Siheyuan, my new life

When Guo Yongping saw the white signboard with red lettering of the Jiaodaokou Supply and Marketing Cooperative, he realized that he hadn't even offered a cigarette to the coordinator, Fang. Although the original owner of this body also smoked, back in his hometown, young men his age had already learned to smoke and drink at a young age. However, due to the limited economic conditions in the countryside, they could only secretly grab some dried tobacco leaves from their elders' baskets and roll them into cigarettes with old newspapers or books. As for drinking, they could only get a taste of cheap liquor from their elders during festivals.

The original owner of this body had already learned to smoke and drink when he was sixteen years old. He is now nineteen years old. The reason why he only graduated from junior high school at such an old age is that his family was poor when he was a child and they simply did not have the money to send him to school. By the time his uncle Dou Dagang contacted his family, he was already twelve years old when he entered the gate of primary school.

Although the original owner had fifty yuan sent by the Red Star Steel Mill when he came to the capital, he couldn't bear to buy cigarettes. Along the way, apart from spending money on train tickets, he ate only cornbread and a few pieces of pickled vegetables that his mother had made for him when he left home.

Compared to the original owner of this body, who had always lived in the countryside of Henan Province, Guo Yongping was, at heart, a college graduate from the future. Although he didn't have much social experience, he was well aware of one thing from what he had heard and seen: cigarettes pave the way and alcohol builds bridges. Between men, a cigarette or a drink can quickly shorten the distance between them.

When Guo Yongping handed over the property at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill Union, he didn't see any cigarettes or alcohol among his uncle's belongings. He guessed they were probably among the living supplies still stored at the union. Although he wasn't involved in his uncle's funeral arrangements, the death of a disabled revolutionary cadre like Dou Dagang would definitely alarm the higher-level armed forces and civil affairs departments. In the current climate of supporting the military and their families, especially in a central city like Beijing, there must be certain procedures for handling such matters. Just looking at the huge sum of money the union handed over to him today, he could conclude that under normal circumstances, no one would dare to tamper with it.

Upon hearing Fang Aijun's description of the surrounding environment, Guo Yongping immediately realized his mistake when he saw the Jiaodaokou Supply and Marketing Cooperative. He quickly jumped off his bicycle and ran into the cooperative's gate.

Lifting the cotton curtain hanging at the main entrance, Guo Yongping pushed open the door and walked into the supply and marketing cooperative. What came into view was a wooden counter about one meter in diameter with large glass panels embedded in it. Behind it was a wooden shelf more than two meters high, which was filled with all kinds of items, from daily necessities to various living supplies. It was almost all-encompassing.

At this moment, a No. 3 stove in the supply and marketing cooperative was burning red-hot. Several women of different ages were sitting around the stove. Some were leisurely eating sunflower seeds, while others were knitting sweaters with nimble hands. Only two customers were looking at the goods on the shelves in front of the counter. A female sales clerk in her thirties stood behind the counter with some impatience.

When Guo Yongping pushed open the door and walked in, the people sitting around the stove only glanced up at him before continuing with their own business. Clearly, Guo Yongping, whose clothes were already faded and patched in several places, did not attract their attention at all.

"As expected, respect for appearances precedes respect for people," Guo Yongping thought to himself. However, he couldn't possibly argue with these people. Just like in those time-travel novels, the service attitude of the sales clerks in the supply and marketing cooperatives these days was truly appalling. Fortunately, Guo Yongping didn't see any outrageous slogans like "Do not beat customers without cause." Instead, there was a large propaganda banner on the wall that read "Serve the people wholeheartedly."

Guo Yongping wasted no time. He walked directly to the counter and said to the female sales clerk in a calm tone, "Hello comrade, could you please give me two cartons of cigarettes, one Peony and one Daqianmen? Thank you."

Upon hearing Guo Yongping's Mandarin, which was slightly tinged with a Henan dialect, the saleswoman looked him up and down a few times before calmly saying, "To buy Peony cigarettes and Daqianmen cigarettes, you need Class A and Class B cigarette coupons. Do you have any?"

Guo Yongping didn't speak, but reached into his bag and pulled out a stack of receipts. He then picked out the Class A and Class B cigarette coupons he needed and gently placed them on the counter. He then took out a few sugar and liquor coupons: "Could you please buy me another pound of White Rabbit milk candy, two pounds of fruit candy, two bottles of Fenjiu liquor, and two bottles of Moutai liquor? Thank you."

Just now, Guo Yongping saw the famous White Rabbit milk candy displayed in the counter. He vaguely remembered that this milk candy was originally called ABC Mickey Mouse candy, and it was only changed to White Rabbit milk candy when it was presented as a gift for National Day in 1959.

Seeing the thick stack of various receipts in Guo Yongping's hand, the saleswoman didn't continue speaking. Instead, she quickly and efficiently weighed sugar and got cigarettes for him. Although she had only caught a glimpse of it earlier, she had spotted rare receipts for "three turns and one sound" (referring to a type of cigarette, a watch, a radio, and a bicycle) among the stack. These rare receipts were not something ordinary people could easily access. Although the man in front of her was dressed in rags and carried a worn-out bundle on his back, based on the saleswoman's rich experience, she was sure he might be a poor relative of some leading cadre.

Soon, cigarettes, alcohol, and candy were piled up on the counter. The saleswoman picked up an abacus and started clicking the beads, announcing the prices: "Peony cigarettes are 4.9 yuan a carton, Daqianmen cigarettes are 3.5 yuan, White Rabbit milk candy is 1.5 yuan a pound, fruit candy is 0.66 yuan, Fenjiu is 3.5 yuan a bottle, and Moutai is 2.8 yuan a bottle, totaling 23.6 yuan. Oh, do you want a cloth bag? If so, it's 30 cents for a foot of cloth coupon; if you don't have a cloth coupon, it's 50 cents."

Guo Yongping quickly nodded: "Could you please get me a cloth bag? Here's twenty-four yuan and ten cents." He then reached into his cotton-padded coat, pulled out a wad of banknotes, counted out the money, and handed it to the other party along with the necessary receipts.

After carefully counting the money and bills, the saleswoman took a gray cloth bag from the back shelf and threw it directly onto the counter.

Guo Yongping quickly packed four bottles of liquor and two packets of candy into a cloth bag, then opened a carton of Peony cigarettes, took out two packs and put them in his pocket. He also put the remaining cigarettes into the cloth bag, and then said somewhat apologetically, "I'm really sorry to trouble you. I forgot to buy matches. Could you please give me another pack of matches?"

After paying for the matches, Guo Yongping quickly grabbed his briefcase in one hand and his cloth bag in the other, and hurried out of the supply and marketing cooperative.