The rise of a small town in shoe country

Chapter 2 Selling Cloth Shoes on the Street

Among the seven or eight people gathered in front of the stall, the guy on the outermost side was skinny, with a thin monkey face, obviously not here to buy shoes.

The second younger sister was a bystander, but she was too timid to shout, so she could only report to her elder brother in a low voice.

Jin Yunfei remained calm, while signaling the second sister to calm down, he squinted his eyes and stared at the skinny monkey face.

The skinny monkey was bent over, clinging to the middle-aged man who was squatting on the ground in front of him. The middle-aged man had a bulging canvas bag on his shoulder.

The middle-aged man held a pair of cloth shoes in one hand and was bargaining with his eldest sister, while he weighed a cloth shoe in the other hand, estimating the weight of the shoes.

The thin monkey face seized this opportunity, stretched out a hand, and put it on the middle-aged man's canvas bag.

Jin Yunfei could see clearly that the thin monkey face was holding a razor blade in his hand, and he quietly reached out and grabbed the bamboo pole resting at his feet.

Just as Thin Monkey Face was holding a blade and slashing through the middle-aged man's canvas bag, the pole in Jin Yunfei's hand, like a fired shell, swished out and hit Thin Monkey Face's chest.

The thin monkey face made a sound, and the body did not fall down, but the hand holding the blade retracted reflexively.

The thin monkey face looked at Jin Yunfei in horror.

But Jin Yunfei closed his eyes, let go of the shoulder pole with his right hand, stretched out his index finger and shook it, just in time for the thin monkey face to see.

The thin monkey's face was shocked, knowing that he had met a master, he glared at Jin Yunfei, and slipped away resentfully.

The second sister took two steps forward, smiled at the middle-aged man, pointed to her elder brother, and then pointed to the middle-aged man's canvas bag.

The middle-aged man looked like a person who always went out. Looking at the slit on the canvas bag, all the money in the bag was exposed, and he immediately understood what was going on.

The middle-aged man first cast a grateful look at Jin Yunfei, and then asked the second sister, little girl, who is he?

It's my elder brother, and it's my elder sister who sells the shoes.

The middle-aged man let out an oh, nodded, and announced loudly, everyone, everyone, I have collected all the shoes in this stall.

The vendors dispersed in a rush, leaving only the middle-aged man alone.

Jin Yunfei didn't pay attention to the middle-aged man immediately, but ordered his elder sister and second younger sister to go to the grain station to help sell grain.

After the eldest sister and second sister left, Jin Yunfei introduced himself to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man also said his name, Zhao Yunlai, from Luoqiao Town, Huangyan County, specializing in the purchase and sale of footwear.

Zhao Yunlai also solemnly expressed his thanks. He told Jin Yunfei that this was his first time buying goods on Hengfeng Street, and unexpectedly he ran into a thief.

Jin Yunfei said bluntly.

Zhao Yunlai took out half a pack of Pegasus brand cigarettes, took out two, and handed one to Jin Yunfei.

Jin Yunfei hesitated for a moment, blushing, and took the cigarette from Zhao Yunlai.

Jin Yunfei can smoke, but his family is poor and he never carries a cigarette with him. When he gets addicted to cigarettes, he smokes a cigarette from his father.

The two squatted together and took a few puffs of cigarettes. Seeing that Jin Yunfei didn't talk much, Zhao Yun smiled and said, brother, let's talk business, let's talk about business first?

When it comes to business, Jin Yunfei is not polite. Boss Zhao, my cloth shoes are always priced at [-] cents more. Others sell them for [-] yuan, but mine sells them for [-] yuan.

Zhao Yunlai was also very straightforward. He stretched out his thumb and then three fingers, and said with a smile, "One yuan and three, I want them all."

No, I will sell it for one yuan and two, Jin Yunfei shook his head and said.

Zhao Yunlai took a look at Jin Yunfei, not selling for one yuan and three, but selling for one yuan and two, he was immediately impressed, okay, it's only one yuan and two, I want all your shoes for the second half of the year.

Big business, Jin Yunfei said happily, Boss Zhao, deal.

