vstars Chapter 133 A Man's Dignity Through Hidden Money
Chapter 133 A Man's Dignity Through Hidden Money
Li Ju'an escorted Song Desheng back to the textile factory's residential compound, and as he turned around, he heard joyful shouts from inside. The entire Song family had come out to see the Phoenix 28 bicycle.
He smiled and rode his bicycle away from the textile factory's residential compound.
He wanted to check the time, so he had to ask an elderly man on the street who owned a watch. The old man, dressed smartly and wearing a domestically made Shanghai-brand watch, read the time to him in a strong voice.
This Shanghai-brand watch cost 25 yuan at the time, which made the old man very proud. He showed off the watch face with a smug expression.
Li Ju'an thanked the old man and, taking advantage of the remaining time, went to the supply and marketing cooperative. He subconsciously glanced at the hardware section. In the past, when he entered the cooperative, he always went to the hardware section first to look at guns and bullets, inevitably bumping into the saleswoman Jiang Man. He remembered what Lu Zhiqiang had said about Jiang Man marrying a truck driver, and wanted to look up at Jiang Man, whom he knew, to say a few words of congratulations.
Before he even entered the hardware section, he heard Aunt Zhang from the finance department advising Jiang Man: "Which man doesn't have to go out and earn money to support his family? Otherwise, the whole family will starve."
He looked at radios in the hardware section and glanced at the wall clock next to them. Because he didn't have a ration coupon, he could only buy some miscellaneous semiconductor parts, which didn't require a coupon.
As he made his selections, he heard Jiang Man's muffled response. It turned out that shortly after the couple registered their marriage, the truck driver went off to work long-haul routes, leaving Jiang Man alone. Life continued as before, just like always, with an empty house. Jiang Man was complaining, and several older women from the finance department advised her to think more positively, saying that every man has to go out and earn money.
Li Ju'an selected four D batteries, a power cord, a circuit board, and radio semiconductor components. He also bought a bunch of screwdrivers of various sizes, intending to take them home and assemble a used radio himself. Because he bought obscure items that no one paid attention to, these items didn't require a receipt.
He carried a 60-centimeter-long wooden box and a pile of parts to the sales counter to pay. Jiang Man looked down at the receipt book, then looked up and was clearly taken aback when she saw his big eyes.
He noticed that Jiang Man's figure had become more voluptuous. She had originally been well-proportioned, but now, even wrapped in a padded jacket, her smooth curves were still visible. She neatly tied a thick braid into a coil at the back of her head, standing proudly with a womanly charm she hadn't possessed before.
She was beautiful, the prettiest young saleswoman in the supply and marketing cooperative. Business was booming in the hardware section, attracting many men. The hunter, wanting to catch another glimpse of Jiang Man, made a point of strolling around the hardware section, his eyes constantly glancing at her.
Jiang Man looked up with her big, watery almond-shaped eyes, noticed his slight unease, and said with a smile, "Looking at guns again?"
Li Ju'an pushed the selected items over and said, "Just buying things blindly, without even looking at the guns."
Jiang Man blushed, then focused intently on filling out the purchase receipt for him. She rolled up the completed receipt, clipped it to the wire clip above her head, and with a forceful swing of the ruler, sent it flying to the top of the cash register with a "whoosh."
While waiting for the finance manager, she chatted for a bit: "Being a hunter is so much more flexible; you can go into the mountains whenever you want. Isn't that great?"
Li Ju'an smiled, knowing what she meant, and said, "It's still more dignified to hold the steering wheel. In the mountains, you wouldn't trade holding the steering wheel for any amount of job security."
The two exchanged a smile, and Jiang Man lowered her head: "What's there to lose? It may be respectable, but we're not people who are after money. What's the use of having money if you can't even see people?"
Li Ju'an shook his head: "Money can solve all your worries. You won't have to worry about your children's textbooks or pens in the future. Don't be like me. I'm out in the wind and rain, and I'm covered in the smell of wolves. I'm not respectable, and I still have to hunt and sell hides to buy school supplies for my sister."
Jiang Man chuckled at his joke. At that moment, the finance lady at the cashier took the money, gave change, stamped the receipt, and sent it back.
Jiang Man handed him the change and the receipt, and smiled at him, saying, "If I hadn't listened to my mother and gotten married early, I would have thought about going into the mountains to learn hunting. I could even go into the mountains with you to learn how to set traps during my rest time, just for fun."
