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

Chapter 144: Going to the Overseas Chinese Store? Do you have foreign exchange coupons?

Early the next morning, my sister-in-law pulled me out of bed again to buy a bicycle.

Cheng Xuemin really has no way to deal with his sister-in-law. If he doesn't buy her a bicycle, he won't be able to sleep in!

After getting up, I went to the pigeon market first, but I didn't find the ticket scalper right away.

In this cold weather, people usually stay in bed and sleep in. They usually come out in the afternoon, so it’s too early.

If I had known earlier, I should have followed him into the alley and went to his house last time.

This time, she couldn't find the ticket scalper, and it was not easy to ask about him openly. The sister-in-law Feng Jiamo was so angry that she stamped her feet. She could only come in the afternoon to try her luck again.

On the way back, I chopped a pound of meat and bought some vegetables.

Then Cheng Xuemin threw his sister-in-law, body and body, at the gate of the yard, and before she could react, he rode away on his bicycle.

"Big Boss Cheng, Big Boss Cheng, where are you going? Take me with you to play!"

The sister-in-law Feng Jiamo was carrying meat and vegetables. She was so angry that she was in a mess when she saw Boss Cheng walking away.

"Let's play together! Can you afford it?"

Cheng Xuemin left his sister-in-law behind and was in a hurry to go take a look at the new house. He also stopped by the Overseas Chinese Store to buy everything he needed, as the items he had ordered earlier were about to arrive.

The construction work on the new house yard is progressing very quickly. Cheng Xuemin only didn't come here yesterday, and everything here is almost done.

Because we couldn't buy floor tiles or ceramic tiles, the bathroom floor was designed according to Cheng Xuemin's second plan. We bought some smooth, round and uniform pebbles and laid a layer on the cement surface.

It's not completely dry yet, so Cheng Xuemin can't put it on to try it out.

Next, we just need to wait for Cheng Xuemin to buy the toilet and bathtub, install them, and connect the pipes, and then the work will be basically completed.

Large barrels of tap water were not available for sale in those days. Cheng Xuemin had looked in a Chinese overseas store before, but there were none.

I also went to department stores and Xidan Shopping Mall, but I still didn't see any suitable large buckets.

Finally, it was my eldest brother-in-law Feng Jiazhao. I don’t know where he got a large gasoline barrel from, but he washed it clean and used it as a tap water bucket. He placed it on the triangular wall in the corner outside the bathroom, facing the east side.

Needless to say, in winter, if you want to take a hot bath, you have to boil water and pour it into the bathtub.

But in summer, you can fill a large gasoline barrel facing the sun with water in advance, leave it in the sun for a day, and then take a shower in the evening. In fact, you can shower directly without cooling it down.

Seeing a cart carrying sandstone and red bricks parked in the yard, Cheng Xuemin called a bricklayer named Wang to follow him and go to the Overseas Chinese Store to pull back the bathtub and flush toilet.

"Little comrade, are you going to buy something at the Overseas Chinese Store? They only accept foreign exchange coupons!"

Master Wang is a very honest man. He just followed Cheng Xuemin all the way without asking what he was doing.

It can be seen that when Cheng Xuemin took him to the Overseas Chinese Store, his face suddenly turned horrified and he reminded him in shock.

This is an overseas Chinese store. Only overseas Chinese will buy things here, and only overseas Chinese have foreign exchange coupons.

Ordinary people like them really don’t even know what foreign exchange bonds look like.

"Master Wang, my wife is from Yanda University. She knows a few overseas students and I exchanged some foreign exchange coupons from them!"

Cheng Xuemin smiled and nodded. It was indeed a bit shocking for ordinary people like them to visit overseas Chinese stores in that era.

"Really?! My dear comrade, your lover is a Jinshi from Yanda University! No wonder!"

The Master surnamed Wang had an even more astonished expression on his face. He was obviously an ordinary person from the old Yanjing community. He knew that those who could be admitted to Yanjing University were all extraordinary figures. In the previous dynasties, they would have been great Jinshi scholars!

Cheng Xuemin smiled and nodded without saying anything else, and asked him to follow him into the Overseas Chinese Store.

After coming in, Master Wang seemed very anxious, but Cheng Xuemin was better, as he had been here several times before.

There weren’t actually a lot of things in the Overseas Chinese Store, and they weren’t really high-end. In any case, Cheng Xuemin thought they were just so-so.

However, in this era in China, it is obviously the most high-end and luxurious.

"Comrade Xiaomei, have the bathtub and toilet I ordered arrived yet?"

I asked when I came here last time, but they said the Overseas Chinese Store didn't have any stock, so I had to make an order and asked Cheng Xuemin to wait for two days so they could transfer it from Tianjin Port.

Originally, the sales clerks here were not so easy to talk to. It was when Cheng Xuemin came last time, he happened to meet two old men coming in to buy things.

This overseas Chinese store is said to receive mostly overseas Chinese, but the sales clerks are just ordinary citizens who may only speak a few simple English sentences.

