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

Chapter 187 During the Chinese New Year
The New Year celebrations go by quickly, especially in the countryside where people go on a feasting spree. One day you're invited by one family, another by another, and before you know it, the day is over. Last year saw an unprecedentedly bountiful harvest. And the small factory in the village did quite well. Although there were no dividends, everyone who worked there earned their wages. Therefore, every household could afford to host a New Year's feast.

Fang Mingfeng returned to his hometown and hosted a day-long dinner party, even bringing back a large color TV and VCR to play all day. He treated his family to a full day of watching Chow Yun-fat and Angie Chiu's "Shanghai Bund." All 25 episodes were shown!

That day was incredibly lively; everyone was completely engrossed in watching the video. They'd never seen a Hong Kong film about old Shanghai before. Plus, the actors were all handsome and beautiful, and the plot was incredibly captivating!
After watching them, everyone said, "No wonder Ming Fung's video rental shop is doing so well! Hong Kong dramas are really good."

Then someone else asked, "What will Mingche's family do then?"

Indeed, Mingfeng's family had done such a good job, with a lavish feast featuring chicken, duck, fish, meat, and eggs; even their entertainment was top-notch. This immediately put pressure on Mingche's family. The other uncles and aunts were doing alright; they didn't have any sons who were considered exceptionally successful. They simply held a regular New Year's Eve dinner to entertain relatives and friends.

Fang Mingfeng didn't think that much about it. He just felt that these older folks were quite dramatic and competed fiercely in private.

The next day, he rented a tractor from the village to move the color TV and VCR back to the video arcade in the county town. Business was good during the Spring Festival, and moving them back for a day would disrupt their business. Some people even booked them for the whole day. So, after entertaining his guests, he moved them back.

He made a phone call to Fang Mingche from the Cultural Bureau, saying, "This is a sight I haven't seen in many years; people actually have the leisure to compare themselves to others."

Fang Mingche said, "That's true. In the past, people didn't have enough to eat or keep warm. Last year's harvest was good, so they had the leisure to do this."

However, the competition mainly focused on those two families, and the entire clan was watching.

He was amused to learn that everyone was eyeing his house not so much for food, but rather for entertainment.

"This has become a two-pronged approach of promoting both spiritual and material civilization!"

With a bountiful harvest, no family lacked meat during the first month of the lunar year. One or two families slaughtered a pig for a meat soup, and everyone could afford to buy meat. The large, fat pig weighed several hundred pounds, so buying a piece of meat weighing about five pounds from a pig was no problem for any family.

Then Fang Mingfeng would eat at this uncle's house for one day, then at that uncle's house for another day, enjoying the rotating banquet very happily.

Everyone was surprised to hear that the travel agency was short of someone to oversee operations in Shanghai and was offering a high salary of around 500 yuan per month.

"This is a positive expectation, and it's tied to business. It's commission-based, and the base salary isn't very high. If business is bad, the income will also decrease."

"So what are your requirements? Tell us, and we'll help you think of something."

Fang Mingche said, "College students or those who have served as deputy battalion commanders or deputy section chiefs, under 35 years old."

As people get older, their energy levels decrease. There are age requirements for national civil service exams. Since his company is essentially a private enterprise, this requirement is even more applicable.

Upon hearing this, everyone realized why it was so difficult to find suitable candidates! Anyone under 35 who reached this level had a bright future ahead of them. And then there were university graduates—who doesn't know they're the cream of the crop these days? The crucial point is that those from the class of '77, the first year the college entrance exam was reinstated, haven't even graduated and started working yet.

The most outstanding graduates from the classes of '77 and '78 have almost all been hired by various government departments and ministries. There's a shortage of people!

Fang Mingche knew it would be difficult to find a job, and there was no policy for taking unpaid leave to start a business. If there were such a policy, one could return to their original unit after two years of unpaid leave and start from the same level. If two years wasn't enough, they could extend it for another two years, or even longer. Only those with secure jobs would be willing to leave for business.

