Yang Liufang, who hadn't eaten hot rice in three days, squatted on the ground like many people. First he put the bowl on the ground to eat because he was afraid of burning it. Then he felt it was not enough, so he held a big bowl in one hand and ate noodles and soup. I saw many people eating raw garlic while eating noodles, which was a bit novel. I went to the store and picked up two cloves of raw garlic and tried it. It was indeed extraordinary. Finally, after eating a bowl of delicious beef noodles, not even the soup base was left, and Yang Liufang was sweating all over, dripping with joy. This is the first time to eat authentic beef noodles.
After eating beef noodles, Yang Liufang returned to the square in front of the train station. He had to wait for Li Tongfu here. He needed this job. It was also a way of repaying Brother Ahfu for buying him a ticket and teaching him how to do business. grateful.
Li Tongfu, who was unable to board the bus because of the crowd, was also very anxious. When the bus was crowded in chaos, Li Tongfu lay directly on the cargo, protecting his head with his hands, leaving his back to the crowded people. After the crowding was over, the village was in a mess like after a flood. He reluctantly got up and looked at the two complete packages of goods. He was a little lucky, but also a little panicked. He thought he had found a like-minded brother like Yang Liufang to help. You can have a big fight, but now you can only face it alone. The two heavy travel bags could not be moved by one person at a time. He could only take the ticket and ask for help from the staff who had just checked the ticket, and told him that his brother was still on the bus. The staff looked at the embarrassed Li Tongfu and agreed to help him look after the goods. They also checked his workbook and gave him the idea to catch up on the train to Zhengzhou that day. Because the stops were different, it was possible to catch up.
Li Tongfu followed the staff's advice, moved the goods into the station in batches, and boarded the train to Zhengzhou. On the train, Yang Tongfu traveled all over the country to do business, and his advantage of smiling without speaking was reflected. Using his complaint of "I missed the train and lost my brother" and his knowledge of business, he quickly became familiar with the surrounding passengers. Passengers were going up and down. Li Tongfu took the trouble to tell that when he arrived in Zhengzhou, he actually sold three pairs. Shoes, and use one pair of shoes to give the customer a dollar discount in exchange for helping him move the goods when he gets off the bus. In the 1980s, the purchasing power of one dollar was still very strong, so the customer readily agreed. After getting off the bus, he transferred to the train to Xizhou. Although the weight of three pairs of shoes was missing, the two bags were still very heavy. Li Tongfu decided to sell some of them in Zhengzhou and wait until he could carry them before setting off.
Yang Liufang, who was waiting anxiously in the Xizhou Station Square, didn't know the reason. Two bowls of beef noodles cost half of his money on the first day. At night, like most people in the square, he sneaked into the station and found a place in the lobby. I lay down. Fortunately, there were many people at the station and it was summer, so it was relatively warm, so I managed to sleep. The next day, Yang Liufang, who only had two yuan and three cents left, stayed up until noon. He went to the bathroom at the station to wash his face, and then went to the noodle place where he had eaten yesterday to order a bowl of beef noodles. After the soup was bottomed out, he went to the store to order it. I drank a bowl of hot water, hoping to save a meal at night. But when he slept until midnight, his stomach was already growling. Yang Liufang could only get up and go to the bathroom at the station to fill his stomach with water to last until dawn.
He turned on the faucet in the bathroom and washed his hands. He held the water in his hands and drank until he was full. Then he washed his face and looked left and right on the sink. Under the dim light, someone’s towel fell on it. Liu Fang took it and wiped his hands. The wipe was OK, but both hands were black after wiping. Liu Fang was half embarrassed and half glad. Fortunately, he didn't use it to wipe his face. He picked it up and smelled it. There was a fishy smell of shoe polish, which was similar to the packaging sold by Brother Afu. The leather shoes smelled the same when they were opened, and it turned out to be a shoe shine cloth. Liu Fang threw it to the ground. I scrubbed my hands carefully under the faucet, but it seemed to be of no avail, so I could only wipe my hands on my shorts, find an open space and continue sleeping.
I drank too much water and was hungry. I tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. Just when I finally wanted to fall asleep, I felt like I wanted to go to the toilet. Liu Fang could only run in again and wash his hands when he finished. Seeing that the piece of cloth was still there, Liu Fang thought that since he was waiting here, he might as well take this shoe shine cloth and go to the square to shine his shoes at dawn. Yang Liufang remembered that his master once told him after dinner that the owner Nan of Yongtai Electrical Appliance Factory, who used wooden boxes made by himself to transport electrical appliances, originally shined shoes in the streets. In the process of shining shoes, Boss Nan learned a lot of business knowledge and discovered the business opportunities of low-voltage electrical appliances, and then opened the Yongtai Electrical Appliance Factory. Thinking of this, Yang Liufang couldn't help but feel proud.
Shoe polishing is an instinct for Wenzhou people to go out to make a living. Perhaps it is a lowly industry in the eyes of outsiders. So decades later, Xizhou TV station shot a promotional video and interviewed local elderly people in Xizhou near the train station. The camera also said disdainfully: "In the early years, most Zhejiang people were shoe polishers in Xizhou, but now many have become bosses." But in the hearts of Zhejiang people, including Yang Liufang, who go out to make a living, they don't think so. One's own labor in exchange for capital for survival is worthy of pride and pride. This is also the core of the "shoe polishing" spirit summarized by Zhejiang merchants after their development and growth.
Early in the morning, Yang Liufang walked out of the station and went to the noodle restaurant where he had noodles yesterday to have a bowl of beef noodles. Unexpectedly, there were more people squatting at the door and there were more people queuing than yesterday, and people were joining one after another. Later, Yang Liu, who lived in Xizhou, learned that beef noodles were breakfast for locals. Yang Liufang asked for a big bowl this time. He also imitated the local people and said: "Boss, please give me a big bowl with more soup, more radishes, more garlic sprouts, and more spicy pepper." Liu Fang clearly felt that the busy master below looked up at him with a slight smile.
Liu Fang squatted on the floor and ate a large bowl of beef noodles, but he didn't dare to eat raw garlic. Although he wanted to eat it, he gave up when he thought about going to the square to shine shoes and fuming the guests. Even after drinking the soup, my stomach felt round. I took some pieces of raw paper from the store to wrap the shoeshine cloth I picked up, and walked towards the train station square.
Everything is difficult at the beginning. Although he is not afraid of hardship and can put down his posture, Yang Liufang knows nothing except that he has just started carpentry and shoe polishing is like a rolling pin blowing fire. The square of the train station was still bustling with people. Liu Fang bypassed the crowd and walked behind a master who was shining shoes for customers, hoping to learn from the master's skillful techniques.
The shoeshine master sat on a low horse, with his legs together, and a white cloth placed at his feet. On the cloth were toothpaste, toothbrushes, needlework, etc. The guest sitting on the high stool put one foot wearing leather shoes on the master's lap, reading the newspaper and enjoying the master's service.
