Back to 1979: Sending the Educated Youth’s Wife Back to the City

Chapter 147: Hatred of the Rich
Nothing much happened on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. Lin Yan definitely stayed home as long as possible, as it was freezing and snowy. Fang Mingche also tried to rest and recuperate at home.

On this day, the travel agency and the scrap yard both started working. Nowadays, there is no eight-day holiday, so they followed the date when Lin's father and Lin Yi's factory started working. Everyone in the travel agency, including Ning Anan, returned smoothly and greeted each other. The eighth day of the first lunar month has not yet passed, and it is still considered the New Year holiday.

Fang Mingche said that once Sister Qiu and Xiao Shen finished their current tours, they would arrange for a six-day holiday. Those working New Year's Eve and the first and second days of the Lunar New Year would receive six days off, while the third and fifth days would be off as normal. While winter vacation was still underway, part-time university students like Lao Cheng and Xiao Xu would be used as guides for the five-day tours. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to staff the tours. As for the driver, Wang Dexian had found another retired driver.

As the office manager, Lingzi's first order of business is to arrange for days off. She checks the calendar and the dates for her part-time work, sorting things out. Then, jokingly, she says, "Deputy Director Wei, please notify everyone. If adjustments are needed, let me know." As she does so, she passes her schedule across the desk.

Wei You just finished a phone call, and now he has to practice speaking. Since Teacher Qiu and Lingzi are beside him, he has the courage to communicate with the foreign tourists who called to consult. At this moment, he took the call with anger and amusement, "I just got here, and I'm still in the internship period. What kind of deputy director is this?"

"It's my first day at work and I'm Director Zhou, but I don't have a single soldier under me." Lingzi's full name is Zhou Ling.

Teacher Qiu smiled and said, "Let me see how many days Qiu Yin can take off. She can take nine days off, which is not bad."

Wei You quickly took it to him. From Fang Mingche on down, everyone in the travel agency respected Teacher Qiu very much. This was also one of the reasons why he felt comfortable staying here.

The old man was relieved. Paying more attention to teaching was better than anything else. His mental state has been improving over the past three months. However, he was still thinking about what Fang Mingche had told him, that his situation would be clear in the first half of this year. After the first half of this year, there are only four months left!
When he asked again, Fang Mingche said, "Just wait. Some things won't be announced to ordinary people like us until the very end."

Liu Qingfeng is seriously searching for a second scrap shop location. He did some searching before the New Year, mainly to show off to Secretary Qu and the others. But he couldn't find many suitable locations back then. This time, he wants to find two more options and finish the land reclamation and renovation by February. Opening in March!
Now that Hu Yong and his team were in a slump, he was going to ask them if they were still willing to go. If they were willing, he could save a lot of trouble because they were familiar with the business. However, if they were not willing, he would have to find someone else. After all, Hu Yong and his team had made over a hundred yuan a month from their previous food business.

The wages for land reclamation and renovation are definitely not very high. College students who can work as English tour guides during winter vacation only make five yuan a day. What they are given is only two yuan a day, which includes two meals with meat.

As for Huo Chen, he rode his tricycle straight to the Overseas Chinese Apartment as soon as he got to work on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. He also took a few homemade leaf cigarettes with him to give to the security guard at the door.

When he was on break, he went to the Overseas Chinese Apartment to have a look. He found that the community was indeed good, with a guard at the door and security inside. The community environment was like a garden landscape, and everything was clean. Of course, there is no free lunch in the world, and he still had to pay 8 yuan in property management fees every month.

At that time, Huo Chen was chatting with the guard and giving him cigarettes, but he said he was not used to it. So this time he brought leaf tobacco. Teacher Fang told him to ask Geng Shan to reimburse him for any expenses, but he was too lazy to buy a few leaf tobacco.

Because of the previous preparation, today he went straight to the gatekeeper and greeted him. He then set up his stall at the designated location a certain distance from the gate.

People were coming in and out of the Overseas Chinese Apartment. He saw his stall, and the cardboard held between bamboo poles, with the words "junk goods" written on it: scrap metal, old cardboard, glass. The prices were clearly marked on them.

