I was married off to a disabled hero in lieu of marriage; my in-laws doted on me and I aspired to gr

Lin Jie felt a burning fire within him, a fire that seemed to consume him if he didn't extinguish it.

I sat by the roadside, smoked a cigarette, and watched the sparse passersby come and go, finding it utterly uninteresting, so I got up and started walking back.

Could that kid Zhao Weiguo really get bicycle tickets?

Lin Jie thought to himself, "That kid is just an ordinary worker, but he has so many connections. My brother's family has a hard time getting even a pound of meat coupons, but he delivered ten pounds of meat coupons."

Of course, Lin Jie dared not accept it. If his subordinates flattered him and gave him a pound or two of meat coupons, he could accept it without a second thought. But ten pounds of meat coupons would be considered bribery.

Lin Jie felt a little regretful. It was just ten catties of meat coupons, wasn't it?

What's there to be afraid of accepting? It would be so much better to give it to my brother's family. Xiao Yong is so thin...

I wonder if Zhang Man needs a hostage.

How many kilograms of meat ration coupons does a teacher receive per month?

She lives in a dormitory; what use are meat coupons? She needs meal coupons.

After thinking about it haphazardly, I arrived home. I opened the door and saw Han Dan sitting by the stove, knitting a sweater for Hao Hao.

"You're back?" Han Dan quickly put down her knitting and asked timidly.

Lin Jie hated Han Dan's expression the most. She pretended to be obedient and well-behaved, but spoke harshly and unpleasantly. If she dared to fight or argue with him, he would feel relieved.

Lin Jie turned and went into his bedroom. Feeling dizzy, he fell asleep.

On the sixth and seventh days of the lunar new year, even when Han Dan brought up the issue of hostages again, Lin Jie remained silent.

While eating and playing with the children, Han Dan felt a secret joy; she had this man firmly under her control.

Having finally made it to the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, Luo Jianming immediately asked ingratiatingly, "Section Chief Lin, for the bicycle ticket, do you want a men's or women's one?"

"Women's bicycles too?"

"Yes, it's a new one. There's no crossbar in the middle; you just kick it up."

"Are women's tickets easy to get?"

Luo Jianming's eyes darted around, and he said with a smile, "Brother Zhao only has a women's model on hand. He was afraid you'd want a men's model, so he didn't send it over."

"Okay, I want the women's style. Ask him how much it costs, and I'll give you the money."

"Brother Zhao said that the ladies' tickets are free; they were given to him by someone. He doesn't have money to buy a bicycle, so it would be a waste to leave them there."

"That won't do, so many people need bicycle tickets."

"Section Chief Lin, women's items are worthless, but men's items are valuable."

"Then, please thank Zhao Weiguo for me."

"Okay, I'll go find him now."

Luo Jianming went to patrol the workshop wearing the uniform of the security department.

It's such a coincidence, as if it were destined. Lin Jie needed a women's bicycle, but Zhao Weiguo happened to have one.

Thinking about it, Lin Jie laughed. It was interesting.

There are hardly any coincidences in the world. It's just Luo Jianming's scheme.

Women's bicycles were so sought after that people fought over them; fifty jin of grain coupons couldn't even buy a single bicycle coupon.

Zhao Weiguo received a message from Luo Jianming and skipped work, asking for leave because he felt unwell and needed to go to the hospital to buy medicine. In reality, he spent 100 yuan to go to his friend's house and buy back the women's bicycle ticket that Luo Jianming had finally managed to get.

Lin Jie received his bicycle ticket at noon and went to the No. 2 Primary School's single dormitory during his lunch break.

She ran up to the fifth floor in a few steps, to room 505. She knocked on the door, then knocked again, but there was no response. She wasn't there.

Lin Jie's heart, which had been beating extremely fast, gradually calmed down. It was just a chance encounter, so why was he so eager to see her?

She was so fierce, speaking as if she were educating a second-grade child, but Lin Jie listened obediently.

Lin Jie smiled helplessly. Was he possessed?

As I walked downstairs towards my workplace, near the elementary school gate, I saw that familiar figure, awkwardly pushing the broken bicycle, walking angrily towards me.

