Chapter 65, Bicycle
Just as Lin Qingqing's work at the supply and marketing cooperative was progressing smoothly, a letter arrived from her hometown.
After she and Xie Wei arrived at the military base, they sent a telegram back to let them know they were safe. After settling in, they wrote back to explain the situation here. It took several days for the letter to be sent back, and then the other side wrote back, so they only received the letter now.
There were three letters in total. One was from Li Xingfang, containing everyday conversations and mainly expressing concern for their lives there. Another was from Xie Baoshan, primarily informing Lin Qingqing about the development of the garment factory and discussing some issues that arose during its development. The last letter was from Li Juan, inquiring about her living conditions and jokingly asking at the end if she knew any suitable young men in the army, hoping she could introduce them to someone.
The first letter was replied to by Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei together. The second letter was written by Lin Qingqing herself. For the third letter, Lin Qingqing specifically asked Xie Wei before replying.
After listening, Xie Wei thought for a moment and asked, "Li Juan? Is she the girl from your dorm?"
“Yes, the one with the round face,” Lin Qingqing said.
Xie Wei pondered for a moment and said, "There are indeed many unmarried young people in our regiment, but most of the officers at the deputy battalion level and above are married. If they are officers below the deputy battalion level, the couple will probably have to live apart for a while."
Unlike the Air Force, promotions in the Army are not as fast. It takes at least 26 or 27 years old to become a deputy battalion commander, and very few people like Xie Wei, who became a regimental commander at the age of 28, are even more common. People in the 1970s tend to get married early. Soldiers may get married a little later, but most of them get married at the age of 21 or 22. By the time they are promoted to deputy battalion commander, their children are already running around.
Therefore, Li Juan's idea of leaving the countryside by joining the army is unlikely to be fulfilled.
Lin Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll ask her opinion first."
Xie Wei nodded and named a few candidates, one of whom was Wu Haiyuan, also from Xinyang County, but his hometown wasn't in Yutian Commune, but in the neighboring Wangxiang Commune. Wu Haiyuan was twenty-two years old and already a deputy company commander, considered quite promising at a young age. Although Xie Wei knew about his situation in the army, back home they only knew he was single, but they didn't know much about his family.
Lin Qingqing originally wanted to write directly to Li Juan for her opinion, but upon hearing this, she put down her pen and said, "Should we find out more about the other party's situation? If he's willing, I'll write to Li Juan to ask for her opinion. If he's not willing, I'll just keep him to myself."
"Okay, I'll ask about it when I get back to camp."
...
The next day, after returning to camp, Xie Wei took some time to call Wu Haiyuan over and inquire about him.
The situation.
Although Wu Haiyuan was the deputy company commander, he had several superiors above him and didn't have much contact with Xie Wei. He was a little uneasy being suddenly called over. But as he listened, he sensed something was off and mustered his courage to ask, "Regimental Commander, are you... trying to introduce me to someone?"
This was Xie Wei's first time doing something like this. Although he managed to remain calm when asked directly, he still coughed awkwardly and said, "My wife has a friend who also wants to marry a soldier. She asked me if there were any suitable men in the regiment. I thought it wouldn't be appropriate to introduce her to someone too far away, as there would be no one to take care of her after she marries into the military, so I told her about your situation."
Wu Haiyuan was a hothead, and his first reaction was: "Commander, is this your wife's friend? How old is she?"
Everyone in the regiment knew Xie Wei was married, but very few had actually seen his wife, Lin Qingqing. They could only guess what the regimental commander's wife looked like. Based on Xie Wei's age, everyone guessed he was somewhere between eighteen or nineteen and twenty-six or twenty-seven. Wu Haiyuan still wanted someone of similar age, so he needed to find out beforehand.
Xie Wei remembered Lin Qingqing mentioning that Li Juan was an educated youth who went to the countryside a couple of years ago.
The educated youth sent to the countryside usually had a junior high or high school education. Xie Wei estimated and said, "She's about twenty years old, probably around your age. She was an educated youth sent to our commune." After thinking for a moment, he added, "She's now a worker in our brigade's clothing factory."
