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

Chapter 168: Difficulties
Fang Minghua sighed, "Of course I hope he can be like you, get into a prestigious university, and make a lot of money. But, it seems that he really is not cut out for study! I've beaten him and scolded him. His mother and I are not cut out for study."

Yuan Shufen looked at him. Why did he drag her into this? She had many brothers and sisters at home, so she had no chance to study.

Fang Jian felt that he could not bear the angry looks of the elders in the room, so he lowered his head silently.

As soon as his father came back, he asked about his grades, making him feel like he was being interrogated. It would be better if his father didn't come back! Eating meat can't make up for the damage he has suffered now.

Seeing this, Fang Fang didn't rush out. After all, they were born from the same father and mother, so she shouldn't go out and add insult to injury.

Her admission notice showed that she scored 100 points. Grandpa had already said that the family was much better off now. Even if she was a girl, as long as she could go to school, she would be supported. Fang Fang waved to Yan Yan and Kang Kang who followed her into the room. The three siblings sat down and listened silently to the adults outside criticizing and educating their eldest brother.

Fang Fang, being a girl, had her own little room. Fang Kang and Fang Jian shared a room. The two brothers were still young, so sharing a room was no big deal.

But if Fang Jian stays in the countryside to get married, there won't be enough rooms at home. Unless Fang Mingche's room is given to him as a wedding room, which is bigger than the one they live in now. That's how it was done in the previous life!

Of course, if your family is wealthy and can obtain housing land in this life, you can do things differently.

Fang Mingche thought for a moment. The nine-year compulsory education was only implemented in 1986, so there are still more than five years to go. Fang Jian has already finished the third grade this year. According to the current school system, he will graduate from elementary school in two years. Can't wait!
If he failed to pass the junior high school entrance exam in two years, he would have no further education. He would have to wait four years and register for junior high school again in 1986. But if his grades remained the same, his compulsory education would be almost over.

For the current factory recruitment, a junior high school diploma is enough. But in ten years, a junior high school diploma will not be enough. Will the teenagers go home to carry hoes and repair the earth? Or go out to work?
Father Fang said, "Jianwa, your father and your youngest father represent two different paths: not studying and studying. Think about it yourself, which path you want to take? You are the eldest grandson of our Fang family, and grandfather must be looking after you well. As long as you can study, your family will provide for you. But the prerequisite is that you have to study hard. There is no such thing as whether you are a good material or not. As long as you work hard, you can grind an iron rod into a needle. I never believed that there would be such a huge gap in intelligence between people with the same father and mother. Not to mention your father and your youngest father, the same goes for you and Fang Fang. If you don't study hard when you are young, you will regret it when you are old!"

As he spoke, he tapped his pipe and sighed.

He also felt that his words to his grandson were as bland as water. Some boys like to play and have fun, and some boys start to exert themselves only when they reach middle school. But if they can't even pass the junior high school entrance exam, they won't even have the opportunity to exert themselves in the later stage.

This time, if he still refuses to listen, he won't bother to care. Is it okay to force a cow to drink water? He will seriously train Fang Kang, just like he did with his second son when he was little.

Fang Mingche said: "Yes, think about what kind of life you want to live in the future!"

Fang Jian scratched his head. He must want to live a good life! Good food, good clothes, good drinks, a good place to live, and to marry a beautiful and hardworking wife.

Fang Mingche chuckled after hearing what he said. "An eight or nine-year-old kid, already thinking about getting married. Okay, let's assume that ten years from now you've married a beautiful woman. She asks you for money for groceries, or wants meat. What will you give her? Farming alone isn't enough to support your family and give them a good life. Oh, and you want to find a hardworking woman to serve you? What father would be willing to marry his beautiful, hardworking daughter to a lazy guy who can't make any money?"

This brat just graduated from primary school and had no more books to read. We couldn't let him go out into society like this.

However, although Fang Kang only attended primary school in his previous life, he was always restricted by his family. He made a living as a farmer all his life. But later, he was under great pressure and worked very hard. After middle age, he looked even older than his father.