"Zhang Man, Zhang Man..." Lin Jie shouted excitedly for no reason.

"Oh, oh, Comrade Lin, just in time, you've arrived. Take a look, the car has been repaired, but the front and rear wheels are not asymmetrical. I tried to pedal it, and it's difficult to pedal and doesn't obey my commands."

When Zhang Man saw Lin Jie, the creditor had finally arrived; the car was unrideable.

Lin Jie jogged up to Zhang Man, holding the bicycle in one hand. No wonder she was pushing it awkwardly; the two wheels weren't aligned.

"Do you have time this afternoon?" Lin Jie asked.

"what?"

"Let me take you to buy a bicycle."

"I didn't ask you to pay for it. The mechanic said it needs to be adjusted, but he doesn't have the tools. He needs to find someone he knows at the mechanic shop who has a calibration machine."

Zhang Man hurriedly explained, "Do you know anyone at your machinery factory?"

"Let's forget about this car for now. I've got the tickets to buy you a new one."

"No, no, this bike is still rideable. Besides, even if you had a ticket, I couldn't afford it; it would cost seventy or eighty yuan."

Zhang Man frowned as she looked at the crooked bicycle. She didn't know anyone there either.

When school starts, ask the students which parents work in the machinery factory.

"I damaged your car, so I should be the one to pay for it and make up the cost. As a soldier, I shouldn't take a single needle or thread from the people, so I'll compensate you," Lin Jie said earnestly.

Zhang Man chuckled, "You're quite principled. The bicycle is very important to me. Since you're willing to pay for it, I won't be coy. You can take this old bike."

"Okay, it's settled then. Lock it in the stairwell first, and we'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a new car."

Lin Jie pushed his bicycle in the stairwell with one hand, locked it, and happily went to the supply and marketing cooperative with Zhang Man.

The Lunar New Year has just passed, and everyone has received their year-end bonuses. With money in hand, they're finally ready to splurge on things they've been wanting to buy all year.

Therefore, there are quite a lot of people in the supply and marketing cooperatives.

Lin Jie and Zhang Man headed straight for the bicycle section, where there were many brand-new bicycles, both women's and men's.

There are two styles for women's clothing: one is black with a diagonal bar in the middle, and the other is blue without a diagonal bar in the middle.

Lin Jie pointed to the blue car and asked the salesperson, "Excuse me, how much is the blue women's model?"

Do you have a bicycle ticket?

Yes, yes.

"Blue is 120, black is 108," the salesperson said coldly.

"So expensive..." Lin Jie gasped. He only had eighty yuan with him, which he had borrowed from Luo Jianming.

A monthly salary of only 75 yuan, and a car costs two months' salary, isn't that too expensive?

Lin Jie looked at Zhang Man with difficulty and said, "I... I only have 80 yuan."

Zhang Man smiled generously: "I'll buy the black one. I have fifty yuan here, so you can pay 58."

"No, no, I'll pay eighty, you pay twenty-eight, and I'll pay you back when I get paid." Lin Jie's face turned red with embarrassment.

"I already feel bad that you bought me a new car, so I'll pay fifty."

Zhang Man took out five ten-yuan bills from her pocket and handed them to Lin Jie.

Lin Jie had no choice but to accept it, and then counted out six more ten-yuan bills, handing them to the salesperson along with the bus fare receipt.

The salesperson, with an air of superiority, took the money and said unhurriedly, "Wait a moment, the assembler in the back will need another half hour."

After saying that, he took the money and tickets and went to the back office warehouse.

Lin Jie held two ten-yuan bills in his hand, stammering, "You can keep this money, right?"

"What are you men hesitating for? I've already gotten a great deal. These days, bicycle tickets are so hard to come by. Even the teachers at our school can't exchange fifty catties of grain coupons for a single bicycle ticket."

"Is it that expensive?"

"Yes, the women's version is even more difficult. It's so light and convenient. Comrade Lin, thank you. I'm very satisfied."

Lin Jie blushed again after bumping into someone's bicycle and thanking them.