Chapter 96: Saving Money Is Such a Hassle

Returning to his eldest sister’s home, Liu Xing promptly took the grass carp and tofu into the kitchen. At the stove, Liu Dongju was washing dishes. Seeing Liu Xing returned alone, she was surprised and took the grass carp from him. “Where’s your brother-in-law?”

It was strange that those who had gone together hadn’t come back together.

“He went with Zhao Liang to Widow Wang’s place to buy pigs,” Liu Xing replied casually.

“Ah?”

“Buy pigs?”

Liu Dongju was at a loss. Didn’t the pigsty at home already have two live pigs? Why would they need to buy more?

“Sis, it’s like this...” Liu Xing briefly recounted his earlier encounter with Zhao Liang at the market.

Liu Dongju listened quietly, and upon understanding, she shook her head firmly. “Brother, you really shouldn’t help your brother-in-law by agreeing to buy pigs to make money.”

“Why not?” Liu Xing was puzzled. His brother-in-law wasn’t doing anything wrong, so why couldn’t he help? Besides, with the reforms and opening up, private buying and selling of pork in the countryside was allowed, and in the 1980s, one didn’t even need a business license for individual entrepreneurship. Of course, the premise was not to trade in diseased or dead pigs, which would definitely attract trouble from the authorities.

“I don’t really understand him well. He’s fine with farm work, but he lacks the business acumen. Just wait and see! Once he and Zhao Liang sell the pigs, they probably won’t even get back their capital,” Liu Dongju sighed lightly. She wanted to say more but stopped herself, considering that Zhao Dongkui was her husband.

Soon, she regained her composure. “Your brother-in-law wants to buy whole pigs to sell, but I don’t have that kind of money on me. You know my situation. That Zhao Liang is just messing around.”

She knew Zhao Liang well—his nature wasn’t bad, and he was close with Zhao Dongkui. During busy farming seasons, he would even come to help with planting and harvesting at her home. But Zhao Dongkui was too honest, destined never to get along with someone as restless as Zhao Liang. Otherwise, given Zhao Liang’s family background, he wouldn’t still be unable to get married by now.

However, she dared not say this to Liu Xing, not wanting to badmouth her husband’s cousin behind his back.

What Liu Dongju didn’t know was that Liu Xing, as someone who had been reborn, already saw through this whole affair.

Smiling, he said, “Sis, if your brother-in-law wants to cause trouble, just let him. Zhao Liang is his only close friend. If you start trying to curry favor with him, you’ll just end up with conflicts later.”

“But where am I supposed to get the money to buy a big fat pig?” Liu Dongju shrugged helplessly.

“I’ll pay,” Liu Xing said.

“For a whole pig?” Liu Dongju winced a little. Though Liu Xing had recently earned quite a lot, she still felt it wasn’t right.

“Zhao Liang should chip in half, right?” Liu Xing chuckled.

“Him?” Liu Dongju was taken aback, then laughed. “Just wait and see! If he really had money, he wouldn’t be hanging out with my Dongkui every day.”

“No way! Isn’t Zhao Liang collecting stall fees from the entire market?” Liu Xing scratched his head in surprise. Collecting stall fees would bring in at least several dozen yuan a day. How could he have no money?

“That’s just collecting for others. He’s just a small-time guy trying to get by, and his mother keeps all the money,” Liu Dongju looked around cautiously, seeing no one but Guazi and Little Dot playing by the door, before cautiously revealing the truth.

In truth, the stall fees in the 1980s market weren’t much—the villagers weren’t wealthy and seldom set up stalls to earn money. Plus, there were many idle people living off scarce resources; even if Zhao Liang did get money, it was hardly any.

“I see,” Liu Xing nodded slowly. That inside story was indeed unexpected.

“Sis, since things are like this, let’s not say anything more. We’ll talk after the big fat pig is bought,” Liu Xing glanced at the sun outside the window. “I need to go deposit the money. If I wait until the rural cooperative closes, I’ll have to wait until tomorrow.”

“Go ahead!” Liu Dongju waved her hand.

Liu Xing froze for a moment but didn’t move, a look of helplessness on his face.

He suddenly remembered that although he was now sixteen, he didn’t have an ID card. Without an ID card or household registration booklet, even if he went to the rural credit cooperative, he probably couldn’t deposit money.

It wasn’t laziness on his part.