So everyone simply said, "Then we'll keep an eye out for you."

They originally wanted to squeeze their own people in, but with such clear requirements, it's become difficult. Besides, if they could really get someone who didn't meet the requirements in, wouldn't the Wang family do it? Would they let someone else have a turn?

This matter has to be put on hold for now.

Fang Mingche wondered to himself: Could it be that only Brother Mingfeng can take over?

He recognized two college graduates around him: Teacher Qiu and Gu Zhiguang.

Professor Qiu is now highly valued in the investment promotion office. He is not only fluent in English and Japanese, but also has connections from his time studying in the UK.

As for Gu Zhiguang, he experienced such great changes at a young age. Now, after going through so many hardships, he has become a father and holds a position and teaches at a university. He really has no desire to go into business or make a living.

Right now, he probably just wants to settle down with his wife and kids, and maybe produce some academic work. Fang Mingche chatted with him before and heard that he was pursuing further studies, leaving his position as librarian to completely switch to teaching.

I initially became a librarian because there were no permanent positions available in my department that year. So I took a roundabout approach, working as a librarian first, and then switching to another position.

Moreover, his family charges three to five yuan in rent for each room, which adds up to about one hundred or eighty yuan a month. Adding their combined income and subsidies, they have nearly two hundred yuan a month. This is enough for a family of four to live on.

The minimum living standard for people in the capital is only seven yuan a month!
Grandpa Gu is in very good health. Unlike Grandma Gao, who is a bottomless pit requiring hundreds of dollars in medical expenses every month, Grandma Gao's health is improving thanks to Gao Xiang's persistent support.

Even if it can't be cured completely, his energy and spirit have improved. Occasionally, you can even see him going out for a leisurely stroll.

Of course, this is also inseparable from the fact that Gao Xiang outsourced the caregiving responsibility to his wife and sister-in-law. The two sisters took very good care of him. Giving enough money and even changing his fate, no one had any objection to such outsourcing of filial piety.

As for deputy battalion commanders and deputy section chiefs, Fang Mingche only knew those who were currently serving. Those who still had a future in the military and political arena, or who could better realize their ideals and ambitions in their current positions, were unwilling to come.

As later generations have said, a P7 at Alibaba with an annual salary of around one million yuan is not as valuable as a deputy director. This is true in later generations where everything is about money, and it's even more so now.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, it was Fang Mingche's turn to host a feast. Since each branch of the family was to be invited in turn, the order was determined according to the birth order of the older generation. Apart from the two married aunts, Fang's father's turn was on the fifth day.

He had already contacted the village secretary to invite the projectionist who showed movies in the town to come and show a film. Since the projectionist was still on annual leave, he was paid double, and he also invited him over for lunch and dinner today.

As for lending the film reels, the village secretary went to the commune leader on duty, using the guise of "cultural outreach to the countryside." The commune leader readily agreed, as the village where Fang's family lived had done quite well this year. It would be a great honor for the commune to submit its year-end summary report.

He added, "Is it the one whose youngest son got into Beijing Normal University, and which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and runs a travel agency that generates foreign exchange for the country?"

"Yes, yes, that's his family. He's the most promising young man in our whole village. I came to report before that he also donated 1000 yuan to help poor children go to school. Education changes destiny!"

"I remember this. That young man was quite nice. Have you run out of money?"

"No, I submitted an expense report to him when school started in September, and I'll submit another one when school starts in February. If it's just for our village, it'll be enough to complete five years of primary school. But his idea is that if it's done well in the village, we can try to extend it to the commune. I contacted the secretaries of several other villages before and included their students as well. That'll probably only be enough for three semesters. Xiao Fang's idea is that his share of the profits from our village's rice mill will be used specifically for this."

The commune leader asked, "Is that enough?"

"It certainly won't be enough at first, but it might be enough if it operates normally for a few years. We'll need a lot of support from leadership!"

"Yes, you've done a good job. We will definitely support you. We should really focus on education so that your donation to support education won't be in vain."

