Chapter 143: The New Bicycle

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When Xiao Weiguo heard Xiao Pingle mention a bicycle, he suddenly remembered that he still had a bicycle coupon from a previous reward. Since both of them needed bicycles to go to work, it would be better to give the old bike to Xiao Pingle and buy a new one for himself. Xiao Weiguo felt happy and planned to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy it later; finally, he would have a new bicycle.

As Xiao Pingle was about to leave, Xiao Weiguo called out to him, saying, “Dad, you’re going back empty-handed? Wait a moment.” Previously, when repairing the house, they had prepared food for four meals; three had been eaten, and the remaining ingredients were at Tian Guixiang’s place. It would be good for Dad to take them back. Leaving the food in town might cause it to spoil, and since it was a visible item, Xiao Weiguo couldn’t just put it directly into the space.

At Tian Guixiang’s house, Xiao Weiguo called out, “Aunt Guixiang, are you home?”

“It’s you, Weiguo! By the way, are you still making dinner tonight? I just saw Old Zhang went out.”

“I came to tell you that the house is already repaired, so you don’t need to make dinner tonight.”

He pulled out two yuan from his pocket and handed it to Tian Guixiang. “Aunt Guixiang, this is what we agreed on earlier. Please take it.”

“You’re such a good boy, why give me money? We all ate three good meals at your place, and even Huwei has gotten so plump. I can’t take your money anymore.”

“Aunt, money is money. You have to take this, or else I’ll be mad.” Xiao Weiguo forcefully pressed the money into her hand.

Tian Guixiang could only accept it. Then she remembered something and said, “Weiguo, there are still many things left. You should take them.”

She went inside, came out with a big pile of stuff, and handed it to Xiao Weiguo.

“All right, I’ll take them. My dad is going back to the countryside later, so these things can be used to cook for my grandpa and the others.”

Watching Xiao Weiguo walk away, Tian Guixiang murmured, “Such a fine young man. No, I have to find a wife for him. I have a niece far away who’s quite pretty; maybe I’ll give it a try.”

Xiao Weiguo was unaware that Aunt Guixiang intended to introduce a wife to him. He tied the items to the back seat of the bicycle, placing the overflow in the front basket.

He said to Xiao Pingle, “Dad, be careful on the road. Remember, never travel at night. If you can’t make it, come back in the morning.”

“I know, Weiguo. You rest now. I’ll be back soon.”

He wasn’t sure if his unreliable father could manage, even though he had explained everything thoroughly, but he still worried. Somehow, it felt like he was the father and Xiao Pingle the son. Ridiculous.

Back inside, he locked the door and lay down to rest. Then, entering his space, he began practicing Bajiquan and the Vajra Fist technique. With his father around these days, he hadn’t practiced properly, and he couldn’t fall behind. He vowed to have his own private space in the future, or else he wouldn’t feel at ease.

But what if he had a wife? Then he wouldn’t be able to enter and exit the space freely. No use thinking about it now; he’d cross that bridge when he came to it.

After finishing his tasks in the space, Xiao Weiguo planned to go out and look at new bicycles. He could also buy a used one, which was much cheaper, but now that money wasn’t an issue, saving a bit seemed meaningless. A man should treat himself well, like having a brand-new bike.

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Arriving at the supply and marketing cooperative, probably because it was Sunday, the first floor was crowded with a noisy crowd. Skirting past them, Xiao Weiguo went straight to the third floor, where it was much quieter. This floor sold large items, and the bicycle stall was there.

Outside the bicycle stall, seven or eight men were looking around, while a middle-aged woman vendor kept watch. She shouted repeatedly, “Hey, no touching if you’re not buying! If you break it, you pay!”

A young man touching a rusty old two-eight frame immediately withdrew his hand and apologized, “Sorry, sorry.”

Xiao Weiguo always found this scene surreal—just an old bicycle, and people had to be warned not to break it by touching. It was due to the scarcity of goods. Little did they know that decades later, China would transform from a shortage economy to the world’s leading industrial exporter, with foreign leaders lamenting over excess production capacity impacting global dynamics.

Xiao Weiguo stepped forward to inspect several two-eight style bicycles. The vendor suddenly rushed over and shouted, “Don’t you have ears? I just said no touching. Can’t you understand human language?”

Xiao Weiguo didn’t want to argue and pulled out a bicycle coupon. Upon seeing it, the vendor stopped forbidding him from touching the bikes but muttered, “So what if you have a coupon? Who here doesn’t?”

She didn’t bother to explain the details, so Xiao Weiguo examined the bikes himself. The best brands were Phoenix, Flying Pigeon, and Forever, also the most expensive. Other brands like Wuyang, Jinlu, Baishan, Daqiao, and Meihualu were much cheaper.

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Xiao Weiguo leaned toward choosing either Phoenix or Flying Pigeon. Regardless of the brand, the coupon was required; only the money differed. Since money wasn’t a problem, he would buy the best.

In those days, the quality of the two-eight frame was unquestionable. Decades later, Odibiao used the same type of bike for long-distance banana deliveries in Africa.

Since his previous bike was a Flying Pigeon, this time he planned to get a Phoenix to try. He pointed at a black Phoenix two-eight frame and asked the vendor, “Comrade, how much for this one?”

“This is our best bicycle, model 1102 made by Shanghai Bicycle Factory No. 3. It’s a Phoenix men’s bike and requires a coupon plus 142.80 yuan. Optional accessories are extra, young man. Do you want any?”

Optional accessories? Xiao Weiguo hadn’t heard before and asked, “What are the options and prices?”

“A No. 51 Yongzi bicycle lock costs 2.76 yuan. Zinc-plated front fork safety rods are 2.68 yuan. Front and rear wheel axles with flower rings are 0.14 yuan.”

Hearing the prices were not much, Xiao Weiguo said, “I’ll take them all. Here’s the money and coupon.”

He took out fifteen 10-yuan bills and handed them along with the coupon to the vendor. She counted the money, carefully inspected the coupon, and said, “Wait here.”

After a while, she returned with a purchase receipt and change. “Remember to take this receipt to get the steel stamp on your bike. Without the stamp, you can’t ride it on the road.”

Xiao Weiguo pushed the newly equipped bike out of the cooperative. Everyone on the street envied the bike in his hands. In those days, owning a bicycle was like owning a luxury car in later times.

He went to the nearby police station, showed the receipt, and the staff stamped the steel mark on the handlebar’s center and attached an aluminum license plate to the rear mudguard.

They also issued a red-covered bicycle registration booklet, recording the owner’s personal information, the bike’s details, and its tax records. Each bicycle had to pay a 3-yuan annual road tax.

He hadn’t noticed these details with his first bike and now wondered if his old bike had hidden risks. Or perhaps it didn’t matter—he would ask later.

Seeing the new bike had no basket, he pushed it to a repair shop—the same place where he had bought his first bike.

He had the mechanic install a basket and bought a square-shaped headlamp for nighttime use, as bicycles were vital transportation and legally required to have lights when ridden at night.