Rebooting 60, let's go on a rampage with the orange cat!

The next day, Xiuzhi went to work as usual. Shi Renmei asked someone to ask her workplace for half a day off. She took her daughter to the bank to withdraw 300 yuan in cash from her current account. The remaining 3 yuan was divided into three 3-yuan notes for two-year fixed deposits, one 5-yuan note and one 2-yuan note for one-year fixed deposits.

1959年7月1日至1965年9月30日?：一年期利率为6.12%?、活期为1.8%月息；两年定期利率为6.3%。

Shi Renmei brought her household registration booklet, and Shi Huai'an's name was still written on her fixed deposit passbook. Bank staff are generally very arrogant. Seeing that this old man and young girl were dressed plainly but had such a large sum of money to do, they all looked at them with suspicion or inquiry before becoming polite.

You have to understand that in those days, most people saved money in fixed deposits of two, five, ten, or twenty yuan a month. After all, a month's salary was only a few dozen yuan. If you could befriend big spenders, it would be easier to meet the deposit targets set by your superiors. Even the bank's manager, Mr. Gao, came out and gave Shi Renmei a cigarette and invited her to his office to conduct business.

If no one knew about this money, Shi Huai'an could have stored it away in his spatial storage. Now that his parents know, he has no choice but to take the law into his own hands. Who would feel comfortable entrusting such a huge sum of money to an eight-and-a-half-year-old girl for safekeeping?

However, Shi Huai'an put the bankbook away. Although Shi Renmei was very worried, Huai'an patted his chest and said, "Dad, don't worry, no one can find what I've hidden. It's very well hidden."

Shi Renmei had no choice but to comply. He had seen the changes in Huai'an over the past few months and trusted Huai'an's ability to handle things.

Then the father and daughter, carrying a bag of fruit and pastries, went to Master Liu's house to pick up their bicycle and sewing machine. They happened to run into Liu Yifu's son, Liu Qingshu, who was leaving home with a bag on his back, preparing to return to the provincial capital. They chatted for a few words at the door.

Liu Qingshu, in his forties, smiled and said to Shi Huai'an, "I never expected my dad to take on such a young apprentice. From now on, you'll have to call me senior brother. My son is already 20 and in college; he'll still have to call you aunt!"

"Senior brother!" Shi Huai'an called out crisply, and everyone chuckled.

Mrs. Liu smiled and said, "When winter vacation comes, let my eldest grandson come and stay with me for a few days. I'll cook delicious food for him. He said in his letter that he couldn't get used to the food in Beijing and missed Grandma's braised pork with preserved vegetables and steamed pork with rice flour. He's such a food connoisseur."

Everyone laughed again. Liu Qingshu nodded with a smile: "He said in his last letter that he was coming back. Just don't find it troublesome when he comes. I'm going to the train station. You guys wait here for now."

Shi Renmei hurriedly handed the fruit and pastries to Liu Qingshu, telling him not to mind and to take them with him no matter what, as they were a token of their appreciation. Liu Qingshu couldn't refuse, so he took a few pieces of fruit and quickly left.

After Liu Qingshan left, the father and daughter went inside to thank Mr. and Mrs. Liu, put down the things they had brought, and then used their new bicycle to carry the new sewing machine home.

Most people were at work at this time, and there wasn't much of a person in the yard. Grandma Zhang from next door saw them and chuckled, "Oh my, you bought a bicycle and a sewing machine! These things are expensive. Did you find money on the street?"

Shi Renmei said with a beaming smile, "Oh! My old lady's eyesight isn't very good anymore. It takes her a lot of effort to make a dress, and it's a real strain on her eyes! And look, our little An'an has been nagging her mother to buy her a sewing machine every day, driving us both crazy! We had no choice but to give in to this little one, and we bought it for her today." He finished speaking with a look of both doting affection and helplessness.

Grandma Zhang, standing to the side, looked on with envy. She couldn't help but gently touch the sewing machine's casing, clicking her tongue in admiration. "Look at you, your family is so lucky! You only have one precious child, An'an, and you two are both employed, so you're financially well-off and can afford all these nice things. Unlike our family, with so many people and a bunch of children, we barely make ends meet. We can't even dream of such luxuries!" With that, Grandma Zhang sighed deeply and slowly walked back into her house.

Seeing this, Shi Renmei and her family quickly and carefully moved their newly purchased sewing machine into the house and arranged it neatly. Before they knew it, it was noon. After having lunch together, Shi Renmei hurriedly went to work.

