Chapter 11: The New Bicycle

Li Qi, holding his passbook, rushed straight to the savings office and withdrew all the money immediately. Then, he opened a new passbook under his own name and redeposited 1,500 yuan.

This amount of seed money was certainly insufficient, but he already had a plan for how to make more money later.

He kept 240 yuan in hand and headed to the South City Market, where he spent 180 yuan on a brand-new Phoenix brand 28-inch bicycle.

He also bought two pairs of army green hand warmers.

Now, riding the bike wouldn’t leave his hands freezing.

Riding his brand-new bicycle, Li Qi felt as if even the wind was sweet.

He made his way to the Ox Mine Market.

This market was located just outside the largest state-owned mine in the area and was quite expansive.

Li Qi weaved through the market with his bicycle until he finally reached his second uncle-in-law’s meat stall.

His second uncle-in-law wasn’t there; his son, Su Yu, was minding the stall.

Su Yu was a doctor at the town hospital, and on his days off from night shifts, he helped out during the day.

How to describe him? He appeared kind-hearted, though his intelligence was uncertain.

“Brother Su Yu, working the night shift today?”

Upon seeing Li Qi, Su Yu opened the cash box and handed him fifty cents.

“No, my colleague swapped shifts with me. I’m on the afternoon shift. Here you go.”

His practiced gesture was almost pitiful.

Since their mother passed away, Li Mantang rarely gave Li Qi money. When Li Qi had nothing at all, he would come to his second uncle-in-law for some pocket money.

Li Qi skillfully took the money and pocketed it.

Even the smallest morsel is still meat; why leave it behind?

Only then did Su Yu notice.

“You little rascal, where did you steal such a new bicycle?”

“Are you talking or just blowing hot air? I didn’t steal it; I just bought it.”

“Oh, come on. Where would your family get the money?”

Su Yu assumed a friend had bought it and lent it to Li Qi to ride, so he didn’t press further. He swiftly cut a strip of fatty pork from the half slab on the counter and placed it in a plastic bag.

“Take this back to your third uncle-in-law so you can stew it with sauerkraut tonight.

Do you still have vermicelli at home? I can buy some for you.”

Su Yu spoke so naturally that Li Qi’s eyes reddened.

Several aunts at his grandfather’s house had always taken good care of his family, helping genuinely and wholeheartedly, yet in his previous life, he had never truly appreciated it.

Later, after drifting for decades, he never again encountered such warm family affection.

Boldly, he took out ten yuan from his pocket and slammed it on the cutting board.

“Enough with the talk. Don’t look down on me.

Today, no fatty pork for my family. Give me a slab of ribs.”

Su Yu was stunned.

“Has the third uncle really gone to earn money from Widow Liu? Has he given up and taken the road of selling himself?

With Widow Liu’s figure, she could sit on him and turn him into a photo.

Is this money Widow Liu’s ‘nutrition fee’ for him?”

Li Qi’s mind was overwhelmed.

“Why are you so mean? Can’t you just hope for the best for my dad?”

Su Yu scratched his head.

“Your dad is just an old, scruffy fool. Besides Widow Liu, nobody else would look at him, let alone give him money. For you and your brother, your dad really sacrificed a lot...”

“Shut up and hurry up with those ribs.”

“I’ll get your third uncle a kidney too, to nourish him.

By the way, your sister-in-law asked me yesterday. Your cousin’s side wants to find you to donate a kidney.

You need to think about this carefully.

As a doctor, I can say: you’re young, so after donating a kidney, you might not notice much change for ten or eight years.

But as your brother, I advise you to be cautious. Having two kidneys or one is definitely different.

I heard your cousin’s side is offering you a lot of money, but no amount of money is more important than your health.”

Li Qi felt a pang of discomfort.

Even his second uncle-in-law’s son, a doctor, didn’t want him to donate a kidney.

Yet his own elder and second brothers seemed desperate for him to get on the operating table immediately, so they could seize the money that should belong to him.

It was truly upsetting.

He smiled broadly.

“Brother Su Yu, don’t worry. I understand. I’ll donate him a big poop instead.

My kidney is reserved for my future wife.”

Hearing this, Su Yu finally relaxed, nodded, and switched to a heavier cleaver to start chopping the ribs.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

At that moment, a well-dressed elderly lady arrived at the meat stall, carrying two jars with sealed lids in one hand and leading a young boy in an army green coat with the other.

She politely spoke, “Sir, could you please give me a piece of pork belly, skin removed and cut into thin strips? My grandson wants to catch fish.”

Su Yu rolled his eyes.

“Ma’am, don’t babble nonsense. It’s midwinter; the Princess River is frozen solid. What fish are you going to catch? Don’t let the fish catch you.

Isn’t it better to just live?”

The elderly lady looked vexed, and the boy by her side wasn’t having it.

“I want to catch fish. I want to catch fish. I don’t care. Hurry up and buy me meat—I want to catch fish!”

Li Qi’s head throbbed from the child’s noise. Noticing the jars in the lady’s hand, he thought for a moment.

“Ma’am, if you insist, don’t go to the Princess River—you might both fall through the ice and not come up.

Behind the back gate of Zidi Elementary School, there’s a small river bend where people break the ice to catch frogs. There must be some leftover ice holes.

Don’t buy meat either. It has no flavor. Buy a pound of cornmeal instead, mix in some soy sauce, and put it in a jar. That should catch a couple of little fish to entertain the child.”

Upon hearing this, the elderly lady thanked him repeatedly and went off to buy cornmeal with the boy.

Su Yu watched their backs.

“That lady’s no ordinary person. Her attire and demeanor look more distinguished than our Ministry of Health leaders.”

“Maybe she’s a senior relative of some big shot at the mine or at the city’s mining bureau.

These city folks are crazy, trying to catch fish in the dead of winter.”

“Must be the kid pestering her. You were way more mischievous than that child when you were young—insisting on learning to eat poop from dogs. I couldn’t stop you even if I wanted to...”

“You better stop making up stories or I’ll flip your stall over, got it?”

In the end, Li Qi spent ten yuan to buy a bag of ribs, along with a slab of fatty pork, a pig’s kidney, and half a bag of big bone sticks.

Normally, these would sell for at least twenty yuan.

After Su Yu packed everything, he returned to the hospital for work.

Li Qi rode his bicycle home, handed everything to his eldest sister to prepare dinner, then went out again.

He decided to pay a visit to the mine.

This coal mine’s full name was Taihe City Central Mine, the only state-owned coal mine in Taihe City.

In those days, as long as miners worked hard, their income was guaranteed. With monthly wages and subsidies, they could earn over a hundred yuan.

There was a saying in town: miners’ wives all had sable coats, chemical plant workers’ wives had sables too, brewery workers’ wives wore muskrat fur, and pharmaceutical factory wives only had cotton-padded jackets.

But Li Qi knew an accident was about to happen at the mine: the No. 5 shaft would collapse, trapping over thirty people.

In his previous life, this accident shook the entire province, and the mine’s top officials were ultimately dismissed.

It also triggered countless chain reactions afterward.

This time, he intended to exploit this event to his advantage and handle his own affairs as well.

Creak.

Li Qi stopped his bicycle as an image from a newspaper flashed through his mind.