Chapter 107 Smearing
Upon hearing the words "settling accounts," Lin Sanlang's eyes lit up like light bulbs.
The three of them quickly bolted the doors and windows, and excitedly poured all the money they had earned that night onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
Colorful bills, one yuan, two yuan, ten yuan...
Lin Baozhu spoke first, her excitement barely contained: "I have ten 'blouses,' five pairs of leather shoes, plus about ten pounds of large Fuji apples and two big fat chickens. That's all I've collected!" She held up four fingers.
Lin Erlang pushed up his glasses, a hint of smug satisfaction on his lips: "I had a bit more stock than you, and I sold 763."
"Haha!" Lin Sanlang laughed, pointing triumphantly to a pile of money and saying, "Looks like it was me again, I sold a total of nine hundred and thirty-five!"
The three of them added up the numbers and exclaimed, "Good heavens!" Two thousand and ninety-eight dollars! After deducting the initial investment of about four hundred dollars, they had made a net profit of one thousand six hundred and ninety-eight dollars from the night's frights and scares! In the early 1970s, this was an absolutely staggering sum of money!
Lin Erlang stared at the pile of money covered in dirt and wood chips, the joy in his eyes fading. He patted his chest and said, "We were able to earn this much only because those shady characters wanted to take it for free! They dared to agree to our exorbitant prices, their plan was to rob us later... That's why the three of us got a great deal. We should avoid going to the black market as much as possible in the future."
The situation is very serious right now. If you get caught, being sent to a farm and suffering hardship would be the least of your worries. I heard that several people have been executed in the city for speculation and profiteering!
"Second Brother!"
Lin Sanlang looked at the pile of money, his mind racing. "Such lucrative business, it's such a waste to just throw it away. If all else fails, how about we switch to another business? We won't sell these flashy clothes and items!"
To be honest, he really didn't want to give up the lucrative "black market".
Lin Baozhu looked at Lin Sanlang in surprise. She had originally thought that if Lin Sanlang was too scared to go, she would find a way to take over the lucrative black market herself. Unexpectedly, this kid, who seemed reckless, was actually quite brave. The danger last night had not deterred him at all; on the contrary, it had ignited his fighting spirit, making him seem more courageous after each setback.
Yes, he's destined for great things!
Lin Erlang looked at his younger brother and sister staring at him expectantly, sighed, and said as if he had made up his mind, "I didn't want to get involved in this favor... but since you don't want to give up, then fine! Don't rush back to the village after get off work tomorrow, let's go to my place for a meal together! I'll introduce you to someone."
"What Second Brother means is..." Lin Baozhu understood immediately.
"Yes!" Lin Erlang nodded.
Lin Sanlang, standing nearby, scratched his head like a monkey and said, "Hey! What are you two talking about? Are we still going to do the black market? Just give me a straight answer!"
Seeing him jumping up and down in a panic, Lin Baozhu explained with a smile, "Second Brother knows someone in charge of the 'Big Black Market'! This meal tomorrow is to set us up! In the future, if we have any good goods, we can go directly through their channels! Although the profit might be a little smaller, the risk is much lower! We won't have to worry about being chased like dogs by those red armbands anymore!"
Lin Sanlang's eyes darted around as he muttered to himself, "Well... for big items, we'll go through the manager's connections. On ordinary days, can we go to the smaller 'alley black markets' to buy some odds and ends? I want to take advantage of this trend and make as much money as possible! So that if there's an emergency at home in the future, we won't have to beg and plead with others to borrow money."
These simple words reveal the most realistic calculations of ordinary people at the bottom of society in that era.
Lin Baozhu looked at her seemingly simple-minded third brother with some surprise. In the early 1970s, the whole country was engaged in a fierce struggle over ideological lines, and many people avoided the words "speculation and profiteering" like the plague, fearing they would be associated with capitalism. His idea was bold enough, and practical enough!
"OK!"
Lin Baozhu made a decision, "I'll figure out the source of the goods. My 'classmate' has some connections! Those big, fat chickens yesterday, weighing fourteen or fifteen pounds each, were all procured by her! Tomorrow, when we meet with the person in charge, we'll find out the price!"
After saying that, he glanced at the silent Lin Erlang and laughed, "The three of us put in a lot of effort last night, so we must split the profits equally! Second Brother helped us get this connection, so we can't let him work for nothing! From now on, Second Brother will get 10% of the profits from the business! Consider it a contribution! If there are any problems, Second Brother will be there to help us out."
My second brother is married now, so we can't let him work for nothing.
Lin Sanlang joked, "Our second brother treats money like dirt..."
Lin Erlang quickly chimed in, grinning, "Alright! Little sister, then I won't be polite about the money!"