Wu Haiyuan had received a letter from his hometown. His mother had mentioned Xingfeng Garment Factory, saying it was doing very well and had recently been recruiting workers from the entire commune. His mother felt it was a pity; if they were also from Yutian Commune, perhaps his sister could have gotten a job at the garment factory.
The other educated youth who went to the countryside, though living in the countryside, had urban household registrations and at least a junior high school education. He himself had joined the army after only junior high school, and he hesitated: "Isn't this... a bit too good of a deal? Won't they look down on me?"
Xie Wei frowned as he saw him hesitate and said, "Whether you like it or not, you'll only know after you ask. Can't you be more decisive, you big man? What kind of nonsense is this, being so indecisive!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Haiyuan immediately replied, "I will obey your orders, Commander! I will do whatever you tell me to do!"
“Then you’d better tell me honestly about your family situation,” Xie Wei said, pausing for a moment. “No false information is allowed.”
When his boss introduced him to a potential partner, Wu Haiyuan dared not hide anything and honestly explained the situation. After understanding the situation, Xie Wei asked for his opinion again. Wu Haiyuan was about to say that he was willing but was afraid that the other person wouldn't like him, but remembering Xie Wei's comment that he was being indecisive, he quickly said, "I'm very willing!"
...
Xie Wei will go home on Saturday and then...
Wu Haiyuan's attitude was clear: "He said he was willing, but he was worried that Li Juan wouldn't like him."
Lin Qingqing couldn't guarantee anything about Li Juan's blind date, and she wasn't even sure if Li Juan was being sincere or joking in the letter. If communication weren't so difficult at the time, she would have definitely called Li Juan directly to find out her opinion before deciding what to do.
But sending a letter back now would take anywhere from a week to half a month, and sending a telegram was too expensive and uncertain, so Lin Qingqing asked Xie Wei first before replying to Li Juan. It was just that things developed to this point as they were talking.
Lin Qingqing said, "I'll write down Wu Haiyuan's situation clearly and ask Li Juan for her opinion."
Xie Wei nodded and then said, "By the way, I have a few comrades who want to come over for dinner tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Why so suddenly?"
Xie Wei rubbed his temples and nodded: "Yes, it's tomorrow."
That day, after Wu Haiyuan returned, he was bombarded by the other men in the camp with questions about what Xie Wei wanted to see him about. Wu Haiyuan, being an honest man, told them that Xie Wei wanted to introduce him to a potential partner. Within two days, word spread that Xie Wei's wife was young. His comrades, always eager for gossip, hadn't thought about it before, but after hearing about it, they all clamored to meet their "brother's wife."
Since they were all comrades-in-arms, Xie Wei couldn't refuse and agreed.
Seeing Lin Qingqing's troubled expression, Xie Wei asked, "Are you going to work that day?"
"I don't need to go to work." Lin Qingqing had originally planned to go to the department store downtown this weekend and buy a bicycle while she was there, but she figured she could postpone it for a few days. "How many people are we going? Should I prepare some groceries?"
Xie Wei thought for a moment and said, "Add four more people. You don't need to worry too much about the dishes. Just make two vegetable dishes and a plate of peanuts. I'll have them bring two meat dishes."
"How about I stir-fry some braised pork intestines too?" Lin Qingqing asked.
Xie Wei thought for a moment and said, "Okay, were you really alright that day?"
"It's nothing important," Lin Qingqing said, explaining her plans. "If I can't go this week, I can go next week."
Hearing her mention it, Xie Wei realized that he hadn't bought a bicycle yet. After thinking for a moment, he said, "How about this, we go to the city center early tomorrow and come back early in the afternoon. We'll have dinner in the evening. If we don't have time, we can eat at a state-run restaurant."
"Will this work? What if they arrive early? Or should I go alone and you stay home and wait for them?"
Xie Wei thought for a moment and said, "I'll tell him before I leave tomorrow and ask him to help take care of people."
Hearing him say that, Lin Qingqing didn't object anymore, and the dinner was arranged.
...