However, the tricycle was immaculately kept, and Huo Chen himself was also immaculately kept. It didn't seem offensive at first glance, especially since the handwriting was quite beautiful (it was written by Gao Xiang). This was his first day at work after the promotion, and he was still very attentive. Of course, the promotion, salary increase, and commission wouldn't start until March 1st. But work felt more rewarding now!

By the time Fang Mingche took his daughter over on his bicycle, Huo Chen had already opened the shop and was weighing waste cardboard.

Fang Mingche looked at the car. Wow, half of it was already taken. After the scrap dealer left, Huo Chen said, "Teacher Fang, you're right. The people who live here are willing to throw things away."

Moreover, they are freshly taken out from home, not picked out from the garbage dump, and are all clean.

Fang Mingche said, "This is considered a wealthy area in the capital, so this is normal. Okay, then you go ahead and get busy. I'll take the copper."

Huo Chen nodded, "Okay."

Yanyan waved, "Goodbye, uncle!" She had never seen this uncle before and didn't know his last name.

"goodbye!"

Huo Chen's square face is usually very serious, but today he still has a smile on his face when facing the guests. This is what Fang Mingche told him before, asking him to pay attention. However, he can't smile too much. He was asked to come because he was a soldier, and his temperament is a little different from ordinary people, so he looks more reliable. If he smiles too much, he will be out of shape.

At this moment, he naturally smiled and waved to Yanyan.

Geng Shan brought back a cart of vegetables and eggs at night, but now there is only one cart full. This was from the two nearby villages. Farmers don't have much vegetables to sell at this time of year. Zhu Dahai couldn't get enough, so he simply didn't go to pick up the vegetables. He asked his cousin to deliver them. But this time he made it clear that he didn't get any salary, so his cousin got a share of the money for doing these things, not just the money.

Seeing Geng Shan coming back, Hu Yong and his four friends, two people from the next door compound, and Sister Cui and Xiao Xie all came over immediately, not wanting to get less. Only Han Mei, as a close relative, was guaranteed 100 eggs a day. Now it was Lin's mother who was in charge of distributing vegetables and eggs, and she would definitely take care of her daughter-in-law.

The group of people split the 100 eggs and quickly made the distribution. Usually there is a certain ratio. If there is less, each store will have a smaller number.

They counted the eggs themselves; no one in the neighborhood would steal a few eggs. The most important thing was that they were well-respected, and they couldn't afford to be embarrassed if someone came to question them. Lin's mother weighed the vegetables for them individually, then collected the money and kept track of the amount.

Xiao Xie was the last to leave. She said to Lin Yan, "Those people wouldn't let me participate in the tasks assigned to me by the Model Courtyard. It's said that those of us who run businesses are the ones who deserve the title of Model Courtyard."

Those are all manual work, and you can do them at home. After they are done, they will be handed over to Aunt Yuan for inspection. If they pass the inspection, they will wait to hand them in and share the money. But the other residents in the compound directly excluded the few households doing business this time. They said that they all made a lot of money, so they should not compete with their neighbors for such an opportunity to make a little money.

Most of the people who didn't do business had a unanimous opinion. Aunt Yuan had no choice but to say that the minority should obey the majority. Almost all the families who had been willing to install water pipes on their own were excluded. As a result, the remaining families would naturally get more manual work.

For the first time, Lin Yan directly understood what Fang Mingche meant by hatred of the rich. It was reflected in such a small place. On weekdays, the neighbors in the compound and the neighbors outside would greet her politely as "Teacher Lin", but she really didn't understand it.

Xiao Xie said, "If they greet you face to face, they will definitely be polite to you. Everyone knows that your family is the most prosperous in the area now. Even if you still owe a lot of debt, you must be making a lot of money. But you can only know a person's face but not his heart. Who knows if they are dissatisfied in their hearts?"

Lin Yan nodded, sensing Fang Mingche's deeper purpose behind writing the IOU for the three rooms in the main house. Their monthly income would surely exceed ten thousand by April, so this matter needed to be kept a secret. She wouldn't even tell her own mother! These days, earning over ten thousand a month is incredibly frightening; there's no telling what kind of consequences it might bring. Mingche said he'd buy a better house and move out of the compound when he could afford it. It seemed necessary.

She said, "Forget it. Those manual jobs don't make much anyway, so just give them to them."