At that time, the things those two old men wanted were also very tricky, sanitary napkins!
Sanitary napkins are very common in later generations, but in China at that time, they did not exist at all!
Don’t even mention the domestic situation!
Even abroad, sanitary napkins had only been on the market for a few years and had not yet been introduced into China. Even the overseas Chinese stores in Yanjing did not have them.

Among the two old ladies at that time, there was a woman who might have just had her period.

Anyway, they kept gesturing, talking and emphasizing what they wanted to buy, but the salesperson at the Overseas Chinese Store just couldn't understand them, really not a single word.

Cheng Xuemin happened to be there and helped translate for them.

Although the purchase was not made in the end, Cheng Xuemin, a young comrade who spoke fluent English, was noticed by the director here.

They thought he was a talented person. Their overseas Chinese store needed comrades like Cheng Xuemin who spoke fluent English to work as sales clerks.

Finally, Cheng Xuemin was invited to work as a salesperson, but it was not a regular position.

That's it!

How could Cheng Xuemin think highly of it? He refused to take a formal position in the Yanda Library!
The same goes for Renwenshe!
However, after a few visits, they managed to establish a relationship with the Overseas Chinese Store. From then on, whenever Cheng Xuemin needed any foreign goods, as long as they were imported goods on their foreign trade list, they could help him get them as quickly as possible.

The flush toilet and bathtub were booked in advance and we agreed to come and buy them in the next two days.

"Xuemin, you came at the right time. Lao Yang brought the stuff here two days ago. It's in the back. Can you take a look and see if it's what you want?"

When salesperson Deng Xiaomei saw Cheng Xuemin coming in, she quickly asked him to go to the back to take a look, and asked her colleague Xiao Liu to call Lao Yang.

"It just so happened that we had a new batch of goods these two days, and Lao Yang took the opportunity to bring back what you wanted!"

The Old Yang that Deng Xiaomei mentioned is Director Yang, the person in charge here.

The bathtub and flush toilet that Cheng Xuemin needed were not contraband, and they were both on the import list of the Ministry of Foreign Trade. However, not a single one of them was sold throughout the entire year.

Therefore, the overseas Chinese stores basically do not have stock. If anyone wants it, they have to make an appointment in advance so that they can submit a report.

Of course, before this, these things were only available to overseas Chinese and foreigners and were not open to the public.

But now the restrictions have been relaxed. As long as you have foreign exchange coupons, you can buy imported foreign goods from them.

"Thank you Director Yang for your hard work. I will treat him to a meal later!"

Cheng Xuemin smiled and nodded, saying something politely.

"Our Lao Yang said that we can just treat him to a meal!" Deng Xiaomei also said with a bright smile, "Xuemin, you live in the courtyard house over at the Overseas Chinese Apartment, right?"

"Our Lao Yang said that if we encounter foreign guests coming to buy things in the future and we don't understand what they say, can we invite you to our house to help translate?"

If you can't hire a full-time worker, then hiring a part-time worker is fine. Old Yang has made a very good plan!
It's really because of so many years of delay that there are really not many people who understand foreign languages.

Russian is not bad. It was encouraged to learn it before. For example, people of Cheng Xuemin’s father-in-law and mother-in-law’s generation basically know some Russian.

But English is not good enough!

If you learned English at that time, you might be criticized as a spy. As for other languages ​​like German and French, few people knew them.

Talents who know foreign languages ​​have almost disappeared from this generation.

So when their overseas Chinese store meets a neighbor who speaks fluent English, they must try to make good friends with him, right?

"Of course, of course! If you meet a foreign guest like last time, you can just go to my house and call me!" "But you have to wait until after the New Year! We haven't moved in yet!"

"If you need me in the future, you can go to the Yanda Library and shout Cheng Xuemin. I guarantee you will find me!"

Cheng Xuemin was very happy to help as a translator part-time!

After all, for him!

He could earn foreign currency by writing articles, and his father-in-law’s Foreign Language Bureau was one way to do it, but if he wanted to buy some foreign stuff, he might have to rely on the overseas Chinese stores here for the next ten years.

The Overseas Chinese Store is backed by the Ministry of Foreign Trade, so as long as the foreign trade goods are on the list, they can get whatever they want, as long as Cheng Xuemin has enough foreign exchange coupons.

"Yenchi University Library!?"

"So you, Xuemin, are a top student at Yanda University? No wonder you speak English so well!"

Now the saleswoman named Xiaomei's eyes became even brighter and her beautiful eyes kept blinking.

"No, no! My wife is a student at Yanda University, and I'm still preparing for the exam!"

"Ah?! Xuemin, you are already married?"

Ok!

The ripples that just exploded died out in an instant. It's a pity that we met too late!

Then Cheng Xuemin nodded and without responding to the saleswoman's words, he went into the back room, which should be a warehouse for storing goods.

"Xuemin, take a look. Is this the flush toilet and bathtub you want?"

"I think it should be! When we watched "The Chase" before, we saw that the Japanese had this installed in their house!"

