"Building an army is one thing. You help me with the work, so I'll pay you a salary—that's only fair."
"that is!"
Wang Guixiang chimed in.
"Brother, you're just trying to be kind; don't be ungrateful!"
Grandpa Su suddenly tapped on the table.
"Stop arguing."
He looked at his two sons.
"There are reasons for building a nation, and there are principles for building an army. Here's the deal: you can forgo your salary, but the nation will cover the fuel and maintenance costs. We can't let your brother have to pay for the work himself."
Su Jianguo thought for a moment and nodded.
"Okay, we'll do as Dad says. But Jianjun, you have to promise me that you can use the tractor freely during the off-season, and all the money earned from hauling goods is yours."
Su Jianjun then smiled.
"That's more like it."
Wang Guixiang pursed her lips and muttered under her breath.
"Are you stupid? You wouldn't even take money if it were free..."
Su Jianjun glared at his wife.
"What do you know? Big Brother has helped us more than enough."
Su Jianguo raised his glass.
"Come on, let's drink to our family's tractor!"
...
The next morning.
As soon as it was dawn, Su Jianguo got out of bed.
He dressed quietly, careful not to wake his parents in the next room.
"Brother, are you up yet?"
Su Jianjun's voice came from the courtyard; he spoke very softly.
Su Jianguo peeked out and saw that his younger brother was already standing in the yard.
Today he was wearing a military green jacket and a pair of nearly new liberation shoes. His hair was neatly combed, indicating that he had made careful preparations.
"Coming right away!"
Su Jianguo responded, quickly finished washing up, and pulled a cloth bag from under his pillow, which contained a thick stack of banknotes.
He currently has all his savings of five thousand three hundred dollars at his disposal.
He carefully placed the cloth bag close to his body, checked it again, and then left the house with peace of mind.
As soon as the two brothers stepped out, they saw Wang Guixiang running over and handing them an oil paper package containing several freshly baked cornbreads.
"Eat on the way, don't go hungry."
She gave him instructions.
"Buying a tractor is a big deal, take your time to look around, don't rush into a decision."
Su Jianjun nodded and put the pancake in his pocket.
And so, the two of them rode their bicycles away from Sujiatun.
On the road.
"Brother, are we really going to buy a tractor?"
Su Jianjun suddenly asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"That's several thousand yuan!"
Su Jianguo smiled calmly.
"Don't worry, I've brought enough money. Let's go check it out first; comparing prices at different stores never hurts."
By the time the sun had fully risen, they had reached the outskirts of the city.
As the number of pedestrians and vehicles on the road gradually increased, the two brothers slowed down and moved forward slowly with the flow of people.
"The tractor factory is in the west of the city."
Su Jianguo wiped away his sweat.
"It'll be there in another half hour."
Su Jianjun nodded, but his eyes kept glancing to both sides of the road.
He rarely went to the city and found everything new and exciting.
Long queues formed outside state-run stores along the roadside, with people holding various coupons and certificates, patiently waiting to buy the limited-supply goods.
Several workers in blue overalls sped past on bicycles, their aluminum lunch boxes jingling from the handlebars.
"There are so many people in the city."
Su Jianjun sighed.
Su Jianguo smiled.
"This is nothing. The real excitement will come during the Lunar New Year when Beijing is packed with people."
After riding for about twenty more minutes, a gray, dusty factory came into view.
The tall chimneys billowed white smoke, and the large red characters "The First Tractor Factory of Beijing" above the iron gate were particularly eye-catching.
"arrive!"
Su Jianguo stopped the car and braced himself on one foot.
The gatekeeper was an old man in his fifties, sitting in the small house drinking tea.
Seeing the two people peering out of the doorway, he poked his head out and asked.
"Comrade, is there something you need?"
Su Jianguo quickly stepped forward.
"Sir, we'd like to buy a tractor. Can we go inside and take a look?"
"Buy a tractor?"
The gatekeeper looked them up and down, his gaze lingering on their simple clothes for a moment before he smiled.
Do you have a letter of introduction?
Su Jianguo was taken aback.
"Do I need a letter of introduction?"
"Regulations are necessary."
The security guard explained.
"However, if you're genuinely interested in buying, you can register and get in. Come on, write your name in this book."
Su Jianguo quickly thanked him and wrote down his and his brother's names in the register.
The security guard handed over two visitor passes.
"Don't lose it, you'll have to return it when you come out. Turn right inside, that's the sales department; just look for Xiao Song."
The two brothers pushed their bicycles into the factory area.
The roar of machines echoed from the huge factory, and the air was filled with the smell of machine oil and metal.
Several workers pushed a flatbed cart loaded with parts past them, glancing at them curiously.
Arrived at the sales department.
Su Jianjun straightened his collar, suddenly feeling a little nervous.
He had never bought anything so expensive in his life, and his palms were unconsciously sweating.
"Brother, are we really going in?"
Su Jianjun asked in a low voice, his voice trembling slightly.
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Su Jianguo, on the other hand, remained relatively calm.
"We're here to spend money, not to beg."
He strode up the steps and pushed open the door to the sales department.
Inside the office, several staff members were busy.
At the desk by the window, a young man in his twenties was looking through account books when he heard the door open and looked up.
"Comrades, who are you looking for?"
The young man asked, his voice clear and bright.
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