Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 91 Targeting the Rich

After finishing his work in the morning, Chen Fan packed his things and prepared to go home.

The market was in a week, and he wanted to see what he had to sell.

If possible, he wanted to take the cured meat and fish to the market to sell, hoping to earn as much as possible, which would be better than the cheap purchase station.

While we're at it, let's see if we can buy anything else.

He wasn't very familiar with this era and didn't understand many things. It would be best if he went back and discussed it with Jiang Lili. If even she didn't know, he would have to ask Captain Yang for advice.

Captain Zhang watched him put the small alarm clock into his pocket and immediately said, "Aren't you afraid of losing it if you just carry it like that?"

Alarm clocks are valuable items, costing over ten yuan. Even ordinary families might not have one. Everyone treasures them and keeps them hidden away. How could you just casually put one in your pocket?
Chen Fan looked at him and asked, puzzled, "Then how do we get it?"

Captain Zhang looked around, then rummaged through a cabinet in the back corner and pulled out a ball of thin hemp rope. He stretched it out to be more than half a meter long, cut it with scissors, and handed it to him. “Tie one end to your belt and the other end to the alarm clock, so you won’t have to worry about losing it.”

Chen Fan took the rope, and a scene flashed through his mind.

As I was walking down the street with a rope hanging from my pants, a man approached from the opposite direction. This man had a thin chain hanging from his chest. He took out a pocket watch, walked over, and said, "Excuse me, sir, my pocket watch is inaccurate. I'd like to check the time with you."

Then she snapped her alarm clock out and said, "It's 9:15 now."

The man stared in disbelief. "Master, your pocket watch is quite unique."

Chen Fan couldn't help but shake his head to dispel the images in his mind. He decisively unbuttoned his cotton-padded jacket, tied one end to his waistband and the other end to the alarm clock, put the alarm clock in his inner pocket, and then buttoned it up so that no one would notice.

Seeing his caution, Captain Zhang nodded in satisfaction. "You did a good job today. I'll give you a verbal commendation. Keep up the good work this afternoon and achieve even better results."

Chen Fan nodded. "Yes."

Then he carried his toolbox and went home.

……

Perhaps due to his improved physique and agility, he now only needs about 20 minutes to walk a distance, which is nearly half again as fast as the more than half an hour he took the first time he came here, and he is not very tired.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw a large group of people sitting there, men, women, and children. They had probably brought out all the chairs, so Jiang Lili could only stand at the door.

Chen Fan was stunned. What was going on today?

Normally no one comes to this educated youth settlement, but there are so many people today. Could something serious have happened?
When Captain Yang saw Chen Fan return, he immediately stood up and asked, "Little Chen, what's this about going to the market?"

Everyone else stood up and surrounded Chen Fan. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were going to do something to him.

"Going to the market?"

Chen Fan suddenly realized, so that's what they came for?
He then said, "It's just like the notice said. It's the 19th of the twelfth lunar month, in Team 5 of Ganjiacun. There's no need to register or queue. When you get there, there will be police and militia to maintain order. Just follow the instructions."

Captain Yang, "We know all that. I just want to ask you, where did this notice come from?"

Chen Fan blinked and finally understood their purpose.

All that fuss was to find out some gossip.

I know what others don't, and I can be content just by sharing the inside story with others and enjoying their admiring glances.

He chuckled and said, "It was around 8 o'clock. The commune cadres called the brigade headquarters, and Captain Zhang answered the phone. They informed us about the matter. Captain Zhang didn't delay at all. As soon as the broadcast ended, he immediately asked me to issue the notice. I came back after reading the notice."

Captain Yang blinked, clearly disappointed. "That's it?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "That's basically it. I guarantee there's no embellishment."

He glanced at the commune members whispering beside him and asked Captain Yang, "Captain, is our team going to the market?"

Captain Yang laughed heartily, "I'll go, I'll definitely go. Whether I buy or sell, I'll just go and join in the fun."

Accountant Liu chuckled, "It's been ten years since we last held a rural market. I wonder what the difference is compared to before." Warehouse Keeper Huang clicked his tongue, "I reckon the biggest difference is definitely the number of people."

