Chapter 18 Buying a bicycle.
Bicycles were a rare commodity, and the quantity was small each time they came back. When people heard that they were back in stock and rushed to the supply and marketing cooperative, they would have already been sold out.
He Susu was not surprised by the news that the bicycles were out of stock. It had been a long time since the sales clerks in the supply and marketing cooperative had been treating customers coldly.
She didn't know when the bicycle would be available. She could come and ask every day, but there was no certain time of day when the bicycle would be delivered. She worked at the cinema and couldn't leave, so she didn't know when she would be able to buy the bicycle.
As a salesperson in a supply and marketing cooperative, I can definitely get some information in advance. And if there are bicycles in stock, unless the senior leader has asked for one, the salesperson has some power to reserve one.
She approached the counter and, taking advantage of the fact that there were no people around, handed the salesperson a box of vanishing cream that she had just exchanged for with her mind using 3 points of diligence in the shopping system: "Comrade, could you please let me know in advance when the bicycles are arriving? I also work in the county, near the cinema."
Even if you work in a supply and marketing cooperative, you can't always afford a box of vanishing cream that costs four yuan. After the salesperson saw the box of vanishing cream in his hand, he put it away calmly and said calmly: "If you really want to buy a bicycle, come back at noon in seven days."
Look, just now he said lightly "Just wait for it", but now he almost said that the bicycles will arrive at noon in seven days. He Susu smiled and thanked him: "Okay, I'll make a note of it. Thank you comrade."
She walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative and headed towards the cinema.
Being able to hear from the salesperson about the arrival of the bicycle made the box of vanishing cream worth giving away.
He Susu didn't feel bad about the 3 points of diligence. She now washed lunch boxes at noon and swept the yard at home after dinner. She could save 2 points of diligence a day. Even if she exchanged them for pork from time to time and took them home, she still saved a lot.
The letter sent by my third brother said that the supply and marketing cooperative had few bicycles and they were hard to buy. If I waited too long and there were no stocks, I could go to the county government to ask his retired comrade-in-arms for help in placing an order.
He Susu regarded this method as a last resort. It was better to owe a favor to her third brother's comrade-in-arms by spending 3 diligence points to get a bicycle.
It was still early when they arrived at the cinema, so He Susu opened the door as usual and inspected the three screening rooms before returning to the ticket counter and sitting there waiting for customers to come and buy movie tickets.
Life went on as usual, and before the bicycles arrived the cinema's salary payment came.
Before she knew it, He Susu had been working for a month. She was quite excited when she received 18 yuan in scattered money from the director. This was her first salary, earned through her hard work, and completely different from the money she made from selling milk powder and lipstick before!
He Susu couldn't help but sigh: "It feels pretty good to get paid like this."
Zhou Xiaoqian came to collect her four dollars today. When she heard what He Susu said, she smiled and said, "Of course it's good to have a salary. We have our own money. We can buy whatever we want without having to look at other people's faces and beg for a few cents. I just heard from the director that you work very hard."
"It's just that the director doesn't mind." He Susu said modestly.
Zhou Xiaoqian disagreed. "The director doesn't usually praise people easily. When I was looking for help before I gave birth, the director specifically told me to introduce someone who is diligent and down-to-earth to work here. In a cinema, you have to face different customers every day, collect money, show movies, and have a good temper. Now it seems that you are completely qualified."
He Susu was so flattered that she felt embarrassed. She usually thought her job was easy, but she didn't expect that the director, who seemed to care little about the cinema and rarely showed up, would have such high expectations. "I'm also very happy to be able to do a good job at the cinema."
Thinking of her children at home, Zhou Xiaoqian said helplessly, "Oh, by the way, I have to trouble you, Susu, to help me buy milk powder. My children drink milk a lot, so the milk powder is consumed quickly. Three bags of milk powder may seem like a lot, but they are almost finished in a month."
He Susu: "You're welcome, Sister Xiaoqian. How many more bags of milk powder do you want to buy?"
Zhou Xiaoqian said with a pained look in her heart: "Let's buy six more bags of milk powder. It should last for two months, and I won't have to bother you to ask someone to buy it for you every month."
He Susu nodded: "Okay, then I will send a telegram directly to my relatives in Shanghai to tell them about buying milk powder. It should arrive in three days, and I will send it to you then."
Zhou Xiaoqian: "Okay, the remaining milk powder should be enough for three days. I'll come to the cinema to get it from you, so you don't have to run around when you're busy at work."
He Susu was naturally happy that she could make fewer trips.
Zhou Xiaoqian was worried about her children at home, so she told them the most important things and went home first. He Susu went back to the ticket counter and wrote tickets for customers who came to the cinema and collected money.
