Chapter Thirty-Three: The Brand-New Flatbed Truck

"One hundred yuan? That's so expensive? Just the other day, I saw someone selling a used one for only forty or fifty."

Qin Xiaodong looked skeptical.

Are flatbed carts really that expensive?

"Besides scalping tickets, what else do you understand? Can that rickety, falling-apart cart compare to mine? Not to mention this is a finished product; even if you bought the wood and iron parts yourself to have me build it, the cost would still be seventy or eighty yuan. The wood alone would cost twenty or thirty, and the iron wheel axle would be another thirty or forty. My craftsmanship, Old Ding's, is famous far and wide!"

Old Ding glared at him as soon as he heard this.

A new flatbed cart of his quality wouldn't be available for anything less than over a hundred yuan, and you'd need a permit just to buy one.

"I know you didn't pay for the wood. Give us a better price; we're like family here."

Qin Xiaodong rolled his eyes.

The wood had been thrown off a train by thieves from out of town; they couldn't carry it away, so it ended up being a bargain for Old Ding.

"Let's settle on one hundred yuan for the cart. But if you sell me these buckets, stools, and chairs, give me a discount on those too." Zhang Huacheng was quite satisfied with the brand-new flatbed cart.

The craftsmanship could be called perfect.

"Deal, deal!"

Old Ding was delighted and immediately started quoting prices.

These items were like ticking time bombs that kept him from eating or sleeping well, always afraid of being reported.

Zhang Huacheng spent 145 yuan in one go, and that was even with a half-sale, half-gift arrangement. Before leaving, Old Ding even stuffed three cherrywood spinning tops and their pull-cords into his hands.

"Old Ding, treat me to a drink tonight!"

Qin Xiaodong called out as they left.

"Keep your voice down, damn you!" Old Ding scolded with a smile. With only one small handcart left in his home, he didn't have to be as fearful as before.

Zhang Huacheng realized that Qin Xiaodong wasn't half bad; he hadn't even charged Old Ding an agent's fee.

Tiezhu couldn't understand why the cart cost so much money and couldn't help but ask on the road.

"Brother, why is this flatbed cart so expensive?"

His family had one too, which he usually pulled for work.

"It's not expensive."

"This one is different from yours. The one you have was purchased by the commune collectively and distributed to the members at a low price—it only cost a few dozen yuan. But if you don't have connections, don't even think about it. Besides, that counts as collective asset distribution."

Zhang Huacheng explained it to him.

Chen Youde only managed to get one assigned for twenty or thirty yuan because he had connections in the brigade. The Zhang family would never get such a quota.

Tiezhu scratched his head, clearly still not quite getting it.

At the entrance of the department store.

"Tiezhu, watch the cart. I'm going to buy fabric!"

"Okay!"

There was a lot to buy this time. Zhang Huacheng bought the fabric first, using up all his fabric coupons—all sixty-seven feet. With a coupon, a foot of cotton cloth was only 50 cents, and good coarse cloth was 40 cents.

However, after asking the salesclerk, he realized this fabric wouldn't make many clothes, so he would need to get more fabric coupons.

Pots, bowls, pans, seasonings, cotton, needles and thread, liquor...

Zhang Huacheng managed to buy Shanghai Friendship brand vanishing cream and bought six boxes outright.

Wang Lin would use one, he and Dou Dou would use one, his sister-in-law's family would get one, Hua Ling and Xiao Ya would get one, his parents would get one, and the last one was for Tiezhu to take to his mother.

He also bought a fountain pen, ink, and a notebook for Wang Lin.

He found that his desire to shop was extremely strong in this era; he wanted to buy everything he saw.

He shoved twenty yuan into Tiezhu's hand and told him to buy something for his family to take back.

Tiezhu spent half an hour inside before coming out with peach blossom cakes, fruit candy, two red hair ribbons, two bowls, two plates, and a pair of chopsticks.

"Brother, it's snowing."

On the way back, snowflakes like goose feathers began to fall again.

"Snow is a good thing. The visibility is poor; otherwise, it would be easy for others in the brigade to see us hauling all this stuff back."