"By the way, Xuemin, did you also watch "The Chase" and see the devil's house with this, so you thought of buying this?"

Comrade Xiaomei is a chatterbox who talks endlessly. She can even talk about a flush toilet or the dubbed film "The Chase" that was very popular some time ago.

Cheng Xuemin watched this movie with Feng Jiayou. I think there was a scene of a flush toilet, right?

But it’s no wonder!
There are so few references for things outside. The saleswoman had seen "The Chase" and could recognize the movie at a glance. It can be seen that the visual impact of things outside on Chinese people is still very huge!
"I did watch Manhunt, but I saw this toilet installed in the Overseas Chinese Apartments, but I can't afford the house there!"

"So I thought about buying a courtyard house and decorating it like they do. I hope it's better than using a public toilet!"

Cheng Xuemin mentioned the Overseas Chinese Apartment with a smile.

"Oh! Overseas Chinese Apartments! No wonder!" The saleswoman suddenly realized and added, "This must be better than the public toilet!"

"Xuemin, don't you see that these are all foreign stuff?"

Row!
Now people start to worship foreign things and think that foreign goods are good, especially these overseas Chinese stores.

"Yes, that's it!"

“What about other shower heads?”

Cheng Xuemin took a look at the goods and confirmed that it was a set of flush toilet and bathtub.

A flush toilet is a sit-down toilet, not a squat toilet.

I just didn’t see the shower head, and Cheng Xuemin also mentioned it to Lao Yang at that time.

"Shower?"

The saleswoman Deng Xiaomei was confused and had no idea what that thing was.

"It's just like a steel pipe. Didn't Lao Yang tell you?"

Logically, they should be placed together if they are available.

"Inside!"

Following Cheng Xuemin's opening of the bathtub's packaging, I discovered that spare parts such as the shower pipe were all placed inside the bathtub.

"So it's all in here?"

The saleswoman finally breathed a sigh of relief and started looking through the contents of the bathtub.

"Hey! Xuemin, you're here! I was upstairs just now and heard Xiao Liu yelling!"

At this time, Lao Yang, the sales manager of the Overseas Chinese Store, came in and greeted Cheng Xuemin!
"Hello, Director Yang!"

Cheng Xuemin greeted Lao Yang politely again.

"Xuemin, everything is here! There's a bathtub, a flush toilet, and a shower pipe and stuff like that!"

"It's the big bucket you mentioned, and there's nothing on it!"

Director Yang discussed it with Cheng Xuemin and brought up the issue of the bucket again, but sure enough, there was still nothing.

Then I can only continue to use the big gasoline barrel that my brother-in-law got.

"It's okay, it's okay! Thank you so much, Director Yang!"

After some polite exchanges, Lao Yang also did the math with Cheng Xuemin. The flush toilet cost 65 yuan, the bathtub 40 yuan, and the shower pipe and other items cost 25 yuan, of course, in the form of foreign exchange coupons.

It is a bit expensive, but who can blame it for being rare? Fortunately, his father-in-law gave him 60 foreign exchange coupons last night.

Otherwise, this price was completely beyond what Cheng Xuemin had known before, and the one hundred foreign exchange coupons he had were simply not enough.

However, for the sake of a high-quality and happy life in the future, these foreign exchange coupons are worth spending.

Who told Cheng Xuemin that he couldn't stand the public toilets of this era?
Due to the limitations of the times, people say that even a diva has to get up early and empty the chamber pot in this era.

Therefore, since Cheng Xuemin has the conditions to improve himself, a little foreign exchange coupons is really nothing.

After all the things were pulled back, Cheng Xuemin instructed the bricklayers on how to install them.

It is definitely impossible for a bricklayer to install it himself.

In fact, Cheng Xuemin didn't quite understand it either, but fortunately there was an instruction manual inside, but it was in English, so Cheng Xuemin could understand it.

Following the instructions, I installed the flush toilet, brought in tap water from outside, and tried it. It was completely OK!

Meanwhile, the morning was over!
Cheng Xuemin was too lazy to go back to cook. He had told Feng Jiayou that if he didn't go back, the two sisters would have to cook for themselves.

I just paid for it outside, and continued to follow the instructions in the afternoon to install the bathtub, shower and other things. I tried to install all the things that required Cheng Xuemin's on-site guidance today.

"Big Boss Cheng, what are you doing?"

I don’t know when, my sister-in-law Feng Jiayou appeared in the yard. Seeing Cheng Xuemin busy in the small room, she couldn’t help but exclaimed and asked.

"Jiamo, why are you here?!"

Seeing Feng Jiamo coming in, Cheng Xuemin was stunned. The first thought that came to his mind was, shouldn't he silence his sister-in-law?

Originally, he built this bathroom just to give her sister a big surprise!

So, apart from his eldest brother-in-law Feng Jiazhao, no one else in the family knew that he was installing a modern bathroom.

But now my sister-in-law Feng Jiamo suddenly shows up and finds out. In order to prevent her from telling her sister, I have no choice but to kill her and silence her!

……

(End of this chapter)