◎Second update◎
When Liang Baozhen heard what Xu Shengjie said, she was obviously stunned for a moment.
She almost forgot that this man was also a courageous fellow. Even though he held the baby in his arms every day and washed Shanshan's diapers skillfully, he must have secretly been to the black market before.
When Xu Shengjie saw his wife lowering her eyes in deep thought, he thought he had scared her.
"I know that working in a factory is stable, and everyone would think that being a worker is good because they get a fixed salary every month. But you can see what's going on at home now. If you really take the monthly quota of food, oil, rice and flour that everyone gets, you can't fill your stomach at all."
The Xu family had a lot of savings, thanks to the salary and allowances that Xu Shengjie had saved from his years in the army. But even so, they couldn't eat meat often, let alone buy cloth to make new clothes. It was useless to have money, as the coupons were not enough. If you want to live a better life, you have to learn some tricks. This is how the world works. If you follow the rules completely, you will end up suffering.
Shanshan's milk powder was obtained by Xu Shengjie through his connections; it was not easy to come by.
"The policy has indeed been relaxed now, and there are new opportunities. I thought I might as well give it a try so that my family can live a good life in the future." He has not been to the south yet, but he has heard from his old comrades that there are many things to be found there, all of which most people can never see or touch, including radios, tape recorders, televisions, various nutritional products, and fabrics that have never been seen before... everything.
You can make a lot of money by going out and buy some new things.
Xu Shengjie could sense from bits and pieces of information that everything would change and he had to seize this opportunity.
Liang Baozhen listened to the man's words and suddenly remembered that she met him in her dream when he was middle-aged. This man was going to the south to make a fortune, but in his previous life, he went to the south late. At that time, there were a lot of things in his family and he couldn't free himself, so he turned down the invitation from his old comrade. Later, he regretted it and said that he went too late and missed the best time.
At that time, there was "gold" everywhere, and as long as you were willing to work hard, you could make money in any way.
"Have you thought about what you are going to do in the future?" Liang Baozhen remembered what was written in the book about the easiest ways to make a fortune at this time, which were nothing more than clothes and radios. The more people needed tickets to buy something, the more valuable it was. The former was a necessity, and the latter was rare.
"Take a look at the clothes and fabrics." Xu Shengjie had indeed asked his old comrades, "Clothes and fabrics are selling best in Guangdong City right now. There are already many people setting up stalls on the street. We have inquired about the prices. As long as we can sell them back to Beijing, the profit will be considerable."
"Don't worry, someone has already done it, there's no problem." Xu Shengjie added this because he was worried about his wife's concern.
This is a world where the brave die and the timid die of hunger.
Liang Baozhen was not too worried. The policy was indeed relaxed now. Xu Shengjie was smart. Even if there was any problem, he should be able to solve it. "Then when will you go? How long will you be there? What about the work in the factory?"
"I plan to go there in the middle of next month. I'll find a friend to cover for me for half a month. It's almost summer now, and it's a time when we're short of clothes and fabrics. Let's give it a try first. Anyway, we'll just delay for half a month."
"Okay, then you have to be careful." No matter how you look at it, it is a long journey and it will take a lot of time on the road, not to mention sitting on the train for several days with the goods. Many people have never traveled far in their lives.
At the beginning of this year, some people lived their lives according to the routine, while others were ready to make some moves. Liang Baozhen and Xu Shengjie discussed and agreed to withdraw 1,000 yuan from the passbook and give it to him as the capital for this trial.
In fact, Liang Baozhen had a good idea in her mind that as long as she could bring the things back safely, she would be able to make money, and a lot of it.
I didn't expect my wife to agree so quickly. You know, my old comrade's wife had been crying, making a fuss, and even threatening to commit suicide for more than half a month. She just wanted her husband to find a proper job and live a quiet life. The idea of going far away to trade goods sounded unreliable.
"Zhenzhen, don't worry, I will definitely come back safely."
"I believe you!" Liang Baozhen saw that Xu Shengjie's matter was settled, and then thought of her own affairs, "I also have something to tell you."
"What is it?"
"I want to sell popsicles during the summer vacation."
Xu Shengjie: “…?”
