Chapter 182 - 182

Chapter 182 Old Tricycle"Collecting recyclables isn't like working in the fields, it's all clean. Add a pair of leather shoes, and people at government offices will look at you with more respect." She remembered that her older brother used to say, "Clothes are fine as long as they're wearable," but this time, coming to Capital City, she insisted that he dress properly."Little sister, stop teasing your big brother. Why are you wearing leather shoes? I'm not used to those things. Cloth shoes and cotton shoes are much more comfortable.""Haha... Brother, you're just a wild boar that can't get used to eating fine bran!""Pfft..." Zhou Zhiyong couldn't help but laugh when he heard this."I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."Yun Zhao waved his hand, "It's nothing, that's just how my little sister is.""Brother, you look really good in this outfit. The boss always has good taste," Zhou Zhiyong said sincerely."Okay, little sister, is this outfit alright?""I said two sets, so here you go, don't catch a cold."It's still quite cold outside, so why didn't you buy your older brother some warm clothes? That's because I brought him a sweater and a down jacket when we went home for Chinese New Year.After changing into his second outfit—a navy blue Zhongshan suit paired with black corduroy trousers— Yun Zhao stared at himself in the mirror for a long time, his face showing a hint of unease: "This Zhongshan suit... isn't it too formal? As an ordinary person, do I look like I'm just putting on an act?""What are you pretending for?" Yun Tingstraightened his clothes for him. "You used to be a worker, after all. Besides, farmers still have their pride! What era are we living in? There's no class distinction anymore."She turned to Zhou Zhiyong behind the counter and called out, "Brother Zhiyong, wrap these two outfits up and get a sturdy brown leather belt.""Okay..." Zhou Zhiyong quickly packed it into a paper bag."Little sister, look at this... I've made you spend money again.""It's from our own shop, at cost price." Yun Tingstuffed the wrapped clothes into his hands, her fingertips touching his red, frozen hands, and then put a hot water bottle into his pocket. "You're my brother. Now that you're in Capital City, how could your little sister let you suffer? When it gets warmer in the spring, I'll make you two more light jackets. You can wear them directly from the shop next time you come."Yun Zhao held the paper package, feeling the smooth texture of the fabric through the thin paper. Looking at the little red lanterns swaying in the shop, and then at the smiling younger sister in front of him, his throat tightened a little.He used to worry that his sister would be bullied in Capital City, but now that he saw her not only successful in her studies and becoming a university teacher, but also managing her shop very well, and even thinking about buying herself clothes, his eyes suddenly welled up with tears. He patted the paper bag and said with a smile, "Okay, then I won't be polite.""You're welcome. Don't you still consider me your little sister?""Absolutely, you'll always be my good sister."Yun Zhao secretly resolved in his heart that he must make something of himself and support his younger sister in the future."Brother, I'll take you to buy a tricycle. It's a must. We'll look at the house tomorrow. I'll start classes the day after tomorrow, so you'll have to figure things out on your own from now on. If you don't understand anything, just ask me.""Okay, whatever you say. You just focus on your classes, I'll take my time."On the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, the snow in Capital City had just melted, and ice shards were still embedded in the mud at the entrance of the alley."Little sister, it's much colder here than at home…" Yun Zhao said, shrinking her neck and covering her face with her scarf."Yes! But you haven't been to Heilongjiang Province; it's colder there."Hearing his younger sister say that, Yun Zhaofelt quite bad. "Little sister, you've suffered a lot. You must have endured a lot of hardship during those years in Heilongjiang Province.""Big brother, don't feel guilty. I actually think those years were quite happy, a wonderful experience. I still miss those days sometimes! Of course, except when I was working in the fields, haha... Those little kids loved following me around..."Yun Ting chatted with her older brother as they walked, reminiscing about her fun experiences at Xiangyang Brigade. Actually, she quite missed Aunt Meihua and Xiao Zhuzi and their friends…Yun Ting led her older brother Yun Zhao toward the trust store. The wind stung their faces as they walked, so she wrapped her scarf around her neck even tighter. "The place we're going to is state-owned. They sell not only new items but also old tricycles that employees are selling off. It's good value for money, perfect for you when you're just starting out."Yun Zhao, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, walked with firm steps: "I'll listen to you. You know more about this place than I do. But this tricycle... it must cost a lot of money, right?" He was calculating in his mind that he had to be careful with the cost of collecting scrap, every penny saved was precious.His parents gave him 1,000 yuan for this trip, and he and his wife had 500 yuan saved up. His parents-in-law originally wanted to give him some, but he firmly refused, saying that he would ask them if he needed more. That's how they were persuaded to stay.If all else fails, he'll borrow from his younger sister. In any case, he can't take his in-laws' money, since it's given to him by his parents. He'll pay them back when he earns money.Upon arriving at the trust store, several tricycles were parked against the wall in the courtyard, some old vehicles with peeling paint, and others new vehicles with gleaming frames.Yun Ting pulled her older brother along to look at each one, tapping on the frame of an old dark green tricycle with her finger: "Look at this frame, the steel pipes are thick and not deformed. It must have been used by a company to haul goods before, it's sturdier than the ones used by private individuals." She then squatted down and turned the wheels, "The tire treads are still deep, we don't need to replace them immediately, we can save some money.""Hey... little sister, you seem quite knowledgeable!""That's right, your little sister is amazing!" Yun Ting said proudly, raising her head.Yun Zhao couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at his younger sister's adorable appearance.The shop owner, an old man wearing a blue cloth hat, came over and said, "Young lady, you have a good eye. This was disposed of by a farm machinery factory a few days ago. The machine is in perfect working order and pedals smoothly."Yun Zhao tried pedaling with the handlebars; it wasn't difficult at all, except the seat was worn shiny. He touched the edge of the cargo bed and asked softly, "How much for this old one?""The old one is sixty, the new one is one hundred and twenty," the master said.Yun Ting turned to his older brother and winked, "You're just starting out, so make do with the old ones for now. Once the recycling center is up and running and making money, you can get new ones."Yun Zhao hesitated for a moment, his fingers twitching inside his pocket. "Sixty... that's not cheap.""This money is well spent." Yun Ting pulled him aside and lowered her voice. "Think about it, with a tricycle, you can go to two more streets a day to collect recyclables. You don't have to carry sacks back and forth, which saves energy and allows you to collect more. This isn't just spending money; it's getting equipment that can generate income.""Little sister, it's not that I don't want to buy it, it's just that I think the old one is a bit too expensive at sixty.""Brother, this probably won't be much less. Wait, I'll talk to them." She turned to the mechanic and bargained: "Sir, are the brakes on this old car reliable? If they are, we'll take it. If you can lower the price a bit, we'll just take it away."The craftsman couldn't resist her pleading, and they finally settled on a price of fifty-eight yuan.It's only two dollars less, but it's better than nothing. Yun Ting helplessly shrugged at his older brother."It's alright, this will do!" Yun Zhao took out the money, counted it out, and handed it to the old man.He held onto the handlebars, watching the young woman sweep the dust out of the cargo bed for him, and suddenly felt at ease—the dark green tricycle stood right in front of him, its metal frame cold and hard, yet it seemed to give him a real sense of hope for his days in Capital City.