the main purpose of opening a grain station is to sell grain, and the military coats are sold by Xu Damao.

However, Xu Damao was really happy.

More than ten items were sold from the grain station. Not to mention how much money he could make, at least for him, he got a lot of money back.

He no longer had to worry that his military coat would fall into his hands before winter was over.

Although he made this batch of military coats in partnership with others, he alone accounted for half of the more than 300 pieces, nearly 170 pieces. He spent a lot of money on it, and he also threw away what he had earned from doing business in the past few years. Those who lost in the mahjong game with a few girls, and the others also invested in it.

Xu Damao invested a lot of money and naturally planned to make a lot of money.

The opportunity to get a military coat from the army is neither rare nor available to everyone.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he seized it.

How can I let it go easily.

At the end of the month, Xu Qing helped Xu Damao sell a total of 75 military coats at his own grain depot.

The last day of 79, Monday.

After Xu Qing went to the grain station for a while in the morning, he returned to the compound alone and put the money from the sale on Xu Damao's table.

Xu Damao counted the money happily and said:

"Qingzi, you and Aiguo, Fengming, you three brothers are the most reliable in our hospital!"

Xu Qing smoked a cigarette and didn't speak.

After Xu Damao counted the money, his face was filled with joy. He got up and went to the kitchen to take out a bottle of Erqu, a plate of fried peanuts, and a plate of pickles. He puffed on a cigarette, picked up the bottle, and poured it into the wine cup in front of Xu Qing. Wine trail:
"Qingzi, it's all thanks to you that my brother was able to sell out the military coats so quickly this time. Come on! One of us brothers will leave first, and then we will divide your money."

Xu Qing responded, raised his glass, drank the wine in one gulp, then picked up the pickles with chopsticks and threw them into his mouth.

Xu Damao knew that he was prone to fragmentation when he drank too much. He put down his wine glass, turned around and went back to the back room, rummaging through the boxes and cabinets in search of an abacus.

Xu Qing was not in a hurry, smoking and eating pickles and peanuts.

Two or three minutes later, Xu Damao took out a small abacus full of dust, patted the thick dust off, placed it on the table, and handed Xu Qing the flue:
"Qingzi, as the old saying goes, brothers settle accounts clearly. Although we two brothers are not real brothers, but we have lived in the same compound for so many years, we are closer than real brothers. This account must be settled with an abacus. Brother cannot It’s not about making you suffer.”

Xu Qing smiled and was speechless.

Xu Damao had a cigarette in the corner of his mouth, put his right hand on the abacus, flicked it twice, chewed the flower seeds, and couldn't remember how to use them, so he gave up and said:

"Qingzi, why don't you come?"

"Brother Damao, do you need to calculate 75 military coats?"

"Brother, I wonder if this thing can be calculated faster."

Xu Qing smiled helplessly and said, "Can you understand me?"

Xu Damao pushed the abacus in front of Xu Qing and put his right hand on the table.

"Brother, I haven't used it for many years. I'm a hand-picker, but every time I go to a state-owned store, I always watch the salespeople do what they do. I can understand them."

Seeing this, Xu Qing held a cigarette in his left hand and quickly moved the abacus with his right hand.

Just snap it a few times and forget it.

"Brother Damao, 75 pieces. As agreed, I will pay two and a half yuan for each piece. That's it, 180, seven and a half yuan."

Xu Damao lowered his head and stared at the abacus, looked at it carefully, and nodded to indicate that there was no problem.

"But the Ermazi piece is two yuan less, sold for 23." Xu Qing said while flipping the abacus, "minus one yuan, and the final price is 180 six and a half yuan."

Xu Damao rolled his eyes back and forth, thought for a while, and said with a smile:

"Hey, Qingzi, what's the point of cutting it off? It's only one dollar, there's no need for it!"

Xu Damao said nice things, but when he paid Xu Qing, it was 180 yuan.

