Siheyuan: Bringing Warehouses to 1959

More than 500 kilograms of fish, big and small, piled together. This is much more exciting than the last time they loaded them on a tricycle. Moreover, many people did not see it when Zeng Wangcai used a tricycle to load them last time.

"Dad, Mom, leave a dozen fish at home and marinate them. Then take two crucian carps to stew soup. Yellow catfish is also fine..." The fish that Zeng Wangcai wanted to keep had already been picked out in the car and were strung on reed poles. He just needed to take them into the house.

He didn't pick any that were too big; those weighing six or seven kilograms were just right. He didn't want any of the small or big ones and sold them.

He didn't get out of the car. Xiaohu and Xiaobao went back and forth home more than ten times before they finally got the fish in.

"You little brat, why are you bothering the driver? We can do this kind of thing ourselves next time." Although Zeng Youqian was scolding, he was grinning from ear to ear. He was in the limelight today.

"Uncle Qian, you are going to enjoy your life." Sha Zhu stopped talking to the third aunt and said with a smile, "I estimate that this truckload of fish is at least 500 to 600 kilograms. That's 700 to 800 yuan, which is equivalent to more than two years' salary of mine."

Director Qian's face turned green when he heard this. He was now afraid that Zeng Wangcai would sell the fish somewhere else. The prices on the black market and the pigeon market were much better than those at the purchasing station.

"Comrade, please don't talk nonsense." Director Qian didn't get angry because everyone here is Zeng Wangcai's neighbor. He corrected Sha Zhu in a gentle but serious manner, "The purchase price of our purchasing station is open and transparent, and we treat everyone fairly. Comrade Yan Bugui in your yard knows it very well. The price we purchase fish is between 45 and 55 cents, depending on the type and size of the fish."

Sha Zhu usually doesn't go to the purchasing station, so he doesn't know Director Qian, so he got into trouble. Although he is a chatterbox, he can still distinguish the key points. He knows that what he said just now was a bit taboo, so he shut up.

However, everyone can still judge how much Zeng Wangcai earned that day based on the price Director Qian said.

They have no choice but to envy.

After unloading the fish, Director Qian got in the car and asked the driver to drive directly to the purchasing station.

After all the fish were weighed, the final weight was 268 kilograms. Director Qian gave the highest purchase price as he had just said, and sold them for a total of 147.4 yuan.

Other dried bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, etc. were sold for 65.3 yuan. I didn’t sell all of these specialties and kept some.

The total of these two items is more than two hundred, not counting Fatty Zheng's.

Before leaving, Director Qian took out a bicycle ticket and handed it to Zeng Wangcai.

"Uncle Qian, I won't thank you anymore." Zeng Wangcai said while holding the precious bicycle ticket. "In the future, whenever I have something, I will keep a copy with you."

In general, I sold things here twice and got a bicycle ticket. Whether it was a loss or a profit, everyone has their own opinion. Anyway, Zeng Wangcai is quite satisfied. In this environment, it is still reliable to go to the purchasing station for large-scale shipments.

After waving goodbye to Lin Huyang and Huang Liang, Zeng Wangcai and the other three walked back.

"When Fat Zheng comes, he'll settle the bill and give us the tickets, and we'll have two bicycle tickets. Otherwise, you can stay another day tomorrow and we'll go buy the bicycles," said Zeng Wangcai.

"Brother, are you really going to buy us a car?" Xiaohu's eyes were sparkling, he couldn't believe it.

I went to Wangfujing just last week and saw the price was 158 per car. I had enough money to buy one this week, but would you believe it if I told you?

"No, the money I have now is just enough to buy a car. After buying the car, there will be no extra money. I have to save some more money. This money is kept just in case." Zhang Xiuzhi refused without hesitation.

Xiaohu and Xiaobao were very disappointed, but they didn't dare to say a word.

Their total savings now, including the money that Fatty Zheng has not yet sent, excluding the money spent on buying watches and things for grandma and the others, is probably more than three hundred but less than four hundred. So what Zhang Xiuzhi said was not much, because after buying the car, there would be not much left.

Because Zeng Wangcai said in the afternoon that since there are so many people on the Yongding River side and Old Man Liu will not come next week, then they will go back to Zengzhuang next Sunday to fish and set traps to catch pheasants.

Zeng Wangcai’s opinion is to roll out the trap over a large area. In this case, the traps set by his second uncle Zeng Youhuo would not be enough, and materials would have to be purchased to make them, which would cost money.

"Forget it, don't be disappointed, just wait a little longer. Anyway, we are still short of one ticket." Zeng Wangcai changed his mind. He thought about finding a way to sell the wine to Wu Ye.

How could Xiaohu and Xiaobao be unhappy? It was good enough to have a car. Or rather, how could they dare not be unhappy? But Zhang Xiuzhi opposed this.

