Wang Ying had never seen a radio box before. Seeing her interest, Xu Shuang sized up the situation and figured that the young man in front of them wouldn’t be able to overpower him physically. So, he agreed to go check out the so-called radio box.
Wang Ying followed the young man down a small alley not far from the supply cooperative, where two boys, about fourteen or fifteen years old, were vigilantly guarding a large box.
The guide placed his hand on the box and said, “Here, this is the radio box I was talking about. One of my brothers is quite skilled. He can put together the parts himself. This is the box he made. Just press this spot, and the sound will come out.”
Wang Ying had never seen such a radio. Though it was called a radio, it looked more like a wooden box, with even the edges of the wood showing rough, frayed edges. It seemed like it had been hastily cobbled together from wood that had been sawed off from some other object. The outer surface was bare, with no paint. It had two small, round knobs that could be turned to adjust the frequency.
Xu Shuang said, “So, this is a homemade radio, right? You’ve modeled it after the old-fashioned ones?”
The young man slapped his thigh, “Brother, you’re in the know! It’s exactly like the old-style radio! My brother’s sharp, he put this box together himself. The wood on the outside is cut from old furniture that we found. Don’t judge it by its looks; it still works fine! If it breaks, you can come to the city and find me. I go by Zhang San!”
Wang Ying laughed, “So, are the two of them named Li and Wang?”
Zhang San replied, “Not quite! One is named Zhang Si, and the other Zhang Wu. We’re three brothers!”
Wang Ying didn’t pursue the names any further. She exchanged a look with Xu Shuang, and they both understood each other’s thoughts. They wanted to buy the radio box!
Wang Ying was thinking that the radio was small, and it would be fine to keep it in the room for her and Xu Shuang to listen to. But if they took it outside, it would be too small, and the sound wouldn’t be very loud. The most important thing was, what about Grandma Xu?
It was already September, and the houses at the sent-down youth spot were about to be built. Wang Ying also needed to repair the two rooms next door, and at that time, they would need to decide whether to tear down the courtyard wall.
Grandma Xu didn’t seem willing to live with them, but Wang Ying still felt concerned and thought she should get a radio for Grandma Xu as well.
Getting a radio ticket wasn’t easy, but since they had stumbled upon someone selling a radio box, Wang Ying considered it good luck.
Zhang San kept persuading her to sell the new radio: “This box is worth forty or fifty, and if you take it, it’s like getting a free radio box. What a good deal!”
Wang Ying wasn’t fooled: “Yes, the money might break even, and I’d get a radio box for free, but what about the ticket?”
Although Chen Dong hadn’t said anything, Wang Ying knew that the ticket probably wasn’t cheap and that it was arranged through connections. Zhang San thought he could exchange the box for her ticket, but it wouldn’t be that easy.
Seeing that Wang Ying wasn’t easily tricked, Zhang San started to get discouraged: “Then you name a price. Just don’t make it too high. We’re just trying our luck, buying it for others. We’re only making a few bucks in the middle.”
Wang Ying wasn’t convinced: “A few bucks? Is that why you’re standing here trying to keep an eye on things?”
Zhang San explained: “It’s because there’s also the box! To be honest, we’re selling boxes and making a little extra money. That girl said she wanted a new radio, so we gave her a price that was higher by fifty or sixty. After deducting what we paid for the box, the rest is our profit. It’s basically the same as selling it.”
Wang Ying was speechless: “I ask, and you just tell me everything? You really are easy to trick.”
Zhang San, who had laid out the cost so openly, wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.
Zhang Si slapped Zhang San on the back, and Zhang Wu’s face showed clear displeasure.
Wang Ying: “Alright then, how much for this box? I’ll take it. But let me be clear, I already know the price at the supply cooperative for one. If it’s higher than that, don’t even mention it.”
Zhang San, frustrated, wasn’t as naive as he looked. Earlier, he had noticed that Wang Ying seemed interested, like she wanted to buy the box. That’s why he had exaggerated the price, trying to make a quick profit by selling the box if he couldn’t sell the new radio. But Wang Ying didn’t bite and seemed to be calling him out on his dishonest pricing.
Zhang San cursed his luck for running into a couple that was hard to fool. He reluctantly raised four fingers.
Wang Ying didn’t hesitate to bargain: “Thirty!”
Zhang San’s face became truly grim: “Sister, you can’t just cut the price like that. No one drops ten bucks all at once. If you’re going to say thirty, then I can’t talk to you about it anymore.”
Wang Ying was used to bargaining hard, but she didn’t know that at this time, people usually made more reasonable price cuts, like a few cents or a couple of dollars.
Xu Shuang pulled Wang Ying’s hand and spoke up: “Thirty-five. Take it or leave it.”