"The problem is, in the future, if there are any good things that we clearly deserve, should we give them to them?" Xiao Xie was still angry.

Lin Yan said, "With the gap between the rich and the poor, it's actually best not to live together. After you send Aunt Gao to the hospital for a thorough checkup and treatment, save money to buy a house. A 8000-square-meter house in Tuanjiehu Community for more than 52 yuan can be your goal. It won't be as noisy as living in a slum. Or, if you don't want to be far away from here, there are a few houses for sale in the slums nearby, you can also take a look."

Xiao Xie was stunned. Buying a house? 8000 yuan? Their family's annual income was just over 2000 yuan, and the key was how much money their mother-in-law would have to spend. But it would be great if they could actually buy their own house. Currently, the three of them paid Grandpa Gu 10 yuan in rent each month.

Lin Yan said, "As long as your teacher Gao is still working with us, we can do it just like buying a bicycle. Look at me and Ming Che, we have moved into a house first, and then slowly pay back Mr. Gu's money."

Hearing this, Xiao Xie pursed her lips and smiled. Gao Xiang was the accountant of the scrap yard and the travel agency. She must have known that the couple was pretending to be poor. But it was also because she was tight-lipped that Gao Xiang told her about it as a joke.

Xiao Xie returned home with half a box of eggs. When she got home, she said to Gao Xiang, "We have to be more careful about how we keep them hidden from you in the future."

Gao Xiang said, "You, my mom, and I haven't been very ostentatious. Besides, how big a business do you have? It's just selling eggs. They're probably targeting me. Some people are sarcastically saying that I'm collecting multiple salaries. Actually, it's because many people in the compound know that Xiaofang and Xiaolin's income is definitely much higher than theirs. But a small grass won't be jealous of a big tree. It's impossible to be jealous. Besides, Xiaofang went to the military compound for a banquet a few days ago, and everyone will unconsciously feel awe of him. Our family used to be the worst off in the whole compound, but now we're doing better, but not too much. We're still within the scope of their jealousy."

In fact, in the past few years when the Gao family was having a hard time, the neighbors in the compound were willing to lend a hand. But now, seeing the couple working hard to get rich, they feel a little unbalanced.

Xiao Xie said, "So, there's no point for that couple to pretend to be poor? Everyone knows they're well-off. Humph, they don't dare to envy the truly wealthy, but they're coming after us!"

"Yes, why is it meaningless? They pretend like this, and when others know they're still in debt, they feel more balanced. Otherwise, they might not envy them, but they might hate them! They really make a lot of money!"

Xiao Xie thought about it and nodded. "Lin Yan just told me that people always laugh at those who don't have anything and hate those who have. Moreover, they hate the rich! She suggested that we buy a house and move out after Mom's treatment. They can lend us money just like they did for the bicycle."

Since Xiao Fang is doing so well, her teacher Gao will definitely stick with her. Regardless, whether she continues to study at a university or goes out to teach, her income won't be very high. However, it would be best if she could teach at a university, so that she has more free time.

Gao Xiang thought for a while, "Buying a house and moving out of the compound is a good idea. I suspect that if they have better options in the future, they will probably move out. After all, there are many people in the compound and they are talkative! Wait until the travel agency's official office is ready, then we can make plans nearby."

Xiao Xie nodded, that way the next generation won't have to rent a house anymore. Yan Yan already has a small yard under her name. OK, there's a new goal.

At 3:30 pm on the eighth day of the first lunar month, Fang Mingche took Master He's car to the train station to pick someone up. The train was due to arrive at 4 o'clock. There was just enough space for him, his parents, Brother Mingfeng, and the child. The child sat on the adult's lap. There was no other way. A business car could not be dispatched at this time. He could only squeeze in like this! For this reason, he didn't even dare to bring Yanyan.

At home, Lin's mother was adding water to the tin pot and getting it ready for the fire. After several days and nights on the train, she definitely wanted to clean up and freshen up. Even in winter, she felt the same. As for that room, after adding the water, she was ready to check if anything was missing.

Originally, these chores should have been Lin Yan's. But she was seven months pregnant, and her large belly was making it difficult for her to do them. Lin's mother must have taken them all on herself. During her time living here, her son-in-law treated her with respect and even gave her pocket money. It wasn't a big deal for her to do some work.

