My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 66 Preparing to Head South
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After chatting for a while, Zhou Jiye glanced towards the door to make sure Xu's mother wasn't nearby before lowering his voice and asking Xu Guoqing, "Brother Qing, we'd like to get two letters of introduction. Do you have any connections?"

"A letter of introduction? What do you need a letter of introduction for?" Xu Guoqing paused slightly as he flicked his cigarette ash, asking curiously.

"I plan to travel south after the New Year. I need a letter of introduction to buy train tickets and accommodation. A regular letter of introduction will do, but it would be best if it were from a legitimate state-owned enterprise. As for the reason, it would be even better if I could say it's for a business trip." Zhou Jiye had already thought of how to explain it and answered immediately.

"Aren't you still going to set up your stall?" Old Wen asked in surprise. Why are you suddenly going south? What will happen to the market business if you leave?
"Brother Wen, we've actually already discussed it. We're not planning to continue operating the stall at the market, or even the one near the movie theater. The eve of the Lunar New Year will be our last day at the market. I was originally going to tell you that day, but I got busy and didn't have time. It's not too late to tell you now," Lin Ying explained.

"You're not doing it anymore? Why are you suddenly stopping?" Old Wen immediately became anxious. Such a big matter wasn't discussed with them. How could their in-laws make such a decision so easily? This is no small matter!

Lin Ying sighed and said to Lao Wen, "You know the situation at the vegetable market. Not only are there many more competitors there, but even at the movie theater, some people have started selling tea eggs."

With increased competition, the business was affected. It's not that the business couldn't continue, but continuing like this would be far less profitable than before. The effort and returns were disproportionate, so it was better to find other solutions sooner rather than later.

Upon hearing this, Lao Wen fell silent.

He also has a stall at the market, so he is very familiar with the current situation.

As Lin Ying said, the sudden increase in competitors has indeed impacted their business.

To be honest, his stall at the market isn't exactly not making money now, but it's been significantly impacted compared to before. Not only are his goods not selling as fast as they used to be, but his profits have also decreased. If things continue like this, he'll earn far less money than before, and he'll have to put in even more effort and time.

Old Wen had been pondering this matter for days, thinking about how to solve it. But he never thought of being as decisive as Zhou Jiye and the others. After all, the stall was still making money every day, even if it was less than before, it was enough to support his family!
"Even so, we should have discussed this matter first!" Old Wen said, half blaming and half complaining. "This is no small matter. It would be a shame to lose a perfectly good deal."

"Brother Wen, we didn't want this either, but you can't put all your eggs in one basket, can you?"

Zhou Jiye smiled wryly and handed a cigarette to Lao Wen, then told him what he knew in the suburbs. After he finished speaking, he spread his hands and said, "That's the situation in the suburbs now. Once the land requisitioning starts, my supply will be cut off. If I wanted to find a new source of goods, it wouldn't have been a problem six months ago, but now, as you know, there are more and more stalls selling chickens and ducks in the market every day. Everyone knows that this business is profitable, so they all flock in. How am I supposed to compete with these people then?"

"Lin Ying is the same, and she works much harder selling tea eggs than I do. I used to only set up my stall for half a day, and even though I've been setting up for longer periods lately, it's still nothing compared to Lin Ying working in all kinds of weather every day, from seven in the morning until eight at night. She's barely had any rest for months. Even a man couldn't handle that, let alone a woman like her."

Old Wen remained silent. He knew these facts were true, and shook his head helplessly.

"You're planning to go south? Are you going to Lingnan?" Xu Guoqing suddenly asked.

Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying were not surprised that Xu Guoqing could guess their idea of ​​going to Lingnan. Besides, they needed Xu Guoqing's help to get a letter of introduction to go there, so it was even more impossible for them to keep it from him.

Zhou Jiye still has the letter of introduction. The blank letter of introduction that Zhou Furong gave him has never been used and is currently kept at home. However, considering the safety issues, Zhou Jiye and his colleagues decided that it would be more reliable to make a new letter of introduction from Shanghai.

After all, the letter of introduction they had came from the Northwest, and it was from a rural commune. It was very unreliable to take such a thing to the South. If they were seriously investigated on the way, they would have no way to explain it. After all, what would rural people from the Northwest be doing traveling thousands of miles to Lingnan? It had nothing to do with anything.

A letter of introduction from a legitimate organization in Shanghai would be a different story; having a letter of introduction from Shanghai would save them a lot of trouble, which is why they sought help from Xu Guoqing.

“Yes!” Zhou Jiye nodded: “Lingnan is close to Hong Kong. I heard that a lot of good things come from Hong Kong. We plan to go there and explore the market. If possible, we can buy a batch of goods and try to sell them. If this business can be done, it may be a new way.”

Xu Guoqing was deep in thought, while Lao Wen beside him was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected that Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying would have this idea.

But upon closer examination, this idea does have some merit, because just a month ago, an American TV series was introduced to China. This was the first American TV series introduced to mainland China after the reform and opening up – "The Man from Atlantis".

