1978: Female educated youth, don’t want an illiterate husband

Chapter 136: While buying vegetables, Cheng Xuemin also bought a TV

The final exams for the senior repeater class at Yanda High School were not divided into separate examination rooms like in later generations.

Students from each class take the exam in their own seats.

So during the two exams in the morning, Ge You, who was sitting next to Cheng Xuemin, often sneaked a peek and copied.

In the next English exam, Cheng Xuemin wrote a few words casually, handed in the paper early and left, rushing home to make lunch for the woman who was waiting to give birth at home.

Now everyone in the family is working, and only Feng Jiayou has his winter vacation early.

My nephews and nieces were also released, so their uncle Cheng Xuemin had to go back and prepare lunch.

Cheng Xuemin, who handed in his paper early, first went to the Pigeon Market to buy vegetables and meat.

"Comrade, do you want a ticket?"

Suddenly, a street urchin bumped into Cheng Xuemin. While apologizing profusely, he quietly lifted up his coat to show it to him, and then whispered something to Cheng Xuemin.

Cheng Xuemin had sharp eyes, and even though he opened the door casually and quickly closed it again, he still discovered that there were indeed a lot of bills stuck inside the clothes of this street kid.

He had food coupons, meat coupons, cloth coupons, bicycle coupons... and so on. He was obviously a guy who was speculating and trading in coupons!
I have to say, this street urchin is really brave!

Since when did he start to get restless, running around the streets bumping into people and trying to sell his bills?
“Any TV tickets?”

Cheng Xuemin didn't care much about other bills, but he felt like something was missing because he didn't have a machine that could make sounds at home.

Although I know that to him, they are all antiques and I don't care much about them.

But my own woman Feng Jiayou wants something new!
When moving to a new house, you have to do all the big things with a woman, right?

"TV tickets?!"

"That thing... yes, yes, yes, brother, how much can you give?"

After hearing what Cheng Xuemin said, the street urchin was stunned at first, but soon nodded repeatedly and asked quietly.

"What you said is funny. If you have one, tell me how to do it first."

Cheng Xuemin raised his eyes and realized that this thing also didn't have any TV tickets.

The supply of television sets in China is very scarce now, but as the process of reform and opening up continues to accelerate, the demand for television sets is increasing dramatically.

Especially as the New Year is coming to an end, everyone wants to get a TV to take home for the New Year.

So it is particularly difficult to get a TV ticket. It was Cheng Xuemin's brother-in-law Feng Jiazhao, who has a wide network of contacts, who privately mentioned this to him some time ago and asked him to help get a TV ticket.

But there has been no follow-up, which is difficult.

As for my father-in-law and mother-in-law’s workplace, let’s not even talk about it.

So if he could get a TV ticket from this street urchin, Cheng Xuemin wouldn't mind spending a little more money to get one!
From the reaction of this street urchin, it was obvious that he didn't have any TV tickets.

"How about one hundred... five?"

The street urchin secretly raised a finger, intending to bid a hundred, but out of greed he bid a hundred and fifty.

Raise the price and pay on the spot!
Cheng Xuemin didn't even bother to deal with this and just pushed his bike away without even the desire to bargain.

It’s not because the offer is too high, but because this guy doesn’t even have a TV ticket, so what’s the point of talking to him?

"No, brother, you can bargain!"

"You know, it's hard to get TV tickets now, and it's the end of the year... One hundred and twenty! Is one hundred and twenty okay?"

Seeing Cheng Xuemin leaving without saying a word, the anxious street urchin quickly grabbed him and whispered to him to lower the price automatically.

"I'll give you seventy at most!"

Cheng Xuemin also didn't know what the general price of TV tickets and plane tickets was, but it was common sense to bargain in half, so who cares!
"Ah!? Seventy?! Why don't you go and rob it, brother?"

When the street urchin saw Cheng Xuemin bargaining, he looked shocked and distressed, but he felt very happy in his heart.

I'm not afraid of you bargaining too hard, I'm just afraid that you'll just walk away without even giving me a chance to bargain.

"That's it, don't pull me!"

Cheng Xuemin was well aware of what this guy was thinking. He asked why he didn't go and grab it, but his hands were just pulling him back to not let him go. It was obvious that the price was worth it.

"Brother, please let me earn some money! It's not easy for me to get the TV tickets!"

"That's it, one hundred!"

"If it's a hundred, I'll take my brother to get the ticket now, how about that?"