She looked at her daughter, who was already having difficulty moving around. "I think Mingche is right. You should take a leave of absence from school starting next semester. You can resume your studies around this time next year. We're all worried if you go away like this. Besides, you can only study for a little over a month, at most two, and you're still half-baked. And then there's the uncertainty of giving birth, and the due date isn't always right. Your belly is so big, your teachers and classmates will be worried that you'll give birth in class. Besides, your parents-in-law will be here for the next month. They rarely come over, and you're going to school with a big belly, leaving them at home?"

The son-in-law definitely doesn't have much free time, he has too many things to do. It's not good for the pregnant daughter-in-law to go to class on her own. After all, the two elders are in a strange place, and Yanyan is still too young.

Lin Yan thought about it and said, "Okay."

Yan Yan asked: "What is suspension of study?"

Lin Yan said, "I just need to stop studying for a while. It's only allowed when there are circumstances like Mommy's that shouldn't happen. Grandpa and grandma will be here soon, so you need to be sweeter."

"I see." Yanyan naturally didn't remember her grandparents after not seeing them for a whole year. However, their pictures were in the family album, so she would recognize them the moment she saw them.

Fang Mingche waited for about ten minutes at the train station. The train arrived on time. He waited at the exit.

Soon, his father came out with his mother, carrying the suitcase he had brought home. Brother Mingfeng was walking behind them, carrying a large suitcase and holding Fang Tong's hand. Fang Tong was wearing a small furry coat, which looked very warm.

Fang Mingche wrote a letter asking his parents not to bring too much stuff, and even the New Year's goods they prepared were sent by his brother at his own expense. Thank God, this time they finally listened to him. They brought everything from home to save money on the way and when they arrived.

Fang Mingche remembered that whenever his father went on a long journey, he would carry his luggage on a shoulder pole. Well, one side was the luggage, the other half was food and rice, and he also brought a small pot.

He didn't take a car, but traveled on foot. Wherever he was hungry, he would pick up some bricks and stones to build a stove and cook. Then he would eat the food with the roadside dishes. The so-called roadside dishes are dishes that are saltier than usual and are taken with him on the road. The saltier the dishes are, the more they need to be eaten with rice, and the more important thing is that they can be preserved. But he tasted them secretly once, and they were too salty.

Although it takes more time, it saves money on travel expenses and meals. If he wants to stay, he can just sleep in a dormitory in a hotel. This is his father's only experience of traveling far, but the farthest he can go is to the city. So when the train reaches the city, he can go back by himself. He can even walk back!

As for his mother, a typical rural woman, she had never traveled far. She had only been to the county town. That was why he urged them to follow Brother Mingfeng to the capital.

Fang Mingche raised his hand and waved. Fang's father and mother, who were looking at the exit, saw it and their eyes lit up. As soon as they got off the train, they felt that the capital was much colder than Sichuan. Sichuan was starting to warm up, but the capital was still like the middle of winter. Fortunately, Mingfeng reminded them to put on more clothes when they got off the train. They added another sweater, which was knitted by the whole family with pure wool yarn bought with the money sent by their youngest son this winter. It was made with a Yuanbao needle and was very thick! But it seemed a bit too much at this time, and the outer coat was bulging.

Fang's mother shouted happily: "Mingche——"

When they came out, Fang Mingche reached out and took the box from his father's hand, "Mom and Dad, come this way. Brother Mingfeng, thank you for your hard work!"

It must not be an easy task to bring these two old stubborn people who are reluctant to spend money along with them.

Fang Mingfeng smiled and said nothing. He only said, "Tongtong, call Uncle Jiu!"

Calling Mingche Uncle is not intimate enough. People from the Eighth Route Army can also call him that. Yanyan even calls herself "Fourth Uncle".

Father Fang said, "Yes, yes, yes, he is indeed the most important person in our family."

Fang Tong tilted his head to look at Fang Mingche and shouted directly: "Uncle Jiu——"

She speaks Mandarin quite well, and her cousin's wife has been letting her listen to the radio this semester. It's true that children learn languages more easily.

Fang Mingche touched her head and said, "Let's go to Uncle Jiu's house and rest first. After dinner, Uncle Jiu will drive you back."

