I still can't do without a watch, sighed Wang Ze.
Having to guess the time just won't do.
Originally, he had planned to busy himself with the Forbidden City Courtyard matters, but now Wang Ze decided to go shopping first.
Getting up and heading out, he didn't see Xu Damao, who was probably out playing, as he was still just a 16-year-old kid with a lively disposition.
As soon as Wang Ze reached the central courtyard, he saw Yi Zhonghai leading a young man in.
Isn't that Clerk Wang? Why is someone from the Street Office here?
"Ah, Wang Ze, are you going out? Wait a moment. Someone from the Street Office is here to announce a policy. You can leave after that," Yi Zhonghai said quickly when he saw Wang Ze about to go out.
Other families had many members, so one person attending was enough, but Wang Ze was alone, which was why Yi Zhonghai stopped him.
"Alright, I'll wait a bit then." After Wang Ze finished speaking, he walked over to Clerk Wang and greeted him.
Clerk Wang recognized Wang Ze and asked with concern about the progress of his toilet construction.
Hearing that the land had only just been leveled, Clerk Wang nodded and said, "You try it yourself first. If you can't fix it, then come find me."
The master he wanted to introduce yesterday had already been introduced to someone else. If Wang Ze came, he would have to see which master was free.
"Hey, thank you, Brother Wang," Wang Ze quickly took out the cigarettes from his pocket.
"Oh, you're still smoking Daqianmen," Wang Technician said with a sigh as he saw the cigarette offered to him.
Daqianmen was not cheap at the time. The cheapest Daqianmen cost three thousand, and the expensive ones five thousand.
"It's just that I keep a pack of good cigarettes in my pocket for everyone to smoke. I rarely smoke them myself," Wang Ze quickly explained.
He had bought the five-thousand Daqianmen, which ordinary families wouldn't buy in this era. Wang Ze was afraid of arousing suspicion.
He decided in his heart that he would buy a cheaper pack of cigarettes to keep on hand in the future, giving out the cheap ones and smoking the good ones himself.
Everyone was very sensitive in this era, and doing anything out of line could lead to being reported.
It was abnormal not to be reported for eating and drinking meat bought from the black market, as seen in many novels, especially during difficult times.
After only a few words, people started arriving in the central courtyard one after another.
Clerk Wang quickly extinguished the cigarette in his hand, but instead of throwing it away, he put it directly into his pocket.
"Give me one," He Yuzhu said with a grin as he walked up to Wang Ze.
Wang Ze looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, carefully took out a cigarette and secretly handed it to He Yuzhu.
He was afraid that if others saw it, they would all come asking for one.
If he gave it, such expensive cigarettes would be too conspicuous; if he didn't, his reputation would be ruined, which wouldn't be good.
Wang Ze still wanted to marry a good girl in this era. When marrying now, the other party would not only look at the man's family but also inquire about his reputation.
He Yuzhu was not considered by women if they had other choices precisely for this reason.
The two of them were puffing away comfortably by the side.
Meanwhile, Clerk Wang had already begun announcing the appointments from the Street Office.
"We have seen the three liaison officers elected by everyone. After review by the Street Office, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui are appointed as the liaison officers for Naluo Gulane, No. 95 Courtyard."
The three people whose names were called walked to the center and stood with Yi Zhonghai.
Wang Ze understood in his heart that this Forbidden City Courtyard would now enter a new era.
The era of the steward grandpas, where many minor issues would be handled directly by the steward grandpas. This was also the purpose of the Street Office's arrangement to elect stewards: on one hand, to guard against enemy agents, and on the other hand, to reduce their workload.
There were simply too many trivial matters, and the Street Office didn't have enough manpower to handle them all.
After Clerk Wang finished speaking, Wang Ze quickly asked, "Do the steward grandpas manage everything?"
He had to ask. Wang Ze didn't want this courtyard to slowly develop into a chaotic mess.
In his opinion, this matter should be clarified from the very beginning, so that Yi Zhonghai wouldn't gradually control the entire courtyard.
"Of course not. The grandpas can only mediate minor neighborhood disputes. If dissatisfied with the result, one can still go to the Street Office for resolution. The same applies to illegal and criminal matters; they should be reported to the police station," the clerk explained.
He then asked, "Does anyone else have any questions?"
