Chapter 313 The Sensation Caused by TV

Chapter 313: TV Causes a Stir

"Shan, push harder~" Su An put her back into it, pedaling the tricycle.

Following Su An's urging, Ren Shan leaned into it as the tricycle slowly climbed the slope. Once over the hill, it picked up speed.

"Come on, jump in."

Ren Shan climbed onto the tricycle and asked, "An An, you bought so much at once—Auntie will have a fit again."

Su An shrugged. "What’s there to worry about? She never goes to Ping An Trading anyway."

"Just keep mum. With this sweltering heat, having a fridge and a fan will make life so much more comfortable. We’ll unload some stuff at the shop first, then take the rest home."

Ren Shan caught her breath. "Alright, mum's the word."

"By the way, now that we’ve got a TV at home, half the street will probably come over to watch in the evenings. The more the merrier. Mom loves company."

Hearing Su An say "Mom," Ren Shan couldn’t hide her smile. "An An, I thought everyone was strapped for cash. But seeing how people were fighting over goods today, it seems living conditions are getting better."

"That Comrade Zuo is really something—cleaned up by bringing in so much stock at once. Must be making a fortune."

Su An, recalling the bustling scene in the shop earlier, was impressed. "Don’t just look at the profits. He probably invested a lot upfront. And these are major appliances—more complicated than our goods, with higher risks involved."

Ren San nodded, lowering his voice. "Sis, those two guys working in the shop earlier—they’re not to be trifled with."

"That short, dark one? He’s definitely got blood on his hands. Even though he was wearing a hat, I noticed a recent scar on his forehead, stitched up like a zipper. One wrong move, and he might not even make it back..."

When Su An’s loaded tricycle arrived on Fuqing Street, it unsurprisingly caused a stir.

Kids ran around spreading the news—Su Ping’s family had a TV! Soon, a crowd of neighbors crowded around to gape.

People pointed at the goods on the tricycle. "These things aren’t cheap, and they’re hard to get too. An An must have some serious connections."

"Hahaha, now we’ve got a place to hang out in the evenings!"

"An An, can you watch *Journey to the West*? Everyone at the factory’s talking about it. And *Several Degrees of Sunset*—Liu Xuehua is so beautiful!"

While directing people to help unload, Su An fielded questions with a smile.

When Wang Xiaocui returned with her cart, she spotted a crowd gathered outside her home from afar. Her stomach dropped, and she quickened her pace.

Da Bao’s grandma shouted from a distance, "Xiao Cui! Your family hit the jackpot! Bought a huge TV! And a big fridge, a fan, a rice steamer, and even a hair dryer! Wow, what luck!"

"What?" Wang Xiaocui’s eyes widened.

"My family?"

"Who bought all that?"

The neighbors chimed in. "An An did, of course! Xiao Cui, seems like your stall’s making good money, huh?"

Wang Xiaocui forced a smile. "Oh, please. Out in all weathers, before dawn and after dark—selling pancakes for pennies, how much can I really earn?"

"But my Ping Ping brings home a salary every month. An An and Shan Shan also run little side hustles. Not much individually, but with four incomes combined, we’ve managed to save a bit by scrimping and saving. And now the girl's gone and splurged—I hope she didn’t buy them on credit!"

Upon hearing this, the neighbors gathered around realized it was true—the family of four was earning money. With each person bringing in a few dozen yuan, they could easily save up two to three hundred a month, enough to afford a major appliance.

The best large fan, they heard, only cost two to three hundred, which a family of four could pool together in a month’s wages.

Da Bao’s grandma nodded. "Exactly, Xiao Cui’s family has four earners. With four salaries, they can afford a big fan in just a month.

That Ping Ping is built like an ox—he doesn’t come home till dark and comes back late at night, a real hard worker. He must be making good money too.

And An An, I’ve heard she has a stall at the square. Xiao Cui is also out early and back late, and there’s San too."

"But dragging all these things back home must’ve cleaned them out. They might even be in debt now."

As Da Bao’s grandma finished speaking, the way people looked at Su An’s family changed noticeably. There was still envy, but the hint of jealousy had vanished.

The large fan, nearly as tall as a person, was plugged in and began whirring, sending a cool breeze that had everyone smiling.

"So comfortable! This puts a hand fan to shame—no need to wave it yourself."

"Absolutely! If we had one at home, my kid could sleep soundly. With this fan blowing, even the mosquitoes would stay away."

"In this sweltering heat, I want one too. My husband keeps saying it’s too expensive, but I can afford two or three hundred. I’ll go buy one tomorrow!"

With that, the woman perked up and called out to Su An, "An An, where did you buy this? I’d like to bring one home tomorrow too!"

After speaking, she proudly scanned the crowd, lifting her chin higher as she saw their admiring gazes.

Su An, busy connecting the fridge to a power strip, replied, "It’s at No. X on XX Street—there’s a Happy Homes Appliance Store. You’ll see it as soon as you enter the street. Lots of people are there, so hurry if you want one. The prices are much cheaper than at the department store."

A woman in the crowd perked up. "Really? Cheaper than the department store? Then I’ll go check it out tomorrow too!"

Da Bao’s grandma chimed in, "Great, let’s go together—it'll be more fun together."

As dusk fell, the TV wasn’t hooked up yet, but many children lingered, refusing to go home for dinner. Some parents even brought their dinners over, chatting and watching the commotion.

TVs back then were simple—just connect the power cord and the antenna, and you were set.

The yard and living room were small, but the crowd was large. Seeing everyone’s excitement, Su An had her brother carry the family’s table outside, running a power strip to set up the TV by the door.

Soon, the entire Fuqing Street was alive with excitement. Neighbors came out carrying bowls and stools.

The TV’s picture quality was far from great, the sound crackled with static, and the images were blurry and in black-and-white.

Su Ping was jumping around like a jackrabbit, forever fiddling with the antenna pole.

But even such a TV was the main way folks got information and entertainment at the time.