i was my mistake

Even on the street, it must be the most inconspicuous one.

Many of them are driven in the alleys, but many people know them.

In the 90s, the phenomenon of selling stolen cars was very common.

Even if every bicycle is required to have a license plate, it is still repeatedly prohibited.

This phenomenon did not disappear until ordinary bicycles were no longer valuable and gradually withdrew from the stage of history.

Some people have no money, so they buy a cheap stolen car, and some people have their car stolen, so they might as well buy another stolen car, so that the next time the car is stolen, the loss will be less.

Of course, not all stolen cars are sold, and some serious second-hand bicycles will also be mixed in.

So when selling it, the boss will say that it is second-hand, that it was collected from someone else, or that he repaired the broken car.

Buyers will also say that they are here to buy used bicycles.

However, everyone knows what is going on.

The so-called unspoken rules are like this.

There are much more unspoken rules in the 90s than later, and everyone is used to living under such unspoken rules.

This is a long and narrow alley, only for two people to walk side by side. The alley is dark and damp, and it seems that even the sun does not want to shine here.

There are only two small shops in the alley, one selling bicycles and the other selling pagers.

There is no doubt that half of the pagers here are probably stolen by others.

Why else would most people have a pager attached to their belt by a chain?

This is the old bicycle shop recommended by my father after contacting Lao Zhao.

The facade of the store is small, but the inside is deep, like a long tunnel.

There is a pile of bicycles and parts at the door, and there is only one aisle to lead inside.

"Boss? Boss—?" Wan Qing tilted her body and leaned inside, shouting.

"A lot of old bicycles..." Zhao Jinyu said in amazement with her small face up. She had already received the reimbursement money from her father in advance, but she was still very curious about the old bicycles they wanted to buy. The money for the bicycle, so I came along with it.

The boss stood up in the shadows, and walked outside slowly, letting the light shine on him.

This is a thin old man with a face that looks like a rat in a sewer. There are few hairs on his head and he looks bald.

"Buy a bicycle?" He glanced at the old cars hanging on the wall, stretched out his hand and pulled the rope, and a fairly bright fluorescent lamp lit up on the ceiling, allowing people to see more or less what kind of long and narrow shop this shop is. look like.

"Well, it was introduced by Lao Zhao." Wan Qing immediately used the name "Old Zhao" to prevent him from charging a high price like a pig.

"Lao Zhao specially introduced it? That will definitely give you the cheapest one." The old man nodded lightly, without a smile on his face, "What kind of bicycle do you want? I also have mountain bikes here, ordinary family cars There are also."

"Just an ordinary grocery shopping bicycle..." Ye Chen glanced at Wan Qing, "It doesn't need to be so expensive, as long as it's easy to ride."

"Don't worry, the bikes you buy from me are easy to ride. If you don't like them, you can take them back to me for another one." The old man glanced at the three girls one by one, and moved aside a little. , "Come in and have a look, and tell me if you like it."

He said, walked in, and turned on a few more lights, completely illuminating the long and narrow shop.

All kinds of bicycles are placed on the ground or hung on the wall. There are a wide variety of bicycles, and the variety is more abundant than that of specialty stores.

Some look old, but most are in decent condition, with the main signs of use being just the tires.

Going further inside, there are some road bikes and mountain bikes, some of which look very beautiful, making Ye Chen's eyes straight.

"very handsome……"

"That's a road bike, without shock absorbers, but it's okay to ride on the city roads, and the speed is very fast." The old man introduced next to him, "Where are you going to ride?"

"From Yinqi Road to Yinjiang High School." Before Wan Qing could tell a lie, Ye Chen answered honestly.

"The journey is a bit long, can you little girls ride?"

"Of course, there's no problem at all." Ye Chen said proudly.

Wan Qing ignored them and just walked inside on her own.

She was curious if she would find the stolen bicycle here.

If that's the case, I don't know who should be embarrassed...

"If you want to be more relaxed, it is still a mountain bike, with variable speed, and it is easy to ride."

"Is it expensive?" Ye Chen asked tentatively.

"Fortunately, this one is cheaper, only 900 yuan."

"It's so expensive..."

"It's not that expensive for a mountain bike."

Zhao Jinyu didn't seem to be interested in this kind of mountain bike with heavy wheels, but took a closer look at those road bikes that looked very simple, and some didn't even have brakes.

"The saddles on these bikes are so thin."

"Mountain bikes and road bikes are like this. Family bikes will be bigger and softer to sit on, but they are not suitable for long distances. If you ride a long distance, your legs will easily wear out and hurt."

Wan Qing searched around, but she didn't see their stolen bicycle, she was a bit regretful.

If she did find her car, she might find a way to get them back for free.

Ye Chen asked a lot of prices, but in the end he was embarrassed to find that the one he likes is very expensive, and the ordinary grocery shopping cart is more affordable, the cheapest one can be bought for only ten yuan - of course that kind They're all old looking cars.

She lingered among the bicycles, as if she couldn't make up her mind.

"Wan Qing, should we buy two or one?"

"Just buy one."

"Then...cough, can I buy a better one?"

"Which one do you want?"

"That Giant..."

Wan Qing nodded, and looked at the boss without any hesitation: "How much?"

"This car is basically brand new. It's in good condition. It rides no worse than a car with variable speed. It costs 300 yuan to sell it to others. I'll sell it to you for [-] yuan."

Wan Qing frowned slightly, and was about to bargain, but Zhao Jinyu had already taken out her wallet: "It's so cheap, let me pay."

"Wait, this is too expensive." Wan Qing stood in front of her, making Ye Chen's expectant expression suddenly tense.

