Chapter 68: Why Do They Say You’re a Fool?

Ah Zhe felt like he was being played by Hou San. He said angrily, “If you’re not going to the toilet, what are you doing in here? If you have nothing to do, get out!”

Hou San said with a grin, “I feel like it. Hey~ you can’t control me, little Ah Zhe~”

One stood with his hands on his hips, taunting and jumping.

The other, although squatting, looked like he could pull up his pants at any moment, regardless of anything else.

Li Xiangdong was worried that the two would fight again in the toilet. “Let’s go, Hou San, stop fooling around.”

Hou San was pushed out of the toilet by Li Xiangdong. He was still chattering, “Little Ah Zhe, I’m leaving. If you run out of paper, remember to call me. If I don’t hear you, just use your hand to dig.”

Li Xiangdong pushed Hou San out of the toilet. He could still hear Ah Zhe’s angry roar from a distance.

The two got hot water and went back to their room to rest on their single beds.

“Dongzi, Hou San.”

Ah Zhe came into the room and closed the door behind him.

Li Xiangdong smiled, “Why aren’t you resting in your own room? Are you still going to argue with Hou San about who’s bigger?”

Hou San lay on the bed with his legs crossed, “Ah Zhe, I’m really 19 this year. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you my household registration book when we get back to Beijing.”

Ah Zhe ignored Hou San and walked over to sit on Li Xiangdong’s bed. “Stop smiling, I have something serious to talk to you two about.”

He looked at the two mysteriously, “I just accidentally overheard some news. A ship is docking tonight, and some people from our crew are planning to pick up goods.”

“You’re itching to go with them, aren’t you?” Li Xiangdong stared at Ah Zhe. No wonder he could let go of his grudge with Hou San in the toilet; his mind was on this.

Hearing such an exciting thing, Hou San did a carp flip off the bed, walked over to Ah Zhe, and asked, “Where is the ship docking? When are they going?”

Ah Zhe shook his head, “I don’t know. I just overheard this news. I’m not familiar with them. Who would tell me such an important thing?”

Hou San shrunk his neck and said with a sly smile, “If they don’t tell us, we can follow them.”

Li Xiangdong lay on the bed, turned on his side, and said lazily, “I’m not going. You two can go by yourselves.”

Hou San asked, “Brother Dong, aren’t you curious?”

Li Xiangdong shook his head, “Not curious.”

Ah Zhe persuaded, “Dongzi, let’s go together. I and Hou San don’t feel at ease without you.”

“I’m not going. We don’t have any money, what’s the point of going?”

Li Xiangdong thought to himself, it’s because of you two that I don’t feel at ease!

Ah Zhe was choked for words, but Hou San said anxiously, “Brother Dong, have you forgotten? I have money with me! We can also buy some things and bring them back to Beijing to sell for a profit!”

“Hou San, you got money? How much? How did you get it?”

Ah Zhe asked three questions in one sentence.

“Of course, a full two hundred yuan!”

Hou San unbuckled his pants, took out the money, spat on it, and started counting it cockily in front of Ah Zhe.

Li Xiangdong sat up and looked at Hou San, reminding him, “You keep this money safe. Didn’t we agree to go to Shandong on the next trip? This money will be of great use then.”

“Huh?”

Hou San stood there in a daze, forgetting to count the money. “Is there good stuff in Shandong?”

“Mmm.”

Li Xiangdong nodded, “Uncle Hai and the others are going to Ningyang in Shandong. The crickets there are very famous. We don’t have much money now, so we can start by trading crickets from Ningyang to Beijing to make some money.”

Ah Zhe was puzzled, “Aren’t there crickets everywhere? Do we need to go all the way to Shandong to trade them?”

“You get the money ready first.”

Li Xiangdong glanced at him and explained, “The crickets from Ningyang have been called the ‘number one insect north of the Yangtze River’ since ancient times. They used to be tribute for the emperor to play with.”

Hou San’s upturned, triangular eyes widened and shone brightly, “Brother Dong, can we make a lot of money?”

“One cricket from Ningyang to Beijing can double your money. Do you think that’s profitable?”

Li Xiangdong had played with crickets in his previous life. Everyone called them the “soft gold” of the insect world. The price would only get higher in the future. In the future, the pillar industry of Ningyang would be crickets.

“Double?”

Hou San looked at the two hundred yuan in his hand, swallowed, and shouted in his heart that he was going to be rich.