Fang's mother asked, "Where did you get the car?"

She was still holding Fang Kang's hand. This was within Fang Mingche and Lin Yan's expectations. Spring plowing and sowing were next, and the family was busy. Fang Jian and Fang Fang had to go to school and could help out somewhat. It was perfectly normal for Fang Kang, who was over three years old, to be brought along; he didn't even need a ticket. Otherwise, who would watch over him at home? Such a young boy was a playful child, and if he bumped into something, it would be troublesome.

"I rented it. I opened a foreign travel agency. During the day, I took foreign tourists to the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and other places. At night, I can use it."

Mr. Fang raised his eyebrows, but he was not very energetic after just taking the train, so he didn't say anything.

Fang's mother said to Fang Kang, "You call your uncle too. Well, you call him 'young dad.'"

In the past, he was called Second Uncle, which didn't match Fang Tong's calling him 'Ninth Uncle'. So he just called him 'Little Dad', which immediately showed that he was closer.

Fang Kang was usually a bit naughty at home, but this was his first time going out, so he looked a bit timid. After being poked by his grandmother twice, he whispered, "Dad——"

The box in Mr. Fang's hand was taken over by his youngest son, who simply bent down and picked up his grandson.

Fang Mingche responded, "Kang Kang is here. Let's go home first!" and walked towards the parking lot.

When Fang's father and mother saw the car, they hurriedly said, "No, no, why are you sitting in this?"

I've already said that we can rent a car to take Mingfeng and his daughter home at night, so it can't be our own car. Why waste this money? If it's not far, they can walk back, and if it's far, they can take a bus. The public car is always cheaper.

Fang Mingche said, "This is Master He from our alley. He just dropped me off here. I'll definitely take his bus back home. The bus stop is still outside, and there's no way to get to my house."

Mr. Fang was shocked and said, "What? You came here alone in this car?" This is too wasteful!
"Master He has been waiting for a while. If you don't sit down, you will just waste his time. You still have to pay for wasting time."

Only after hearing this did Mr. and Mrs. Fang agree to sit down.

Fang Mingche arranged for Fang Mingfeng to take Tongtong to sit in the front passenger seat. Tongtong was five years old and not that big, so it was no problem for him to sit on his father's lap.

There were only four of them sitting in the back seat. After putting the suitcase in the trunk, Fang Mingche took Fang Kang from his father's lap and put him on his own lap.

Fang Kang had forgotten about him again. He didn't want to sit on a stranger's lap, but he didn't dare to resist. He was a little stiff. He just looked at his grandparents, but they always seemed to be accommodating to his every request. This time, they ignored his request for help.

Fang Mingche ignored him and said directly: "Everyone sit down, Master He, let's drive. Okay, drive past the Tiananmen Gate Tower." His parents must be particularly yearning for this place.

Sure enough, when the car passed by the tower, Fang's father and mother both leaned against the car window to look at it, at the tower and at the portrait of Chairman Mao hanging on it.

Father Fang asked, "Where is the memorial hall?"

"Over there, go back and rest first, and come over to see it tomorrow. It's not far, just one kilometer. The memorial hall is about to close now, so you won't be able to queue up."

Father Fang looked at the small number of people queuing over there and said, "Okay."

One kilometer was naturally reached quickly, and Master He parked the car directly at the gate of the small side courtyard.

"Well, this small yard belongs to me and Ayan. Just go in after getting off the car."

"What?" Fang's father and mother exclaimed.

Fang Mingfeng said, "Uncle Qi, Aunt Qi, come in. Mingche has already bought this small side courtyard, but he still owes 4000 yuan. You can just live here peacefully."

After he said that, he opened the car door and put his daughter on the ground first.

Lin's mother, Lin Yan and Yan Yan heard the noise of the car and came out to greet them.

Yanyan looked at Fang Tong, feeling a little unfamiliar. She didn't have any photos of this Sister Tongtong at home. But she still smiled and said, "Hello, Fourth Uncle! Sister Tongtong, welcome——"

Fang Mingfeng also greeted Lin's mother and Lin Yan, "Yanyan is so cute. Tongtong, this is Aunt Jiu and her mother. Just follow Yanyan and call her grandma."

