My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 25 Bicycles and Stalls
Bicycles are now considered big-ticket items, one of the "three turns and one sound" in common parlance. And unlike decades later, you can't just buy a bicycle and hit the road anymore.

After buying a bicycle, you have to go to the vehicle management office to get a license. After getting the license, you also have to pay a two-yuan tax. Only after you get the bicycle license plate, the certificate, and a small round tax plate with the year on it can you drive on the road.

Uncle Hat can stop and check bicycles on the road anytime, anywhere. If you don't have these things, he'll impound your bike. This is no joke.

The next day, Zhou Jiye first helped Lin Ying set up her stall, and then went to the consignment shop to buy the Forever 28 heavy truck that he had his eye on for a long time. Then, he took the invoice and receipt from the consignment shop and pushed the truck to the nearby vehicle management office.

After a lot of trouble, I got the vehicle registration and tax plate sorted out, then pushed the bike to a nearby repair shop for maintenance, replaced a few small parts, and also added detachable hanging baskets to both sides of the rear rack.

Don't let its simple appearance fool you; this bike can theoretically carry 200 kilograms of cargo, and in practice, it can easily carry 300 kilograms. Zhou Jiye even bought a chain lock from a repair shop. Although the bike already had a lock on the frame, it was unreliable; a thief could easily pry it off with just a screwdriver. To be on the safe side, Zhou Jiye readily accepted the mechanic's advice and installed a chain lock. Now, when he parks his bike, he can lock it to nearby railings, utility poles, or other objects, significantly increasing its security.

Once everything was done, Zhou Jiye happily pushed the bike out of the repair shop. Outside, he skillfully placed his left foot on the pedal, pushed off with his right foot, and then leaped onto the bike. The bicycle steadily moved forward.

Riding his bike, Zhou Jiye felt incredibly cool! Compared to pedestrians on the road, he felt superior. Facing the wind, he would occasionally ring the bell on the handlebars, which made a crisp sound. This feeling was even cooler than when he first drove a car.

"Jingle Bell!"

At the entrance of the movie theater, Lin Ying was selling tea eggs when a clear bell rang out. Soon after, Zhou Jiye arrived at her on his bicycle at lightning speed.

With a sudden stop and a drift, the car came to a smooth halt in front of Lin Ying. Zhou Jiye stood there with one foot on the ground and the other on the footrest, head held high and chest puffed out. He even smoothed his wind-blown hair, looking extremely smug.

"How's it going? Are you handsome?"

Lin Ying was both amused and exasperated. It was just a secondhand bicycle, but this guy was acting like he was driving a Lamborghini.

"So cool! Absolutely so cool!" Lin Ying teased with a smile, which made Zhou Jiye even more smug.

"This car looks pretty good!" Lin Ying looked the car up and down. Although the model was old, it was obviously very sturdy.

"Of course, I wouldn't buy it if it wasn't good."

"Alright, stop showing off and go back now. Remember to bring me food later."

"Okay! By the way, I'll take you for a bike ride sometime, so you can really experience my riding skills. I'm off now, I'll bring you some food later, bye-bye..."

Having rarely shown off, Zhou Jiye left with these words, lurched forward, pushed off with his feet, and the bicycle shot off in a flash. Watching him ride home like a boy chasing the wind, Lin Ying couldn't stop laughing. She had known him for so long, but she never expected Zhou Jiye to have such a childlike side.

Having a car is indeed much more convenient. Before, he could only rely on walking or taking the bus to go out. The former didn't allow him to go far, and the latter was not only a waste of time waiting for the bus, but Zhou Jiye also had to deliberately avoid rush hour when going to the suburbs.

There was nothing he could do about it; the eggs he collected from the suburbs were all fragile. If the bus was crowded and the eggs broke in the squeezing, Zhou Jiye would have nowhere to turn for help.

Moreover, not only does the bus cost money, at least one cent for a round trip, but once you arrive at your destination, you still have to walk the rest of the way, which is inconvenient with a wicker basket on your back. Now, having a bicycle is much better. It only takes about half an hour to cycle from where I live to the Guilin production brigade, and even going to other production brigades further away doesn't take much time. Besides, whether it's collecting eggs or later collecting hens, I can just put them in the baskets hanging on both sides of the bicycle frame. As long as I ride carefully on the way back, there will be absolutely no problems.

These days, Zhou Jiye has become very familiar with the surrounding area, including the vegetable market not far from his home.

The market already has temporary stalls; it's just a matter of paying the manager to set one up. Of course, you have to pay a bribe for that. The manager is a complete stranger, so they wouldn't be so accommodating without some benefit! Besides, Lin Ying had specifically asked about these things when she inquired at the market last time. Although they later switched from selling eggs to tea eggs instead of eggs as originally planned, she still understood the ins and outs of the business.

After making lunch for Lin Ying and delivering the food, Zhou Jiye went to a nearby store to buy some things before heading straight to the market's management office.

Upon arriving at the location, Zhou Jiye asked around and found the person. He then chuckled and offered the man a cigarette. He casually slipped two bottles of Grade B Daqu liquor and a newspaper-wrapped Daqianmen liquor, which he had prepared beforehand, under the man's desk and then directly stated his purpose.