That said, back in 1959, washing machines weren't even a novelty in the market. They didn't appear until the 1960s, back in Hong Kong. However, washing machines weren't cheap then, costing at least seven or eight hundred dollars each. For most ordinary families, such an expensive price was simply unaffordable; even if they wanted to buy one, they couldn't afford it—it was simply impossible!

Shi Huai'an felt a slight pang of regret, as his mother usually did the laundry. However, whenever his mother wasn't home, Shi Huai'an would quickly toss the dirty clothes into the washing machine in his spatial dimension, wash them, and then hang them out to dry. Xiuzhi was often touched, thinking Huai'an was such a sensible child, secretly helping his mother with housework. Little did she know, Shi Huai'an was playing a little trick!

On the second day of the sports meet, Gu Jingxing lost in the semi-finals and did not make it to the finals. He took this opportunity to go home, rest more, and review his studies.

During the three-day sports meet, Chung Han-che also took advantage of his freedom of movement. He asked his brother-in-law to help him send a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes to Lao Liu, who was in charge of collecting coal slag at the cement factory. They agreed on a price of 12 yuan per 100 jin of coal slag, with a minimum purchase of 100 jin.

The money for the cigarettes was borrowed from my brother-in-law. I promised to pay him back in a month, and I repeatedly told him not to tell the rest of the family. First, it would be embarrassing if things didn't work out, and second, there were too many family members to handle all the problems; he had his long-term plans. My brother-in-law was a sensible man. Among all his brothers-in-law, Zhong Hanzhe was the one he treated differently and could talk to, so naturally, he sided with Zhong Hanzhe.

Then he and Liu Hui organized a group of children to collect coal ash from power plants and factories that needed boilers.

Some of these children are family members of the factory workers, while others live near the factory area. They often carry baskets to collect coal ash, usually only a few kilograms, which they exchange for 3 cents a kilogram at the recycling station. They can then use the 10 or 20 cents to buy candy or give to their parents to supplement their household income.

Now Liu Hui is buying for 3.5 cents a pound, and he doesn't have to go to the distant purchasing station, so the children are naturally happy to deliver their goods to Liu Hui. Zhong Hanzhe never does it himself; he just lets Liu Hui and the children collect and register the goods, while he only deals with Liu Hui. He only tells Liu Hui that it's 10 yuan per 100 pounds, and that the previously estimated 11 yuan is to keep 1 yuan for the higher-ups to take a cut and smooth things over. Liu Hui doesn't have any connections and is a bit timid in front of government officials, so he naturally doesn't object.

After deducting the two cents that Zhong Hanzhe pocketed, the net profit per pound of coal slag was 6.5 cents. Collecting 200 pounds a week earned 13 yuan, which, split 50/50 between the two, amounted to 6.5 yuan each. Over four weeks a month, that's 26 yuan each. This is just a rough estimate; they would definitely collect more than 200 pounds a week later. This is equivalent to a month's salary for an average worker. In reality, Liu Hui received 26 yuan, while Zhong Hanzhe received 42 yuan.

【以每月800斤计算：刘晖0.10-0.035=0.065÷2=0.0325x800斤=26元/月；钟汉喆0.0525*800=42元/月，当然这不是固定的，有时少有时多。】

Because piling up the coal ash in one place would be too conspicuous, to simplify the process, Zhong Hanzhe instructed Liu Hui to have the children deliver the coal ash to a designated, relatively secluded location on Saturday mornings. The ash was weighed and recorded. If a cart was full, it wasn't collected immediately; they would be taken to the collection point to sell it, and then the collection would resume for the second cartload. Each time coal ash was collected, four children who had delivered their ash would be assigned to keep watch in four directions. These lookouts would also be given some sweets and pastries as a treat. The money would be distributed to them on Saturday afternoons, thus requiring only one busy day per week.

If someone happens to see so many children gathered in twos and threes with baskets of coal ash, they will say they are tired from collecting coal and want to play games together; if someone sees Liu Hui dragging a cart carrying coal ash and comes up to question him, he will only say that he is helping a friend.

At the beginning, there weren't many people, and the amount of coal ash being exchanged was also small. A single cart could carry a few hundred kilograms of coal ash, so one trip was usually enough. Zhong Hanzhe would instruct Liu Hui to take back roads to avoid encountering acquaintances, and to take the coal to a relatively quiet spot near a designated location. He would then have Liu Hui wait there, and Zhong Hanzhe would take it to the transaction point. Zhong Hanzhe told Liu Hui that the buyer only recognized him, and wouldn't accept anyone else. Moreover, with too many people around, he was afraid someone would report them, so the fewer people who knew, the better. He couldn't say how long the transaction would last. Liu Hui had secretly followed him before, but at a deserted intersection, a boy would be waiting there. Every time he moved forward, a small stone would fall at his feet as a warning. Liu Hui became uneasy and stopped following him, returning to his original spot to wait. He couldn't help but think that Zhong Hanzhe was unusually cunning.

