Back to my 1980s

"What proof?" the village secretary asked, looking at Zhao Hua who had returned.

"Just write which village it's from and where it's located. She runs it from her own home, so just write 'her home,' she runs it from her home," Zhao Hua pointed to Meng Qinghe.

Upon hearing this, the village secretary suddenly frowned, looked at Zhao Hua, then glanced at Meng Qinghe, and said, "It wasn't you who wanted to open it, it was her?"

Zhao Hua sat down at the desk and said with a smile, "Yes, isn't she my neighbor? I was thinking that if she opened a small shop, I would have a place to buy things at night, and people in our village would have a place to buy anything they urgently need at night. Wouldn't that be great?"

The village secretary's brow relaxed slightly. He adjusted his reading glasses, looked at Zhao Hua suspiciously, and asked, "Did you let her open this small shop?"

"I guess so." Zhao Hua understood that Meng Qinghe taking the lead was completely different from him taking the lead. If Meng Qinghe wanted to start the business on his own, the village secretary would likely not care. But if someone from the village took the lead, there would be much less resistance.

"So what is your relationship with this young educated youth?"

As soon as the village secretary spoke, Meng Qinghe unconsciously clenched her small hand holding the household registration book.

Zhao Hua smiled, stood up, and said, "She's my neighbor. What kind of relationship could we have? Don't overthink it. I'm a man, so it doesn't matter to me, but that young lady is getting married."

Upon hearing this, the village secretary lowered his head and glanced at the newspaper, then looked at Zhao Hua and said, "No way, go away, can you stop messing around? This old man has been worried sick about you catching fish, and now you want me to write a certificate for some small shop? Go away, don't make me write it, go find someone else."

Zhao Hua laughed and said, "Alright, if you don't write it for me, I'll go find your son." He remembered that after the old Party Secretary retired, his son took over the position. Now his son has been in the village committee for a long time, but it's just a nominal position.

"Hey! What do you want with him?!" The village secretary was now flustered. He put down his newspaper and looked at Zhao Hua.

"If you're unwilling to write it for me, who else should I turn to?" Zhao Hua turned to look at Meng Qinghe and said, "Go outside and wait for me for a moment, I'll be right back."

Although Meng Qinghe was somewhat puzzled, she did not refuse. She glanced at Zhao Hua, then lowered her head and silently walked out.

After waiting outside for more than ten minutes, Zhao Hua came out with a piece of paper in his hand.

Meng Qinghe spotted the paper immediately, but wasn't sure if it was the proof they needed.

Zhao Hua walked a few steps closer to the bicycle, handed the note in his hand to Meng Qinghe, and said, "This is the proof we need. Let's go, we still need to go to town again."

Meng Qinghe took the note and glanced at it. It had her name and home address written on it. There weren't many words, but a bright official seal was stamped on it.

"Brother Zhao Hua, what did you say? Why is he willing to give me the certificate again?"

Without a second thought, Zhao Hua, who was riding his bicycle, said, "I said that after this store opens, we'll pay a retention fee at the end of each year."

"Oh, how much do I have to pay?" Meng Qinghe didn't find it strange. Farming requires paying a levy, so paying a levy when opening a shop seems reasonable.

Zhao Hua smiled and said, "I told you, twenty yuan a year, but the village secretary isn't satisfied; he wants fifty."

"Huh? So much?" Meng Qinghe sighed. Twenty yuan. In all her life, apart from the money she recently earned from selling fish, she had never seen what money looked like before.

Zhao Hua smiled and said, "Fifty is a bit too much, twenty yuan is just right. Even just for this certificate, I think twenty yuan a year is worth it."

"Besides, just pay twenty yuan for peace of mind. If you pay this money, the village can keep an eye on things if anything happens in the future."

Meng Qinghe shook her head and said, "I know! But I just feel... it's not easy to earn twenty yuan! I can only earn twenty yuan by selling fish for forty days. In the past, my family would work for two or three years and still not have twenty yuan left. They just issue a receipt and can earn twenty yuan a year, but they also have so many handling fees. Buying goods also costs money. Brother Zhao Hua, I feel that if I rely on the convenience store, I will never be able to pay you back in this lifetime."

This is like talking in one's sleep.

If Zhao Hua hadn't had pretty good hearing, he really wouldn't have been able to hear what she was saying.

In fact, the amount of money is not a problem at all for opening a small shop. There are so many people in the village, and the street stall-style operation is more attractive than a store.

Anyway, he had never seen a village store in the 1980s close down because business was bad.

"Alright! The certificates are all written, so stop worrying about these little things. Get the certificates sorted out first. Once the shop opens, the money will flow in like crazy. You haven't even finished setting up your shed yet; you'll have a lot to do later."

"Okay! I'll do whatever you say. My family doesn't have much money. Dad gave me all his money today. Even if we lose it all, I can just take a broken bowl and beg for food at your door..." She tightened her grip on the certificate and household registration book, and slowly pressed her cheek against Zhao Hua's back.

Zhao Hua was startled, but he didn't dare to dodge immediately. A bicycle is not like a car. If he dodges, he might at most fall onto the seat, but if he dodges a bicycle and falls to the ground, that would be no laughing matter.

"Um... Qinghe?" Zhao Hua called out softly.

"Hmm?" Meng Qinghe sat up straight and responded.

Zhao Hua breathed a sigh of relief. He rode his bike with one hand and scratched his forehead with the other, saying, "It's nothing. I was just thinking that once we get the permit today, your shed can basically start construction. Besides, I had a lot of wood from dismantling my old house, didn't I?"

"I asked your dad to take it back, but he didn't. I have no use for that stuff. It's such a waste except to burn it as firewood. You should ask your dad to take the wood over. We can build the shed this afternoon. There's an asbestos tile factory in our village. I've seen that stuff. It's perfect for building the shed roof. Go check the price later. If it's cheap, we'll use that."

"Hmm, I don't know where the factory is. I'll have to trouble you to take me there this afternoon." As she spoke, she leaned gently against Zhao Hua's back. His back was warm. Although there was a breeze while riding his bike and he wasn't sweating, she could still smell the scent of his sweat. This scent made her feel very safe, and she was somewhat reluctant to leave it.

Zhao Hua's scalp was about to explode. This was not like later years. In this era, if a girl was willing to go out with you, it was enough to indicate something, let alone someone who suddenly came up to you.

What made him even more upset was that he dug his own grave by bringing up asbestos tiles for no reason.

He forced a smile and said, "The tractor driver in our village knows where to find you. Just ask him. You need a truck to haul the asbestos tiles, don't you?"