Siheyuan: There are three little cats at home

Chapter 415: Want to get credit, it’s impossible

In April of 79, it was still a little cool at night.

However, Xu Qing was wearing a tacky fabric jacket at the moment, and he was not pedaling very fast on his bicycle, so he was slowly walking back to the courtyard.

Back in the compound, Xu Qing just pushed his bicycle into the backyard where he lived, and saw that his sister Xiaoya had just come back. He asked about it.

My sister did not go home directly from get off work in the afternoon. Instead, she went to watch a movie with her partner Liu Jianjun.

He followed him into the backyard.

Ma Jinghong, her son, Aiguo and Ai Qian had already had dinner, leaving only Xu Qing and Xiaoya.

"Brother Qing, I will give my daughter some milk powder. The food for you and Xiaoya is still heating in the kitchen pot. Wash your hands and quickly pack them out. You two eat quickly."

When Xu Qing heard his wife's words, he rolled up the cuffs of his coat, walked into the kitchen, scooped two ladles of water from the water urn, carried it to the front room, poured it into the washbasin, washed his hands with his sister, and then put the water in the pot on the kitchen stove together. The food was brought out and we sat at the table in the front room to eat together.

Xu Qing has been busy with the opening of the grain station during this period, and has no time to ask about his sister's engagement. He came back early today, so he asked while biting the white-flour steamed bun in his hand:
"Xiaoya, what's going on between you and Jianjun now? At the end of last year, he said he was going to come to our house to get engaged with you. It's already been several months since the New Year. You can't just drag it out with him."

Xu Xiaoya stopped the chopsticks in her hand, her pretty face showed shyness, and she said with a blush:

"Brother, we are planning to get engaged at the end of this month. The wedding date will be chosen before the Mid-Autumn Festival."

When Xu Qing heard this, he had no intention of eating any more and asked hurriedly:
"Really? Don't you two team up to deceive me?"

Xu Xiaoya pursed her lips and said: "How could you? You are the eldest brother who loves me the most. How could I lie to you? Originally, before the Chinese New Year last year, Jianjun and I planned to get engaged as soon as the first month came out. Who asked him to mess with you at the end of the year? Me, hum!"

Xu Qing smiled helplessly and said: "Since it is the end of this month, then the eldest brother will wait at home with your second brother and third brother."

Xu Xiaoya hummed and grinned: "Brother, Jianjun asked me today, how much do we need as a bride price?"

Xu Qing heard this and said happily: "You can have as much as you want, you make the decision!
Anyway, the eldest brother, your sister-in-law, your second brother, and your third brother will not touch any of the betrothal gifts. When you get married, they will all be given to you as a dowry, and you can keep it yourself. "

Xu Xiaoya put down the steamed buns and chopsticks in her hands, leaned her head against Xu Qing, and said with a smile:
"I know that brother, you and your sister-in-law will not make things difficult for others. Jianjun still doesn't believe it. I will tell him tomorrow that the bride price is three hundred, and it won't be a penny less. Just scare him."

Xu Qing smiled bitterly and did not comment on his sister's prank.

As for the bride price, they can discuss it among themselves.

It doesn't matter how much it is to Xu Qing.

There is no urgent need for money at home, and Xu Qing has never thought of giving his sister a bride price.

After dinner, Xu Qing went to his second brother's place for a walk, returned to the main house where he lived, sat at the table, and calculated the accounts using his son Hongzhi's abacus.

Xu Xiaoya had not gone to the next door cabin to rest at this time. Seeing that her elder brother wanted to settle the accounts of the grain station, she volunteered to help.

After all, she majored in accounting in college, and settling accounts can be said to be done at her fingertips.

"Brother, tell me, I'll do the abacus."

Xu Xiaoya sat opposite Xu Qing, moved the beads in her nephew's abacus with her hands, put them back in place, and waited for her elder brother to tell her.

Xu Qing smoked the cigarette and said: "Three thousand kilograms of white flour, how much do you think it will cost?"

