Chapter 19: Borrowing a Bicycle

With his flashlight in hand and two small chicks in tow, Yue Feng strolled casually toward Wang Jianguo's house.

The Wang family was currently having dinner.

As the home of the village secretary, the food was of a different caliber. A family of four was eating; on the heated brick table, besides a pot of stewed potatoes, there was a plate of fried peanuts and a plate of sliced pig's head meat. Wang Jianguo was drinking alone.

"Uncle! Having a drink?"

"Ah! It's Xiaofeng. Have you eaten yet? Want to join your old uncle for a drink?" Wang Jianguo asked casually, glancing at the wild game Yue Feng was carrying out of the corner of his eye.

"I'll pass on the alcohol; I already ate at home before coming over!"

"Something on your mind?"

"Just a small matter! I want to borrow your bicycle to head into town tomorrow morning. I'll be back before seven! These are the Feilong and Shaban chickens I caught up in the mountains; I thought I'd bring two over for you and my aunt to try!" Yue Feng said, getting straight to the point.

"If you want to borrow the bike, you could have just come by to push it; there's no need to bring gifts. We're all kin in this village, no need to act like strangers! Oh, this Feilong is still alive? That's a rare find. Once you prep it, a soup made from this will be incredibly fresh!" Wang Jianguo said with a chuckle.

"Hehe, I caught it with my eagle! If you like it, I'll have more later!"

"Fine! You can take the bike; I won't be needing it tomorrow morning!" Wang Jianguo nodded and agreed.

"Then I'll take the bike with me now?"

"Yeah, it's in the courtyard warehouse! Come out with me to push it."

After seeing Yue Feng off, Wang Jianguo returned to the house. He locked eyes with his wife, Zhang Cuilian, and said in a thoughtful, low voice, "That second son of the Yue family... he's finally coming into his own!"

Zhang Cuilian frowned slightly. "Xiaofeng's father is just a stubborn man. He's always been someone who can't stand injustice, always insisting on fairness and rules. If you weren't backing him up in the village, think of how much he would have suffered! If you ask me, Yue Lei isn't even as good as this second son!"

Wang Jianguo pursed his lips. "You can't put it that way. Yue Lei is indeed a bit too rigid at times, but when real village business comes up, he never hesitates! The year before last, when we had that clash with the neighboring village and Old Man Zhao's second son got his head split open, he and Li Wentong charged right in with their knives! How many others have that kind of courage? Yue Lei just doesn't care for social maneuvering; at his core, he's absolutely a man of justice! As a minor official, while I can't ensure absolute equality in everything, I won't let an honest man be bullied!"

"His family is having a hard time this year. With that broken leg—it takes a hundred days for bones and tendons to heal—his work points at the end of the year will be significantly reduced!"

Wang Jianguo took a sip from his wine cup and said unhurriedly, "The leg injury happened while he was working for the collective. In principle, it counts as a work injury! I've already made adjustments to his work points! But you and Xiaona should just keep it to yourselves; keep your mouths shut so the other villagers don't start competing for similar treatment!"

Wang Jianguo's daughter, Xiaona, pursed her lips and didn't respond.

After hearing this, Zhang Cuilian thought for a moment. "In that case, eating the wild game sent by their second son doesn't make us feel guilty!"

"Exactly. As his uncle, what's wrong with eating two little chicks from my nephew! Besides, it hasn't snowed yet, so catching a live Feilong is quite rare. Tomorrow, you prep the chickens, and I, Chef Wang, will show you my skills!"

"Alright."

...

Pushing the village secretary's bicycle, Yue Feng returned home and went to bed early to rest on the heated kang.

The entire day had completely exhausted him. He had left at three in the morning and didn't get home until nearly four in the afternoon. After washing his feet with hot water and lying on the kang, his legs felt terribly sore and swollen. It was only because he had wrapped his legs before heading up the mountain that it wasn't even worse.

He was so tired that as soon as his head hit the bedding, Yue Feng fell into a deep sleep.

Because he had borrowed the bicycle, Yue Feng woke up a full hour late the next morning. It wasn't until the sky outside the window turned white at four o'clock that he crawled out of his blankets.

Walking would have taken about an hour and a half, but by bike, he reached his destination in less than half an hour.

Upon arriving at the Ghost Market, Yue Feng parked the bicycle by the roadside, then pulled out the tightly wrapped Feilong birds from his bag and lined them up.

Yesterday, during the hawk's hunt, Yue Feng had caught eighteen chicks in total: fourteen Feilong and four Shaban chickens.

He had given one Feilong and two Shaban chickens to Uncle Li's family, and one Feilong and one Shaban chicken to the Secretary's family. This time, Yue Feng had brought a total of thirteen: twelve Feilong, while the Shaban chicken had become the rare item, with only one available.

Having experienced a successful sale yesterday, Yue Feng was in no rush today. He tucked his hands into his sleeves, squatted by the roadside, and waited quietly for buyers to arrive.

Since he had come by bicycle today, he arrived about ten minutes earlier than yesterday, and the streets of the Ghost Market were slightly more crowded.

The Feilong birds, tucked into socks, were lined up on the ground, quickly attracting the attention of buyers.

"Hello, comrade. Are these Feilong birds? How much are they?"

"Feilong are one yuan each. I also have one male Shaban chicken for seventy cents! All feathers intact, no injuries!"

"Can you make it cheaper? One yuan each, give me two!"

Yue Feng shook his head. "Sorry, I can't go lower. Since you recognize these Feilong, you should know how much effort it takes to keep them alive and intact like this! Yesterday, I hadn't even been at my stall for half an hour before two people bought everything!"

The customer knew Yue Feng wasn't lying. He frowned, hesitated, and then said, "Then sell me one Feilong and one Shaban chicken! I don't have enough money on me; my wife is pregnant, and I want to buy some wild game to nourish her!"

"Sure, I'll pick the fattest one for you! Do you have a bag?"

"No!"

"Then I'll tie them up with some wire so you can carry them? I can't give you these small pouches made from socks!"

"That works!"

After they reached an agreement, Yue Feng took a piece of thin wire from his bag, straightened the wings and legs of the Feilong and the Shaban chicken, tied them together, and handed them to the buyer.

The other party gave him exactly two yuan in cash, and Yue Feng gave him two ten-cent change pieces.

The first transaction was complete—a great start!

After selling the two chicks, several more people came by to ask for prices. After all, this place wasn't far from the Changbai Mountains, and everyone knew Feilong birds were good quality, but the price of over a yuan each made ordinary people hesitate.

About twenty minutes later, the "big spender" who had bought everything from Yue Feng yesterday returned.

"Oho! All Feilong birds today? Still the same price?"

With familiarity comes ease; after recognizing Yue Feng's face, the buyer greeted him with a smile.

"One yuan and ten cents each. If you take them all, it's twelve yuan! Among these Feilong birds today, only two are hens; the rest are all plump, well-fed young males. This price isn't expensive!" Yue Feng said.

"Fine! I'll take them all!" The buyer waved his hand and bought the whole lot.

Using the familiar fertilizer bags, Yue Feng quickly packed the chickens for him and carefully tied the mouth of the bag.

Money exchanged for goods; soon, a ten-yuan note smelling of ink and two one-yuan notes were placed into Yue Feng's hands.

"In a hurry to leave? No rush. How about we move somewhere else and chat for a bit?" The buyer pointed toward a distant intersection.