Era: Start as a buyer

When Luo Cheng and Zhang Hongxiu left the reception room, Director Chen enthusiastically grabbed two handfuls of peanuts for Hongxiu and asked her to take them with her on the way.

At the end of the day, when Zhang Hongxiu walked out of the garment factory, both pockets of her pants were bulging.

Don't blame Director Chen for being so kind to her. Who asked Luo Cheng to arrange for her to hand over to the garment factory. I gave Director Chen the address and asked the garment factory to send someone to pick up the goods tomorrow morning, while Zhang Hongxiu would be waiting at home. When the time comes, we will come back here with the people from the garment factory. Zhang Hongxiu will be responsible for the weighing and settlement.

Moreover, the unit of measurement Luo Cheng discussed with Director Chen was a basket, a bag, and the like. There is no exact number of kilograms, only a rough number. At this time, Zhang Hongxiu has the final say on whether the basket weighs more or less. Even if this is just the first time of cooperation, if there is another cooperation in the future, Director Chen can see that if there is such cooperation in the future, this lesbian may be responsible.

But Director Chen couldn't figure out the relationship between Luo Cheng and Zhang Hongxiu, so it was right to be polite to Zhang Hongxiu. Anyway, peanuts are used in the factory to entertain people. He can exchange some peanuts for an extra pound of eggs, which is not a loss for him.

"Second brother, where are we going now?"

"Go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy something to give your sister-in-law a surprise."

"Oh. Second brother, you eat peanuts. I'll peel the peanuts and you eat them."

"No, just keep it and eat it with the swallows. When we get to the supply and marketing cooperative later, I'll buy you whatever you want."

Zhang Hongxiu responded and said nothing. Men like Luo Cheng these days are really outstanding. He has a job, he is capable, and he can also surprise people.

When they came to the supply and marketing cooperative, Luo Cheng actually bought some small things for Zhang Hongxiu, such as rubber bands and a wooden comb. The surprise he wanted to bring to Zhao Qian was the sewing ticket given to him by Dai Tiande. He came to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a sewing machine.

A sewing machine is not small in size and light in weight. After all, most of the structure is made of iron. Although you can buy a sewing machine with a ticket, it still costs more than 120 yuan. But the salesperson still liked to use clichés and asked about Luo Cheng's identity. If Luo Cheng hadn't been dressed like a cadre, people might have asked you too much about how you got your tickets.

This is true. Some people are poorly dressed and don’t even look like workers. If you have tickets, you want to buy a bicycle or something. The conductor would actually ask where the ticket came from, which is why Luo Cheng didn't bother with the bicycle now.

It's easy to get a bicycle here, but if Ergouzi and the others ride it, problems can easily arise. Ergouzi and the others still look like rural people, so it would be awkward for them to wear nice clothes.

It would be different if Luo Cheng could 'build' his own bicycle. Get a few bicycles, and no one will be afraid of not checking them. Otherwise, even if Luo Cheng could find someone to buy a second-hand bicycle, it would be transferred by someone else. But if you buy a few more, people will start to wonder where you got the money to buy the car.

Nowadays, there are actually many people who are quite wealthy, but they also keep a low profile. Some senior workers earn 70 or 80 per month. As for those eighth-level workers, there are very few in Changcheng, and most of the senior workers have been transferred to places with more industry in the north.

If we really talk about wealth, many people can actually buy bicycles for their entire family. But they generally keep a low profile and don’t buy anything they can afford. He bought a sewing machine, which was a big item, and Luo Cheng also bought a hanging firecracker. It is also a happy event to set off firecrackers when carrying them into the house.

It's impossible to carry a person with a bicycle and a sewing machine, but there are people here who make money by pulling pallets and delivering goods. Pulling a pallet truck is a casual job and is allowed. It does not count as a transaction if there is a monetary transaction.

In fact, some businesses can be done openly, such as selling firewood. In some places, there are people who specialize in cutting firewood and selling it. But if you carry a bundle of firewood into the city and sell it, you can't make much money.

The chopped firewood has to be dried and then sold into the city early in the morning. If it is not sold before the afternoon, it will be disposed of at a cheaper price. Carrying it back and forth consumes physical energy, and the firewood is not valuable to the person who chops it.

And many people are specifically looking for this bargain. When they have firewood at home, they don't rush to buy it. Seeing that others can't sell it, they just lower the price and buy it when the sun is about to set.

