Take Arada back to the past

Chapter 830, Sherlock Holmes

Wang Qiuju already knows about Yang Ziming's situation.

They quickly hid the money.

Then he asked, "Um... what should I give the child tomorrow? Why don't you go and see if you can still buy a gold lock?"

Yang Xiaole smiled and said, "Just give the two children Jin Suo; the gifts have already been prepared for you. As for the daughter-in-law, just give her two red envelopes, 888 each."

Hua Yourong and Huang Qiujing are so wealthy that they no longer care about the value of these things.

Just express your intention.

Wang Qiuju had no objection to 888.

These days, getting married in the city requires a watch, a bicycle, a sewing machine, plus shirts, shoes, socks, cosmetics, and other household items. It'll easily cost one or two thousand yuan.

Moreover, the bride price in the city is now basically around 880.

That's really not a lot.

"Okay! Your dad and I will go tomorrow."

That’s settled.

Seeing this, Yang Xiaole added, "Don't bring up their household registration anymore. If you have nothing better to do, you can buy a few houses in the city. Just tell me if you need money. You can get a lot of houses from the demolition compensation later."

Houses are really cheap these days.

The new apartment only costs two or three hundred yuan per square meter.

These secondhand courtyard houses only cost a few dozen yuan per square meter.

Wang Qiuju thought for a moment and asked, "Will there really be a lot of demolitions and relocations in Beijing in the future?"

"Yes, a lot! This is the path that urban planning must take. Haven't you seen Shenzhen? They've already built a lot of high-rise buildings there."

Yang Xiaole said casually.

Hearing this, Wang Qiuju pondered it over.

He then said, "Okay, I'll go take a look when I have time!"

Yang Xiaole hummed in agreement, but didn't say anything about not allowing publicity.

Now that his source of income is normal, he has nothing to fear.

However, he felt that given his mother's personality, she would probably say yes to the first person, but not necessarily the second.

As I was lost in thought, the outside world began to bustle again.

The door was now open, and Wang Qiuju peeked out and said, "It's probably Grandpa Wang's second son who's here to talk about household registration."

Not everyone's household registration has remained unchanged.

Now everyone is rushing to move back.

The current demolition work experience is not very sufficient. If it were in a future era, they would give advance notice to prohibit things such as household registration transfer and house construction.

Then they will notify you about the demolition.

Of course, even if this were done, there would still be people who would use connections to prepare in advance.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Similarly, at that time, the common people were inexperienced and relatively simple-minded, and they knew their limits when it came to taking advantage of others.

Take houses for example, no one has ever thought of turning their single-story house into a two-story building.

Or perhaps we could add a small kitchen next to it.

After all, people were encouraged to build their own houses before.

I feel like I've already gotten a good deal.

Changing one's household registration is a borderline case, but not too outrageous.

……

Yang Xiaole didn't worry too much about what happened in the compound; no matter how you looked at it, their family had the most houses.

As for the demolition, it will take some time.

It's already the end of the year.

It's estimated that the house won't be ready for at least a year.

"Hey, Xiao Le, your ID card has arrived. Your older brother brought it back for you. When you applied for it, I didn't write your address, I wrote ours, because I was worried that it wouldn't be considered yours if there was a demolition!"

His mother handed him an ID card.

Yang Xiaole took it and looked at it.

This is the first generation of ID cards. It is sealed with polyester film, a single-page card, and has a 15-digit code. Except for the fixed template which is printed, the rest are filled in by hand.

It wasn't the 18 people of later generations, but 15.

Last year, Beijing had already started pilot programs.

The first batch consisted of 380 people, and the scene was quite lively.

With an ID card, one can prove their identity, making things much more convenient when checking into hotels, withdrawing money, and buying train tickets. After that, there's no longer a need for neighborhood committees to issue letters of introduction to prove one's identity.

This will make things much more convenient.

I put the things away.

They then started talking about getting married in the summer.

While busy picking vegetables, the mother said, "Your sister-in-law has bought everything that needs to be bought. It's your nephew's wedding, and your eldest brother is handling the arrangements. He said he won't have a banquet at home; he'll go to Yingbinlou Restaurant on Qianmen Street for dinner."

That restaurant is really high-end; this time it'll probably cost a lot of money again.

Yang Xiaole nodded slightly upon hearing this.

He didn't inquire about the specific details of the wedding, which was planned for summer, and he probably couldn't come up with a large sum of money on the surface.

But the money for the banquet is not a problem.

