Chapter 232
Jiang Yexun quickly returned. Seeing the little girl bundled up warmly, he playfully patted the fluffy ball on her hat.
“Mom, we’re leaving now,” Jiang Yexun said to Aunt Guo.
Aunt Guo hurriedly waved them off, “Go quickly, if you don’t leave now, it will be dark by the time you get back.”
The road from their production team was mountainous and, with it being winter, they could encounter wild animals. It was best to avoid going out after dark unless necessary.
“I’ve brought a machete,” Jiang Yexun said, lifting the bamboo basket in his hand.
He wouldn’t allow any chance of danger to come to his little educated youth.
“Alright, since you’re prepared, I won’t wait for you to come back for dinner. Go ahead and get your work done,” Aunt Guo said, feeling more at ease seeing her son so prepared.
Uncle Wang had arrived earlier with Jiang Yexun, and the ox cart was now parked at their courtyard gate. Jiang Yexun lifted Su Xiaoxiao and placed her on the ox cart. “Wait here for a moment. I’ll get a light quilt.”
He quickly returned to his room and came back with the old quilt they had used previously. After jumping onto the ox cart and covering them both with the quilt, Jiang Yexun said, “Thank you, Uncle Wang.”
“It’s no trouble. I should thank you instead. If it weren’t for you needing my ox cart to go to the city in winter, I couldn’t afford to keep this old ox well-fed with just the feed money the production team allocates,” Uncle Wang said with a hearty laugh.
The ox cart moved steadily. They were warmly dressed and covered with the quilt. Even without moving, they didn’t feel cold. On the mountain path where there were no people, Jiang Yexun even put his arm around his little sweetheart’s shoulders, letting her lean into his embrace to shield her from the wind.
He only let go when the ox cart entered the town.
Jiang Yexun first went to the factory to confirm with the slip of paper he had. It reassured him that he could start his job anytime. Only then did he feel completely at ease.
Then they took the ox cart to the state-owned restaurant for lunch. The three of them shared a plate of braised meatballs, filled to the brim with meat. Uncle Wang, unable to resist the aroma, even bought a bottle of wine to sip on.
Although Jiang Yexun ate a lot, he had also ordered plenty. By the time they finished lunch, there was still half of each of the three dishes left, which they decided to leave for Uncle Wang, who had to wait for them in the town.
Uncle Wang was so grateful that he nearly smiled from ear to ear.
After leaving the state-owned restaurant, Jiang Yexun took Su Xiaoxiao directly to the scrapyard.
“Have you been here looking for good finds before?” Su Xiaoxiao asked curiously, eyeing the scrapyard across the street, which was as big as a small courtyard.
“Big Gao wanted to deal in antiques, so I thought I might try my luck here since I had seen some old items hidden in the mountains. But after trying it, we realized it wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed. We ended up buying quite a few replicas of Ming and Qing dynasty items that were modeled after things from hundreds or even a thousand years ago. We lost some money on that,” Jiang Yexun admitted, looking slightly embarrassed.
Especially seeing the surprised look on the little girl’s face as she looked up at him, he felt even more uneasy.
“It’s okay, now that you have me, you won’t have such troubles anymore,” Su Xiaoxiao said, patting her chest with confidence.
However, considering that Jiang Yexun, the future tycoon, was a business genius who always sniffed out economic trends early and shifted his investments accordingly, it was surprising that he had made mistakes in judgment before.
“Don’t think I can’t see through your little teasing thoughts,” Jiang Yexun said, gently tugging at the pom-pom on Su Xiaoxiao’s hat, shaking it a bit.
Su Xiaoxiao quickly covered her hat and retorted, “I’m not teasing you.”
Jiang Yexun lowered his eyes, staring intently at her for a long time. Only when Su Xiaoxiao felt guilty and began to bury her head in her chest did he finally drop his feigned look of anger. With a soft chuckle, Jiang Yexun led Su Xiaoxiao into the recycling station.
“What are you here to sell?” The elderly man in the gatehouse pushed open a small window and asked.
Noticing they weren’t carrying any items to sell, he quickly added, “Are you here to buy something?”
“Hello, Grandpa. We’d like to buy some books. Winter is approaching, and we’d like something to pass the time at home,” Su Xiaoxiao explained politely.
The old man’s gaze shifted from Jiang Yexun to Su Xiaoxiao. It was clear she was a city girl sent to the countryside, married to a local man for help with the labor. Such girls, who couldn’t handle the hardship, often married quickly to secure assistance and had a penchant for reading whatever books they could find.
“Alright, you can go look around. Books are priced at three cents per jin. If you find anything else, bring it to me for pricing; don’t just pocket it. Stealing is a serious crime and can land you in jail,” the old man warned them thoroughly.
Su Xiaoxiao’s heart sank a little at his words, but she quickly agreed without hesitation.
The old man didn’t follow them inside. He simply closed his window and went back to warming himself by the fire.
Once inside, Su Xiaoxiao whispered, “It seems this scrapyard has already been visited by many people. The old man at the gate knows the drill.”
Indeed, some people naturally thrive on finding quick fortunes. Even without prior knowledge or a specific plan, they seem to instinctively find ways to get rich quicker than most.
“Here, items can be bought for one or two cents, cleaned up a bit, or repaired. They can sell for at least ten cents or, if they’re in good condition, for as much as thirty or forty cents,” Jiang Yexun explained.
The scrapyard wasn’t just about books or antique treasures. Items like bowls that cost only a penny here could fetch three cents on the black market. Discarded tables and chairs could start at twenty or thirty cents.
Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened in surprise at Jiang Yexun’s explanation. She hadn’t realized how resourceful people could be in business.
But it made sense. In these times of scarcity, many entrepreneurs accumulated funds slowly, earning a few cents at a time. However, many such traders, enjoying their quick profits, often spent their earnings on food and drinks as soon as they had some money.
Such traders, once China opened up to personal economic activities, often found themselves without sufficient starting capital, lagging behind those who had a more strategic approach to their savings. Especially those who missed out on accumulating funds between 1979 and early 1982. When the market opened to private enterprises in 1982, they faced the first wave of international financial competition unprepared.