Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 5 Travel
Fourth uncle went out to do business again, and Yan Hui returned to his previous work status, but with an additional job.

I've helped clean up leftovers, and it's not an easy job.

The days weren't long at this time of year, not even the spring equinox had arrived, so it was dark before six in the evening. Yan Hui had to work outside during the day. When he returned in the evening, some scraps were piled in the yard. It was already dark, and there were no lights in the yard.

The scraps had more splinters than normal boards, and their shapes were very irregular. Yan Hui used a torn towel to pad them. After moving about ten or eight pieces, the towel was covered with splinters. After cleaning it up once, in less than two hours, Yan Hui's hands were pricked by the splinters 11 times.

Yan Hui asked Brother Shan about it and learned that some goods would be delivered basically every week and needed to be sorted and placed in several rooms, waiting for people to come and buy them.

That night, after Yan Hui moved all the scraps, he went back to the house and used a needle to pick out the splinters in the wood.

The incandescent lamp of more than ten watts was not very bright, and Yan Hui could not see the location of the wooden splinter at all. He could only slowly stroke it with his hands.

I felt a splinter in the middle of my right index finger.

Yan Hui used his right thumb to press against the root of the wooden splinter, pushing hard, then used his left fingernail to clamp the splinter head. After clamping it tightly, he released his right thumb and exerted force with his left hand, and the entire wooden splinter was pulled out.

Ten days ago, Yan Hui would never have thought that he would have the skill to remove wood splinters. Of course, he is still not very skilled now and his success rate is not high.

After working on it for an hour, Yan Hui looked at his hands and gritted his teeth. He had to change something.

There is definitely an opportunity here with Fourth Uncle, but not now. If I want to work with Fourth Uncle, my experience and qualifications are still far from enough. I don’t even know how much different types of wood cost.

The most critical issue now is how to understand all wood-related industries as quickly as possible.

Starting tomorrow, take the time to learn more!

Young people are ambitious. It was on this night that Yan Hui developed a fever.

This was the first time he got sick after being released, and his fever reached 40 degrees Celsius.

He woke up in the middle of the night, feeling hot and groggy. Fortunately, Yan Hui was smart enough to know that he would die if he went out at this time, so he stayed in bed until dawn.

After dawn, Yan Hui forced himself to try to knock on Shan Ge's door.

No one responded.

Yan Hui looked at the stove and found no smoke coming out. Knowing that Shan Ge was not there, he walked towards the clinic alone, holding on to the wall.

Dizziness and grogginess.

The sky looked gray, the ground glowing orange-red. Yan Hui's world seemed a little upside down, making him forget the cold and hunger, and only felt that the road ahead was chaotic.

Yan Hui has been walking around the market several times every day looking for business opportunities these days. He is very familiar with the market. Relying on his instinct, he moved to the clinic step by step and firmly.

"Doctor, I have a fever." After pushing the door open and seeing the doctor, Yan Hui felt dizzy and about to collapse. However, he didn't know where he got the strength from. He handed the money to the doctor and said, "Give me a tablet of Analgin."

"You..." The doctor came over quickly and touched Yan Hui's forehead. "You have such a high fever. You need an IV drip."

Yan Hui originally wanted to save money, but now was not the time to show off: "Fight."

The doctor didn't even take Yan Hui's temperature, and the small workshop dared to use less materials and directly injected a shot of dexamethasone into the drip bottle and hung up Yan Hui.

While the drip was hanging, the doctor took a small syringe and gave Yan Hui a skin test with an injection of penicillin. He was quite professional.

Yan Hui slept for two or three hours in the warm clinic. When he opened his eyes, he felt weak all over, but he knew that his fever had subsided.

"Doctor, doctor," Yan Hui shouted.

"What's the matter?" The doctor came over when he heard the voice.

"What's wrong with me? I still feel weak. Is the fever gone?"

"It's gone. I just took your temperature. It's 35.2 degrees. You'll be fine after a rest."

"Then..." Yan Hui was stunned for a moment.

Why is it still lower than normal body temperature?
He didn't dare say anything, he just hoped that the doctor wouldn't charge him too much for the consultation.

There was a cup and a kettle on the side of the bed. Yan Hui sat up and drank some. Feeling hungry, he asked his boss about the medical expenses.

"11 yuan. You're from out of town, right? It seems you have a hard time. I'll give you 8 yuan." The doctor in this clinic looks to be 50 years old and is very kind.

"Uncle, thank you." Yan Hui put on his coat, took out 10 yuan from his pocket and handed it to the doctor. "Ten yuan is enough to thank you."

"Okay," the doctor took the money and handed Yan Hui a tablet of Analgin. "If you have a fever again, take half a tablet. You have a cold, which is not contagious, but you can't get cold again. Don't save the stove at home lately. I see there will be a late spring cold snap soon. If you get cold a few more times, you will get sick."