Fang Tong also called people one by one, and then couldn't help looking around.

The back door opened, and Fang Mingche placed Fang Kang on the ground. Fang Kang shivered slightly, feeling a bit cold even with his sweater on.

Lin Yan quickly stuffed the hot water bottle in her hand into his arms and said, "Here, hold this. Yanyan, say hello to Grandpa and Grandma! Then take your brother to the house to warm up first."

Don’t catch a cold as soon as you arrive!

But Fang Kang refused to follow Yan Yan at this moment. And with the hot water bottle in his arms, he was no longer cold.

Fang Mingche got out of the car and opened the door wider to make it easier for his parents to get out.

Fang's mother went downstairs first. Seeing Lin Yan, she said, "What are you doing out here? Come inside quickly. You have a serious cold and can't even take medicine."

Lin Yan said: "Mom, I'm fine. I've adapted to two winters." She was born and raised in the capital, and was much more useful than Mingche and his daughter.

Then, she asked about the prenatal checkup with concern. After receiving the reply that everything was normal, Fang's mother saw that her grandson remained silent and said, "This is your second sister. If your second sister wants to take you in, just follow her. Don't be so shy!"

Fang's father also got out of the car, and Yanyan hurriedly called out, "Grandpa, Grandma—"

After greeting everyone, Yanyan took Fang Tong and Fang Kang to her room, which was much warmer. The three younger ones went in first.

Fang's mother looked at Fang Tong and then at Yan Yan. They were both well dressed. Fang Kang looked very rustic! Moreover, Yan Yan had grown quite a bit taller after coming to the capital. She used to be about the same height as Kang Kang, but now Kang Kang only reached above her ears. It was obvious that she had eaten much better than Kang Kang this year.

Father Fang nodded, "Okay. This is my mother-in-law, hello! Hello! We just got here now, and I'm sorry to have troubled you with Ayan and Yanyan."

He looked at the small courtyard and actually felt that it was not very good. This small side courtyard was very similar to the servants' quarters he lived in when he was a long-term worker for a landlord when he was young.

Mother Lin said, "We are not outsiders, so you don't have to be polite, father-in-law."

My daughter and son-in-law were right, and they actually brought their grandson along. But it was fine if they just brought him to play. And since the two adults were gone, there was no one to look after the child during the busy farming season.

Fang Mingche and Fang Mingfeng took the box out of the trunk. Fang Mingche carried it directly to the main room, and Fang Mingfeng followed.

Lin Yan hurriedly said, "Come on, go inside. Mom and Dad, you guys stay in the east room of the main house."

So everyone went to the main room. The down jackets they bought for two large children and one small child were already hung in the closet.

The desks of the driver and the tour guide were empty. Lingzi and Wei You, who were at work, saw Fang Mingche's parents and quickly stood up to greet them, calling them uncle and aunt. Teacher Qiu also stood up.

Fang Mingche quickly introduced, "Mom and Dad, this is Mr. Qiu, an associate professor at Beijing Normal University. He's here as a consultant for the travel agency."

Teacher Qiu looked at Fang Mingche. He had been a school worker for many years. Associate professor, what year was that in the lunar calendar? Now Fang introduced himself to everyone as an associate professor at Beijing Normal University. He introduced himself to foreign tourists and to his parents.

When Mr. Fang heard that he was an associate professor at a university, he immediately showed respect. He quickly stepped forward to shake hands with Teacher Qiu and said, "Teacher, thank you for taking care of and helping my Mingche."

He didn't know much about travel agencies and consultants, but this associate professor was definitely a hired talent.

Teacher Qiu said, "Brother, it is your son who is taking care of me and helping me."

Fang's father was slightly taken aback. Fang Mingche said, "Dad, go inside first and we'll talk later. Teacher Qiu, you guys can get busy. And Lingzi and Wei You are also employees of the travel agency."

His father worked in the fields all his life and looked a few years older than his actual age. He thought it was hard to tell who was older between his father and Teacher Qiu.

Seeing Fang's mother staring blankly at the telephone on the table, Fang Mingche continued, "This phone belongs to Lingzi's family. Her uncle came back from the United States early last year and installed it. It's now used by the travel agency, and the neighbors call here. We'll pay the travel agency the price. It's just for show."