One year during the Qingming Festival, while visiting his grandfather's grave, he confessed to himself that he regretted skipping classes and not studying hard as a child. Otherwise, if he couldn't get a job at a big company like Yanyan, he could at least get a secondary normal school education like Fangfang, without being laid off and having a stable income.

At that time, at the old man's grave, Fang Jian was truly in tears. Otherwise, Fang Mingche wouldn't have bothered to care so much, after all, his biological father and mother were there. Why did he, an uncle, reach out so much?
Fang Kang was a few years younger than his brother. When he graduated from primary school, nine-year compulsory education had already been implemented. He went to junior high school smoothly, then attended a vocational high school and was assigned to an electronics factory in the coastal area.

At that time, vocational high schools cooperated with factories along the coast to ensure that 100% of students were employed. They were sent to work as cheap labor. After that, you left the factory and made a living on your own, and it had nothing to do with the school. The school arranged jobs for you.

That was in 1995. Initially, the salary was said to be 500 RMB per month, including food and lodging, but the overtime was frequent. This guy started working there not long before he was assigned to work as a security guard at a dance hall, earning nearly RMB per month.

As a result, he got lucky and was noticed by a widowed female boss who was 11 years older than him because of his heroic act of saving a beautiful woman. She even married him. She just wanted him to be good-looking and provide emotional value. She didn't dare to have affairs outside.

Of course, his situation was no different from being a live-in son-in-law; the children all took the woman's surname. But he had a good attitude and was content with it. He actually had a pretty good material life, even driving a car worth hundreds of thousands of yuan when he came back to visit the graves. Unfortunately, he was the only one who returned; his wife and children refused to acknowledge the Fang family.

However, the car was under the company's name. He couldn't get cash out, so he could only pay by credit card. The monthly limit seemed to be quite high.

Fang Mingche looked towards Fang Fang's room, and Fang Fang hurried out with the notice.

"Dad, this is mine."

Fang Mingche took a look and said, "Not bad, not bad. Fang Fang is very thoughtful. So, the New Year's money Dad gave you before was said to be for your studies. But if you study well, you should also get a scholarship."

He immediately pulled out a large piece of paper and said, "Here, Fang Fang, this is your reward for getting a perfect score. You got a perfect score last semester, too, right?"

"Yes."

Fang Mingche took out another big unity note in front of everyone and placed it in Fang Fang's palm.

"Dad, please take care of this scholarship and don't let my brother and sister-in-law confiscate it from Fang Fang. Rewards and punishments must be clear! Studying is the best way out for us farm kids, and it's also the greatest opportunity."

Father Fang nodded, then said to Fang Minghua and Yuan Shufen, "Yes, you are not allowed to confiscate this money."

Fang Minghua said: "She is so young, how can she keep so much money by herself?"

Father Fang saw that this was not only a reward for Fang Fang, but also a show for Fang Jian. He immediately agreed, "Then I'll keep it for her. Fang Fang, Grandpa will save it for you. Your tuition will still be with the New Year's money your father gave you. You earned it yourself, so save it for later! It's pretty good, you always get 100s on your tests, and you always get scholarships. One per semester, and by the time you graduate from elementary school, you'll have won ten times. How many times is ten?"

He deliberately asked the younger ones.

Fang Mingche saw Yanyan trying to answer and shook his head slightly at her. This girl of his was very sensitive about money! Although she hadn't formally learned addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, she really knew it.

When the office was still in the small side yard, the little girl watched her mother hand out wages to the employees. She counted quietly beside her, "One, twenty, ninety, ten."

A Yan corrected her and said it was one hundred, not ten, and she remembered it firmly.

Yanyan saw her father shaking his head and fell silent.

Fang Jian said in shock, "One, one hundred yuan!" What a huge sum! Is this what Dad meant by "Books are the golden house"?

Fang Kang's eyes also lit up, and he could eat a lot of delicious food.

Fang Fang was quite surprised that the New Year's money given by her father every year could cover her tuition fees. If she could continue to earn scholarships from her father, she would not have to worry about it in the future. Well, she would remember her father's kindness.

However, "after the third grade, students have to write essays in Chinese." You can't get full marks for essays.

