Daily life of female supporting actresses in the 1970s

Aunt Chen hadn't left yet, and people from the Qiao family next door had also come. There were more and more people, and everyone who heard the noise came over.

Jiang Yanqiu hurriedly picked up her things and went back, planning to come back to get the radio and pay after the crowd had decreased.

Jiang Yanqiu went to get the radio only after hearing that everyone had left. Except for Zhou Xiujuan and a few female educated youth, everyone else had left, and there was not much left of the things Gu Qingqing had brought back.

Gu Qingqing handed her the radio and reminded her, "You don't have to worry about domestic radios, but be careful with imported ones. They don't understand and think that foreign imports are bad, especially those from the Japanese."

Jiang Yanqiu understood her concerns and thanked her sincerely, "Thank you."

Gu Qingqing asked again: "Do you want a watch?"

"Yes!" She had wanted a watch for a long time, but she didn't dare take it out from the space, and she didn't have a ticket to buy it outside.

Gu Qingqing took out several watches, some domestic and some imported.

Jiang Yanqiu was very quick and picked up the only Omega and said, "This is it!"

Gu Qingqing pretended to glance at her watch and said, "This watch is second-hand, and it costs two hundred yuan."

"No problem!" Jiang Yanqiu added up all the money she spent today and found that the total amount she spent was three hundred and sixty-seven yuan.

Qiao Lei also picked a Plum Blossom watch. She was a little far away from Gu Qingqing, so her hands were naturally not as fast as Jiang Yanqiu's, otherwise she would also want to choose Omega.

Omega watches are rare in the market. They are two grades higher than Plum Blossom watches, so it is a commemorative piece to keep.

The Plum Blossom watch was new, and Gu Qingqing only charged it two hundred and eighty yuan.

Tian Cheng was also a little tempted, but when she thought about her plan to find a job before visiting her relatives during the New Year, she had to give up.

Qiao Lei stayed just to watch the fun, but since there was nothing exciting and it was getting late, she left too.

Jiang Yanqiu returned to the house and wanted to try the tape recorder, but found that there was no socket in the house.

Because there were no electrical appliances, I didn't even think about installing sockets when I was pulling the wires.

At this time, Tian Mi came to Jiang Yanqiu again. After entering the house, she said directly without beating around the bush: "Can you help me find Gu Qingqing to buy two Plum Blossom watches?"

Jiang Yanqiu blinked mischievously and imitated Tian Mi's teasing tone when she said to Jiang Yu, "Wow! You want to buy two watches at once? Are you going to buy one for your sweetheart?"

Tian Mi burst out laughing at Jiang Yanqiu's teasing. It took her a while to recover and she replied, "Do you think I'm as easy to tease as Jiang Yu? Seriously, do you know how much the Plum Blossom watch that Qiao Lei bought costs at the Imperial Capital Department Store?"

Jiang Yanqiu shook her head blankly and said honestly, "I was in the imperial capital at that time. I was so poor that I couldn't even afford a domestic watch, let alone an imported one."

Seeing Jiang Yanqiu's bewildered look, Tian Mi didn't want to keep her in suspense and explained swiftly, "One yuan costs three hundred and nineteen yuan! And you can't buy it just by having money. You also need overseas remittance coupons. Even with these two things, you may not be able to buy it. You have to queue up, and sometimes you may not be able to buy it even after queuing for a day or two.

When I was in school, we often skipped classes to queue up for other people to buy these imported watches. We could earn a dollar for a day's work. I figured, since I have some spare cash now, it's just sitting there anyway, so I might as well buy a couple of watches. I can sell them when I go back to visit my family next time, and that'll earn me some pocket money.

Tian Mi’s idea is really good. If friends around her need it, she can make a lot of money by reselling it, and the risk is not big.

But I don't know what's going on with Gu Qingqing. The new price is lower than the market price, and the receipt and instructions are all there.

But imported watches shouldn’t be that difficult to come by, right? It’s not like you can’t buy them even if you have the money!

Moreover, when buying new land, should it be sold as new or as second-hand?

Despite her thoughts, Jiang Yanqiu still kept a stern face, pretending to disapprove of Tian Mi's actions. She said, "You can't do this! This is typical opportunism and undermining socialism. If you get caught, you'll be sent to a farm for reform!"

Tian Mi, however, looked nonchalant and said with a smile, "You can't be flexible about this, right? I just bought the watch because I was in urgent need of money, so I had to sell it to my friend. What's the problem with that?

And let me tell you, I had a classmate before. His family had many brothers and sisters, and his father was the only one who worked. At the beginning, life at home was very hard.

Later, whenever his father had free time, he would search for used imported watches to resell. He would usually buy a watch from this trust store, wear it for a month or two, clean it, replace the strap, and then sell it at another trust store. He could make a lot of money just by doing this!

Considering the price Qingqing offered, I could make at least 40 or 50 yuan on a new watch like this! Just think about it, the profit from two watches alone is more than what I earn from a year of farm work!"

Jiang Yanqiu looked at Tian Mi's confident expression and didn't want to discourage her enthusiasm, so she kindly reminded her, "I'll ask her to come over tomorrow, and then you can buy it directly from her. But I have to remind you that there is still a difference between new and old."

She didn't want to be the middleman between these two people. If anything went wrong, she would be implicated.

Tian Mi said confidently: "You don't have to worry about this. As long as you don't have a ticket, the old one will be more expensive than the new one!"

After the discussion, Tian Mi asked with confusion and curiosity, "Where did Gu Qingqing and the others bring these things back from? They're so cheap, and they look like new. There's no flaw to be found. Even the radio and watch you bought look like new!"

Jiang Yanqiu was also stunned. She looked at the radio and watch carefully. They seemed to be really new. Suddenly, she had a bad feeling.

He casually told Tian Mi, "In Shanghai, there's a super famous second-hand market called Huaiguojiu. They specialize in selling all kinds of second-hand goods, as well as products from factories with minor flaws. I heard it's a bustling place, packed with people. Even though there are a lot of people, there are also a lot of good stuff!"

At first she didn't pay much attention. Gu Qingqing's things must have been bought from Huaiguo and sold second-hand as new. Otherwise, how could the price be so much lower than the market price?

But now that Tian Mi reminded it, it seemed like it was really new.

Tian Mi listened and nodded thoughtfully. "This is pretty much like the trust stores in our capital," she said. "But Magic City used to be a gathering place for capitalists, and now there are many people who have fallen on hard times. The things they sell must be good. When we have the chance in the future, we should go to the flea market in Magic City and have a good look. We might even make a little money."

Jiang Yanqiu couldn't help but yawn loudly, waved her hands weakly and said, "Okay, let's talk about the future later. The most important thing now is to go back to sleep quickly. I have to go to work tomorrow. I'm almost dead tired."