Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2760 Going Down to Southeast Asia (First Update, Please Subscribe)
He does not mean that.

After returning home that evening, Xu Liang kept thinking about this problem.

Brother, is he still alive?

Many things have changed now. In the last two years, more and more people have returned from abroad. Some people who were said to have died abroad have not only returned in good health, but have also become foreign guests.

It wasn't until this time that people learned that many people had been sent to the countryside, especially in Xishuangbanna. The prevailing opinion at the time was that many of them died there due to illness or other reasons.

But actually?
Because so many people went out, the farm leaders were worried that they would be implicated, so they often chose to conceal the truth and claim that the people died of disease.

These people are returning one after another, and amidst the joy and sorrow of every household, they can't help but feel a renewed sense of anticipation.

Right now, Xu Liang is thinking about whether his brother is still alive, just like them.

"If my older brother were still alive, our family would be able to live a good life."

Xu Liang thought this way because the living conditions of those with overseas connections had visibly changed.

Not only did every household start using appliances like washing machines, televisions, and refrigerators, but some people even became millionaires – those people had earned money abroad.

They're incredibly generous; they can easily spend one or two thousand yuan at a time.

In short, those people are rich.

That's why people now envy those whose families have overseas connections.

For this reason, Xu Liang also hopes that his family's overseas connections can bring tangible changes to their lives.

If possible, they could even sponsor their own studies abroad.

After all, he only works at a tea stall on the street, and at most he earns 10 or 8 yuan a month for living expenses.

Xu Liang longed to go to university abroad, but he failed the college entrance examination every year.

But that doesn't stop him from imagining studying abroad like everyone else.

Of course, this is all predicated on having someone to provide financial assistance.

For Xu Liang, the only possibility is that his elder brother can come back to life.

"But if my elder brother is still alive, why doesn't he come back?"

As this question flashed through his mind, Xu Liang felt a strange mix of anticipation and hope that his older brother would one day return.

Then their family's life will also undergo a dramatic change, just like everyone else's.

That night, Xu Liang couldn't help but think of his older brother, Qin Ling, and the beautiful face in the movie.

However, some things can only be dreamed about.

The next day, as soon as it was light, Xu Liang went to the tea stall as usual. This tea stall was set up by the street to accommodate unemployed young people who had returned from the countryside and had not yet been assigned jobs. The tea was small, but there were five or six people "working" there.

Tea stalls in winter usually have very little business.

As soon as Xu Liang arrived, someone on the other side started complaining:
"Liangzi, what's with all this talk about big bowls of tea on the street? At best, people only drink it when it's hot. In this freezing weather, who's going to come here for tea?"

Wei Dong's words prompted Wei Hong, who was standing nearby, to speak:

"That's right, the money they spend on burning coal all day is more than what we earn..."

The others also joined in the complaints, saying that no one would drink a big bowl of tea in the freezing winter.

"But how about this? As long as we set up this stall, we can at least earn a few dollars a month, right?"

Xu Liang's words silenced everyone. Yes, only by setting up a stall could they earn a few yuan a month; otherwise, they would have to stay at home and live off their parents.

The group chatted back and forth, and eventually, the conversation drifted to overseas countries.

People say that someone has overseas connections and someone has come back to visit relatives; they say that someone has gone abroad.

As they spoke, their voices were full of envy and longing.

"Do you remember that kid Qi Wei?"

As Wei Dong spoke, he rolled a large cigarette out of tobacco leaves and newspaper. He was a heavy smoker and couldn't afford to smoke cigarettes, so he had to go to the outskirts of the city to buy tobacco leaves and roll them himself.

"Didn't that kid go abroad last year?"

"Yes, a friend of mine lives in the same hospital as him. He said he studies there and does odd jobs, earning a couple hundred yuan a week."

"What! One or two hundred?"

Wei Hong asked in surprise.

"You're just bragging."

"One or two hundred is the lowest."

Wei Dong took a deep drag on his cigarette and then said:
"I heard that even sweeping the streets there can earn you over 1000 yuan a month. Otherwise, how could those people who come back from there be so generous, buying big color TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and other appliances for their homes..."

"More than 1000!"

Xu Liang took a deep drag of his cigarette and then said:
"A division-level cadre only earns about a hundred yuan a month."

"That's different."

Wei Dong glanced at him, then said:
“In Pigeon City, one Nan Yuan can be exchanged for about 3 yuan, and even then, you might not be able to get it.”

"Yeah yeah,"

Wei Hong also wholeheartedly agreed, saying:

"These days, everyone wants to study abroad there. All you need is to provide financial guarantees for a few years. But that requires foreign exchange, which is why Nan Yuan is so expensive—because it's so rare!"

"Studying abroad..."

Xu Liang looked into the distance with a hopeful tone and said:
"It's a pity we don't have that kind of luck; that would cost tens of thousands of yuan."

