Back to my 1980s

Who is it?

"I."

"Oh, Hua Zi, you're here! I thought you weren't coming tonight." Grandma said as she put on her shoes and came to open the door.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Zhao Hua replied, "My parents came back late from the fields today. I waited until we finished eating before I came."

"Okay, come in quickly." Grandma opened the door.

"I was asleep. Did I wake you up?"

"No, no, I just lay down, I'm not asleep yet."

"Then you should go to sleep. I'll close the door later. I'll wash my feet and then go to sleep too."

"Okay, okay, is it cold outside? Why are you coming so late?" She lowered her voice and reached out to touch Zhao Hua's arm.

"It's not cold. What season is it? You should go to sleep."

"Okay, okay." She only responded verbally, but stood there watching Zhao Hua busy himself until he closed the door and went into the side room before going back to lie down.

Zhao Hua lay back down on the bed, staring blankly at the beams, his mind replaying everything that had happened that day. As he thought about it, he smiled.

It really started all over again.

Hahaha

The more Zhao Hua thought about it, the happier he became. In this second life, he had the upper hand and could anticipate everything. He was bound to make a fortune and would be unstoppable.

But as he thought about it, he couldn't laugh anymore...

In my past life, I was just an ordinary person who drifted through half my life aimlessly, and I never had any grand ambitions to begin with...

He was mischievous and didn't study hard when he was in school. He dropped out after finishing primary school and his education level was limited to knowing a few words.

None of the skills I learned later are of any use! Now you have to be very careful when doing business, but self-produced and self-sold agricultural products are allowed.

As for tending the crops, forget it. I can't even tell the difference between rice seedlings and barnyard grass...

He pondered for a while longer.

1983 years...

You still need ration coupons to buy things, but thankfully it's almost over...

Silently calculating his own assets, he originally had one dollar and two cents, plus the fifty-one dollar and thirty cents from the fish seller, totaling more than fifty-two dollars.

I spent one yuan on cigarettes, and gave the rest of the change to the saleswoman. Now I have 50 yuan left.

That's not a small amount; I saw a pound of pork belly for just over 70 cents today.

Hmm~ Using that money to buy rice and meat would probably only add to your reputation as a lazy bum!

The money might even be ordered to be taken back.

It's not enough to get a wife. I can't expect my parents to pay for my wedding every time I come back, can I? I get a little excited thinking about my wife. I need to find some time to go and marry her as soon as possible. I wonder what she's doing right now. Is she just lying down and getting ready to sleep, like me?

Let's think about what we can do with this money...

Zhao Hua scratched his head and fell into deep thought.

……

Early the next morning

Zhao Hua was awakened by a chill...

I groggily opened my eyes and instinctively reached around the pillow, but couldn't find my phone. I paused for a moment before realizing that even beeping machines hadn't entered China yet, so there were no cell phones here.

I looked up at the window and saw nothing but darkness. I had fallen asleep without realizing it while thinking about things last night, and I don't even know what time it is now.

There was nothing to do after getting up so early, so Zhao Hua thought for a moment, then secretly rolled up his underwear, stuffed it against the wall, and went back to sleep for a while.

……

"Hua Zi, are you awake? If you are, get up and eat."

Hearing his grandmother's voice, Zhao Hua closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. Before he could wake up and reply, he felt the blanket above his head being pulled off.

Knowing that his grandmother was watching him, Zhao Hua remained still in his original position, not daring to open his eyes directly, afraid of startling the old woman...

Once the surroundings were quiet, she slowly opened her eyes, quickly dressed, retrieved the cloth shoes that Da Huang had taken, put them on, and got up to eat.

I racked my brains all night last night. It's inconvenient to travel far right now, and my family would worry.

Although Shuanghuai Village is located inland, there are many lakes, ponds and ditches nearby.

During the off-season, many villagers would secretly catch small fish and shrimp in the ditches to sell and supplement their household income, which would also add another dish to their meals.

It wasn't until the 1990s that most households gradually acquired small wooden boats.

If we build a small wooden boat in advance, we can get ahead of the crowds to the deep waters that most villagers can't reach these days.

No one is concerned about the abundance and size of the fish in the area; they just don't know if they have enough money.

Thinking of this, Zhao Hua quickly finished his meal and went to ask his mother where he could find an old shipwright.

After Zhao's mother understood the whole story and saw Zhao Hua's firm assurance that it wasn't just a whim, she decided to give him a hand. It was a good thing for her son to want to get involved; it was better than him idling around all day.

"You don't need to ask anyone else, your dad can do it."

Zhao Hua looked at his mother suspiciously. He knew his father could make tables and chairs, but boats and furniture were not the same thing... boats were meant to float on water, unlike chairs that could be placed on the ground and stabilized.

Zhao's mother turned her head and called out to Zhao's father, who was squatting on the doorstep smoking a pipe after finishing his meal:

"Honey, Hua Zi wants to build a small boat."

"Him?" Zhao's father glanced at Zhao Hua, tapping his pipe against his shoe. "I could believe the eldest and second eldest sons wanted a boat, but what does he need it for? Does building a boat cost nothing? Who's going to build one for him?"

Zhao's mother said, "He said he wants to catch some fish and shrimp to sell for money in the future. Didn't you used to work on boats for the production team? Can you still handle this kind of work?"

Zhao Hua quickly replied, "Dad, I have fifty yuan left over from yesterday. Do you think that's enough?"

Father Zhao stared at him for a few moments, making sure it wasn't just a momentary lapse of judgment, before slowly saying, "We have enough wood at home for repairs and cutting. We also have tung oil and nails readily available. Call your older brothers over to lend a hand later, and you can just pay them for their labor."

After saying that, he waved his hand, squatted back down, and continued smoking his pipe.

Zhao Hua was overjoyed upon hearing this. He had been worried about not having enough money, but now that he calculated it, it wouldn't cost much.

It would only take four or five days to complete, and the wages would only be a little over ten yuan, which was well within his budget, leaving him with a considerable amount of money.

Hearing the noise, Zhao Ru immediately poked her head out of the house, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Zhao Hua and said, "Brother, are you going to catch fish? I want to go too! When your boat is finished, I'll go with you... I'll go with you to help you!"

Looking at Zhao Ru's expectant expression, Zhao Hua didn't see any genuine desire to help, so he ignored her and turned to ask his father:

"Dad, when are you going to start?"

"What's the rush? The work in the fields isn't finished yet. Who has time to bother you with this little thing all day? If you're really bored, come work in the fields with me today. Once the work is done, we'll build you a small boat."

Zhao Hua was unwilling to be tied up in the fields and waste his time, but now that he had a reason to do so, he didn't refuse.

Behave yourself for a few days to shut others up and avoid being criticized.