"Let go! If you pull me again, I'll call for help!"

One hundred is still a sucker. Any street urchin who takes the initiative to lower the price must be a sucker who still has room for improvement.

"Ninety-ninety!"

"Eighty-eighty!"

"Okay, brother, you are the boss. Seventy is seventy. Let's go get the ticket now. How about handing over the money and the ticket at the same time?"

"It's just behind this alley, just a few steps away!"

Seeing Cheng Xuemin's hesitation, Jie Liuzi was afraid that the deal would be lost, so he quickly added another sentence.

"Do you really have a TV ticket?"

Now it was Cheng Xuemin's turn to be surprised. Did the street urchin really have a TV ticket?
"I don't have it right now, but if you come with me, I promise I can get it for you!"

The street scoundrel whispered, "Don't worry, I have a way to get it!"

“Isn’t it a fake ticket?”

Although seventy yuan was a small amount of money for Cheng Xuemin, he now had more than one hundred yuan in cash on him, which he had just withdrawn from the post office!

The money was secretly given to him by Zhang Guangnian of People's Literature when he went to the symposium yesterday.

It was said that the reprint fee had just arrived, and Cheng Xuemin had not had time to hand it over to Feng Jiayou yesterday. When he passed by the post office today, he took it out.

Although yesterday's symposium ended unpleasantly, I still receive reprint fee receipts for the article "Old Joe" from time to time. Although the money is not much, it is still quite nice.

Just like now!
The TV ticket at 70 yuan felt like a steal to Cheng Xuemin.

"Brother, I don't like you talking about me like that!"

"Look at this street. If I sell fake tickets, can I still survive in this market?"

"Word of mouth, word of mouth! Don't worry, brother, I will definitely get you a real ticket for the TV!"

The street urchin seemed insulted and kept pointing at this area and emphasizing its reputation. What does this guy know about reputation?

"I'll wait here. If I don't see you in twenty minutes, I'll leave!"

Following into the alley, there was no need for Cheng Xuemin to take the risk alone, although this thing repeatedly emphasized word of mouth.

In fact, just as the street urchin said, if he dared to deal in fake bills on the street, he would be dead!
Originally, he was the first to try private reselling, so he was very brave.

If someone is bold enough to make fake tickets, he will be very close to death. He will be playing with fire and getting burned.

"Okay, okay, okay! Brother, just wait here and don't move. I'll be back in less than 20 minutes!"

Hearing this, the street urchin thought there was something going on, so he quickly pedaled his bicycle into the alley.

Cheng Xuemin didn't have to wait for twenty minutes. It was only about ten minutes before he saw the scoundrel rushing out of the alley again, ringing the bell and shouting "Make way! Make way!"

He caused chaos in the pigeon market and attracted a lot of scolding from people.

"Brother, TV tickets! Flying Deer brand!"

The street urchin rushed to Cheng Xuemin, took out a bill from his pocket, showed it in front of Cheng Xuemin, and said.

“It can’t be fake!”

"You can see that everyone here knows me well. If the ticket is fake, you can come find me again. My house is in the alley behind me. I can't run away!"

Seeing that Cheng Xuemin was still checking the TV tickets carefully, Jie Liuzi became anxious and kept urging him.

"Okay, you said so. I will report the fake ticket to the police. You can't get away!"

Actually, Cheng Xuemin couldn't tell whether it was real or not, he just wanted to test the reaction of this street urchin and was basically sure that it couldn't be fake.

He immediately handed over the money with one hand and the bill with the other. After the money and bills were cleared, Cheng Xuemin rode away on his bicycle.

……

"Wife, why are you up? What are you writing? Don't catch a cold!"

When he returned home, he found Feng Jiayou lying in front of the desk, writing something. Cheng Xuemin took the vegetables and meat off the trailer and shouted towards the window.

"Xuemin, you're back!? How did you do on the exam?!"

Seeing Cheng Xuemin coming back, Feng Jiayou hurriedly put away all the manuscripts on the table and replied to the outside of the yard.

"What are you writing? And you're still hiding it?"

Could a woman's panic escape Cheng Xuemin's discerning eyes? He asked again after he came in.

"I didn't hide anything! I just wrote something down. You can read it later, Xuemin!"

She said she didn't hide it, but she had already opened the drawer and hid the manuscript at the bottom, which made Cheng Xuemin even more suspicious. But he was not that curious. Seeing that the woman's nose was red from the cold, he quickly said, "Why don't you get a stove to warm it up!"