Although TV dramas are not very popular now, the broadcast of this American drama still caused a great sensation among the public.

The characters' clothing and style, in particular, have had a significant cultural impact on today's youth. Many young people have begun to imitate the protagonist, Mike Harris's, outfit. A tight-fitting Western-style shirt paired with wide-legged flared trousers and matching sunglasses would guarantee them the coolest kids on the street. Unfortunately, these items are no longer available in stores; even if they were, they would be brought back from abroad by families with overseas connections.

But it is said that things are different in Lingnan. Lingnan is close to Hong Kong, and everyone has heard of Hong Kong's prosperity. If you could make a trip to Lingnan, get similar goods from there, and then sell them back, the profit would definitely be good.

"Are you planning to go with just the two of you?" Xu Guoqing continued to ask.

Seeing Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying nod, Xu Guoqing thought for a moment and said, "It shouldn't be a problem for Jiye to go, but my sister shouldn't go; it's not safe on the road."

“But if I don’t go, he’ll be all alone…” Lin Ying was well aware of the safety situation on the road these days. Even if it were only 1980, the security situation in Lingnan wouldn’t be great, let alone ten years from now. But she was even more worried about Zhou Jiye going alone; at least two people could look after each other.

“I’ll go with him. You can rest assured with me here, right?” Xu Guoqing said this unexpectedly.

"Brother Qing...?"

Both of them were taken aback, wondering if they had misheard. Did Xu Guoqing mean to go together?

Seeing their expressions, Xu Guoqing laughed and said, "To be honest, I've been thinking about going to Lingnan these days. My current job is not bad, but I'm not a proper chef by training, and frankly, this job is just a temporary measure."

As he spoke, Xu Guoqing pointed to his home: "You can see my home situation. It's such a small place, and five of us are crammed into it. When I was sent to the countryside in Northeast China, it was alright. There was still room to live in the house. But now that I'm back, there's barely enough room to sleep."

“My younger brother and sister are all grown up, especially my sister who is almost eighteen years old. It’s really inconvenient for a young woman like her to share a room with her two older brothers and parents.”

“There are so many families like mine where we can’t even fit everyone in our own home, let alone the kind of good housing that companies provide. How could a newcomer like me possibly get a chance? My brother and I are not young anymore, and we will eventually have to get married, but how can we accept this situation?”

Taking a drag of his cigarette, Xu Guoqing shook his head: "Renting a place is a temporary measure, not a fundamental solution. Even if a girl likes me, she can't marry me if we don't have a house, especially since I have a younger brother. We can't just kick our parents out to start our own families, can we? How can children do that?"

“These days I’ve been thinking about whether I should do something, and just recently a letter came from a comrade from the Northeast Production and Construction Corps in Lingnan, which gave me some inspiration.”

“You’re right. Lingnan is close to Hong Kong, and there are indeed many good things there, but the waters there are also very deep. We’re going there in an unfamiliar place. It’s okay for two grown men, but it’s not suitable if you’re a woman too. Even if we find my comrade-in-arms when we get there, we’re not sure if he can help us, or how much he can help us. So I think it’s more appropriate for Jiye and me to go and scout ahead first.”

Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying never expected that Xu Guoqing had the same plan; it was like a pillow appearing when they were sleepy.

Xu Guoqing was right. It was indeed inconvenient for Lin Ying, a woman, to go to such a far place where she was unfamiliar with the area. Originally, they thought that if the two of them went together, they could take care of each other, which would be better than one person going alone. But now that Xu Guoqing had taken the initiative to suggest that he and Zhou Jiye go, the problem they were facing was easily solved.

"How about I come along? The three of us can go and take a look?" Suddenly, Lao Wen chimed in, looking eager to try.

Xu Guoqing thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "You shouldn't go. Unlike me, you don't have any worries. You have a large family with elderly people and young children. Besides, the business at the market can continue for a while. Your family situation is different from ours. Let's go and take a look first. If it's good, you can follow up later."

These words struck a nerve with Lao Wen. Indeed, Lao Wen was different from them.

Xu Guoqing is a bachelor, and Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying are just a married couple. Unlike Lao Wen, they don't have a wife, children, or elderly parents to support. Besides, Zhou Jiye and Lin Ying had already made arrangements and prepared in advance. But Lao Wen is different! His stall at the market is still there. Even if he wants to close it, he still needs time to make arrangements.

Besides, whether this matter will even succeed is still unknown, and Xu Guoqing has very little confidence in it. If it fails, wouldn't that be a disservice to Lao Wen? Therefore, this arrangement is the most appropriate.

After careful consideration, Lao Wen could only nod in agreement, but he still made it clear beforehand that if he really succeeded in this business in Lingnan, he absolutely must not leave him out! Otherwise, he would not stand for it.

Everyone burst into laughter at these words, especially Xu Guoqing, who laughed heartily. He patted Lao Wen on the shoulder and assured him that he would definitely take him along, telling him to relax. After all, he was the eldest among the four, how could they possibly forget him?

(End of this chapter)