Reborn during the early days of China’s reform and opening, the narrator finds himself in the 1980s countryside. In this setting, the past is still a cold reference, yet it is also a fresh start....
Wan Feng vaguely remembered that in the winter of 1984, an authentic military cap cost about 25 yuan, and the highest price in Wu County was 30 yuan.
In the early 1980s this was a jaw-dropping price.
At that time, the most common cotton hat on the market was a pointed velvet hat with artificial fur costing more than three yuan, a flat-top cotton hat with a green cloth cover and a nose guard cost five yuan, and a military cap could be sold for more than twenty yuan, which was an unimaginable price.
"Of course there are some. There's nothing that's not available at that market. You can find whatever you want there. I just worry you don't have the courage to go."
Then Wan Feng gave him a detailed introduction to the knowledge about the Wahou Market, which left everyone in the room stunned.
They couldn't imagine what such a large market was like.
"It sounds like we should really get out and see the world. This place is too remote. If we don't broaden our horizons, we probably won't achieve anything in our life."
Wan Feng couldn't believe that Guo Wu could come up with such a trick.
"So you want to go and see it?"
"I've never been there and don't even know where it is. Even if I wanted to go, I couldn't."
"I'm going there during the winter break. Are you guys going with me to broaden your horizons?"
No one in the room spoke. They were still students and seemed unprepared to go out and see the world.
"Are you going back alone?" Guo Wu asked again.
Wan Feng shook his head: "It definitely won't be me alone. Someone will definitely go with me, but I can't say how many people it will be right now."
"If there are more people, count me in. I'll take advantage of this opportunity to see the world before I get married. Otherwise, after graduation, I'll just be working in the company and there's no hope of leaving. How much round-trip fare will that be?"
Wan Feng calculated that the round-trip train ticket would cost more than 20 yuan, and the car would cost more than 10 yuan, so the total cost would be more than 30 yuan.
"Even including the cost of food, you need to prepare at least fifty yuan for the trip."
This amount of money is far from meeting the standard of a poor family with a rich road, and it can only be the minimum standard for travel.
"Fifty! That's quite a lot!"
At this moment, Li Xin came in as if on a spring. As soon as he entered the room, he climbed up to the upper bunk, approached Wan Feng and said mysteriously, "I heard that you brought a group of people to level the senior class this afternoon?"
When Wan Feng led people to resolve the dispute with the people in the senior dormitory, the people from the third-division field had not yet returned to Xiao Wu's home by car, so many people in the dormitory did not know about it.
Li Xin was just staying in dormitory No. 2 and didn't know who told him.
"Is there anything strange?"
"Fuck, if I had known about this, I wouldn't have gone back. It would have been so much fun to follow you."
This guy must have gone astray. Why do feet start popping out of his ears when he hears about war?
"I heard the girls in our senior year at home saying that you'll be in trouble when the seniors return to school. But when I got here, I saw that the seniors are quite well behaved. Just now, that guy said he got beaten up by you in the afternoon. I thought they were so well behaved, so it turns out you got them."
What's so great about beating up a few high school seniors?
"We were originally talking about business, but the tone changed the moment you came in."
"Business? What kind of business? Count me in."
This guy is now inflated and dares to buy anything without even looking at how much money he has in his pocket.
"Wan Feng, I have a question. Can you let my girlfriend work at that clothing shop? She wants to make some money too."
"She should have gone when I opened it last month, but I just remembered it now. Tell her to move in now and let Zhang Xuan or He Yanfei teach her. But she'll be on vacation at the end of the month, so she won't be able to work for many days."
There is no problem with seven people sleeping on that kang, but Wang Hua and He Yanfei are still not sure whether they are good at dealing with Wan Feng. After all, they were rivals in love in the past.
"We'll take it one day at a time. I'll have her move in right away."
"Tell Zhang Xuan that I asked him to move there, and let Zhang Xuan teach Wang Hua himself."
Li Xin jumped off the bunk and ran out happily.
After Li Xin left, the topic turned back to the Wahou Market.
"Wang Dong, go home and talk to your father. Come with me to explore the market this time. Maybe you can start a business in the future. What Guo Wu said just now is right. If you don't go out now before you graduate, you will have no chance to go out in the future. You will die here in this life."
Wang Dong thought for a moment and said, "I'll go home and ask at the end of the month."
Li Xin carried Wang Hua's luggage and sent Wang Hua to the house. When Zhang Xuan heard that it was Wan Feng who called him, he had no objection. He arranged a place for Wang Hua and then ran back quickly.
I just heard Wan Feng discussing going to Bei Liao for vacation.
"Oh my go!" This guy signed up right away.
"Do you have money? The round trip fare is more than thirty yuan, plus food and other things, don't expect to spend less than fifty yuan."
Li Xin began to scratch his head.
"Can you give us some advice so we can earn some money for the journey?"
Li Xin's suggestion was supported by Wang Dong and Guo Wu.
"Really want to go?"
"I want to!" Li Xin is now superstitious about Wan Feng. He believes whatever Wan Feng says.
Wan Feng thought for a moment and said, "This isn't a difficult task. I'll take you guys there to make some money when I go to get the materials in a couple of days."
Wan Feng counted four people: Guo Wu, Wang Dong, Li Xin and Li Mingdou. He planned to take these four people to make some money for them.
Wang Dong, Li Xin and Li Mingdou are his confidants. Guo Wu is not his confidant now, but Wan Feng is more optimistic about his business talent. He is just a chess piece now. Who knows, he may be useful in the future.
Because there were no interns from the senior year, the garment factory temporarily stopped working during the day after school started, and only resumed work after dinner, which reduced production significantly.
However, Wan Feng was not too worried. He was just conducting trial production this winter, and he didn't take the amount too seriously. He would make a detailed plan next spring.
On the fourth day of school, there was not much fabric left in stock, and we needed to purchase dozens more pieces of fabric to last until the end of the month.
On the 7th, Wan Feng hired a Liberation car from the headquarters and brought Wang Dong, Li Xin, Guo Wu and Li Mingdou to Aihui City early in the morning.
Aihui City has a population of more than 10,000 people, and its size is even smaller than Qingshan Town. However, it also has a small market just opposite the cotton mill.
The cotton mill is the largest factory in Aihui City. Children from many families in Aihui City work in this factory.
After Wan Feng loaded the goods he was going to transport onto the truck at the cotton mill, he came to the door of the small market and pulled up the rope to hang up the clothes he brought.
This time he did not sell them in sets but in separate pieces.
A pair of pants is five yuan, a ski jacket is thirteen yuan, and if you buy a set you can get a one-yuan discount.
Wan Feng planned to spend the whole morning here, selling whatever he could and then going back at noon.