Chapter 120: Feeling Unsure

After leaving the small restaurant, Liu Xing chatted with Ding Lan for a few moments before they parted ways to attend to their respective business.

He found Zhou Can at the blacksmith shop. It turned out the guy was busy discussing the transportation of glass to the Laowu Village market with Huang Xiao, the tractor driver. As for the cutting of the glass to size, the shop’s master craftsman would handle that.

Zhou Can had already purchased the tools for making shoes and stored them in the corner of the backyard. To Liu Xing’s delight, Zhou Can had also managed to buy an old-fashioned grinding wheel. Although it wasn't cheap, it would be immensely useful for shoemaking, especially for the time-consuming tasks of polishing and buffing the edges of used tires.

Seeing that most of his errands were taken care of, Liu Xing didn't linger at the blacksmith shop. After paying Zhou Can for the tools, he pushed his bicycle and headed to the glass shop with Huang Xiao. By now, the time spent eating with Ding Lan should have been enough for the craftsman to finish cutting the glass.

On the way, Huang Xiao suddenly asked, "Liu Xing, has your mother told you about the shortage of used tires?"

"Yes, she has," Liu Xing nodded.

"Then how do you plan to solve it?" Huang Xiao asked with a hint of concern. After all, the materials for the shoes in Liu Xing’s shop were all used tires. If the supply dried up, it would be bad for business. He hadn't intended to pry, but he and Liu Xing had a good relationship, and Liu Xing always looked out for him whenever there was work, so he couldn't help but ask.

"I’ll open the shop for now and figure out a way to find alternative materials later," Liu Xing replied with a smile. In reality, his plan was to visit other cities once the shoe shop’s business stabilized to see if he could source used tires elsewhere. After all, it was only the early eighties, and many people had yet to realize that waste tires could be turned into treasure. If he couldn't find a supply, the shop wouldn't be able to stay open.

"Actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, but I haven't been able to catch you," Huang Xiao said, slowing his pace. "There’s an abandoned factory near the Hengshui Winery that has a massive stockpile of old tires. I don’t know what they were used for before, but the owner is desperate to sell them now."

"Can he still be reached?" Liu Xing was immediately interested. If he could make contact, he could at least delay the tire shortage problem.

"It’s not a matter of reaching him, it’s that the owner is being greedy," Huang Xiao replied with a wry smile, lighting a cigarette. "According to him, you have to buy the entire stock of tires in the factory in one go, and it has to be paid in cash."

"That’s normal," Liu Xing remarked.

"But do you know how much he’s asking for?" Huang Xiao exhaled a puff of smoke.

"How much?" Liu Xing smiled. In his opinion, even if it were a lot, it couldn't be more than a few hundred yuan! If it were over a thousand, nobody would touch it.

Huang Xiao replied, "There are so many tires in that factory that my tractor would need a hundred or two hundred trips to move them all, but he’s asking for fifteen hundred. I spoke with him about it last time, but despite wasting time and sharing a meal, the guy wouldn't budge by a single cent."

"Then forget him," Liu Xing said, patting Huang Xiao on the shoulder as he led the way toward the glass shop. Even decades later, used tires weren't worth that much. Asking him to spend fifteen hundred now was clearly not worth it. Between his own savings and those of the rural cooperative, he didn't even have fifteen hundred yuan. If he spent it all, how would he cover the shop's operating costs? Plus, he couldn't exactly buy labor on credit.

Huang Xiao understood Liu Xing’s reasoning and followed along without saying another word. The factory owner's asking price was indeed far too high.

The two walked in silence until they reached the glass shop. Seeing that all the required glass was ready, they paid for it without delay, loaded it onto the wooden frame on the tractor, secured it, and cushioned it with cardboard before driving toward the Laowu Village market.

...

It was past five o'clock in the afternoon when they arrived at Liu Dongju's house at the market. Little One and Zhao Jing were playing hide-and-seek under the pomelo tree. Seeing Liu Xing arrive on his bicycle, followed by the tractor loaded with glass, they happily ran toward the kitchen. "Mom! Mom! Uncle is here!"

