Chapter 73: The Forever Brand Twenty-Eight Bar

Most places in Sijiucheng were named "Red Star," such as the Hongxing Rolling Mill, the Red Star Machinery Factory, the Hongxing Hospital, and so on; there was even a suggestion in the neighborhood at the time to build a "Red Star Courtyard."

But later on, there was no more news about that, otherwise, just based on those three old bastards in the courtyard, they would definitely have snatched up that name.

"Hello, Uncle, may I ask where the bicycles at our Hongxing Supply and Marketing Cooperative are? I'd like to take a look!"

Zhao Gangzi wore a smile on his face, while the old man beside the counter was still dozing off; as soon as he heard the movement, he immediately perked up, first giving the young man in front of him a good look-over, then saying, "Little comrade, you're quite something for your age. Are you buying a bicycle directly? Going on a blind date, are you?"

"I'm envious, truly envious. I've worked for most of my life and never managed to get a bicycle; every day I just watch others come to buy them..."

The uncle at the counter had sharp eyes and immediately spotted the corner of the Bicycle Ticket peeking out from Zhao Gangzi's chest pocket, while sighing to himself that people really shouldn't be compared to one another.

Some people have one foot in the grave and have never even touched a bicycle, while others look like they haven't even grown all their hair yet, and they already have a Bicycle Ticket; one must know that a Bicycle Ticket is far more precious than the money saved to buy the bicycle itself.

"Hehe, don't say that, Uncle," Zhao Gangzi said with a smile, "I see you have a blessed face; within two years, you'll definitely be able to get yourself a Twenty-Eight Bar!"

"Heh, you're a smooth talker, kid!"

The uncle was pleased, his originally furrowed brows relaxing; he came out from behind the counter, grabbed Zhao Gangzi by the arm, and walked inside. Before long, rows of bicycles appeared before them.

There were three best-selling types of bicycles in Sijiucheng these days: Flying Pigeon, Phoenix, and Forever.

Generally, Flying Pigeon was ridden by the sons of big compounds and capable male comrades, while female comrades preferred the Phoenix brand; as for why, one only needs to look at the name of the bicycle to know.

The uncle led Zhao Gangzi for a stroll, finally choosing the row at the very back, and picked out a Forever brand bicycle. Perhaps it was because Zhao Gangzi had played too much CF in his past life, but as soon as he saw the two characters for "Forever," he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

"Uncle, this is the one, the Forever brand Twenty-Eight Bar!"

Zhao Gangzi waved his hand grandly and fished out nearly two hundred yuan in cash from his trouser pocket, which felt about a centimeter thick.

"Yo, little comrade, you've got a good eye! Among this batch of bicycles, this Forever one has the best quality. Good eye, good eye," the uncle nodded with great satisfaction, looking at the young man in front of him with increasing approval; if he had a descendant like this, he would probably wake up laughing in his dreams.

Zhao Gangzi chatted quite freely with the uncle, and after handing over the Bicycle Ticket and the money, he specifically bought a box of Divine Eagle cigarettes for the uncle, which made the uncle grin from ear to ear.

Afterward, Zhao Gangzi pushed the bicycle to the nearby Police Station to have the official seal stamped on it, otherwise, he wouldn't dare to ride it out.

"I am now a member of the car-owning class!"

Zhao Gangzi couldn't help but feel deeply emotional; this thing might not be worth a second glance in the decades to come, but at this moment, it was definitely the mark of a wealthy household.

Moreover, this could be considered the first bicycle in the Hongxing Courtyard; he didn't know how many people would be green with envy when he rode it back. It was fortunate that Jia Zhangshi was currently serving time in prison, otherwise, it would be hard to say what might happen to the wheels of his bicycle.

"To hell with them; if anyone dares to harbor evil intentions toward my bicycle, they can't blame me for being ruthless," Zhao Gangzi curled his lips, used his memories from his past life to vault onto the seat, and zipped away on the bike.

Along the way, he even received a lot of inexplicable Hatred Value; it seems the psychology of resenting the rich exists in every era!

Zhao Gangzi rode his newly purchased ride around the streets of Sijiucheng, even specifically buying a large red flower to decorate the bicycle, along with some peanuts, melon seeds, and the like.

Then, he took a bag of milk candies out of his System Storage Space, tore open the packaging, mixed them in with the peanuts and melon seeds, and pretended he had bought them all together.

In the evening, Zhao Gangzi rode the bicycle into the alley.

The uncles and aunties sitting in the alley all cast envious gazes; not to mention the Hongxing Courtyard where Zhao Gangzi lived, the number of bicycles in the entire street could be counted on one hand.

Even the Street Office only had one, and it was quite old, with the frame nearly falling apart, yet it was still used to carry grain for everyone during critical times.

"Gangzi, congratulations! You got your bike so quickly; I knew you were capable when you were a child!"

"Look at this bike, this big red flower; if my son had half your ability, I'd be satisfied."

"Sigh, if Lao Zhao were still alive, who knows how happy he would be..."

A group of neighbors gathered around, and even Auntie Wang from the Street Office looked on with envy; these neighbors were much better than those animals in the Hongxing Courtyard.

At least these people had no grudges against Zhao Gangzi, and naturally, Zhao Gangzi couldn't slap a smiling face; the peanuts and melon seeds he bought were mainly prepared for these neighbors.

"Come on, everyone, have some melon seeds, don't be strangers, there's enough for everyone!"

Zhao Gangzi picked up a large bag of snacks from the back seat, and when he opened it to reveal peanuts, melon seeds, and milk candies, everyone's eyes lit up instantly.

After all, under normal circumstances, these things were only bought during festivals and holidays; it was hard to even see others eating them on ordinary days!

Before long, more than half of the large bag of snacks had been divided up, and Zhao Gangzi gave Auntie Wang special treatment, grabbing a large handful of milk candies for her.

Zhao Gangzi was not stupid; in this day and age, having connections was even more useful than having money, and social graces were indispensable.

Don't look at Auntie Wang as just someone in charge of this street; sometimes, her word was the only one that carried weight, and no one else's would do!

The news of Zhao Gangzi buying a bicycle, as well as him handing out peanuts and melon seeds in the street, quickly reached the Hongxing Courtyard, and suddenly, everyone in the entire courtyard couldn't sit still.

One after another, they waited in the Front Courtyard, all waiting to congratulate Zhao Gangzi, especially the stingy Third Uncle, Yan Bugui, who already had a geographical advantage and led his whole family to block the entrance, waiting to be the first to take advantage of Zhao Gangzi.

Although Yan Bugui was unhappy that Zhao Gangzi was the first in the courtyard to buy a bike, he still wore a fake smile on the surface and told his wife and children blocking the door: "When Zhao Gangzi comes later, you all better be sharp; say whatever sounds good, and follow my lead!"

Yan Jiedi was full of joy, thinking it was like celebrating the New Year early because it was so lively, while the three brothers, Yan Jiekuang, Yan Jiecheng, and Yan Jiefang, held hands and blocked the gate tightly, drawing a chorus of curses from the people behind them.

"Yan Laoxi, you're really something! Having your whole family block the door; that's the only good thing about living in the Front Courtyard! Bah!"

"There are six of you in your family; if each of you grabs a handful, it'll all be gone. You're shameless, and you call yourself the Third Uncle, hmph."

"Old Yan, Old Yan, leave me a gap; our Liu family has a pretty good relationship with you!" Liu Haizhong shouted from behind with his two sons.