Back to my 1980s

Evening, Shuanghuai Village.

"Where did they go?"

Upon entering Shuanghuai Village, the villagers greeted Zhao Hua with smiles as he walked back from the village entrance.

"I'm going out to take care of some business. Have you eaten? Where are you headed?" Zhao Hua stopped, offered him a cigarette, and replied with a smile.

"I just finished eating, and it's stuffy inside, so I'm taking a walk and coming out to cool off."

"Okay, you can wander around then, I'm going home first." Zhao Hua said casually, then turned and walked home.

As Zhao Hua walked along the road, he noticed that many people were following him. He was a little puzzled. Usually, when someone entered the village, the villagers would glance at him subconsciously, and if they saw that he was someone they knew, they would not pay attention. Why were they staring at him all the time today?

Although a little curious, Zhao Hua didn't ask and went home full of doubts.

"Brother! You're back?" Zhao Ru, wearing a floral shirt, was squatting in the yard picking vegetables to prepare dinner when she saw her brother enter the house and ran over to ask.

"...You saw it, why are you asking this?" Zhao Hua said speechlessly, then thought for a moment and said, "Hey! I have a question for you."

"What's up?" Zhao Ru asked, shaking the vegetables in her hand.

"Why were all the villagers staring at me when I came back? Did something happen at home?"

"I was just about to tell you this," Zhao Ru said, her brows furrowing slightly. "The purchasing point at the dock said they've reached their quota, and buying more of our fish would be risky. Besides, other people see you selling fish and they'll go too, so there's too much fish now, and the price has to be lower."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hua frowned slightly. He had originally gone to the purchasing station to sell his goods because it was convenient and the price was already very low. It wasn't that he hadn't considered selling them at the market himself.

The problem is that I have to get up early and go to bed late every day to catch fish, and then I don't have enough time to go to the market to sell them. Also, if I don't sell them all, they won't be fresh, and I'm worried about being labeled as a speculator.

After all, although there are rumors now that free trade and the development of family side businesses are encouraged to increase cash income, it is still uncertain whether this small county has truly liberalized and implemented these policies.

Many grassroots officials are still observing the situation, fearing future accountability. Zhao Hua originally didn't want to cause trouble, but seeing that things were about to be relaxed, it would be unfair and not worth it to be arrested now.

"What's the price at the purchasing station now?" Zhao Hua pondered for a moment, then looked up at Zhao Ru.

"Small crucian carp are 20 cents, larger ones are 25 cents, and other large fish are about half the price of before."

"..." Zhao Hua had guessed they would be shady, but he didn't expect them to be this shady. It was obvious that they were going to take these fish to the free market to sell them privately. The price difference was already huge, and now they were driving the price down so drastically.

However, they might share the same concern as me, fearing that too many fish would spoil if left unattended. Although their transportation conditions are more convenient than mine, they also collect a larger quantity, and I reckon there are quite a few people among them who want to split the profits.

Zhao Hua entered the room first, put the remaining money in his pocket into the drawer, lit a cigarette, and sat on the bed in silent contemplation.

With prices so low, sending goods to the purchasing station isn't worthwhile. Taking them to the farmers' market yourself will fetch two or three times the price of what you get at the purchasing station, and you won't need any coupons—it'll definitely be easier to sell.

It's alright if the catch is small, but if you have a boat and nets to catch them, and everyone in the village knows you, no one will bother you.

If you take so many vehicles out on one trip, you'll definitely attract attention over time; there's still some risk involved.

Zhao Hua threw the cigarette butt on the ground, twisted it hard twice with his foot, and shouted into the yard, "Zhao Ru! Zhao Ru!"

"What?" Zhao Ru answered from inside the courtyard.

"Come in here for a moment."

"What's wrong?"

Zhao Ru pushed the door open and came in. She noticed Zhao Hua staring at her intently, making him feel uneasy. Annoyed, she said, "Why did you call me? You called me in but didn't say anything!"

Zhao Hua hesitated for a moment and said, "I just thought about it. It's not appropriate to take it to the purchasing station now. The purchasing station is too corrupt. I want to take it to the market to sell. The price will be much higher, and we will have time to rest."

Zhao Ru was taken aback, then frowned and said, "Go to the market? Yesterday, I heard from my mother that the family at the edge of the village said they had too much fish to eat and took it to the market to sell. They were questioned by the police, but thankfully they weren't arrested. If they questioned them over such a small amount of fish, do you think you can just let them sell all the fish you have here? They would have arrested them!"

"But we still put it back, which means it can still be sold. I just wanted us to sell separately, one stall each, so it wouldn't be so conspicuous. We'll ask my grandpa to help us get a certificate from the village to prove that we caught the fish ourselves."

"But I was a little worried when I saw you just now. It's a bit dangerous to send a young girl like you to sell fish, and not with me."

Zhao Ru was startled by this and exclaimed, "Me too? No way! You go by yourself!"

Zhao Hua chuckled upon hearing this and said, "It's alright. I just thought about it again. Why don't you bring some of your girlfriends along to keep you company and give them a penny each? You can be the boss and pay them their wages."

"What? You want me to be the boss?" Zhao Ru was startled again.

"Wouldn't that be asking me to embrace capitalism? No way! Bro! If you don't like me, just take a knife to my room tonight. Remember to wait until I'm sound asleep before you strike, that way I won't feel any pain and I can leave more easily. Why resort to these underhanded tactics!"

Zhao Hua looked at his younger sister, who was making a fuss, with a mix of amusement and exasperation. These days, everyone seems to be quite sensitive to the word "boss," and he never expected that this crazy little girl would have such insight.

"Tsk! I was just kidding. Look how scared you are. Am I that bad to dislike you to this extent?"

After laughing, Zhao Hua thought for a moment and said, "It's alright. Most of the people at the market are from the surrounding area, and I know most of the younger ones. They probably wouldn't dare cause you any trouble. If we split the profits, there aren't many fish per stall. You come with me to sell the fish, and I'll give you ten percent of whatever we make!"

Seeing that Zhao Ru had already started counting on her fingers to figure out how much 10% was, and her eyes were starting to look confused, Zhao Hua added, "At the market, small crucian carp are about 60 cents a pound, and large ones are 80 cents. We can catch at least 30 pounds a day. Add in other big fish, catfish and such, and if we catch some mandarin fish, you can make three to five dollars a day!"

Zhao Ru stood there bewildered for a moment, then used her meager math knowledge from elementary school to do some serious calculations. Suddenly, she slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "Let's do it! The bold get rich, the timid starve! I'll go with you!"

She paused for a moment and then said, "Then you'll need to get a certificate from Grandpa first. Also, I need to find my girlfriends to come with me. I'll ask them to help me out. I'll tell them that if they come with me for a month, I'll buy them new clothes! Dacron! They'll definitely agree! But you'll have to pay for them!"