Back to my 1980s

The ancients did not see the moon of today, but the moon of today once shone on the ancients.

As Zhao Hua walked home, he looked up at the moon in the sky.

I don't know whether he is considered an ancient person or a modern person.

……

……

A day later, just as dawn was breaking, it happened to be market day in front of what used to be the commune, now the township government.

At the entrance of the Zhao family's courtyard.

Zhao Hua scooped the fish he caught yesterday from the water tank into two tin buckets. The water tank originally contained some river water and aquatic plants to prevent the fish from spoiling overnight.

"Brother, how much are the fish today?" Zhao Ru brought three girlfriends with her. There are few lazy people in the countryside, and most of them were already up by now. However, they kept their distance, and only Zhao Ru came over to ask.

Zhao Hua handed the scale and straw rope to Zhao Ru. He had borrowed them yesterday and had even learned with Zhao Ru how to read the scale.

"I'll sell the crucian carp for you. They sell better, so I'll sell them for 7 cents a pound. The bigger ones will be 9 cents. I'll pack them into buckets for you at the market. Here, take the scale."

"Huh? Bro, I heard that other people sell small fish for 6 cents and bigger ones for 8 cents. Are we going to sell them for so much and still charge such a high price?"

"It's okay, no rush. It's our first time at the market, so we'll raise our prices by a dime. Otherwise, the people who usually sell fish there will think we're stealing their business and might cause trouble."

"Oh!" Zhao Ru nodded, turned around and ran to her group of girlfriends, chattering for a few minutes before the others slowly followed her over.

Zhao Hua glanced around casually; they were all girls from the village, about the same age as Zhao Ru. Two of them were even neighbors, so they didn't see each other often. They could only be seen occasionally when going to the outhouse or during busy farming seasons.

He glanced at her casually and then looked away. His younger sister was still young and played around all day. In the eyes of the family, she was still a child who hadn't grown up, which was why they hadn't arranged a marriage for her.

But other girls who are sixteen or seventeen years old are already starting to look at potential partners, so it's not good to stare at others. It's better to avoid suspicion.

He shouldered the carrying pole, thought for a moment, and then grabbed a few handfuls of water plants and put them into the bucket, so that others would think the fish had just been caught that morning.

After everything was ready, Zhao Hua picked up the buckets and led Zhao Ru to the market, with Zhao Ru and the three girls following behind at a distance.

"Wait here for a bit, I'll be right back." Near the entrance of the market management office, Zhao Hua found a small alley and called her sister and the three girls in.

"Huh? Where are you going?"

Zhao Hua straightened his clothes and said, "I'll go pay my respects at the dock first. You just wait here for me and don't wander off."

After Zhao Ru nodded, Zhao Hua walked out of the alley, glanced around, looked down at his clothes—simple and unadorned, like a small farmer—and, confirming that he was indeed a farmer, walked into the market management office.

"Who are you looking for? What are you here for?" As soon as Zhao Hua entered the management office, a staff member came over and stopped him.

Zhao Hua glanced at the name tag hanging around his neck, bowed, and smiled, "Hello comrade, I'm here to see your director. He knows me. Do you know where your director's office is?"

The market manager looked at Zhao Hua suspiciously. "What do you want with our director?" he asked, pointing to a small room inside. "It's over there. Just go straight there. Don't wander off."

"Okay, thank you! I'm sorry to trouble you, comrade." After a brief thank you, Zhao Hua headed straight for the office. When the staff member saw that he had actually gone to the director's office, he exchanged a glance with his colleague and then stopped paying attention to that area.

Zhao Hua knocked gently on the door, and after hearing a response to let him in, he quietly pushed open the office door.

Upon entering, Zhao Hua saw an old man dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit, sitting at a wooden table facing the office door. Zhao Hua approached him with a reserved smile and said, "Hello, are you Director Zhang? My name is Zhao Hua. My grandfather was the former brigade accountant of Shuanghuai Village."

Director Zhang sized Zhao Hua up and down, then suddenly laughed, "So it's you, kid?" He then rested his hand on the table with interest, saying, "Didn't I hear you used to be a womanizer? What brings you to catching and selling fish? Changed your ways?"

Zhao Hua felt ashamed; when did his reputation become so great...?

"I heard that they're encouraging people to create their own income now, so I thought I'd make some money. I'm already in my twenties, how can I keep relying on my parents to support me? They'll get old eventually, and then it'll be my turn to support them."

Director Zhang chuckled and nodded, "Hmm, young man, your idea is right. You should work hard and save some money. Not bad. People who know how to be filial can't be too bad. I wish my child could think like that too. Okay! I understand. You can go and do your work!"

"Okay, thank you, Director Zhang. You're busy now, I'll be going now."

After Zhao Hua stepped out of the room, he gently closed the door, nodded and smiled at the staff member who had stopped him, and strode out of the management office.

"Okay, let's go," Zhao Hua said as he disappeared into the alley, letting out a soft breath and smiling at his sister who was waiting there.

"Brother, where did you go just now?" Zhao Ru asked curiously.

"Didn't I tell you I was going to pay my respects? Do you think I'd tease you for no reason? Let's divide the fish and go."

"Oh!" Zhao Ru nodded and didn't ask any further questions, watching Zhao Hua divide the fish into two buckets. He gave himself the bucket full of crucian carp, and also mixed in a few black carp, catfish, and catfish to avoid the bucket looking too monotonous and arousing suspicion that the fish were purchased.

"You guys go first, I'll watch from behind. You just stay in that area up ahead," Zhao Hua said to Zhao Ru, pointing to a small open space in the market in the distance.

After a moment's thought, he instructed, "Xiao Ran and Xiao Ting, don't go yet. You two come with me first. Once I find a place and start setting up my stall, you can come back to find Zhao Ru." These two girls were his neighbors, and he was slightly more familiar with them than the other girl.

"I'm letting you know where I am first. If any market administrators ask you questions later, just show them your identification. If any thugs or other people cause trouble, just run and call me."

The two girls whose names were called shrank back, smiled at each other, and stood silently in place.

When Zhao Ru and the other girl heard Zhao Hua's arrangement, they didn't say much. They exchanged glances, Zhao Ru carried the fish, and the other girl carried the scale and a rope. They moved with difficulty towards the place Zhao Hua pointed out.

Zhao Hua and the other two girls watched them move over. When they got there, they scooped out a few fish from the bucket, clumsily weighed them to make up a pound, and then strung them together with straw rope and hung them on the side of the bucket.

Zhao Hua watched from a distance, her heart filled with mixed feelings. She didn't know what to feel. She felt gratified that her younger sister had grown up, but also saddened that her sister was doing things she had never done before, and guilty that her sister had dragged her along to work with her when she was so young.

A moment later, Zhao Ru weighed out two skewers, turned to look at Zhao Hua, grinned, and then excitedly chatted with her girlfriends next to her.

"..." Zhao Hua felt that his previous sentimental remarks had been wasted. He glanced back at the two girls who were still standing obediently in place, sighed softly, and led them deeper into the market, carrying a bucket in one hand and a carrying pole, sack, and scale in the other.