I'm back in 1990

Chapter 30: The Acceptance Letter Has Arrived

After lunch and a short rest, Huang Xiaochuan continued his shopping spree. He quickly calculated that he now owned 37 versions of the 1980 Monkey stamps. Including another version of the 1980 Monkey stamps in Suzhou, Huang Xiaochuan now had 38 versions of the 1980 Monkey stamps. Including some loose stamps and four-stamp and eight-stamp blocks, he spent a total of 120,000 yuan. Huang Xiaochuan's satchel was also much emptier.

After visiting three more major stamp dealers and exchanging the remaining 80,000 yuan for full sheets of the 1980 Year of the Monkey stamps, Huang Xiaochuan had accumulated 63 sheets of the 1980 Year of the Monkey stamps, and then he called it a day and left. However, Huang Xiaochuan specifically kept 20,000 yuan as emergency working capital in case of unforeseen circumstances.

Back in his rented apartment, Huang Xiaochuan put the desiccant he had bought into an extra-large stamp protection bag, placed the entire sheet of 80 Year of the Monkey stamps inside, sealed it, and then taped it to the bottom of the brick stove in the kitchen. In fact, it was taped to the bottom of the countertop so that no one who didn't know would be able to see the stamps when they opened the cabinet door.

Huang Xiaochuan kept some loose tickets, including four-stamp and eight-stamp sets, in a souvenir booklet and carried them with him. He understood the principle of not putting all his eggs in one basket.

After doing all this, Huang Xiaochuan replaced all the door locks, which he bought from a hardware store on his way back from the post office market.

Seeing that he still had enough time, Huang Xiaochuan took a taxi to Nanjing Road and bought some snacks and gifts to take back to Suzhou to give to his grandmother, aunt, and two older sisters.

I bought snacks and supplements for my maternal grandmother and aunt, cigarettes for my uncle, and the latest model Walkman for my two older sisters. These old gadgets actually cost several hundred yuan each at that time. The two Walkmans could have bought dozens of 80s gold coins at discounted price. Several years later, those dozens of 80s gold coins would be worth at least hundreds of thousands of yuan, while the two Walkmans would definitely be worthless junk.

On the morning of August 10th, Huang Xiaochuan took the earliest train back to Suzhou. He arrived at his maternal grandmother's house before 8 a.m. His uncle and aunt were at work and not home. Huang Xiaochuan gave the gifts he brought back to his maternal grandmother and two older sisters.

Grandma complained that Huang Xiaochuan was wasting money, but she was still very happy inside. His two older sisters, after receiving their gifts, were so happy that they rewarded Huang Xiaochuan with a face full of red lipstick marks, almost making him depressed.

After washing his face, Huang Xiaochuan rode his older sister's bicycle to the factory.

The first thing I did upon seeing my uncle, Zeng Jiahua, was to return the five thousand yuan I had owed him last time.

When Huang Xiaochuan handed the envelope to Zeng Jiahua, Zeng Jiahua was still a little confused, so he didn't take it.

Instead, he asked, "What is this?"

Huang Xiaochuan then picked up his uncle's large tea mug and said, "The money! The money you gave me to treat you to dinner, but Lao Ge didn't make me pay, so I brought it back to return to you."

Zeng Jiahua, assuming Huang Xiaochuan was reluctant to spend money, asked in surprise, "They helped us so much, and you let them pay for the meal?"

After gulping down the cold tea in the large mug, Huang Xiaochuan wiped his mouth and said, "Old Ge didn't give me a chance, but we'll be seeing each other often in the future anyway. Friends don't care about a few meals."

Zeng Jiahua returned the envelope to Huang Xiaochuan: "Keep this money for now. When you get to Shanghai to study, take the opportunity to invite Section Chief Ge out for a meal and a chat. Keep in touch and thank him properly. Just remember to get an invoice for me later. It's only right to spend a little on entertainment when doing business."

Huang Xiaochuan said nonchalantly, "Really, there's no need. Don't worry about my relationship with Lao Ge; we're definitely true friends."

Huang Xiaochuan had already planned this out. It was intentional of him to have Ge Changli take him to the stamp market. After instilling in Ge Changli the idea that the stamp market was on the rise, Ge Changli, a regular at the stamp market, would definitely feel it once the stamp market boom started.

If he hasn't decided to take a gamble by then, Huang Xiaochuan will kick him off the field and hand him a fortune.

