Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Everyone Is Happy

"Thirty yuan!" This time, even Zhou Yuanchao couldn't help but be surprised. After all, in 1983, a worker's monthly salary was only about seventeen to twenty-two yuan. In their post office, ordinary staff members earned only twenty yuan a month, and even he, as the deputy director, with all his allowances, only made about twenty-five to twenty-six yuan. This child was asking for thirty yuan worth of stamps at once. A monkey stamp cost eight fen, so thirty yuan could buy nearly four hundred stamps. For the Hai Zhuang Town Post Office, this was almost the amount of stamps sold over three to four days outside of the holiday season.

"Are you buying these for a factory?" Zhou Yuanchao asked Fang Bin. From their attire and demeanor, it was clear they were not farmers. If he didn't have this discernment, he wouldn't be in the position of deputy director. If it was a public purchase, it wouldn't be a big deal. However, in Hai Zhuang Town, the only real factory was the Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory. Zhou Yuanchao had been there for more than half a year, and the Qinxi Pressing Equipment Factory had never bought stamps from here; they always had the county post office deliver them.

But apart from public purchases, who would buy so many stamps for personal use? Zhou Yuanchao was puzzled.

Fang Bin's face showed a hint of a bitter smile. The moment Fang Mingyuan said he wanted to buy at least thirty yuan worth, he knew the kid was trying to get him to pay. "Director Zhou, there's no factory. It's for personal use."

"Personal use?" Zhou Yuanchao was even more puzzled. Nearly four hundred stamps would last a person ten years; why would anyone need to buy so many?

"Uncle Zhou, do you need to review qualifications to buy stamps now?" Fang Mingyuan was anxious, eager to secure the monkey stamps. Relying on his status as a child, he could speak more boldly, and Zhou Yuanchao couldn't really take offense. So he urged him repeatedly. Zhou Yuanchao shook his head, thinking that strange things happen every year, and this year it was his turn. He had never seen a child like this before. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, who would believe that a six- or seven-year-old could speak to him like an adult?

Since Fang Mingyuan insisted on buying, Zhou Yuanchao had no reason to refuse. Thirty yuan for stamps was a significant amount for an individual in 1983. It was appropriate for Zhou Yuanchao to personally handle the transaction. He invited Fang Bin and Fang Mingyuan into his office, while Ms. Dong and another staff member went to the warehouse to fetch the monkey stamps.

"Since you're buying so many, it's not suitable to do this at the counter. Please wait here. The stamps will be brought over soon. It's quite hot today, and I don't have much to offer, but please have some water." In those days, there were no paper cups, so Zhou Yuanchao washed his cup carefully, scalded it with hot water, and poured a cup of water for Fang Bin.

"Uncle Zhou, no need to be so formal. Let's focus on the business! If we get this done, I'll treat you to an ice cream, okay?" Fang Mingyuan said with a beaming smile. As long as the deal was done, he wouldn't mind treating Zhou Yuanchao or even the entire post office to ice cream. He also realized that if he could win over Zhou Yuanchao, he might be able to get monkey stamps from other post offices in Pingchuan County, which would be a valuable future source.

"What a sweet kid!" Zhou Yuanchao praised with a smile, but this time he didn't reach out to pat Fang Mingyuan's head.

"Indeed, he's our treasure. My father and grandmother treat him like a little prince, afraid to drop him if they hold him and afraid he'll melt if they keep him in their mouths," Fang Bin said proudly.

Zhou Yuanchao smiled in understanding. "Ha, that's normal. My little one is the same, and the elders dote on him. But if he were as smart as your nephew, I'd treat him like a treasure too!"

As they spoke, Ms. Dong and the staff member entered with a stack of stamps. Fang Mingyuan's eyes lit up as he rushed over. There were full sheets, blocks of four, and individual stamps, totaling nearly a thousand. Fang Mingyuan was overjoyed, feeling that fate was on his side.

"Uncle, how much money do you have?" Fang Mingyuan asked bluntly.

"What for?" Fang Bin clutched his wallet, looking wary. Since Fang Bin started making money from small trades, they often teased each other like this, and today Fang Bin reacted instinctively.

"Robbery! Don't move! Raise your hands! Men to the left, women to the right, and those who are neither in the middle!" Fang Mingyuan suddenly remembered a joke from the future and blurted it out.

"Ha..." The office erupted in laughter. Everyone was laughing so hard that Fang Bin's teacup wobbled like a reed in the wind, spilling half the water on the floor. Zhou Yuanchao, clutching his stomach, laughed so hard he was slapping his thighs. Ms. Dong and the other staff member were also laughing uncontrollably, while Fang Mingyuan, fearing for the stamps, stared intently at them, wishing he hadn't been so clever at this moment.

"Ha ha ha, this kid... even knows about 'neither male nor female'!" Zhou Yuanchao gasped, laughing so hard his stomach hurt.

Fang Bin cleared his throat and managed to suppress his laughter. "You little rascal, where did you learn this nonsense?"

He rummaged through his pockets, took out all his money, and handed it to Fang Mingyuan. "Take it all, take it all, so you won't keep thinking about it. Good thing I didn't drink water just now, or I would have choked. Don't talk nonsense when I'm drinking or eating in the future."

Fang Mingyuan counted the money, which amounted to twenty-three yuan and seventy-eight fen. He took out his piggy bank from his pocket and poured out all the money. "Uncle Zhou, count this. I'll buy all the monkey stamps with this money. First, the full sheets, then the blocks of four, and finally the individual stamps if there's not enough money." After thinking for a moment, he took out three fen and put it back in his pocket.

Zhou Yuanchao and Ms. Dong quickly calculated the number of stamps Fang Mingyuan could buy, put them in a bag, and handed it to Fang Bin. Fang Mingyuan looked at the remaining stamps on the table, his eyes twinkling. He tugged at Zhou Yuanchao's hand and pleaded, "Uncle Zhou, can you keep these stamps for me? I'll come back with more money to buy them, okay?" For his grand plan, he didn't mind being a bit annoying.

Zhou Yuanchao pondered for a moment. This request wasn't unreasonable. Most people bought stamps for mailing letters and only cared about the denomination, not the type. There were many other stamps in the warehouse, so it didn't matter if these monkey stamps weren't sold immediately. Besides, Fang Bin and Fang Mingyuan had spent nearly fifty yuan, making them significant customers. He could make this decision. Moreover, he genuinely liked Fang Mingyuan, so he agreed to keep the stamps until the end of the year. Fang Mingyuan was so happy he jumped around, confident that he could gather enough money by then to buy all the stamps.

Zhou Yuanchao escorted them out of the post office. But three minutes later, Fang Mingyuan's head appeared in the door crack. Zhou Yuanchao smiled and asked, "Little friend, is there anything else?"

Fang Mingyuan walked in with his hands behind his back, approached Zhou Yuanchao, and suddenly placed an ice cream in his hand, then turned and ran. By the time Zhou Yuanchao reacted and chased out, Fang Mingyuan and Fang Bin were already far away. When he turned back, he saw that every staff member in the post office had an ice cream.

"Director Zhou, keep it. The young man said that one must keep one's word. Since the child promised to treat everyone to ice cream, he must do it," Ms. Dong remarked. "This family is well-mannered, both adults and children."

Zhou Yuanchao nodded, looked at the partially melted ice cream in his hand, and took a big bite, thinking, "Little guy, I'll remember you!"