Chapter 124 Going Out to Buy Books
Wu Shengli was still keeping the secret: "Just tell me if my bicycle looks good today. And guess what I used to exchange it for the bicycle ticket?"
Diao Yulian lost her patience: "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Come on!"
It’s just a bicycle. Every family in this compound except the Wu family already has one.
"You're not going to the black market, are you? Wu Shengli, you're courting death!"
Diao Yulian's face turned pale with fear. She still had a precious son at home. If Wu Shengli was so ruthless as to collude with people in the black market and implicate her family...
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, and she pinched and twisted it.
Wu Shengli: "Be gentle, I didn't go to the black market, I really asked someone to change it for me."
Diao Yulian: "What did you exchange it for? It can't be..."
Wu Shengli quickly dodged and rubbed his arm in pain. This woman was becoming more and more aggressive now, pinching his soft flesh whenever they disagreed.
He grimaced in pain, "That's it. I heard there was a group of people collecting the "Four Olds" recently, so I exchanged the jade Buddha for it."
The jade Buddha he was talking about was the one he had accidentally found in the alley toilet.
Diao Yulian lowered her voice and asked, "Is that little thing so valuable?"
Wu Shengli had a grin on his face: "I didn't want that much originally, so I carefully took the things out, didn't say anything, and gestured with three fingers."
"Who knew the person I was looking for took it away, then turned around and gave me a ticket. I was so angry that I almost cursed him, but then I looked and found out it was a bicycle ticket!"
Diao Yulian immediately became gentle and considerate, shaking Wu Shengli's arm, her tone full of flattery: "Old Wu, you still have good taste!"
Wu Shengli smacked his lips, stroked his chin, and boasted to himself, "That's right! Look how smart I am. Now that someone wants it, I'll take the opportunity to sell it. If it's always hidden in the cracks between the eaves, I'll be worried."
Diao Yulian: "We've finally made a big purchase. We can use this bicycle to impress our Jiabao when he gets married."
After she finished speaking, she thought of something else: "That damn girl Chunyan, she's so stubborn after going to college. She didn't even come back for the New Year this year?"
Wu Shengli listened to the woman's voice, which had risen a notch, and said impatiently, "Keep your voice down and don't disturb our son. Okay, okay, doesn't Daya still send five yuan home every month? Be content with that."
Diao Yulian gritted her teeth and said unconvincedly, "What can you do with five dollars? Besides, she said that this money is all our retirement money. I want to save it for Jiabao as a wife."
After Wu Chunyan went to Shanghai to attend university, Diao Yulian was so angry that she wrote several letters in a row.
What he said implied that his daughter, who was still in school, should support her parents in their old age. She didn't ask for much, just five dollars a month.
If she doesn't get it, she will go to school and make a scene, to see if she can still have the face to go to school.
Wu Chunyan had no choice but to grit her teeth and deduct five yuan from the money she earned from helping out in the school cafeteria and send it back to Beijing.
Wu Shengli listened, touched his chin and nodded: "That's fine. If the money is not enough, Chunyan, as the elder sister, will help her brother to make up for it."
Diao Yulian said as if it was a matter of course: "Of course, after the New Year I will write a letter to ask for six yuan. I don't believe she dares not give it to me!"
She thought that Jiabao would be going to elementary school in the second half of the year, so she planned to make a new set of clothes for her son, and a new schoolbag was also essential.
…
Wu Chunyan was eating a hoarse brown rice steamed bun alone in the empty dormitory. She drank some warm water, chewed it a few times before swallowing it, and patted her chest.
She looked at the pile of letters on the table, tears flashing in her eyes.
Most of her roommates in the dormitory were from the local area and had gone home for the New Year. The few who were from other places had also bought train tickets to go home early. She was the only one who had no home to return to.
She used the little money she had saved to pay tuition and buy necessary daily necessities.
When school started, she didn't even have a quilt or cotton jacket, while her roommates all had huge bags and were eager to take every little bit of belonging with them.
She came alone with a small bag and had to send five dollars back home every month. She could only budget carefully and work part-time to make a living.
Wu Chunyan warmed her hands with the kettle, absorbing the warmth, staring straight at the letter, and an idea came to her mind.
