The bus to Xizhou arrived late. Although it was empty, the driver still drove into the station unsteadily. Yang Liufang bought a ticket for four stops, drove away from Yantan, and got off at Beiguan after four stops. Then transfer to Route 31, and after six stops, get off at Chengbei Supply and Marketing Cooperative.
The Chengbei Supply and Marketing Cooperative is a row of bungalow-style buildings. There is a row of doorways facing the street. On top of the door, I don’t know if it is made of stones or cement. The characters "Chengbei Supply and Marketing Cooperative" are carved in official script. The cinnabar-colored red flags on it have been There are mottled signs with black characters on a white background hanging at the door of each of the six houses. From left to right, they are: Supply and Marketing Cooperative Hardware and Electrical Materials Sales Department, Supply and Marketing Cooperative Sugar, Tobacco and Liquor Sales Department, Supply and Marketing Cooperative Labor Insurance Sales Department, Supply and Marketing Cooperative Building Materials Department. Sales Department, Supply and Marketing Cooperative Living Materials Sales Department, Supply and Marketing Cooperative Production Materials Sales Department.
The materials placed at the entrance of each store department are different. The entrance of the hardware and electrical materials store department is piled with wires, steel wires and other materials. The entrance to the daily necessities store is the most spectacular. Several brand-new Phoenix bicycles are locked, and iron chains are passed through the middle of the triangular beam at both ends and locked on the telephone poles with iron locks. Two sewing machines were placed on the left and right under the eaves of the door, covered with plastic sheets. The entrance to the production supplies area is relatively deserted, but there are also water pumps and water pipes on display. Yang Liufang thought that the tools he wanted were all made of iron and should belong to the hardware store, so he walked in. The front room looks small, but I didn’t expect it to be quite special inside. It’s 20 meters deep and has a row of long glass counters. The salesperson behind the counter is wearing the same blue labor cloth overalls as Yang Liufang, with a white hat on his head and cuffs. With white sleeves. When Yang Liufang came in, no one greeted him. He looked at the counters one by one and stopped in front of a counter filled with nails. The salesperson behind the counter was a delicate woman.
"Hello, I want to buy nails."
"Want that kind?"
"1 catties each from 1 to 6 cm."
The salesperson put on canvas gloves, picked up an iron spoon, and scooped up different types of iron nails from the bag behind her. He poured them onto the miniature scale on the counter. After weighing one pound of each item, he wrapped it in brown paper. Finally, I found a small snakeskin bag and put six kilograms of iron nails in it.
"Comrade, where do I want to buy woodworking tools?" Yang Liufang asked after paying.
"Tools are production materials. You can go to the production materials store and ask."
"Ok, thank you."
After Yang Liufang thanked him, he walked out of the hardware store with the iron nails and went to the production materials store. Inside was a row of more than 20 meters of counters with all kinds of production materials. Yang Liufang looked over one by one, and at the third counter, he saw all the woodworking tools he was familiar with: saws, hammers, chisels, planers, files, rulers, axes, drills, ink fountains, whetstones, etc.
Yang Liufang bought the required tools according to the list he made, and after paying the fee, several salesmen organized the corresponding tools together and piled them in front of the counter like a hill. Yang Liufang was dumbfounded when he saw these tools. Even if they were not heavy, he would not be able to carry them all. This does not include hardware products such as saw blades and various planers. The salesperson looked at Yang Liufang who was in trouble, still indifferent, and went to stand behind the counter again, minding his own business.
Yang Liufang thought that the service of these salesmen was so bad. Compared with the enthusiasm of his fellow villagers Boss Chen and Boss Zhou in Xizhou Wholesale Market, these people felt like superior officials. But there is no way, they are state-owned, and the scorpion's tail - the poison (only).
Yang Liufang thought that he couldn't lift it anyway, and he couldn't throw it away here, so he should buy hardware consumables such as saw blades, planers, and drills first. So I went back to the hardware store, and the back and forth was too inconvenient. Why not set up a passage in the middle of the 20-meter-long counter? Isn’t it good to provide convenience to the masses? It seems they really don't know how to do business.
Yang Liufang used his newly emerged business awareness to silently judge the unreasonable counter layout of the supply and marketing cooperative. When I came to the hardware store, I found that the counter for small tools selling drill bits and planers was adjacent to the counter for nails, valves and the like. Seeing Yang Liufang return, the handsome salesperson who sold him the nails asked, "What? Didn't you buy it?"