Zhang Huacheng looked at the sky as the heavy snow drifted down.

"Brother, let me pull you."

"Good idea. My, this is quite comfortable!"

Having a cart is great!

This flatbed cart was the equivalent of a BMW or Mercedes in the future.

The two chatted and laughed as they hurried back to Chentang Sanliqu.

The entire Chentang Sanliqu brigade was now watching the commotion. Roaring and brawling could be heard, and many members were watching with amusement, impossible to shoo away.

Chen Qiuyang had been caught in the act with the Widow Wang, dragged right off the kang by her mother-in-law. Both of them weren't even wearing clothes at the time.

The Wang family matriarch had blocked Chen Qiuyang from leaving with a group of relatives, sitting on the ground and wailing. Even the brigade leader, Chen Gonglin, couldn't mediate.

The old woman of the Wang family cried heart-wrenchingly, lamenting her fourth son's bitter fate.

Her fourth son had been a mountain guard, eaten by wolves two years ago. Less than two years after his death, his wife couldn't stand the loneliness and was involved in illicit relations.

The group of Wangs was clamoring to beat Chen Qiuyang to death.

However, the Wang and Chen families had always had a good relationship, so no lives were lost. If this had happened between the Zhangs and the Chens, they likely would have been drawing knives and guns by now.

Chen Qiuyang was protected by his parents and brothers, squatting on the ground with his head bowed.

He couldn't figure out how he had been discovered.

Chen Gonglin didn't want to blow the matter up; it would be troublesome if it reached the commune.

He knew the Wang family wanted money, so after the elders of both families discussed it, the Chen family compensated the Wang matriarch fifty yuan, and the matter was settled.

Fifty yuan was a huge sum in Chentang Sanliqu.

They might have settled, but the Zhang family was not having it.

Zhang Huacheng rushed back, learned that the two families were already discussing it at home, and ran over immediately.

The family's main hall was already full of people from both the Chen and Zhang families, along with the brigade cadres of Chentang Sanliqu. The argument was heated.

"Your Zhang family has already spent the bride price, and now you say you're calling it off? Is that how you do things?" The Zhang family backing out of the engagement—and the bride's side at that—was a slap in the face to the Chen family.

The Chen family's great-uncle sat in a chair, leaning on his cane with a gloomy face.

But since Chen Qiuyang had been caught red-handed sleeping with a widow, the Zhang family naturally wouldn't have it, and the engagement between Zhang Hualing and Chen Qiuyang was naturally off.

But the Chen family wouldn't accept it.

"Is this our fault? We can't afford to climb the social ladder of your Chen family. We will collect the bride price and return it to you as soon as possible. This marriage must be annulled!"

The Zhang family's fifth great-uncle glared.

"The bride price has been paid, the money has been spent, and we agreed to marry after the New Year. It's not appropriate to back out now."

Chen Gonglin spoke up.

"If it's not appropriate, then marry your own youngest daughter off to him. She's already a widow with no one wanting her anyway." Zhang Hu, who hadn't dared to get off the kang all winter, had come down. Upon hearing Chen Gonglin's words, he was furious. Not appropriate?

"What do you mean by that!"

Chen Gonglin was suddenly agitated and slapped the table.

"You don't understand what I mean?"

"Say that one more time!"

Chen Qiuyang arrived, waiting for a chance to go in and apologize. After all, Zhang Hualing was truly beautiful, and if he couldn't marry her, it would be difficult to find a wife in the future given his reputation.

As soon as Zhang Huacheng arrived, he saw the slick-haired, oily-faced Chen Qiuyang waiting for an opportunity to apologize.

Seeing Zhang Huacheng, Chen Qiuyang squeezed out a smile.

"Brother-in-law, you're here. Don't listen to their nonsense; I was framed. I brought you some apples." Chen Qiuyang gestured to the mesh bag in his hand containing a dozen apples—a rare luxury in these times.

"Framed your mother!"

Thinking of how Hualing would be beaten by this animal every day if she married into that family, and how she would eventually die along with her unborn child from those beatings, Zhang Huacheng rushed forward and kicked Chen Qiuyang square in the chest.