Xu Xiaoya quickly moved the abacus beads with both hands, and within 30 seconds she raised her head and said:

"Brother, 550 and eight yuan."

Xu Qing knew that his sister's pound of white flour was calculated at [-] cents.

This is the price that just increased last year.

In fact, it didn't rise much, just six percent.

Of course, the price may be higher than that of some other provinces and cities, but Sijiu City is the capital.

A little higher is normal!

In the south, white flour cannot be sold at this price. In the south, where rice is eaten more, white flour is not in demand and demand is low, so the price will naturally decline accordingly.

But no matter what, the price of white flour across the country ranges from a low of less than [-] cents to a high of less than [-] cents.

Sometimes it is adjusted upward, sometimes it is adjusted downward, but it is always maintained within a small fluctuation.

As for stick noodles, Sijiucheng currently weighs [-] pounds.

Compared with white noodles, the price is much lower.

Xu Qing looked at his sister and said, "Five thousand three hundred kilograms of stick noodles."

Xu Xiaoya immediately started to adjust the abacus again, and still quickly raised her head and said:

"Brother, five hundred and three and a half dollars."

Xu Qing groaned, and secretly totaled up the money for white noodles and stick noodles in his mind, and couldn't help but be surprised.

"The white noodles and stick noodles alone cost only 61 yuan. Sure enough, if you use your ability in business, you can make money quickly."

After Xu Qing thought about it, he smoked a cigarette and continued:

"Xiaoya, please do the math again. Three thousand kilograms of white flour and five thousand three hundred kilograms of stick noodles. Each kilogram is three cents. How much is it?"

When Xu Xiaoya heard her elder brother's words, she lowered her head and pulled up the abacus beads again.

After a while, Xu Xiaoya shook her black braids and said, "Brother, the total is 240 yuan."

Xu Qing nodded, silently calculating in his mind.

Based on a profit of three cents, more than 8000 kilograms of grain can earn 240 yuan.

Leave aside a series of expenses such as taxes, rent, and wages of hired workers.

I'm afraid this little money will only be enough to feed the family if it ends up in their hands.

Xu Qing couldn't help but sigh, as expected, the grain station can only be sustained by the state.

Fortunately, I have the ability to split in two, otherwise, I would have to lose everything!
On the first day of opening, he also sold the white noodles at a slightly lower price. After all, the profit of 19 yuan will be further discounted.

As for millet, mung beans, rice, and red beans, the total amount was only [-] kilograms, but not much was sold, so I didn’t count them.

The bulk of the grain station mainly relies on white noodles and stick noodles, and the other items are sold as a mix.

It is simply impossible to expect Xiaomi to make money.

Xu Qing added the previous one thousand and sixty-one yuan to the two hundred and nineteen yuan that his sister just said.

The total profit was 310 yuan and [-] cents.

In terms of tax payment, Xu Qing cannot yet pay the tax of [-] kilograms.

It should be calculated as [-] catties.

He had no choice but to pay taxes on the more than 1 kilograms of grain he divided.

Fortunately, in recent years, the state's tax on commercial grain is not very high.

Xu Qing does not need to pay much.

After getting rid of all kinds of miscellaneous things, he still had nearly 1000 yuan left in his hand.

What he earned this month was much higher than when he was the director of the fifth factory.

Of course, it mainly comes from his ability to separate white noodles and stick noodles.

After calculating last month's income, Xu Qing was so happy that he put his hands on the table and planned to rent a piece of land in the suburbs as soon as possible before the autumn harvest, build a warehouse, and buy a flour grinding machine.

He can't always rely on the state to transport grain to his grain station. It's such a waste.

The country can support it at the beginning, but it may not support it later.

You have to find your own way to collect grain, grind flour, and produce and sell it yourself.

It’s just that the first month’s income sounds like a lot, but for subsequent use of money, it’s just a drop in the bucket.

Going to the countryside to collect grain requires money, renting land to build warehouses, and purchasing flour-grinding machinery also requires money. None of them can be separated.

The winter wheat harvest started in June and July, and now it is April. For him, it can be said that time is tight and the task is heavy.

