In the match factory's office, Director Xie was feeling proud of having opened a loophole in order to buy out his seniority, his mouth grinning from ear to ear; in the boiler room, fellow workers were gossiping, each one making up stories about Li Jianghai.
But the situation at the state-owned hotel was quite different.
Li Guifang and Li Jianghai were completely oblivious to this. They were happily munching on the braised pork ribs, their mouths glistening with oil, and muttering, "This is money well spent!"
On one side there are undercurrents of calculation, and on the other side there is heartless joy. Either way is a way of life, except that some people gossip while others chew on their ribs.
In the blink of an eye, it was the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, and the streets of Ji City were so festive that it was almost blinding!
The string of big red lanterns swayed in the cold wind as if they were on fire, and the gold-plated word "Fu" flashed dazzlingly in the sun.
The sound of firecrackers hurt people's eardrums, and the smell of sulfur mixed with the fragrance of oil went straight into people's noses.
The entrance of the department store was packed with people, who were scrambling to grab New Year's goods as if they were grabbing money, elbows bumping into each other, and newly made woolen coats were paired with newly bought Dacron.
At the exit of Jishi Railway Station, three dusty men squeezed out from the surging crowd.
The leader, Ji Ke, was carrying two bulging sacks, with a streak of fresh blood on his forehead; the third brother, Ji Xing, was dragging a large woven bag, cursing and swearing, his right eye bruised;
Old Sijibang had a briefcase with account books hanging around his neck, which contained his entire family property of 208 yuan, and he was also dragging two empty sacks in his hands!
The entire street was immersed in the joy of the New Year, except for the three Ji brothers, who had just come out of the train station. They looked completely out of place in the festivities. They were dragging bulging sacks, like three gray mice, standing out against the red streets.
"Make way! Make way!" A woman with permed hair rushed forward with a New Year gift box half as tall as a person, and her brand new leather shoes mercilessly rolled over Ji Xing's feet.
Just as Ji Xing was about to explode, the woman had already disappeared in the red crowd, leaving behind only a string of silver bell-like laughter.
At the barber stall on the corner, men of all ages lined up, cracking melon seeds and chatting.
"Have you heard? The Zhang family received a hundred yuan in year-end bonuses this year!"
"The textile factory also distributed down jackets this year. I heard they cost 30 or 40 yuan each!"
These words pierced the ears of the Ji brothers like a knife. They subconsciously tightened the mouth of the sack, fearing that someone would see the wrinkled "humiliation" inside.
At the grocery store across the street, the salesperson was shouting at the top of his lungs: "Tickets required! Purchase limit: two kilograms of hairtail per person!"
The crowd immediately rushed over like a tide, knocking Ji Bang, who was standing in the middle of the road, to stagger.
After many twists and turns, the three stray dogs returned to their hometown in Jijia Hutong in shame.
Ji Xing kicked the gate open with one foot. With a loud "bang", the hens pecking at food in the yard were startled and fled in all directions with flapping wings.
Ji Ke had a gloomy face and threw the bulging sack heavily on the floor of the main room.
The mouth of the sack opened, revealing dozens of wrinkled down jackets - these were the "remnants" they had fought so hard to snatch back.
I had been expecting to make a fortune like in previous years, but who would have thought that this time I would lose everything.
When Sun Li heard the noise, she ran out quickly. Seeing her husband Ji Jie's gloomy face, she almost dropped the rolling pin in her hand.
"Boss...why did you come back so early? Didn't you say you'd be selling in Shanghai until New Year's Eve?"
"Sell?" Ji Xing sneered, grabbed the teapot on the table and threw it to the ground. "Sell it! The goods were confiscated! The three of us almost ended up in jail!"
Broken porcelain pieces flew everywhere, and Sun Li turned pale with fright!
Ten days ago, just like before, the three brothers came to Shanghai with 500 carefully prepared down jackets.
These duck feathers collected from the countryside, modified with thick needles and large threads in small workshops, are transformed into bulging and fashionable winter clothes.
It can be sold for 45 yuan in Shanghai. They made a lot of money in the past two years!
At this time in the past, they would have their wallets bulging and would be counting money on the Bund until their hands were numb, looking as carefree as they could be.
Instead of squatting on the doorstep and cursing at your parents like now!
The City God Temple ten days ago:
At daybreak, the bluestone road in front of the City God Temple was crowded with street stalls of all sizes.
Ji Ke exhaled white mist and hung his last bright red down jacket on the wire rack. The colorful clothes looked like a field of wild flowers in the morning mist.
"Hey, a down jacket from North China?" An elderly woman in a woolen hat reached out and pinched it. "Is the down really that solid?"
"Auntie, please feel it," Ji Ke grinned, patting the clothes. "Genuine Heilongjiang duck down, 35 yuan a piece, it's guaranteed to be warmer than your cotton-padded jacket..."
Several orders were made as soon as the stall opened. Ji Ke's mouth was still curled up behind his ears, and the crowd surged in all directions like a tide.
Three city officials wearing red armbands strode over, the four golden characters "Market Management" glaring in the morning light. They were asking vendors for their licenses!
Ji Ke didn't take it seriously, just because he had shown filial piety to Director Hu. Unexpectedly, the leader with a black face and a red armband came to them in a short while!
"Take the move!" the man with a black face and a red armband asked, pulling off his bright red down jacket. The hanger made a sharp "squeak" sound as it scratched on the wire.
Ji Ke smiled even more and handed over the ten dollars and eighty cents in his hand, "Comrade, we have greeted Director Hu. We come here every year..."
When the man with the black face and red armband heard Director Hu, he flipped through the special list in his hand. Unfortunately, there was no "North China Down Jacket" on it!
"Fuck your grandma!" The man with the black face and red armband waved his hand and sent his cigarette flying across the cobblestones. "I don't care if it's Hu Si or sushi, down jacket or cotton-padded jacket! Foreign goods need a permit to enter Shanghai! If you set up a street stall without a permit, you're just like pile drivers!"
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