The four people returned to the courtyard. Chen Yumei was cooking. The smell of fish soup wafted from the house. Zeng Youqian was killing fish outside. He had killed more than half of them, with a small half left. Zeng Xiaoqiang and Zeng Laifu squatted like pugs, watching their father killing fish.

"Dad, you take a break, let us do it." Zeng Wangcai went in and grabbed the knife to kill the fish. Zeng Youqian was naturally not polite. He washed his hands and went to Xiaohu and Xiaobao to move out the big jar used to pickle fish during the New Year, wash it clean, and prepare to pickle the fish.

The weather is hot, and the fish will go bad if it is not pickled. Even if the taste of the fish now is not as good as that pickled in the twelfth lunar month, it must be pickled.

After the fish was killed, Zeng Wangcai was about to wash it with water, but Zhang Xiuzhi stopped him and said, "Don't wash it. When we pickle fish, we leave some fish blood on it to preserve the flavor of the fish. If conditions permit, we also smoke it with pine nuts."

"Does Chengdu have this custom? Isn't smoked fish a custom in Xiangcheng?" Zeng Wangcai didn't quite understand this. He seldom ate smoked fish in his previous life and didn't prepare it during the Chinese New Year.

Zhang Xiuzhi stretched out her hand and said, "Salt and peppercorns, these two are indispensable."

"Okay, you wait." Zeng Wangcai went into the house and asked his mother, but his mother was so happy that she told Zhang Xiuzhi to pickle it however she wanted.

Zeng Wangcai immediately went out for a walk with his tool bag on his back, and came back to take out the salt and peppercorns that Zhang Xiuzhi had ordered.

After helping to marinate the fish, the family started to eat.

"Dad, forget what you said yesterday." Zeng Wangcai drank a mouthful of fish soup and said, "We should live our life as usual. We don't need to live frugally. We can just keep a low profile. You don't need to worry about money."

"Look how arrogant you are. You talk so arrogantly." Zeng Youqian's attitude had already been relaxed, and he had been drinking. Anyone who has a son who can earn hundreds of dollars a day will be relaxed.

Zeng Wangcai took out the bicycle ticket given by Director Qian and put it on the table: "Mom and Dad, we are going to buy bicycles."

"Buy a car? Why buy a car for no reason? Now is an extraordinary period, there is no rush. Where did you get this ticket?" Zeng Youqian said.

"It's a reward from the purchasing station." Zeng Wangcai glanced at Zhang Xiuzhi, "Xiuzhi and her friends have to come here from the village every week, a round trip of more than 100 miles, and they have to carry loads. It's inconvenient without a car."

"Well, you should buy it, you should buy it!" Chen Yumei glared at Zeng Youqian, "What's wrong with buying a car? What's wrong with buying a car for no reason? The money you earn is for people to spend. Besides, Xiuzhi also has a share of the boss's earnings."

"Buy, buy, buy. It's up to you to decide!" Zeng Youqian immediately defected.

"Okay, then we've decided. We plan to buy four bicycles..."

"Are you crazy?"

Well, all that groundwork was in vain.

Zeng Wangcai did not persuade him any more. It was useless. It was best to speak with facts. For example, yesterday, we agreed to drink liquid food. Today, we had liquid food. We had yellow catfish stewed with tofu...

Not long after the meal started, Fat Zheng came over with an apologetic look on his face.

"Brother Zheng, have you eaten? Let's eat together!" Zeng Wangcai stood up and greeted him.

"No, I'm a little late, and something went wrong." Fat Zheng was sweating, and he took out an envelope and put it on the table, "A total of 215 kilograms of fish, I asked my boss for instructions, and I'll buy it at 129 cents per kilogram, so there's yuan in it, and a bicycle ticket, for a -inch bicycle."

Sixty cents per pound, five cents more than the purchasing station.

Fat Zheng explained that the extra five cents did not violate the regulations and was a subsidy from the school.

They are so eager to raise prices. No one else is doing this kind of business.

Zeng Wangcai knew very well that both Director Qian and Fatty Zheng did this in order to continue purchasing in the future. Materials are king now.

After Fat Zheng left, Zeng Wangcai opened the envelope, took out the money and handed it to Zhang Xiuzhi, and put the bicycle ticket inside on the table.

Zhang Xiuzhi took the money without asking a single question and began counting it.

When Zeng Youqian and his wife saw this scene, they almost laughed out loud. Isn't this what a couple does?

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiuzhi counted the money and handed it to Zeng Wangcai: "It's 129, that's right, I'll put it in the account tonight."

Account?

So you two are going into business together...

Zeng Youqian drank a sip of wine and was happy for nothing.

At this moment, Sha Zhu's voice came from outside the door: "Uncle Qian, Aunt Mei, Wangcai..."