Chapter 3 Black Signature Meeting After coming out of the house, Ning Weidong closed the door without locking it. At that time, the doors of the slums in the capital were rarely locked. Everyone was an old neighbor, their living conditions were similar, and there were no valuables in their homes. A few years later, as public security deteriorated and people bought large appliances like televisions and washing machines, families began to lock their doors. After leaving the east wing, Ning Weidong came to the front yard. The originally spacious yard now looks messy and cramped because each family has built an earthquake-proof shed on it. A few years ago, on Sundays, regardless of winter or summer, the women in the yard would crowd around the pool early to grab a seat, washing clothes while gossiping about other people's affairs. Now that tap water is available in every household, people have no reason to use water and have left. Come out from the front yard and follow the alley to Fuchengmennei Street. The streets are particularly busy on Sundays.
Not only are there many shops on both sides with all kinds of signs swaying in the wind, but the streets are also bustling with people, and in addition to riding bicycles, there are also many carts pulled by mules and horses. The iron wheels of the cart were rolling on the road. Behind the buttocks of the big animals pulling the carts were bags for collecting manure. Inevitably, some manure would slip through the net and roll to the ground, where it was crushed immediately. Fortunately, it was winter, so there was no smell. In addition to the shops, there are also many vendors setting up stalls on the street, selling fried cakes, fried dough sticks, fried tofu, roasted sweet potatoes, candied haws, and craftsmen repairing various objects... The situation has changed in the past two years, and small vendors have emerged in droves. Ning Weidong walked east along the sidewalk beside the road. In the distance, you can see a tall white tower surrounded by scaffolding. The White Pagoda Temple is a landmark nearby. Three years ago, an earthquake damaged the top of the pagoda, and last year, scaffolding was erected to repair it. To the east of Baita Temple is Zhaodengyu Road, and further east are Guangji Temple and Xisi Street. Ning Weidong doesn’t have a bicycle. He commutes to work by bus and has a monthly bus pass. The station is near Guangji Temple. Ning Weidong's main purpose of this trip was to visit the station so that he could have a better idea of what to do when he goes to work tomorrow. Then walk around and gain some new memories from the surrounding environment... It was almost noon when I got back. The north wind in Beijing in winter is as sharp as a knife. My face turned red from the cold. Ning Weidong quickened his pace, took two steps at a time and entered the slum, then walked towards the cross courtyard through the moon gate on the right, but a man came out from inside. Seeing Ning Weidong, the man immediately smiled and said, "Hey, Dongzi, you're back! I would have left two minutes later." "Brother Wu!" Ning Weidong hurriedly made way for him: "This is the cause of the trouble. Come inside and sit down quickly." This man's name is Wu Bingzhong, and he is also from the Security Department of the Red Star Factory. He has a good relationship with the original owner at the unit. Ning Weidong asked Wu Bingzhong to sit in the north room, and said with a smile: "My brother bought a new bottle of jasmine flowers worth one yuan yesterday. I will make you a pot."
