Good and bad words
Zhou Lexing emerged from another alley, satisfied, carrying yet another bag of items. The man with the sly eye, who had led him through various alleyways to retrieve the items, followed him several steps behind, his obsequious manner a stark contrast to his earlier disdain: "Brother, if you need anything else in the future, just come to me, Li Gou Dan. I have all the connections; I guarantee you'll buy with peace of mind and use with confidence..."
Now that the restrictions on individual businesses are gradually being lifted, people are less cautious and afraid of trading goods that do not involve smuggling. However, Li Gou Dan still has a backup plan. If someone catches him, he will claim that it was a gift between relatives. So far, he has never made a mistake, and therefore he is particularly confident.
Zhou Lexing waved to him, telling him not to see him off, and led Zhou Shusheng, who was frowning and counting seriously, out.
Zhoujia Village is located in a remote area, and the nearest town is not considered wealthy. At a time when the whole country was gradually abolishing ration coupons, many consumables were still subject to ration coupons due to shortages. Sometimes, even if you had coupons, there was nothing to buy. Rural areas did not lack vegetables, meat and eggs, but they lacked daily chemical products such as soap and kerosene.
Zhou Lexing's main purpose in making this trip was to improve his family's living conditions.
Despite how well Zhou Ma keeps the house clean and tidy, the empty soap dish still hasn't been replaced. The corner store occasionally sells packaged candies of various colors, which are quite expensive and are usually given as gifts. However, there's no white sugar or brown sugar. The family still uses a mix of coal briquettes and firewood, let alone cloth.
It was only when Zhou Lexing suddenly decided to make a mop that he noticed Zhou Shusheng's pants had several holes that hadn't been patched yet.
82 yuan isn't a lot, but it's not a small amount either. It's more than enough to buy some daily necessities.
When Zhou Yuanxiang took a nap, she saw Zhou Lexing carrying large and small bags towards her, and Zhou Shusheng frowning as he carefully counted on his fingers.
"Why did you buy so much stuff?!" Zhou Yuanxiang exclaimed in surprise, standing up abruptly.
The surrounding villagers also gathered around curiously, and without any hesitation, they reached out to grab it: "Hey! You even bought X Sea soap!"
"They managed to get so much fabric? They've struck it rich!"
"Where did you get all this? Doesn't the supply and marketing cooperative still require ration coupons for this?"
The villagers teased her, but the envy in their eyes and the sourness in their words made Zhou Yuanxiang's heart skip a beat. She quickly helped to gather the bags, pressing the contents that were sticking out of them back in. Without even asking why she had bought so much, she reached out and pressed the contents into the basket she had brought, then covered it with an old plastic sheet.
"Have you emptied your savings?! You buy it today and then don't use it tomorrow?!"
Zhou Yuanxiang gave a couple of serious reprimands.
Zhou Lexing continued, "It's rare for the supply and marketing cooperative to sell these things; who knows when they'll be available again."
That's half true and half false.
Zhou Lexing believed that the city would be able to completely abolish ration coupons in a few years, but it was hard to say in such a remote place. Moreover, in the case of shortages, having coupons would be meaningless.
However, the bus ticket to the city would cost several yuan and take a long time, so it would be more cost-effective to buy it directly from Gou Dan.
The villagers dared not mention the black market, but they were all implying something about him. Zhou Lexing naturally understood. Although the red armbands were no longer in effect, there were still people trying to pin his name on them.
Zhou Lexing readily agreed. Since they didn't ask directly, he pretended not to understand and even said in a seemingly serious manner, "Now the supply and marketing cooperative also sells special laundry detergent for washing clothes, but unfortunately you need coupons, so I didn't buy it."
The villagers' eyes were glued to the basket, and they only slightly shifted their attention when they heard this. They asked a few more questions, but their anger died down as soon as they heard the price: "What can't you buy for five yuan? Who would buy this thing?"