The administrator was secretly amazed by Zhou Jiye's actions. He had dealt with many people, but he had never seen anyone treat the management office like his own home, showing no restraint whatsoever and even giving gifts so smoothly. Seeing how cooperative Zhou Jiye was, the administrator was naturally very pleased and asked him with a smile which temporary stall he wanted.

“I don’t care about the location, you can decide for yourself. I just help my relatives in the countryside sometimes bring a few old hens to sell. It doesn’t matter where they are, and if they sell quickly, I’ll leave as soon as I’m done. It won’t affect the management of the market at all.”

These words immediately brightened the administrator's eyes. Zhou Jiye's words were so clear, which pleased him. Although the administrator had authority, there were only a few temporary stalls in the market. If Zhou Jiye wanted a long-term, permanent stall, it would be quite difficult, to be honest. Most of the temporary stalls were already rented out, and he would have to take them back from others before giving them to Zhou Jiye. But those who rented the stalls had all given the administrator some benefits, and he couldn't afford to neglect one at the expense of the other.

"If that's the case, then it's not a big problem." The administrator thought for a moment while smoking, then asked, "Approximately what time period is it?"

"After eight in the morning, anyway, I'm not selling vegetables, so there's no need to cause you trouble by selling during the busiest time," Zhou Jiye replied with a smile.

The administrator was immediately delighted, as this made things much easier. He stood up and said to Zhou Jiye, "Come on! I'll take you there."

"Thank you..."

The administrator led Zhou Jiye out of the office and to the vegetable market outside. The market was already closed, all the fixed stalls had been taken down, and apart from the temporary stalls at the front, it was no longer as lively as it had been in the early morning.

The manager led Zhou Jiye directly to a fixed stall near the temporary stalls, pointed to the spot and said to Zhou Jiye, "How about this place? This stall closes around 7:30 in the morning. It's a fixed stall, and there's no one there after 8 o'clock. Plus, the stall has a frame, awning and everything, which you can use for free. If there are no problems, you can sell here. But there's one thing we need to make in advance: you have to clean up when you leave."

"Of course, of course, I'll make sure to clean it spotlessly for you and won't cause you any trouble." Zhou Jiye offered another cigarette, lit it for the manager with a match, and nodded repeatedly with a smile.

"As for the fees, they were set by the higher-ups and I can't reduce them. It's one cent a day, three yuan a month. It doesn't matter how many days a week you sell or how many days you come every day. I can't control how late you sell after eight o'clock, but you still have to pay according to this amount. Can you accept this?"

"Yes! Of course I can!" Zhou Jiye agreed without hesitation, reaching into his pocket to pull out the three yuan he had prepared beforehand. "Comrade, I've already prepared this. I'll just give it to you directly."

"Okay, give it to me. I'll give you the form later. By the way, we've been chatting for so long and I still don't know your name. You need to write your name down for registration when you write the form."

"My surname is Zhou, the Zhou of Zhouquan, and Zhou Jiye, the Jiye of Yang Jiye of the Yang family generals."

"Haha, what a great name! What a great name!" The administrator laughed and patted Zhou Jiye on the shoulder: "My surname is Cao, the Cao of Cao Cao, Cao Ping. Little Zhou, I see you're not that old, so from now on you can call me Brother Cao."

"No problem, then I'll have to trouble you from now on, Brother Cao." Zhou Jiye nodded repeatedly, extended his hand to shake hands with Cao Ping, and even slipped him a pack of cigarettes as he shook hands. Cao Ping looked at Zhou Jiye with even more affection and gave him a few pointers. If it were anyone else, Cao Ping wouldn't have been so enthusiastic. But Zhou Jiye wasn't just anyone. In a short time, their friendship had rapidly warmed up under the influence of cigarettes and alcohol, and now they were as close as half-brothers.

After seeing Cao Ping off, Zhou Jiye was secretly pleased. Everything was going smoothly as expected. Not only had he secured a stall, but it was a permanent one. This was quite different from a temporary stall, which was simply a place to set up a stall in an open area near the exit. A permanent stall, on the other hand, had a canopy and a counter. The two were completely different. Even if someone were to borrow it, it would be impossible for an ordinary person to get one. The price he paid today was entirely worthwhile.

While Zhou Jiye and Cao Ping were chatting, several people at a nearby temporary stall were looking in their direction.

Cao Ping and the others certainly knew him; after all, they all had stalls here, so how could they not know the manager? But they didn't know anything about this young man, Zhou Jiye. Judging from his familiar manner with Cao Ping, and considering that they could vaguely hear their conversation, it seemed that Cao Ping had given this young man a fixed stall. This made the group secretly amazed, thinking that Zhou Jiye probably had a close relationship with Cao Ping, otherwise why would he receive such treatment?
Zhou Jiye didn't care what others thought. He was very happy after getting the stall. After walking around the stall, Zhou Jiye was overjoyed. Now that he had a bicycle and the stall was settled, the next step was to go to the suburbs to collect old hens. Zhou Jiye decided to make this business a success. Compared to Lin Ying, he, a grown man, couldn't be outdone by Lin Ying, could he?
(End of this chapter)