That's how dad is. If you want to convince him by presenting facts and reasoning, you have to come up with your reasons and reasoning.

If your reasons and reasoning are better than his, he will follow suit, such as getting immunity from taking a nap by reciting poetry; but if your reasons and reasoning are nonsense, then I'm sorry.

But now Zhou Zhi really can't come up with any facts or reasons that can convince his father.

Forget it, the time has not come yet, Zhou Zhi can only nod: "I understand."

"It's good that you understand." Dad breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately said: "But even if you are divided into classes, the things that your fourth cousin and godfather taught you can still not be lost, and they will be beneficial to you throughout your life.

, do you understand?”

"Um."

As the tricycle passed by the north gate, an old voice came from a small shop: "Master Zhou, please stay."

Zhou Zhi suddenly remembered something: "Dad, please wait for me, I have two things to pick up."

Dad stopped the car and simply followed him out: "It's not appropriate to ask the master to wait. He is still doing the work."

After paying the fare, my father turned around and asked Zhou Zhi: "What do you want to pick up?"

The North Gate used to be the largest wharf in Laojiachuan, but it has now been replaced by a larger new highway wharf.

At the current north entrance, down the slope and facing the river is the bamboo and wood grain market that was transformed from the former Hexian Market. Across the road is Zhangjiagou, now the largest new market in Jiachuan.

Zhou Zhi took his father to a bamboo shop.

There is an old shopkeeper in the bamboo shop, and all the fishing gear sold here is made of bamboo.

In Zhou Zhi's impression, this fishing gear shop disappeared after the death of the old shopkeeper within a few years, but in another twenty years, the price of this kind of intangible cultural heritage handmade products will be outrageous...

The old man's skills are quite powerful, but in this era, they are like a pearl in the dark, because bamboo has its limitations after all.

"Old Ma, have you prepared what I want?" Zhou Zhi's attitude now is exactly the same as that of a middle-school boy who didn't know anything but thought he could do anything when he came here to order something half a year ago.

Lao Ma ignored Zhou Zhi, stood up, took a long cloth bag from the counter, and handed it directly to Dad: "Both things are ready, sir, please take a look."

Dad looked confused and took the two bags and opened them. There were two sticks in one bag and one stick in the other bag.

"What is this?"

Zhou Zhi connected the two sticks together, opened the plug at the bottom, pulled out two sticks from inside, and spliced ​​them together to form a crystal-clear fishing rod.

After shaking it twice to test the waist strength and toughness, Zhou Zhi felt very satisfied and carefully took them off and put them away.

A purple bamboo joint was shaken out from another bag, and the two ends of the bamboo joint were sealed with white copper. Then the two parts poured out of the bag were rolled onto the white copper plug, and there was a bamboo full of eyes.

A purple bamboo staff with a head.

Unlike today's thicker crutches, this crutch is made of purple bamboo, which is delicate and light.

Both items are very exquisite and look a little different from other items in the store.

"what is this?"

"One of the gifts is a fishing rod for my third uncle in Jingcheng; the other is a walking stick for my uncle. To be precise, it's called a civilized stick."

They were all prepared for the elders, so Dad couldn’t say anything, so he asked Lao Ma, “How much does it cost?”

"Chenghui is eighty." Lao Ma felt that all his flirtatious looks were being shown to a blind man, and his attitude was a bit bad.

"How much?" Dad was shocked: "You are made of bamboo. Can you make two big beds in your eighties?"

"This is what your young master ordered. It is made of Baili and Zili. The fish roe field is full of purple jade bamboo roots. If your young master hadn't called him by name, I wouldn't have given it away. How much would it cost?"

My baby for ten years!”

"What?" Dad felt that it was too ridiculous. This was deceiving consumers and defrauding the Director of Industry and Commerce?!

"It's not expensive, it's not expensive..." Zhou Zhi hurriedly smoothed things over: "Dad, don't underestimate these two things. This is Mr. Ma's secret craftsmanship. The paint must have passed at least sixteen passes! Otherwise, amber light can be produced.

The effect will come?"

"What have you seen of Amber?" Dad glared at Zhou Zhi.

"Nineteen ways." Lao Ma still said coldly: "It took me more than half a year to push it out. I thought you knew this, sir, but unexpectedly it's not as good as your noble master."

"It's really worth the price!" Zhou Zhi said: "If you want to prepare something for the elders, why not be better? I'm going to ask my eldest cousin in Jingcheng to make a wheelchair for my grandma. I'm not going to bribe my third uncle with a fishing rod!"

At that time, the third uncle was the director of the Jingcheng Labor Bureau, and the third concubine was the director of the police station in the third living area of ​​​​Jingcheng Dongfang Electric Machinery Factory. Logically speaking, it was easy to arrange a job, but it turned out that the eldest cousin Xu Anran was an auto repairman in the electric machine factory.

Workers in the workshop.

Zhou Zhi has countless cousins, several of whom are his idols.

Xu Anran was not very good at studies, but he was very proficient in mechanics. He made countless inventions and created many things after working, and he also applied for several national patents.