Only if academic performance improves can we talk to the leadership about this matter. However, the fact that we've reduced the number of students dropping out due to not being able to pay tuition is already worth making a big deal out of it.

After this incident, when the commune leaders saw Fang's father, they warmly extended their hands to shake his hand and praised him for raising a good son.

Mr. Fang must have been very pleased, and he even invited the leaders to a New Year's Eve dinner on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

"I won't go. I wish you a happy Chinese New Year and another bountiful harvest next year."

When Fang's father and the village secretary rode back to the village on the tractor, they had smiles on their faces the whole time. He had arranged with the projectionist to show "Romance on Lushan Mountain" in the afternoon and "The Mysterious Buddha" in the evening.

The village tractor would come to the commune to pick up the projectionist and equipment, and then return them after the screening. The Party Secretary was happy that he rented the village tractor and had the tractor driver clean it thoroughly before picking up the people and equipment.

He was also going to attend the New Year's Eve banquets of Fang Mingfeng and Fang Mingche's families. Other families had invited him, but he had his own plans and couldn't go. However, he definitely had to go to these two families' banquets. When he was short of money for his township enterprise and couldn't raise any more funds from the village, these two families each contributed a thousand yuan. Later, when others were vying to invest, they gave it to the Fang family.

Moreover, these two young men are both in the capital; they might need their help sometime.

Both "Romance on Lushan Mountain" and "The Mysterious Buddha" were huge box office hits last year, grossing over 100 million yuan each. On the day they aired, many people from other families came to see them. They were even more popular than "Shanghai Bund."

During the meal, Fang Mingfeng mentioned that Lin Yan had bought New Year's goods and drove them to his wife.

“I came back this time because I was worried about those three women and children. With Ayan’s help, they had a much easier time this year. By the way, when my wife was discharged from the hospital after giving birth to our second daughter, it was Ayan who drove to pick her up.”

"Wow, Lin Yan is so amazing!"

"Yes, mainly because they have their own car. Mingche bought a second-hand pickup truck, which is very convenient."

Someone asked Fang Mingfeng, "Why don't you buy one?"

“My goodness, you need gas coupons after buying a car! If you're not a government official, where are you going to get gas coupons? Mingche's gas coupons were obtained by his friend who's a government official for their travel agency. I don't know anyone like that. Besides, a car costs tens of thousands of yuan. After thinking it over, I think I'd rather buy a house.”

The villagers looked at each other and agreed that buying a house was indeed better than buying a car. Cars were rarely used; a tractor in the village was more than enough.

Then he complimented Mr. and Mrs. Fang, saying that their daughter-in-law was good at handling things.

Fang's mother smiled and said, "Lin Yan is indeed generous and doesn't like to hold grudges."

"That would only be possible if your Mingche could earn money, otherwise, what would she have to offer to be generous?"

Someone whispered to Fang Mingfeng behind the backs of the Party Secretary and the Women's Director, "Your second child is a girl, what are you planning to do?"

Fang Mingfeng smiled and said, "The third child can't still be a daughter, can he? Someone has to pass on the household registration. I'm going to Guangzhou to see how things are going there. It's definitely not as strict as the capital or the inland areas."

After the New Year's Eve feast on the fifth day, Fang Mingfeng took Fang Tong on a sleeper train to Guangzhou. He had to politely decline all subsequent invitations to banquets.

"Uncle, it's not that I'm being disrespectful. It's just that time is tight. I'll be in Guangzhou by the eighth day of the new year. After I finish my business, I have to fly back to the capital as soon as possible. My second daughter is only two months old, and my older daughter also needs to get back to school."

Fang Tong boarded the train with her father and sat in her sleeper berth. She said, "Dad, let's take lots of pictures in Guangzhou. I want to take them back to show Yan Yan. She went to Shanghai again during winter vacation."

Fang Mingfeng felt a bit of a toothache. The older folks in the family are always comparing themselves to others, and you have to compare yourself to Yan Yan too. You guys are making it so I can't relax for even a day.