"It's really not expensive. If you go to other places to ask, there is absolutely no such price. If it wasn't for Lao Zhao's introduction, I wouldn't sell it so cheap." The old man said firmly, with "love" on his face. "Buy or not" look.

This impatient look made Ye Chen even more nervous, afraid that he would be dragged away by Wan Qing if he didn't buy it.

In fact, she also felt that the price was really cheap enough.

"Yes, it's already very cheap." The young lady who never haggled when buying things nodded vigorously, "I'm going to buy a new one, it will cost at least six or seven hundred."

"Yeah, look, this little girl knows what to do."

Wan Qing was annoyed by the two of them, she knew that the price couldn't be lowered at all, so she could only settle for the next best thing: "Then you have to install the car lock for me, and this basket is not good, It's easy to break, install a stronger one for me."

"Okay, the person introduced by Lao Zhao will definitely have everything ready for you."

"Is there a flashlight that can be used in the car? It's getting darker and earlier recently, and I can't see the way back clearly."

"Yes, one is..."

Before he could make an offer, Wan Qing interrupted him: "Give me one for free."

He stared at Wan Qing for a while, and there was a bit of yin and yang in his voice: "It's okay, I'll get it for you, the little girl is not very old, and she is better at doing business than me."

Ye Chen glanced at Wan Qing in embarrassment, feeling that the atmosphere had suddenly become tense.

Wan Qing herself was a little uncomfortable, but when life was tight, she had to bargain.

Even saving a little is good.

What's more, what she hates the most is being "killed pigs". She feels that her IQ has been insulted, because she really heard some bosses say that people who buy things without bargaining are idiots.

You don't bargain for the price when you buy things, you are straightforward, let the other party make more money, and the other party thinks you are a fool, Wan Qing will never do this kind of thing.

Even if you can't pay the price, you still have to pick up some gifts to feel comfortable.

So much so that she had to bargain with the customer service to get some small gifts or discounts when she bought things online.

This doesn't look decent at all, but the lives of ordinary people are not decent at all.

This is a black Giant bicycle. The color is very ordinary, but the overall quality looks good. The old iron mesh basket was removed and replaced with a basket welded with thicker iron bars. It feels very good without touching it. solid.

But there is also a disadvantage, that is, things that are too small will leak out of it.

But anyway, you will bring a bag when you go out, so don't worry too much.

The car itself has a gentleman's lock installed on the rear wheel. The reason why it is called a gentleman's lock is that it is too easy to be disassembled. It can be opened even without a key, just to see if others want to steal it.

The lock given by the boss is not much better, it is just a small U-shaped lock, but it is better than nothing, at least it can lock the front wheels to some pillars to reduce the probability of being stolen.

"I'll pay, this time it's really me, don't compete with me." Zhao Jinyu stopped Wan Qing behind him with a rare tough attitude, and handed out his two brand new 100 yuan bills.

"Jinyu, what are you doing... There's no need to do this, it's not your fault if someone steals it."

"It's okay, just treat it as a gift for a friend."

"How can a student give such an expensive gift..."

"Then it will be the reward later? How about helping out on New Year's Day?"

"Help?" Ye Chen was stunned.

"There should be nothing wrong that day, but—how can I help?"

"Go to the church to participate in the activities, just do me a favor."

"No problem!" Ye Chen was the first to readily agree. This guy never weighs the pros and cons, and only acts based on emotion.

Now it is probably the stage when people are short-handed, Wan Qing seriously doubts that even if she is asked to strip Zhao Jinyu naked and warm the bed, she will agree...

——But on this point, Wan Qing probably treats the heart of a gentleman with the heart of a villain.

Ye Chen's bottom line is still much higher than hers.

……

21. hug and sleep

A river of stars flows in the deep purple sky, and the city, whose electricity has not yet been restored, falls into a sweet dream.

It was past two o'clock in the morning, and the air was icy cold, but the bed was as warm as spring.

"Hmmm..." Wan Qing in her dream frowned slightly, she turned over, like a drowning person grabbing a piece of wood that can float, she opened her arms and hugged Ye Chen tightly.

Ye Chen's body was as hot as a burning fireplace in a hut in the snow, so she couldn't help but get closer.

The girl's body was extremely soft, like the clouds in the purple sky that were dyed lavender.

Wan Qing's curly eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was hiding from something in a dream, she curled up like a helpless kitten, timid and pitiful.

One of Ye Chen's legs was exposed outside the bed, and she shivered a bit from the cold, and when she pulled it back in a daze, another feeling of heart palpitations came to her heart.

It's as if the heart is tightly grasped by a big hand, and I want to let that hand go, but I can't touch it anyway.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Wan Qing clinging to her, her face buried in her arms.

When she backed away slowly and wanted to get up to go to the bathroom, the latter raised her cheeks slightly as if she had noticed something.

It was a pure and flawless face, with willow eyebrows slightly frowned, so charming that one couldn't help but want to shield her from all the wind and rain.

Adults are always going to be tough and always look like they don't care about anything.

But adults are also human beings, which doesn't mean they won't cry, be afraid, or hesitate.

But after becoming an adult, people always want to be independent. When there is no other support, they can only be strong alone.

Who wouldn't want to hide in a safe haven?

How many people don't want to live a comfortable life without worrying about the future?

There are always people who say that with more experience, the spirit will be tempered, become tenacious, and will no longer be easily defeated.

But in fact, it is just a few more ways of self-comfort when encountering setbacks and tribulations.

The more setbacks there are, the weaker the spirit becomes. It looks strong on the surface, but it is just because the connection between the spirit and reality is disconnected.

It's like cutting a piece of meat with a knife. It hurts, but if there is no pain, you don't feel pain anymore.