Chapter 2205: Xiushui Street

In 1978, when the horn of reform and opening up had just sounded, someone was selling various sundries and handicrafts at the south entrance of Xiushui East Street, outside the wall of the Diplomatic Apartment.

But there were not many merchants setting up stalls; they were scattered like sparse stars in the night sky, scattered among many embassies and diplomatic apartments.

And because the reform and opening up had just been announced, these scattered merchants became a weather vane for many people.

Because at such a brand-new historical node, people inevitably had doubts about this road that had never been walked before, and about the direction of this new policy, especially those with flexible minds and agile thinking.

Their hearts were full of anxiety and worry, fearing that this policy would be like the ever-changing weather—sunny now, but maybe cloudy and rainy the next moment.

Therefore, many people's eyes focused on those few merchants. These merchants were like little stars in the dark night; although their light was weak, they attracted countless eyes to follow closely.

Everyone held their breath, observing their every word and action closely, as if watching a gripping drama.

Everyone harbored a fear in their hearts, fearing that these merchants who bravely took the first step and dared to try new things would suddenly suffer ruthless suppression or even be completely banned.

At the same time, within the government, those who firmly supported the reform and opening up were also watching. What they were watching was whether these merchants would become a prairie fire.

They knew deeply that the reform and opening up had a long way to go, but these few merchants were the sparks in the dark night. They hoped that this spark, which seemed small and insignificant.

After unremitting efforts, would finally ignite a surging and unstoppable prairie fire, thereby effectively pushing the economic reform of the entire country to continue to deepen and move forward.

And the development of Xiushui Street in the following years was within many people's expectations, and also outside many people's expectations. In just a few years, it became a commercial street of considerable scale. Even when there was a strong wind from the east, it wasn't affected.

By the end of 1985, Chaoyang District organized the establishment of the Xiushui Market and started operating clothing. It was also at that time that Wen Sanmao saw the opportunity, entered Xiushui Street, and monopolized most of the supply channels for Xiushui Street.

In the last two years, Xiushui Street had developed into a distribution center for A-goods and imitations, specializing in selling imitation products of various foreign famous brand clothing, watches, glasses, etc.

Its customers were mainly embassy staff in the surrounding area. They bought cheap luxury goods and luggage here, and through word of mouth, this place became a pilgrimage site for foreigners coming to Beijing, a shopping paradise in their eyes. It was known as "Little Hong Kong" and "Little Paris" by foreigners and was famous both at home and abroad.

Some even took bargaining on Xiushui Street, climbing the Great Wall at Badaling, and eating roast duck at Quanjude as characteristic tourism projects for visiting Beijing. In later generations, some called Xiushui Street "the 21st-century Qingming Shanghe Tu cut out by the scissors of reform and opening up."

Trendy styles of goods, a unique geographical location, a bargaining operation mode, and exchanges in various dialects established the irreplaceable status of Xiushui Street.

Anqiu Hutong wasn't far from Xiushui Street. Walking east along Chang'an Street to Jianguomen South Street, south of the street was Yong'an Xili, and north of the street was Xiushui South Street.

Wang Wentian parked the car on the side of the road at the entrance of the street, and Zhou Andong put on his sunglasses and hat and got out of the car.

"Over these years, alone, the wind has passed, the rain has walked, there have been tears, there have been mistakes, still remember what to persist in..."

The song came from a cassette stall at the entrance of Xiushui Street, and Zhou Andong looked up.

He wrote this song for Hua Jian last year, saying it would be released on the new album in May this year. He didn't expect it to be the end of July, and he just heard this song.

However, this reminded him of the unique song he wrote for Jiang Yuyue. He didn't know how the practice was going, and there was also the finger microphone customized in Germany—had it been made?

He didn't ask at the Music Festival, and Jiang Yuyue didn't say. Now it was the end of July, so it should be about time.

Zhou Andong stood on the side of the road and lit a cigarette, looked up at the sign at the entrance of the street, which read "Civilized Business, Maintain Hygiene, Quality and Quantity, Reasonable Charges."

Zhou Andong asked Gu Bing and Tang Lin beside him: "Have you guys been to Xiushui Street?"