The main reason is that his position as the eldest brother prevents him from hosting a banquet at home. Nowadays, those who are slightly better off are starting to book banquets at restaurants.

"That won't cost much! It was opened by Hua Yourong, so we can just tell her not to charge us."

Upon hearing this, Wang Qiuju stopped and exclaimed, "Goodness, that's run by my daughter-in-law? How much must that cost?!"

During the conversation, she learned that both of her daughters-in-law were in business, but she didn't really know what kind of business they were in.

"Yes! She runs it, so if we need anything in the future, we'll do it there!"

Yang Xiaole said something casually.

Hua You Rong's businesses in mainland China extend beyond real estate; she also owns numerous hotels and restaurants.

Wang Qiuju hesitated for a moment upon hearing this: "What if Qu Ying runs into her then?"

Yang Xiaole was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.

Yes!

Hua Yourong is in Beijing; it would be so awkward if we ran into her.

However, with the wedding date approaching, many things have already been decided.

He then said, "She should be fine; she knows her limits!"

Seeing this, Wang Qiuju gave a soft "hmm": "Alright then, you decide for yourself. I just don't feel at ease."

Yang Xiaole chuckled.

They continued chatting there.

……

The two wild boys in the house didn't come back until it was almost time for dinner.

As for Xizi's family, they no longer eat at home.

Unfortunately, it's quite far.

Zhao Xiue teaches at Tsinghua University, and this summer she transferred her child to Tsinghua University High School.

It's too far from home.

The Civil Affairs Bureau in Xizi is not close to here either, about seven or eight kilometers away.

In addition, he was quite busy with work and rarely came back.

My eldest brother's children are all over the place. Xiao Qiu will graduate from university next year, and the youngest just started university this year.

They rarely come here.

Qu Ying was the one who came most frequently because her workplace was nearby, and Yang Xiaole's workplace was also in the district.

……

"Dad! Are you serious? Aren't the Russian bears afraid to mess with even bald eagles? How could they be starving?"

The two children were naturally curious about their father's trip abroad when they returned.

Hearing about the living conditions in the Russian side, they naturally didn't quite believe it.

Yang Xiaole smiled and said, "That's right! You've heard of Xiushui Street, right? The traders there go up north to exchange goods..."

Xiushui Street was a very well-known name in Beijing. Yueyue pondered for a moment upon hearing this, then asked, "Then...Dad, are you a trader too?"

Yang Xiaole laughed upon hearing this.

You could understand it that way too!

He naturally looked down on the small-scale dealings of middlemen, but it was a good option as a short-term explanation for the source of his money.

Yueyue was there, lost in thought.

The stars next to them seemed a little anxious.

"Dad, can you drive me around for a bit? Just one lap!"

Yang Xiaole looked at the two children; let alone the children, they were incredibly attractive to adults as well.

After thinking about it, I took the two kids for another walk.

That satisfied the little guy's curiosity.

When he returned home, Qu Ying was already there, setting out the dishes.

"You're back! I heard you bought a car?"

He greeted them with a smile when he saw them return.

Yang Xiaole walked in with a smile and went straight to the washbasin.

Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Yes, I made some money on this trip to the Soviet Union, so I bought a car. I just took the kids for a spin."

After washing and drying his hands, he came over.

Qu Ying nodded gently.

He laughed and said, "You're not going to become a speculator, are you? Although the Industry and Commerce Bureau neither opposes nor supports speculators, it's ultimately not legally permissible."

Seeing her mother's calm expression, Yang Xiaole felt much more at ease.

He chuckled and said, "I wouldn't call myself a middleman. The Production and Construction Corps was short of agricultural equipment, so I acted as a go-between, helping them buy some things from an agricultural machinery factory in the Soviet Union and earning a referral fee in the process!"

Qu Ying had already served him and the child their meals.

He hummed in response.

I casually asked, "I remember there are no import/export ports in Northeast China, so they shouldn't be able to do business directly with the Soviet Union. If they go through domestic trading ports, they wouldn't need you to act as a middleman. Would they need to use a company from another place? Like Hong Kong?"

As soon as these words came out.

Yang Xiaole was taken aback by the question.

Sometimes, being too shrewd isn't a good thing for a woman.

Every time she goes out, Qu Ying can transform into Sherlock Holmes and get straight to the point.

Yes!

The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps currently does not have its own import and export ports and needs to rely on other ports.

Moreover, if the import and export negotiations are conducted with the mainland, Yang Xiaole will have no say in the matter.

Therefore, there must be a foreign company acting as a middleman.

The most suitable option is naturally a company located on Hong Kong Island.