Early in the morning, Xu Qing took a bite of breakfast and pushed his bicycle out of the compound alone.

Nowadays, he is making a living on his own. He is no longer working in the factory, commuting to and from get off work on time, and receiving a fixed salary every month.

The earlier his grain station opens and the longer it stays open throughout the day, the more money he can make.

When Xu Qing pushed the cart through the front yard, Yan Bugui had just woken up. He came out of the house, saw Xu Qing, and said with a smile:

"Xiao Qing, go to your food station so early again."

Xu Qing responded: "Third Master, I have no choice but to go there early. The vegetable market has already opened. If someone wants to sell some food, it will be troublesome for me to go there late and make people wait for me."

Yan Bu nodded and said:

"That's it, hurry up and don't delay your food station business. By the way, give my family thirty kilograms of white flour in the evening. In the afternoon, I will ask your third aunt to give the money and food stamps to Jinghong."

Xu Qing responded: "Okay, third uncle, I will come back in the evening and I will send you home!"

After Xu Qing finished speaking, he pushed his bicycle and walked out of the compound while the sky was just getting light. He stood in the alley, immediately turned over and rode on, and drove out quickly towards the entrance of the alley.

At this point in the street, there weren't many people going to work yet, so I set up a stall to buy breakfast, and set out early to wait for people going to work to patronize me.

The aroma of braised and stir-fried liver is alluring and will whet your appetite.

Buying steamed buns, fried dough sticks, fried dough sticks and other kinds of breakfast snacks, Xu Qing saw a lot while riding his bike.

It was early in the morning, but luckily he had a drink at home, otherwise he would have been tempted to stop the car.

When Xu Qing rode to the door of his own grain station in Dongdan, the hired Sanhuzi's wife and Sanhuzi's sister were already waiting for him.

Xu Qing jumped out of the car, leaned his bicycle against the door of his grain station, quickly took out the key from his trouser pocket, and opened the store door.

At this time, the Dongdan Vegetable Market was very noisy. Grandpas and aunties who came to buy vegetables were bustling in and out. It was very lively. Some people who came out after buying vegetables turned around and saw Xu Qing’s grain station opened the door, and put their arms around each other. After putting the vegetable basket on the table, I walked in, looked here and there, and ordered three kilograms of millet, intending to buy it back to make millet porridge later.Despite her rural background, Sanhuzi's wife is not as good as the female salespersons in state-owned stores and department stores, but she is really nimble with her hands and feet, hard-working, and speaks in a pleasant manner. She has been buying braised pork with Sanhuzi for many years, although I can't read a few Chinese characters, and it's a little difficult to recognize money.

But I am very good at helping people pack millet.

Scoop out three kilograms of millet, one scoop at a time.

Only Xu Qing and Sanhuzi's sister collected money and food stamps.

Sanhuzi's younger sister has gone to school, but due to her family's status, like Sanhuzi, she couldn't work in an office or factory in the past few years.

Xu Qing hired her over and asked her to keep an eye on the counter.

It is better to hire someone who is familiar and knows the basics than to hire someone who does not understand.

Sanhuzi felt relieved that his daughter-in-law and sister were working at the Xuqing Grain Station.

First of all, the salary offered by Xu Qing is not low. A person's monthly salary is 37 yuan, which is a little higher than that of a newly-regularized official worker in some small factories.

Secondly, Sanhuzi knew that Xu Qing was a trustworthy person.

In fact, it was Xu Qing who trusted him, his wife, and his sister Meijuan.

If the hands and feet are not clean, the work is not diligent, and the mind is not bright, Xu Qing will definitely not hire him.

In one morning, [-] jins of white flour, [-] jins of stick noodles, [-] jins of millet, and [-] jins of red beans were sold.

It's ok.

Rice is the slowest seller. When people from the south come to work and settle in Sijiu City, they can sell more than [-] kilograms at a time.

But the out-and-out residents of Sijiu City and people from northern provinces still like to eat white noodles and stick noodles.

The eating habits of the north and the south are different. Most people in the south eat rice, while in the north, almost all people eat wheat.

