1959Siheyuan, a Turnaround

Seeing that he didn't respond, the middle-aged man explained with an embarrassed face: "This is what happened. I'm a teacher at Peking University. My wife just gave birth and has no milk, so I came here to try to get some fish!

I have been circling for more than an hour and only these two fish are bigger than mine. Can you please be kind and exchange them with me?"

Teachers from Peking University? This place is not close to the Peking University campus.

Li Weiguo looked at him with even more complicated eyes.

But the man looked very anxious. He thought for a moment and then said, "Okay! Uncle, what do you want to exchange?"

"That's great, thank you so much, little brother!"

"Little brother, if you don't mind, just follow me back. I came here in a hurry and didn't bring anything with me!"

"Fine!"

Li Weiguo followed him for three miles carrying the fish bucket before they arrived at a large courtyard in Dongcheng District.

This place is different from the Siheyuan. It is a new type of collective housing with good heating, water supply, toilet and other systems. The people who live here are of extraordinary status.

Although the person in front of him only said that he was a teacher at Peking University, Li Weiguo did not believe that his identity was just that.

After entering the room, the man asked Li Weiguo to sit in the living room.

After a while, he took out various bills and goods from the house.

Li Weiguo just took a look and took out a cloth coupon, a kerosene coupon and a sugar coupon.

In this era, the price of fish is not as high as that of pork. The market price is about 30 cents per pound, and the private transaction price is definitely more than this.

A four-pound grass carp would cost at least two yuan. If you calculate it at two and a half yuan, you would definitely not be able to exchange it for three receipts.

But he wanted all three tickets, so this time he definitely couldn’t catch just one fish.

He wanted the cloth coupons because he wanted to make clothes for his younger brothers and sisters. Their clothes were all made by altering his own clothes. They were so torn and patched that they could no longer be torn or patched. As far as he could remember, his younger brothers and sisters had never worn new clothes.

The reason why kerosene coupons were needed was because homes in those days used candles and kerosene lamps for lighting.

Nanluoguxiang has electricity, but because electricity is now supplied to steel plants first, the lighting at home is unstable, so his family still mainly uses kerosene lamps.

The candy ticket was even simpler. He had promised his sister that he would buy her candy, and as a time traveler he must keep his word.

Li Weiguo figured it out in his mind and started discussing it with the man.

"Uncle, I see you have a lot of tickets. How about this! I'll trade two fish with you?"

"Two fish!" The man didn't expect there would be an unexpected surprise, so he immediately agreed: "Okay! I'll exchange as many fish as you want, but it's too bad for you to exchange three tickets with me, so why not take another ticket!"

Although this fish is not rare, isn’t it hard to buy these days?

It took him a long time to find two fish this big today.

Li Weiguo thought this man was kind and thought they could have a long-term relationship in the future: "Okay! Then I want another cloth coupon!"

"of course can!"

The man happily put the two fish into the basin at home.

He smiled and said to Li Weiguo: "My last name is Wang, next time you catch a fish, you can bring it to me and exchange it!"

"Okay, Mr. Wang, I won't bother you anymore!"

The reason why Li Weiguo agreed was that he thought this person was okay, kind and worth making friends with.

After all, even if he has money in the future, it won’t work without tickets. Nowadays, not only do you need money, you also need tickets!

However, these tickets are often in the hands of middle and senior management, especially those precious tickets such as bicycle tickets. The entire Red Star Steel Rolling Mill can only distribute two or three tickets to employees for rewards each year.

And priority should be given to buyers and projectionists.

This kind of ticket has basically nothing to do with the ordinary people, because they have no chance to get a ticket at all.

Given the situation at home, ordinary bills seemed precious, otherwise he would not have exchanged two fish with the man at once.

Teacher Wang personally escorted Li Weiguo out the door and reminded him before he left: "Little brother, come find me next time you have fish!"

"Ok!"

Li Weiguo walked home slowly carrying the empty bucket.

Passing by a supply and marketing cooperative, he had an idea and found a remote place, and released three large grass carps weighing about five kilograms from the space.

He walked in carrying the fish bucket. Apart from three salesmen chatting, he was the only customer inside.

When the salesmen saw him coming in with the bucket of fish, they immediately gathered around him.

"Wow! Boy, you're lucky! You caught such a big fish!"

Someone immediately asked him: "Young man, do you want to change this fish?"

"Sisters, I want to ask where the purchasing station is!" Li Weiguo did not answer but asked timidly on purpose.

"Oh, this boy can talk, and he even calls us sister!"

The sales assistants were very happy to be called "sister". One of the middle-aged women smiled and said, "Why go to the purchasing station? The fish is only 30 cents per pound there. If you want to exchange it, just go find the sisters!"

"Ha ha····"

The other two salespeople also burst into laughter!

Judging from their ages, they are married housewives. Aren’t they happy to be called sister by a young man?

Li Weiguo pursed his lips and lowered his head shyly.

"Okay, let's stop teasing this boy! He's already blushing."

"Listen to me, young man. Don't send your fish to the purchasing station. I'll find a way for you. Can you tell me? I guarantee it'll be better than sending it to the purchasing station!"

Li Weiguo pretended to hesitate, paused for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.

"Okay, carry your things and follow me!"

The middle-aged woman who was speaking took him to an office inside the supply and marketing cooperative.

"Director Liu, come and take a look. This young man has caught three big grass carps!"

"real!"

Hearing this, the old man stood up suddenly, and his eyes lit up when he saw the big grass carp in Li Weiguo's bucket.

"Tell me how you want to change it!"

Li Weiguo didn't say anything but looked at the middle-aged woman who brought him here.

The middle-aged woman was also very smart and immediately understood what Li Weiguo meant.

"Director Liu, if I hadn't stopped the young man, he would have been sent to the purchasing station! You decide what to give him! Just don't let the young man suffer any loss!"

Director Liu thought for a moment and said, "How about this! How about 50 cents per pound? Although it's only 20 cents more than the purchasing station, this money is earned legitimately!"

"Okay, I'll do as you say. I want half a pound of White Rabbit candy. The rest will cost money!"

Compared with others, Li Weiguo attaches more importance to safety.

"Haha! Great! Xiao Chen, take him to weigh the fish, and you don't have to charge for the candy. It's mine!"

"Young man, why don't you thank Director Liu?"

"Thank you, Director Liu."

Li Weiguo followed Aunt Chen to weigh the fish. The three fish weighed a total of 17 catties, and he paid 8.5 yuan.

Li Weiguo took the money and the candy, thanked Aunt Chen again before leaving with the empty bucket.