However, most firewood sellers are in county towns, not urban areas. It is actually not as easy to sell firewood in urban areas as in county towns. There are too many coal stoves in urban areas and no firewood is burned at all. In the compound where Luo Cheng lives, the former resident was a five-guaranteed household. Someone took care of him and built an extra kitchen. Otherwise, Luo Cheng's family would not be able to use it. A large pot on the stove burns wood for cooking.

In fact, what is not allowed in this business is reselling, not all transactions are prohibited. The fish caught by someone can be sold directly to the work unit. If the villages were not communes now, the prey caught in the mountains and forests could actually be sold in the city. At the entrance of some farmers' markets, there are many people selling food or other things to subsidize their families. , it is not allowed now.

The sewing machines are transported by people arranged by the supply and marketing cooperative. They have nothing to do with the supply and marketing cooperative. People who want to work as casual workers may not be able to do it. There are so many people these days who want to earn some money by working hard, so why should you do it?

Just like the street office, hiring people to sweep the streets is the needy families who really need to be cared for. Otherwise, the street sweeping job that costs ten yuan a month would not be possible for anyone who wants to do it. Many unemployed young people in their twenties are living at their parents' expense. In fact, many people are willing to let them sweep the streets and earn ten yuan a month, but not everyone has the opportunity.

Since the distance was not too far, we negotiated the price and asked for 20 cents for shipping. Hongxiu even muttered about this piece, saying it cost two cents and only weighed a few dozen kilograms. She could carry it back with Yanzi, and it wouldn't take an hour. Two cents can buy a pound of whole grains on the black market.

Luo Cheng rode his bicycle and took Zhang Hongxiu back home first. He told her on the way that not to tell her before the sewing machine arrived, but that firecrackers could be laid out in the corridor first. As soon as the sewing machine arrived, he would light the firecrackers. Add one big piece.

When the two returned home, Luo Yan was washing clothes, and Zhao Qian was not idle either. The baby in her belly was not yet born, so she was making some wrapping cloth for wrapping the baby. In this era, very small babies did not wear clothes. At most, they wore a small pant or a wrapper like a diaper.

"Luo Cheng, you are doing a good job. Why are you hanging firecrackers? It's not a festival and there's nothing wrong with it."

"You'll know later. Don't sew anything on your hands. Good things will come later."

Zhao Qian asked strangely when she saw Luo Cheng and Zhang Hongxiu hanging up a firecracker without saying a word as soon as they came back. Hongxiu also took out two bags of peanuts from his pocket and distributed them to everyone. This Congcong also divided a few, and the food was delicious.

As for the time, because the supply and marketing cooperative is not far from here, even if there is a problem in loading the truck, it will take some time to tie up. Luo Cheng felt that he would arrive ten minutes late at most.

Sure enough, the man pulling the pallet truck came over soon. Although it was not the time when there were the most people in the yard. But it was almost noon, and there were many people washing in the middle of the yard, preparing for lunch.

Luo Cheng's formation of hanging firecrackers was seen by many people, especially some big kids, who all stared at the firecrackers. The slightly older one is still in school. Therefore, the children who can play in the yard are basically three or four years old. Most of them wear crotchless pants and expose their buttocks, so they are not brats.

No matter how young they are, they don’t understand the fun of firecrackers. Those who are three or four years old know how to play with firecrackers, but if there is an older brother at home, they are basically prepared to pick up some unlit firecrackers and leave them for their older brothers to play with. Otherwise, there wouldn't be two little girls watching.

As soon as the sewing machine was pulled into the yard, the news immediately spread to the backyard. It seemed that no one in the yard had a sewing machine.

The front yard and the back yard are combined. Even though it is working time, there are quite a few people in the yard. It's just that many people are usually busy in the room doing small tasks at hand, and not many people can stay leisurely in the yard to enjoy the wind and sun.

Before the sewing machine was brought into the house, firecrackers were set off. As soon as the firecrackers were set off, several little kids rushed over before the other congratulators came. When looking for unlit firecrackers, I was looking for them one by one seriously, and there are really a lot of firecrackers and squibs these days. If you hang up firecrackers, there will be at least twenty or thirty unlit ones.

When a child finds an unlit one, he puts it in his pocket like a treasure.

"Yanzi, go and boil some bird eggs. There are a lot of people watching the excitement here. We can't afford eggs. It's okay to give two birds' eggs to a family to taste."

"Well, I'm going to cook it now. Brother, this is a sewing machine. How do you use it?"

Luo Cheng didn't know how to use it. It should be said that there might not be anyone in the whole yard who could use it. But it doesn't matter. Many employees in the garment factory know how to use it. Let Hongxiu go and have a look when she has time. She will come back and teach everyone how to use it.

