Chapter 34: News of the Bicycle Ticket (Revised and Extra Update)

After a brief wrap-up meeting, everyone went their separate ways. The brothers, Xiaowen and Xiaowu, emerged from Yue Feng's house carrying four live birds. Instead of heading straight home, they went directly to Old Man Zhao's house at the edge of the village.

These two children knew how to repay kindness. In the past, Old Man Zhao had occasionally helped them out, giving them wild game like pheasants he had caught using his own bait. Now that the brothers had learned falconry from Yue Feng and had caught their first official prey, their first thought—aside from bringing something home to show filial piety to their mother—was Old Man Zhao.

Back at Yue Feng's house, only the family of four remained. Yue Lei and Meng Yulan stared blankly at the large pile of live flying dragons and sand-half chickens spread out on the floor.

It was only the first day, and they had already caught such a massive amount of wild game. If they sold everything at the prices Yue Feng had received in town before, it would fetch over 60 yuan.

In hindsight, 60 yuan might seem like pocket change, but at this point in 1980, many diligent and hardworking villagers didn't even have 60 yuan in total savings.

A heavy-duty Yongjiang brand bicycle cost only a little over 100 yuan; this 60 yuan was enough to buy half a bike.

"This falconry organization is really something! Tomorrow morning, how about I have your Uncle Li accompany you into town? With this much money, you don't want to run into any highway robbers on the road!" Yue Lei said with a hint of emotion.

Yue Feng shook his head with a smile. "No need. After dinner, I'll grab two small chickens and go to Uncle Wang's to borrow a bicycle. I'll go and come back early; I know the road well, so there won't be any problems!"

"If that's how you want to do it then!" Hearing that his son was going to borrow a bike, Yue Lei exchanged a look with his wife, and both felt relieved.

For dinner, they cooked the sand-half chickens again. Recently, the family's standard of living had improved significantly; even the little face of Yue Feng's youngest sister, Jingjing, had become rosy and healthy.

After dinner, Yue Feng tied one flying dragon and one sand-half chicken together with wire and headed to Village Secretary Wang Jianguo's house.

Wang Jianguo wasn't home today; only his wife, Zhang Cuilian, her daughter, Wang Xiaona, and his youngest son, Wang Mingyu, were there.

Hearing the dog barking in the yard, Zhang Cuilian pushed open the door from the north room. She opened the courtyard gate and saw Yue Feng arriving again with small chickens.

"Er Xiao, do you need something? Have you eaten? Come on in!"

"Auntie, is my uncle not home? I caught some small chickens. I know you and my uncle like them, so I brought two over for you," Yue Feng said, glancing around the yard as he spoke.

"Your uncle is out and hasn't returned yet! It's so thoughtful of you to remember your auntie, but you shouldn't come empty-handed—you always bring something! That flying dragon you brought last time made such a delicious, rich broth!"

Zhang Cuilian had always had a good impression of Yue Feng, and it had only improved since he started bringing them chickens. This second son of the Yue family was even better than his father and was a handsome lad.

"Since my uncle isn't home, I won't come in! Will the bicycle be available tomorrow? I need to head into town early tomorrow morning!" Yue Feng said, getting straight to the point.

"No need, it's in the granary. I'll push it out for you!" Although Wang Jianguo was the village head to the outside world, the true decision-maker in the household was his wife, Zhang Cuilian.

"Thanks, Auntie! I'll bring it back first thing in the morning!"

Soon, Yue Feng rode off with the bicycle, and Zhang Cuilian carried the two chickens into the house.

"Mom, more flying dragons?" her daughter, Wang Xiaona, asked, looking at the live game on the floor.

"Yes, the Yue boy brought them. He came to borrow your dad's bike."

"Aren't flying dragons hard to catch? Why is it that Yue Feng always brings them live?" Wang Xiaona asked curiously.

"Your father says they catch them with hawks! The Yue family has known falconry for generations. It didn't pass down to Yue Lei, but it looks like the second son has picked the skill back up! He's borrowing a bike to go to town; I reckon he's going to sell wild game."

"That Yue boy is quite bold. Speculation is being cracked down on in the city!"

"He's not catching the easy ones; he's catching the ones that don't watch their backs! Life is hard for every household these days; going into the mountains with hawks is a way out."

"That's true."

...

Early the next morning, Yue Feng woke up punctually at four o'clock. Because there was a large amount of game this time, his mother, Meng Yulan, had tied a large wicker basket to the back of the bicycle.

With so many birds, wrapping them in socks was too slow, so Yue Feng used wire to bundle the wingtips and legs of all the live birds together, covering them with a piece of old burlap. Once he left the village, he rode straight for the city.

Half an hour later, Yue Feng arrived at Ghost Market Street right on time.

He hadn't come yesterday morning, and upon arriving today, he felt a bit dazed. The massive street was sparsely populated with vendors, less than a third of what it had been in previous days.

The usual stalls selling grain and meat were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, big brother, why is the Ghost Market so empty today?" Yue Feng asked a vendor who was clutching a wad of food coupons.

"Don't even mention it. The day before yesterday and yesterday, the Red Armbands came around to make arrests. They blocked both ends of the street and took down over a dozen people. Looking at the trend, they're planning to abolish the Ghost Market entirely. Are you here to buy something, kid? Need food coupons? I've got local, national, and all kinds. Lowest prices!"

Yue Feng asked, "I still have some food coupons. I wanted to ask, can you get a bicycle permit?"

"Those are hard to come by! You really want one?"

Yue Feng nodded. "If the price is right, save one for me. I really want it!"

"Sixty yuan, within half a month, and I'll get it for you! If all goes well, a batch of quotas will come through at the end of the month. I'll find a way to get one for you!"

"That's a bit expensive. Can you do it for fifty?"

In Yue Feng's memory, the market price for these was around forty to fifty yuan. It was true that ordinary people found them hard to get, but that was just the permit; once you had the permit, you still had to shell out over a hundred yuan to actually buy the bicycle!

The coupon trader sized Yue Feng up. Seeing that he had arrived on a bicycle with a wicker basket on the back, he realized the boy wasn't joking.

"Fine! Fifty it is. I'll get the permit. When should I look for you?"

"My name is Yue Feng. I come here every morning to deliver wild game to my customers! Here, have two sand-half chickens to taste; consider it a deposit!"

Yue Feng wasn't afraid the man would run off with the chickens. Those who traded coupons in the Ghost Market for years had their own territories; it wasn't worth abandoning a business over two chickens.

"Hey, you caught these chickens alive! That's quite rare! My name is Wang Hu, but everyone on the street calls me Hu-zi!"

"Alright, Brother Hu! Please keep an eye out for that bicycle permit for me!"

"Just you wait!"

As the two were whispering, Niu Fusheng approached from the other side, walking with his hands behind his back.

Because Yue Feng and Wang Hu were chatting side-by-side, the bicycle and the wicker basket partially obscured Yue Feng's figure, and since the game wasn't placed on the ground, Niu Fusheng didn't notice him immediately as he walked past.

As Niu Fusheng walked from one end of the street to the other, he grew increasingly anxious. He wondered if the young man who delivered the wild game wasn't coming today. If he really didn't show up, what would he do?