Fang's mother finally came to her senses. She said, "Well, I heard the initial installation fee for a telephone is five or six thousand yuan. It's shockingly expensive!" Furthermore, the Party Secretary said that without a certain administrative rank, one wasn't qualified to install a telephone.

Father Fang and Teacher Qiu said, "Teachers, you are busy, so we won't disturb you."

Several adults entered the house. Lin's mother did not go in, but went to the kitchen to watch the cooking of her soup.

Fang Mingfeng looked around the room and said, "Not bad, it's about 11 or 12 square meters, and it's quite comfortable to live in. Okay, Uncle Qi and Aunt Qi, you guys settle down first, I'll go find Fang Tong. I'm familiar with this place, Mingche and Lin Yan, you don't have to call me."

He took a look and left, leaving the family some space to talk.

Seeing Fang Mingche put down the box, Fang's father hurriedly asked, "How much did you pay for this yard?"

"8500, and I still owe Uncle Gu 4000." It wasn't that Fang Mingche wanted to hide it from his parents. But thinking about how they had robbed the rich and helped the poor in their previous life, they wished that he and his elder brother would share the wealth. He thought it was better to keep it a secret.

Fang's mother's face suddenly changed, "It's so expensive!" The houses in the county town are only 20 yuan per square meter. A better yard than this is only 2000 yuan per unit.

Father Fang said pertinently: "This place is so close to Tiananmen Square, it's normal for it to be a little more expensive."

As he walked in, he figured things out. If he couldn't buy a small side yard like this, could he still afford a large one? That would be a whopping price!

Fang Mingche opened the wardrobe and took out two down jacket liners. "Mom and Dad, put these down jackets on. I asked someone to get them in Shanghai. You'll need to take off one or two sweaters to wear them. Try them on first! You can wear these to climb Mount Everest."

Father Fang raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I know about that. It was publicized all over the country at the time. The first time it wasn't recognized internationally, but it was published a second time a few years ago!"

Fang Mingche said, "For various reasons, we were unable to obtain video footage the first time. But in fact, the foreigners climbed up themselves and found that the scene was consistent with the description of our team members who came down the first time, and they later admitted it. Come on, change it!"

Lin Yan stood up and said, "I'm going to go out and check on the kids. It's not good to leave Brother Mingfeng alone."

It was fine for her mother-in-law to undress in front of her, but her father-in-law certainly wouldn't undress in front of her, even if there were other clothes underneath. He was just like her own father, very particular about these etiquettes. The room was small, and there was no place to hide.

She supported her waist and walked out slowly.

When Mr. Fang heard that they were going to climb Mount Everest in this outfit, he took off his coat and two sweaters. Well, the outer sweater was new. The inner one was very old and didn't keep warm very well. He took off his coat and the old sweater, put on the new sweater as usual, and then put on his down jacket.

After putting it on, he said, "It's really quite warm, better than a coat and a sweater. Isn't it expensive?"

The big coat he took off was actually given to him by Fang Mingche before he went to Beijing last year. He had only made it for two years, and it was much warmer than his own coat.

Fang Mingche said, "It's not that these are expensive, it's just that it's not easy for us to buy them ourselves. I asked a high-ranking official's son to help us get them."

You can buy down jackets sold by Friendship Store to overseas Chinese and Chinese tourists, but they are very expensive. It is more affordable to buy down jackets from Shanghai Down Jacket Factory.

Fang's mother saw Fang's father change into something warm, so she changed into something too. She saw a smaller piece of clothing in the closet and said with relief, "We didn't tell you, how did you know Kang Kang was here?"

The old man said he forgot to mention it before and was too lazy to call again because it was expensive. Besides, we are a family and Kang Kang doesn't take up any space, so there's no need to buy a ticket. You'll see when you get there.

Fang Mingche said, "You are here to look after Kang Kang for your brother and sister-in-law, and we are doing spring plowing and sowing at home. You will definitely bring him along! It's okay, he is in the room right now, where he can warm himself by the fire. We can change him later. I didn't light the stove for you because I thought you two elders don't have the habit of warming yourself by the fire."

Father Fang felt his body and found that the lining of his down jacket could be pushed down and still bounce back up.