"Exactly, I think rice water and wood ash can clean it quite well."
It's likely that the supply and marketing cooperative guessed this, which is why they only ordered two bags. They only made a few sales pitches because they saw Zhou Lexing as a 'big customer'.
"Mom, have some steamed buns."
Zhou Lexing casually sat down on the ground next to Zhou Yuanxiang, took out the steamed bun wrapped in newspaper from his pocket, and it was still warm to the touch.
Zhou Shusheng next to him was still counting seriously, but he got stuck every time he got to 40. He tried several times but failed to count to 100. He was so anxious that he was sweating. He didn't even react when a meat bun was brought to his mouth.
Zhou Lexing didn't interrupt his subordinate who was only doing one thing. He stuffed the meat bun into his own mouth and ate it in a few bites.
Zhou Yuanxiang wanted to refuse, but Zhou Lexing grabbed the cornbread she had brought and stuffed it into his pocket.
"You silly child." Zhou Yuanxiang didn't want to argue in front of outsiders, as the pile of things had already drawn the attention of the surrounding villagers.
Seeing Zhou Yuanxiang open her mouth and eat the meat bun, Zhou Lexing took out the cornbread he had brought and ate it himself.
Those around could see it clearly and couldn't help but mutter, "This third son of Yuanxiang is not bad. Where did those rumors come from?"
"Who knows? If you ask me, those rumors might not be true. Look at how he can buy so many nice things at once. Where did all those tickets and money come from? Nobody knows for sure, don't you think?"
An aunt who had come with Zhou Lexing that morning overheard this and became displeased: "Oh dear, listen to what you're saying! How sour! That young man is a very good person! He helped us carry things this morning and even helped fix the tractor. If it weren't for him, you'd probably still be arguing in the village right now! Besides, the things he bought are all practical for his home. He's eating cornbread himself while Yuanxiang eats steamed buns. What a filial son! And you're making things up out of him, aren't you? I think all those rumors are coming from the mouths of gossipy people like you!"
The man she pointed at and berated blushed instantly: "What did I say? Let me tell you, don't you dare wrong an innocent person. I just asked casually, did I say anything bad about him?!"
Once the fight started, some of the gazes that had been fixed on Zhou Lexing and his group shifted, and some people even rushed over to mediate, which relieved some of the pressure. However, some people still relentlessly questioned Zhou Lexing.
"Lexing, what kind of work are you doing now? You must be rich! If you have any connections, you have to share them with everyone so we can all get rich together!"
Zhou Lexing swallowed what was in his mouth and then smiled: "What kind of wealth can I possibly have? This money is something I've saved up for a long time. I'm just a beggar who digs in the dirt; I have no future."
Those people didn't believe it and lingered for a long time, unwilling to disperse. Zhou Lexing wasn't annoyed and just smiled and dodged their questions, not revealing a single word.
When Lao Yang arrived, this was exactly what he saw.
A group of older men and women crowded around Zhou Lexing, pushing Zhou Yuanxiang and Zhou Shusheng out of the way. They bombarded Zhou Lexing with questions, looking like they were about to cause trouble.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?!"
Old Yang forced his way through, waving people away like he was shooing flies: "You think you can bully this young man because he's naive? How can you behave like this?! Get out of the way! If you dare cause trouble, don't even think about getting a ride with me when you get back!"
The crowd immediately protested: "Old Yang, what are you saying? That tractor doesn't belong to you alone, we all have a share, so why can't we ride in it?"
"Yeah, Lao Yang, we didn't bully anyone, we just asked Le Xing a few questions. You have no idea, this kid is really rich now. Look at the things he bought, he's filled a whole basket!"
Old Yang curled his lip and retorted rudely, "What business is it of yours if they want to buy things? What does their success have to do with you? That tractor is now under my control. If you're not happy about it, then you can drive it yourselves!"
Old Yang was known for his stubborn and eccentric personality. Someone in the crowd tried to speak, but was immediately stopped by having their clothes pulled and their head shaken.