Li Ju'an laughed and said, "How could that be? You can just stay at home and count your money. Your husband will hand over his salary to you. You'll be a leader."
Jiang Man was amused and laughed. After chatting for a while, Li Ju'an left the hardware section and went to the household goods section to continue browsing.
After he left, Sister Li from the finance department glanced at her and reminded her, "These days, women, especially married women, shouldn't get too close to men, lest people gossip about them."
Jiang Man blushed and lowered her head to continue writing the forms.
……
Li Ju'an bought two clam oils in the living area of the supply and marketing cooperative, and then went to the study tools area to buy two pencils for his younger sister, Li Xiao. These pencils were quite interesting; one end had an eraser attached. Li Xiao had mentioned this kind of eraser before he left, saying it was the one Lu Wenqian used, and she found it fascinating.
This time, he happened to see a pencil with an eraser on one end, so he bought two for Li Xiao to take back.
He passed by the snack section and bought two jin of small fried dough twists, two jin of candied hawthorn balls, two packs of preserved plums, roasted fruit, and steamed rice cakes, intending to take them back to his mother and sister to satisfy their cravings.
He finished buying his things and went to the parking area to find his Phoenix 28. He hung his bag of snacks and tools on the handlebars, then securely tied the 60-centimeter-long wooden box to the front bumper. He kicked the brake lever, stepped on the pedal twice to get some initial speed, and then slammed back onto the seat.
He mounted his Phoenix 28-inch bicycle and sped off towards the station of the forest farm's small train.
Young people on the street turned around and cast envious glances at him.
The girls, grandpas, and grandmas on the street were all attracted by his fast cycling speed and cast their eyes at him.
Feeling overjoyed and satisfied, Li Ju'an took his beloved bicycle back to the family quarters.
……
Li Ju'an was also riding his bicycle back to the village from the forest station. He was spotted by Sun Weimin before he even turned into the Li family's house.
Sun Weimin was shoveling snow when he turned around and saw the beautiful Phoenix 28, which Li Ju'an was riding with great style, the tires even sparking and flashing on the ground.
His envious eyes practically popped out of their sockets. "Damn! Li Ju'an eats really well, he even borrows this bike. He's definitely going on blind dates and outings with girls."
If you could go on a date with a girl, riding a brand-name Phoenix 28cc motorcycle would be incredibly prestigious.
Sun Weimin twitched his nose with envy while also thinking about asking his father to get him a 28-inch motorcycle.
That evening, Sun Quande from the Sun family in the village was deep in worry, taking two deep drags on his cigarette and exhaling smoke rings. His family's hunting dogs had all been hunted down in the mountains by that scoundrel Sun Weimin, leaving only one dog. His good-for-nothing son had gone out to borrow another dog to hunt bears in the mountains. But instead of hunting, trouble struck again; the borrowed dog was severely injured and returned barely alive.
Now, the Sun family, once a renowned dog-hunting gang, has become a dog-slaughtering gang hated by everyone in the village, and no one dares to lend hunting dogs to Sun Weimin anymore.
Buying hunting dogs requires money, and Sun Quande also wanted to pay Lao Tao to buy a few good Qingshan dog puppies so he could train them himself. But unfortunately, all the money in his pocket had been taken by his wife to manage the accounts. Now he was penniless.
After dinner, Sun Quande glanced around quietly, and when no one was around, he slipped into the west room and quietly opened a drawer in the wooden cabinet storing old items.
He was trembling with fear, constantly looking back like a thief. Only after he was absolutely certain that his wife was not behind him did he pull open the drawer of the wooden cabinet. The drawer revealed a large envelope underneath.
With trembling hands, he excitedly took out the bulging envelope, opened it, and excitedly counted out his secret stash of money. Only then did he feel at ease and satisfied.
A man's secret stash of money is his face. Hmph, his wife probably never guessed, he has a secret stash of money. Every time he buys cigarettes, he tells his wife that someone else gave them to him, but actually he can't resist his cravings and uses his secret stash to buy them at the village store.
Sun Quande was happily counting his savings when he suddenly heard voices behind him, which startled him so much that his hand trembled and the envelope fell to the ground.
Sun Weimin suddenly appeared with a grin: "Dad, what are you doing?"