HPDBC Chapter 5: Selling the Car
Chapter 5: Selling the Car
After the meeting, Tang Zhenghong returned to the front courtyard's back room.
He lived in the west corner courtyard of the rear house, a three-room house with two large rooms and one small room. This was left by Grandpa Tang's private house. Next door was Liang Ladi's family. The moon gate leading to the neighbor's house was also installed with a wooden door by Grandpa Tang.
Once the wooden door is closed, it's like having your own little world where no one can disturb you.
I was just about to go back to my space to get something to eat when I heard someone knocking on the door.
"Zhenghong, your Uncle Cai wants to discuss something with you. Is it convenient?"
The visitors were Xu Huizhen and Cai Quanwu, who came from the front gate. Cai Quanwu and the old man were good coworkers during the time of the "hub" incident. When the old man passed away, he often brought a group of old friends to help him.
In fact, Cai Quanwu and his companion had arrived long ago, but they did not expect that a large meeting was being held in the courtyard, so they did not want to disturb them.
Before Grandpa Tang passed away, Cai Quanwu came to visit and was mistaken for his biological father by He Yushui and Shazhu, almost causing a misunderstanding.
Sha Zhu figured that one was surnamed Cai and the other He, so they were definitely not related and didn't think much of it.
But He Yushui always felt that Cai Quanwu was her family, otherwise how could they look so alike? So she often secretly went to the small tavern in front of the gate to help out. Now she has even changed her address to "Second Uncle," which made Cai Quanwu and Xu Huizhen quite embarrassed, so they recognized each other as godparents.
Of course, there's no chance for Sha Zhu.
Cai Quanwu was a man of few words, following behind Xu Huizhen like an obedient child being raised by his parents.
Tang Zhenghong stepped aside and invited, "Uncle Cai, is there something you need to talk to me about? You two can come in and chat."
It was Xu Huizhen's first time visiting Tang Zhenghong's home. Upon entering the courtyard, she exclaimed in amazement, "Although the place is a bit small, it's kept clean and tidy. Once the weather gets warmer, we can grow a few potted plants, and this little courtyard will become quite a sight."
"Please have a seat, Aunt Xu. Are you here for tea?"
Xu Huizhen looked around the room and nodded repeatedly. Although it was a bit simple, you could tell a person's character from the details of their life. After sitting down, she waved her hand, "Don't bother, your Uncle Cai and I will leave after a while. Old Cai, just talk to Zheng Hong, we're all acquaintances, what's there to be embarrassed about?"
Tang Zhenghong still brewed a pot of tea and poured it for them. After looking at the two of them for a while, he smiled and said, "Uncle Cai, when can I attend your wedding?"
Cai Quanwu glanced at Xu Huizhen, feeling a little embarrassed to speak to the younger generation, and maintained his usual quiet nature: "It'll be soon, it'll be soon."
"Uncle Cai, you really are someone who knows half but doesn't know anything. If you need anything, just ask."
Cai Quanwu's family used to be a scholarly family, and he had attended a private school. I didn't expect Tang Zhenghong to be able to recall the allusion in his name so easily. I remember that Tang Zhenghong's grades were always top-notch when he was in school, so it makes sense.
"Zhenghong, the old man has passed away. I've noticed you're often away from home due to work, and he hardly uses his tricycle either. Have you considered selling it? A friend of mine has been inquiring recently and is looking to buy a reasonably priced one."
"Old Cai, just tell the truth to the kid. Why are you playing games? Do you think a kid can ask for whatever price he wants? Zheng Hong, I bought this car. The tavern will need it. If you're willing to sell, name your price?"
Some things don't require tickets yet, so Cai Quanwu asked to buy a tricycle.
Tang Zhenghong hesitated. He couldn't raise the price, but he was sometimes away from work for ten days or half a month at a time, so it would be a waste to leave the tricycle idle.
Last time I went back to my hometown, I said I'd give the tricycle to my family to use, and my dad scolded me, saying that it was earned by Grandpa Tang through hard work, and even though he's gone, he can't take advantage of it!
"Alas, Grandpa left in a hurry and didn't get to enjoy his blessings. As you two have noticed, I haven't been able to bear to change anything in the house or yard all this time, just to keep it as a memento."
Xu Huizhen's heart sank. She was a businesswoman and had seen all sorts of people. Most young people were concerned about their image. If it were Sha Zhu, he would have been patting his chest and forgetting who he was by now. But Tang Zhenghong was different. He didn't even respond to her and started to offer a price.
The only option was to back down and pretend to understand, saying, "Oh, I see. I understand. You're a filial and good child; we were both being presumptuous."
He kicked Cai Quanwu, signaling him to respond.
Cai Quanwu was also stunned for a moment. Old Tang was gone, and Zheng Hong's current personality made him feel much more at ease. At least he wouldn't suffer any losses. He had heard Yu Shui say a lot that the people in this courtyard were all troublesome.
"Zhenghong is so filial. If Grandpa knew you still think about him, he would be pleased. But we who are alive have to look forward, right? When Grandpa Tang was alive, he always hoped you would grow up, get married, and have a wife. Now that you're of age, the house still needs to be decorated. Remembering him and thinking about him from time to time is a way to cherish the memory. Don't you want to get married? That would be unfilial."
"Yes, Zheng Hong, don't worry. I've seen the tricycle that the old man left behind. He cherished it very much, and it's in good condition. Your aunt won't let you suffer any losses."
Tang Zhenghong pretended to be in a difficult position, and after a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, what you two say makes sense. Aunt Xu, you are a businesswoman who has seen a lot, so you certainly won't let the younger generation suffer losses on this little thing. Just name your price, and I won't haggle."
Now it was Xu Huizhen's turn to be caught in the middle. She glanced at the slippery Tang Zhenghong with amusement: "Fine, you little fox. Lao Cai, I don't know anything about this, so you name a price for me."
"Zhenghong is all alone now, it's not easy for him either, how about we round it up?"
Cai Quanwu was quite honest and didn't want to be accused of taking advantage of younger people.
"Okay, thank you for taking care of us, Uncle Cai and Aunt Cai. Please check the car and take it with you. If there are no problems, you can take it away."
Xu Huizhen deftly took out her handkerchief to count the money, and even gave him two extra yuan: "You little rascal, your auntie said she wouldn't let you suffer any losses. Consider the extra two yuan as a treat to improve your life. Don't be stingy with money. Although the old man did hard labor, he still left you quite a bit of savings, didn't he?"
Seeing Tang Zhenghong accept her "reward" with a beaming smile, Xu Huizhen felt a surge of satisfaction; she had finally won a round.
"When Grandpa was alive, he was frugal with food and clothing. As for me, I dare not spend money recklessly. I'll wait until I save up some money to slowly buy some new things."
"What a good child. If you ever have any trouble in the future, come to me. The old man used to be a regular customer of mine, so we're practically family."
After seeing the two off, Tang Zhenghong, as usual, spaced out for a while.
I went to the coal factory during the day as a porter and I think I saw honeycomb briquettes. I'll have to get some when I get back in a while. I heard that honeycomb briquettes are much cheaper than coal briquettes.
If I remember correctly, this factory was later under the jurisdiction of the fuel company, and it should have been managed by the Materials Bureau. Later, when the market was opened up, the coal briquette factory disappeared like the state-owned grain store, but the system still belonged to public institutions.