Fang Mingche said: "Then it will count if you can get 95 points or above in Chinese."

Fang Fang said, "Thank you, Dad." She handed the money to her grandfather and said, "Please keep it for me."

In this way, her parents and brothers can't use it for her.

"Okay, grandpa will keep it for you." Father Fang put it away with a smile on his face.

Fang Jian muttered, "It's so hard to get a double 100!"

Fang Mingche said, "Then next time, if you can get 70 points in two subjects, I'll also reward you 5 yuan. If you get 80 points in two subjects, 10 yuan. If you can get 90 points in two subjects, I'll give you 20 yuan. Fang Fang, this isn't Dad being unfair. We need to see where we started from."

If you can get more than 70 points in two subjects, you should be able to pass the junior high school entrance examination. After all, it is only a junior high school, so not too many people will be eliminated. But as for the score, the higher the better.

Fang Minghua said to Fang Mingche, "Second Brother, I'm sorry to have caused you so much trouble! And it cost you money."

Not to mention that he couldn't imagine that Fang Jian could get a scholarship with his grades, even if he had thought about it, he himself had no money.

Fang Mingche said: "I definitely hope that all my children can be successful. Then in the future, maybe I can rely on one of them."

Fang Minghua laughed and said, "Don't flatter me. Not to mention that you have Yanyan and Changchang, you two college students must have been well-educated. Even now, you are doing very well in the capital and even bought a house. Even Mingfeng has to bow down to you!"

Mingfeng is the most powerful among the brothers who are not out of the fifth generation. However, he drives for a black market boss, so no matter how much money he makes, he cannot be recorded in the family tree. Only his brother not only got into a prestigious university, but also makes more money. It is said that he has someone backing him up.

"Brother, you don't think it's easy for me in the capital, do you?" Fang Mingche smiled bitterly.

Fang Minghua looked puzzled. "You are already a college student, and you are running three profitable businesses on your own."

Fang's father, mother and sister-in-law also looked over. They also felt that Fang Mingche's life in the capital was really great!

"Two. My vegetable business was exposed by rumors that I was using a tricycle that collected scrap to transport vegetables. Actually, we used different tricycles to transport scrap and vegetables. But it's hard to disentangle this. Buyers are no longer buying the vegetables I wholesale, so I had to quit."

Fang Minghua said excitedly: "So you're just going to let it go? I heard you can earn a few hundred yuan a month. No, are you really that cowardly?"

A few hundred yuan was Fang's father's personal estimate; he thought it might actually be that much. It was a shame that selling vegetables in town was quite convenient; they could just walk a few miles carrying a basket. And he had no means of transportation, so he couldn't follow suit.

As for collecting waste, what would people in small places be willing to throw away?

A large tea stand was even more out of the question. There were several teahouses in town, where you could sit inside and drink tea and play cards for only two cents a day. I guess only businesses like those in Tiananmen Square or other busy tourist areas could make money.

"Of course not. But it's never too late for a gentleman to take revenge!"

"Bullshit, you people who have read too much just think too much. If I just picked up a brick and smashed his stall first, then no one can do this business. Second brother, you are just a coward, making excuses!"

His second child has always avoided trouble since he was a child. He is a good student and is afraid of fighting and causing trouble, which the teacher will not like.

Fang Mingche looked at his brother and saw he was silent. He had indeed been like this in his previous life. If no one wanted to harm Yanyan and touched his bottom line, he would always be tolerant when encountering problems.

Yanyan said loudly: "Uncle, my father is not a coward. A few days ago, he brought a few uncles to beat up four thieves who came to my house to steal wheels and scared them into the hospital."

Dad told me not to mention my brother getting scared when I got home, because that would make grandpa and grandma anxious. I almost let it slip!
Father Fang asked, "The wheels are very expensive, right?"

He thought it was an old commercial vehicle, parked in the alley, so he didn't think his grandson was frightened.

"Well, it's not cheap. But the key is to prevent anyone from daring to come and steal again."

This time he was gone for ten days or half a month, and he asked the people from the neighboring compound to help look after him at night. He also asked Wang Dexian to come over from time to time.