"It's very warm now. There's no need to light the stove, which would create a temperature difference between inside and outside. Ah Yan, you should also tell her to be careful and warm herself by the fire in the house, and remember to put on more clothes when she goes out."

Fang Mingche picked up the kettle and poured the hot water into the newly purchased washbasin. He also bought them three new towels.

"Mom and Dad, wash your faces, scald your feet and take a rest first. I'll call you after dinner. We'll arrange a bath tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock when the weather is best."

Nowadays, there are no heated bathrooms, so I have to take a shower as soon as they arrive, worried that they won’t be able to adapt to the temperature difference and catch a cold.

"it is good!"

After he left, Fang's mother sat on the bed and tried it out. "The bedding is very thick, it will definitely be warm when sleeping. Oh, this house is ours." The more she thought about it, the more comfortable she felt!

She didn't know much about the travel agency outside, but it was a great thing to have such a separate yard. Even in the county town, this was a great thing. The yards better than this were not prepared for ordinary people. Not to mention that this was the capital, and it was so close to Tiananmen Square.

Mr. Fang nodded. He agreed that this was a good idea. He just felt bad about still having to pay 4000 yuan. No one in the older generation of Chinese was happy to be in debt.

However, after several days of continuous train travel, even in a sleeper berth, he felt a little tired. He sat down to rest, and Fang's mother took care of him, washing his face and soaking his feet.

"This towel is so soft! Let's just use the one we brought to wipe our feet." They used it on the train, and it was depilated. If you wipe your face too hard, it will hurt. It doesn't matter if they are old, but Fang Kang's face is still tender.

After saying this, Fang's mother took the small down jacket liner and went to the side room to find Fang Kang, preparing to ask him to change into it and come over to warm his feet.

She went in and saw Lin Yan and Yan Yan warming themselves by the fire, both wearing thinner coats. Fang Tong's coat was also unbuttoned. Lin Yan also unbuttoned Kang Kang's coat. Inside was a newly knitted sweater, the same color for the whole family: black.

"Come here, Kang Kang, your father and mother bought you a down jacket, let's put it on. It's light and warm!"

Kang Kang was sharing roasted sweet potatoes with Yan Yan and Tong Tong, and didn't want to change at the moment.

Lin Yan said, "Forget it, Mom, just leave it here. I'll change it for him before I go out."

Fang's mother nodded, "Okay then. I'll go talk to your mother."

She saw her mother-in-law busy in the kitchen alone, so she walked over and said, "Mother-in-law, are you cooking dinner? I'll help."

Mother Lin said, "No, I'm making some tonic for Ah Yan. You should rest, rest quickly. Riding a train for several days and nights is really tiring. Besides, you don't have to cook dinner. The travel agency has a cafeteria. You can eat there when you get down! My old man and my son and daughter-in-law are coming over too. It's a rare visit for you, and my old man said he'd like you to come visit us in a couple of days."

Fang's mother was shocked and said, "Ah, such a small hotel, what kind of hotel, has a cafeteria? But I'm not tired, the sleeper we took can be used for sitting and sleeping. And there is one bed per person, so there are not many people."

Mother Lin said, "Yes, the cafeteria is in the alley ahead. The employees went there to eat, and a few will be back soon. The sleeper berths are good and much more comfortable. It's all thanks to Mingche's ability. He not only managed to get a letter of introduction to buy the berth, but he was also able to buy the plane tickets."

Fang's mother said, "I don't know what he is doing now. Forget it, let's wait for his father to ask him."

Since she didn't have to cook dinner, she went back to scald her feet. Gang Mingche said he had bought them all fur shoes, so they wouldn't be afraid of the rain. She scalded her feet to try and see which was warmer, the fur shoes or the ones she made herself, the 'chicken shoes' (cotton shoes made by herself, filled with cotton, looking plump like hens).

She went back to take off some hot feet and said, "They said there is a cafeteria, so I don't need to help with dinner."

Father Fang was very surprised, "There's also a cafeteria?"

"Yeah, he said some of his employees would be back soon and eat there. He's hired some people, right?"

Father Fang said, "This place is so close to Tiananmen Square, and he's just left it there openly without anyone coming to ask about it. I think he must have crossed the open road, so there's no problem."

(End of this chapter)