Wang Ze did not speak again. Asking one question wouldn't draw much attention, but if he kept asking, his intention to limit the power of the steward grandpas would be too obvious.
Seeing that no one had any more questions, Clerk Wang stopped his explanation.
Yi Zhonghai and the other two each made a speech, stating their goal was to win the title of "Civilized Forbidden City Courtyard" this year.
After the meeting dispersed, Wang Ze quickly followed Wang Technician out of the Forbidden City Courtyard.
He took out another cigarette and handed it over. Seeing that the other party accepted it, Wang Ze asked as they walked, "Brother Wang, I want to open a door in my empty lot. Is there a way?"
Clerk Wang lit his cigarette, thought for a moment, and said, "I can help you with it, but it will cost some money."
"Director Wang said there must be a necessary reason. Can money make it happen?" Wang Ze asked curiously.
Clerk Wang chuckled and said, "Normally, that's how it is, but if you go directly to the Housing Management Bureau, you won't need the Street Office to submit materials."
"Alright, I also want to build a door for the walkway at the entrance. How much do you think it will cost in total?" Wang Ze quickly asked.
If he could open an external entrance to the courtyard, it would be much more convenient for him in the future.
And if he could take over the corridor of his back building, the moon gate of the courtyard wouldn't have to be locked all the time anymore.
Clerk Wang recalled the situation of the courtyard, and after understanding Wang Ze's intention, he said, "One million. I'll take care of it for you tomorrow."
"I'll go back and get it for you. You can smoke and wait for me," Wang Ze said, directly stuffing the Daqianmen, which he had only smoked a couple of sticks from, and the matches into the other person's hand.
Then he turned and ran towards the Forbidden City Courtyard.
He hurried back to get the money, ran to Clerk Wang, and then the two walked into a nearby alley.
Wang Ze took out 1.3 million and handed it to the other party, saying, "This is 1.3 million. Your help shouldn't consume too much of your goodwill. For the extra money, you can buy whatever you see fit for the other party."
Clerk Wang glanced at Wang Ze, then smiled more warmly and said, "Alright, just leave it to me. I have a friend at the Housing Management Bureau. I'll get it done for you tomorrow, guaranteed."
The two walked out of the alley, and Wang Ze bid farewell to Clerk Wang, preparing to go shopping.
When he arrived at the state-owned store, he realized that although tickets were not required now, there was hardly any stock. There were no Phoenix or Yongjiu bicycles that Wang Ze wanted.
Only one Da Guofang bicycle was left.
Wang Ze was a bit uneasy about this brand he had never heard of and carefully looked it over.
"Are you buying or not? This is the only one. You're lucky; it definitely won't be here tomorrow," the saleswoman said impatiently.
"Yes, yes, sister, how much is this bike?" Wang Ze quickly said. He couldn't afford to offend saleswomen in those days.
Although their power wasn't great, what you wanted to buy and whether it was good or not was up to them, and even complaining wouldn't help.
"One million five hundred seventy-four thousand two hundred yuan per bike. If you want to buy it, go over there to pay and get the receipt." Hearing that Wang Ze wanted to buy it, the saleswoman's expression softened a bit. She had been annoyed by Wang Ze's constant questions.
After paying and getting the receipt, he received his bicycle. The saleswoman handed Wang Ze a certificate and said, "Take this to the police station to get a license plate."
Wang Ze took it, thanked her, and pushed the bicycle out of the store.
He first went to a repair shop to install a headlight and buy a lock, and then Wang Ze rode his bike towards the police station.
Along the way, many young people looked enviously at Wang Ze riding his new bike.
It made Wang Ze feel like he was driving a Ferrari with one hand.
In those days, very few people owned bicycles, especially young people like him; it was even rarer.
He paid 1,500 for the license plate fee and 24,000 for the first year's management fee before receiving a bicycle license plate.
The license plate was fixed onto the bicycle, and then someone from the police station took out a steel stamp and hammered it onto the bike frame.
After everything was completed, the bicycle truly belonged to him.
The management fee had to be paid annually. Wang Ze remembered that the second set of currency would be exchanged next year, and then the amount paid would not be so alarming. 24,000 sounded like a lot more than 2.4 yuan.
Next, Wang Ze rode his bike to the consignment store, a place that appeared frequently in period novels, and he was quite curious about it.