typeface
large
in
Small
Turn off the lights
Previous bookshelf directory Bookmark Next

Chapter 6 Buying Firecrackers

"New Year's goods" is a word with a broad meaning. Although it is mainly about food, it also includes things to use, wear, wear, play, and provide. It can be divided into food, clothing, daily necessities, superstition, and play.

Six categories of embellishments.

So Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan were not idle that afternoon. After having lunch with Hong Lucheng, they made another trip to Wangfujing in order to purchase other things.

Compared with the past eleven years, Wangfujing made a major breakthrough on the eve of the Spring Festival in 1978, becoming full of New Year flavor. Because this year, New Year stalls have been set up in the square in front of the department store. This is a department store.

The building launched its first holiday marketing campaign since the "movement" period, attracting unimaginable crowds to buy the latest home appliances.

Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan's shopping mood was suddenly aroused by the colorful flags and crowds of people, and they plunged in. When they came out again, they had a ten-dollar iron submachine gun and three pairs of new men's cotton shoes in their hands.

This is a gift they prepared for the other four men in the family, young and old.

After that, they walked around the department store again. They bought a total of two "hero" pens, a knife of red paper, three nylon gauze scarves, a dozen handkerchiefs, a dozen men's socks, a dozen women's socks, and three pounds of "spring buds"

"Yin Hao" good tea, as well as two boxes of snacks, two bags of milk replacer powder, and two cans of pickled cucumbers that are exported to domestic sales. Just because I don't have cloth stamps in hand, there is no need to think about clothes and fabrics.

And just when they were about to step out of the department store, they never expected that their character would be at a peak again. The mall's radio suddenly conveyed a new instruction, announcing that each person could buy two kilograms today if they didn't need a book.

Semi-premium candy.

So they promptly joined the long queue in front of the candy counter. In the end, they were very lucky to be personally received by Zhang Binggui, known as the "Ninth Scene of Yanjing", and witnessed his "accurate skills" that are known all over the world.

As well as the unique skill of "Qing'er Qing", you can also buy "sorghum glutinous rice cake", "butter ball", "little man's cake" and "wine-filled chocolate".

It's a pity that the Shanghai specialty "White Rabbit Milk Candy", which is said to be able to make a cup of milk with three sugars, is still out of the question.

In the words of the 60-year-old Master Zhang, "I'm sorry, it's always out of stock. If you really want to buy it, you can only entrust an acquaintance who is on a business trip to Shanghai to buy it on your behalf."

But even so, Hong Yanwu, who was a little stirred by history, was deeply satisfied. Because in just one day, what they bought had far exceeded his initial expectations. To be honest, currently only

The only essential thing missing is firecrackers.

Just like that, after returning home and putting down the groceries he bought, Hong Yanwu called his sister-in-law's work and asked someone to bring a message to Xu Manli, saying that he would pick up the child for her today and that she should just go home directly from get off work.

Then, he and Chen Liquan went to the kindergarten on the "Wanshou West Palace" mountain together, and specially took Hong Jun with them to the South Cherry Orchard to buy firecrackers.

Back then, there were not so many specialty sales outlets for firecrackers as there are now. Except for a few local product stores in the city, other places would find other stores on the main streets of an area to sell them on their behalf.

As for the types of these consignment stores, there are no certain rules. The key depends on the location. There are non-staple food stores, chemical stores, and Wujin stores.

There are no special measures for storage and fire protection. They are just neatly stacked on the shelves behind the counter. Even in a room with a large coal stove, firecrackers can be left blatantly on the counter at a close distance. No one was worried about catching fire, and no one was aware of the significant dangers involved.

It is strange that at that time, it was rare to hear of incidents of firecrackers setting off fires in agency stores. I don’t know whether it was because of the high quality of the people or God’s blessing.

The sales point of South Cherry Orchard is in a large hardware store at the northwest intersection. Because the space is not small, the variety of firecrackers here was relatively comprehensive back then.

In fact, if you compare the popular varieties back then with today, the gap is quite big. The most notable feature is that back then, firecrackers were the mainstay, and there were no large-scale fireworks. There were only a dozen types in total, and almost all of them were relatively traditional categories. .

Of course, there is also a lot of emphasis on this. For example, firecrackers are called "whips" when they are small, and "cannon" when they are big.

The cheapest type of "whip" is the "small whip" produced in Liuyang, Hunan. The wrapping paper is dark red, and the "whip" is also red. The specifications are divided into 100 heads, 200 heads, 300 heads, and 500 heads. , for 1,000 head and 1,200 head, the price is accumulated in units of 2 cents to 100 head.

Because this kind of cannon is small in size and has a small amount of powder, it makes less noise when fired. Even if you hold the buttocks with your fingernails and fire it directly in your hand, it will not hurt anyone. At the same time, because of its low price, it was the first choice for children in the capital at that time. Favorite.