Yang Xiaole was only stunned for a moment before she immediately regained her composure.

He laughed and said, "Yes! You're so smart. But it's not a company in Hong Kong, it's a company in Macau."

He would never admit to being from Hong Kong Island, even if you beat him to death.

This is just walking into a trap!
Qu Ying's gaze remained fixed on the child washing his hands, and she didn't say anything upon hearing this.

Just then, Father brought a bottle of wine from inside the house, and Mother brought out the last dish.

"Hey, Xiao Le, Moutai has gone up in price by 1 yuan this year, but we don't need coupons anymore. Do you think the price will go up again? Should we buy some to store? I'm thinking that Xia Tian is the eldest grandson of the Yang family, and you're all prominent people, so why don't we use Moutai?"

My father walked over, holding a bottle of Moutai liquor, and said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaole looked at her father.

Previously, Moutai liquor always required coupons, and these coupons never ended up in the hands of ordinary people.

Over the years, he, his elder brother, and Qu Ying used all their Moutai liquor coupons to buy liquor for their father.

However, we didn't keep too much at home.

The father was willing to part with it.

As for not needing a ticket, that's a rather special case.

These past few years have been a period of adjustment for the national market economy.

This year, alcoholic beverages are no longer sold without coupons, but good wines still require coupons.

He recalled that the regulations for various supplies had changed frequently in recent years, including the system of whether or not coupons were required.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he smiled and said, "Sure! Anyway, it's only a dozen or so tables, it won't cost much. Let's buy more. I heard from the Industry and Commerce Bureau that they'll probably start collecting invoices for Moutai again in a few months, and the price will go up quite a bit!"

It is now the end of January 1986.

He recalled that the price of Moutai liquor was indeed deregulated in 86, but a large number of people from other places came to Beijing to purchase it.

This led to a large outflow of liquor from Beijing.

The Ministry of Commerce also found that there was still not enough liquor and urgently ordered a halt to production.

They didn't ask for any more wine tickets, but they did need 120 remittance certificates.

Currently, one remittance voucher costs about 1 yuan, and with the cost of alcohol, it comes to about 128 yuan.

From then on, Moutai disappeared from the sight of ordinary people again.

The remittance vouchers were implemented for a period of time.

It must have been around 88, the year the price controls were lifted and ticket collection was stopped.

The selling price was also fixed at 128 yuan.

There is no record of how long this period lasted, but it was the only opportunity for ordinary people to afford to buy alcohol.

At current wage levels, an average person can buy 8 to 10 bottles with a month's salary.

The father was surprised when he heard this: "Really? Then I'll go and buy a few more bottles."

As they talked, they poured themselves some wine, and the two of them started drinking.

Yang Xiaole smiled.

Of course, they wouldn't care. Anyway, there are plenty of old wines on Hong Kong Island, not just various wines from the mainland, but also wines from all over the world.

While eating, my father suddenly sighed, "Sigh, I'm getting old! I'm about to retire. In the past, there were always people to take over my work, but now there isn't even anyone to replace me."

These words startled Yang Xiaole.

Yes!

My parents are 60 years old this year, according to the traditional Chinese age reckoning.

I'll reach retirement age in the first half of next year, and it's time for me to retire.

However, his family members, including his children and grandchildren, are all successful, so there's no need for his job quota.

Pulling herself back to reality, she smiled and said, "Time flies! It's alright, you'll retire next year. If you're free, you can drive. I'll get you a taxi. Or you can do something else if you want."

Yang Guangzhi was, after all, strong and healthy.

Having nothing to do is also not acceptable.

I also learned to drive while working at the bus company.

Getting him a taxi to drive would help him pass the time.

But it doesn't seem to be possible right now.

Yang Guangzhi thought for a moment and said, "We'll see when the time comes!"

Seeing this, Yang Xiaole didn't press the matter.

The group was eating there.

"Hey, Xiao Le! I have something to tell you. I might be transferred to work in the Secretariat of the Communist Youth League."

Lost in thought, Qu Ying suddenly said something to him.

Yang Xiaole was taken aback: "When did this happen?"

"Not long! We were notified at the end of this year, and we'll probably be going there in the spring. The place isn't too far, it's on Pinganli West Street."

Qu Ying said calmly.

Yang Xiaole pondered upon hearing this.

Qu Ying used to work in the district; now that she's gone there, she's definitely been promoted.

They've entered an upward trajectory.

I estimate that after a few years, I'll be transferred to another province, which is inevitable.

(End of this chapter)