"Hide in bed quickly. I'll cook for you right now. Are you starving?"

It's already past twelve o'clock, and women usually eat breakfast at around seven in the morning. Pregnant women have to eat small meals frequently throughout the day, so she must have been starving!
"Hehe, I'm a little hungry indeed!"

"Xuemin, what vegetables did you buy? I won't go into bed, I'll help you light the fire...Ahhh, Xuemin, I can't move!"

Feng Jiayou touched her belly. She had been sitting at the desk for a whole morning and unknowingly, she realized her feet were numb from the cold when she moved.

Just when he was about to stand up, he couldn't do it at all. He was so scared that he kept crying to Cheng Xuemin.

"How long have you been sitting here?!"

"You just won't listen. Your feet are numb from the cold, right?"

Cheng Xuemin was speechless towards this woman. He had given her clear instructions before leaving the house in the morning, but in this cold winter she was told to stay in bed and not get up.

But she was just sitting at the desk wearing a big cotton coat, and I don’t know how long she sat there.

How can this be called nurturing a pregnancy?

Cheng Xuemin was really afraid that this troublesome woman would cause him some trouble.

While cursing, he quickly went over to help her massage her feet to stimulate the blood circulation.

"Hehe, much more comfortable!"

“Hehe… who’s smiling at you? Go and help me light the fire!”

Cheng Xuemin angrily retorted to this heartless woman, helped her up and sent her to the kitchen.

While burning the fire, it is a good way to warm your body.

Then Cheng Xuemin also prepared a simple lunch. He made an egg and meat pie soup for the woman with chopped lean meat, and also stir-fried tofu and pork, and added some fried cabbage.

"Liqin, where did you play with your brother this morning? Why didn't I see you two all morning?"

The two little ones still remembered to come back for lunch. They must have been very hungry, as they lay down on the table early, waiting for Cheng Xuemin to serve them.

It happened that Feng Jiayou also touched his niece's head and asked softly.

"Hehe, aunt, I took my brother to buy some sunflower seeds! This morning, my uncle gave Liwen and me two cents each!"

"After Liwen and I bought some sunflower seeds to eat, we ran to the courtyard in front to watch TV!"

"Aunt, when will our family buy a TV?"

He ran to the yard outside to watch TV. No wonder I didn’t see anyone all morning.

"Xuemin, did you give them money again?"

When Feng Jiayou heard her husband give each of the two little girls two dimes before leaving, she said speechlessly, "Xuemin, if you spoil them like this, what will we do if they get used to spending lavishly in the future?"

"Listen, now she even dares to ask you to buy a TV!"

These two little girls have indeed been spoiled by their husband. One cent today, two cents tomorrow. Since they had their winter vacation, Cheng Xuemin has never stopped giving them pocket money.

it's good now!

When I saw other people’s homes had televisions, I would run back and beg them to buy me one.

This works!

"She's just a kid! If you don't give her some pocket money, she'll keep making trouble around you!"

Cheng Xuemin served the three people a plate of rice and said, "It just so happens that I bought a TV ticket in Pigeon City today!"

"Before we move house, let's buy a TV to liven up the New Year!"

After saying that, he took out the TV ticket that cost him 70 yuan from his pocket and handed it to Feng Jiayou.

Cheng Xuemin had the money to buy TV tickets and plane tickets, but he definitely didn't have the money to buy a TV.

So if you want to buy something, it’s women who pay for it!
"Did you find any TV tickets?"

Feng Jiayou was shocked and surprised. She didn't expect that as soon as her niece mentioned buying a TV, her husband got the most difficult TV ticket!
“It’s a TV ticket!”

When Feng Jiayou took the ticket from Cheng Xuemin, he found out it was a TV ticket. He was really happy.

Because although the woman didn't say it, she always wanted to buy a TV in her heart.

Unfortunately, TV tickets are too tight and difficult to get, so I just think about it.

But who knows!

Her man got the TV and plane tickets back without saying a word.

"Let me see, let me see! Aunt, let me see, is uncle really going to buy us a TV?"

When the older niece Feng Liqin heard this, she was so happy that she tried to grab the TV ticket from her aunt's hand to watch TV.

"Liqin, what do you know as a little brat? Don't tear it apart!"