It turns out that not only is he restless, but his wife is also restless.
"You think the same thing as me, you still want to sell popsicles?" Xu Shengjie thought about it, if it really can be sold, it would be good indeed. When summer comes and the weather is hot, popsicles will definitely be popular. "The main problem is the supply..."
"I've already secured the supply." Liang Baozhen was beaming with joy as she spoke of this, describing how she had obtained a wholesale quota at a food factory. "I've even picked a location."
"You're really quick." Xu Shengjie raised his eyebrows. In such a short time, you've secured the quota and found the place?
"Things may develop quickly in the future, so we must prepare early." Liang Baozhen just didn't expect that Xu Shengjie also had a plan. She blinked at Xu Shengjie proudly, with a smile in her eyes.
However, Xu Shengjie was worried, so he asked his wife to take him to have a look. He checked the place where the popsicles were going to be sold for her, and calculated the distance to transport the popsicles from the popsicle factory. Finally, he concluded, "I'll make you a popsicle cart so it will be more convenient when the time comes, and let Xiaowei help you pull it over."
The time Liang Baozhen wanted to set up a stall to sell popsicles coincided with the time Xu Shengjie went south, so he couldn't help her, so he could only plan for her in advance, "Xiao Wei and Xiao Ya will also be on summer vacation at that time, so it's a good time for me to help you. I know someone at the steel plant, he's the head of the security department, and he's a veteran from another military region. If you have any problems, go find him, he can help you."
Listening to Xu Shengjie's thoughtful consideration, Liang Baozhen just nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take note of it."
Xu Shengjie had seen popsicle carts that sold popsicles in the past, and now he can make a similar one by copying the same model.
Several wide and thick wooden boards were sawed into equal lengths, inlaid into a square wooden box, and then painted white. Four small wheels were obtained from an acquaintance in the transport team. The top board of the wooden box could be lifted up halfway to facilitate the placement and removal of popsicles. Four or five layers of quilts were placed in the box, and it was wrapped tightly in three directions.
Finally, Liang Baozhen used a brush dipped in red ink to write the word "Popsicle" in large letters on all four sides of the painting, and that was it.
"Try it." Xu Shengjie made it for her very carefully, and it looked exactly like a popsicle cart.
Liang Baozhen found it convenient and effortless to push the popsicle cart. She had originally wanted to rent one from a food factory, but now she could save money.
"It's fine, there's nothing wrong." She lifted half of the wooden board and looked inside. She could smell hot steam. It was stuffed with a quilt, and she could feel the heat just by looking at it.
"I'll make you a change box." Everything was ready. Xu Shengjie hammered a nail into the back of the popsicle box and hung a small wooden box that he had made in advance. It could not only hold change, but also some small gadgets.
Liang Baozhen looked at the popsicle cart with great satisfaction and wanted to use it right away.
Xu Shengjie didn't dare tell anyone else in the family, especially his grandmother, that he was going south to do business. As she was old, she always thought too much. Xu Shengjie said that he had to buy equipment for the factory in another province and would be delayed for a while.
The day he left was a sunny day. It was the beginning of summer this year and the weather suddenly became hot.
The train was at 8:30 in the evening. After dinner, Liang Baozhen packed his luggage, which included two sets of clothes and trousers. As for the one thousand yuan, half was put in Xu Shengjie's pocket and the other half was put in a small bag sewn inside the luggage bag.
Because it was getting dark, Liang Baozhen wanted to see him off at the train station, but Xu Shengjie firmly disagreed, otherwise it would be past nine o'clock when she came back.
The two packed their things in the bedroom. Xu Shengjie was wearing an ordinary gray-blue shirt and trousers, almost the same as most people outside, except that he looked much more handsome.
"Please be careful on the road." Liang Baozhen didn't feel it for real a few days ago, but now that the man suddenly wanted to leave, she felt a little reluctant in her heart.
Xu Shengjie was naturally reluctant to leave. He pulled his wife into his arms, holding her tightly with both hands. With such a warm and soft girl in his arms, he almost didn't want to go to the train station. "I'll be back soon. If you have anything to discuss with grandma, come and talk to her. Otherwise, you can find anyone in the orphanage. They are all very nice people."