"Yeah." Yan Hui remembered the favor.

After leaving the clinic, Yan Hui still felt exhausted. He didn't know what medicine the doctor had given him, but he felt a little clearer.

For the first time since he came to Fengtian, he bought a big bowl of wontons and ate it all in one gulp with a big steamed bun.

Perhaps his body temperature hadn't returned to normal yet, Yan Hui, still feeling unwell after dinner despite his low temperature, visited his second brother and asked for a day off before heading back to his room to rest. But thinking about how cold it was inside, Yan Hui thought twice and decided to bring his own thin mattress. He then bought some food at the market, grabbed his own water bottle, and boarded the bus to the train station.

Yan Hui bought a platform ticket for 1 yuan and entered the train station, intending to stay there for the whole day. This was the only warm place he knew.

The heating inside Fengtian Station was very sufficient, and there were already people lying in some corners. Yan Hui found a crowded place, spread out his mattress, and covered himself with his coat. The noise outside had nothing to do with him at all, and he fell asleep quickly.

Yan Hui was not familiar with Fengtian and only knew about the train station. He didn't expect it to be so useful at the critical moment.

At noon, he had a fever again. He drank free hot water, ate the steamed buns he brought with him, and half a tablet of Analgin. He spent the afternoon wandering around the train station. Late at night, Yan Hui took another half tablet of Analgin and slept through the night. By dawn, he was almost fully recovered. It must be said that this medicine is truly powerful.

The second brother never thought that Yan Hui, who was sick yesterday, would be able to come to work today.

After all the trouble he'd been through yesterday, Yan Hui realized that living in the prefabricated house his uncle had given him was worse than staying at the train station. He inquired and found out there was a station about two or three kilometers from the market. It was a freight line, not crowded, and easy to get to.

So, Yan Hui tried to live in the freight station for two days, and then went to find his fourth aunt, saying that he had a place to live and no longer needed the wooden house given by his fourth uncle.

Fourth Aunt was a little puzzled, pretended to be concerned, and then took the key.

Many of the people sleeping at the freight station are porters. Some of them have a strong sweat odor, which ordinary people can't stand. However, Yan Hui doesn't care at all and can even chat happily with these people.

After staying at the freight station for a long time, Yan Hui gradually heard about the lowest prices of many wood raw materials.

For example, the total cost of transporting one piece of white pine from the forest farm to here is 670 yuan, including the shipping fee.

The wholesale price of this piece of white pine from my second brother is 830 yuan, but if it is sold retail by General Lin, the price will be at least 1500 yuan per piece.

This information
Honestly, Yan Hui, with only a few hundred yuan on hand, had no idea what this information was for. All he could do was work hard every day, earn 30 yuan, and then spend 1 yuan on food and 1 yuan on platform tickets for accommodation.

Time passed quietly until Qingming Festival. Yan Hui had already sent two letters home and received one.

Everything was fine at home. Yan Hui's younger sister was in the first grade of junior high school. His father said that after his younger sister graduated from junior high school, she would come to help him with his business. Yan Hui did not object to this because it was useless to object at this time.

In addition, Yan Hui wrote a letter to Ma Junliang, whom he met on the train. Since they were in Fengtian City, he received a reply very quickly. He heard that Yan Hui was doing business in the timber market, and Ma Junliang said he would come to visit him when he was free.

The weather finally turned warmer, and Fourth Uncle was at his busiest. Yan Hui hadn't seen him for half a month.

That morning, Yan Hui passed by Brother Lin and saw several men moving wooden planks outside. Brother Lin happened to be walking outside, muttering, "This is pre-winter wood, real good stuff. The price I'm giving you is the lowest. To be honest, the maximum profit from a square meter of wood is 20 yuan. That's the rent and electricity bill, eh..."

The buyer continued to try to bargain, but failed. In the end, he paid 500 yuan and left with his cart.

Yan Hui was very familiar with larch and could tell at a glance that it was about 0.3 cubic meters. That was to say, the price Brother Lin offered was about 1700 yuan per cubic meter. How could he say that it was not profitable?

Seeing Brother Lin, Yan Hui greeted him, then watched the buyer leave, thoughtfully.

"Xiaohui? Where have you been recently? You moved away from Brother Shan's place, why didn't you tell Brother Shan?"

"There's no stove over there, so I went to sleep at the train station." Yan Hui didn't lie.

"It was indeed cold those two days, but it's much better now," Brother Lin said with a smile, "Come and visit us when you have time. Your brother Shan has finished all the tea."

If Brother Shan said so, Yan Hui would definitely find a way to get some money from home. After all, he knew that Brother Shan had a good relationship with his fourth uncle, who was a real elder.

When Brother Lin said this, Yan Hui could only laugh: "Yeah, I'll definitely go when I have time."

After a brief chat, Yan Hui turned and left.

