Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

As Wang Yi walked out of the restaurant, he still savored the memory:
"It was my first time eating Western food, and it was actually quite delicious. The pastries and bread were the main attraction, but the beef and other dishes were just so-so."

Huang Zhong also said with a smug look:

"Yeah, I think so too. The pastries and bread are really delicious, but the stewed beef and fish, I think they're not as good as what my older brother makes."

In fact, in the eyes of Wang An, Mu Xueli and Wang Li, although the food in the Western restaurant was very good and quite delicious, it was not much different from that in a normal restaurant.

The pastries and breads here are really nothing special; the pastries are just with more cream, and the breads are just with more butter. In essence, there's really no difference.

Wang An looked at the two boys, who were the same age and had the same tastes, and said:
"The pastries and bread are delicious! Let's buy plenty before we go home tomorrow, hahaha!"

Back at the car, Mu Xueli asked Wang An:

"Brother-in-law, let's look at motorcycles now. I've heard there are several kinds of motorcycles, let's take a look at them one by one?"

Wang An glanced at his watch and realized it was only 2 p.m., so he nodded and said:
"Let's go then. Let's try to decide what kind of motorcycle we want to buy today, and then we can just pay for it and buy the ticket tomorrow."

After saying that, Wang An added:

"You guys just wait for me in front of the car, I'm going to find someone to ask where to buy a motorcycle."

As he spoke, Wang An walked toward the roadside.

Wang An actually knew where the motorcycles were sold, but it had been so long that he couldn't remember it very clearly.

Reaching the roadside, Wang An quickly stopped a man riding a Happiness 250 motorcycle. Because the man was wrapped up so tightly, Wang An couldn't tell whether he was an older man or an older man.

Wang An immediately asked:
"Excuse me, sir, could you tell me where all the motorcycle shops are located?"

The man was initially quite unhappy about being stopped, but seeing that Wang An spoke politely, he didn't hold it against him and said:

"Go straight along this road, turn right after three intersections, there's a state-run No. 11 store there, the motorcycle shop is right next to it. Motorcycles and bicycles used to be sold in the state-run store, but later there wasn't enough room inside, so they set up a special shop for motorcycles."

Wang An nodded and was about to say thank you when the kind man spoke again:

"There's another place on the far west side, that's where they sell imported and used motorcycles, Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda and stuff like that."

After the man finished giving his address, Wang An took out a cigarette and offered it to the kind man, saying:
"Thank you, brother. We're from a small county town, and we couldn't find our way around here at all, haha."

The older man took the cigarette and explained the directions to Wang An in detail before riding off on his motorcycle.

Wang An returned to the car, waved his hand to his four younger brothers who were waiting by the car, and said in a very generous manner:
"Get in the car, let's go."

Upon hearing Wang An's words, everyone cheered and boarded the vehicle. To an outsider, their behavior would have made them look like bandits about to descend the mountain.

A group of bewildered passersby all turned their attention to this side.

Noticing the suspicious looks from passersby, Wang An blushed and couldn't help but say to the crowd:
"What are you yelling about? Shut your mouths."

After Wang An finished speaking, the others didn't care and climbed into the car to sit down.

Wang An started the car and drove towards the shop next to the state-run store.

Upon arriving at the shop, everyone filed out and went inside.

To be honest, this state-run store, which is specifically for selling motorcycles, is quite large, but it only has a few dozen motorcycles inside.

Besides the seven or eight sidecar motorcycles, the most common type was the Happiness 250 motorcycle.

Of course, there are also some imported motorcycles, but the number is very small.

Wang An's eyes swept across the list and spotted a Suzuki A100 among them.

Honda CB125S,

Jialing Honda JH70
There are also the Suzuki K50 and Honda Cub, two underbone motorcycles.

When Wang An saw the Jialing Honda JH70, he couldn't help but take another look, because in his memory, this car was only developed last year and became popular in 85. He didn't expect that it had already started selling in early 83.

Although there were quite a few motorcycles, the shop was packed with people. Some came with their whole family, some came with their spouses, and many others couldn't afford a motorcycle but just enjoyed watching the motorcycle reviews.

It's no exaggeration to say that in an era when ordinary people wanted to buy cars but couldn't afford them or even buy them, motorcycles were definitely the aristocrats among luxury goods.