Lin Sanlang: "..." Big brother, you answered that way too smoothly. Shouldn't you have said that since the third brother doesn't have a wife yet, he doesn't want the money?
After the three finished "dividing the spoils" (cough, I mean dividing the money), Lin Baozhu and Lin Erlang rode their bicycles straight to the machine factory, while Lin Sanlang carefully locked the small courtyard gate and returned to the village—although it was the off-season for farming, it wouldn't be good for the villagers to gossip about him if he spent too much time wandering around the city, which would affect his family.
Before the two even reached the factory gate, they saw Qin Haifeng straddling a bicycle, one foot on the ground. Beside him stood a conspicuous figure—
Zhou Xiaohong!!
A nameless fire inexplicably surged within Lin Baozhu. She pedaled furiously, sending the wheels hurtling forward. As she drew closer, Zhou Xiaohong's affected, strained voice drifted over clearly:
"Hey, comrade, what's your relationship with Lin Baozhu? You're not her boyfriend, are you? It's not appropriate for me to say this... but she doesn't have a very good reputation in our factory..."
"This lady!"
Qin Haifeng's voice was colder than ice: "I know exactly who Lin Baozhu is! You don't need to point fingers at me! If you know it's inappropriate to gossip, then shut your mouth! We don't even know each other! Have you never seen a man before? You get all smitten as soon as you see someone decent-looking? Stay away from me! Or I'll report you for indecent assault!" He was already annoyed, and this woman was buzzing around like a fly, but he couldn't just slap her away. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
"Playing...playing the hooligan?!"
Zhou Xiaohong's face instantly turned bright red with embarrassment, and the stares from the onlookers made her wish she could disappear into the ground.
She did indeed intend to smear Lin Baozhu and "get to know" this handsome man. But how could this man be like this? Completely shameless? His words sound like they've been injected with pesticide!
"Qin Haifeng! No mission today?" Lin Baozhu's clear voice rang out.
Qin Haifeng's eyes lit up upon hearing this. He straightened up with a swish of his long legs, and the gloom on his face instantly disappeared: "I came here specifically to find you!"
"You can tell me what you need me for later!"
Lin Baozhu deftly shoved the handlebars into Qin Haifeng's hands: "I need to take care of some personal grudges first!"
After saying that, he strode up to Zhou Xiaohong, crossed his arms, and scrubbed her up and down several times with a critical look in his eyes, making loud "tsk tsk tsk" sounds.
"Zhou Xiaohong, do you know what kind of behavior you just displayed?"
Zhou Xiaohong was both embarrassed and annoyed: "What do you mean?!"
"She's a complete spinster who can't get married!"
Lin Baozhu deliberately raised her voice: "You're jealous that others are better than you! More capable than you! You rely on ruining other people's reputations to find a sense of existence! Do you know why you're so old and still no man wants you?"
As she spoke, she quickly pulled a small round mirror from her pocket and shoved it into Zhou Xiaohong's face without any politeness, continuing, "Take a good look at yourself! You're not good-looking, and your heart is dirty! Your mouth stinks more than a cesspool! Don't even mention proper workers, even the dogs at the entrance of our village would shake their heads at the smell of you! Have you forgotten that time you shared a bed with that traitor Director Zhang? Oh, his wife was sent to the farm for reform through labor, so how come you're still working here peacefully? Did you use some underhanded means to whitewash yourself again?"
Lin Baozhu's eyes were sharp as knives, piercing straight to the heart of the matter.
Zhou Xiaohong's face drained of color instantly, her lips trembling as she stammered, "You...you're talking nonsense! The police...the police have already investigated and found out that I have nothing to do with that Zhang guy! Lin Baozhu, you can't slander me, your revolutionary comrade, just because I said a few words to your boyfriend!"
"Slander? You dare to smear me?!"
Lin Baozhu sneered, leaning closer to her and lowering her voice, which carried a strong sense of intimidation, "Zhou Xiaohong, the police and the factory will naturally find out why you've gotten away with it. You'd better clean up your mess! Otherwise... I'll let you experience what it means to be completely helpless!"
She initially couldn't be bothered with this woman, but she kept coming up to cause trouble. Should she just swallow her anger again? Did she really think she was some kind of clay saint?
Zhou Xiaohong was now filled with deep regret. She must have been out of her mind to have provoked that wicked Lin Baozhu!
More and more onlookers gathered, and it would be even more embarrassing to stay any longer. She glared venomously at Lin Baozhu, then turned and ran back into the factory, her back view showing little sign of distress.
"Pah! You shameless wretch who's just asking for a beating!" Lin Baozhu spat at her retreating back, then turned around. The anger on her face quickly faded. She approached Qin Haifeng, her voice low and inquiring: "Last night... why did you end up in the woods with the red armband?"
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