Zhang San looked put out: “You two are definitely a married couple.”
Such tough bargaining!
Xu Shuang: “You didn’t spend much on making the box. The wood isn’t expensive, and the parts inside wouldn’t cost much if you have connections. Thirty-five, you’re still making a good profit.”
Zhang San gritted his teeth: “Fine, thirty-five it is.”
Xu Shuang wasn’t wrong. He had seen the box was only worth twenty. He could flip it for fifteen bucks, which was acceptable.
Wang Ying took the large box. It wasn’t very heavy, but it looked heavy because of the large wooden casing.
Zhang San took the money and, now that the deal was done, became much more enthusiastic.
“This box is something we bought and added the wooden casing ourselves. If you think it’s too big when you get home, you can change it. If it breaks, come back here to find me. I’ll be here for three days. Otherwise, you can get it repaired anywhere. It’s not a complicated item; any radio repair shop can fix it.”
Xu Shuang nodded. He had tested the box earlier, and it did produce sound, so it seemed fine.
Zhang San sold a box, whistled, and left with his two brothers.
Wang Ying and Xu Shuang had trouble figuring out how to get the big box back.
It was large, and while Wang Ying could carry it, if they put it in the backseat, it wouldn’t stay in place. Even a little bump would make it hard to hold onto. If they tied the box to the backseat, Wang Ying would have to sit on the bus, and by now, it was getting late, so she wasn’t sure if they’d make it.
Xu Shuang found a piece of rope from a roadside car repair stall and tied the box to the backseat, leaving the front seat free.
“Here, sit here.”
Wang Ying felt a little embarrassed: “Sit in the front?”
Xu Shuang raised an eyebrow, and Wang Ying replied: “Alright then.”
Wang Ying nimbly jumped onto the front bar and sat sideways on the horizontal bar. Xu Shuang, with his long legs, crossed over from behind, and steadily held her in his arm.
Wang Ying felt her face flush: “Hurry up!”
If the inspection team saw them, things would get complicated again.
Xu Shuang chuckled softly in her ear and started pedaling the bike.
The Xu family had bought another big item.
Because Wang Ying had been waiting for Xu Shuang to come back with her, no one knew that the couple had already bought the “one-sound” radio.
It wasn’t until the next day that Xu Laotai proudly showed it off to the old lady who came to visit. Only then did the people from the seventh team find out that Xu Shuang and Wang Ying had bought a radio.
Although it looked ugly and was still a crude old-fashioned box.
But it was a radio!
For a moment, Xu Laotai was so busy showing it off that she didn’t even have time to eat. People kept coming and going, each eager to hear the sound of the radio and touch the “treasure” that made noise.
“What’s it saying? The sound sounds a bit strange.”
“It’s broadcasting a script, talking about this year’s grain production.”
“Oh my goodness, do you think they’ll mention our brigade? Listen to this.”
“What will they mention? Our country is so vast, and we’re not even in the main grain-producing area, so it’s not about us!”
“Huh, why did it change again?”
“This is switching the channels. Xu’s wife said that we can pick up several stations, even some from the capital!”
“That’s amazing! Xu’s wife really lives a good life! Her daughter-in-law even lets her put the radio in her room. Such good fortune.”
…
Wang Ying didn’t expect this at all. When Xu’s grandmother heard she bought two radios, she was happy but also a bit reluctant, so she instructed Wang Ying to tell others that they only bought one—the old-fashioned box model.
Xu’s grandmother said, “Tell them it’s just one box. If anyone wants to listen, they can come to me. I’ll have company. But if you say you also have one, people might start causing trouble.”
Xu’s grandmother quickly arranged things. She knew how things would go when something was rare and only available in her home. Radios were different from bicycles; bicycles were used by both Xu Shuang and Wang Ying, and unless there was an urgent need, no one would borrow them. But a radio, if several people want to listen to it, it could still work.
If Wang Ying said they had two at home, people might come over to listen. Anyway, it wouldn’t be a problem for them to give away one.
Xu’s grandmother wasn’t unwilling to share, but she didn’t want too many people making noise and disturbing Wang Ying while she worked.
Now, the radio was at her house, and she could enjoy it with the other old ladies. Whoever wanted to come could come. After all, they weren’t afraid of being delayed by others.
Sitting in the main room, Xu’s grandmother watched the comings and goings of people, feeling proud.
A year ago, people would avoid walking past her house, but now, a year later, her family had become prosperous, and they even had a “one ring, one sound” (a radio). Her family was thriving.
The second letter from her eldest son also arrived, saying everything was fine.
Xu’s grandmother enjoyed the compliments from others and felt delighted.
