Chapter 268 – Swapping the Bike

After returning to the courtyard, Zhou Yimin parked his bicycle and walked over to the supply and marketing cooperative.

He noticed that there weren’t many people shopping, and a few shop assistants were gathered together gossiping, their voices not at all quiet.

Someone was trying to buy fabric, but no one was at the counter, so he had to shout loudly, “I want to buy something.”

One of the female shop assistants, a middle-aged woman, replied resentfully, “I’m coming, what’s the rush?”

Only then did she slowly walk over.

The man didn’t dare rush her again, fearing she might make things difficult for him. Back then, shop assistants were on par with state-run restaurant workers—if they were in a bad mood, they might even hit you.

This kind of customer service attitude would have resulted in countless complaints in later generations, where the customer is considered king. But now, it was the other way around.

Zhou Yimin headed straight to the bicycle section.

This was probably the best area in the whole cooperative. Bicycles were also the most expensive item they sold, so they didn’t see much traffic.

Several brand-new bicycles were on display, still gleaming under the light.

Back then, not many people had bicycle tickets. Zhou Yimin had read many period novels in his past life that claimed bicycles were like luxury sports cars compared to later generations.

But he felt that was an exaggeration. Take the capital, for example—plenty of people had bikes. While sports cars were rare in later times, they were nowhere near as common as bicycles were now.

There was no one at the counter here either.

Zhou Yimin had no choice but to call out, “I want to buy something.”

A young shop assistant walked over and said coolly, “You need a ticket to buy a bicycle.”

“I have one,” Zhou Yimin replied.

He could’ve gone to a department store instead.

Speaking of department stores, one couldn’t avoid mentioning the four major department stores of the capital.

For wedding supplies, fabrics, tailoring, and even household items like pots, pans, needles, and thread—everything came from the department store.

Among them, the Beijing Department Store was the undisputed leader of the industry.

Reportedly, on its opening day in 1955, it drew a staggering 164,000 visitors. At the time, it was the largest store in Beijing, with an area twice as large as the combined space of seven other department stores on East Chang’an Avenue, Wangfujing Street, and Donghuamen Street. It could accommodate over ten thousand customers and a thousand shop assistants at once.

Long queues were a common sight, and eventually, some counters had to be reinforced with steel railings to prevent the crush of customers from toppling them.

There was even a saying in the capital: If you can’t find it at the department store, you won’t find it anywhere else.

In the era of the planned economy, the department store was the only retail enterprise approved for nationwide procurement. Not only could it source goods from major cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou, it could even sell imported products.

Not just in the capital—nationwide, the Beijing Department Store had the most complete range and variety of goods.

But Zhou Yimin didn’t go there because he didn’t want to deal with the crowd.

He was just buying a bicycle; the nearby cooperative had them too. No need to squeeze into the department store.

He pulled out his bicycle ticket and handed it over.

After checking the ticket and finding no issue, the shop assistant said, “We’ve got Golden Deer for 160 yuan, Forever for 185 yuan, Phoenix for 200 yuan, and Flying Pigeon for 158 yuan. Which one do you want?”

Zhou Yimin thought for a moment and then said directly, “I’ll take a Phoenix.”

Since he was buying one anyway, why not get the best?

The Phoenix brand was one of the iconic brands of the era.

Especially the 26-inch women’s model, which was very popular among young women. In those days, owning a Phoenix bicycle was a symbol of status and taste.

Upon hearing this, the shop assistant picked out a 28-inch Phoenix from the side and said, “Try this one out. If there’s no issue, you can take it.”

Bicycles in those days were made with great care and materials, so quality issues were rare. As long as they weren’t abused, they could last for decades without a problem.

Zhou Yimin gave it a glance and decisively said, “This one will do.”

His straightforward attitude left the shop assistant a little stunned.

This was a big-ticket item—it cost one or two hundred yuan!

Most people who came to buy a bike would inspect it thoroughly.

They’d check for loose joints, a damaged bell, warped rims, a faulty lock or seat, or a dry handlebar that would squeak. They’d also check the chain—if it was loose, it could fall off easily.

The shop assistant couldn’t help asking, “Aren’t you going to check it? Once you leave the store, it’s not our responsibility anymore.”

Zhou Yimin smiled. “It’s good enough.”

The shop assistant grew curious. “Comrade, what do you do for a living?”

It was her first time seeing a customer like this—someone who picked the most expensive Phoenix model without hesitation. Plenty of people couldn’t bear to spend that extra money.

“Oh, the factory awarded it to me,” Zhou Yimin replied casually.

He didn’t want to draw too much attention.

The young shop assistant didn’t press any further after hearing that.

Zhou Yimin handed over twenty big ten-yuan notes.

After receiving the money, the shop assistant issued a receipt. This document was very important—without it, you couldn’t go to the police station for registration.

Afterward, Zhou Yimin went to the police station and unexpectedly ran into someone he knew—Chief Zhang.

Chief Zhang greeted him warmly, “Team Lead Zhou, what brings you to the station today? Something wrong?”

“No problem,” Zhou Yimin explained. “Just bought a new bike. Came to get it stamped.”

Chief Zhang looked disappointed. “Oh, I thought it was something serious. Next time there’s an issue, just come straight to me.”

He was hoping for another chance to work with Zhou Yimin on a case.

Once the steel seal was stamped, Zhou Yimin took his leave—he had other matters to handle.

On the way home, he notified Dapeng to come to the courtyard. After all, Dapeng and the others played a role in him buying a new bike.

Dapeng hurried over after hearing from Zhou Yimin, not noticing the new bicycle at first.

Once at the courtyard, Zhou Yimin also called Li Youde over.

Dapeng asked, “Yimin, is there something going on?”

Usually, Zhou Yimin wouldn’t call both of them over without a reason.

Li Youde was also curious. Maybe something big had happened. Since Dapeng already asked, he didn’t.

Zhou Yimin said, “Dapeng, didn’t you say you wanted to buy a bike? I just bought a new one today. I’ll leave the old one for you two to use.”

Since they were the ones using it, he didn’t care how they split it.

Dapeng was thrilled. “Yimin, are you serious?”

He had a bicycle ticket, but he hadn’t dared use it—just like having money but not daring to spend it openly for fear of attracting attention.

“The ticket was a reward from the factory, so there’s no issue. I’ll be heading out on a business trip soon. Once you finish off the goods, take a break. When I’m back, I’ll find you again,” Zhou Yimin said.

He added, “Also, come with me tonight to deliver some goods to Zhoujiazhuang.”

The two of them had no objections to Zhou Yimin’s arrangements.

After all, if there were goods, they’d sell them on the black market. If not, they’d rest.

This kind of life was incredibly comfortable. They hadn’t even signed up for the street office’s processing plant project. The clerks reminded them, but they just didn’t go.

(End of chapter)