Back to my 1980s

Zhao Hua glanced at him and said, "Of course, it's best to have a Phoenix or a Forever brand. What would I do with a cobbled-together car? If it breaks down, I might not even be able to find the parts to fix it."

"You're dreaming!"

"Even the village party secretary's bicycle isn't a Phoenix brand!"

"How much money have you actually made? You're so arrogant!"

"You're dreaming of a phoenix! You're even more beautiful than you are! Want a dragon one?"

"We should be grateful we even got a bicycle! Stop daydreaming! Coming here in broad daylight is just a pipe dream!"

"They probably don't have enough farts to eat, so they need to poop!"

Another burst of noise erupted around them.

Zhao Hua's head was throbbing from their shouting. He pressed his hands down to signal them to shut up, and after they quieted down, he said, "So that's why I came to you. Do you have any connections?"

"Oh! They remembered us when they needed us!"

"Why don't you ever think of us when nothing's going on?"

Another uproar erupted around him. Zhao Hua rubbed his head. It seemed that his plan to buy a car had had a huge impact on them. They had all been behaving themselves.

After a while, when things had completely calmed down, Zhu Zi, who had previously tried to cut the boat ropes, said, "My second uncle has a friend who does this. Those from Phoenix are hard to come by; as soon as they appear, they're snatched away."

"Yeah, and besides, if you buy such a nice bicycle, won't people be eyeing you?"

"Even if you're sleeping at night, someone can sneak into your house and steal your car." The speaker paused, then chuckled, "If others won't steal, I will. Why let the good stuff go to outsiders?"

"Then if his car gets stolen in the future, he'll come directly to you."

"Damn it, I was just joking and you took it seriously!" The two started tickling each other.

Seeing the discussion gradually going off-topic, Zhao Hua got more and more of a headache. He had never seen these people so unreliable before!

Fortunately, someone remembered the incident and put their arm around the two playful children, asking, "Do we have to ride away this afternoon?"

Zhao Hua perked up and nodded, saying, "It would be best if we could ride away this afternoon."

"Then you'll have to go to town and ask. I know a family near the township government. They prepared a bicycle for their son's wedding. Later, their son got into a fight and was badly injured. He ended up in the hospital, and I heard it would cost a lot of money to cure him. Even after he recovers, he'll have some aftereffects. The wedding is off, and they're thinking of selling the bicycle to raise money for medical expenses."

"Sure, you even know people in the township government?"

"No, my mother told my sister-in-law this morning when she came back from the market. I overheard it, but I guess it was just someone spreading rumors on purpose."

Zhao Hua was shocked. He had only planned to get a ride from the black market and take a few people with him, which was why he came here. He never expected such a pleasant surprise.

He quickly asked, "Xiaoshan, do you know where that family is?"

"I don't know, I just heard my mother mention it, and she heard it from someone else too."

Zhao Hua pursed his lips. This kind of car is hard to come by, especially one near the township government. There should be quite a few people there who can afford it. He was a little anxious and said, "Then come with me and go home to ask your mother if she knows whose family it is."

Xiao Shan chuckled mischievously and said, "Going for nothing?"

Zhao Hua readily agreed, "I'll buy you a pack of cigarettes later, and you can pick whatever you want at the convenience store!"

"That's more like it. You bought a bicycle and didn't even think about treating us to a celebration. Just pick one and be done with it. Just bring me a pack of economy cigarettes later, I won't accept anything else." Xiaoshan laughed and walked to the door to put on his raincoat.

Hei Zi shouted, "I'm going too! I want to go too! That damn messenger bastard has a bicycle that's ridiculously arrogant; he won't even stop to take a look. This time I'm going to see it for my fill!"

The person next to him laughed and said, "You're so reckless. People are afraid that if you stop, your car will steal the ride. If anyone dares to stop, I'll go and see too."

When Zhu Zi saw that three people had left at once, he felt bored and restless from playing cards at home every day, so he raised his hand to join them. Seeing this, the people around him all clamored to go along.

Zhao Hua smiled and said, "Okay, if you don't mind the trouble, go ahead. When you come back, you'll each get a pack of cigarettes, whether you like it or not."

"We're just going to watch the fun, what do we need your cigarettes for?" they said, and one by one they started putting on their raincoats.

Zhao Hua also got up and put on his raincoat. The group of more than ten people chatted and laughed as they walked towards Xiaoshan's house.

Upon arriving at Xiaoshan's house, Xiaoshan's mother, after learning their purpose, looked Zhao Hua up and down several times with surprise, then laughed and said, "I don't know either. I heard it from people around me when I went to the market. I only know it's near the township government. Why don't you go to town and ask?"

Zhao Hua had no choice. Their township government was right next to the market, so he had to walk towards the market. On the way, he mentioned to them that he had a conflict with someone in town, but they didn't take it seriously. It was too normal to have a quarrel with people from other villages, especially for their group.

After walking for half an hour, the group reached a small path next to the township government. They stopped and looked at Zhao Hua, intending to see what his plans were. They couldn't very well ask each household one by one.

Zhao Hua glanced around and remembered that there was a small shop on this roadside in his previous life. It looked quite old and was almost closed when he came back. He wondered if it was open now.

He looked in the general direction of the convenience store and sure enough, there was a house with the door half open. He told Hei Zi and the others to wait there while he went into the convenience store alone.

There was an old man inside, probably a relative of someone in the township government. He was all smiles, bought a dozen or so packs of cheap cigarettes, handed over the money, and said, "Uncle, do you know where that bicycle shop lives?"

Seeing that Zhao Hua was a stranger and asking such a question, the old man took the money and glanced at the road outside. He saw a dozen or so people standing together and asked suspiciously, "What are you doing here?"

Zhao Hua glanced back and smiled, "I wanted to buy a bicycle, and I just happened to hear about this. I didn't know which store it was, so I just wanted to ask around."

The old man leaned back, eyeing Zhao Hua warily, without saying a word.

Seeing this, Zhao Hua thought for a moment. The son of that family was hospitalized because he had gotten into a fight. Judging from the old man's expression, he guessed that the old man thought he had come to seek revenge.

He smiled and pointed to the people outside, saying, "Those people are my childhood friends. We're from Shuanghuai Village. They heard I was going to buy a car, so they came to see what was going on."

He then pulled out the money he had hidden in his inner pocket, spread it out in his palm, and said, "Uncle, look, I've prepared the money to buy a car. I really am here to buy a car!"

Seeing him stammer and glancing at the money in his hand, the old man relaxed his guard, but still didn't tell Zhao Hua where that family lived.

His tone shifted abruptly, becoming suspicious: "Where did you get so much money, kid? Where are your parents? Why are you, a young man, buying a car?"

Zhao Hua gritted his teeth, thinking to himself that this old man was really hard to please. He should know that I wasn't here to cause trouble, so why did he care where my money came from?

He took a deep breath.