"Got it. I've also applied for a border pass. We'll go to Shenzhen, which is nearby, when the time comes."

"Okay. Is Shenzhen big?"

"It's not big right now, it's just a small fishing village. But it should grow bigger and bigger in the future."

Upon arriving at Guangzhou Station, Fang Tong changed into autumn attire for the capital city. She took off her thick coat and trousers.

"Dad, it's so warm here!"

Fang Mingfeng nodded, "Yes, otherwise why would I have brought you this outfit?"

He delivers goods here year-round, so he must understand the temperature differences.

Fang Tong said, "I like it here, the winters are mild." Fang Mingfeng said, "Then wait until the house is handed over and renovated in two years, then you can transfer here and keep your mother and sister company. It's not possible now, right now only the capital and Shanghai have the best teaching quality."

I heard that a private school is going to be established in two years.

"Then I won't be able to see Yan Yan as often." Over the past year, the two girls have frequently visited each other in the capital and have developed a very good relationship.

“With telephones and airplanes, it’s very convenient. It only takes three hours to fly from Guangzhou to the capital. After you have morning tea in Guangzhou, you can invite her to have Peking duck together in the capital for lunch. With direct flights, as long as you have money and a letter of introduction, it’s easy to arrange! However, I’m also planning to buy an apartment in the capital. That way, it will be much more convenient for you and your sister to study in the capital in the future. I saw that your ninth uncle bought a small courtyard house, and now he’s bought a big one. The small courtyard house is about a hundred square meters, and the big one is over a thousand square meters! I’m itching to buy one too!”

Fang Tong said, "Buying a courtyard house costs a lot of money. Yan Yan said her family is very poor now and owes a lot of debt!"

"What do you mean she's poor? Does a poor person fly to Shanghai for fun?"

Are those two going to complain about being poor to their child? It's only a few hundred thousand yuan; they can pay it back in less than a year.

However, he will indeed need to borrow half of his money to buy an apartment in Guangzhou. Buying another one in the capital would be quite difficult, unless he buys in the Tuanjiehu neighborhood. But even there, a courtyard house like that is extremely rare and hard to come by.

But he rented a courtyard house in the countryside in the capital, which was several hundred square meters. He really wouldn't be used to living in a small apartment in the Tuanjiehu community.

Moreover, Uncle Qi went back to the capital and stayed in a place where he could easily stroll around and see Tiananmen Square. His own father, living in the countryside, probably wouldn't be too happy about that.

Therefore, it would be best for him to buy in the city center. He earns about 50,000 yuan a year now, and he should be able to pay off the money for the house in Guangzhou this year. Unfortunately, it's an off-plan property, so he can only get the property certificate after the handover. Unlike Mingche, he can't immediately use the property to get a mortgage loan after the transfer of ownership. His 100,000 yuan loan should be approved after the New Year.

Fang Mingfeng, familiar with the place, took his daughter to the guesthouse to check in; the letter of introduction was one he had obtained from the travel agency beforehand.

The sales center was already open on the ninth day of the lunar new year, and he was selecting apartments from the models. Thanks to a friend's introduction, he already knew which floors, orientations, and layouts were best. So, he went there that day and placed an order immediately.

Fang Tong followed him, examining the model in the sand table again and again. This must be the same model that Yan Yan had mentioned of her family's courtyard house.

"Dad, take a picture of it. I want to take it back to show Yan Yan."

Fang Mingfeng also bought a Seagull camera. It only cost a few hundred yuan, which wasn't a big deal for him or Fang Mingche. He immediately took it out and started taking pictures of the models in the sand table.

He'd been to Guangzhou many times before, and had taken the opportunity to visit all the must-see places. But this time, he was bringing his daughter, so he was definitely going to give her a few days of fun. Then he'd borrow a car from a friend and drive her to Shenzhen.

Fang Tong was his first child, born amidst great anticipation. Whether it was a son or a daughter, he valued her equally. Therefore, he was willing to make time to fulfill Fang Tong's wishes.