The people in the compound could only let the petty thieves do what they wanted, but the danger wasn't necessarily limited to them. It was a pity that my father-in-law's place really couldn't accommodate me, otherwise I could have let Yan take the children back to her parents' home.

As for letting Wang Dexian go, it would be to guard against some people who have ulterior motives and are coveting his business.

"That thief deserves a beating!" said Fang's father angrily.

In the countryside, if you catch a thief or a traitor, you will at least beat him half to death. And he never paid any price for it, the law does not punish everyone. He was not beaten to death! Deep down, everyone has no concept of the rule of law.

Fang Minghua curled his lips and said, "Then why don't you fight those who spread rumors about you and ruined your business?"

In his opinion, it is still weakness and making excuses.

Fang Mingche said: "Everyone thinks it's natural to beat up a thief, but beating up a fellow thief is a bit too much. If I really beat him up, I'll be in big trouble. And how will others view me? And then the police will report it to the university."

Father Fang said hurriedly: "You can't beat him. The mall has its own solution. You can't just beat him up like a thief!"

Fang Minghua muttered: "Then you still have two businesses."

Fang Mingche said seriously, "Scrapyard, if Hebei compatriots flock to the capital and band together to exclude dissidents, my business will be in trouble. As for the travel agency, this is the most risky."

Fang's mother asked, "Why? I think that Xiao Wang is very nice. He's always been polite to me and your father. He even sent two boxes of food over and was smiling as he left, carrying some bacon."

She had a very good impression of Wang Dexian, the son of a high-ranking official, who was not at all arrogant.

Fang Mingche said pertinently, "That's because the travel agency business can provide political and economic benefits to the Wang family. Currently, the main benefit is political. In short, I am useful to the Wang family."

Because he knew what would happen in the future, he knew the chief architect would say, "Black cat, white cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat." He knew where the future would lead, so everything he did was within the acceptable range of the Wang family.

But once he can no longer provide such value, the Wang family can completely change people to cooperate with. To put it bluntly, he is now actually the white glove of the Wang family. If he is no longer valuable, people will naturally stop playing with him.

As for the matter of Qin Tian last time, he was brave enough to speak up. He thought that Mr. Wang might take into account the sentiment of fighting against Japan in the past and would not be so obsessed with the current political trend. Moreover, the current political trend is also blowing the wind of peaceful reunification.

If Mr. Wang didn't agree, he was ready to stop immediately and then arrange for Qin Tian to work at his own scrap yard.

Fang Mingche knew that only the crying child would get candy. He also had to learn to complain in front of his parents, brother and sister-in-law.

Otherwise they would have thought that he really had an easy life in the capital!

"I'm just a farmer's kid. Even if I get into college, I still hold little weight in the eyes of those high-ranking officials' children. If I can't constantly demonstrate my irreplaceable value, then I'll most likely be kicked out. Travel agencies are making more and more money, and there are bound to be people who are jealous! If others, even children of high-ranking officials, can provide the same value, then they might bully me and forcefully dilute my shares, and the Wang family may not stop them."

Don't talk about business rules, those people don't follow the rules. If they insist on buying half of his shares, what can he do?
The only thing he could do was to gradually demonstrate his irreplaceable side. Only then would others protect his interests. Even so, he worried that if Guolv wanted to merge with him in the future, the Wang family, after gaining both fame and fortune, would directly "persuade" him to accept.

Father Fang sighed, "The second son is right. The people should not fight with the officials! There is no place that cannot be replaced, and the Wang family will not value us."

Yuan Shufen said, "Then why don't you just be content with a small fortune instead of becoming a big one?"

"Of course! But even though we've caught up with this good time, I'm still going to be unwilling to give up."

He actually hesitated for a long time. When he was running a big bowl tea stall, he saw so many foreign tourists in Tiananmen Square and thought about opening a foreign travel agency. But then he thought about his own lack of everything and gave up the idea.

Later, he invited his classmates and counselors to his house for a barbecue, and then went to visit the Forbidden City. When his classmates encountered foreign tourists asking for directions, they offered to communicate with them in English. This sparked his second idea.