Seeing Feng Liqin trying to snatch the tickets, Feng Jiayou was so scared that he quickly dodged. He must not let them tear up such precious TV and ticket tickets!

“Isn’t this a real TV ticket?”

Cheng Xuemin sat down with his bowl and said, "I'll go to the department store to buy it after I finish the exam!"

"Forget it! A TV costs more than 400 yuan, it's too expensive!"

Although he was very tempted, Feng Jiayou immediately backed off when he thought about the price of the TV.

But what Feng Jiayou said doesn’t count!
"Hehe, uncle is going to buy a TV! Uncle is going to buy a TV! Uncle, I like you so much!"

"Uncle, I like you too!"

The older niece clapped her hands and cheered happily, and she wanted to rush forward and kiss Cheng Xuemin hard, but was stopped by her aunt Feng Jiayou.

The younger Feng Liwen did the same. When he heard that his uncle Cheng Xuemin was going to buy a TV, he also jumped for joy.

"Buy one! Kids love watching it!"

Cheng Xuemin looked at the two little ones and said to Feng Jiayou with a smile.

"Buy one... I'm afraid that when you buy it back, they will have to fight with Feng Jiamo!"

Feng Jiayou was indignant. He bought this TV but had no idea who he bought it for!
Anyway, just wait!
These two little ones will definitely start fighting with their aunt.

In this regard, Cheng Xuemin has not made any statement for the time being!
"How about I go and light up the kang in my second sister-in-law's room, and you can lie down there for the afternoon?"

When Cheng Xuemin sent the woman back to the room after dinner, he found that even if he let the woman snuggle into the quilt, she might not be able to sleep warmly.

Their room is different from the one in the main courtyard. There is no kang bed. It is a nanmu bed they bought in Pigeon Market before, which cannot be heated by fire.

Although it didn't snow or rain, it was still very cold.

If Feng Jiayou stayed in bed alone, she might not sleep warmly, so Cheng Xuemin thought of sending her to lie on the kang in the main courtyard.

"Forget it! Xuemin, just bring the brazier in the main room to me!" Feng Jiayou hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said forget it!
"That's okay too!"

Cheng Xuemin hurried out and brought the brazier that he had just used to light the fire into the house for the woman.

He added a few pieces of charcoal and then told the woman, "If you put a brazier in the room, don't close the windows tightly. It needs to be ventilated, otherwise you will be poisoned and suffocated!"

Then Cheng Xuemin helped the woman push the window a little bit, leaving it half open. But he was still worried and didn't lock the door, leaving a small gap.

"Alright, alright, your wife isn't that stupid, Xuemin, hurry up and go! Don't be late!"

The woman became impatient and urged Cheng Xuemin to go to school quickly.

"You're not stupid?"

Cheng Xuemin also rolled his eyes at the woman, then went back to the main room to clean up the dishes, and found that the two little guys had disappeared again!
Okay, I hope the two of them can look after her aunt, but it seems that I can forget about it. She must have gone to someone else's house in the compound that has a TV and watched it for free.

Cheng Xuemin shouted anxiously from outside the window: "There is only one physics exam this afternoon. I will be back right after the exam!"

"I know, I know. Go ahead and stop fussing!"

But before Cheng Xuemin had left for long, Feng Jiayou crawled out from under the quilt again, pushed the brazier to the side of the desk, sat down at the desk again, took out the manuscript from the drawer, and continued writing.

"Teacher Gu, go back and tell Xuemin that his article should be published in our October issue, on the front page!"

Feng's mother also received feedback from the editor-in-chief Liu Xinwu. Seeing him speak so confidently to her, Feng's mother was speechless and asked, "Lao Liu, why don't you send it to the department and let Mr. Wu review it first?"

"Teacher Gu, please don't provoke me!" Liu Xinwu waved his hands. He knew that his mother-in-law was provoking him. But this time he really didn't need her to provoke him. Liu Xinwu was also angry.

Submit it to the ministry for review?

What if they say that October’s influence is not enough and that it is not qualified to compete with Tianjin Daily, and they ask People’s Literature or People’s Daily to be the magazine instead?
Having suffered a loss once, Liu Xinwu has learned his lesson and is ready to act directly with his superiors and report later.

"Okay, Lao Liu, your words are enough! I originally wanted to give this novella by Xuemin a bigger publicity in People's Literature!"

"But now, I plan to stay and serialize it slowly in our company!"

……

Dear godfathers, please give me your monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)