In addition, there are few rice-producing areas in the north. The cost of transporting it from there increases, and the price also rises slightly. Even if northerners want to change their taste, they only buy a little occasionally.

In the morning, not many people came.

Xu Qing sat on the chair behind the counter and read the newspaper.

Meijuan and her sister-in-law carried the bags containing millet and mung beans to the entrance of the grain station and placed them in the sun to dry in fear of insects.

The weather was good, the sky was clear, and the sun was shining warmly at the entrance of Xuqing Grain Station.

Not on weekends and holidays, everyone is at work. Generally, not many people come to buy food around noon.

Only the elderly men and women come over from time to time to buy some food for their children.

Those who can come to buy food at this time are usually people living nearby.

If you want a lot, Xu Qing will push the cart to deliver it.

The distance is not too far, so you can have some free time. If you go out for a run, you can also get familiar with the surrounding area.

By going back and forth, you can not only maintain the relationship with the customer, but also understand the surrounding situation.

Sometimes Xu Qing had something to do and couldn't leave him, so he asked Meijuan to ride a bicycle to see him off.

However, in the afternoon, someone Xu Qing knew came to the grain station.

They were just acquaintances, because Xu Qing had fixed him before.

Haven't seen him for many years.

"Hey, I bet you run this grain station."

The visitor curled his lips and looked carefree. He picked up a handful of mung beans and looked at them. He changed them to a handful of millet, twirled them in his hand and said:
"Xu Qing, come here, pack me ten jins of mung beans, fifteen jins of millet and thirty jins of white flour."

Xu Qing stared at the visitor, put down the newspaper in his hand, took out a cigarette, handed one to the other person, and said:
"Cao Xiaojun, take a look at the food stamps first. Don't pretend to be too much later. You don't have enough food stamps."

In business, there are always customers who come in. Even if Xu Qing had a feud with Cao Xiaojun in the past, it would be impossible to keep him out.

Cao Xiaojun was still as virtuous as before, dressed neatly and fashionably. He glanced at Xu Qing and took out a Peony cigarette, then reached out to take it, held it in the corner of his mouth, took out a lighter, lit the cigarette, and said:

"What kind of thing do I need? Just let your people pretend."

Cao Xiaojun took a puff of cigarette, tilted his head, took out a handful of food stamps from his body, and put them on the counter next to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing called to Sanhuzi's wife and Meijuan. One of them looked for the required food stamps and calculated how much they cost. The other used an iron dustpan to put the food that Cao Xiaojun wanted.

Sanhuzi's daughter-in-law is very quick. As soon as Zai Meijuan calculated the money, she had already packed the millet, mung beans, and white flour that Cao Xiaojun asked for.

Then, he placed three cloth bags in front of Cao Xiaojun.

When Cao Xiaojun saw that he had not finished smoking a single cigarette, he had packed all the three things he asked for. He couldn't help but look at Sanhuzi's wife and said coldly:
"Don't fool me, are you not counting enough?"

Xu Qing smoked the cigarette and said: "Cao Xiaojun, I'll use my name later and I'll give you a penny less."

In front of Cao Xiaojun, Xu Qing used a [-]-pound steelyard to weigh the mung beans, millet, and white flour respectively.

To open a grain station, there is no need for anything. Xu Qing has already purchased everything.

There are steel scales weighing twenty kilograms, steel scales weighing thirty kilograms, and large iron scales weighing hundreds of kilograms.

Upon seeing this, Cao Xiaojun glanced sideways at Sanhuzi's wife.

Apparently taken aback.

There is no need for scales, and you can pretend to be just right. For a high-ranking cadre like Cao Xiaojun, it is simply unheard of.

Xu Qing didn't care that Cao Xiaojun was stunned, he directly counted the money that Meijuan had just calculated, and said again:
"A total of ten dollars and seventy-three cents."

Cao Xiaojun returned to Shen'er, looked at Xu Qing, curled his lips and said:

"Why is it so expensive? You, a human food station, are not asking for random prices, are you?"