To everyone's delight, they sold 1200 jin (600 catties) of coal ash in the first month. Liu Hui received 39 yuan, which was 10 yuan more than his father's salary, making him extremely happy. It was like a windfall; Zhong Hanzhe had even split the profits 50/50 with him—how generous! The two became sworn brothers, and Liu Hui followed Zhong Hanzhe wholeheartedly. He treated Zhong Hanzhe's words as gospel, promising to keep it a secret and never mentioning Zhong Hanzhe's name even to his parents.

Liu Hui's parents assumed he was acting alone, and they laughed, saying, "We never expected you to have such boldness to come up with this idea. If it were a partner's idea, there would be much more room for maneuver."

Liu Hui scoffed, thinking: So what? Without Zhong Hanzhe, I would still be playing in the mud and fighting with a bunch of snotty-nosed kids, being looked down upon. How can I compare to now, sitting on equal footing with my parents at home and having a say?

He felt that even if Chung Han-cheol received a little more, it was only fair. He was just running errands, and Chung Han-cheol was smart. If he wasn't asked to do the work and not split the profits equally, would Chung Han-cheol do it?

The answer is still, of course, we have to do it! Do you think they're worried about not being able to hire people? They might not even be able to split the money this much. Now, the more you work, the more you earn—it's incredibly motivating! This only happens once a week; if only there were work every day! Money makes the world go round. Zhong Hanzhe hiring you is a favor; one shouldn't be too greedy.

Liu Hui knew perfectly well that he wasn't particularly capable—lacking education, skills, or even a sharp mind. His ability to stay in this place stemmed entirely from his trustworthiness, loyalty, and lack of concern for petty gains. Whenever he and his underlings found something or shared something, he never kept it all for himself, much less betrayed his friends. Everyone trusted him, which was why they were happy to associate with him. He didn't know why Zhong Hanzhe had entrusted him with such a good job; although there was some risk, what job doesn't involve risk?

In the first month, Zhong Hanzhe earned 63 yuan. He promptly returned the money for cigarettes to his brother-in-law and also bought two packs of cigarettes and a bag of candy as a token of his gratitude. By this time, his sister had already given birth to her nephew, Da Mao. She later gave birth to seven more children in a row, whose names were also numbered from Da Mao to Qi Mao. But that's another story.

Later, Zhong Hanzhe rushed to another brick factory, this time to discuss the purchase of coal slag. Entering the brick factory's somewhat rudimentary office, Zhong Hanzhe met with the section chief in charge of purchasing.

He stood respectfully before the section chief, his face full of sincerity, and said, “Hello, section chief, I’d like to discuss something with you. There’s a group of children in our area who can’t afford their tuition because their families are poor. They have to collect coal cinders to earn money for their school fees, but one person’s strength is really limited. Even if they work all day, they can only collect a few pounds or ten pounds at most. And because the quantity is so small, no one is willing to buy them, and even if someone does, the price is driven down to a very low level.”

At this point, Zhong Hanzhe paused, then continued, "So I was thinking, if we could organize these kids and have them bring all the coal ash they collect to us, it would not only solve their problem of selling the coal ash, but also allow them to earn some tuition fees to supplement their family income. What do you think?" After saying this, Zhong Hanzhe looked at the head of the purchasing department with anticipation.

To show his sincerity, Chung Han-che placed a carton of cigarettes wrapped in greaseproof paper on the table and offered to sell it to the brick factory at a price one cent lower than the market price.

Upon hearing this suggestion, the head of the acquisition department was slightly moved. He looked the somewhat green but energetic young man up and down, and sighed inwardly: These days, everyone is struggling. Especially the children from poor families, who have to shoulder the burden of life at such a young age—truly, poor children learn to be independent early! Thinking of this, the head of the acquisition department couldn't help but feel more admiration and sympathy for Zhong Hanzhe.

So he stood up, walked over to Zhong Hanzhe, gently patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Young man, that's great! Your idea is good; it helps those children and brings benefits to our factory. Just for your sincerity, I agree!" In this way, Zhong Hanzhe, with his sincerity and hard work, successfully reached an agreement with the brick factory to purchase coal slag.