Ah Zhe was puzzled, “A single cricket can make so much money? Does anyone even play with them now?”

“A lot of people do. Just because the common people don’t have money doesn’t mean everyone is poor. You have to remember that there are always rich people.”

Li Xiangdong explained, but in his heart, he was thinking about those players. They still fought crickets during the three years of hardship. How could no one be playing now?

During the unemployment wave in the future, even recent college graduates were delivering food. Those rich people still spent tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands on fishing rods and figurines. They spent money like ordinary people buying cabbage.

“Dongzi, don’t worry. After I get home this time, I’ll get the money for you even if I have to steal it!”

Ah Zhe started to curse and swear, telling Li Xiangdong to wait for his good news.

“Ah Zhe, don’t say that.”

Li Xiangdong quickly interrupted him, “Although we’re childhood friends, you have to understand that I’m helping you make money. Don’t make it sound like I’m forcing you.”

Hearing Li Xiangdong’s words, Ah Zhe’s face turned red with anxiety, “Dongzi, that’s not what I meant. I’m just not good with words. You can’t misunderstand.”

Li Xiangdong smiled. He knew Ah Zhe was a muddle-headed person. “Not only do you need to hurry up and find a way to get money, but there’s also something else you shouldn’t forget. Hou San and I are tied together. What about you?”

Ah Zhe suddenly shouted, “Hou San!”

Hou San was startled, “What do you want? I’ll never call you little Ah Zhe again.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve already forgotten about what happened just now. Didn’t you say you would help me change my shift? You still remember, right?”

Ah Zhe put his arm around Hou San and held his hand tightly, “We’re good brothers. You can’t go off and get rich with Dongzi and leave me behind, right?”

Hou San rolled his eyes, “Ah Zhe, are you stupid? If we were going to the south, I would indeed need to help you. But this is to Shandong. Can’t you just go to the leader and ask to change your shift yourself?”

“It’s only because of my Brother Dong that he could think of trading crickets to make money. If it were anyone else, they would be glad not to go. As long as you ask, there will be plenty of people who want to switch shifts with you.”

Ah Zhe slapped his forehead, “Why didn’t I think of that!”

He let go of Hou San and, remembering Hou San’s hand that had just been in his crotch, he quickly wiped his hand on his clothes.

Hou San leaned his head towards Li Xiangdong and smiled, “Brother Dong, I’ll listen to you. I’ll save this money and not spend it. But can you go with us to have a look? I’ve never seen a goods pickup before.”

Li Xiangdong pushed Hou San’s head away and waved his hands repeatedly, “I’m not going, and I advise you two not to go either. We have a safe way to make money, why take the risk? If we get caught by the police, it’s a minimum of three years, with no upper limit.”

“If you two think you’re lucky, or if you like the cabbage soup and black steamed buns in prison, then just pretend I didn’t say anything. Anyway, you two don’t have wives or children, so go ahead and be bold.”

Hearing Li Xiangdong’s words, Ah Zhe and Hou San sat on the bed with their heads hanging down and said nothing.

Li Xiangdong enjoyed the rare peace and quiet until someone came to notify them to go to the cafeteria for dinner.

Hou San looked at the fried radishes and braised cabbage in front of him. The only thing with a bit of meat was the scrambled eggs with green onions. “The food is so bad, not even as good as what we ate on the train.”

“Aigh~ Hou San, you still owe me a meal of Goubuli buns.”

Ah Zhe suddenly remembered this.

Hou San shook his head, “No, I never promised you. I’ve already asked around. That stuff costs 90 cents a pound. I can’t afford to treat you.”

“So expensive?”

Li Xiangdong was surprised at first when he heard the price, but then he thought about how it would be 35 yuan each in the future, and his reaction wasn’t as strong.

“It is a bit expensive. If the three of us eat our fill, the cost of one meal would be enough to…”

Ah Zhe stopped halfway and nudged Li Xiangdong with his elbow, “Dongzi, see those two people? I overheard them talking in the toilet.”

Li Xiangdong followed Ah Zhe’s gaze, then looked back at him, “You mean?”

“Mmm.”

Ah Zhe nodded.

“I know those two.”

Hou San’s eyes were red, and he gritted his teeth, “They live in the same courtyard as me. They bullied me a lot when we were kids and told everyone I was a fool, telling other people not to play with me.”

Li Xiangdong stopped his chopsticks and asked curiously, “Why did they say you were a fool?”