Xu Qing was too lazy to argue with people like Cao Xiaojun. He stretched out his hand and asked Meijuan to hand the abacus to him, then moved the abacus in front of her and said:
"Thirty pounds of white flour, one pound, one-eight cents and six cents, totaling five dollars, fifty-eight cents.

Mung beans cost two cents per catty and two yuan for ten catties.

You want fifteen kilograms of millet, two cents per kilogram, which works out to three yuan and fifteen cents.

Adding another dollar makes it exactly ten dollars and seventy-three cents, right? "

Cao Xiaojun was speechless. The amount and price Xu Qing reported to him were correct.

Just like in state-owned stores.

The price of mung beans and millet is more than [-] cents. That is because there are not many grown every year and the yield is not high.

Things are rare and expensive, so they are naturally more expensive than white noodles.

Cao Xiaojun originally wanted to come to Xu Qing to see if it could be cheaper, but he never thought that the price would be no less than that of a state-owned store.

He had to reach into his trouser pocket to take out the money, but he took out a handful of dimes, counted them for a long time, frowned and said:

"Xu Qing, I went out in a hurry today. I didn't bring a few big group money, just a handful of odd cents. For the sake of our acquaintance, I will keep this money on credit. I will keep the account and give it to you in a few days. Come."

Xu Qing shook his head, "I don't accept credit for this small business. I don't have enough money. Please buy less today."

Cao Xiaojun was just doing nothing, and he didn't have a serious job. How could Xu Qing dare to give him credit?

Furthermore, Xu Qing was not familiar with him, so why should he give Cao Xiaojun face?

What's more, it's only been a month since it opened, so it's not like we're already giving people credit.

Cao Xiaojun's face showed displeasure, but Xu Qing couldn't tolerate him.

When opening a business, what matters is first-hand money and first-hand goods.

Even if someone takes credit, Xu Qing has to consider whether the other party is qualified.

If everyone you know comes to lend money, how can you open a grain station or do any business?

Xu Qing said directly to Cao Xiaojun: "Do you want more? If you don't want it, I'll go back."

How could Cao Xiaojun, a decent person, say no, and said bravely:
"Wait, I went to the savings bank on the street to withdraw money. I'll come and get it later."

After Cao Xiaojun finished speaking, he turned around and walked out of Xu Qing's grain station, got on his bicycle, and immediately stepped out of the way.

He earns a shitty amount of money, doesn't even have a job, and is still fooling around all day long, relying on his parents to support him.

His father, Cao Chunhua, was involved in the Ten Years of Change and lost his position as head of the art troupe. Now he can only receive a pension.

His mother was still working in the street office, but with such a paralyzed son, all the money she earned every month was taken away by every possible means.

Cao Xiaojun was used to spending money lavishly in the past. His parents' money was not enough for him to spend all his money in a few days.

Where is the money for him to get?

Meijuan waited for a long time and saw that Cao Xiaojun had left and never came back. He had not come back for more than ten minutes. She turned around and was about to throw back the white noodles, mung beans and millet that she had packed earlier.

Xu Qing waved his hand and said: "Meijuan, just leave the thirty kilograms of white flour. The third uncle in our hospital wants exactly thirty kilograms. I will take it back to him in the evening."

Meijuan groaned, took the white-faced bag she was about to untie, and immediately tied it tightly again with a rope.

At around six o'clock in the afternoon, Xu Qingliang Station welcomed a wave of workers who had just come off work to buy grain.

Xu Qing, Sanhuzi's sister Meijuan, and Sanhuzi's wife, the three of them were busy for more than an hour.

It didn't stop until about 08:30 in the evening.

It was getting dark, and Xu Qingjian saw that the vegetable market was closed, so he asked his aunt and sister-in-law Meijuan to get off work first.

He stared alone for another half an hour, then walked out of the grain station with the thirty kilograms of white noodles for the third uncle's family. After closing the door and locking it, he got on his bicycle, loaded with white noodles, and headed back to his courtyard with a flashlight. .

(End of this chapter)