After discussing the matter, Lin Qingqing sat down at her desk and continued writing letters.
The desk was there when we moved in. One of its legs had broken, but Xie Wei nailed it back on and then secured it with a wooden board. It was originally in the second bedroom, but Lin Qingqing wanted to use it, so she moved it to the master bedroom, placing it between the bed and the wall behind the window.
The desk had been used for several years; its surface was uneven, but Lin Qingqing covered it with thick cardboard and nailed it in place, making it look quite neat. On the desk were a few books, a mirror, and some face cream that Lin Qingqing used.
Although the original owner of this body had good skin due to her youth, Lin Qingqing didn't take skincare lightly and still bought face cream after her circumstances improved.
The letter was addressed to Li Juan. She first asked Li Juan's opinion, then explained Wu Haiyuan's situation, saying that if Li Juan was willing, they could exchange contact information. Lin Qingqing paused here, then asked Xie Wei, who had returned from his shower, "Do you have a photo of Wu Haiyuan?"
"There should be." Enlistment always involves taking photos.
Lin Qingqing originally wanted to send a photo of Wu Haiyuan to Li Juan, but then she thought that things were still far from settled and it was too early to exchange photos. So she continued to write to Li Juan, saying that if Li Juan was willing, she could send her a photo, and she would send Wu Haiyuan's photo to Li Juan in her next reply.
Lin Qingqing had already partially replied to Li Juan's letter, so she could finish it off now.
After writing the letter, Lin Qingqing folded the letter paper, put it in an envelope, affixed a stamp, and waited to mail it the next day.
...
The next day, Lin Qingqing and Xie Wei first went to the post office to mail a letter, and then took a bus to the city center.
In the 1970s, the country's development was still mainly based on the secondary industry, and Jinshi was a heavy industrial city that developed in line with the trend of the times, with factories everywhere. On weekends, the city center was bustling with people and looked very prosperous.
The bus stopped in front of the department store, and Lin Qingqing looked up.
The department store is located on a street corner. The building has a European style, with an arched door and a tall, pointed tower. In an inconspicuous place, it is marked with the year of its construction during the Republic of China era.
The department store has four floors. The first floor has floor-to-ceiling windows, through which you can see the rows of counters inside. The windows on the upper floors are arched, some with stained glass and some with frosted glass, and may have been replaced.
Lin Qingqing turned her head to look at the street. The buildings were all similar, but the street was short and could be seen at a glance. Along the street, various signs stretched out, including state-run restaurants, banks, and cinemas.
Seeing Lin Qingqing look back, Xie Wei asked, "What's wrong?"
The city she lived in in her previous life also had such a long street, with buildings constructed during the Republic of China era. To preserve their unique character, they hadn't undergone many alterations during later maintenance. The buildings she saw after transmigrating, while lacking distinctive features, possessed a sense of age and were somewhat dusty, clearly indicating that she had transmigrated.
Therefore, when she was on this street, she inevitably felt a sense of temporal and spatial dislocation.
But Lin Qingqing didn't say it aloud, she just shook her head and said, "It's nothing." She then walked into the department store.
Lin Qingqing's trip wasn't just about buying a bicycle; she also wanted to learn about the Jinshi Department Store. So, after entering, the two of them didn't rush upstairs but browsed through the counters one by one.
The sales clerks in the department store all wore uniforms, but their lazy demeanor and lack of interest in interacting with people were just like those in the street supply and marketing cooperatives. However, the department store's counters were more organized and offered a wider range of products than those in the street community supply and marketing cooperatives.
If street supply and marketing cooperatives could only meet people's basic needs, then department stores could stimulate their desire to shop. Supply and marketing cooperatives only had the most basic items, but department stores could display a whole floor of similar products.
Take shoelaces as an example. The supply and marketing cooperatives only sold shoelaces in two colors, army green and black, which basically met everyone's needs. But department stores, in addition to these two colors, also had white, red, and blue shoelaces, as well as round and flat ones.