As for the second child, it was indeed a bit disappointing that it was another daughter. But she's still my own flesh and blood, so I bought her some gifts while I was in Guangzhou. Oh, and I bought some for Yan Yan and Chang Chang too.

Tsk, that kid Mingche, he's a step ahead of me in business. Even his son is better than mine.

By the time the father and son had finished their trip in the south and flown back to the capital, it was already the fourteenth day of the first lunar month. Fang Mingche drove Yan Yan to the capital airport to pick them up. They took them directly to the courtyard that Fang Mingfeng had rented, where the scrap metal business was already up and running.

I must say, my cousin's wife is really capable of handling everything, inside and out. The baby is only 70 days old, and she can already take care of things.

"Your second niece's full name is Fang Wu, right?" Fang Mingche asked as he drove. He had heard it from Lin Yan, who had given her New Year's money earlier.

"Yes, we initially thought it might be a boy, so we named him Fang Wu, the 'Wu' in 'wutong' (梧桐, meaning wutong tree). But it turned out to be a girl, so we changed the name." Fang Mingfeng was sitting in the passenger seat, making it easier to speak.

The two girls in the second row were looking at the photos of the real estate model that Fang Tong had brought back, as well as photos of him and his father taken in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Yan Yan looked at the building model with great interest. "Wow, it's so tall! What floor are you on?"

"12nd Floor."

Fang Mingche was also a little curious. But he was driving at the moment, so he wasn't in a hurry to look. He just listened to the two young ladies whispering in the back.

When they arrived at the recycling station, my cousin's wife came out to greet them, smiling and inviting Fang Mingche and his daughter inside to have a meal before leaving. They had hired someone to cook for them. My cousin's wife's mother only took care of her granddaughter and cooked for her own daughter.

Fang Mingche and his daughter didn't stand on ceremony and got out of the car to follow them inside.

Fang Mingche glanced at his sister-in-law and said, "Sister-in-law, you've recovered very well. Ayan will definitely be envious."

Lin Yan is still a little chubby. However, she feels quite nice to the touch.

My cousin-in-law smiled and said, "Your daughter, Ayan, is perfectly content with having a son! I can't be like her; I haven't fully recovered even after giving birth for more than half a year."

She had just finished her postpartum confinement period when her mother used a blue wool apron and traditional methods to help her lose weight quickly. That's how she achieved her current results.

Her husband isn't as honest and straightforward as Mingche; he's bound to cheat on her. She needs to keep a tight rein on him! Luckily, he still wants a son with her, so he won't have any wandering thoughts during this period.

As for what happens afterward, as long as she gives birth to a son, all the family property will belong to her son. She's fine with anything else, as long as she doesn't return with any illness.

When Fang Mingche saw his cousin's mother carrying the infant Fang Wu out, he quickly greeted her as "Auntie." Yan Yan also followed her cousin's lead and called her "Grandma."

In the South, they call their grandmother "waipo" (外婆), not "laolao" (姥姥).

My cousin's mother smiled and nodded, "Sit down and have some fruit."

Fruit is scarce in winter, and she wouldn't have been willing to buy so much if it weren't for this father and daughter coming.

Fang Mingche smiled and agreed. Watching his cousin take his daughter, he also went over to take a look. "Wow, she's grown up. She looks like your sister-in-law. She'll be a beauty when she grows up. Mingfeng, you already have two little cotton-padded jackets. You can add a leather jacket later."

This isn't a hospital, it's a private setting, so it's fine to say it like this.

Fang Mingfeng smiled, hugged it, and looked down at it, "It feels like it has changed a lot, it really is getting better and better."

Fang Mingche sat back down in his seat and said to Fang Tong, "Tongtong, show all the photos to Uncle Jiu."

Fang Tong took it and then explained it to him. What is this place? What is that place?

"Alright, Uncle Nine understands. Take your time watching. You two go have fun."

Yan Yan brought her mini bicycle, which was strapped to the back of the bike. The two girls went out to untie it and then carried it off. Everyone took turns riding it. With three wheels, they weren't afraid of falling.