Before Gu Bing and Tang Lin could speak, Zhang Zuo snatched the answer: "Often, I came here before the market was established. I was still young then."

"Do you see the sign that says 'Civilized Business' in front? When the market was just established, what was hanging there was a piece of white cloth."

"It's not far from home, but this is my first time here." Zhou Andong smiled and shook his head: "Let's go!"

Several people stepped forward, and Wang Wentian and the others followed not far behind.

It wasn't even ten o'clock yet, and Xiushui Street was already shoulder to shoulder, looking black with people.

"Friends walk together for a lifetime, those days are no longer there, one sentence, a lifetime, a lifetime of love, a glass of wine..."

Zhou Andong stopped, standing in front of the cassette stall at the entrance of the street, and the bustling crowd walked past him.

This stall wasn't small, probably seven or eight meters long, with cassettes densely placed on it, and a tape recorder playing songs next to it.

There were quite a few young men and women surrounding the stall, and the boss was a middle-aged man, a bit fat, speaking authentic Beijing dialect, introducing to customers which star had just released a new album recently.

In the previous life, Zhou Andong had been to Xiushui Street, but at that time, it was already the Xiushui Building, and the appearance of the old street had long since ceased to exist.

At that time, he also chatted with an old man for a while. According to that old man, on a certain day in 1978, someone carried a pole and sold fruit at the south entrance of Xiushui Street.

No one remembered which day it was, but that day was the beginning of Xiushui Commercial Street. After that, more and more people came to set up stalls at the south entrance of Xiushui Street.

And that old man was the first generation of Xiushui people. At that time, he was just over thirty, carrying thirty yuan of capital, very cautiously entered a batch of socks, and started the first business.

When the door of reform and opening up was gently opened, that old man, together with others, used his drive and sweat to create an era belonging to individual households.

"Brother!"

The middle-aged stall owner saw Zhou Andong and the others standing in front of the stall, holding a cassette in his hand and saying: "Zhou Huajian's new album, I don't have much stock here. If you don't buy it, it will be gone soon."

Zhou Andong took a step forward, took the cassette from the boss's hand and looked at it: "Boss, I only listen to original tapes, I don't want this one."

The boss was stunned, then squatted down and took out a cassette from a cardboard box under the stall.

"This is definitely original. If you find it's pirated, you can come to me at any time."

Zhou Andong took the cassette. Just looking at the cover outside and the quality of the cover inside, this cassette was indeed original.

"Didn't expect, Boss, you are so honest, not using pirated copies to fool me."

"Hey!" The boss smiled and waved his hand: "I sell cassettes. This thing, tourists from other places also buy it, but not many, so I do business with locals."

"Many are regular customers. They all know that I sell pirated copies here. If someone wants original tapes, they will naturally

Pirated tapes, those with very good sound quality that are close to the original, only cost five or six yuan. Those with slightly worse sound quality are two or three yuan, and never more than four.

But ordinary original tapes, if the sales aren't very good, all cost eight or nine yuan. If it's a big star, like Wakin Chau, the Four Heavenly Kings, or the Little Tigers, they are all eleven or twelve yuan.

If the album sells well, just like Andy Lau's "Chinese" album last year, when sales were at their best, even pirated tapes with relatively good sound quality rose to over ten yuan, and original tapes rose even higher to twenty-six."

Zhou Andong took fifty yuan out of his pocket and handed it over. The boss took the money, but didn't rush to give change; instead, he picked up another cassette tape.

"This cassette is one just released by Future Culture to celebrate the Party's birthday. It has ten songs like 'Boundless Territory,' 'Red Flag Fluttering,' 'Loyal Patriotism,' and 'As You Wish.' It's very good to listen to. Do you want it?"

Zhou Andong took the cassette. The cover was a group photo of Jiang Yuyue and other singers, with the Great Wall and the five-starred red flag in the background.

"Since these songs are very popular, why aren't you playing this tape?"

The boss gave a wry smile: "Because apart from the original, there are no pirated tapes left."

Zhou Andong was stunned for a moment and shook the tape in his hand: "The pirated tapes sold out?"

The boss nodded: "Even though I sell pirated goods, I have principles. The stock I bring in is all of relatively good sound quality; I won't take the ones that are too poor. The new stock won't arrive until this afternoon at the earliest."