Wang An and his group of five walked among various brands of motorcycles, leaving Mu Xueli, Wang Li, and Wang Yi completely bewildered. They felt that every motorcycle was good and had no idea which brand they should buy.

So, after looking around, Wang Yi very cleverly asked Wang An:

"Brother, which motorcycle do you think is better?"

This is also the question that Mu Xueli and Wang Li wanted to ask, mainly because they both greatly envied others riding motorcycles.

However, they only knew a little bit about motorcycles from hearsay and were completely unaware of their advantages and disadvantages.

Of course, it's not just that they don't understand; rather, more than 99.9% of people in this era don't understand. Most people who buy motorcycles simply follow the crowd and buy them because everyone else is doing it.

So after Wang Yi asked the question, Mu Xueli and Wang Li immediately looked at Wang An.

The principle these two consistently adhered to was to follow Wang An, learn from Wang An, do whatever Wang An did, and buy whatever Wang An bought.

No need to ask, no need to understand, just listen to Wang An and you'll definitely be right.

Hearing his younger brother's question and noticing the looks from Wang Li and Mu Xueli, Wang An chuckled and asked Mu Xueli, Wang Li, and Wang Yi:

"The one over there with the most is the 'Happiness 250,' what do you guys think?"

Wang An asked this question because he noticed that the three men's eyes were constantly looking at Happiness 250, clearly indicating that Happiness 250 was their top choice.

After Wang An finished asking his question, the three men nodded almost simultaneously.

Wang An smiled but didn't say anything:

"The Happiness 250 is a copy of the Czech 250 made more than 20 years ago. It has plenty of horsepower and the largest fuel tank. It can carry four or five people and still run smoothly. It's really great."

After Wang An finished speaking, Mu Xueli and the other three immediately had their eyes light up.

But Wang An changed the subject and said:
"That's right. That vehicle weighs over 270 pounds. If it runs out of gas or breaks down, someone who isn't physically strong can't push it very far. It's said to burn 3 liters of fuel for 100 kilometers, but in reality, it needs to burn about 5 liters to get by."

Starting the car in winter is a real pain. If you can get it going after kicking it 10 times, you're incredibly lucky. Riding it makes your whole body tremble, and your butt gets numb from the vibrations. The main problem is that shifting gears is difficult too. Every car is different, and the clutch is so unreliable that you have to figure it out. And the brakes aren't great either." In this way, Wang An listed all the shortcomings of the Happiness 250.

In his previous life, when Wang An was dealing in goods, he rode this vehicle quite often, and every time he did, he was always on edge.

Because this car just breaks down halfway through the journey, it's enough to drive anyone crazy.

The key issue is that the car's parts are made of iron, not steel, making them particularly prone to damage.

Although this car is indeed a classic of its time and a memory for people of that era, and has a very high market share, Wang An has absolutely no interest in it whatsoever.

The purpose of buying a car is to enjoy life, not to cause distress.

Sure enough, after Wang An finished speaking, the three men's eyes immediately dimmed.

Wang An ignored the three people's expressions and continued:

"This Suzuki A100 has quite a few problems. The engine is too delicate. In winter, it's almost as hard to start as a 250. The fuel consumption is also not much different from the 250. It's just as fuel-inefficient. The key is that in our area, after starting the engine, you have to warm it up for 20 minutes and a half minutes, otherwise it won't move at all."

The worst part is that if you ride this bike a long distance, you have to take frequent breaks, otherwise it gets too hot and the engine might seize up if you keep riding it.

In this way, Wang An reviewed all the motorcycles of all brands in the store, mainly pointing out their shortcomings.

After Wang An finished speaking, the three of them considered for a long time before turning their attention to the Honda 125 and the Jialing Honda JH70.

It must be admitted that, compared with the existing motorcycles, these two motorcycles are indeed the most suitable for the low-temperature environment in Northeast China.

However, the price difference between these two motorcycles is indeed too great.

Because the Jialing 70 is newly developed and has just started selling, the price is relatively cheap at 2880 yuan, which is the same as the imported Suzuki A100.

The Honda 125 is also imported, but its price is as high as 7500 yuan.

The Happiness 250 is the cheapest, costing only 2680 yuan.

Both of those curved beam bikes were imported, so they weren't cheap. The cub-shaped one looked like a bicycle, with only one seat and couldn't carry a person, and it cost as much as 2100 yuan.