The widespread use of ID cards only began in 1984. Before that, many villagers didn’t have ID cards. To deposit money, one had to use a certificate issued by the village or the production brigade.

Of course, in the early 1980s, farmers barely had enough to eat, so saving money was almost impossible. Even if they did, it was usually collective village funds.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Dongju noticed Liu Xing’s odd expression and asked with concern.

“I forgot to bring my household registration booklet. I’m afraid going to the rural credit cooperative to deposit money will be a wasted trip,” Liu Xing explained helplessly.

“That is a problem,” Liu Dongju admitted, unsure what to do.

“Sis, how about this: I use your ID or household registration booklet to open an account at the rural credit cooperative?” Liu Xing suggested.

“That won’t do. If Mom and Dad find out, they’ll think I’m trying to control your money,” Liu Dongju immediately declined.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help, but she feared gossip.

“How about I talk to Mom and Dad?” Liu Xing was a little troubled. With so many banknotes, if the money wasn’t deposited, it could attract thieves.

Liu Dongju hesitated, then seeing Liu Xing was serious, nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll find my household registration booklet and go to the rural credit cooperative with you to deposit the money. When I married into Laowu Village, Dad got me an ID certificate. Can that work?”

“It should,” Liu Xing said uncertainly. “Anyway, bring the household registration booklet to avoid a wasted trip.”

“Okay!” Liu Dongju turned and left the kitchen.

Liu Xing waited by the door.

After a while, Liu Dongju returned with the household registration booklet and a red ID certificate.

Seeing the police station stamp from Donghe on the certificate, Liu Xing laughed. “This should definitely work, sis! Let’s not waste time; let’s go deposit the money.”

“Who will look after Guazi and Little Dot?” Liu Dongju expressed her concern.

In Xiaoshi Village, outsiders rarely came, so children were usually safe at home. But since her family was at the market, if she wasn’t careful, something could happen with no place to cry.

“Why not bring them along?” Liu Xing replied casually and went straight to the backyard to fetch the woven bag holding the money.

Liu Dongju smiled, finding his suggestion reasonable, and quickly called Guazi and Little Dot to wait by the roadside at the door.

Soon, they set off together, holding Guazi and Little Dot’s hands, heading toward the rural credit cooperative at the Laowu Village market.

...

The rural credit cooperative at the Laowu Village market was the only bank in the entire Zhangmu Township.

It was also the only red-brick building there.

Though not very large, the building stood out as the brightest spot in the market.

But the old-fashioned iron gate, rusty and locked, made Liu Xing want to complain.

He thought it might have closed down.

Soon, he realized he was wrong.

Next to the iron gate on the right was a small window about the size of a basketball.

Two staff members in white coats were sitting near the window, chatting idly.

Through the glass, Liu Xing saw several small bills and coins on the red-painted wooden counter.

The coins were one, two, and five fen denominations.

“What are you doing?” a female staff member suddenly asked, eyeing Liu Xing and Liu Dongju warily.

“I’m here to deposit money,” Liu Xing smiled.

“Yes, depositing money,” Liu Dongju chimed in nervously, this being her first time at such a ‘high-class’ place.

“Deposit money?”

“How much?”

The female staff glanced at the male staff, and both couldn’t help but laugh.

Perhaps realizing their unprofessionalism, the woman quickly stopped laughing, but the smile remained. “Let me warn you! If it’s just a few yuan, it’s not worth depositing. You might not mind the trouble, but I do!”

This wasn’t to look down on Liu Xing and Liu Dongju.

It was just that, for half a year, the rural credit cooperative at the market hadn’t had a single ordinary villager come to deposit money.

If it weren’t for business owners storing their funds there, this cooperative might have gone bankrupt.

“Sis, we’re depositing a thousand yuan, not just a few,” Liu Xing said, raising the woven bag in his hand.

“Yeah, who are they looking down on!” Liu Dongju muttered.

“Is... all this money?” The female staff’s smile froze.

The male staff was also taken aback.

After recovering, he hurriedly unlocked the old iron gate, welcoming Liu Xing, Liu Dongju, Guazi, and Little Dot inside.

When Liu Xing laid out bundles of fen notes, mao notes, and kuai notes from the woven bag onto the counter, they were dumbfounded, standing there speechless.

To them, no one could have imagined such a wealthy villager existed in the market.

In the past, a normal villager depositing fifty yuan was considered a lot.

But now...

These bundles probably amounted to over a thousand.

——————

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