Zhou Andong gritted his teeth while looking at the tape in his hand. Damn it, he worked so hard to write the songs, Yu Yue and the others worked so hard to record them, the producer worked so hard on the post-production, and the company staff worked so hard to handle distribution, yet in the end, the money was all earned by the damn pirates.

"Fine!" Zhou Andong handed the two tapes to Tang Lin beside him: "I'll take these two tapes."

"Alright!"

The boss nimbly unzipped his waist bag and happily gave Zhou Andong his change. Since the day he started setting up his stall here, he had never encountered a "big spender" who didn't haggle.

"Brother, if you have any needs in the future, come back again. I'll give you a discount."

Zhou Andong took the money and casually put it into his trouser pocket, but since there was nowhere to put the tapes, he asked the boss for a plastic bag.

Then, the group began to walk inward following the somewhat crowded crowd. At this time, there began to be stalls with awnings on both sides, and many bosses spoke with southern accents; what they were selling were clothing, watches, glasses, and other counterfeit luxury goods.

In fact, by 1988, the old merchants on this street had already completed their early capital accumulation and become the first batch of nouveau riche in Jingcheng, or rather, the whole country.

It was also in this year that the constitutional amendment added three clauses regarding the private economy, which placed certain restrictions on it, making business not as easy to do as in the first few years.

Immediately afterward, they discovered that renting out their stalls was much more worry-free than operating them themselves, so these first-generation old stall owners gradually faded out of the Xiushui Market, and the myth that one license could support a whole family was staged on Xiushui Street.

Zhou Andong stood in front of a locust tree; there were 27 locust trees planted on both sides of the market. When he came here in his previous life, he couldn't wrap his arms around the locust trees here, but now he could grasp one with one hand.

"Brother Dazuo, can you get a camera?"

Hearing Zhou Andong call him Brother Dazuo, this guy puffed out his chest, then opened the leather bag he was carrying, took out a brick phone from inside, and quickly pressed a string of numbers.

"I'm at Xiushui Street. Send me a camera immediately, with the film installed."

Gu Bing asked suspiciously: "What do you want a camera for?"

Zhou Andong patted the small tree in front of him: "With the development of the city, sooner or later this place will be replaced. Taking a few photos now leaves a memento.

Twenty or thirty years from now, when we flip through these photos to take a look, we can reminisce about this era and our youth..."

Gu Bing curled his lip: "Always doing useless things all day long."

Zhou Andong ignored him and continued walking forward. He would go in to take a look whenever there was someone selling clothes, and then the smile on his face became increasingly bright. Because quite a few clothing stores were selling woolen garments, and the brand was Jin Shiguang.

The group strolled along, and everyone bought several pieces of clothing. More than an hour later, they entered the last clothing store.

The boss was a young man with artistic long hair and a headband. But unlike the "little fresh meat" of later generations, the young man was wearing a tank top, and you could see the knotted muscles on his arms and chest.

There were customers inside, so Zhou Andong wasn't in a hurry. He wandered around the small shop and then picked up a woolen jacket with a slightly old-fashioned style.

At this moment, a girl walked in carrying a lunch box: "Xiaoguang, you eat first, I'll watch the shop."

Xiaoguang waved his hand: "What time is it, to be eating already."

"You didn't even eat breakfast this morning."

The girl opened the lunch box; inside was white rice topped with braised pork, and a few pieces of pan-fried hairtail.

"Hurry up, it'll get cold in a while."

The girl walked over and pulled Xiaoguang to eat, then she began to serve customers. In about twenty minutes or so, two out of three people bought clothes and left.

"Boss!" Finally, it was Zhou Andong's turn. The girl asked with a smile: "You really have an eye for things. The woolen garments in our shop are all the Jin Shiguang brand.

At the opening ceremonies of the 1990 Asian Games and the 1992 Spanish Olympics, the clothes our athletes wore were all Jin Shiguang. Look at this fabric, and feel this texture; in the whole world, only Jin Shiguang can make this..."

The girl rattled on, talking about exports to the US and Europe, and being number one in sales. If Zhou Andong hadn't lived a second life, he might have really believed it.