But in fact, if you don’t learn it, it’s easy to figure it out on your own. If you learn how to install some sewing needles, you can figure it out by trying it on a piece of cloth. But if you are good at sewing clothes and things, you can quickly learn many skills by going to a garment factory to learn.

When I bought a sewing machine, I bought special thread and needle from the supply and marketing cooperative.

The sewing machine was carried into the room and placed near the window, where the light was good and would not hurt the eyes.

The women in the yard who were close to Zhao Qian all came into the house to look at the sewing machines. Although no one knows how to use it, it has a simple structure. Some people have never used it, but some have experienced it and can give suggestions.

Zhao Qian did not disappoint everyone. She would do whatever everyone said, but Zhao Qian would not let anyone mess around until no one was sure that she would use it. It's okay to touch it appropriately, but don't move it randomly.

And when the two pieces of cloth are stacked together and your feet gently step on the pedal underneath, the two pieces of cloth are instantly sewn together. Everyone is envious. This sewing machine is so easy to use. If you want to sew something, you need to sew one stitch, this one, step your feet a few times, press the thing you want to sew with your hand, and it will be sewn with one push.

It’s just that the density of the sewing and the beautiful lines are more relevant.

The quail eggs will be cooked soon, and each family will be given two. There are more than a dozen households in the yard. Currently, except for about four households, they don’t need to provide any eggs. Together, they have to take out more than 20 eggs.

It would be nice to have something to share with everyone these days. Some people are getting married now and cannot afford to give everyone a handful of peanuts. What's more, Luo Cheng just bought a sewing machine. In fact, in a real sense, a sewing machine is not as good as a bicycle. Luo Cheng is not the only one who has a bicycle in the yard. The uncle's house in the backyard has a bicycle.

However, among the major items, bicycles that are in demand rank first, and they are also the most popular. A sewing machine is more important to the family than a watch. Watches are more of a status symbol. Not many people are willing to spend hundreds of dollars just to tell the time.

Those who are willing to buy watches generally have status.

With a sewing machine and a temperament like Zhao Qian, if everyone really wanted to make friends with her. In the future, I will inevitably use a sewing machine to help others sew, but this is also good. There are so many women chatting and gossiping, so people will not be bored. Luo Cheng didn't want Zhao Qian to do anything in the future, but he could let her organize some manual work in the future.

For lunch, to celebrate having a sewing machine at home, each person fried a poached egg in lard. The marinated bird, the kind that has been dried, is also cut into small pieces, stir-fried with some simple seasonings.

The aroma of fried meat filled the whole yard, but no one was gossiping this time. Someone bought a sewing machine at home and wanted to celebrate by having some meat. Moreover, everyone knows that Luo Cheng's family has pickled and dried bird meat.

The eggs Luo Cheng gave everyone today are small enough to eat both of them, not to mention one. But for such a small egg, it is necessary to cut it into half, and each member of the family can taste it. For those who currently have only one child, the child will definitely eat one meal alone, while two adults will eat half a meal each. If there are old people at home, there are old people and young people, and young people are reluctant to eat. Seeing the old people and children eating happily will make you feel happy.

Even if the family is short of food, these two bird eggshells will not be wasted. After peeling them for children or the elderly, they will secretly hide in a place and throw the eggshells into their mouths, slowly chew them to pieces and then swallow them into their stomachs.

This eggshell is actually nutritious, much better than rice bran. As far as Luo Cheng knew, in the canteen at his machine factory, there were no egg shells in the kitchen garbage. Some cooks crush egg shells and fry them in a pot. Although it has no taste, chewing a handful of egg shells makes you hungry.

After dinner, Luo Cheng was teasing the monkey again. Hongxiu gave it two peanuts today and was reluctant to give them to it. Luo Cheng cut a tomato and fed it to it. This guy is also funny. At first he ate the meat first. Luo Cheng thought it was picky and would not eat the skin, but in the end He ate the skin again.

This is a bit like the video Luo Cheng watched in the future. There was a monkey who ate a banana. He peeled it at first, but after eating the banana, he actually started eating the peel. Since he also eats the peel, why bother?

After eating and packing their things, the three women in the family were studying the sewing machine in the room. It just came and went, and Luo Cheng didn't know what to think about with a sewing machine.

However, Luo Cheng told Zhang Hongxiu that he would have to follow him to the lumber factory in the afternoon. The people at the lumber factory were introduced by Zhou Lin's connections. But now Luo has established his own relationship. This person has interacted with others and has mutual needs, and a relationship will naturally form.