Captain Yang said, "Of course. It's been ten years since the market last opened. This is the first time it's reopened. Anyone who can walk will definitely come to see the excitement."

Accountant Liu did some quick calculations and said, "The commune has five production brigades, and each brigade has three to four thousand people, so there are a total of eighteen or nineteen thousand. Even if half of them go, there are still eight or nine thousand people, and it might even exceed ten thousand. Tsk tsk, the militia company of Ganjiacun will probably have to go."

Captain Yang looked at him. "Not only that, there are also four or five thousand people from the commune. The 19th of the twelfth lunar month is a Sunday, and everyone at work is on holiday. How could they not go?"

"I'm afraid people from Yangshan Commune on the west bank of the river and Qingshan Commune on the east bank will come," said Huang, the custodian.

Accountant Liu nodded in deep agreement, "Their place by the river is closer than the places above ours, so there will definitely be people going there. It's possible that there will be 15,000 people that day."

Chen Fan was stunned. How could such a small rural market attract so many people?

Isn't it a bit much to mobilize everyone?

Seeing that they couldn't get any more inside information from Chen Fan, everyone started discussing as they walked out.

Seeing that Captain Yang and the others were also preparing to leave, Chen Fan quickly stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Captain, I also want to participate, is that okay?"

Captain Yang said, "Sure, there are no requirements, anyone can go."

Chen Fan: "Then I'd like to sell some things, is that okay?"

Captain Yang: "Sure, why not?"

She then glanced at his room, turned back to him, and smiled, "You do have a lot of stuff; it's good for your sales."

After a pause, he added, "I'll take a count later to see how many people in the team want to sell things. If there are a lot, we'll just hitch a ride on two trucks."

Chen Fan was overjoyed. "Great, this is good."

Then, with his hands clasped tightly, he asked shyly, "Captain, I know that market can't sell industrial products, but I wanted to ask if it's okay to sell cooked food?"

"Delicatessen?"

Captain Yang looked at him in surprise, "You want to set up a stall?"

A hint of shyness appeared on Chen Fan's face. "I just wanted to get some turtle meat to sell. Those raw chickens cost 1.1 yuan per jin, so I think I can sell cooked turtle meat for 1 yuan per jin, right?"

Captain Yang clicked his tongue, "That's a good idea."

Then she looked at him and said, "When I used to go to the market, there were people selling things like roasted sweet potatoes, sesame cakes, and steamed buns. I've never seen anyone selling cooked meat, but it shouldn't be against the law. You can give it a try."

The custodian, Mr. Huang, added, "But don't take too much. Take less, so that if you can't sell it, you won't lose too much."

Although the turtle is free, it still requires oil and seasonings, and it's not good to waste it.

Chen Fan laughed and said, "It's okay, I can't take too much. If they don't allow it to be sold, I'll just bring it back. Anyway, the temperature is low in winter, so it won't spoil for a month or two. I can eat a little every day and finish it myself."

If the sun is out, there's still some warmth under the sun, but when the sun isn't out, the weather here is like a refrigerator, with the cold seeping straight into your bones.

He's only been here for about ten days, and the temperature is already dropping. It will definitely get colder in a few days. The temperature won't start to rise until the middle or late part of the first lunar month. During this time, there should be no problem preserving cooked food.

He originally had no intention of selling cooked food, because few rural people would spend money to buy food outside; at most, they would buy a pancake for their children.

But I just heard Captain Yang say that people from the commune will also be going there.

Those are all wealthy people who receive salaries. They rarely go to the market, so they certainly won't be too stingy. Even the most frugal person will have the urge to spend money in that environment.

There happen to be 10 large soft-shelled turtles in the pigsty behind the house. We can stew them all together in one pot, put them in a bucket and take them over, then build an earthen stove on site, put a big pot on it to steam, and wait for the aroma to waft out and carry it in the wind...

Chen Fan refused to believe that the wealthy people in the commune could control their wallets just because they smelled the aroma!

The previous chapter was 200 words short again. o(╥﹏╥)o
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(End of this chapter)