Chapter 42: Riding a Bike

Xie Zugen brought Sun Cuicui into this bicycle shop to gauge Jiang Liyun’s opinion of her.

He wanted Jiang Liyun to know that without her, he had better options.

Although Sun Cuicui couldn’t compete with Jiang Liyun in appearance, her family background was better, and she had graduated from junior high school!

But then… Sun Cuicui didn’t stand by his side to save face; instead, she went to find Jiang Liyun.

Xie Zugen’s face turned as red as pig liver.

Meanwhile, Sun Cuicui had already approached Jiang Liyun. She really liked Jiang Liyun because the dumplings and fried chicken Jiang Liyun made were delicious!

She had a bit of private money saved up, but she had already spent it all on buying dumplings and fried chicken.

But that was okay. Her brother said he was going to do a big business deal and promised to give her some pocket money when it was done. Her brother was always generous, so she should get quite a bit of money from him.

When that happened, she would definitely buy a chicken rack and then eat it all by herself to satisfy her craving.

Sun Cuicui came up with a smile and greeted Jiang Liyun. Jiang Liyun smiled back, but before she could speak, Xie Zugen already looked betrayed and said to Sun Cuicui, “What do you mean, Sun Cuicui? How could you go and talk to this woman? I’m not dating you anymore!”

Hearing Xie Zugen say this, Sun Cuicui became even more annoyed.

Sun Cuicui knew about Xie Zugen and Jiang Liyun.

It’s just that the blind date didn’t work out, right? Xie Zugen was too petty and narrow-minded!

Xie Zugen was especially rude and childish today!

Sun Cuicui was glad to draw a clear boundary with Xie Zugen: “That’s fine, I don’t want to be with you either. If it weren’t for my parents asking me to come, I wouldn’t have come.”

After saying that, Sun Cuicui also looked at Jiang Liyun and said, “Sister Liyun, I don’t know him well!”

“You… you…” Xie Zugen’s eyes turned red with anger.

At this moment, the shop owner, who was pushing the tricycle outside, added insult to injury: “Are you buying a bike? If you’re not buying, please make way.”

Of course, Xie Zugen wouldn’t buy a bike. Bicycles were expensive nowadays, and he couldn’t possibly carry so much money with him!

For a moment, Xie Zugen wanted to slap Sun Cuicui, but when he looked up, he saw Feng Yi staring at him.

“You’ll regret this; you just wait and see!” Xie Zugen said and then left.

After leaving the bicycle shop, he became angrier the more he thought about it.

He was dumped again! That woman, Sun Cuicui, truly didn’t know what was good for her!

And Jiang Liyun… What did buying a tricycle mean? If he wanted to, he could buy ten or twenty of them!

Seeing Xie Zugen leave in anger, Jiang Liyun began asking the shop owner about the registration process.

That’s right; nowadays, even when buying bicycles or tricycles, registration is required. They would even stamp a steel seal on the handlebars and issue a bicycle licence.

This was to prevent theft, as bicycles had become valuable items by now.

In the 1970s, buying a bicycle cost 150 yuan, which was several months’ salary for an ordinary person, and you needed a bicycle ticket.

Nowadays, although people’s salaries have increased, bicycle prices haven’t risen much, but overall, they aren’t cheap.

Jiang Liyun remembered that it wasn’t until the mid- to late 1990s that they stopped requiring bicycle registration altogether.

The process of registering a tricycle or a bicycle is quite similar and generally straightforward. After understanding the registration method, Jiang Liyun inquired about the prices of bicycles in the store.

The bicycles here range from one hundred to three hundred, with the most expensive being a beautiful, bright red women’s bicycle. It comes with a front basket and a detachable child seat at the back.

Jiang Liyun doesn’t intend to buy a premium, stylish bicycle. She plans to buy a simple and practical utility bicycle.

Although the utility bicycle is a bit tall for her, she can ride it, and the 28-inch wheels provide an affordable price, fast speed, and ample cargo space.

With a rack at the back, she can easily carry two to three hundred kilogrammes of goods without any hassle.

However, she isn’t in a hurry to buy and plans to make the purchase later. Buying both a tricycle and a bicycle at the same time might attract attention.

“Feng Yi, I’ll go get the licence plate; you and my parents can head back,” Jiang Liyun told Feng Yi.

After folding up the dumpling stall, there’s a lot to carry home, and it’s heavy. While she could manage to pull it off, it would be exhausting. So, she suggests Feng Yi go back and pull the cart while she takes care of the tricycle registration.

Feng Yi nods and heads back to pull the cart, and Jiang Liyun stays behind, trying out the tricycle and asking the owner to lubricate the chain.

Riding a tricycle doesn’t require much skill, but it’s not easy due to its weight. No wonder many later added batteries to it!

Despite its challenges, it’s still better than pulling a cart—significantly faster!