But even so, due to the low consumption level of society as a whole, when children buy such "small whips" home, they rarely set them off in their entirety. Usually, they are carefully dismantled and set off individually. Even if there is a dumb cannon, they will break it open and light the gunpowder inside, euphemistically calling it "thorn flower".

There is another kind of "whip" in Beijing, which is the locally produced "steel whip", also known as "cha whip".

This kind of "whip" comes in two sizes. The smaller one can hold up to two of Liuyang's "little whips". The larger one is pencil-thick and is an earth-colored firecracker. It has a long fuse, a large amount of powder, and a loud noise when it explodes. The price is also higher. One hundred "small whips" sell for three cents, and "big whips" cost four cents. The regulations and price calculation methods are similar to those of "small whips."

In addition to the above two kinds of "whips", the remaining "big two kicks", "xiaoer kicks" and "mareizi" will be classified into the "cannon" category.

Due to their great power, these three things are basically out of the scope of children's entertainment and are exclusively loved by adults.

The price of "Da Er Kick" is five cents a head. Although Xiao Er's kick is smaller than that of "Dou Er Kick" and the sound is not as loud as "Dou Er Kick", it is cheaper and can be found in the store. The selling price is seven cents per head.

However, the one with the loudest voice, the largest size, and the most expensive price is still the "Mareko".

This kind of "cannon" sells for 50 cents and has ten blasts per "hang", commonly known as "ten blasts and one hemp thunder". Its cartridge is bundled with a lot of hemp fibers. Because of the large amount of explosives, it makes a special sound when fired. There is a loud noise, and you can also see obvious flashes and feel obvious aftershocks.

Finally, I have to talk about several kinds of "fireworks". There is no "Didi Jiner" these days, but there is one of the smallest fireworks that is more suitable for girls, called "mouse shit".

The name is a bit inelegant, but it is vivid and interesting. The small gray particles are really similar to mouse droppings. It makes little noise when it is set off. After it is lit, it rolls on the ground a few times and shoots out a few blue sparks.

Finally it jumped into the air and disappeared like a firefly.

I don’t know if it’s because it’s more difficult to make, and the price is only a penny each, so you can’t make much money. Anyway, as soon as we entered the 1980s, this kind of fireworks quickly disappeared. Children born in the 1970s now hear about it

It’s as incredible as Tianbao’s past.

Similar to the fate of "Rat Shit", there is also a "Monkey in the Sky" that costs three cents for two. This kind of cheap fireworks is also quite interesting. A small stick has a cartridge wrapped on it. After it is lit, it can

It flew into the sky with a long tail of fire, and also made a sharp whistle.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this that the common people associate it with Sun Dasheng, who soared in the clouds and mist, so it got its name.

As for the others, they are popular fireworks such as "Cannon Double Lantern", "Night Pearl", "Nine Phoenix Chaoyang" and "Box Flowers" placed on the ground.

These varieties are easy to make and expensive, which should be the main reason why fireworks manufacturers have been keen on producing them. Everyone should have set off them, and there is really nothing to introduce.

Needless to say, from Hong Yanwu's point of view, he has long passed the age when he is most interested in setting off firecrackers. Buying firecrackers is just for good luck, and if he is allowed to set off firecrackers, he will be afraid of trouble. So the whole thing is a thousand-shot "big crack whip"

"Of course it was my first choice, and I bought Bagua without saying a word.

In addition, he still had a bit of nostalgic interest in "Mouse Shit" and "Monkey in the Sky", so he also bought two hundred of them.

Finally, it was necessary to take care of the interests of Chen Liquan, his nephew and the whole family. So Hong Yanwu bought another two thousand "small whips" for Hong Jun and a hundred ring of five-cent "two kickers" for Chen Liquan.

.I also bought eight of the most expensive “box flowers” ​​for the whole family to enjoy.

All in all, Lao Hong's family wasted no time in exchanging firecrackers for cannons, and spent an unprecedented eighty-six yuan on fireworks.

At this point, the whole "Busy Year" has come to a perfect end. The two adults and one child were full in their arms. They happily drank a bowl of "Lotus Root Noodles" in the snack bar next to them, and then returned home satisfied.

Home.

Unexpectedly, I was scolded not long after I entered the house.

Because just when Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan called Hong Yanru after school, they were dumping all kinds of New Year's goods into the east courtyard, and just when Hong Jun was running around the courtyard with his newly purchased submachine gun, Hong Yanwu's eldest brother came home from get off work.

Hong Yanzheng had a bad temper. When he saw that he had bought so many things, and when he heard that it was Hong Yanwu who paid for them, he became anxious when he stood in the courtyard. He immediately put the bicycle he was pushing aside and pulled Hong Yanwu along anxiously.

He rushed into his east room.


This chapter has been completed!
Previous Bookshelf directory Bookmark Next