My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Zhang Lei shook his head and said, "Not now. You have to come with me to a place."

Ye Shuqin asked in confusion, "Honey, where are we going?"

Zhang Lei smiled and said, "You'll see when we get there."

Soon the two arrived at a state-run trust store. Ye Shuqin asked, somewhat puzzled, "Boss, what are you doing here?"

Zhang Lei laughed and said, "Of course, it's for buying things."

"Buy something?" Ye Shuqin asked, somewhat puzzled. "Buy what? I don't think we need anything."

Zhang Lei looked at Ye Shuqin and said, "Don't you think we're exhausted from walking all this way?"

Ye Shuqin paused for a moment, then said, "But husband, isn't this how everyone has come up through life?"

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she widened her eyes, saying, "Honey, you want to buy a bicycle?"

Zhang Lei smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right, it's about buying a bicycle."

Ye Shuqin quickly said, "Honey, I heard bicycles are expensive, and besides, we don't usually need them."

Looking at her calculating expression, Zhang Lei said helplessly, "Alright, I told you, once you're out here, just listen to me. You just need to keep an eye on things."

He paused, then added, "Besides, you need a bicycle ticket to buy a new bicycle now, but you don't need one for the second-hand bicycles sold at this state-run trust store, which perfectly suits our needs."

Zhang Lei shook his head and said, "Not one, but four."

Ye Shuqin said incredulously, "Honey, you mean we each get one?"

Zhang Lei nodded and said, "Yes, you need one when you're at home. I also need one when I go out. Shuqi and Shuhua also need a bicycle to get around when they go out."

Ye Shuqin stammered, "But...but how much will this cost?"

Zhang Lei pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket, which looked to be over 2000 yuan.

This scene startled Ye Shuqin, who quickly asked, "Husband, where did this come from?"

Zhang Lei laughed and said, "Don't worry, it's all from legitimate sources. Besides, I've also gone hunting in the mountains before and caught a lot of game, which I sold to our steel mill. This amount of money is nothing."

Zhang Lei thought to himself, "It wouldn't hurt to brag about this first."

After all, he met his father-in-law while hunting in the mountains and even saved his life; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the chance to marry Ye Shuqin and her two sisters.

To attribute all this wealth to hunting would be perfectly reasonable.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade Zhang Lei, Ye Shuqin stopped trying and silently followed him into the shop.

Inside the shop, a man in his fifties was squinting as he flipped through an account book. Hearing footsteps, he slowly raised his head and glanced at the two of them.

Zhang Lei stepped forward, smiled, and asked, "Grandpa, do you have any bicycles now? I'd like to buy a few."

The old man looked up at Zhang Lei and said slowly, "Young man, you're not old, but you're quite arrogant. You want several more."

Zhang Lei didn't argue with the old man and said directly, "Sir, did you give me an answer? Whether I can afford it or not is my business, but whether you can afford it is your store's business, right?"

The old man was taken aback by his words, then nodded and said, "Alright, young man, you're quite interesting. You wouldn't find this usually, but a batch of bicycles arrived today, fifteen in total. Come with me to the back and take a look."

Hearing what the old man said, Zhang Lei quickly took out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to him.

The old man took the cigarette, glanced at it, and his eyes lit up as he said, "Wow, not bad, Daqianmen."

Zhang Lei smiled and replied, "Sir, if you could recommend a few decent used bicycles, I'd give you this whole pack of cigarettes."

The old man stared at the box of cigarettes that Zhang Lei had just opened, and immediately beamed with joy: "Good, good, I'm in a good mood today. For the sake of this box of cigarettes, I'll pick out the best ones for you."

Looking at the row of bicycles neatly stacked in front of him, Zhang Lei's eyes swept over the frame, tires, and chain of each bicycle as the old man pointed out and introduced them.

Without the slightest hesitation, he decisively chose three women's bicycles that were about 80% new and a men's Forever brand bicycle that was about 70% new.

Zhang Lei then asked the shop's repairman to help install a basket on each bicycle and also specially provided each bicycle with a sturdy lock.

After everything was done, I checked out and it cost a total of 480 yuan.

The price doesn't look cheap at all, mainly because of the three women's bicycles. After all, women's bicycles are rare these days, and they're in such good condition, so naturally they're more expensive.

Looking at the four bicycles in front of her, Ye Shuqin couldn't contain her joy. She reached out and touched each one carefully, inspecting them thoroughly.

Seeing Ye Shuqin's serious expression, Zhang Lei quickly urged, "Alright, we need to hurry back. We still need to push this car to the police station to get it stamped."

Ye Shuqin quickly nodded in agreement.

Zhang Lei turned to look at her and casually asked, "Can you ride a bicycle? If not, we'll push it."

Ye Shuqin immediately replied, "Honey, I can! My dad had one before, and although I haven't ridden it many times, I've at least learned how to ride it."

Hearing that she could ride, Zhang Lei nodded: "Okay, since you can, then we'll each ride one, and then hold and push the other one."

Hearing Zhang Lei say this, Ye Shuqin looked somewhat unsure and whispered, "Honey, I've never ridden like this before."

Zhang Lei chuckled and patted his chest: "It's alright, I'll demonstrate for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he nimbly straddled a bicycle, one hand firmly gripping the handlebars, the other hand firmly holding onto another bicycle next to him, and smoothly glided off.

Ye Shuqin's eyes lit up with admiration, and she couldn't help but clap her hands and exclaim, "Honey, you're amazing!"

Soon, Ye Shuqin followed Zhang Lei's example and tried to hold onto the handlebars of her bicycle with one hand and the seat of another bicycle with the other.

At first, she was extremely nervous. The handlebars wobbled and she couldn't even keep her footing on the pedals. She almost fell over after only a few steps.

After Zhang Lei patiently taught her twice, she gradually found the knack, the bike became much more stable, and she was able to ride forward, albeit wobbly.

The two quickly rode their bikes to the police station and had the four bicycles re-stamped.

The procedure cost a total of 8 yuan, and the police officer specifically reminded him that he would have to come back to pay the fee once a year.

Zhang Lei took the brand-new bicycle registration book, nodded in satisfaction, and felt a surge of pride, thinking that he could finally be considered a bicycle owner.