Motorcycle anti-theft alarms, park iron rocking chairs, bicycle wire locks...the most powerful ones are undoubtedly the most common anti-theft door locks in later generations.

That kind of door lock key has flat sides, a groove in the middle, and the key teeth are on the groove.

What was a bad thing in later generations was definitely an invention that could astonish everyone at that time, and it was invented by cousin An Ran.

In another time and space, Xu Anran had been guarding his invention for more than ten years, but no manufacturer was willing to cooperate. As a last resort, he simply refused to pay the protection fee of more than 100 yuan a year.

In the second year after the patent protection expired, anti-theft doors with that kind of door lock were everywhere all over the world. Manufacturers had been waiting for this moment for a long time!

As for my cousin, besides being dumbfounded, he didn’t get a penny!

Years later, my cousin would still laugh at himself at the dinner table, saying that he had told others that the door lock was his invention, which resulted in a lot of ridicule: "It's just you Xu Anran?!"

I don’t know if this patent has been issued yet.

But there is absolutely no doubt that Cousin An Ran is very clever and clever. It is not a big deal to use the machine tools in the workshop and some scrap materials to build a wheelchair for grandma.

Hearing Zhou Zhi's words, Dad couldn't be bothered here anymore. He opened his wallet distressedly, took out his wallet from inside, counted out eighty yuan and put it on the counter.

Zhou Zhi happily put away the things: "Thank you, Ma! From now on..."

"No, it won't happen in the future." Lao Ma took the money politely and without even bothering to raise his eyelids: "Young master, it's better not to come here in the future, the shop can't afford to entertain you."

Zhou Zhi and his father walked out of the shop one after another. The father couldn't help but look back at the shop: "This old master is weird."

Zhou Zhi smiled and said, "Exalted people are all like this."

"His title is also weird." Dad meant that Lao Ma called him husband, Young Master Zhou Zhi, and Young Master.

I haven't spoken like this in these years.

"Those are the rules of Laojiachuan Wharf." Zhou Zhi explained: "The rules before liberation."

"Oh." Dad then understood and looked at the two bags in Zhou Zhi's hand: "This must be more than thirty kilograms of meat, a month's salary... Forget it, it's rare that you have the heart, all the things are for the elders.

Just spend some money."

"Um."

"But this year, your New Year's money is gone."

"..."

When I got home, my mother was back and cleaning the house.

The Chinese New Year is about to come, and the family is missing a strong worker, which makes my mother a little irritable.

There is no doubt that even the big boys from the city have their uses.

For example, I have to go to the grain station every month to carry rice and buy oil; to make sauerkraut and mustard at home; or to carry a bucket to beat bean curd and glutinous rice, and then bring the pulp back...

Grandma talked about this during the meal. She wanted to make glutinous rice balls and noodles at the end of the year. This is an important event in the heart of the elderly every year.

"It'll be a few days later, it doesn't matter." Zhou Zhi said, "When the foreign monk comes, let him help."

"Monk is better." Grandma nodded: "I can do it better than my good grandson."

Zhou Zhi finished the liquid porridge cooked with yellow spicy diced soup prepared by his grandmother in two mouthfuls: "I'm going to my aunt's house to have a look."

"Then you have to go." Mom said, "Go to grandma's house and pick out some suitable gifts."

Grandma is from the unitary room of the Su family in Gujing Township. As the saying goes, "Elders come from the unitary room." All the Su family members from Jiachuan County, Shuangxi Town, Hongshui County and Gujing Township pass by Jiachuan.

Want to come and see.

Therefore, Zhou Zhi's house has constant visitors all year round, and there are many gifts piled in her grandma's room, but she doesn't need so many.

Zhou Zhi picked out a box of snacks and took four packets of sugar: "Mom, do you think this looks good?"

My mother reduced the sugar to two packets: "Silly boy, your aunt will return the gift in two days. It's not good to give so much."

"Yes." Zhou Zhi looked at the things in his hands: "Now the hen has become an old duck."

Mom smiled and patted Zhou Zhi: "Take a three-wheeler back and forth. Go quickly and come back early. Just let her see if you are okay."

The tricycle passed through the new highway, passed Liushui ditch, and reached Zaoling Bridge before stopping at the entrance of a small alley.

Next to the alley is a big smelly ditch, pouring domestic sewage into the Yangtze River.

Winter is fine now, but in summer, the ditch smell is actually quite strong.

Walking down the alley for a while, you will see houses with blue-tiled houses on the side.

You can see the riverside here, turn around here, pass a big Chinese tallow tree, and then get onto the old Jiachuan Riverside Road.

There is a large yard next to the Chinese tallow tree, but now, in addition to a circle of houses on the edge, the middle of the yard is also piled with briquettes and chicken cages, and the remaining pieces of land are planted with green onions, lettuce and the like, making it look very crowded.

Walk along the wall and door to the left end of the yard. There are two small houses there, which are my aunt's houses.

This house is still rented.

The door was unlocked, Zhou Zhi pushed the wooden door open, and inside was a small apartment with two rooms.
Chapter completed!