"Is that so?" Liu Dongju, who was busy stir-frying, handed the spatula to Zhao Dongkui, wiped her hands, and walked out with a smile, accompanied by Little One.

At the front gate, Nie Quan, Nie Sun, Zhao Long, Zhao Liang, and Zhao Gou were already unloading the glass. Seeing Little One running out of the kitchen, they quickly scattered. After all, glass was dangerous. Breaking it was a small matter, but if Little One got hurt, that would be a catastrophe.

Seeing this, Liu Dongju quickly picked up Little One and walked over to Liu Xing. "The ground has been leveled and the outer walls have been painted. I was thinking, should we settle the wages for the village head and the others?"

"Sure! Where is he?" Liu Xing looked around.

"He's in the backyard resting and chatting," Liu Dongju replied.

"I’ll go find him." Fearing that Huang Xiao might not stay for dinner, Liu Xing made a quick remark before heading to the backyard. Liu Dongju followed behind, carrying Little One.

In the backyard, Zhao Hu, Zhao Biao, Zhao Jianzhong, the village head, and other masons were gathered. They were drinking tea and chatting, laughing heartily at times. When they saw Liu Xing return, they all stood up to welcome him.

The village head said with a chuckle, "Starry-boy, the task you gave me is done. Why don't you go check the quality?"

"No need, how could I not trust the village head's work?" Liu Xing smiled back. "Since the task is complete, I’ll settle your wages now so you can all go back to planting rice."

"You’re looking down on us by saying that," Zhao Hu interjected immediately. Zhao Biao, Zhao Jianzhong, and the other masons nodded in agreement.

"Starry-boy, if you really want to help us, give us a straight answer: can private trading at the market really work?" the village head asked earnestly. Although Liu Xing had mentioned it to him before, he still had his doubts. Ever since the communal dining halls were established in '58, private trade had been branded as speculation and profiteering; those caught could even face execution. Although the new reform and opening-up policies had been announced and land had been distributed to households, the truth was, no one felt secure. The psychological trauma from the crackdowns on speculation in the sixties and seventies still lingered.

As someone who had lived through it and was reborn, Liu Xing understood exactly what the village head meant. He sighed lightly and replied firmly, "Yes, private trading at the market will definitely work. I discussed this with Sister Ding Lan from the Administration for Industry and Commerce. She said that as long as the people don't trade in restricted items, the policies allow it. I even asked her about temporary business licenses for individual households, and she said that’s also feasible."

"In a word, as long as you follow the law and regulations while trading at the market, you will have nothing to worry about."

"That's a relief!" The village head was overcome with excitement, as were Zhao Hu, Zhao Biao, and the other masons. They had long wanted to use the convenience of the market to make money, but because they were unfamiliar with the policies, they had hesitated. Hearing Liu Xing's confident answer, they naturally began to entertain many ideas for earning a living.

"Looking at how eager you all are, it seems you're ready to make a big move!" Liu Xing joked.

"It’s just that poverty has forced our hands," the village head sighed.

"True," Liu Xing agreed. If not for poverty, who would want to scrape a living out there? Now that there was a chance to escape poverty, they naturally had to cherish it and seize the opportunity.

Liu Dongju, who had remained silent, heard Zhao Dongkui calling from the kitchen. She smiled and handed Little One to Liu Xing. "I'm going to cook. Remember to pay everyone their wages." Even though the village head and the others kept saying they didn't need it, everyone's life was difficult. She figured it was better to pay them. Besides, Liu Xing was the one making money; he wouldn't miss this small amount.

That was exactly Liu Xing's intention. After Liu Dongju left, he gave everyone ten yuan in wages. The village head and the others initially tried to decline, but seeing Liu Xing's firm resolve, they stopped acting coy, accepted the money, and went outside to help install the glass. After all, the shoe shop was set to open on the thirteenth of May, and there were only a few days left. Now that they had their wages, they naturally wanted to help finish everything as quickly as possible.