Originally, he had intended to open a scrap yard to save some money. Then, in 1981, when the first TOEFL exam was administered in mainland China, he launched an English tutoring program. Remember, for decades to come, English scores were given an almost paranoid importance.

But he still couldn't give up! And if he opened a new Eastern-style tutoring school, he wouldn't have to deal with all this? The benefits were huge enough, and there would definitely be people who wanted a piece of the pie. So he might as well just seize this opportunity.

So, he took the initiative to contact Wang Dexian and used Wang's family connections to open a foreign travel agency. The second step was to launch an initiative to sell intangible cultural heritage products overseas.

This must be carried out step by step, so that the Wang family will feel that he might have some amazing performance in the next step.

Wang Dexian himself said that ever since he went to the Wang family for the New Year's banquet, no, even earlier, ever since Mr. Wang came under scrutiny from higher-ups because of the travel agency business, many of his childhood friends in the compound have become interested in this business and wanted to invest in it.

Fang's mother said, "You can't just cross the river and burn the bridge, right?"

Fang Mingche said: "It was originally just a cooperation based on mutual benefit. I can't provide more benefits. It's normal for others to cooperate with others and dilute my interests. The car was found by the Wang family in the beginning, and the rooms in Beijing Hotel and Friendship Hotel can only be booked by the Wang family. All I can provide is my intelligence and talent." If they are not close relatives, then the usefulness of a person should be considered. You interact with him based on whether he is useful to you and your family.

Yuan Shufen frowned and said, "How complicated!"

Fang Mingche raised his chin slightly towards the four Yanyan siblings and said, "If my generation can lay a solid foundation, it will be easier for their generation. Only with the support of each generation can we make a leap forward."

Fang Kang looked over cutely, holding a candy Yan Yan had given him. When he saw Fang Mingche looking at him, he smiled.

Fang Mingche laughed. This boy was indeed good-looking, with red lips and white teeth. He hoped that in this life, he could live a good life without having to marry into a woman's family.

He has two brothers, and Ayan has only one younger brother, Lin Yi. If any of his brothers, nephews, or nieces are worth raising, he's willing to lend a hand. Brothers fight tigers together, and fathers and sons fight together in battle!

Fang Minghua asked: "What is it?"

Father Fang rolled his eyes at him and said, "Scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans. We are farmers. Mingche will be admitted to university. If he works in a government department in the future, he will be a scholar."

After he said this, Fang Minghua understood.

Fang Mingche said, "In fact, in the thirty years since liberation, workers should have had a higher status than farmers. In order to achieve the transition from an agricultural country to an industrial country, agriculture has always supported industry."

Yuan Shufen nodded, "Yes, yes, the working class is the leader. We pay so much public grain, and they supply a lot of kilograms every month. But we ourselves may not even have enough to eat."

In the past thirty years, farmers have indeed envied the workers' treatment. She also had a profound understanding of this.

Fang's mother asked, "So now it's scholars, workers, farmers, and merchants?"

Fang Mingche smiled bitterly, "Now we must adhere to two principles and focus on economic development. Now we must pay attention to business!"

In the future, the commercial taxes collected by the country will be much higher than the agricultural taxes.

Fang Minghua was stunned. "If merchants are also running to the front, then won't we farmers be the last?"

“Farmers really do bear a lot.”

Fang Minghua said to Fang Jian, "Did you hear that? You won't have a good life as a farmer in the future. Others' lives are getting better and better, but ours will lag behind."

Fang Mingche thought to himself: The country will take care of farmers in the future, and they will no longer have to pay public grain. But that will be after development. For the next twenty years or so, farmers will still have a hard time.

"Won't there be a bumper harvest this year?" Fang Jian said.

He was nine years old, and even during the busy farming season, he still did what he could. So he wasn't a lazy, uninitiated person. It was just that Fang Fang did more of the daily work. But Fang Fang wasn't good at physical labor either.

Fang Minghua said, "Then do you think I can catch up with your father even if there's a good harvest? Forget it, forget it. You have little experience and don't have much experience. You really should go to the capital with me this summer vacation. Every household in this village is not rich, so there is no comparison."