"Oh, comrade, I bought it, but there are too many things that I can't handle."
"Aw, where are you going?"
"Goose Beach."
"Yantan, that's far enough. You can call a donkey cart or a tractor."
"Oh, is there? That's great! Where is it?"
“There are casual workers and cart drivers in the Yellow River labor market behind the supply and marketing cooperative.”
"Thank you, comrade. I want to buy a planer, a saw blade, etc., but you see there is no one here."
"Oh, let me get it for you. My colleague went on a blind date today."
The pretty woman walked out of the counter where she sold iron nails, entered this section of the counter, and took the goods as Yang Liufang asked. The goods are all ready, plus the six kilograms of iron nails I just bought, it is already more than twenty kilograms. Yang Liufang tried it. The saw blade was swaying softly and it was really difficult to lift.
"You can put your things here first, and then we can load the car together when you come back after calling the car."
"Thank you very much. I have to ask you to take care of me."
"Don't worry, comrade. Go quickly."
Yang Liufang walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative, followed the saleswoman's instructions, and walked around the west wall of the supply and marketing cooperative toward the Yellow River Labor Market at the back. About ten minutes later, I saw a clearing with people gathered in small groups. When I walked in and took a look, I saw someone spreading a piece of paper on the ground, with crooked writing on it: Carpenter making furniture; some said building walls and building houses. Some people were sitting on the ground with bedrolls beside them, while others were simply sleeping lazily with their bedrolls spread out. They make a living by selling their strength and skills, waiting here for employers in need to come and greet them.
Maybe he thought that Yang Liufang came here to look for work like them, and no one took care of him there. But Yang Liufang needed a car, so he bypassed those people and went to the area where tractors, donkeys, horses and mule carts were parked to look for it. As soon as he passed, several people gathered around him.
"Comrade, do you want a car?"...
"want."
"Use mine. It's a newbie's tractor. It's powerful and can go far."
"Use mine, cheap, strong mule."
"Use my..."
“How much does a tractor cost?”
"Where to go?"
"Goose Beach."
"Pull what?"
"Carpentry tools, and 200 bars of soap."
"20. Help you move the goods."
"Expensive."
"Yantan is so far away, 20 is not expensive anymore, I have to go to the gay brother."
"How much does a mule cart cost?" he turned to the middle-aged man driving the mule cart and asked.
"15."
"What about you?" He asked the more experienced man driving the donkey cart.
"Little brother, please give me 10 yuan."
"Can it still be cheaper?"
"I don't dare to ask for more. My car is slower than theirs and I can pull less."
"Okay, it's up to you. Let's go to the supply and marketing cooperative to get tools first."
"Okay!" The old man took off the reins and went to the side to hitch the donkey cart.
"Come on, come on." Waiting for Yang Liufang to get in the car and sit down. The old man made a "boo" sound, and the donkey pulled the cart and the two of them walked to the supply and marketing cooperative. They first went to the production materials sales department and loaded up the tools. The old man also wanted to go over and help enthusiastically, but Yang Liufang refused.
"Sou (Uncle), just watch it for me."
"Oh, okay."
Yang Liufang carried the tools several times by himself, put them on the donkey cart one by one, and then went to the hardware store to pick up consumables and nails.
"Have you found it?"
"Um!"
"That's fine. How much will it cost?"
"A tractor costs 20 yuan, and a donkey cart is 10 yuan cheaper, so I ordered a donkey cart later."
"Twenty is a real pitfall. It's only 20 when you go to Hanwangcheon."
"Hanwangchuan? Do you know Hanwangchuan?"
"Yes, my mother is the principal of Hanwangchuan Middle School."
"Oh, I'm just going there. Do you know Wang Shan and Yinhua?"
"Ah, they, we are high school classmates, do you know each other?"
"I know. I'm just building furniture for them this time."
"Oh, we haven't seen each other for a few years. I didn't expect them to get married so soon."
"Oh, what a blessing."
"Yes, Xizhou is a small city and we are all acquaintances. Come and let me help you." He said and came to help Yang Liufang carry the nails.
"No, no, I'll do it myself. This is too heavy."
"It's okay. I'm used to it." He said, picking up the snakeskin bag containing the nails and helping Yang Liufang carry it to the donkey cart.
Yang Liufang thanked him and said goodbye.
"Send my regards to Wang Shan and Yinhua."
"Okay, I'll bring the message to you." Yang Liufang sat on the donkey cart and waved goodbye to the salesperson. The old man drove the donkey cart towards Yantan.
