14
Nothing at All
Having two sixteen-year-old boys become self-employed as street vendors—the least respectable type of “Daoye” (Resellers)—posed a psychological barrier no less daunting than making them cross-dress in 1998!
The moment the brothers heard they’d be selling socks, they turned to run. Unfortunately…
“Heh.” Qi Lei let out a dry laugh. With the car doors welded shut, where could they possibly escape?
Early the next morning, just after four o’clock, Guo Lihua heard movement from Qi Lei’s room. She wondered why the child was up so early.
After dozing off again, she was startled awake by the loud slam of the front door. By the time Guo Lihua got up, he was already gone.
Tilting her head in thought, she mused, Why is he more diligent during vacation than on school days?
She went back to the room and woke Qi Guojun. “If Qi Lei really scores over 300 points, should we pay to get him into a key high school?”
Qi Guojun sighed helplessly. “Three hundred isn’t enough. He’d need at least 400, and even then, we’d have to pull some strings for a temporary enrollment. But do you think that’s possible?”
His son, just as his wife said, was exactly like he had been as a child—always fooling around and never serious about anything. Three or four hundred points? More like thirty or forty!
Guo Lihua pursed her lips, clearly sharing his lack of optimism.
Yet her heart was tangled with worry. “If he really does score three or four hundred, should we spend the money or not?”
Hearing this, Qi Guojun lost all sleepiness. He rolled over and comforted her, “Don’t worry… You’re overthinking it. He’ll go wherever he gets accepted! At worst, I’ll work harder to save more for you and our son.”
Guo Lihua jabbed him sharply in frustration. “Easier said than done! Have you ever run a business? Or have I? If we really lose money and Shitou has no future, what will become of our family?”
“Qi Guojun, let me tell you, you’re not cut out for this. I think this idea is unreliable!”
Qi Guojun: “Yes, yes, yes! You’re absolutely right. But can’t I learn? Take it slow, no need to rush…”
He rolled over, turning his back to her, leaving no one knowing what Qi Guojun was truly thinking.
Meanwhile, Qi Lei and his two friends were already making their way through the morning dew toward Shangbei Railway Station.
Shangbei, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of the provincial capital Ha City, lay to its south. Every morning at 5:30, a Green Train departed for the provincial capital.
The journey of over a hundred kilometers took more than three hours of rattling along—assuming no delays.
Since it stopped at every station, the train was packed to the brim with passengers.
But one thing was certain: regardless of wealth, if you needed to go to the provincial capital, this was your only option, and the tickets were genuinely cheap.
At that moment, Qi Lei clutched three tickets to the provincial capital, dragging along the still half-asleep Tang Yi and Wu Ning.
“Shitou, maybe we should go back? Let’s discuss this again.”
The two brothers had barely slept the night before. The thought of selling socks and being recognized by classmates or friends left them with no peace of mind.
But there was no way out. Qi Lei was determined to pursue this seemingly hopeless venture, dragging them to the provincial capital early in the morning to stock up.
Yes, stock up!
Even now, the brothers felt a sense of unreality. Heh… selling socks.
Qi Lei couldn’t be bothered to engage with them.
His eyes fixed intently on the ticket inspector at the gate, he unconsciously pressed forward, a flicker of excitement in his heart. How many years had it been since he last squeezed onto a Green Train?
The moment the inspector opened the gate, Qi Lei shot out like an arrow!
“Holy crap!” Wu Ning and Tang Yi were a beat slower, but jolted into action instantly, charging toward the train door like a battlefield assault—a spectacular sight.
Qi Lei thought he was the fastest, but he’d forgotten the basic skills every teenage boy in the ’90s possessed.
While he was still fumbling for the door handle, Tang Yi had already overtaken him, leaping up to grab the window frame and flip inside, then reaching back to haul Wu Xiaojian aboard.
Meanwhile, Qi Lei was still squeezing his way through the door!
The two brothers exchanged a glance full of disdain: “What a loser!”
By nearly nine o’clock, the three brothers stumbled off the green-skinned train, sore and aching, finally arriving in the provincial capital.
“Damn it, after I graduate I’m totally hijacking Old Tang’s Da Badao. Never riding this piece of junk again.”
Their three seats had been shared by five people, including two hefty aunties, leaving Tang Yi thoroughly aggrieved.
At a breakfast stall near the station, each devoured two large meat buns and a bowl of tofu pudding, totaling four yuan and fifty fen.
As they left, Tang Yi kept complaining, “The buns were too small—I’m still hungry.”
Qi Lei retorted, “Just be grateful!”
This was actually pretty good. In future years, buns larger than your fist would exist only in legends.
“What now?” Even with Wu Xiaojian’s quick wits, they were useless here. While not their first time in the provincial capital, this was their first time sourcing goods.
Truthfully, Qi Lei wasn’t sure either. Though he’d lived two lifetimes, this was his first venture into selling socks.
He figured they should go to the underground market, but couldn’t be certain.
Leaving the breakfast shop, they found a phone booth. Relying on memory, Qi Lei dialed a number. After several busy tones: “Hey, Grandpa, my exams went okay! I’ll visit you soon. Is Zhang Yang home? Put him on.”
“It’s your cousin. Need to ask you something.”
After chattering for a while, he confirmed his assumption was correct. “Alright, hanging up now!”
Turning back, he waved grandly: “To Fendou Road!”
On the other end, Zhang Yang was puzzled, “What’s going on? I wasn’t finished talking!”
Reluctantly hanging up, he rolled his eyes, “Grandpa? Grandpa! Auntie invited me to her place. Should I go?”
“Fine, I’ll go. But I’m broke! Can you spot me some cash?”
Meanwhile, Tang Yi and Wu Ning asked, “Aren’t we calling Zhang Yang out?” They knew him well—Qi Lei’s cousin from his aunt’s family, four months younger, living right in the provincial capital. Plus, he lived close to their destination, just across the street. Every summer he’d spend ten days to half a month in Shangbei, flaunting his big-city superiority.
For instance, while the three brothers were still listening to Andy Lau and Ekin Cheng, he’d already moved on to Richie Jen and Mavis Fan.
While they mumbled through love songs, he was embracing Loverboy’s alternative style.
“Call him out for manual labor! He could help brainstorm too,” Tang Xiaoyi strongly recommended. That guy had thick skin—definitely useful.
But Qi Lei shut him down with one remark: “Why call him? So he can mock you two for selling socks?”
They immediately fell silent, obediently following Qi Lei.
Truth was, Qi Lei didn’t want to see Zhang Yang right now. No particular reason—they’d seen enough of each other in their previous lives, living in the same apartment complex, same building unit, bumping into each other almost daily.
As for the “underground market”—anyone from old Harbin or surrounding counties knew it specifically meant Fendou Road Underground.
It was one of Harbin’s earliest underground wholesale markets, converted from civil air defense tunnels in the 1980s. The very definition of cheap, practical, and trendy.
Of course, this was in the minds of ordinary folks—the real trends and fashion had to be Qiu Lin and Song Lei.
When Qi Lei was little, Guo Lihua would take him to the underground mall every time she visited the provincial capital. Qi Lei always got new clothes out of these trips, so the memories stuck with him.
Dragging along two tag-alongs, they headed straight for Fendou Road.
Only when standing inside the underground mall did Tang Yi and Wu Ning freeze again—what were they supposed to do next?
What happened next left the two in utter awe of Qi Lei.
They’d never noticed it before, but this guy definitely had the makings of a cunning merchant!