Reborn in the 1980s: Nine Stunning Beauties Get Pregnant Before Marriage

After saying that, he picked up a small piece of guide rail and went inside. He struck up a conversation with a man who looked like an experienced worker in charge of the area.

"Master, take a look at this material, will you buy it?"

The master craftsman took the iron block, initially seemingly indifferent, but then sparked it with a grinding wheel and tapped it with a hammer to listen to the sound.

He pulled out calipers and measured it: "Young man, where did you get this material from?"

Chen Yongqiang responded vaguely: "In short, it wasn't stolen. What price are you willing to give me? I still have a few coins left."

The experienced foreman and another manager who had come over after hearing the commotion whispered a few words to each other, then turned to Chen Yongqiang and held up two fingers: "We'll...we'll go for 2.5 yuan per jin, is that alright? We'll take as many as you have!"

Chen Yongqiang quickly calculated in his mind: 86 jin, 2.5 yuan per jin, that's 215 yuan! He bought it for 42 yuan, so he made a net profit of 173 yuan.

He remained calm and composed: "I have a few more in my car, that's about it. At the price you quoted."

The transaction was completed quickly. Chen Yongqiang helped move the guide rails into the yard and received 215 yuan.

The master craftsman even offered him a cigarette, saying that he would definitely think of them first if he ever had such good material again.

Back on the tractor, Chen Yongqiang stuffed a wad of cash into his pocket.

Qin Liping witnessed the whole thing, her eyes wide with disbelief, and she could barely speak: "Brother Yongqiang... forty-odd yuan... exchanged for over two hundred?"

Chen Yongqiang started the tractor and drove towards the food company: "Sometimes, knowing what's valuable and when it's valuable is more important than strength. That's called information asymmetry. Let's go, time to pick up the afternoon's goods."

Qin Liping seemed to understand, but looking at Chen Yongqiang's composed profile, the light of admiration in her eyes shone even brighter.

Chen Yongqiang thought to himself, "I just made enough to cover the cost of the gun and bullets after this sale. But the plowshare alone cost 120 yuan, and today's meal cost another 10 yuan. Add to that all the other miscellaneous expenses... I make money fast, but I spend it even faster."

"It seems I can come to this flea market more often in the future. The chances of finding bargains and making money here are much greater than just running a transportation business."

Arriving at the gate of the non-staple food company, I checked the time and found I was a little earlier than agreed.

Chen Yongqiang handed a cigarette to the old man in the gatehouse: "I'm here to pick up some goods."

The old man had seen Chen Yongqiang that morning, so he told him to drive the tractor straight in.

After a short while, Zhao Yong arrived carrying his briefcase.

Almost simultaneously, a green Dongfeng truck drove into the yard.

Zhao Yong spoke briefly with the people at the non-staple food company's warehouse, then pointed to Chen Yongqiang's tractor: "Comrade, our supply and marketing cooperative needs this batch of goods urgently. Please load it for us first and let this tractor take it away."

The warehouse manager glanced at the order, then at Zhao Yong and Chen Yongqiang, and nodded.

"Alright, let's load it for you first. Xiao Liu, take them to warehouse number three and unload the batch of daily necessities that were allocated to the Qingshan Town Supply and Marketing Cooperative onto this tractor."

Chen Yongqiang started the tractor and moved it to the entrance of warehouse number three to make it easier for the workers to load goods.

Once the truck bed was filled with cardboard boxes and sacks of bundled daily necessities, Zhao Yong had also completed all the handover procedures with the warehouse.

He picked up his briefcase, climbed onto the back of the tractor, and patted the roof of the cab: "Xiao Chen, the goods are all ready, we can go back now!"

Chen Yongqiang responded, shifted gears, and the tractor, loaded with goods, drove out of the food company's compound.

Zhao Yong sat on the pile of goods in the back of the truck, holding his briefcase with one hand and the rope binding the goods with the other.

Qin Liping sat next to Chen Yongqiang, no longer as excited as when she arrived.

This trip to the county town yielded different results for everyone.

The tractor drove back to town and went directly into the backyard of the supply and marketing cooperative.

The workers unloaded the goods in a flurry. Zhao Yong settled the fifteen yuan fare with Chen Yongqiang and exchanged a few polite words: "Come find me again if you need any work next time."

After saying goodbye to Zhao Yong, Chen Yongqiang started the tractor and drove onto the dirt road back to Shimen Village.

Qin Liping leaned back in her chair and sighed with lingering enjoyment, "Time flies so fast, it feels like I haven't had enough fun... and now it's time to go back to the village."

"Aren't you tired after riding the tractor all day?" Chen Yongqiang asked, gripping the handrail.

Qin Liping was still quite energetic. "I'm not tired at all! There's food to eat, things to do, and new things to see. It's much more interesting than staying at home!"

As the tractor drove into Shimen Village, several children playing by the roadside got excited and tried to climb on the iron contraption as soon as they saw it.

Chen Yongqiang quickly slowed down and shouted, "Hey! Don't climb! It's dangerous! Everyone stay away!"

Because the children were playing by the vehicle, and the tractor was making noise, as it passed a villager's house.

Several chickens that were foraging for food at the base of the courtyard wall were startled and flapped their wings, darting erratically towards the road.

Chen Yongqiang reacted quickly. Although he immediately stepped on the brakes, an old hen was still unable to dodge and was run over by the front wheel of the tractor. She fell onto the dirt road, fluttered a couple of times, and then lay still.

"Whose chicken is this?" Chen Yongqiang jumped down to check. The old hen was already dead.

The gate to the house was pushed open, and a stocky middle-aged woman strode out, exclaiming, "Oh my God! Who is this bastard...?"

She spotted the limp hen on the ground, then saw Chen Yongqiang squatting beside her, her voice trembling with tears:

"Yongqiang! It's you? How can you drive like that?! This is my family's most productive hen! One egg a day, without fail! What are we going to do?!"

This woman is Ma Cuiying from the village, and she is known for her fiery temper.

"This chicken belongs to your family, Aunt Cuiying. How much is it? I'll compensate you." Chen Yongqiang didn't intend to deny it.

Seeing Chen Yongqiang's straightforwardness, and glancing at the tractor, Ma Cuiying immediately hatched a plan:

"Pay back? This is a laying hen! Not a regular broiler! It can lay three hundred eggs a year! Each egg is worth two cents..."

That's six yuan a year! This chicken is only two years old, in its prime! I'll have to pay it at least... at least fifteen yuan!

"A pound of chicken will sell for a maximum of one yuan in town. This old hen weighs at most three or four pounds. I'll give you five yuan, which is enough for you to go to town and buy two chickens to raise."

As he spoke, Chen Yongqiang took out five yuan and handed it over.

Ma Cuiying refused to take the money, putting her hands behind her back and raising her voice even higher: "Five yuan?! Five yuan isn't enough! Yongqiang, you're a big shot driving a tractor now, fifteen yuan, not a penny less!"