Chapter 13: Wang Dakui

Cornmeal porridge, pickled radish strips, and black steamed buns.

Looking at the food on the square table, Li Aiguo felt a sour sensation in his mouth. In his past life, he was accustomed to high-end clubs and models; in this life, living on chaff and vegetables, the disparity was almost unbearable.

Li Aiguo actually had quite a bit of money on him—over two hundred and twenty yuan. In later generations, that would be the equivalent of being a "ten-thousand-yuan household." Occasionally buying half a jin of meat, eating scrambled eggs, or grilling a fish shouldn't be considered excessive.

However.

While he had the money, he lacked the ration coupons, and without them, he couldn't buy food. Supplies in this era were scarce—extremely scarce—and food could not be purchased openly. To ensure the basic survival of the national population, the state had implemented a policy of unified purchase and sale of grain three years ago. Two years ago, the "Provisional Measures for the Printing and Issuance of Ration Vouchers for Urban Grain Supply" were officially enacted. Subsequently, all sorts of coupons flooded society, becoming essential to the lives of urban residents.

There were two ways to obtain these coupons. One was official—distributed monthly by neighborhood committees and work units. The other was less formal—buying them at the "pigeon market" (black market).

Li Aiguo had long since exhausted his grain and vegetable coupons for the month, leaving him with no choice but to resort to the less formal method.

"It looks like I'll have to take a trip to the pigeon market tomorrow morning," Li Aiguo decided, swallowing the scratchy black steamed bun.

...

Two-thirty in the morning, the same hour as the legendary skinflint Zhou Bapi.

Li Aiguo climbed out from under his quilt, pulled on his black work-fabric trousers, slipped into a short-sleeved shirt, stepped into his yellow rubber-soled shoes, and walked to the door. Suddenly, he turned back, rubbed his brow, and gave a wry smile. "It seems I still haven't adapted to this era."

Li Aiguo bent down to rummage through a wooden chest, finding an old raincoat. He felt the thick material, then looked at the short-sleeved shirt he was wearing. After a moment of hesitation, he put the raincoat back.

Instead, he picked up a tattered wool hat from the side and pulled it onto his head. The black hat had two holes in it; once pulled down, Li Aiguo checked himself in the mirror and couldn't help but click his tongue. "Completely concealed!"

"This will do."

Li Aiguo adjusted the hat, tucked his money into his pocket, grabbed the only home appliance he owned—a flashlight—and stepped out of the house.

It was two in the morning; the courtyard was pitch black, though the streetlights outside cast a dim, yellowish glow. The stars were brilliant, and a cool breeze stirred.

If only the hat weren't so thick, it would be even more comfortable.

The nearest pigeon market to the courtyard was located next to Xinbei Bridge. Leaving the courtyard, Li Aiguo followed the dim light toward the bridge. There were few pedestrians on the road, and those who were out were bundled up tightly—clearly fellow travelers. When they encountered one another, they would quickly retreat a few steps to maintain distance.

After turning through several intersections, a wide-open space suddenly appeared before him. By day, this was a second-hand market; by the early morning hours, it transformed into a pigeon market. It wasn't that the people there didn't want to change locations, but in other places, the early morning clamor disturbed the peace. Those awakened from their sleep usually had short tempers; they would storm the police station, and the market would inevitably be raided.

In fact, the Xinbei Bridge pigeon market had been cleared out several times, but it had little effect. People had to eat and wear clothes; living people weren't going to let themselves be stifled to death. If anything, the scale of the market had only grown. It used to be just a few stalls around the Suolong Well, but now, even past the teahouse at the northeast corner, one could see the flickering of lights.

Li Aiguo adjusted his "robber's hat," leaving only his eyes exposed, and strode into the market.

Vendors in the pigeon market would spread an old newspaper or a tattered sheet on the ground, place a few samples on top, and sit nearby, illuminating their wares with a flashlight. Those who didn't have a flashlight would place a kerosene lamp nearby for light. The real goods were hidden in nooks and crannies not far away. This way, buyers could find what they needed accurately, and if the vendors encountered a raid, they could drop their stalls and bolt. Even if they had the bad luck of being caught, they couldn't be convicted with just a handful of millet.

This was a valuable lesson learned through long-term struggle.

"The masses truly are wise," Li Aiguo muttered to himself, walking with his hands behind his back into the dimly lit market.

Li Aiguo wasn't in a hurry to buy. He circled the market first, memorizing the exits, and then browsed the stalls one by one. When he found something that interested him, he would squat down and gesture the price with the vendor.

What puzzled him, however, was that the vendors seemed afraid of him. When he gestured for the price, they would be reluctant and even shrink backward.

"Is it just because I'm disguised a bit too well?" he thought. "We're all in the same game, yet they're so timid. What a disappointment."

"Not selling the fish? Then why set up a stall?" Li Aiguo stood up in frustration after being ignored by a vendor when he eyed a large carp. If there were a management office here, he would certainly file a complaint.

The vendor, a commune member, hung his head and remained silent, acting as if Li Aiguo didn't exist.

Fine, if they wouldn't sell, he couldn't force them. Li Aiguo stood up and prepared to head to the meat stall next door.

"Yo, that hat... hiss... buddy, you're going a bit too far," a rough voice came from his ear.

He turned his head to see a burly young man leaning against a corner, arms crossed, staring at him. This young man was a character; he had a newspaper plastered over his face with two holes cut out, and a pair of eyes were blinking at him from behind it.

"A guy with a newspaper on his face has the nerve to say someone else is going too far," Li Aiguo thought, hands in his pockets, preparing to argue with the young man about which was more excessive, a wool hat or a newspaper.

Who would have thought that the moment the young man heard his voice, he would freeze, the newspaper on his face fluttering? "Li Ermao?"

"Li Ermao" was Li Aiguo's nickname at the Railway Technical College. It started after he hit puberty and two hairs sprouted where they shouldn't have. Although he had ruthlessly plucked them out, the nickname stuck. Only a classmate would know that.

Li Aiguo recognized the voice as well. He suddenly recalled that the "newspaper monster" before him was Wang Dakui, who had been his classmate for a year before dropping out due to a family tragedy. Li Aiguo and Wang Dakui had been good friends; along with another classmate, the three of them would often sneak onto the tracks and, when the old guard wasn't looking, climb onto the train cars just for the thrill of it.

"Ermao, this isn't the place to talk. Follow me."

After confirming it was Li Aiguo, Wang Dakui looked left and right, then led him through a maze of turns to a stall in a corner. It was very secluded. There was no one around, and on the tattered newspaper on the ground sat a cracked walnut. Wang Dakui grabbed the walnut, abandoned the newspaper, and led Li Aiguo into a nearby alley.

The alley was narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through. It was pitch black and the ground was sticky and damp. Li Aiguo followed closely behind Wang Dakui.

They walked until they reached the end of the alley, where Wang Dakui stopped, pulled out a key, and unlocked a courtyard gate nearby.

"Ermao, this is my place."

"I haven't had those two hairs for ages! Keep calling me that and I'll smack you."

Li Aiguo was just about to bicker with Wang Dakui when he saw a light flicker on in the small house to the north, accompanied by a raspy voice.

"Dakui, is that you back? Why so early today? Did something happen?"

"Nothing happened, Ma. It's still early before dawn; you go back to sleep. I have a friend here."

He leaned toward the window to call out, listened to the movement inside, and then led Li Aiguo into the room on the east side.