Chapter 4: The Spring Breeze of the Era

Location of the exit.

As Wang Ye looked around, suddenly a voice came from beside him:

"Hey, little brother, do you want a map booklet?"

"We have maps of the entire country, as well as maps of Shandong Province and Quancheng City. They're all inside."

"If you get one, it'll be convenient for you wherever you go!"

Upon hearing this voice, Wang Ye turned his head and saw a middle-aged man wearing a grayish-blue imitation Western-style jacket quietly asking him. As he spoke, he opened his jacket, revealing the pockets inside filled with crude map booklets the size of a palm.

Wang Ye, who had just been reborn into this era for about ten days, sometimes unconsciously overlooked certain issues, such as maps. After all, there were no smartphones or navigation systems in this era, so people relied on maps when they were out and about.

Even in the next thirty years, it was common for various vendors to sell map booklets at train stations. This continued until the rise of smartphones.

"How much?"

Wang Ye asked with some interest. The middle-aged man raised a finger and said:

"One yuan!"

In an instant, Wang Ye's expression stiffened with surprise, then he forced a wry smile. Looking at the middle-aged man, who appeared honest but also a bit cunning, he said:

"Come on, brother, why not just rob people? Selling a map booklet for one yuan? Do you think I'm a fool?"

As Wang Ye spoke, he pretended to flex his muscles under his shirt, revealing his quite muscular biceps. After all, in this era, those who worked with machinery often had to do physical labor. Over time, he had naturally developed his muscles. Combined with his height of over 1.9 meters, he had quite an imposing presence.

The reason for this action was quite simple. It was already 1982, and to put it bluntly, for someone like Wang Ye, traveling alone, encountering forced sales or purchases at the entrance of the train station was not impossible; in fact, it was very likely. Thus, Wang Ye wanted to show off his muscles.

"Hey, young man, what are you talking about? Robbery is illegal, and you'll end up in jail!"

"I thought you looked familiar, so I'll give you a discount. How about seventy cents? Since you sound like you're from the north, I'll sell it to you at cost. Is that okay?"

With Wang Ye's gesture, the middle-aged man quickly waved his hand and said. After a brief pause, Wang Ye said:

"One dime! That's all the change I have."

"Alright, alright, fine. If not, forget it. I'll just ask someone for directions. It'll just be a bit of lip service!"

In Wang Ye's view, for the crude map booklet he displayed, it was worth at most ten cents, so he directly quoted that price.

After all, the average first-level worker who had just started working only earned twenty to thirty yuan, and seventy cents could buy a catty of good pork or a newspaper. Magazines ranged from twenty to fifty cents.

"I doubt he'd sell it to me for a dime."

"Anyway, I'll just wander around Quancheng and then head to the factory. This map is useless."

"I'll save where I can. With just one dime, I could buy several big steamed buns!"

As Wang Ye's thoughts flashed through his mind, a robust voice suddenly came from not far away:

"Comrade Wang Ye? Are you Comrade Wang Ye?"

"No? Sorry! Sorry!"

Wang Ye looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young soldier in a greenish-yellow military uniform holding a wooden sign, similar to what a leader holds during a sports event's entrance ceremony. The red paper pasted on it had Wang Ye's name written in vigorous black brushstrokes. He was accosting a young man coming out of the station.

Seeing this scene, Wang Ye guessed that the young soldier must be there to pick someone up. He glanced down at the map booklet in his hand, feeling more and more like a troublemaker.

"Hello, comrade."

"I'm the Wang Ye you're looking for."

After a moment of silence, Wang Ye strode over and said to the young soldier.