…
Lin Xiaotong and Xie Yi stayed at home for a few days. She thought that it was already 1976, and the college entrance examination would be resumed at the end of October next year, so there were still two years to prepare.
She had just read the political textbook she found at a scrap yard three times last year. She had almost forgotten everything she had learned in her previous life, including literature, math, physics, and chemistry, after entering university.
Lin Xiaotong rested her head on Xie Yi's arm and thought of the very famous "Self-study Series of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry", which she couldn't find the last time she went to the scrap yard.
"Xie Yi, let's go to the bookstore. I want to find a set of books."
She thought that if she could buy it, she would buy two sets in advance, and then give one set to each person when reviewing.
You should know that when the college entrance examination was resumed, all the books in the bookstores were sold out, and many people lined up overnight to buy this set of magical books.
Although Xie Yi didn't like reading much, he listened to his wife's request and said with his head down: "Okay, let's go after lunch. I'll ride your bike to take you."
"Xie Miaomiao, you're so nice, muahmuh."
…
After lunch, Xie Yi happily rode his bike and took Lin Xiaotong out. When they went out, they saw Wu Shengli wiping his beloved bicycle with a rag under the eaves of the west house.
The two rode for thirty minutes before arriving at a larger Xinhua Bookstore, which was a two-story building.
It was right on the side of the road, next to a security booth, and inside was an old man patrolling with his hands in his pockets.
There were few people in front of the bookstore. After Xie Yi parked his bicycle in a conspicuous place at the door and locked it, the two of them went in together.
The bookstore clerk had nothing to do and was sleeping behind the counter. When he heard the noise, he opened one eye and yawned.
"Just look for yourself and bring your choice to me for payment."
Lin Xiaotong and Xie Yi walked around the bookstore. Nowadays, the books in bookstores are generally political readings, and the best-selling ones are red quotations.
There are some people who come specifically to buy professional textbooks, but not many.
Lin Xiaotong saw the "Self-study Series of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry" in the bottom corner of the bookshelf. It took her a long time to find it.
I squatted down and pulled the book out with force, then shook it gently. The spine was covered with dust and it was unrecognizable without a careful look. It was probably not read for a long time.
This set of books was compiled in 1962 by Shanghai Science and Technology Press, which hired middle school teachers with rich teaching experience.
Self-study series on mathematics, physics and chemistry
The purpose of compiling the series is to help young people with a junior high school education learn to master high school mathematics, physics and chemistry knowledge through self-study of books.
Why do I say so?
Because this book contains a large number of classic examples with detailed decomposition steps, and each unit is followed by corresponding exercises and answer hints.
As long as a person is willing to take the time to finish reading this set of books, he or she will be able to get into university without any unexpected problems.
The two searched for a long time, but couldn't find another set, so they had to take the one they had on hand.
Xie Yi helped pick up the set of books, which were very heavy because there were 17 volumes in total.
The two took the set of books to the counter to pay. The salesperson glanced at them and didn't say much. It didn't cost her money anyway.
This set of books has not sold since she came here and was supposed to be cleared out as garbage last week.
She had forgotten about it, and now someone has bought it.
"The total cost of the set is fourteen dollars and sixty-six cents."
Lin Xiaotong paid the money with a sharp pain in her teeth. It was really expensive, almost half a month's salary for her.
Xie Yi could only watch, as he had no money and had already handed over all his allowances and bonuses.
Xie Yi saw a pile of waste newspapers piled up at the door and asked:
"Comrade, do you still want this stack of back issues?"
The salesman helped tie up a set of books with string and glanced at them casually:
"I don't want this one. If you want it, take it yourself."
The expired newspapers in their bookstore are thrown away to the recycling station.
Xie Yi picked up a stack of newspapers, and the two of them put the books into a snakeskin bag and tied it tightly.
The newspaper was placed on top of the book, with a corner of the newspaper deliberately exposed.
Lin Xiaotong sat in the back, leaning against Xie Yi's back, and said, "Okay, let's go home. I want to eat frozen persimmons."
Xie Yi smiled as he pedaled his bicycle, "Okay, the persimmons are all frozen outside. I'll pick a few when I get back."
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