"No, no, how could that be? Our institute has thoroughly implemented the principles of diligence, thrift, and hard work," Yan Bugui said, shaking his head.
Ma Hua stopped arguing with Yan Bugui; it was useless. He still remembered Jia Zhangshi's face. "Is our meeting over? I just got off work and you guys are blocking my way here. I haven't even gone home yet!"
Yi Zhonghai was in no mood for a meeting at all, and hurriedly said, "It's all over, it's all over, meeting adjourned."
Ma Hua smiled, pushed the cart directly to the backyard, and as he passed the Jia family's house, he simply put the cabbages and coal under the window into his ring. He didn't want to steal, but this was compensation; Jia Zhangshi owed him.
However, Ma Hua seemed to have an idea, and immediately put the cabbages and coal he had just collected under the eaves of Liu Haizhong's house. Heh heh, let the dogs fight it out.
Back inside, Ma Hua felt something was off. He thought to himself, "Maybe next time I get paid, I should knock down the two rooms and turn the adjacent one into a kitchen. Cooking inside is too dirty. I could even drill a small hole in the wall to install a makeshift radiator and a water heater on the kang (heated brick bed). That way, I won't have to heat the kang every day."
MCA doesn't want to make the house black with firewood and then have to clean out the ashes every day.
While Ma Hua was making his plans, Yi Zhonghai and his group were also having their own. At that moment, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui were holding a small meeting, discussing how to deal with Ma Hua, this troublemaker.
"I think Ma Hua is not someone to be trifled with," Yan Bugui said calmly. He didn't want to cause trouble; if Yi Zhonghai hadn't promised him two yuan, he wouldn't have spoken up.
"He's not someone to mess with, but we have to mess with him. Who does Ma Hua think he is? I'm the second-in-command in this compound, how dare he talk back to me?" Liu Haizhong said angrily.
“Old Yan, Old Liu is right. Even if they're not easy to mess with, we have to. If everyone acts like Ma Hua, who will listen to us in the courtyard?” Yi Zhonghai glanced at Yan Bugui with some dissatisfaction.
“Old Yi is right. If we don’t subdue Ma Hua, who will listen to us in this courtyard? How can we act like the big shots here?” Liu Haizhong was particularly unhappy with what Yan Bugui said. He hadn’t been promoted to management at the factory, and his current position as the second-in-command was his only remaining status.
The three talked for a long time without reaching a conclusion. They knew absolutely nothing about Ma Hua; they'd only seen him before when he gave gifts to Sha Zhu and when they ate at the cafeteria. They knew nothing else about Ma Hua. How were they supposed to proceed? Unlike the people in the compound, they knew him inside and out and were much easier to intimidate.
Ma Hua first took a shower in the courtyard, then set an alarm before finally going to bed comfortably. When the alarm rang, Ma Hua stretched impatiently, then quickly washed up.
As Liu Lan instructed, he simply took out a hood and put it over his head. Since he was dressed in all black, he figured no one would recognize him.
Ma Hua looked himself up and down, making sure he was alright. Then he gently pushed open the door, secretly checking that no one was in the yard before walking to the back wall. He climbed over the wall and onto the street. The night was quiet, pitch black, but thankfully Ma Hua had gained night vision thanks to the gene-modifying drug, which allowed him to see the way.
Ma Hua immediately released the bicycle from the ring and rode straight to Pigeon Market. For this evening's transaction, Ma Hua had deliberately stopped planting potatoes and sweet potatoes, fearing he wouldn't have enough money to buy anything good he might find. He had no choice; he only had twelve dollars left.
Seeing that they were almost there and that no one was around, Ma Hua simply waved his hand to bring the bicycle inside before heading towards the pigeon market.
Pigeon markets are generally located on fixed streets, unlike black markets which are often sprawling and change locations frequently. Pigeon markets are also managed.
"You don't have to pay to buy things inside, you only have to pay to sell," the lookout at Pigeon Market said, taking a moment to pause when he saw Ma Hua's attire. He then chuckled, "You're quite something, aren't you? Well covered up. Buying something? Hurry up and go in. If you hear any noise, remember to run!"
The man was just standing there bored, and seeing Ma Hua's attire, he suddenly took a liking to him and gave him a few more instructions. After checking that the bag in Ma Hua's hand was empty, he waved and put Ma Hua inside.
Ma Hua nodded to indicate that he understood, and then walked into the alley. Ma Hua excitedly looked at the stalls; they usually placed their goods directly on the ground, lit a small flashlight, and those who wanted to buy something chatted quietly with the stall owner. Despite the large crowds at Pigeon Market, it was remarkably quiet.
Before long, Ma Hua spotted someone selling chickens. He walked right up to the man and asked, "Comrade, how much are these chickens?"
"Four yuan," the man said casually, half-squatting and smoking a cigarette. He was getting a little anxious. Why was no one willing to buy it? It was a hen that was still laying eggs, yet everyone complained that it was too expensive.
Ma Hua glanced at the chicken with some surprise. "Do you think this is the chicken in that idiot's casserole? It's so expensive!" The man noticed Ma Hua's question and hurriedly said, "This is a hen that's still laying eggs."
"Too expensive. How about you lower the price? Give me a pair, four yuan each. If you're okay with it, great; if not, forget it." Ma Hua genuinely wanted them. They were too expensive; she just wanted a pair to breed in her yard. They only cost one yuan each at the market. You really dare to ask for such a high price?
"No, no, that's way too cheap!" the man said, getting a little impatient. How could this guy be so good at bargaining?
"I see you have rabbits here? Are they wild rabbits?" Ma Hua wasn't in a hurry; instead, he focused his attention on the cage next to the man.
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