Fang Jian thought to himself: Yes, why is there no comparison? My father can pull out one Great Unity after another, can you pull out that many?
Well, it seems that studying abroad is indeed quite beneficial. A good job and a high salary are still a bit far away, but Fang Fang's high scholarship made him envious. His mind finally began to change.

At the same time, in Qin Mu's Cantonese restaurant, the tables were still turning over non-stop.

He took on a lot of catering tasks that were overflowed from the military district's small kitchen. In addition, some people like Fang Mingche who got rich first also took care of the business because of his family background. So, the business was really good!

Since the military region signed the order, he would definitely be able to get the money from the logistics department. The person in charge of the logistics department has a close relationship with his family!
As for those who get rich first and may have something to ask of his family, or at least don't want to offend his family, that is all cash and more reliable.

Qin Mu was thinking about expanding the restaurant next year. Of course, he would open it somewhere that he could take care of at home, not anywhere else.

At this moment, Qin Mu was sitting in his office upstairs, and sitting opposite him was a man wearing a black V-neck T-shirt.

The person opposite him was his cousin Cao Ze. Uncle Cao's position was lower than his father's. This cousin was no longer a core member of the family, just like him. So he was planning to develop in the business world. But it was hard to find good projects, and he couldn't possibly compete with him.

Cao Ze said, "Fang Mingche, humph! I told you to act sooner rather than later, but you insisted on waiting and seeing. We'll wait until the Wang family feels Fang Mingche is just so-so and not irreplaceable. And what's going on now? They've started buying up handicrafts from all over the place and exporting them to Tokyo. This is exporting to earn foreign exchange, and the handicrafts they use are not highly valued in China. The cost is very low! If we sell them for foreign exchange, the country will surely be happy."

He had said long ago that Fang Mingche had a wife and children, and that he was full of problems. He just didn't believe that he couldn't control him and make him give up some of his shares.

By then, the Wang family will still own 40%, he will own 35%, and Fang Mingche will have 25%. He still needs to keep working!
But now, he has come up with a new trick, which means he is gradually gaining strength. If he takes action now, the Wang family will think that Fang Mingche is still very useful and will do his best to protect him.

Qin Mu said, "Around the New Year, I went to test him. At one point, I thought he was just so-so, just taking advantage of the Wang family's resources. Who knew he would come up with such a new trick?"

He now has a business relationship with the travel agency. Although he doesn't care much about the cost of three tables of foreign guests a week, it's not like he's a private restaurant in a small alley.

However, foreign guests sometimes settle their payments in foreign currency. This also means they earn foreign currency for the country. Turning it over to the central bank is a great honor for the family. Earning foreign currency for the country is now truly politically correct.

He had heard from his father at home that the country's foreign exchange reserves had been completely used up. Otherwise, how could they be so polite to those foreign investors, overseas Chinese, and Chinese?

The travel agencies' approach is the most welcomed by the country. They attract foreign tourists, who then need food, clothing, shelter and transportation, and spend money on tickets to visit scenic spots. Nowadays, travel agencies are going abroad, not only preparing to attract more tourists, but also bringing handicrafts to overseas markets for sale.

Otherwise, because they can earn foreign exchange abroad, even if the Wang family uses connections, the staff of the embassy in Japan will not cooperate so well.

He looked at his cousin in front of him, who was only planning to pick up what others had already done! If you have the ability, you can make a name for yourself. But there was no other way, the two families must advance and retreat together. Prosper together, and fall together!

"Cousin, Fang Mingche only brings you three tables of guests a week. From now on, I can make the decision. I'll let them use your place as a canteen!"

Qin Mu lowered his head and curled his lips slightly. Are foreigners so easy to manipulate? He knew he was an amateur when he heard that.

Fang Mingche now brings a tour group to try it out. This is the most appropriate way to achieve long-term success. Too much is as bad as too little!

Even if you can really buy 35% of the shares, you should stay out of it and just sit back and wait for the money to be divided.

But who says all 35% belongs to you? Shouldn't he and the Qin family share some of the profits? At least 20%.