For no apparent reason, Yan Hui heard Brother Lin's disdainful snort behind him.

He didn't look back and went to his second brother's shop.

Over a month had passed, and while Yan Hui's weight hadn't changed much, his endurance had improved considerably. At least moving planks was no problem, and he could now match Uncle Wang in the amount he moved. He still hadn't asked for a raise; his ambition lay elsewhere, and he didn't want to offend anyone. His legs still ached occasionally, and even a real competition of lifting strength wouldn't do him any good.

"Xiaohui," the second brother said hurriedly when he saw Yan Hui coming over, "your fourth uncle told me last night that you should go see him this morning."

"Uncle Li, do I need to ask for leave?" Yan Hui asked back.

"It's nothing, just go ahead. Your fourth uncle's matter is more important. Here is your wages for the first three days, 95 yuan, take it." The second brother handed the money he had prepared to Yan Hui.

Yan Hui took the money, thanked his second brother, and immediately rushed to his fourth uncle.

When I arrived at my fourth uncle's shop, he was not there, but my fourth aunt was there.

"Your fourth uncle needs to go out for a while, and he said he'd take you with him. It would be nice if you could go with him and see the world." Seeing Yan Hui, Fourth Aunt warned, "Don't let your fourth uncle drink too much."

When Yan Hui first met his uncle in Fengtian, after he left, his aunt's opinion of him changed when she heard he had brought a bottle of Maotai. Later, Yan Hui quickly gave up his boarding house, and his aunt no longer had any complaints about him.

But Yan Hui understood that these were not enough to make Fourth Aunt satisfied with him. At the moment, Fourth Aunt was in a good mood, and it was obvious that today's incident was good for her.

I understand. It’s all in vain.

Of course, Yan Hui didn't mind working for free with his fourth uncle. He had a long-term vision and believed that following his fourth uncle was definitely the right thing to do, and working for free was also profitable.

No matter what, we are from the same clan. I have nothing, and my fourth uncle will definitely not treat me unfairly.

Yan Hui was waiting for his fourth uncle in the store, and he was not idle either. He was diligent and helped his fourth aunt clean up the place. His fourth aunt wanted Yan Hui to come over every day, but she couldn't say it.

Twenty minutes later, Fourth Uncle came back and called Yan Hui out.

Yan Hui put down the dustpan in his hand and followed him out immediately.

"How have you been feeling lately?" Fourth Uncle asked as they walked out.

"It's much more comfortable than before. The weather is warmer."

"It's cold here, but if you can't handle this little hardship, you might as well go back home soon," Fourth Uncle said with a smile. "I heard from Second Brother that you've been doing well lately and are a steady talent. I've already made arrangements with the forest farm in Baishan, and I need someone there to help me keep an eye on the goods. After all, this is our first partnership."

"Do you need me there?"

"Well, it's not just you. There's another person you know, Dashan," said the fourth uncle. "But Dashan is a good person in every way except that he likes to drink. I'm worried about him being alone. I'll feel more at ease if you two are there. There's a phone at the forest farm. If anything happens, just call the store and your aunt will tell me."

"Fourth Uncle, when it comes to the goods you mentioned, are you mainly concerned about the quality or the quantity?" Yan Hui asked.

Fourth Uncle was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected Yan Hui to be so knowledgeable. He smiled and said, "Don't worry about the quantity. The handover document is very clear. The main thing is the quality. You don't have to identify the quality issues. Dashan understands. Your main task over there is to keep an eye on Dashan and make sure he doesn't get drunk and mess up things."

"I understand."

"By the way, do you still need to go back to your residence to bring your things?"

"No need." Ever since going to sleep at the train station, Yan Hui has been carrying all his belongings with him. Every time he goes to his second brother's place, he will put down his bag, take off his coat and start working.

Yan Hui had originally thought that he was going out with his fourth uncle, after all, that was what his fourth aunt had said. But now he heard that his fourth uncle was going somewhere else to discuss business, and he was going out with Shan Ge.

Yan Hui could tell from this that Fourth Uncle actually didn't discuss business matters in detail with Fourth Aunt.

Walking to the market entrance, Yan Hui saw his fourth uncle's Jetta sedan, and it was Brother Shan sitting in the driver's seat.

When Shan Ge saw his fourth uncle, he got out of the car and greeted him.

"It's just the two of you going this time. I've given Dashan the travel expenses and everything," Fourth Uncle said to Dashan. "Dashan, take good care of my nephew."

"Don't worry, Brother Hang. How could I let him starve?"

"I have no other requirements. You must not drink alcohol, and you absolutely cannot drink and drive." Fourth Uncle warned again.

"Don't worry, I know what's going on." Brother Shan was quite casual.

"Be careful on the road and stay safe. I have arranged everything over there."

"it is good."

After giving a few instructions, Yan Hui got into the passenger seat and left the market with Shan Ge.

(End of this chapter)