Wu Bingzhong was a little surprised, because the original owner was not so capable. He stopped her and said, "Don't rush to talk to her. Just a few words. I have to leave immediately." Ning Weidong said, "Don't worry! We're just getting home now, and it's already noon. Let me cook two dishes and we can have a drink." Wu Bingzhong was helpless: "I really have something to do, let's do it next time~" "Then let's~next time?" Ning Weidong stopped talking. He didn't really want to keep the meal. It was mainly noon, and if he didn't mention it, it wouldn't mean that. "Next time, next time~" Wu Bingzhong pulled Ning Weidong, and the two sat down diagonally opposite each other next to the eight-immortals table. Ning Weidong asked: "Brother Wu, what do you want?" Wu Bingzhong said: "It's not a big deal, it's just on the way, isn't it, Lu Dayong..." Ning Weidong was startled, and the image of Bai Fengyu appeared in his mind again. This vixen is really pretty, but also really bad. Wu Bingzhong continued: "You also know that Lu Dayong met a girl a few years ago. They both had a good impression of each other. They are not young anymore and want to get married as soon as possible..." Ning Weidong nodded. Lu Dayong is a few years older than Ning Weidong. He is also from the Security Department. He is 27 years old this year and just returned to the city last year. This time when dating, the girl proposed that the "three turns and one ring" must be present. In this era, young people pay attention to "three turns, one ring, and thirty-two legs" when getting married. 'Three turns' are bicycles, sewing machines and watches, 'one sound' is a radio, and 32 legs are eight pieces of four-legged furniture. It is quite respectable to be able to gather all these for marriage. Lu Dayong's family is of average condition, so the three turns and one ring are a bit difficult for him. Originally, this had nothing to do with Ning Weidong, but the original owner insisted on pretending to be a big shot and being a hero to save the beauty. It happened in December last year. Ning Weidong has a clear memory. At around ten o'clock in the evening, Bai Fengyu suddenly came over, with tears in her eyes, asking for help and wanting to borrow three hundred yuan to repay her foreign debt. Three hundred yuan in the 17s was not a small amount of money. The original owner earned 5 yuan a month, which was equivalent to a full year and a half of saving without eating or drinking. Although Bai Fengyu is not a good person, she is very smart and does her job honestly, so it is impossible for her to owe so much money. But her husband Ma Liang was not a stable man. He drank and gambled, and was not good at anything. Sometimes he would beat his wife when he was drunk. Last year, I don't know who instigated me to give up my proper job and sneak away to Hong Kong to dream of getting rich overnight. Bai Fengyu couldn't stop him, so she had to let him go. I didn’t expect that this grandson was so useless. In addition to taking away the family savings, he also borrowed 300 yuan in foreign debt! The two people who came to collect the debt at that time were obviously not good people. In addition, Bai Fengyu was so delicate, and the original owner was young and full of vigor, so he took the task on a whim. Give the two men one hundred yuan first, and give them two months' grace period for the remaining two hundred yuan. Ning Weidong is not like the original owner who only has muscles but no brains. A careful analysis of the situation at that time showed that Bai Fengyu was far from being as panicked and weak as she appeared.
This woman is very smart and she came here to ask for help for other purposes. He didn't count on Ning Weidong, but wanted to find Ning Weiguo through Ning Weidong. Three hundred yuan is not a small amount, and the only people in the hospital who are able to help are Ning Weiguo and his wife. But she and Wang Yuzhen had always been at odds with each other, and she was afraid that going directly to her house would not work, so she did this. But she had overlooked the original owner's straightforward and awkward personality, and she didn't even say anything to Ning Weiguo and his wife. Instead, he kept quiet, and the next day he found someone at work to organize a "black signing meeting," commonly known as a "fighting meeting," and raised another two hundred yuan. "Black Signature Club" is what the elderly in Beijing call it, and it is a form of private fundraising. Generally, there are five or six people who know each other well, or more than ten people. If someone is in urgent need of money, everyone will get together. Thirty to fifty yuan per person, and five or six people together would have more than two hundred yuan, which can solve a big problem. You don't have to pay the money back. Other people will use their money in turn and fill in the same amount until the whole round is over and no one owes anyone anything. Especially in factories, young people who have just started working want to buy big items such as bicycles and radios. They have no savings and their families cannot help them, so many of them "play together". In this black signing meeting, in addition to Ning Weidong, Wu Bingzhong, and Lu Dayong, there were two other people, a total of five people, and each paid 50 yuan. The original owner received the money early on, but agreed with the creditor to give him a two-month grace period. He was smart enough not to pay the money back immediately, but deposited it in the bank and collected interest for two months, which is why he has been delaying it until today. Unexpectedly, Lu Dayong was in urgent need of money. Fortunately, the money was not given out, otherwise it would be really troublesome. Wu Bingzhong and Lu Dayong live in the same hospital. This trip is to inform Ning Weidong that Lu Dayong needs to collect three rounds and one ring, and will play next Saturday, so the money should be prepared in advance. (End of this chapter)
