As usual, He Yu Cheng entered his cave abode and chatted with Yue Qi Luo for a while before going to rest.
The next day, when He Yu Cheng pushed out two bicycles from his room, Yi Hai Zhong was shocked!
“No way, you actually assembled them?”
When Yan Fu Gui from the front courtyard heard that He Yu Cheng had assembled two bicycles, he was curious and went to take a look. He couldn't resist taking them for a spin!
“Hey, Yu Cheng, this is really great! How come Third Uncle didn't know you had this skill? This bike, with a coat of paint, looks almost real. When you have time, can you assemble one for Third Uncle? You know, Third Uncle has been wanting a bicycle for a long time.”
Seeing Yan Fu Gui’s expectant expression, He Yu Cheng said, “Third Uncle, it’s not that I don’t want to assemble one for you. This frame is from the junk yard, but the rest of the parts are new. All together, it cost about a hundred yuan. Are you sure you want one?”
“What? A hundred yuan?!”
“It's true. Two new wheels cost forty yuan, and then you add the handlebars, the seat, the back seat, and those prices… you do the math.”
After calculating, it really was about a hundred yuan!
“Oh, when you put it that way, it’s really not cheap. If you add a bit more, you could buy a new one!”
He Yu Cheng laughed and said, “Haha, Third Uncle, I know you can buy a new one with a little more money. But you can't get a bicycle ticket, so I tried assembling one myself! Anyway, I’ve told you the price. If you want to assemble one, then get your own materials. I’ll assemble it for you. But we have a deal. The bikes I assemble, you can use at home. But don’t sell them, or I'll be angry. You can ride them yourself, that's helping your neighbor. But if you sell them, that would be profiteering, and that's illegal!”
Hearing He Yu Cheng’s words, Yan Fu Gui also laughed and said, “Of course not. Third Uncle will wait and see if there are any good frames at the scrap yard. Then I’ll ask you to assemble one for me.”
Two bicycles suddenly appeared in the courtyard. Soon, everyone in the courtyard knew about them. They came to the middle courtyard one by one, full of curiosity.
In this era, people couldn't even solve their basic needs, let alone owning a bicycle. If anyone had a bicycle at home, it was more prestigious than having a BMW in the future. Because now you could buy a BMW if you had money, but at that time, even if you had money, it was difficult to get a bicycle.
Walking on the road, hearing the clear and melodious sound of a bicycle bell behind you, turning around and seeing a shiny manganese steel bicycle, passersby would cast envious glances. The rider would feel very stylish and proud.
“Oh, how come we didn't know Yu Cheng had this skill? When he came back yesterday, he was carrying so many things and said it was a waste of money. But in just one night, he assembled two bicycles!”
Xu Da Mao also pushed his bike and rode a circle, saying, “Hey, Yu Cheng, you’re amazing! This rides much more smoothly than the bike allocated to me at the steel mill!”
With praise, naturally there was jealousy!
Jia Dong Xu was also envious. They were all young people, who didn't want to have a bicycle? But he still had self-awareness. He knew that his family's relationship with He Yu Cheng was poor, so he didn’t go up and bother him.
Jia Zhang Shi was grumbling, “Damn it, this is all our money! He’s not afraid of being struck by lightning for extorting my pension!”
“He Lao Er, my precious grandson broke his nose at your house, and you extorted a hundred yuan of my pension. I don’t want you to pay it back. Just give our family a bicycle!”
Looking at Jia Zhang Shi coldly, He Yu Cheng said, “I dare to give you one, but do you dare to take it? As long as you dare to take it, I dare to send you in. What face do you have to ask me for a bicycle?”
“You little beast…”
Before she finished speaking, Yi Hai Zhong quickly winked at Jia Dong Xu. This old hag was really a tiger! She thought that she could still be protected by him?
Let’s not talk about anything else. Just say that He Yu Cheng had this skill. Those who had some savings in the courtyard would definitely want to assemble a bicycle. If Jia Zhang Shi really angered He Yu Cheng, he would definitely treat them the same way as he did to himself. He would be beaten up on the street.
“Mom, what did I tell you? Can you just be quiet? Do you really want to be arrested? You’ll be satisfied then!”
Jia Zhang Shi was the one who called the shots in the Jia family, but she was also afraid of angering Jia Dong Xu. What if he really abandoned her and sent her to the countryside? She would have to rely on herself for everything. How could that compare to being taken care of in the city?
Although she didn’t say anything more, Jia Zhang Shi’s triangular eyes rolled around, then she pulled Qin Huai Ru aside and whispered, “Huai Ru, go find Sha Zhu and tell him to buy a bicycle for Er Sha Zi. Then push the bicycle to our house!”
Qin Huai Ru thought, “Yes, Sha Zhu has money!” But thinking about Jia Dong Xu fighting with Sha Zhu a few days ago, she sighed, “Mom, let’s talk about it later. You know, Dong Xu and Sha Zhu just had a fight. They even used knives. Sha Zhu must still be upset!”
“Humph, what does a fool have to be upset about? He should be burning incense that we’re willing to care about him!”
Hearing Jia Zhang Shi’s words, He Yu Cheng was amused. Damn it, what does your Jia family think you are? Are you royalty? You think you’re doing us a favor by taking care of us! You should be burning incense!”
Moreover, who said that Da Sha Zi should prepare the materials and he should assemble it for him? When Da Yuan Zhong took the money, their brotherly relationship was already broken!
Liu Hai Zhong also came forward with a flattering smile, “Yu Cheng, you assembled two bicycles, right? How about transferring the male one to Second Uncle? How much did it cost? Second Uncle will pay you. My Guang Qi just got engaged. This is a great piece for the family. You can assemble another one later.”
“No, Second Uncle. You don’t know, these two frames, I ran to so many scrap yards before I found them. I told you, if you want a bike, then get your own parts. I'll assemble them for you for free. But if you want to buy a bike from me, I dare not. If someone accuses me of profiteering, we’ll all be punished. My street job won’t be regular, and your record will have a stain. If you want to become an official later, you’ll have no hope.”
Liu Hai Zhong, an official fan, heard that he would have no hope of becoming an official. He quickly said, “Oh, that's why Yu Cheng is amazing. You’re always thinking ahead! Alright, Second Uncle will take Guang Qi to the scrap yard and buy the parts. Then you can help assemble it.”
“Sure thing!”
When He Yu Cheng finished painting the two bicycles, they really looked no different from new bicycles.
He Yu Shui asked repeatedly, “Second Brother, is the paint dry? When can I ride it?”
He Yu Cheng said helplessly, “What are you in a hurry for? Is someone going to steal it from you? You can ride it this afternoon!”
Soon after the paint dried, someone from the street arrived at the courtyard with renovation materials.
“Yu Cheng, Director Wang told me to bring people here. Aren’t you going to renovate your room? The workers are here now!”
“Haha, Li Ge, you’re here! Come on in and have a rest! Yu Shui, quickly pour some water for the masters.”
Li Kun came over and saw the two bicycles waiting at the entrance of the courtyard. He was also envious. “You really assembled these bicycles? I said yesterday that buying these things was a waste of money. I was shortsighted!”
“Hey, Li Ge, there was no other way, right? Even old ones cost a lot of money. The main problem is that I don’t have a bicycle ticket. Li Ge, when you’re ready, I’ll also help you assemble one. When you go back to the street, tell everyone. As long as you have the materials, I’ll assemble them for everyone!”
“Great! I’ll tell everyone when I go back. I think they’ll be overjoyed.”