Xu Qing counted it once, and did not care about it, nor was he in a hurry to put it on his body. Instead, he held it in his hand, counted out 45 yuan, and handed it to Xu Damao. "Brother Damao, I will give you the money for the two pieces my grandfather and grandmother wore together."

Xu Damao raised his hand and said, "Qingzi, what are you doing?

One thing is one thing.

I gave it to your grandparents as a gift.

We are all old men, spitting and nailing each other, take the money back quickly! "

After Xu Damao finished speaking, he picked up the wine bottle and poured the wine:
"If you give me money, wouldn't that be a slap in my brother's face?

Besides, you have helped my brother so much. If it weren't for you, I don't know when I would be able to sell out. Qin Jingru, that prodigal woman, can't point it out, so she asked her to ask where she works. Who wants it? Guess what? Wait, after so long, she just asked someone yesterday. "

Xu Damao raised his wine cup, touched it with Xu Qing, smashed his mouth, and continued:
"Qingzi, we two brothers work well together. The military coats your grandparents are wearing are just my brother's thanks to you. Don't mention them again in the future, otherwise I will worry about you, brother!"

Xu Qing hummed, put all the money on his body, and started drinking with Xu Damao.

It's just that Xu Damao's drinking capacity is really bad.

After just over an hour, I was already drunk.

Xu Qing had no choice but to drink what was left in the bottle alone, helped Xu Damao get on the kang, pulled the quilt over him, then got up and left.

Another day, the year 80 has arrived.

A new year has begun, and a new era has begun.

At eight o'clock in the morning, Xu Qing and Jinghong had breakfast at home, and then the two of them went out to the grain station.

Today is New Year's Day, and all units and factories in the city are on holiday.

The weekend before yesterday, he took his wife and sisters, Er Mazi, Hui Lihua and the others for a busy day.

I thought there wouldn't be many people there today, so I didn't go there early in the morning.

Indeed, as he expected, few people came to buy food all morning.

Because most people had already bought it the day before yesterday, it was a holiday and they could rest. People took advantage of the good weather, without snow or wind, to visit relatives and friends and hang out.

When Ma Jiefang's family of four came over, Xu Qingzheng and Er Mazi were standing at the door of the grain station, listening to San Huzi's daughter-in-law telling Hui Lihua and the others about the lively scenes of going to the rural market in the past.

Ma Jiefang handed the young son in his arms to Wu Yuemei, took out a cigarette and handed it to Xu Qing and Er Mazi, saying to Xu Qing:
"Brother Qingzi, why didn't you ask Hongzhi to come over today?"

Xu Qing took the cigarette, shook his head and smiled bitterly, "The day before yesterday was not a weekend. I stayed at the Hongzhi Grain Station all day. I was so tired that I went to bed without eating. Knowing that it was New Year's Day, I pretended to be sick early in the morning, so my sister and I pretended to be sick. , refused to come, and said that his school teacher gave him a load of homework and he couldn't even finish it."

Ma Jiefang said happily: "Brother Qingzi, Hongzhi is also scared. For one month, four weeks, you and my sister will bring him here every weekend. If it were me, I would pretend to be sick."

Er Mazi struck a match, lit a cigarette and said: "Liberation, pretending to be sick is nothing. My son had skin rash in the past two years. In order not to go to school, it was a real illness. He made a fuss at night and wanted to take a bath. My wife gave him a fever." If you don't need water yet, just pour cold water on your body.

As a result, I didn't go to school the next day and spent the whole day in the hospital. "

Hearing this, Ma Jiefang smoked a cigarette and opened his mouth to say something about the trouble his son Ma Xiaojun made because he didn't go to school.

He accidentally glanced into the grain station and saw Hui Lihua, Li Shuzhen and Luo Hongjuan there. He hurriedly looked at Xu Qing and asked:

"Brother Qingzi, Lihua and the others are wearing sleeves. Are they working at your place, or are they helping?"

