buying and selling
By the time the tractor finally set off, it was already dawn, but everyone felt much more relaxed. After all, it was better to get there than to leave, and the harvested fruits and vegetables couldn't afford to wait any longer.
These fruits and vegetables are quite different from wild game. City dwellers like to eat wild game hunted in the mountains fresh, and even if they miss the market, the supply and marketing cooperative is willing to pay a good price for it. But if you send fruits and vegetables to the supply and marketing cooperative, they might not accept them, and they might even try to lower the price. It's not as cost-effective as going to the market, and it costs 20 cents to go there. After all that trouble, it's just a losing business.
Everyone in the village understood, and therefore they were even more grateful to Zhou Lexing, praising him repeatedly, and even becoming somewhat unsure about his reputation as the village bully.
This young, upright, and hardworking man is hardly the kind of scoundrel who bullies the weak and steals chickens and dogs.
"Where did you learn this skill?"
"Yes! He looks even more skilled than the experienced craftsmen in the city!"
"Hey, Yuanxiang, your son has really made something of himself! Why don't you go to the city and find a job? This master chef position is highly sought after by factories!"
While one side was praising enthusiastically, the other side of the truck bed was whispering amongst themselves.
"Is this guy a thug in your village? I just don't believe it."
The person speaking was Li Wangzi, who had come from next door to hitch a ride.
As soon as he arrived, he gathered with his relatives and shared some recent gossip. The story of Zhou Lexing, the village bully, beating up everyone in Zhoulaozhuang who dared to provoke him with just a few punches was undoubtedly the hot topic recently.
Based on Li Wangzi's observations along the way, even if Zhou Lexing wasn't a model worker, he was at least a promising young man with a strong moral character. How could he be considered a slacker?
The relative was also a bit confused: "I heard that he used to blow up cesspools, poison pigs, and bully a lot of kids from his school..."
Li Wangzi clicked his tongue: "That's all ancient history, isn't it? Which kid isn't mischievous? Especially smart boys like these, they're incredibly naughty when they're young. You don't know, but when I was little, I was always climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles. My dad always said I was clever from a young age..."
Seeing Li Wangzi start to boast about himself, the relative was speechless: "Alright, alright, who doesn't know about your little childhood antics?"
Although the two villages had some unpleasantness decades ago, now several villages share the same primary school. The relationship between the villages has obviously eased since their generation, and they all know a lot about each other's childhood experiences of wearing open-crotch pants.
Li Wangzi, still feeling unsatisfied, finished speaking and turned his gaze to the young man in front of the truck bed. He was taking the windmill from the person next to him and seemed to be trying to fix the bent windmill.
The morning sunlight shone on him, his eyelashes drooped slightly, and a smile seemed to always be on his lips.
Li Wangzi didn't know what gentleness and vitality meant, but at first glance, she felt that the other person was radiating light, and she couldn't help but think that the offspring of such a good seedling was indeed handsome and well-proportioned.
Zhou Yuanxiang was once the most beautiful girl in their village.
"Hey, I remember his father died in the war, right? And didn't his eldest son join the army? Tsk tsk tsk, this family is something else. Do you think it's possible that Zhou Laozhuang is deliberately smearing the reputations of these three lads?"
The relative asked, puzzled, "What was Zhou Laozhuang after?"
To be honest, because of Zhou Lexing's recent behavior, he couldn't help but start to doubt whether his previous memories were wrong. Although he and Zhou Lexing were from the same village, they had little interaction due to their age difference. This sudden meeting was completely different from the person he remembered.
Li Wangzi: "Isn't that simple? He just went to Yuanxiang's house to extort money, didn't he? If this kid tarnishes Yuanxiang's reputation, do you think the villagers will help him? This widow and her child, without the villagers' help, will be taken advantage of and have nowhere to seek justice!"
Li Wangzi was no stranger to this situation. There was also a widow in their village, and it truly lived up to the saying that there is always trouble at a widow's door. Even Li Guaizi, who was missing a leg in their village, would seize any opportunity to bite her. He was even forced to hang himself once before the New Year. However, ever since the widow was rescued by her neighbor by a twist of fate, she has become much more assertive, and such incidents have become less frequent.
The relative thought about it and realized it made sense, so he nodded in agreement.
The two grown men chatted enthusiastically about gossip, and it felt like the time they spent in town had flown by.
Upon arrival, thanks to Zhou Lexing's encouragement, several men in the group also volunteered to help carry the baskets of fruits and vegetables.
The group hurried towards the market, but sure enough, all the good spots were taken. There was only a little space left at the end of the designated market area, and everyone crowded together, not caring about neatness or appearance.
Unfortunately, the market's initial excitement has faded, and the crowds have thinned out considerably. However, it still feels more lively than the grand ancestral worship ceremony in the village.
"Alright, don't hogging the space here. Take your brother around and if he sees anything nice, he can buy it himself."
As Zhou Yuanxiang was speaking, she tried to slip money to Zhou Lexing, but Zhou Lexing dodged it immediately.
"knew!"
He shouted, and with his little tail following behind him, he ran off in a flash.
Zhou Yuanxiang couldn't help but smile and shake her head, putting the money back in. The old lady sitting next to her rolled her eyes and suddenly leaned close to Zhou Yuanxiang's ear: "Hey, has your third son gotten engaged yet?"
Her voice wasn't loud, but since everyone was sitting close together, it immediately drew the attention of those around her.