After checking out and paying, Jin Yunfei put the money in his pocket and said to Zhao Yun, Boss Zhao, I have a lot of family members and can usually make ten pairs of cloth shoes a day.

Zhao Yunlai knew what Jin Yunfei meant, and said with a smile, no problem, I also want all ten pairs a day, we made an appointment, on the ninth day of the lunar calendar, I will come to Hengfeng Street to collect the goods, right here, pay with one hand, and deliver with the other hand.

With that said, Zhao Yunlai took out five ten-yuan bills, brother, this is the deposit, you keep it.

Jin Yunfei was taken aback for a moment, Boss Zhao believed me so much?

Zhao Yun said, I think people are right, I believe you.

Jin Yunfei received the deposit, and also solemnly stated his position, please rest assured, Boss Zhao, the quality is guaranteed, the quantity is guaranteed, and the delivery is on September, rain or shine.

Zhao Yunlai smiled slightly, took out a pen and a yellow leather notebook, and handed them to Jin Yunfei.

Jin Yunfei knew what to do, took the pen, opened it, took the notebook, flipped to the blank space, and wrote: Receipt, today I received a deposit of 50 yuan from the boss Zhao Yunlai of Luoqiao for the purchase of shoes, as proof , payee, Jin Yunfei, Group [-], Jinjia Village, Hengfeng Township, June [-], [-] in the lunar calendar.

Zhao Yunlai took back the pen and notebook, looked at the receipt, and praised, brother, you have a good handwriting.

Jin Yunfei said, where is it, write indiscriminately, Boss Zhao should not laugh at it.

Zhao Yunlai looked at Jin Yunfei again, and asked, brother, I don't know anything about my brother, look at your handwriting, and your appearance, you have a beautiful face, you don't look like a farmer, but a scholar.

Jin Yunfei didn't want to say it, but just smiled lightly, Boss Zhao, my family is poor and I can't afford to read.

When Zhao Yunlai met Jin Yunfei, he refused to say more, and he didn't force it. It's not easy to ask the bottom line when they meet for the first time.

Zhao Yunlai's words aroused Jin Yunfei's inner sadness. Zhao Yunlai left with a big bag of cloth shoes on his back, but Jin Yunfei still sat there for a long time.

That's right, even Jin Yunfei himself thought he was a material for studying, and he didn't show much intelligence in elementary school, but in the two years of junior high school and two years of high school (there were two-year systems at that time), his grades never fell out of the top ten in his grade. name.In high school, I went to the best County No. 1980 Middle School in the county. The year I graduated was 61. There were a total of [-] students in my class. Except for Jin Yunfei, all of them won the gold list, and the worst one was admitted to the three-year regional normal school.

Jin Yunfei didn't take the college entrance examination at all, because of the family situation, he really couldn't live without him, the eldest son and grandson, just a bunch of younger brothers and sisters. If he only cared about his own future, the family would lose the pillar of support.

Since then, Jin Yunfei has three opportunities to jump out of the farm. One is to serve as a soldier, the other is to be a private teacher, and the third is to recruit cadres in the district. He was recommended by the village but he did not participate.

Jin Yunfei is a dutiful son, when he saw the complex gazes of his grandparents, parents, and mothers, he gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, he could only bury his own future.

The eldest in the family has a long way to go. It is his bounden duty to help his parents raise his younger siblings.

The sun gradually rose and shone on Jin Yunfei, making him feel warm and interrupting his thoughts.

The villager who also sold cloth shoes next to him shouted, the boss of the Jin family, is it stupid to make money?

Jin Yunfei got up to pack the baskets, and smiled back, uncle, you are stupid because you are exposed to the sun.

Jin Yunfei also had to buy materials for cloth shoes, old cloth, paste powder, thick white thread, thin white thread, black coarse cloth for shoe uppers, white cotton cloth for shoe linings...

The money from selling the shoes and the deposit from Zhao Yunlai were all spent, and the two baskets were full, so Jin Yunfei carried the burden and walked across the streets and alleys towards the grain station.

(End of this chapter)