The Suzuki K50 can carry passengers and looks quite sturdy, but it costs 3000 yuan, which is more expensive than the straight-beam Jialing 70 and Xingfu 250.

However, Wang An knew that in two years, the price of the Jialing 70 would soar to around 4500 yuan, and the price of the Xingfu 250 would also rise to over 4000 yuan.

As for the Honda 125, the price has directly exceeded 1 yuan, and with people's increased understanding of motorcycles, state-owned stores have reached a point where it is extremely difficult to find one.

If you can snag a car, you can resell it for as high as 13,000 or 14,000, or even 14,000 or 15,000.

Even if you buy one now and ride it for two or three years, the price of a used motorcycle will exceed the current price of a new one.

It must be admitted that the car made by the Japanese was really awesome. It had low fuel consumption, plenty of horsepower, high speed, low noise, comfortable shock absorption, low failure rate, and no oil leaks. At that time, it could be considered a top-notch product.

Of course, at this time, the Jialing Honda 70 was an excellent motorcycle because it was assembled domestically with imported original parts.

Although it doesn't have as much horsepower as the Honda 125 due to its smaller displacement, it's definitely enough for everyday use and showing off.

In Wang An's memory, the car also had a very good reputation.

Not only is it extremely durable and sturdy, but even if it breaks down, the cost of repairing parts is very low. Furthermore, the engine can be changed only once every two or three years, so the maintenance cost is also very low.

The key point is that this car is also quite fuel-efficient. When driving on rural dirt roads, it only needs a maximum of 1.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers.

Considering the price, Mu Xueli, Wang Li, and Wang Yi all ultimately focused on the Jialing 70, another very classic motorcycle.

It's not that I can't afford the Honda 125, but the Jialing 70 offers better value for money.

Unlike the vibrant motorcycle market in China a few years later, with its diverse brands, the options available at this time were extremely limited.

Seeing the three people staring intently at the Jialing 70, Wang An couldn't help but say:

"It's already past 3 o'clock, shall we still go over there and look at some imported Yamaha or something?"

Wang Li and Mu Xueli remained silent, but Wang Yi spoke first:

"If you ask me, don't bother going. I think imported stuff is expensive, so it's pointless to even look at it. How about we just book this Jialing 70 instead?"

Perhaps because the Jialing 70 motorcycle was a newly developed product and its price was higher than that of the Xingfu 250, there was no sixth person in the area where the motorcycle was displayed, except for Wang An and his group of five.

Of course, the reason why no one paid attention to the Jialing 70 was because at that time, test drives were not allowed when buying motorcycles, so many people did not dare to buy it at all, for fear that they would waste so much money.

After Wang Yi finished speaking, Mu Xueli and Wang Li nodded in agreement. Mu Xueli added:

"If you ask me, don't go. The more you see, the more your eyes will get tired. I think there's no car more suitable than this one."

Mu Xueli's words also resonated with Wang Li, who echoed her sentiments:

"Yeah, I've decided to buy this too, so I won't go wandering around there."

Hearing what the three men said, Wang An patted the seat of the Jialing 70 and said with a smile:
"I also recommend you buy this car. It's super durable. I think if you don't crash or bump it within 3 years, you basically won't need to touch a single screw. Just add gas and it'll be running."

Upon hearing Wang An's summary, Mu Xueli, Wang Li, and Wang Yi's eyes lit up even more as they looked at the motorcycle.

Immediately afterwards, Wang An said:
"Alright, we've looked at the cars, let's go. We can just come back tomorrow, buy them, and load them into the car, right?"

To be honest, it was precisely because the crackdown was so strict at that time that motorcycles were still a very scarce commodity, and large amounts of industrial coupons were not easy to obtain. Otherwise, Wang An would have said he would have stockpiled a batch of Jialing 70 motorcycles.

Because once you wait four months, around June or July, the price of this car will start to rise, meaning you can expect to make money, and a lot of money at that.

With his mind racing, Wang An turned and led the way outside.

From beginning to end, not a single salesperson came up to ask Wang An and his companions what they needed.

At this point, the salesperson has absolutely no concept of "service awareness".

Wang An and his group walked out of the motorcycle shop and turned a corner into the state-run Eleventh Store.

The number "eleventh" alone reveals just how many state-run stores there were in Harbin.

Besides state-run stores, Harbin also has numerous supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores of varying sizes. (End of Chapter)