Er Mazi put his arm around Ma Jiefang's shoulders, grinned and said:

"They must be at work. You came here to buy food the day before yesterday, so you didn't see the three of them."

Ma Jiefang stretched out his hand and scratched his head and said, "Hey, the day before yesterday I was in a hurry to go to the department store to buy milk powder for my second son, and I left without even drawing any prizes. I thought Lihua and the others had nothing to do on the weekend, so they came to help my fifth sister."

Er Mazi pointed at Hui Lihua and the others, winked and said, "Brother, I've been with them for a little over half a month."

Ma Jiefang nodded and said a long note.

Smoking a cigarette, he turned to look at the motorcycle parked aside:
"Brother Qingzi, it's been so long since you bought the motorcycle. I've been busy for more than a month and haven't touched it yet. You have to let me ride it for a few laps today to enjoy it."

Xu Qing raised his eyebrows and looked at his brother-in-law and said:

"Liberation, Brother Silly Zhu lent me a motorcycle to the Third Factory a few days ago. Do you dare to say that you didn't take the opportunity to ride it?"

Ma Jiefang grinned, "I saw it that day. When I asked Brother Silly Zhu, he said you bought it, so he walked around the factory twice without even leaving the factory gate."

After Er Mazi bought a motorcycle from Xu Qing, he rode it frequently. When he heard Ma Jiefang's words, he blew smoke out of his mouth: "Let's go, Jiefang, Genmen will take you for two laps on the street."

Xu Qing raised his hand to stop him, "Brother Mazi, don't go yet. I have something to do and need to go to the post office. Jiefang and I will take a quick trip first."

Er Mazi had his head drooped and could only stand at the door of the grain station, watching Xu Qing and Ma Jiefang disappear on their motorcycles into the bustling crowd.

Ma Jiefang touched the motorcycle again, feeling very excited. As he rode through the street, he turned his head slightly and said to Xu Qing:

"Brother Qingzi, are you going to the post office to send a letter or something?"

Xu Qing held the cigarette blown out by the wind and said, "No, go buy some stamps."

Ma Jiefang was stunned, "Brother Qingzi, I remember you didn't collect stamps before."

Xu Qing shrank and said: "I bought it for Hongzhi. There is no boy of his age in our courtyard. Your fifth sister and I are usually busy at the grain station. Last time Er Mazi said that his son collects stamps, I stopped by. We went to the post office together and bought some for Hongzhi. It’s not New Year’s Day today, so we went to see if there are any new releases and I’ll buy some more.”

Ma Jiefang hummed, "That's right."

After a while, Xu Qing and Ma Jiefang were standing at the door of the post office.

People going in and out of the post office looked surprised and envious when they saw the motorcycle.

Although the department store sold hundreds of motorcycles after the first few were sold.

All sold out one after another.

However, after more than 30 years of development after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the population of Sijiucheng has exceeded one million.

Not to mention a few hundred taels of motorcycles, even tens of thousands of them, they are nothing but nothing.

There is no other way. Although it has been more than a year since the reopening, the domestic economy is developing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The situation is excellent.

But there are still not many people who can afford it.

The vast majority of people still prefer to hold on to their iron rice bowl and live a steady life.

But Xu Qing knew that starting from this year, people who had been waiting and watching for a year could no longer tolerate it.

Apart from anything else, on New Year's Day today, the voices and smiles of people on the streets are completely different from before.

Although most young people still like to wear military coats in winter, they are all singing popular songs from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and talking about fashionable things from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Ma Jiefang locked his motorcycle and followed Xu Qing into the post office, saying:

"Brother Qingzi, have you heard of Tianmi?
I heard it was sung by Teresa Teng, a popular singer from Hong Kong and Taiwan. "

Xu Qing raised his eyebrows, "You know how?"

Ma Jiefang said proudly: "You can say a few words, sweet. Your smile is sweet, just like flowers blooming in the spring breeze."

(End of this chapter)