When she returned home in the evening, He Susu thought of the malted milk she had always wanted, so she opened the shopping system and exchanged it generously.
After dinner at night, she took the newly received 18 yuan to the main house and said, "Look, Dad and Mom, this is the salary I just received today!"
Father He looked at the money in his daughter's hand and grinned, "She got paid, that's good."
He's mother took the bills and looked at them one by one, and said happily: "This eighteen yuan is really rare, but it's your first salary, you must keep it well." As she said that, she was about to stuff the money back into her daughter's hand.
He Susu refused to take it and stuffed the money back into her hands: "Mom, of course I have to give all my first month's salary to you and Dad. You raised me up so much, and now I can finally make money. You have to cherish these 18 yuan."
He's father smiled and said, "My daughter is still good at talking."
He felt very relieved.
However, the couple looked at each other and understood that He's mother wanted to give the money to her daughter: "Your father and I just need to know your feelings. You work in the county town every day. If you want to eat something or buy something occasionally, you need money in your hand."
He Susu insisted: "I still have the royalties from my previous articles. If you have money, you can take the 18 yuan without worry."
She simply put her hands behind her back, looking like she would never take the money.
He's mother had no choice but to accept it: "Okay, I have to keep your 18 yuan separately. This is my daughter's first month's salary. I will never spend it no matter what."
Both she and He's father had smiles on their faces. I'm sure they'll wake up laughing in their dreams tonight.
Thinking of the can of malted milk she just brought home, He Susu said, "Oh, by the way, Mom, I passed by the department store after get off work and saw that malted milk was in stock, so I bought a can. I'll put it in the kitchen later, and you and Dad can make some to drink from time to time to supplement your body."
"You are just short of money, girl. You bought malted milk right after you got your salary. You even gave me all the 18 yuan. Could it be that you spent the royalties you earned before?" He's mother couldn't help but mutter after hearing this.
She waved her hand, "Your father and I don't need to drink this stuff. The malted milk is in your room. If you want to drink it, just scoop it out and go to the kitchen to make it."
He's mother also had her own selfish motives. Malted milk was not cheap, and her daughter bought it to supplement her nutrition. If she put it in the kitchen, what if the eldest and second daughters-in-law saw it and got interested in it, and made it for the children every now and then? Could she stop them? It was better to put it in her daughter's room, and no one could say anything.
He Susu could more or less guess her mother's thoughts, so she said, "Okay, then put it in my room first. When you two want to drink, just go to my room and get it."
That night, when He Susu made herself a bowl of malted milk, she also urged her parents to make a bowl each.
How could He's mother be so stubborn as to not be able to persuade her daughter? She tasted the malted milk in the bowl and couldn't help saying, "It's sweeter than sugar water. Too greasy."
Having said that, she drank all the malted milk in the bowl and went to the kitchen to refill it with water. What was in the bowl couldn’t be wasted!
Father He drank malted milk, and the sweet taste reminded him of the hard days in the past. At that time, he only hoped to have something to eat every day, and he never thought that he would be able to drink the malted milk that the nobles often drink today.
He Susu drank the malted milk she had been longing for for a long time, and the sweet taste made her feel relaxed and happy. She decided to make a bowl of it every day and call her parents to join her.
On the day when it was said that the bicycles would be available, He Susu hurriedly left the door of the cinema ajar at noon when it was time for the break, to prevent any more customers from coming to ask why the movie could not be shown at noon and she would have to explain it to them for a long time.
She took out her own aluminum lunch box and went to the small room, turned on the coal stove to heat the food in the pot, then returned to the ticket counter and ate it in one gulp.
For fear of wasting time, He Susu covered the aluminum lunch box after eating and put it in the small room to wash it when she came back. She took the key, locked the door of the cinema, and hurried to the supply and marketing cooperative.
The same salesman from the day was still manning the bicycle counter at the supply and marketing cooperative. Seeing He Susu coming over, he gave her a rare friendly look: "Comrade, you're here. Wait a moment. We'll be here soon."
He Susu smiled and nodded: "Okay, thank you comrade."
She moved a few steps and stood next to the counter. Others passing by would only think that she was looking at the things at the counter next to her, and would not wonder why she always stood in front of the bicycle counter.
People these days have developed a knack for shopping, and if she stood at the bicycle counter for a while longer, people would start to wonder if there were any more bicycles in stock. If the news leaked out in advance and more people lined up, she might run into someone with connections, and her bicycle would be gone.
About ten minutes later, a truck came to the door of the supply and marketing cooperative and unloaded the goods, which turned out to be three bicycles!
The crowd passing by outside suddenly became excited. Some came to watch the fun, some ran to pass on the news, and some immediately ran over to line up at the bicycle counter.