"Your third son must be in his early twenties now, right? That's the perfect age to find him a wife!"
Zhou Yuanxiang hesitated for a moment under everyone's expectant gazes, then shook her head: "There's no rush. Let the child figure things out for himself."
If they had asked about the second son, Zhou Lixing, Zhou Yuanxiang might have been more enthusiastic.
But Zhou Yuanxiang couldn't figure out her third son, Zhou Lexing. Given his stubborn and unruly nature, Zhou Yuanxiang felt it was better not to interfere too much, otherwise it might backfire. The more she asked him to do something, the more he would do the opposite.
Upon hearing Zhou Yuanxiang's words, everyone immediately disagreed: "What do young men this age know? They need their parents to help arrange things. If this drags on any longer, they might miss out on a good marriage!"
"That's right! Look at Xinghua's eldest son, he's been dragging this out until he's over 30. Now he's worried about his marriage every day, and his hair is turning white in clumps."
A person next to him scoffed, "Can Xinghua's family be compared to this? You didn't hear the conditions they proposed. They want someone from the city to help them, a good dowry, and a low bride price. It's unbelievable. If you ask me, their son can just wait to be a bachelor forever!"
The crowd burst into laughter, and the topic began to stray from the main point.
Zhou Yuanxiang just smiled and didn't respond.
She knew more or less what the villagers were thinking. If it were in the past, no one would have cared about her, the third son. But Zhou Lexing had shown off his skills this morning, and quite a few people were envious.
Nowadays, those who are educated and skilled are highly sought after. They can not only work in factories, but also open their own small shops and live a comfortable life without worrying about food and drink. As a result, they immediately become the top choice for young people looking to get married.
Now that life is gradually getting better, matchmakers are also paying more, so naturally everyone is willing to help connect people.
Zhou Lexing had no idea that he was almost being pressured to get married. He was leading Zhou Shusheng around curiously.
Zhou Shusheng followed closely behind him, eating a skewer of crispy, juicy fried tofu. He was blowing on it because it was hot, but he still couldn't stop eating it. It was fried in lard and was very fragrant. Zhou Shusheng's mouth was full of oil, and he didn't pay any attention to what his third brother was doing.
Zhou Lexing walked from one end of the street to the other, and soon made up his mind.
The original owner had been to the black market, but the fragmented memories were not enough for Zhou Lexing to directly deduce its location. However, he remembered that it was around this designated market area.
Sure enough, after Zhou Lexing led Zhou Shusheng back and forth twice and ate a lot of snacks, they finally determined a certain alleyway not far from the supply and marketing cooperative.
As Zhou Lexing watched the fourth group of people hurrying inside, he finally handed the two meat buns in his hand to Zhou Shusheng: "From now until you finish these meat buns, don't make a sound. Then silently count to 100 in your mind, and I'll buy you a sugar figurine to eat."
Zhou Shusheng's mouth was already watering. Upon hearing this, he nodded vigorously and reverently accepted the meat bun with both hands. Only then did Zhou Lexing lead him into the alleyway.
As soon as they entered the alley, they saw two people standing against the wall at the end of the alley, subtly observing them. Their judgmental gazes followed Zhou Lexing for a while as he strode past them before disappearing.
Zhou Lexing turned twice in the alley before finally seeing a dilapidated mansion. The gate had been smashed many years ago, the walls were covered with weeds and moss, and the red bricks underneath were peeling off. People were coming and going from time to time, but they didn't make much noise.
When Zhou Lexing saw this house, he knew he had come to the right place.
Nowadays, most daily necessities in supply and marketing cooperatives no longer require coupons to purchase, but local scarce goods and valuable and rare items such as bicycles, radios, and televisions still require corresponding coupons.
However, most of those willing to take the risk here are looking for smuggled goods from overseas. Foreign televisions, radios, baby formula, cigarettes, watches, and even motorcycles can be found at very good prices on the black market. Of course, there are also stolen bicycles and self-proclaimed unclaimed cultural relics, which is why this part of the gray area continues to operate.
But Zhou Lexing didn't come here for these big-ticket items.
He led Zhou Shusheng into the house, where two men stood guard inside, arms crossed, silently observing the people moving around inside.
As soon as Zhou Lexing entered, he first led the others to a corner. His gaze swept over those who were either carrying bundles to show off or sitting on the ground with a box of things spread out on their backs, and finally settled on a young man not far from him with his hands in his pockets and no bag on his back.
"Dog Egg?"
Zhou Le walked over and asked softly.
The young man had slanted eyes and a sharp nose. Even before he spoke, he exuded a shrewd and calculating air. In the original owner's memories, she had a brief interaction with him. This man was a middleman with sources and connections. The original owner's last transaction with him was a simple cash-on-delivery deal without any complications.
Li Gou Dan wasn't in a hurry to reveal his true colors. Instead, he first sized up the two people in front of him. He didn't recognize Zhou Lexing, but he could tell at a glance that the handsome young man in front was the one in charge. The reason was simple: the other one was still diligently chewing his steamed bun.
But good looks don't put food on the table.
The man glanced at Zhou Lexing's patched cuffs and faded hem, and his interest waned: "Two cents for the service fee."
Zhou Lexing didn't care about his attitude. Hearing this, he simply handed over two cents and then looked at him a few more times with his slanted eyes: "What do you want?"
"Cloth, sugar, soap..."
As Zhou Lexing counted softly, the slanted eyes gradually widened.
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