In the small town, the roads are narrow, and many residential areas are accessible only by bicycle. The tricycle becomes quite conspicuous on the road.

Jiang Liyun, a young girl riding it, attracts a lot of attention. Being the centre of attention feels good to her.

Buying a tricycle today is no different from buying a small car decades later. She has a brand new, stylish tricycle with blue paint.

After closing the stall at around eight, she completes the purchase at nine, and with the licence plate processed, it’s around eleven in the morning.

Pedalling her bicycle, Jiang Liyun quickly heads home. Fortunately, in the rural area, the roads are wide enough for the tricycle, making the journey smooth.

However, on narrower sections, she occupies the entire road, forcing pedestrians and cyclists to make way.

As the tricycle enters Zhuangtou Village, the villagers notice.

“Liyun, you bought a tricycle?”

“This vehicle looks really good!”

“You must have earned quite a bit from the stall, right?”

Jiang Liyun smiles and replies, “Earned a bit; used it all to buy this tricycle.”

“Great!” The onlookers admire Jiang Liyun. Just a tricycle may not trigger jealousy, but certainly there’s admiration.

Jiang Liyun arrives home, and her family, unaware of her return time, has already finished dinner. Jiang Lamei is preparing the chickens for sale while listening to Jiang Eruncle.

Their house is already built, so Jiang Eruncle doesn’t need to oversee it. He doesn’t visit as often lately, but after dinner, he enjoys a cup of tea and chats with Jiang Lamei.

Seeing Jiang Liyun’s tricycle, Jiang Eruncle remarks, “Liyun, you got a tricycle? It looks quite impressive.”

“Yeah, it’s necessary for the business. I decided to splurge a bit on this one,” Jiang Liyun said.

“It’s good that you think like that. When you have money, save up for the future. Your sister, on the other hand, spends money on clothes as soon as she gets some. I don’t know what she’s thinking,” Jiang Eruncle commented while patting Jiang Liyun’s tricycle.

Jiang Lamei and Wu Xiaochun quickly washed their hands and approached to touch the tricycle.

Only Feng Yi, with his mind on Jiang Liyun, reminded her, “Liyun, the food is still warm in the pot. Go and eat!”

Hungry, Jiang Liyun grabbed some food from the pot and started eating.

Recently, Wu Xiaochun has taken over cooking. She used to cook vegetables until they turned yellow, lacking any culinary skills. However, after Jiang Liyun taught her, she managed to cook decent meals.

After finishing her meal, Jiang Liyun turned to Feng Yi, saying, “Feng Yi, today we bought a tricycle. In a few days, we can go and buy a bicycle.”

Jiang Liyun kept the specific amount she earned a secret from Jiang Lamei and her husband. For instance, they now think that she spent all her money on the tricycle.

However, Feng Yi knows exactly how much money she has. From the beginning, Jiang Liyun had no intention of hiding it from him, and he’s quite smart, calculating things quickly.

Given Feng Yi’s intelligence, Jiang Liyun even considered sending him to school if he were a bit younger. Now, with their current financial situation, it depends on whether Feng Yi is interested.

“Liyun, the red bicycle looks really nice,” Feng Yi suggested, thinking it suits Jiang Liyun well.

“That bike is not practical at all,” Jiang Liyun chuckled.

After the meal, Jiang Liyun went to rest as usual, but Feng Yi had no intention of taking a nap. He was outside, riding the tricycle in front of the house, taking Jiang Liyun’s little sister and her friends for a ride.

Practice makes perfect; next time, he’ll be able to take Jiang Liyun for a ride!

Jiang Liyu sat on the tricycle, thrilled beyond measure. While others in the village had tricycles, none were as large as theirs!

With this in mind, Jiang Liyu even invited her friends to join her for a ride.

“Feng Yi! I want to ride the tricycle too!” Feng Xiaoxiao stopped Feng Yi with a smile.

She and Jiang Liyu weren’t close friends, and Jiang Liyu didn’t invite her for a ride, but she still wanted to join!

Feng Yi, being her brother, should be the one to give her a ride!

However, Feng Yi responded, “I don’t want to carry you.”

Feng Xiaoxiao threatened, “I’ll go tell Mum!”

“Go ahead, clear the way while you’re at it.” Feng Yi remained calm, unaffected by his sister’s reaction.

She never called him “brother” in the first place, and in the past, she often made up stories to frame him.

Feng Xiaoxiao ran home in tears.

Meanwhile, Feng Yi rode the tricycle, taking Jiang Liyu and her friends to school.

When Jiang Liyun woke up from her nap that day, she found Feng Yi and Jiang Lamei washing the tricycle.

The already brand-new vehicle was scrubbed spotless; even the mud in the tyre treads was cleaned with a brush.

Jiang Liyun sighed, thinking it was unnecessary—truly unnecessary.