Yan Yan had mentioned it before, and Fang Tong asked her to bring it so she could ride it. She liked it, so she asked her parents to buy her one too.

My cousin's wife then asked, "Was this bought with foreign exchange certificates?"

Then we'll have to ask Lin Yan to exchange the foreign exchange certificates, since Lin Yan is in charge of all their family's money.

"No need, this isn't an imported product. Nowadays, only imported products can be purchased with foreign exchange or foreign exchange certificates."

My cousin-in-law nodded, that makes things easier! Although we just bought a house, since the business is running smoothly, there's no need for Fang Tong to cut back on expenses.

She was naturally also concerned about the house she had bought for sixty or seventy thousand yuan, and they both looked down to examine it.

There are no physical models available now, only photos of them. Besides the model of the entire building, there are also models of the same apartment layouts. These are fully furnished models.

Her mother said, "You haven't even seen the actual house, and you're buying it just because you saw these models?"

Fang Mingfeng said, "Mom, this is a pre-sale. They'll just enlarge it and fix it up to this size when it's ready."

My cousin's wife nodded and said, "It's very well made. I hope it will be enlarged and remade later. I also think that the winters in the capital are really too cold. The south is much better."

“The repaired version will definitely be the same. I’ve seen models of Hong Kong properties and photos of the repaired ones; they’re completely enlarged to scale,” Fang Mingfeng said.

The so-called "foreign investment" that led to the construction of Donghu New Village actually refers to Hong Kong investment. Capital from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan now enjoys the same treatment as foreign investment.

After the rapid development of Hong Kong in the 1960s and 70s, it was already quite advanced in the real estate sector. The models they made were also exceptionally well-made. They must have put in a lot of effort to ensure the success of their first pre-sale project.

My cousin's mother actually prefers Fang Mingche's large courtyard house. It's on the 12th floor of an apartment building with an elevator; living there might even make you dizzy.

Fang Tong had the same concern, but Yan Yan shook her head, "No, I've been to the upper floor of the Beijing Hotel, and I didn't feel that way at all."

Fang Mingche continued looking at the photos of Shenzhen. Apart from Shekou Port and parts of Luohu, it really was just a small fishing village.

Besides the port, what interested him most were the photos his cousin took of the factory starting up.

"Brother Mingfeng, are you inclined to move to the south in a few years?"

Fang Mingfeng nodded. “Living in the capital is not easy. Without connections in the military and government, you can’t do much business here. Guangzhou is much more open. Moreover, now that a special economic zone has been established, the south should see a major development. I plan to save up some money first and then get involved when it first starts to develop.”

Fang Mingche nodded, "That's a good idea. Guangzhou is also a famous historical and cultural city. Especially since it opened as a treaty port in 1840, its development has been at the forefront."

Fang Mingfeng laughed, "What, are you also planning to open a branch office?"

"Let's develop slowly from north to south." The most distinctive houses in Guangzhou are probably the grand mansions of Xiguan. The rest are mostly commercial housing, so there's no rush to buy them. We don't have enough money right now, so we can only take it one step at a time.

After having dinner there, Fang Mingche and his father drove back home.

"Dad, when will the capital city build such tall buildings for sale?" The Overseas Chinese Apartments also have elevators, but they are not as tall as 16 floors.

"Just wait, it will happen."

Yan Yan continued, "Sister Tongtong said that Guangzhou and Shenzhen are very warm in winter, so she needs to wear fewer clothes."

"Yes, our motherland is vast. The north is in the frigid zone, and the south is in the subtropical zone."

Yan Yan said, "Sister Tongtong said that in two years she might go south with her second aunt to study in Guangzhou. But she also said that there are airplanes, so she can have morning tea in Guangzhou and then fly to the capital to eat Peking duck with me."

Fang Mingche chuckled, "Sure. Just so you two sisters can enjoy the days of flying together, your second uncle and I will work hard to earn money."

(End of this chapter)