Shoelaces are just the smallest details; there are also candies and pastries. The supply and marketing cooperative only had two kinds of candy: soft candy and hard candy, while the department store alone had more than ten brands of soft candy, as well as imported chocolates, etc.
The more Lin Qingqing looked, the heavier her heart became.
Next Wednesday she will have finished rotating through all the counters. After that, she must choose one counter and triple the turnover within three months.
Before coming to the department store, she wondered if she could achieve this by expanding the variety of products. But now Lin Qingqing knew that this approach wouldn't work.
Although the majority of products sold by department stores and supply and marketing cooperatives were allocated through planned distribution, with a small portion purchased independently, the purchasing departments of supply and marketing cooperatives primarily went to rural areas or nearby factories, while the purchasing departments of department stores went to the capital and major cities like Shanghai.
Moreover, the items on the counter are scattered and varied, so Director Gao certainly wouldn't allocate so much money to her until she produces results.
In this case, the only option is to highlight the unique features.
However, this also limited the counters Lin Qingqing could choose from. Counters selling cigarettes, alcohol, and daily necessities were out of the question, as she was just a sales clerk.
You can talk a good game, but you can't create anything special.
Clothing, cosmetics, and skincare products are worth considering. Her makeup skills are decent, so we could organize a makeup trial event to increase customer traffic. As for clothing, the current clothing at Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative is too ordinary; it's all styles that have been popular for several years. We could write to Xie Baoshan to discuss setting up a counter there, but we'd definitely need to discuss this with Director Gao first.
With a plan in mind, Lin Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing that her expression had softened considerably, Xie Wei asked, "Have you figured out what to do?"
"I have some direction, but I need to think about it some more."
...
Bicycles are sold on the fourth floor, along with watches, clocks, radios, electric fans, and other items.
Lin Qingqing already had a watch and wasn't interested in a grandfather clock. A radio would be nice, but she didn't have the tickets for one, so she wouldn't consider it. Only an electric fan caught her eye, drawing her gaze twice.
Xie Wei noticed Lin Qingqing's gaze lingering on the electric fan and asked, "Want it?"
"Never mind," Lin Qingqing shook her head.
August is almost over, and the weather should gradually cool down in September. If I buy an electric fan now, it will probably be idle in less than a month. Maybe she'll have some tickets by next year when the weather gets warmer.
Lin Qingqing turned her gaze away and looked at the bicycle counter.
The Qingshan Supply and Marketing Cooperative and the Family Compound Supply and Marketing Cooperative only occasionally received one bicycle, and each time it was ordered shortly after arrival. However, the bicycle counter in the department store had about ten bicycles, all of different brands.
At that time, there were many domestic bicycle manufacturers, the most famous being Phoenix, Forever, Flying Pigeon, and Red Flag. These brands of bicycles were expensive and in high demand, making them difficult to buy. Although there were bicycles displayed here, they were all showroom models and not for sale. If you wanted one, you could only place an order and pick it up when it arrived.
Mid-range priced bicycles include Wuyang and Daqiao, which can be bought for around 130-140 yuan. They have stock in their warehouses, so there's no need to queue. There are also bicycles available at even lower prices from lesser-known brands.
After listening to the salesperson, Xie Wei asked Lin Qingqing, "Which brand do you want to buy?"
"Are you sure you're not selling the demo bikes?" Lin Qingqing asked. Deep down, she definitely wanted to buy a bicycle from a big brand like Phoenix or Forever. They were more expensive, but the quality would be better.
The salesperson replied in a lukewarm tone: "If you sell it, what will we display here? We're not selling it."
"How long will it take to book in the queue?" Lin Qingqing asked.
The sales clerk flipped through her notebook and said, "It could take three to five months, or even six months to a year."
Lin Qingqing: "..."
She bought the bicycle because she needed it for commuting; waiting six months or a year would be too late. Lin Qingqing pointed to the bicycles at Wuyang and Daqiao and asked, "Can I try out these two?"
"Yes, but you can't go downstairs. If you break something, you'll have to pay for it," the salesperson said casually.