"Let's wait and see. Don't act rashly. The security situation is bad right now, and the higher-ups must be very angry about this. When the conditions are right, they will definitely rectify the situation. People of our status cannot possibly get involved in such things. If a commotion gets out, the impact will be too bad! I'm afraid Fang Mingche will be ruined. It's said that the travel agency is in a very short supply right now. When we were having dinner together, Wang Dexian jokingly said that he hadn't seen any dividends yet."

However, what the Wang family values more is definitely the political significance. Old Man Wang was publicly praised by his superiors!
Cao Ze said, "How dare a scholar like him fight to the death with me? Even when someone poached his vegetable wholesale business, Fang Mingche was a coward and just let it go. If he agrees, he can keep 25%. If he doesn't agree, I'll show you how I'll deal with him!"

Qin Mu shook his head. "I used to think he was a talented military strategist. After all, he usually gave in when things got tough. But that might be because the things he encountered didn't touch his bottom line. This time, someone scared his youngest son, and he didn't show any mercy. He beat them all up and sent them to the hospital. He's not the coward you think he is. His family is his bottom line! Don't you hear that when a common man gets angry, blood splatters every five steps? You must not touch his family."

Fang Mingche had put so much thought into the travel agency, and it was making a lot of money. It would be strange if he would give it up! It's not like they have nowhere else to turn to.

That night, Fang Mingche and Yanyan naturally slept together, on the same large bed. The room was spotlessly clean, ready for them to move right in. It must have been the eldest sister-in-law who had brought Fang Fang to clean it.

Fang Mingche noticed that Yanyan had put all the food in the two boxes into the desk drawer instead of taking it out for everyone to share. As for the clothes in the two boxes, the two girls had put them in the wardrobe.

He thought about it and realized that the little girl must be unhappy because she saw others sharing their two pieces of watermelon and not giving any to her cousin and aunt.

Otherwise, when she left the train station earlier, she had even thought about taking half a watermelon out of the station to give to her grandparents and other family members. She probably wouldn't be reluctant to give up other things.

Forget it, let her figure it out. If she doesn't take it out to eat, she has already eaten a lot on the train and is not hungry, so is she going to take it back later?
I'll bring some food back, so I'll go to the city and buy some. I'll buy something else to eat.

Anyway, she shared some of it with her cousin and aunt privately, but they couldn't eat so much.

Fang Fang would destroy the candy wrapper before eating a candy. How could she eat so much secretly? She would definitely tell Yanyan.

The next morning, Yanyan seemed to have finally figured things out. After washing up, she took the initiative to bring out the remaining five packs of instant noodles.

Fang Mingche smiled. Actually, after eating this twice, you won’t want to eat it again.

He said, "Mom, Dad, brother and sister-in-law, this is instant noodles. You don't need to cook it in a pot, just boil it in water and eat it."

Yuan Shufen was surprised. She was boiling water to cook noodles.

"You don't even need to boil it, just soak it?"

"Yes. Take a porcelain bowl, put five packets of noodles in it, and then soak it. Well, there are only five packets, everyone try it. Yanyan and I will cook noodles for ourselves."

Five packets of noodles, shared by seven people. But with three children, the difference wouldn't be much. I'll ask if they're full later. If not, I'll just cook a little more.

Yuan Shufen said, "Then what kind of noodles do you want to eat? I'll cook it for you."

"Tomato and egg noodles."

Yuan Shufen turned to look at her mother-in-law. Fang's mother said, "Why are you looking at me? Go in and get two eggs, and pick some tomatoes from the backyard."

When her youngest son and granddaughter came back, she was willing to prepare anything for them to eat.

Yuan Shufen nodded, "Okay. Fangfang, make some instant noodles."

"Oh." Fang Fang picked up a package and looked at the instructions on the back.

Yanyan said, "Sister, just tear open the packaging bag, take out the seasoning packet, put the noodles in, then pour in fresh boiling water, cover it and soak for two minutes."

Fang Jian and Fang Kang were also curious about this, so the four siblings worked together.

Yanyan said, "The seasoning packet is left over, so it's a bit salty."

Fang Jian collected the two packets and said, "Then I'll save them for later."