Fortunately, He Susu was well prepared and stood in front of the bicycle counter waiting. When the staff moved the three bicycles over and put them on display, she immediately took out the bicycle ticket and said, "Comrade, I want to buy a bicycle."
Salesperson: "A Phoenix 28-bar bicycle costs 175 yuan."
He Susu handed her two hundred yuan directly. The salesperson took the bicycle ticket and the money, and gave her twenty-five yuan in change: "Go pick up the bicycle yourself."
"Thank you, comrade." He Susu thanked him happily. After turning around, she could still hear the people behind her saying that they wanted to buy bicycles. They took out the bicycle tickets and money without any hesitation. In the blink of an eye, the three newly arrived bicycles were sold out.
He Susu pushed her brand new Phoenix 28-bar bicycle out of the supply and marketing cooperative. At this moment, many people were rushing into the cooperative, muttering, "Oh, the bicycles must have been sold out by now."
He Susu pushed the bicycle to a place with fewer people, stepped on the pedal closer to her, and pedaled a few times. The bicycle wheel started to turn. She stretched out her other leg, put it over the seat, and stepped smoothly on the other pedal. Then she rode away on the bicycle.
She could ride a bicycle. Her uncle had a second-hand bicycle. At that time, she and sister Qiaoyi took turns riding the bicycle to take each other to go to school in the county town.
Sister Qiaoyi stopped studying after graduating from junior high school. Her uncle didn't lend her a bicycle, which was so precious, so He Susu had to walk to and from school every day.
She was so lazy, but she was very diligent in studying. She even insisted on walking to school every day. There was no other way. The oxcart from the village arrived at the county town too late, otherwise she would have taken the oxcart to school directly.
Riding a bicycle is less tiring than walking, so He Susu quickly returned to the cinema.
She used her key to open the door. She was afraid that her newly bought bicycle would be scratched by someone who was not careful enough to see it when parked at the door, so she pushed the bicycle inside directly, so that it would not block the customers coming to watch the movie and it would be within their sight.
It's no wonder, looking at the newly bought bicycle, thinking that she could sleep later in the morning before going out, and not have to wait for the oxcart at the supply and marketing cooperative after get off work in the evening, He Susu was in a good mood the whole afternoon, and she was much gentler when entertaining customers who came to buy movie tickets.
At half past five, Sister Chen came over to take over her shift. When she saw the bicycle, she smiled and said, "Susu, did you buy a bicycle?"
"Sister Chen, I was thinking of going to the supply and marketing cooperative at noon, and I happened to see the bicycles arriving, so I bought them." He Susu said with a smile.
Sister Chen nodded: "That means you are lucky and you deserve to buy this bicycle."
He Susu took the initiative to say, "Now that I have a bicycle, Sister Chen, whenever you want to take a break, just tell me in advance, and I'll be able to make it convenient for you."
The two of them each have four days off every month. He Susu used to take a oxcart to and from the county town. If she worked the night shift, there would be no oxcart to take her home at night, and it would not be convenient to go to her eldest sister for help. Sister Chen took the initiative to say that she could wait until she bought a bicycle before working the night shift.
But in the past month, He Susu only rested for four days, which means she had to give Sister Chen four days of rest.
Sister Chen agreed: "Okay, if I want to take a break, I'll tell you in advance."
After the handover was agreed, He Susu rode her bicycle home. The bicycle wheels turned, and the spring breeze blowing in her face was gentle and comfortable. It was a half-hour journey, but she arrived home in less than 20 minutes.
When the He family came back from work, they were naturally happy to see the newly bought bicycles.
In the whole village, only my uncle's family and the village party secretary's family have bicycles. Now my family has a bicycle, which I bought specially for Susu to ride to work. It will be so proud to tell others about it.
It was still a while before dinner, and the eldest and second brothers would ride their bicycles, and under the children's coquettish entanglement, they would take turns to take them out for a ride around the village. Not to mention the children, the two honest men also had smiles on their faces.
If He's father wasn't too old and couldn't ride a bicycle, he would have ridden a bicycle around the village. How impressive!
He's mother stood at the door anxiously. She saw her eldest son shouting and her second son saying, "Slow down, slow down, don't fall over the bike!"
Soon, everyone in the village knew that the He family had just bought a bicycle, and they heard that it was specially bought for his daughter to ride to work. Everyone had a deeper impression of how much the He family loved their daughter, and they estimated that the He family had saved a lot of money.
Previously, people despised the He family's daughter for being lazy and not working, but now she has gone to work at a movie theater in the county town. Although it's only been half a year, it will probably be easier for her to find a job in the future. Now she has a bicycle, so naturally some people can't help but be tempted to find a matchmaker to find a wife for their sons.
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