Zhou Andong held the clothes and said very hesitantly: "Of course I know Jin Shiguang, but the style is a bit old and doesn't suit me."

"It doesn't suit you, but you can buy it for your parents." The girl continued to use her silver tongue: "And the price is only over two hundred. If this were a few years ago, this price could only buy one sleeve of a Jin Shiguang woolen jacket."

"Only over two hundred?" Zhou Andong was very surprised: "So cheap, it wouldn't be fake, would it?"

"How could it be fake." The girl said with some dissatisfaction: "We are not like those southerners who sell fake goods. This is the real Jin Shiguang. The reason it's cheap is because we have special procurement channels..."

Xiaoguang, who was eating, suddenly raised his head, wanting to stop the girl from continuing, but seeing the big and small bags of clothes in Zhou Andong and his group's hands, the wariness in his eyes dissipated, and he continued to lower his head to eat.

Zhou Andong was holding a men's woolen jacket in his hand, then he looked up at the woolen overcoat next to it.

"Is this woolen overcoat also Jin Shiguang?"

"Yes!" The girl nodded and said: "But the overcoat is more expensive."

Zhou Andong asked: "How much?"

The girl took a woolen overcoat off the hanger: "480!"

Zhou Andong took the overcoat, his expression still somewhat hesitant: "If this is really Jin Shiguang, I would consider buying two overcoats, one for each of my parents."

Zhou Andong wasn't lying about this; the quality of woolen garments nowadays was top-notch, and they were just right for his parents to wear in spring and autumn.

The girl's eyes lit up: "I can guarantee that the clothes are truly Jin Shiguang. If you find out they are fake, send them back to me immediately."

"Fine, I believe you." In the end, Zhou Andong still couldn't resist the "temptation" of the price and bought two Jin Shiguang woolen overcoats.

When they left the shop, the ringtone of the brick phone in Zhang Zuo's bag rang; it was the person delivering the camera, who had already arrived at the south entrance.

"Wait there and don't move, we're coming over now." Zhang Zuo gave instructions and hung up the phone: "The camera has been delivered."

The group walked back carrying their bags. When they reached the south entrance, a young man walked over quickly and handed the camera hanging around his neck to Zhang Zuo.

"Brother Dazuo!"

Zhang Zuo took the camera: "You can go now."

The young man nodded and turned to leave without saying another word.

Zhou Andong took the camera; it was actually a Nikon 35Ti, which was released at the end of last year. It was famous for its titanium alloy shell and 3D matrix metering system. As an amateur photography enthusiast, he knew this camera quite well.

Zhou Andong raised his hand, called Wang Wentian and the others over from not far away, and then handed the bags in his hands to them.

"Put all these things in the car."

Next, Zhang Zuo used the camera to take photos of Zhou Andong and Tang Lin. At first, Gu Bing was very resistant, but he couldn't withstand Zhang Zuo having already taken several shots, so he reluctantly agreed. In the end, he even found a kind-hearted middle-aged woman to take a group photo for them.

After messing around for a long time, everyone was hungry, and the time was about right, so the group walked toward where the car was parked.

"Dalin, last night I said I'd treat that friend of yours to a meal. Have you booked a restaurant?"

"Let's just go to Datang Barbecue." Tang Lin took Zhang Zuo's bag and took out the brick phone: "Since there's a meal to be had, of course we have to eat at our own shop."

Just at this moment, Gu Bing, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly said: "Have you noticed a problem?"

"What problem?" Zhang Zuo asked very cooperatively, just like a curious baby.

Gu Bing said: "When we entered the first two clothing stores, as soon as we asked about woolen garments, the bosses were very wary. Apart from the price and the guarantee that they were genuine, they wouldn't say anything else.

But starting from the third shop, as long as we asked, they could all reveal a little something through side-probing. Logically speaking, these people should all have very high vigilance."

Zhang Zuo blinked; he couldn't answer this question because he hadn't noticed it at all, and this kind of thinking wasn't in his brain.

The group arrived at the car, and Tang Lin opened the car door, then turned back to say to Gu Bing.

"Because Brother Dong let us buy clothes, they thought we were real customers, so their guard was lowered."