If it weren't for the planned economy, Lin Qingqing would have turned around and left immediately upon encountering such a salesperson. However, circumstances dictated her actions, so she smiled and thanked the salesperson before pushing out the Five Rams brand bicycle.
At that time, bicycles were all 28-inch models, and they all looked pretty much the same. Lin Qingqing thought the feel was alright, so she let Xie Wei try it out. Xie Wei also thought it was fine and asked, "Want to try riding it?"
Lin Qingqing looked around. The space outside the bicycle counter was quite spacious, but because of what the salesperson had said, she was still a little worried about bumping into other counters, so she asked Xie Wei, "Can you avoid bumping into other counters?"
Xie Wei looked around and said, "Okay."
"Then why don't you give it a try?" Lin Qingqing asked.
Xie Wei nodded, hopped on the bicycle, and started riding. He wasn't going fast, but he wasn't slow either. He quickly reached the corner, but instead of stopping, he turned and continued on his way. Seeing that he had ridden away, the saleswoman, who had been casually leaning against the counter, said, "You'll have to pay for the damage to the bike!"
Lin Qingqing agreed, but did not allow Xie Wei to return.
However, the mall is only so big, and Xie Wei quickly made his money back by riding his bicycle around the aisle between the counters.
After parking the car, the salesperson immediately checked for any damage. Seeing no signs of damage, the salesperson's expression softened, and he asked in a casual tone, "Do you want the car?"
Lin Qingqing looked at Xie Wei, who said, "It's about the same as the one at home."
The bicycle at home belonged to Xie Baoshan. He and Song Yan rarely rode it, but Lin Qingqing would borrow it when she needed to go to the commune for business, and she was quite familiar with it. Moreover, the bicycle was of good quality; it was bought by Xie Baoshan when he got married, and it had lasted for almost ten years without breaking down. Thinking back, it didn't seem to be a big brand like Phoenix or Forever.
Lin Qingqing guessed that the product quality was good at this time, and bicycles could still be ridden for seven or eight years, so there was no need to focus on big brands. She said, "Then let's buy this brand?"
“Okay,” Xie Wei said.
Upon hearing that they wanted to buy, the salesperson finally smiled and said, "Don't worry, this brand of bicycles is of very good quality and will last for several years without breaking down."
Lin Qingqing took out money and tickets from her bag and said, "Could you please bring out a new one for us?"
Although sometimes customers would simply ride away with the demo bike, some picky ones would insist that the salesperson bring out a brand new one. Lin Qingqing paid readily and was polite, so the salesperson had a good impression of her. Moreover, the warehouse was just on the other side of the fourth floor, so the salesperson wasn't unhappy about it.
After receiving the money and ticket, the salesperson gave Lin Qingqing a receipt, asked the person at the next counter to keep an eye on things, and went to find someone to open the warehouse to get the car.
After the salesperson left, Lin Qingqing looked at the other bicycles and found that the bicycles from big brands like Phoenix and Forever looked similar to Wuyang, but the leather thickness of the seats was different. But you get what you pay for, and since it was cheaper, and Lin Qingqing really didn't want to wait several months or even half a year for a bicycle, she was quite satisfied with the bicycle she was about to get.
As she was looking at bicycles, the salesperson pushed one over and said to the two of them, "Check it over, we won't be responsible once it's driven away."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingqing came over to check the bicycle. She found no scratches on the exterior, and that the chain, pedals, kickstand, and bell were all in good condition. She then had Xie Wei ride the bicycle around the fourth floor, and after confirming that there were no problems, she pushed the bicycle and left with him.
Just as they reached the top of the stairs, Lin Qingqing stopped. Xie Wei very consciously bent down, picked up the bicycle, and said, "Let's go."
The 28-inch bicycle was large and heavy, but Xie Wei was tall and strong, so even though he was carrying the bicycle, his steps downstairs were agile and steady.
Lin Qingqing followed behind him, watching his back and thinking:
She had previously thought she could handle it all by herself and planned to buy a bicycle by herself, but now it seems she was too naive. No wonder Xie Wei insisted on coming along.
And shopping malls without elevators are just so inconvenient!
Author's Note: First update
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