Chapter Five
There's an old saying that people often like to use derogatory language to belittle what they can't have.
It's as if by doing this, one can stand in a superior position, as if conveying a certain meaning:
It's not that you look down on me, it's that I don't care about you!
Now, this female factory worker with a mole on her face has this kind of mentality towards Lei Tingjun.
Sour grapes are grapes.
Besides, she felt that she had originally intended to be compatible with those who were less desirable, and had deliberately made herself suffer by choosing a sour grape with less desirable qualities.
As a result, this sour grape didn't appreciate the good thing.
Now, she thinks Lei Tingjun is just a rotten grape that doesn't know its value. She hopes he'll stay single forever and never find a wife. That would be so satisfying and give her a good venting of her anger!
After leaving the factory's staff dormitory, Lei Tingjun rode a 28-inch bicycle to the county.
In this year, although the college entrance examination has been reinstated for many years.
However, for a working-class guy like Lei Tingjun who dropped out of high school halfway through, if he wants to pick up his books again and take the college entrance exam, he still has to go to a proper bookstore in the county to buy review materials.
As for the two female factory workers who were gossiping about him behind his back, Lei Tingjun had no idea that they even existed.
It only takes about twenty minutes to ride a bicycle from the factory area to the county town.
After getting off the car, Lei Tingjun parked his bicycle in front of a utility pole by the roadside fence, locked the tires with a lock, and then walked into the bookstore.
There are many bicycle thieves at this time. If you go shopping and don't lock your bicycle, it's easy for someone to steal it the moment you turn around.
Even someone as tall and strong as Lei Tingjun has to be wary of car thieves all over the streets.
"Boss, give me some of the latest college entrance exam review materials for this year."
As soon as he entered, Lei Tingjun spoke loudly to the bookstore owner.
The bookstore owner, wearing thin silver-rimmed glasses and a gray Zhongshan-style long cotton gown, looked every bit the sophisticated, cultured man. He was sitting behind the counter, flipping through a newspaper.
Upon hearing this, he pulled down his glasses and glanced at Lei Tingjun.
He saw that the man who came in was muscular, tall and long-legged, with a buzz cut, a thick nose and sharp eyebrows. His eyes and brows revealed a rough and arrogant temperament, and he also had an indescribable gangster vibe.
He may be young, but he doesn't look like a true scholar.
What a rough guy!
The bookstore owner wasn't very enthusiastic, thinking it was just another case of someone who'd only be interested for a short time, so he became dismissive: "Looking for college entrance exam review materials? They're on the second shelf inside. Go find them yourself."
Lei Tingjun stood still in front of the counter and said in a deep voice, "How would I know which books are effective? I just asked you to recommend some."
"Hey, you..." The shopkeeper put down his newspaper and came out from behind the counter.
The shopkeeper took seven or eight thick review books from the bookshelf, stacked them on the counter, and pointed with his chin: "Here, these are all. They're all new from last year and this year, with exam questions and key points all in them. Do you just want one, or do you want them all?"
When the bookstore owner said this, he was just trying to make fun of this young man with a rough, street-smart attitude.
Because these review books are more expensive than regular newspapers and storybooks; buying seven or eight of them would cost an average worker more than half a month's salary.
If someone really doesn't have that idea, they'll usually wave their hands and say no as soon as they hear the price.
The bookstore owner cherishes talent and doesn't want these good books and materials to be wasted in the hands of such a rough person.
Good learning materials should be given to those who truly need and cherish them!
Lei Tingjun glanced at the stack of books on the bookshelf, tapped his fingers on the glass with old newspapers clipped to it, and said, "I'll take them all. How much?"
Huh, he didn't scare her away?
The bookstore owner couldn't help but take another look at the seemingly rugged young man.
"Young man, you've got quite the nerve. These books aren't cheap. A set would cost you several tens of yuan."
Seventy-eight dollars was a considerable sum in the 1980s.
Let me put it this way: at that time, a pound of pork only cost eight or nine cents, less than a dollar.
Potatoes cost two or three cents a pound, electricity costs seven or eight cents a kilowatt-hour, and a haircut at a barbershop only costs fifty cents. Fifty or sixty yuan is enough for a family of three to live on for a month.
That's why the bookstore owner would say something like that.
Because these customized review materials for key knowledge points are much more expensive than the textbooks distributed by schools.
Many people who want to review for the college entrance examination borrow other people's used books and then use them themselves, repeating this process repeatedly.
Upon hearing this, Lei Tingjun took out the loose change from his pocket and glanced at it.
He had two bills of ten, a few small bills, and a handful of one- and two-cent coins. In short, he had taken all the money he had left with him before leaving the dormitory.
But when I took it out and counted it now, it wasn't enough.
Lei Tingjun then said, "Give me two books first, and I'll buy the others in a couple of days after I finish reading them. You can save them for me."
The bookstore owner was initially interested, but now he realized it was just a case of putting on a show.
But he wouldn't turn away business when it came to him, so he picked out two of the more concise ones and said, "Take these two for now, fifteen yuan."
Lei Tingjun didn't waste any time; he paid the money, took the book, and left.
The bookstore owner pushed up his glasses and looked at the young man's tall and handsome back. In fact, he wasn't very optimistic about the young man's idea of retaking the college entrance exam.
Some overly meticulous and pedantic people are like this; they like to judge a person based on their so-called experience and knowledge.
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