Unfortunately, Zeng Jiahua had no idea what Huang Xiaochuan was thinking. Hearing Huang Xiaochuan's dismissive attitude, he became anxious and angrily said to Huang Xiaochuan, "Just take it! You've saved all your money; where would you get more? Keep this money safe. Listen to me, after school starts, find some time to treat Section Chief Ge to a few meals. You young people should be socializing; are you going to let him treat you every time? That's not right!"

Seeing that his uncle was serious, Huang Xiaochuan had no choice but to take the envelope back: "Alright, alright, I'll keep it for now, okay?"

Zeng Jiahua was unaware that Huang Xiaochuan had already withdrawn the fixed deposit, so in order to avoid arousing his uncle's suspicion, Huang Xiaochuan simply put the five thousand yuan away.

Seeing that Huang Xiaochuan obediently took the money back, Zeng Jiahua finally smiled: "That's right, that's more like it."

After saying that, he habitually reached for his large tea mug, only to find that Huang Xiaochuan had already drunk it all. He was so angry that he cursed, "You little monkey, you drank my tea and didn't even pour me some more!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaochuan quickly grabbed the thermos and refilled his uncle's teacup, jokingly saying, "Oh dear, you get so angry over a little tea. No wonder people call you a miser."

How dare he call his own uncle a miser to his face? This unlucky nephew deserves a good beating! Zeng Jiahua was furious and searched everywhere for a stick. He was determined to teach this lawless nephew a lesson today. He really had given him too much credit; he couldn't tell the difference between a king and a queen.

Seeing this, Huang Xiaochuan dared not stay any longer! He quickly ran away, knowing that his grandmother would be there to protect him, where he would be safe.

......

On August 11, Lao Huang called his brother-in-law Zeng Jiahua's factory, asking him to tell Huang Xiaochuan that the school had notified him to pick up his admission notice and that Huang Xiaochuan should go back as soon as possible.

Upon hearing the news, Huang Xiaochuan planned to go to the Suzhou Bus Station to buy a ticket and return home as soon as possible, but was stopped by Zeng Jiahua.

"Don't buy a ticket to go back. There are some things I need you to take back with you, as you can't take them on the train."

Huang Xiaochuan knew immediately that it would be another large batch of local specialties, and maybe even some good wine for Lao Huang.

Whether or not Huang Xiaochuan accepted these things was not up to him, so he didn't stand on ceremony with his uncle.

When Grandma and Aunt learned that Huang Xiaochuan was going back, they were both a little reluctant to see him go, especially Grandma.

Huang Xiaochuan comforted the two of them and promised, "Shanghai isn't far away. I'll come back during the National Day holiday, and I can also make a round trip on Sundays."

Grandma quickly advised, "Studying is the most important thing. Don't keep running around. Your mother said your whole family will come back for Chinese New Year this year. It's not too late to come back then."

Huang Xiaochuan laughed and said, "That's great! Then I won't go back to Qingjiang during winter break. I'll come here directly to celebrate the New Year. Not only can I stay a few more days, but I can also save on train ticket costs."

Aunt Huang laughed when she heard his words: "You little rascal, you're already scheming so fast, but this arrangement is quite good."

Second sister Zeng Xia patted Huang Xiaochuan on the shoulder: "Come back early during your vacation, I'll introduce you to a girlfriend."

Huang Xiaochuan feigned surprise: "Help me out, okay? You're going to introduce me to a girlfriend? You don't even have a boyfriend yourself. You should just mind your own business."

Seeing that Huang Xiaochuan was deliberately bringing up a sore spot, Zeng Xia, enraged, immediately gave him a good beating.

While holding his head, Huang Xiaochuan didn't forget to add fuel to the fire: "See, see, how can anyone like you when you're so fierce? Girls need to be gentle to find a good husband."

This infuriated Zeng Xia. She grabbed Huang Xiaochuan and unleashed a torrent of abuse, gritting her teeth as she yelled, "I told you to be gentle, I told you not to worry about me..."

The elders were used to this scene and let the siblings play around without interfering.

Zeng Jiahua discussed with her maternal grandmother and aunt what to prepare for Huang Xiaochuan to take back. Zeng Hong, the eldest sister, couldn't stand their commotion and stepped forward to separate them.

In order to get Huang Xiaochuan back as soon as possible to get his admission notice, his uncle Zeng Jiahua contacted a friend that afternoon to borrow a car.

Arrange for the factory driver, A Liang, to drive Huang Xiaochuan back to Qingjiang tomorrow.