When it was soaked, it gave off a rich and tempting aroma. Fang Kang held his face in his hands and couldn't help but say, "It smells so good!"

Yanyan poured cold water on him to prevent him from having too high expectations later.

"It just smells good, but it won't taste as good as you imagine. I was fooled the first time, too."

Fang's father, mother, and Fang Minghua also came over to see the noodles, which didn't need to be cooked. It was really convenient for going out this way. Fang's father and mother knew that fresh boiled water was provided on the train.

Fang's mother asked Fang Mingche, "Is this expensive?"

"It's not expensive, only thirty cents a pack."

Fang's mother frowned. Three cents a pack is not expensive? She saw that there was no toppings in it. Noodles are expensive because of the toppings. Plain noodles are so cheap!
A bowl of pork noodles at a state-owned restaurant costs less than 30 cents. They actually have pork! Unlike this, although it smells delicious, there's no meat to be seen.

However, when Yanyan said "OK", Fang's mother couldn't help but look over. They had taken the train before and didn't eat instant noodles, so they brought their own pancakes.

Fang Mingche also thought it wasn't very nutritious, so he didn't buy it for them. He bought cakes and other things that were easier for the elderly and children to digest. He only bought it this time because Yanyan wanted to try it. The father and daughter ate five packets together and really didn't want to eat the rest.

On the train, Fang's father, mother, and Kang Kang had all seen others eating, so Fang's mother was also quite curious.

Fang Fang used long chopsticks to divide the instant noodles into several bowls. Fang Jian first gave them to his grandparents, then to his parents, and finally to his three siblings.

Father Fang tasted it and said, "It's definitely not as delicious as I imagined when I first brewed it. But it's really convenient. It's easy to eat on the train. It's a good change of pace."

After eating, Yanyan followed her cousin out to play with other people in the village. Fang Kang also went with them.

In the afternoon, Fang Jian and Fang Fang both had to go pick jasmine flowers, but that was in the afternoon. Now Fang Fang could go play for a while under the pretext of accompanying Yan Yan.

The neighbor next door asked Fang Kang, "Kang Kang, did you eat the delicious food your dad brought back this morning?"

The last time they ate Beijing roast duck, the two brothers started showing off when they went out.

The aroma from the five packets of noodles I soaked together was so overwhelming that it even reached the neighbors next door. Now, when they see the little one, they casually ask about him.

Kang Kang nodded, "Yeah, I ate instant noodles. Noodles that don't need to be cooked!"

He doesn’t know about other people, but Fang Kang really likes eating instant noodles.

As for Fang Jian, he did not go out to play with his friends for the first time. Instead, he started looking for the final exam papers. Are you kidding? He is making money! How many things can you buy with five dollars?

He had scored 70 points, a score he had taken before. He planned to find the test paper and review it.

Yuan Shufen, who was washing the pot, said jokingly, "The sun is rising from the west?"

Fang Minghua quickly signaled her to stop, "Don't dampen his enthusiasm. Besides beating and scolding him, you still have to pay him."

Yuan Shufen was also very happy to see this scene, "There must be brave men under a big reward."

On the way out to do farm work, even Father Fang said with some emotion: "It seems that we need different educational methods for each child."

The second child in his family was taken to the fields to watch adults work when he was young. After being exposed to the sun for a few days, he started to study hard.

He had also tried to get Fang Jian to work in the fields with him, telling him that if he got into school and had a stable job, he wouldn't have to endure this hardship. But there was no reaction at all!

It turns out that to deal with this guy, you have to use money to keep him hooked.

Fang Minghua said: "Yes, beating and scolding are useless. He is already tired of being beaten and scolded!"

Fang Mingche waited at home for the postman to arrive and signed for the remittance slip. He then borrowed a bicycle next door and prepared to go pick up the 1,000 yuan. He had remitted the money a few days ago, and the journey would delay him for a week. This was really inconvenient!

I still don’t know when the cross-border remittance slip sent by Wu Mingju will arrive?

Furthermore, remittance orders sent to various locations would take a week to arrive. Nowadays, not to mention mobile payments, banks can't even transfer money across regions. Remote payment methods are still very primitive.

(End of this chapter)