Back to my 1980s

Zhao Hua smiled but didn't say anything. In this era of scarce resources, as long as you had goods, it was relatively easy to make money. That's when the term "middleman" started to emerge.

After the two finished counting the money, the aroma of meat wafted through the courtyard. A moment later, Zhao's mother called them to eat in the courtyard.

Zhao Hua put the money in the drawer, and he and Zhao Ru went to the main room to tidy up the table. Then Zhao's mother brought over a bowl of fragrant braised pork.

After the whole family sat down, Zhao Hua took a bite. Without sugar, the taste was a bit lacking and couldn't compare to later generations. However, compared to the taro rice he was tired of eating, it was an absolute delicacy. Zhao Hua enjoyed the meal.

After dinner, Zhao Hua moved a stool to lean against the doorway of the main room, a matchstick dangling from his mouth, and looked up at the still rainy sky, saying, "Dad, I want to buy a bicycle."

"Huh?" Zhao's father doubted his ears.

"I said I wanted to buy a bicycle," Zhao Hua repeated as he turned around.

Zhao's father heard this clearly, took a deep breath, and was about to scold him for being unreliable, but then he thought about how much money Zhao Hua had earned that he had discussed with Zhao's mother at the village entrance earlier that day.

He exhaled slowly and said, "Buy a bicycle? Where are you going to buy one? Do you have a bicycle ticket?"

Zhao Ru finished washing the dishes and was about to come out of the kitchen when she overheard her father's words. A thought struck her, and she hid at the kitchen door to eavesdrop on their conversation in the main room. Zhao's mother noticed that something was wrong with the girl and quietly came over.

"I don't have a ticket. I stay home catching fish every day, where would I get a ticket?"

"Who knew you? Your friends are incredibly resourceful. I thought I'd gotten you a ticket." Father Zhao took out his pipe and put tobacco in it.

"No, I don't plan to get a ticket. Even if I get a ticket, I'll still have to wait in line for several days before I can pick up the car."

"Go away, do whatever you want." Zhao's father was just a carpenter in the village, and he had spent his whole life working in the village. Zhao Hua was much more knowledgeable about the ways he could think of, so he simply let him do whatever he wanted.

After receiving confirmation, Zhao Hua didn't delay any longer. He went into the east wing to get the money, letting his family know in advance so they wouldn't nag him after he bought the item.

Zhao Ru followed him into the house. Seeing Zhao Hua taking out money, she ran over excitedly and said, "Brother, are you really planning to buy a bicycle?"

Zhao Hua was counting money when he heard this. He looked up at Zhao Ru and said, "Yes, how did you know?"

"Brother, you're amazing! Not many families in the village own bicycles. Last time we saw the post office mail carrier riding a bicycle to the village, and someone even secretly said they wanted to marry her!" Zhao Ru's eyes sparkled.

"..." Zhao Hua was a little speechless. Then he lowered his voice and leaned close to Zhao Ru to ask, "Who is it?" He was really curious about who was so fierce.

"Ah Fang from the front village."

Zhao Hua straightened up. He had heard of this girl in his later life. It was said that she had become the mistress of a wealthy boss and was a celebrity in the village, almost on par with the Zhao Hua of the past.

"Oh, how can you be so gossipy at such a young age? Gossiping behind people's backs." After satisfying his curiosity, Zhao Hua stacked the money in his hand together and took out about three hundred yuan. He was afraid of being scolded for using coins to buy a bicycle.

"What? Didn't you ask me that?" Zhao Ru was furious and swung her little fist at him.

Seeing Zhao Ru getting exasperated from being teased, Zhao Hua dodged a few times and chuckled, "Alright, stop fooling around. I'm going to buy a car. I'll be back as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ru stopped what she was doing, pulled her fist back and raised it high, saying, "Then you have to teach me how to ride a bicycle when you get back, or I'll get angry!"

Zhao Hua pouted, staring intently at Zhao Ru. Zhao Ru finally lowered her fist, her face slightly flushed. She grabbed Zhao Hua's sleeve and shook it, playfully complaining, "Oh, brother!"

Zhao Hua chuckled, patted her head, and said with a smile, "Okay!" Zhao Ru quickly let go and covered her hair. Her hair hadn't grown much yet, and she didn't like being touched.

Zhao Hua ignored his younger sister's vanity, which quickly grew stronger. He hid the money in his inner pocket and went straight out to find his friend.

A bicycle is a big purchase, and he figured he could get it back in half a day, so he had to find a way. It would be better to buy it with a friend, no matter where he went.

When he arrived at the courtyard he had visited before, he indeed heard the sounds of people playing Pai Gow inside. He ducked and went inside. The people inside saw him and greeted him with smiles, "Brother Hua is here! Quickly, give him a seat. I heard that our Brother Hua has been making a lot of money lately. Let me win some of the money he has on him."

Zhao Hua smiled and waved his hand, saying, "No, I'm here today because I have something I want to ask you."

"What's up? You come in and don't even offer a cigarette. Where has all that money gone?"

Zhao Hua chuckled and took out a pack of cigarettes, offering them to the crowd. They had just finished playing cards and were waiting to hear what Zhao Hua wanted to talk to them about.

When Zhao Hua was leaving with the last person, he took out a cigarette and lit it, saying, "I want to buy a bicycle, I need it this afternoon. Does anyone know anything about it?"

The surroundings fell silent. Even their smoking paused for a moment. After Zhao Hua finished speaking, he took out a match, bent down to light his cigarette, and didn't notice the commotion around him.

The people around Zhao Hua gave a wink to the young man standing next to him. The young man understood, chuckled, and pressed Zhao Hua down onto a stool, saying with a smile, "Buying a bicycle?"

Caught off guard, Zhao Hua hadn't even lit his cigarette when he looked up at the young man in front of him and said, "Yeah, Hei Zi, you have connections?"

Hei Zi's real name is Zhao Changshun. He was born very dark-skinned, so his family gave him the nickname Hei Zi.

Hei Zi chuckled but didn't reply. Suddenly, he grabbed Zhao Hua by the neck and shook him violently, yelling, "Damn! You're buying a car already! Damn!"

A group of people who had been laughing nearby suddenly surrounded him, pinching his arms and thighs. Zhao Hua even felt someone pinch his calves. He clenched his legs tightly, thinking, "This is a place you can't be pinched."

He couldn't win against so many people on his own, so he could only sit there and let them pinch and shove him.

A moment later, after they had vented their emotions, they stepped aside and looked at Zhao Hua with envy, saying, "Everyone said you got rich from catching fish, and it's true! You can even buy a bicycle now."

Zhao Hua grimaced and rubbed his arm. These bastards really had no sense of restraint. A dozen of them, each giving a pinch, who could stand that?

He said irritably, "Why don't you go catch them too? You're always holed up here playing. Lots of people in the village are going to catch them now."

Seeing them look at each other, Zhao Hua didn't say much. He had important business to attend to today. He continued, "Does anyone have connections? The kind where I can pick up the car this afternoon?"

Everyone looked away and sat back down on their stools, deep in thought. Hei Zi, sitting beside them, asked, "What kind of bicycle do you want? A brand name, a no-name brand, or just anything that works?"