"Yeah." Liang Baozhen nodded, buried her head in Xu Shengjie's chest, and her voice buzzed out.
Xu Shengjie held her face and kissed Liang Baozhen on her red lips, "I'm leaving."
This time Liang Baozhen didn't care that the child was still in bed. She was sitting there with her head down playing with a rattle. The rattle was being played loudly, making a "dong dong dong" sound that attracted her so much that she didn't even pay attention to her parents.
Shanshan, who just turned one year old, didn't know that her father was going away. She only heard a familiar voice calling her. She raised her head and looked at her father. She was kissed on her chubby cheek and smiled happily at her father.
"Be good, Shanshan. Dad will be back in a few days."
Liang Baozhen carried her daughter and her family to the entrance of the alley. The summer evening breeze blew and carried him to a distant place.
In the past two months, there have indeed been a few people setting up stalls to sell things in the city, and they are all very brave and have no regard for shame.
"Someone is selling brine offal outside. I just bought half a pound. No ticket required!" Qian Jingjing ran back to the compound excitedly, and couldn't wait to share the news with everyone.
Qian Jingjing's family only had enough meat coupons and no access to the meat processing plant, so they could only eat meat a few times a month. A few days ago, she saw someone selling brine on the street, but she just took a peek and felt that the person was going to be arrested by the red armbands.
How dare this person do private business? Isn't this courting death?
As a result, she waited and waited for several days. Qian Jingjing could see the vendor on the way back to the compound every day, and he had not been caught yet. In the beginning, no one went to buy meat, but now people gradually came forward to inquire and buy some to take away. Today, Qian Jingjing couldn't help it. She hadn't eaten meat for half a month, and her two children were very greedy.
"Are you really selling it?" Sun Zhiqiang was also tempted. He couldn't move when he smelled the meat and said, "Will we be arrested then?"
"He hasn't been caught, he really hasn't been caught!" Qian Jingjing didn't care about that. She ate first. She had already bought it. Even if the vendor was caught, she couldn't be held responsible. Even if she wanted to be held responsible, many people had bought it. She couldn't go door to door to find him. "Brother Sun, it smells really good. If you go over now, there might be some left. I see he didn't bring much offal. I guess it's almost sold out."
Sun Zhiqiang was hesitant. On the one hand, he was craving for meat, but on the other hand, he was afraid to go because he was worried that something might happen and he would be affected.
Others in the hospital looked around when they heard this, not daring to move. "Is this okay? I think the red armbands have to go."
"But there has been no movement for several days, so it should be alright, right?"
Nobody was sure what to do. Luo Hongmei and her daughter-in-law Wang Xiaocui came out of the house. Wang Xiaocui was smiling, but Luo Hongmei had a sad face. She only found out today that her son Yao Haoyu had coaxed and tricked her into taking money yesterday, but ended up secretly giving it to Wang Xiaocui, which made her very angry.
But she was so angry that she couldn't vent it and almost got sick.
Now when I hear someone setting up a stall to sell things, I immediately find someone to vent my anger on. "What kind of world is this? There are still people setting up stalls to sell things? How shameless! I think farmers working in the fields are better than these people. Selling things on the street? Tsk tsk, how shameful."
Luo Hongmei couldn't stand it and thought it was disgraceful.
The Xu family, who were about to borrow the bus to go out and wholesale popsicles, suddenly stopped when they heard this. Xu Shengwei glanced at the other end from a distance and felt that Aunt Luo's words were too harsh.
"Xiao Wei, let's go and ignore her."
Liang Baozhen is going to take Xiaowei and Xiaoya to wholesale popsicles today. Xu Shengjie had already arrived in Yueshi the day before yesterday. After setting foot on the land, he went to the post office to make a long-distance call to report that he was safe, and then went about his own business.
The author has something to say:
The weather is so hot, I also bought some ice cream and ate it hahaha
In summer, there is nothing happier than bringing home a batch of ice cream!
Thanks to the cutie who irrigated the nutrient solution: 1 bottle of Zhixia; 1 bottle of Mu Ni Ge Da Chen Chen Ya;
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