"Isn't this too expensive?"
Hu Chunxiao told them last night.
Inside the department store, bicycles that require a ticket are priced at around 150 yuan, while tricycles are 100 yuan more expensive, totaling around 250 yuan.
Xiao Li, a clerk in their materials bureau, has connections and can get things without coupons, but the prices are a bit higher: 200 yuan for a bicycle and 250 yuan for a tricycle.
However, Xiao Li didn't have any stock on hand right now, but seeing that they needed it urgently, he introduced one of his relatives to them.
Deng Cuixiang, Zhu Yingying, and Zhou Qiqi brought the little boy, Chen Duzhou, to Master Chen's place.
They all thought to themselves that even if the price differed slightly from what they paid to acquaintances, it wouldn't be much more expensive.
But when Master Chen quoted a price, everyone was stunned.
Master Chen was wearing a faded blue cloth jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing half of his tanned forearms.
His oil-covered hand slammed onto the car frame, his knuckles making the Phoenix logo clang loudly.
As he spoke, his eyes darted between Deng Cuixiang, Zhu Yingying, Zhou Qiqi, and the little boy Shen Duzhou, his wrinkles crinkling at the corners of his eyes as he smiled warmly.
"Look closely, this is a Phoenix 26! The steel rims are so shiny you can see your reflection in them, and the paint is like a mirror! Even if you went to the department store with your money in hand, you'd still have to wait in line for four or five months to buy one!"
He paused, then lowered his voice and continued.
"Besides, tickets are harder to come by these days than gold nuggets! I have a car right here, only 350 yuan! And that's only because you're Little Li's friends—on the black market, you wouldn't even dream of getting one for less than 400 yuan!"
Several people slowly circled the car, all of them quite pleased with it.
Deng Cuixiang, in particular, was stroking her fingers on the tricycle handlebars.
Her husband was a battalion commander, whose allowance was much less than that of Regiment Commander Shen Huaichuan, amounting to only ninety yuan a month at most.
My two boys are at the age where they can eat and spend a lot of money, and I have to send money back to our hometown every month.
Two months ago, I saved up enough money to build a toilet and paid for my eldest son Jiang Xianghai's math class. The tin box in the cabinet was already empty.
Although she had saved some money selling pickles, it was really difficult for her to come up with 500 yuan all at once.
She stared at the oil paper that hadn't been completely torn off the truck bed, her Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and she sighed.
"It's a really good car, but... the price is just a bit too much for me."
Zhu Yingying watched her struggle and moved her lips to say, "Sister Cuixiang, can I borrow some here...", but then she saw Zhou Qiqi shaking her head and winking at her.
Zhou Qiqi herself stretched out her hand and traced a line on the beam of the Phoenix Carriage with her fingertips, her tone full of regret.
"Master Chen, your price is outrageous! We're just ordinary people, how can we afford such an expensive car? Forget it, forget it, let's go!"
He grabbed the two of them and started walking away, muttering loudly as he went, "What a pity! It would have been better if it were cheaper!"
Deng Cuixiang was pulled so hard she stumbled. Just as she was wondering what Zhou Qiqi was up to, she heard hurried footsteps behind her.
Master Chen chased after them, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead, and called out, "Hey, hey, hey, don't go, you guys!"
He spread his arms to block the three of them, his face wrinkled up as if he had made a huge decision, and slapped his thigh.
"You're Xiao Li's friends, which is a favor to me, so we're practically family now! I'll make an exception for you this time!"
Deng Cuixiang's eyes lit up, and she asked in surprise.
"Oh? Really? You're willing to sell it to us cheaply?"
"No, no..."
Master Chen's lips twitched, but he quickly put on a smile again. He glanced around and beckoned to them in a low voice, "Come with me."
He led the four of them to a more secluded courtyard at the back and pushed open a wooden door with peeling paint.
The room was dimly lit, and the smell of engine oil and dust was very strong and pungent.
Zhou Qiqi quickly pulled the sunken ferry boat behind her, protecting it tightly.
Master Chen fumbled in the dark and pulled a rope. The dim light bulb swayed for a moment before turning on, illuminating the base of the wall.
There was a row of bicycles stacked in the corner, covered in a thick layer of dust, and the style looked a bit outdated, but the bells were still covered with plastic film, so anyone with a discerning eye could tell they were new bikes.
“Look at you,”
Master Chen wiped the car seat with his sleeve.
"I still have a batch of leftover stock here, which are also brand new bikes from the factory. They're just a bit dusty, but after a little cleaning, they'll be practically brand new! The prices are reasonable too: bicycles are 120 yuan, and tricycles are 200 yuan!"
Deng Cuixiang was immediately tempted.
"This price is amazing! It's so much cheaper, and it's a brand new car, just a bit dusty!"
Zhu Yingying nodded in agreement, "Yes, it's really a good deal, even cheaper than the bus that requires tickets at the department store."
Master Chen's face lit up with a smile when he saw that there was hope, and he rubbed his hands together as he asked.
"Which one of you has your eye on? I'll bring it out for you to try. This whole row is chained up, so it's not easy to move them one by one."
He paused, then asked, "Can you all ride a bike?"
All three shook their heads.
Master Chen rubbed his hands together and smiled.
"Oh, you don't know how? No problem, no problem. You can pick out yours first, and once you've chosen, I'll find a tricycle to take it all the way home. You can learn at your own pace! I won't charge you a penny for the transport!"
"Thank you so much, Master Chen."
Deng Cuixiang and Zhu Yingying exchanged a glance and both felt that the driver was quite honest, so they prepared to pay for the car.
"Don't rush."
Zhou Qiqi suddenly grabbed their hands.
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