This old man is truly capable of doing things without carrying passengers; otherwise, when the tractor broke down this time, people wouldn't have immediately thought that this strange old man was putting on airs.
If things really escalate, they'll be the ones who suffer.
And don't be fooled by the fact that Zhou Lexing always speaks with a hint of a smile; he's very tight-lipped and didn't let them get away with anything. They could only awkwardly disperse.
Zhou Lexing found it quite strange; it was rare for someone to stand up for him without asking why.
You know, he was the local bully.
"Did you need something from me, sir?"
Zhou Lexing patted the cement ground next to him, and Lao Yang sat down without caring at all.
"Come on, look at the good stuff I brought you." Old Yang unfolded the newspaper he was carrying, revealing four oily flatbreads. Then he untied the aluminum kettle hanging from his waist, and the aroma of bone broth immediately wafted out.
Zhou Lexing: "For me?"
Old Yang: "Look at what you're saying! If I don't give it to you, who else would I give it to? Here, take it! This place is famous for its cooking skills around here. Eat it while it's hot! I have to go back and watch over the tractor, lest some careless person damages it."
Zhou Lexing grinned and said, "How could I possibly accept that?"
As he spoke, he reached out and took it. Old Yang was amused by him and pointed at him with his finger, saying, "You little rascal, you're quite the schemer. You're a rising star from Zhoujia Village!"
Zhou Lexing accepted both good and bad words without question.
He naturally knew that Old Yang had come to express his gratitude, but he had met old men like Old Yang before. Old Yang was the toughest person in the world, and getting him to say a few soft words would be the death of the old man.
Zhou Lexing didn't like pushing and pulling others, and even thanked him in return: "If there's anything else with the tractor, just let me know, and I'll definitely help if I can."
Old Yang was even more pleasantly surprised to hear this: "Really?! You rascal, you rascal..."
He was so happy he couldn't speak. His thin, sallow face suddenly regained some color, and he grinned so wide his eyes were almost invisible. It wasn't until Zhou Yuanxiang sat back down that he seemed to wake from a dream and happily got up to leave.
"You eat, you eat, don't come any closer!"
Zhou Lexing watched him wave his hand and walk away, turning back every few steps, amused, before saying to Zhou Yuanxiang, "That old man is quite interesting."
Zhou Yuanxiang smiled slightly: "Old Yang doesn't have any bad intentions, he just has a stubborn temper. Don't be fooled by his kind words to you, he can't stand being spoken to in the village, and he gets angry at the drop of a hat. It's not easy for him at his age."
Zhou Yuanxiang didn't hide anything from her third son. Judging from Zhou Lexing's composed demeanor, she was able to lead Zhou Shusheng away as soon as the crowd gathered.
The child has grown up.
Zhou Yuanxiang was filled with emotion.
Seeing that Old Yang had left, the people who had previously avoided him began to gather around again: "Le Xing, you don't understand, do you? Old Yang was just trying to bribe you with some cheap food. These pancakes are only worth a few dollars. Old Xu in town can get more than ten dollars for repairing a car!"
“Yes, I think you should just ask him for money! You can’t expect to fix his tractor for free. He’s the one who broke it, so he should pay for it.”
Zhou Lexing still smiled innocently: "Uncle Zhou is right. I think I'm pretty good at chatting, so I can't lose money. Come on, let's chat for another minute, take the money, take the money."
When the crowd heard that he would only talk to them if he paid them money, they started grumbling and cursing. But when he actually reached out his hand to ask for money, they scattered immediately, which was quite effective.
Zhou Yuanxiang was amused by what she saw, and suddenly slapped Zhou Shusheng, who was standing next to her. Zhou Shusheng's sentence "41" was interrupted, and he immediately stopped, his eyes widening in surprise.
Her incredulous yet aggrieved look made the two of them burst into laughter.
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