One sentence plunged everyone into silence again. They sat quietly at the tea stall, staring blankly into the distance.

Suddenly Wei Dong said.

"I don't have tens of thousands of yuan, but what if it's a few thousand yuan?"

"We don't even have a few thousand yuan." "Exactly! What kind of family are we? We're so frugal, we practically have to stretch every penny. How could we possibly save any money?"

But what if—

Wei Dong looked at the people around him and then said:
"If we had a few thousand dollars, we could get over there."

"Over there?"

"South!"

Wei Dong looked at Xu Liang and the others and said:

“When I was sent to the countryside, I met some people from Shandong Province. They said that as long as you have 2000 yuan, you can go to the south.”

His words startled Xu Liang and the others at first, then they asked in a tentative tone:

You mean smuggling?

Having watched many movies, Xu Liang immediately recalled some scenes from the films:
"That's risky, and you might not even be able to find a job once you get there."

"Yes, yes, I saw in the movies that they always check ID cards."

Hearing them say that, Wei Dong simply smiled and then said:
"In other words, it's either a matter of life or death... Either you stay here for the rest of your life, earning only 5 yuan a month to make ends meet, and sell tea from large bowls. Or you take the risk and go out into the world."

As he spoke, he took a sip of tea from a large bowl; the tea, brewed with tea leaves, was somewhat astringent and bitter. Then he took a deep drag on his pipe.

Wei Hong glanced at him and said:
"That's now. When it's hot, I make more than ten yuan a month."

Glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, Wei Dong didn't speak, but instead turned his gaze to Xu Liang and asked:
"Liangzi, don't you want to know where your brother is?"

Wei Dong's words plunged Xu Liang into silence.

They were all preoccupied with their own thoughts that day. They didn't sell many bowls of tea, but their minds were already heavy with worry.

After Xu Liang got off work that day, just as he was about to leave, Wei Dong said to him:
"Liangzi, let's go together."

After saying that, without waiting for his refusal, she left the tea stall with him.

On the way, Wei Dong asked again:
"How about Liangzi? Has he considered this possibility?"

"what?"

"Go south."

"what,"

Xu Liang paused for a moment, then said:

"You know my family's situation. There are several people in our family, and we all depend on my dad to earn money. How could we possibly come up with a few thousand yuan?"

“I know, my family is in the same situation. I have many brothers and sisters. If my mother hadn’t been making matchboxes every day, we probably wouldn’t even have enough to eat.”

Actually, everyone's family situation is pretty much the same. The whole family is crammed together, relying on one or two people working to make a living.

They lived a very frugal life.

"That's why I want to go out."

Wei Dong looked up and gazed into the distance:
"Otherwise, relying on selling big bowls of tea won't even be enough to get married and make a living. You might not even be able to eat your fill, and you only make 5 yuan a month..."

That's now... It's cold and nobody drinks it. Wait until summer... Xu Liang didn't say these words because he knew.

Summer only lasts a few months; we can't spend the rest of the year with our necks tied up.

“I asked my comrades in Shandong Province, and they said that if we want to go directly to the south, we have to take a large ship, but there are few large ships going that way. Moreover, the large ships are closely guarded.”

So, there's no guarantee of a chance. That's why they all go that way by fishing boat.

"To build a fishing boat?"

Xu Liang looked at Wei Dong with some surprise, and then said:
"Can we get there by fishing boat?"

"How big are fishing boats anyway?"

Wei Dong shook his head, then began to explain:

“Fishing boats definitely can’t get there, so they all go to South Korea first, then transfer to larger ships in South Korea, and smuggle themselves to Southeast Asia.”

"To South Korea?"

"Yes, it's South Korea."

Wei Dong turned to look at Xu Liang beside him and said:
"That's why we can afford to go. It only costs two or three hundred yuan to take a fishing boat from Jiaozhou to South Korea. We can go there first, work there for two years, and then go south."

Wei Dong's suggestion stunned Xu Liang. He looked at him in surprise and then said:
"Is this...is this okay?"

"Sure, why not?"

Wei Dong nodded vigorously, then said in a hopeful tone:

"If we don't give it a try, are we really going to spend our whole lives selling tea from big bowls here?"

Then he turned to Xu Liang and said in an extremely serious tone:
Do you want to live like this for the rest of your life?

Do you want to sell large bowls of tea for the rest of your life?

That night, Xu Liang kept thinking about this question.

I'll sell big bowls of tea my whole life!
He had really thought about it, not that he wanted to live like this, but that he was afraid this would be his whole life.

What can we expect if we don't sell large bowls of tea?

Are you hoping your dad will retire in a couple of years and then take over the business?

This was his only hope.

But he also has a younger brother!

What will happen to my younger brother if he doesn't get into university?
And so, Xu Liang stayed there all night, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, with only one thought in his mind—to go to Southeast Asia, to go to Southeast Asia.

(End of this chapter)